PCBoard 15.1 Demo

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6 ============================================================================== Conference Setup Main Board Configuration Conferences Conference Options Screen Sharing Files Between Conferences File Directories Doors Script Questionnaires Bulletins The PCBSetup Main Menu contains two menu items that will help you setup conferences. The first selection will allow you to modify the configuration of the Main Board (conference 0) while the second option will allow you to select the conference number you want to modify (1-65,535). Main Board Configuration The Main Board is a special conference. This conference is the base conference of PCBoard and it is sometimes referred to as conference 0. When a user abandons a conference they will be returned to the Main Board conference. The reason that there are two different menu options on the Main Menu is because the following fields that are available in other conference definitions would have no effect on the Main Board Conference: Conference Name Public Conference Password to Join if Private Req. Security if Public Auto-Register Flags The Main Board is a public conference by default and the conference that most people will login to. You can lock a user out of the Main Board if you wish, by setting the L conference flag in a user's record. For information on all of the fields available in the Main Board Configuration screen, please reference the Conferences | Display Files And Message Locations and Conference Options Screen sections. Conferences When you select the Conferences option from the Main Menu, you will be presented with a list of conferences on your system. You need to select the conference that you wish to edit from this list. Selecting a Conference To Edit The screen that lists your conferences looks similar to the following: To edit a conference, move to the conference you want to edit and press ENTER. The keyboard commands that you can use to move the highlighted bar are: [conf. #] Anytime that you begin typing a number you will see a field show up on your screen which enables you to go directly to a particular conference. The field will appear towards the top of the screen as shown in the screen on the following page. PgDn View the next 42 conferences in your system. PgUp View the previous 42 conferences in your system. Home Highlight the first conference on the current screen. End Highlight the last conference on the current screen. As you are moving the highlighted bar around, you may notice that it disappears once you have passed a certain number. When the bar disappears, it is letting you know that you have passed the number that you entered as Number of Highest Conference Desired in PCBSetup | Configuration Options | Messages. Another way that you will know when you have exceeded this number is when PCBSetup emits a beep when attempting to edit the conference. Once you have selected the conference you want to edit, press ENTER to see the first screen of fields that you may edit relating to that conference. When you are editing a particular conference you can press PgDn to go to the second configuration screen or press PgDn twice to go to the next available conference. To go to the previous conference, press PgUp. Conference Name / Definition Conference Name In this field, enter the name you wish to use for this conference. This name will be shown at the conference command prompt. For example, when you are in the Chit-Chat conference the conference command prompt will resemble the following: (13 min. left) Chit-Chat Conference Command? This name will also be used if a user attempts to join a conference. PCBoard will search by conference name or by conference number. Public Conference A conference can be configured to be either a public conference or a private conference. A public conference can be joined by anyone if they have sufficient security to do so (see the discussion about the Req. Security if Public field on this screen for further information). A private conference requires that a user be registered (the R conference flag is set in their user record) in order for them to join the conference. N The conference will be considered a private conference. Users must be registered in the conference before they may join the conference. Y The conference will be a public conference. In order to join a public conference, the user must have a security level that is greater than or equal to the value you enter in the Req. Security if Public field. Req. Security if Public If you have defined your conference to be a public conference, you should enter the security level that is required to join the conference in this field. If a user attempts to join a conference and they do not have sufficient security, they will not be allowed to join the conference. One exception to this rule is, PCBoard will allow the user to join the public conference if the R flag has been set in their record. This would allow you to manually register users in a public conference even if the security level requirements are not met. Password to Join if Private If you have defined a conference as a private conference, you can have PCBoard automatically register your users in the conference if they know the proper password. This would be a good situation where you want to enable only a select few individuals into a conference but do not want to manually register all of the users. If a user that is not registered in the conference attempts to join the conference, they will be prompted for a password. The user will be given one attempt at guessing the password each time they attempt to join the private conference. If the user gets the correct password, PCBoard will register the user in the conference with an R flag. By doing this, the user will not have to enter the password each time they join the conference. If you decide you want to change the password, you may want to de-register all users in the conference via System Manager | Users File Maintenance | Remove Group Conference. After you do this, all users would have to re-enter the correct password to become registered in the conference again. NOTE: To help deter hackers from gaining access to a conference, PCBoard will hang up on the caller if they fail to get the right password after 8 attempts per session. Auto-Register Flags In a public conference, you do not need to use conference registration flags for a user to be able to join the conference. The ability to join a conference is based on the security level of the user and the minimum security level that you want joining the conference. However, by setting the conference flags, you can speed up the caller's access to the conference. This is possible because PCBoard then does not have to read in the conference information to determine the public/private status or the security level requirements. Valid characters in this field are: [blank] When a user joins a conference for the first time, no changes will be made to their conference registration flags. Each time the user joins the conference, PCBoard will check to make sure that the user has sufficient security to join the conference. R When joining a conference for the first time, the R conference flag will be set in the user's record so that their security will not be checked each time they join the conference. This will enable the user to join the conference quicker. If you do not also set the X flag, then the user will not be able to join the conference when their subscription expires (assuming you have subscription mode enabled). X When joining a conference for the first time, the X conference flag will be set in the user's record. When this flag and the R conference flag is set, the user will have access to the conference at all times (even when their subscription has expired). If the X flag is set, but not the R flag, the user will be locked out of the conference. S The S conference flag will be set if the user is joining the conference for the first time. The S flag will mark the conference for scanning when reading mail within PCBoard. You can enter any combination of the R, X, and S conference flags in this field or you may leave the field blank. For example, you may want to enter R, RX, or even RXS. Display Files And Message Locations Number of Message Blocks Versions of PCBoard prior to v15.0 used a different method of indexing the message bases. You were required to enter the number of message blocks you wanted to use for this older format. If you are running third-party software which requires use of the older index files, you can have PCBoard maintain these older format index files for you by using the /OLDINDEX environment setting for PCBOARD.EXE or by setting the option in each conference configuration regarding old index support. As mentioned previously, the old index format requires a message block setting. In this field, enter the number of message blocks that you want to use for this older message index format. Each block represents a RANGE of 1K in message numbers. That is, with 1 block defined you may have a RANGE of messages from a low number of 1 to a high number of 1024. Likewise, 100,001 up through 101,024 is also valid with a block setting of 1. Each block requires 4 kilobytes of disk space. Regular use of PCBPack will remove numbers from the low end and this will slide the range forward. Usually you will not have to increase the number of blocks for the message base beyond a value of 4 or so unless you have extremely high traffic or keep very old messages in the message base. NOTE: If you are not maintaining the older index formats then the value in this field will be ignored. In addition, if you run a multi-node system this number must be the same for this conference on all nodes on the system. Name/Loc of MSGS File Each conference has a message base file where messages left in the conference are stored. In this field, enter the name and location of the message file that you want to use for this conference. Normally, the filename you specify in this field will be unique to any other conference but it is not absolutely required to be unique. For example, if you enter H:\PCB\MSGS\CONF001 in this field, then PCBoard will think that the message base will be stored in H:\PCB\MSGS\ using the filename CONF001. Name/Loc of User's Menu PCBoard, by default, has one main menu that is displayed at each conference command prompt when in novice mode. This menu is used by your callers so that they know which commands are available on your system. The menu file is simply a text file so you can customize it any way that you think will make it easier for your users to navigate around the system. In this field, enter the name and location of your user menu for this conference. Remember, that several conferences can point to the same menu file if you wish to reduce the complexity of your system. Editing The User Menu File If you wish to edit the user menu file, press F2 to edit the non-graphics files and F3 to edit the graphics specific file. To create security specific and language specific files, you will need to do so directly from the DOS prompt using the display file conventions. Name/Loc of Sysop's Menu Because the SysOp has more menu options available to them than regular users, this file will be displayed as the menu for those users who have SysOp security level or higher. The SysOp security level is defined in PCBSetup | Security Levels | Sysop Commands. In this field, enter the name and location of the SysOp menu you wish to use. If you do not want to maintain two separate menu files (one for SysOps and one for regular users), enter the filename of the user menu in this field. Editing The SysOp Menu File If you wish to edit the SysOp menu file, press F2 to edit the non-graphics files and F3 to edit the graphics specific file. To create security specific and language specific files, you will need to do so directly from the DOS prompt using the display file conventions. Name/Loc of NEWS File Each conference can specify a different news file. The news file is typically used to make the users aware of upcoming events, policies of the board and general information that you want the users to be aware of. In this field, enter the name and location of the news file for the conference. If you leave this field blank, no conference news file will be available to your callers. Editing The Conference News File If you wish to edit the news file, press F2 to edit the non-graphics files and F3 to edit the graphics specific file. To create security specific and language specific files, you will need to do so directly from the DOS prompt using the display file conventions. Name/Loc of Conf INTRO File Each conference may have an introduction file. This file is typically used to remind the user of any particular items of interest about this conference. For example, if you want the users to know what is expected in the conference each time they join it, you would use the introduction file. Remember, this file will be displayed each and every time the user joins a conference unless the Q subcommand is used when joining the conference. This file may be displayed while doing mail scans as well if you have enabled the Show INTRO in `R A' scan (Conference Options Screen). In this field, enter the name and location of the introduction file for the conference. If you leave this field blank, no introduction file will be displayed. Editing The Conference Introduction File If you wish to edit the conference introduction file, press F2 to edit the non-graphics files and F3 to edit the graphics specific file. To create security specific and language specific files, you will need to do so directly from the DOS prompt using the display file conventions. Location for Attachments The drive and subdirectory that you enter in this field will determine where file attachments will be stored for this conference. If you leave this field blank, you will be specifying the current directory as your directory for file attachments which is not recommended. Public Uploads Sort In this field, enter the sort type to be used by PCBFiler for the public upload DIR (description) file. Valid values are: 0 Do not sort. 1 Sort by filename (ascending / A-Z) 2 Sort by filename (descending / Z-A) 3 Sort by file date (ascending) 4 Sort by file date (descending) Name/Loc Upload DIR File PCBoard stores the file descriptions in a separate file for each directory (including upload directories). In this field, enter the name and location of the public upload DIR (description) file. This file contains the name, size, date, and file description of files uploaded to your system, when uploads are public. Location of Uploads In this field, enter the drive and subdirectory where you want the actual files that are uploaded as public uploads to be stored. If you are running multiple nodes, you will want to make sure this location is the same for all nodes. Otherwise, files may be available on one node, but not available on another node. For example, you may want to enter F:\PCB\UPLOADS\ in this field. Private Uploads Sort In this field, enter the sort type to be used by PCBFiler for the private upload DIR (description) file. Valid values are: 0 Do not sort. 1 Sort by filename (ascending / A-Z) 2 Sort by filename (descending / Z-A) 3 Sort by file date (ascending) 4 Sort by file date (descending) Name/Loc Upload DIR File PCBoard stores the file descriptions in a separate file for each directory (including upload directories). In this field, enter the name and location of the private upload DIR (description) file. The name, size, date, and file description of files that are uploaded to your system, when uploads are private. Location of Uploads In this field, enter the drive and subdirectory where you want the actual files that are uploaded as private uploads to be stored. If you are running multiple nodes, you will want to make sure this location is the same for all nodes. Otherwise, files may be available on one node, but not available on another node. For example, you may want to enter F:\PCB\PRIVUPLD\ in this field. Doors Menu Listing When a user uses the OPEN or DOOR user commands without specifying a door name or number, PCBoard will display a menu of doors that are available. The filename you enter in this field will be the file that is displayed to the caller. This file is a standard display file so you may have security, graphics, and language specific versions of the menu. Because you can have different versions of the doors menu, you should not specify a filename extension or you will eliminate the ability to have different menus for languages on your system (if you have defined them). For example, you may enter C:\PCB\MAIN\DOORS or any other valid filename in this field. Editing The Door Menu File If you wish to edit the door menu file, press F2 to edit the non-graphics files and F3 to edit the graphics specific file. To create security specific and language specific files, you will need to do so directly from the DOS prompt using the display file conventions. Path/Name List File The Path/Name List File, as it is called, refers to the data file that is used to define the doors that are available in the conference. This is the file you will edit to define, delete, or alter the configuration of the doors available in this conference. To edit this file, press F2 while the filename is highlighted. Please refer to the Doors section in the chapter for additional information on editing this file.. NOTE: Even though this file is not a display file, you may create security specific versions of the Path/Name List File. For example, if the file is called DOOR.LST, you can create a DOOR50.LST that would be used exclusively by those with a security level of 50. Bulletins Menu Listing When a user uses the B user command without specifying a bulletin number, PCBoard will display a menu of bulletins that are available. The filename you enter in this field will be the file that is displayed to the caller. Even though this file is a standard display file, you cannot have a security specific version of this menu. You may create graphic and language specific versions of this menu.. Because you can have different versions of the bulletin menu, you should not specify a filename extension or you will eliminate the ability to have different menus for languages on your system (if you have defined them). For example, you may enter C:\PCB\MAIN\BLTS or any other valid filename in this field. Editing The Bulletin Menu File If you wish to edit the bulletin menu file, press F2 to edit the non-graphics files and F3 to edit the graphics specific file. To create language specific files, you will need to do so directly from the DOS prompt using the display file conventions. Path/Name List File The Path/Name List File, as it is called, refers to the data file that is used to define the bulletins that are available in the conference. This is the file you will edit to define, delete, or alter the configuration of the bulletins available in this conference. To edit this file, press F2 while the filename is highlighted. Please refer to the Bulletins section in this chapter for additional information on editing this file. NOTE: Even though this file is not a display file, you may create security specific versions of the Path/Name List File. For example, if the file is called BLT.LST, you can create a BLT50.LST that would be used exclusively by those with a security level of 50. Scripts Menu Listing When a user uses the S user command, PCBoard will display a menu of script questionnaires that are available. The filename you enter in this field will be the file that is displayed to the caller. Even though this file is a standard display file, you cannot have a security specific version of this menu. You may create graphic and language specific versions of this menu. Because you can have different versions of the script menu, you should not specify a filename extension or you will eliminate the ability to have different menus for languages on your system (if you have defined them). For example, you may enter C:\PCB\MAIN\SCRIPTS or any other valid filename in this field. Editing The Script Questionnaire Menu File If you wish to edit the script questionnaire menu file, press 2 to edit the non-graphics files and F3 to edit the graphics specific file. To create language specific files, you will need to do so directly from the DOS prompt using the display file conventions. Path/Name List File The Path/Name List File, refers to the data file used to define the script questionnaires that are available in the conference. This is the file you will edit to define, delete, or alter the configuration of the script questionnaires available in this conference. To edit this file, press F2 while the filename is highlighted. Please refer to the Script Questionnaires section in this chapter for additional information on editing this file.. NOTE: Even though this file is not a display file, you may create security specific versions of the Path/Name List File. For example, if the file is called SCRIPT.LST, you can create a SCRIPT50.LST that would be used exclusively by those with a security level of 50. Directories Menu Listing When a user uses the F user command without specifying a subcommand, PCBoard will display a menu of file directories that are available. The filename you enter in this field will be the file that is displayed to the caller. Even though this file is a standard display file, you cannot have a security specific version of this menu. You may create graphic and language specific versions of this menu.. Because you can have different versions of the script menu, you should not specify a filename extension or you will eliminate the ability to have different menus for languages on your system (if you have defined them). For example, you may enter C:\PCB\MAIN\DIR or any other valid filename in this field. Editing The File DIrectory Menu File If you wish to edit the file directory menu file you can press 2 to edit the non-graphics files and F3 to edit the graphics specific file. To create language specific files, you will need to do so directly from the DOS prompt using the display file conventions. Path/Name List File The Path/Name List File, as it is called, refers to the data file that is used to define the file directories that are available in the conference. This is the file you will edit to define, delete, or alter the configuration of the file directories available in this conference. To edit this file, press F2 while the filename is highlighted. Please refer to the File Directories section in this chapter for additional information on editing this file. NOTE: Even though this file is not a display file, you may create security specific versions of the Path/Name List File. For example, if the file is called DIR.LST, you can create a DIR50.LST that would be used exclusively by those with a security level of 50. Download Paths Path/Name List File The Path/Name List File, refers to the data file used to define the paths that PCBoard will search to locate files that are available for downloading in this conference. This is the file you will edit to define, delete, or alter the configuration of the paths that search for downloadable files. To edit this file, press F2 while the filename is highlighted. Please refer to the File Directories section in this chapter for additional information on editing this file. NOTE: Even though this file is not a display file, you may create security specific versions of the Path/Name List File. For example, if the file is called DLPATH.LST, you can create a DLPATH50.LST that would be used exclusively by those with a security level of 50. Conference Options Screen These conference options are made available to you when you press d while in the conference configuration screen. These options give you more control over how the conference will operate. Auto-Rejoin into this Conf. In certain situations it may be desirable to have the user automatically re-join a conference if they logoff while in that conference. For example, you may have a conference set aside for each of several groups of users on your system. Your system may be configured so that all of the information they need to obtain can be found in the conference which is dedicated for their use. You could then lock the users out of all other conferences (using the L conference flag) and force them to join their conference next time they logon. Valid options for this field are: N When the user logs in the next time, they will be placed into the Main Board (Conference 0). Y The next time the user logs onto the system, they will automatically rejoin this conference if they disconnected from the system while in this conference. Allow Viewing Conf. Members This option controls whether or not a user will be asked to view a list of users who are registered in the conference they are about to join. This question is asked only once per session (when the conference is joined for the first time). Valid options for this field are: N Users are not asked if they wish to view conference members when they join the conference. The users may still be able to use the USERS command to see the same information. This command, however, is controlled by security level in PCBSetup | Security Levels | User Commands. Y Users will be asked if they wish to view conference members when they join the conference for the first time during that session. Make All Uploads Private With the concern of virus infected or other damaging files being sent over the modem, you may want to screen all of your uploads before making them available to your callers. An additional concern would be if your callers were uploading files that you deemed inappropriate for your system. In this case too, you will most likely want to make all of your uploads private. By making an upload private, you are telling PCBoard to place all files that are uploaded in the conference to the private upload directory that you specified on the first screen. Valid options for this field are: N All uploads in the conference will be considered public uploads unless the user enters a / as the first character of their description. Once the file is uploaded, callers will be able to download it without you screening the files. Y All uploads will be sent to the private upload directory even if the description the user entered does not begin with a /. It is then your responsibility to screen the uploads and move them (using PCBFiler) out of the private upload directory to one of your download directories. If you have defined your public upload directory (even though you are making all uploads private) PCBoard will consider the public upload directory valid for your users. This means that you could screen your uploads and then move them over to your public upload directory where your users will easily be able to find new uploads to your system. Make All Messages Private Not only can you make all uploads to a conference private, but you can also make all messages in a conference private as well. While it is less likely that you want to screen your messages, the conference that you are editing may have a lot of one on one conversations where making all messages private would be the ideal situation. Valid options for this field are: N When entering a message, the user can assign the message security of their choice when prompted. This means that they can choose to make a message private, public, group password or any other valid message security option. If you want to make a public message private, you may do so by using the P subcommand at the End of Message Command prompt. Y Users will not be given the choice to assign security to a message. Instead, all messages will be deemed RECEIVER ONLY. As you read these private messages, you can unprotect them (making them public messages) by using the U subcommand at the End of Message Command prompt. Echo Mail in Conference The primary design of a bulletin board system is to distribute information to the callers of the system. Some systems get involved with echo mail networks where several bulletin board systems exchange messages with one another. Valid options for this field are: N You do not plan on sharing messages in this conference with other systems. Users will not be asked any questions about echoing the message they are entering. Y When entering a message, the user will be asked if this message should be echoed to other systems or not. PCBoard does not actually transfer the mail (that is up to the network mail software). Therefore, it is up to the network mail software to honor the echo flag if it is set. If you want to force all messages to be marked as messages for echoing then you should enable the Force Echo on all Messages option on this same screen. Force Echo on All Messages If you would rather force all messages left in the conference to be marked for echoing, enable this option. When entering messages, your users will not be allowed to choose whether or not the message should be marked for echoing or not. For this setting to have any effect, you must have answered Y to the Echo Mail in Conference question. Valid options for this field are: N Allow the user to choose whether or not the message they are entering should be mark for echoing or not. Y Force all messages entered in the conference to be marked for echoing. The user is never given a choice. Allow Internet (long) TO: Names The normal limit for user names when addressing message is 25 characters. However, some networks such as the Internet can have extremely long identities or addresses. If you are echoing a conference that requires the TO: field to allow input of more than 25 characters, you can choose to do so based on your answer to this field. Valid options for this field are: N Users are given up to 25 characters to address their message. Y Users are given up to 120 characters to address their message. Make Conference Read-Only You may desire to make some conferences read-only. Users cannot reply or enter messages in conferences that are marked as read-only. If you would rather limit who can enter messages by security level, refer to the Level to Enter a Message field on this screen instead. Valid options are: N Users can enter and reply to messages as they read them. Y Users (not even the SysOp) will be able to enter messages in this conference. Disallow Private Messages Private messages are not often supported in echo mail networks. Therefore, you may wish to not allow users to leave private messages in these conferences. This field controls whether or not a user can enter private messages in a conference. Valid options for this field are: N Users can choose to enter private messages if they are prompted for the message security. Y Users will not be able to enter a private message if they are prompted for the message security. If they attempt to, PCBoard will warn them that private messages cannot be left in this conference and then prompt them again for the message security that they wish to assign to the message. Place Origin Info in Messages When you participate in an echo mail network, information that refers to where the message originated from is usually appended to the end of the message. You can tell PCBoard to include this origin information directly into the message if you wish. The origin information is taken directly from the Board Name field in PCBSetup | Node Information. For most systems, it is up to the echo mail software if you should have PCBoard include the origin information or not. Please refer to the documentation for your mail software to see if it requests that PCBoard include this information. Valid options for this field are: N Do not place origin information in each message entered in this conference. Y Include the origin information for each message entered in this conference. Prompt for ROUTE Info Some mail networks will allow you to route a message directly to a particular site in the echo mail network. Check with your echo mail documentation to see if it supports routing and if it knows how to extract routing information directly from PCBoard. In order for a user to be prompted for routing information the following must be true of the message being entered: The message must be marked for echoing The message must be a private (RECEIVER ONLY) message If prompted for routing information, the user will be able to enter up to 58 characters to identify where the message should be directed to. The echo mail software that you are using will determine the format that the routing information should be entered in. Valid options for this field are: N Users will not be prompted for routing information. Y Users will be prompted for routing information if the aforementioned conditions are met. Allow Aliases to be used Once you have installed the Alias PSA you need to determine which conferences each user's alias will become active. Each conference has this field which determines if alias will be used or not. Valid options for this field are: N Even if the user has defined an alias to use (using the W user command), only their real name will be used while in this conference. Y While in this conference, the user's alias name will be in use. Show INTRO in 'R A' Scan The conference introduction file is normally only displayed when a caller uses the J user command to join a conference. However, to help separate conferences and make the transition from one conference to the next more obvious you can display the introduction file more often. When using the A or ALL subcommands with the R user command, this setting will determine if the introduction file for the current conference will be displayed before the conference is actually scanned for new mail. Remember, this setting is conference specific, so if you want the introduction file for all of your conferences to be displayed, you will need to change this setting for all of your conferences. Valid options are: N Conference introduction files will only be displayed only when joining conferences and not during new mail scans. Y In addition to being displayed when joining a conference, the introduction file will be displayed when scanning for new mail using the A or ALL subcommands of the R user command. Maintain Old MSGS.NDX File Older (non-v15.0 compliant) software may not read the new IDX files and consequently may not be able to recognize messages on your system. This setting will determine whether or not PCBoard will maintain the older NDX format for this conference. Valid options are: N PCBoard will continue to maintain only the IDX file (not the older NDX file) for the conference. Y In addition to maintaining the IDX file, PCBoard will also maintain the NDX file as well so that software designed to operate with v14.x (but not v15.0) will be able to operate properly. NOTE: If you want to force all conferences to maintain the older NDX format, use the /OLDINDEX environment switch for PCBoard. Conf-Specific CMD.LST File You will probably recall that there is what is referred to as a global CMD.LST file defined in PCBSetup | File Locations | Configuration Files. Normally, the commands that you define in that file will be available in all conferences. If you want a conference to use a different CMD.LST, specify the CMD.LST to use in this field. By entering a filename in this field you are overriding the entire contents of your global CMD.LST file with whatever commands are defined in your conference specific version. Additional Conference Security In this field, enter the amount of security that should be added to the user's security level at the time they join this conference. The value that you enter may be positive or negative and can range from -99 to 999. If the value you enter is negative, then the caller's security will be lowered upon joining the conference. Also, remember that PCBoard supports security levels up to 255. Even though you can add 999 to a security level it would not be practical to do so. Try to limit all security level adjustments so that they remain under 256. Entering 0 in this field will leave the security level of the caller unchanged when joining this conference. NOTE: The change in security level will only be in effect while in the conference. When the conference is abandoned or another conference is joined then the user will return to their assigned security level. Additional Conference Time In this field, enter the amount of time that should be added to the user's time remaining on the system at the time that the conference is joined. You may enter any value between 0 and 999 in this field. A value of 0 will not adjust the time of the caller when joining the conference. Once the time is added, it is not removed until the caller logs off of the system. This means a user could join this conference to get a additional boost in time. Perhaps the additional time could be used as some sort of incentive. The additional time is not added each time the user joins the conference. Instead, it is added the first time they join the conference during each call. Level to Save File Attachment The ability to attach files to messages can be a powerful feature and at the same time an annoying feature if abused. In this field enter the security level that is required to save a message with an attached file in this conference. The value you enter in this field must be between 0 and 255. By setting this value to a higher value, you can let your most trusted users attach files without having to worry about it being abused. Level to Enter a Message For some conferences, you may want the primary purpose of the conference to have users read messages. You could disable the ability to enter messages (or replies) by entering Y in the Make Conference Read-Only. Enabling this setting, however, would not allow you to enter messages directly into this conference. In this field, enter the security level that is required for a user to leave a message in this conference. If you did make the conference Read-Only, the value you enter in this field will have no effect. Be aware that there is a global security level that can be assigned to the E user command in PCBSetup | Security Levels | User Commands. Whichever value is higher (the global setting or the conference specific setting) will be the controlling security level for entering messages and replies. Level to Request Return Receipt Like the file attachment feature, users can end up abusing the ability to request return receipts on their messages. If this feature is abused, your message bases could quickly become full of un-necessary messages because each return receipt is a message. In this field enter the security level that is required for a user to be able to request a return receipt in this conference. You may enter any value between 0 and 255. Entering a high value in this field can disable the ability to request return receipts for all or some of your callers. Level to Enter Carbon List Msgs To address a single message to a group of users on the system, the message can be addressed to @LIST@. Once you address the message in this manner, PCBoard will prompt the user for a list of names that the message should be addressed to. You can control the security level that is required to address messages in this manner. In this field enter the security level that is required for a user to address a single message to a group of users. When a user attempts to address a message to @LIST@ and either does not have sufficient security or the Carbon Copy List Limit is set to 0, the message will be addressed to ALL instead. Carbon Copy List Limit When addressing a message to a group of users, you can set the maximum number of users that the message can be addressed to. In this field enter a value between 0 and 99 that will determine the maximum number of users that can be addressed. A value of 0 disables the ability to enter @LIST@ messages. When a user attempts to address a message to @LIST@ and either does not have sufficient security or the Carbon Copy List Limit is set to 0, the message will be addressed to ALL instead. Sharing Files Between Conferences The conference configuration screens specify the location of several files. As you know, conferences are designed to separate groups of people and or common information together. You will have different message bases for every conference but you may want to use the same door, script, and bulletin configurations for multiple conferences. For example, conference 1 and conference 3 on your system may have separate message bases, but you may want to make the same doors available in both conferences. Rather than having to maintain two separate DOORS.LST files, you can have both conferences use the same DOORS.LST file. When you make a change to the file, the change will be seen in both conferences (because they are both reading from the same configuration file on disk). This would mean that conference 1 and 3 may have C:\PCB\GEN\DOORS.LST entered while conference 2 could have C:\CONF\2\DOORS.LST because it will have different doors defined. This concept can be applied to any of the file locations in the conference configuration screens. File Directories In order for users to be able to transfer files on your system, you will need to have some file directories available. Each conference can specify a different set of file directories and each file directory can contain virtually an unlimited number of files. The file directories simply store the filename, date, size, and description of a file that is available for download. Creating To create a file directory, you must understand how DIR, DIR.LST, and DLPATH.LST interact with one another to form your file directory system. The following lists the three files that make up your file directories in each conference configuration screen: Directories : C:\PCB\GEN\DIR : C:\PCB\GEN\DIR.LST Download Paths (listing only) : C:\PCB\GEN\CDLPATH.LST To help illustrate how these files interact with one another we are going to go through a step by step process on how to setup some file directories. First, you need to have a brief overview of DIR, DIR.LST, and DLPATH.LST. DIR is the file that gets displayed to the user when they select (F)ile Directories from the menu. DIR.LST is the file that PCBoard uses to determine where the file descriptions are stored, and the description for the directory contents. PCBFiler uses DIR.LST to determine where the files are stored on your hard drive or similar device. PCBFiler also determines what method to use when you sort your directories by reading DIR.LST. DLPATH.LST is a file that contains a list of paths that PCBoard should search through for files a user requests to download. Only the paths listed in this file are searched when a user requests to download a file. The first thing you will want to do is to think about categories you would like to define as file directories. For example, you may have categories called Printer Fonts, Adventure Games, Disk Utilities, etc. Once you have determined which file categories you wish to create, you are ready to begin adding entries in DIR.LST. To edit DIR.LST, load PCBSetup by either loading PCBSETUP.EXE from your \PCB directory or select the PCBSetup button from your call-waiting screen. Once you are in PCBSetup, select either I or J from the PCBSetup Main Menu to enter one of the conference configuration screens. Now you only need to move your cursor over to the DIR.LST entry and press F2 to edit the file. Your screen should now resemble the following: The first field you will be editing is labeled as DIR Text File Name & Path. This is the full path and filename where PCBoard will be storing descriptions (not the actual files for download) for the directory number identified at the left hand side of the line in this file. You can name this file anything you want, although filenames without extensions are highly recommended. The descriptions in your DIR file will look like the following: PCBSHOW.ZIP 89722 02-20-91 PCBoard v14.5 Introductory SHOW dated 2/20/91. This program gives a quick demonstration of installing PCBoard It's final goal being that of giving new sysops a quick start. Other SHOWs may follow in the future. Uploaded by: Dan Moore The next field in your DIR.LST is Hard Disk Subdirectory. This field should contain the drive and subdirectory where a majority or all of your files are stored for this file directory. PCBFiler uses this field to help determine where the files are located on disk when you edit/move files and file descriptions. Remember, PCBoard never uses this field to locate files requested for download. It is only possible to assign one drive and subdirectory per file directory. If you have files stored in more than one drive and directory, enter the drive and directory where the majority of the files for this directory are located. The last field on this screen asks what type of sort method you wish to use. You can specify any of five choices (0-4) that are listed at the bottom of your screen. When you use PCBFiler to edit/move files and file descriptions, the sort method you specify here will be used to rearrange the file descriptions. There is one more screen to edit before you are finished. If you press 2, you will notice that the screen changes. You still see the column labeled DIR Text File Name & Path. However, the Hard Disk Subdirectory and Sort fields are no longer on this screen. Instead, there is a field called Description of Directory Contents. In this field, you enter a description of what type of files can be found in this directory. If one of your directories contains laser printer fonts, you could enter Laser Printer Fonts in this field. When your users are doing file scans using the (Z)ippy, (L)ocate, and (N)ew commands they will see these descriptions to the right of the directory number. Example: Scanning Directory 1 (Printer Fonts) Scanning Directory 2 (Adventure Games) Scanning Directory 3 (Disk Utilities) Scanning Directory 4 (Security Related Files) All of the descriptions between the parentheses were entered in DIR.LST on the second screen. If you do not enter any descriptions in the Description of Directory Contents field, you will see the following when you do a directory scan: Scanning Directory 1 () Scanning Directory 2 () Scanning Directory 3 () Scanning Directory 4 () If you have not yet defined all of your file directories in DIR.LST you should do so now. If you do not have enough lines and need more, you can use ALT-I to insert a new line. Likewise, if you have defined a file directory that you do not want, you can use ALT-D to delete it. Assuming you have defined all the file directories you wish to define, it is now time to move on to DLPATH.LST. This file contains a list of paths that PCBoard will search when a user requests a file to download. This is the ONLY file that PCBoard will search to determine if a file is available for download. Even if the description for the file is listed in one of the file directories, it will not be allowed to be downloaded unless the file is found in one of the directories listed in DLPATH.LST. Because the DLPATH.LST is not directly tied into DIR.LST you can enter any directories that you wish in this file. For example, since PCBoard allows callers to download bulletins, you may want to list the directory where all of your bulletins are stored (e.g., C:\PCB\BLT) in the DLPATH.LST file. You might also have a special directory set aside where you allow users to download files that are not listed in the directories. These may be private files that you want to make available to individuals you individually inform of the specific filenames. For the most part your DLPATH.LST will contain all of the directories you listed in the Hard Disk Subdirectory column in DIR.LST, the location where all of you new uploads are stored. The final file you will need to edit is your DIR "Menu Listing" file and your file directory setup will be finished. See Creating Menu later in this section. Adding Files To Adding files for download in your file directories can be an easy process. What you need to do is copy the files to one of your directories, and use PCBFiler to provide the descriptions for the files. See the PCBFiler chapter of this manual for additional information on adding files to your system. Disabling The easiest way to disable your file directories (leaving only your upload directories working) is to blank out your DIR and DIR.LST fields. For example, if your fields in the conference configuration screen look like the following: Directories : C:\PCB\GEN\DIR : C:\PCB\GEN\DIR.LST Modify them to look like this to disable your file directories: Directories : : When your file directories are disabled, your users will receive a message stating that there are no directories whenever they try to access your file areas. Creating Menu In order for your users to know what file directories are available on your system (if any), you need to edit the Directory Menu Listing file. This file is commonly referred to as DIR. This is the file that is displayed to the user when they execute the F user command. This file is nothing more than a text file. Because it is a text file, you can design it to look or display anything you want. As a general rule it should contain each directory number and should also list a description of the contents of each file directory. The following is a sample menu text file. Doors When you add a door to your bulletin board system you add functionality to your system. A door application can enable your users to play on-line games, access databases, and just about anything else you can imagine. When a user opens a door they temporarily exit PCBoard and run a batch file called the door batch file. This batch file will then execute some other application -- be it a game, utility or other program. Usually the program that is being run is designed to be a door application, or is designed to accept input and output via the serial port so that the remote user can control the operation of the program. Programs that do not provide input and output through the serial port may not be able to run as a door unless you use a program like DOORWAY which redirects both text screen and keyboard i/o to the remote caller. Probably the most popular type of door programs are games. However, there are utility type doors as well that may allow users to store additional time on the system, read off-line mail, etc. Virtually anything that communicates via a serial port can be considered a door application. What Is A Door? A door is nothing more than a program which is designed to communicate through the serial port rather than through normal means (i.e., the keyboard). You may be asking yourself if there is anyway to run a non-door application as a door. You can but it means that you will have to have some sort of software that will monitor what is on the screen and output it to the remote users screen. DOORWAY by TriMark Engineering does exactly this. It will monitor any 80x25 text mode application and draw it on the remote users screen using ANSI codes. Using this program you could run virtually any text mode DOS application as a door. For the most part most door applications are all character-mode based. That means that you cannot run Windows application or other graphical applications as a door. The primary reason you cannot run graphical applications as doors is because there is no standard way to send graphical data over the modem and have the majority of modem users be able to view that information. Adding A Door If you load PCBSetup, and select a conference to edit you will see the following fields at the bottom of your display: Menu Listing Path/Name List File Doors : C:\PCB\GEN\DOORS : C:\PCB\GEN\DOORS.LST Bulletins : C:\PCB\GEN\BLT : C:\PCB\GEN\BLT.LST Scripts : C:\PCB\GEN\SCRIPT : C:\PCB\GEN\SCRIPT.LST Directories : C:\PCB\GEN\DIR : C:\PCB\GEN\DIR.LST Download Paths (listing only) : C:\PCB\GEN\DLPATH.LST The two fields that relate to door operation are the following: Menu Listing Path/Name List File Doors : C:\PCB\GEN\DOORS : C:\PCB\GEN\DOORS.LST The following is a brief description of each of the files: DOORS - This is the menu file that is displayed to the user when they type either OPEN or DOOR. This file is a normal PCBoard display file. It should list all of the doors that are available on your system and their corresponding numbers or names. Creating the door menu is discussed later in this section. DOORS.LST - This file stores all of the setup information about the doors you have defined in this particular conference. PCBoard will read this file to determine what batch file to use to execute the door, where the batch file is found, and other options controlling access to the door. To edit this file, press F2 and you will see the following screen: The number at the very left of each line is the door number. The rest of the fields are not always so intuitive. The following briefly describes each field in the DOORS.LST file: Filename This is the exact batch filename that PCBoard will look to execute. You are given up to 8 characters for a door name and you should not put a .BAT extension in the filename field. NOTE: Make sure that you do not enter a filename which is the equivalent of any internal PCBoard command. For example, if you were to enter TEST as a filename your door batch file will never run because PCBoard has an internal command with the same name. Password If you want users to enter a password in order to access a particular door, enter up to 12 characters in this field. If you do not desire a password to be asked, make sure this field is blank. Sec Enter the security level required in order to be able to open a particular door. A user may open the door if their security level is equal to or greater than the security level in this field. Of course, if the security level entered in this field is 0, everyone will have sufficient security to open the door. Login This field may contain either a Y or an N. If you enter a Y in this field, when the user logs into the system this door will be loaded. Note that the security level field behaves a little different when you are dealing with an auto-login door. With an auto-login door it will only open for the security level that is listed in the SEC field. If you want the door to open every time any user logs in, enter a security level of 0 in the sec field. NOTE: If you have any conferences that are defined as auto-rejoin, be aware that if a user logged off of the BBS in one of these conferences, they will rejoin that conference on their next login. Consequently, you must make sure that the proper doors are defined in this conference because this is the conference that PCBoard will read the DOORS.LST from. USER SYS In this field you may enter a Y, N, or O. The letter that you enter in this field will determine if a USERS.SYS is created and if so, what type. If you enter a Y, PCBoard will create a USERS.SYS in the same directory that you loaded PCBoard from. If you enter O, a USERS.SYS will also be created but it will be output so it is compatible with v14.5. Check the documentation for the door you are about to add to see if it requires a USERS.SYS file and if so, what type. If the door does not need a USERS.SYS file, you should enter N in this field. DOOR SYS Like the USER SYS field, this field will determine if PCBoard should create a DOOR.SYS file for the door. Again, you should check the door documentation to see if a DOOR.SYS file is required for door operation. If not, leave this field set to N. SHELL This field has three possible options (Y, N, and S). N - Do not shell to DOS to execute the door. This means that PCBoard will unload completely and then load the door. If you use this method then you will have the same amount of memory for the door to execute as you had just before you first loaded PCBoard. S - If you use this option, PCBoard will shell to DOS, swapping itself to XMS, EMS, or to Disk (whichever is available) and will then execute the door batch file. Using this method means that will get about 25k of memory less than if you had used N. Y - Shell to DOS and then execute the door rather than exiting PCBoard completely to load the door. This means that you will have less memory available to run the door but it also means that it will be quicker loading and returning from the door. Typically you may have only 100-200k of memory available to the door if you shell to it. Path to.. In this field, enter the path where your door batch file can be found. For example if the batch file for this door is stored in C:\PCB\, enter C:\PCB\ in this field. Editing/Creating Your Door Batch File By far the easiest method to create or edit your DOOR batch files is while you are editing DOORS.LST. First of all you need to make sure that you have defined a text editor in System Manager. If you have, highlight the filename field in DOORS.LST and press 2. This will allow you to create or edit the batch file. If you want to edit the file manually, you will need to look at your entry in DOORS.LST to determine the name and location of the batch file. The following is sample entry in DOORS.LST USER DOOR Filename Password Sec Login SYS SYS Shell Path to DOOR Files ---------- ------------ --- ----- ---- ---- ----- --------------------- 1) TESTDOOR 0 N N N N C:\PCB\DOORS\ │ │ └─────────────────────────┐ │ │ C:\PCB\DOORS\TESTDOOR │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────┘ You can see that PCBoard thinks that the DOOR batch file is C:\PCB\DOORS\TESTDOOR. Notice that there is no .BAT extension. Even though it sounds strange it will still execute properly. Returning Back To PCBoard From A Door If the door you are creating the batch file for has either an S or a Y in the Shell column, you do not need to add any lines to the batch file in order to return to PCBoard. Once the door batch file has completed, PCBoard will automatically reload. If you answered N to the Shell column, you need to reload BOARD.BAT. The easiest way to do this is to add the following three lines to the end of your door batch file: %PCBDRIVE% CD %PCBDIR% BOARD These lines will first make sure that your system returns to the proper drive, then change to the proper directory to reload, and finally reload PCBoard using BOARD.BAT. Debugging Debugging a door is an easy process. There are two commands designed for batch files that you may want to keep in mind -- PAUSE, and ECHO ON. The PAUSE command can be used to delay further execution of the batch file. This is useful when trying to catch errors that might be displayed as your batch file is running. The pause command will ask you to strike a key when it runs. Therefore you could put a PAUSE command after every command until you find the offending line in the batch file. In conjunction with the PAUSE command you can put a line that says ECHO ON at the beginning of the batch file. This will let you see each command of the batch file as it runs. This method is useful for checking to see if your environment variables are being correctly substituted, changing to the wrong directory, and for tracking other obvious errors. Using these two commands together can really help you track down some of the problems you will incur as you are creating your door batch files. If you have used these techniques and you still are unable to track down the problem perhaps you should consider contacting the author of the door for further help. Multiple Nodes This section discusses various techniques for installing door programs on a multi-node setup. All of the techniques in this section are designed to help save you time both in the present setup and in the future when you add more nodes. You may use these instructions for setting up door programs in a multitasking or network environment. It is assumed that you already know how to setup a door under PCBoard. If you do not yet know how to setup a door please refer to the Creating a Door section. It is also assumed that you have a good grasp on how to create batch files and pass parameters inside of batch files. You do not have to be a batch file wizard but you should be familiar with the following topics: * What a batch file is * How to create and edit a batch file * Batch file commands (IF, GOTO, etc.) * Using replaceable parameters in batch files (environment variables in particular) If you are not familiar with batch files or any of the above topics, please consult your DOS manual's batch file section for more information. Because door programs are written by different authors and the fact that there are so many door programs available, you will find that the methods required to setup a particular door program differ greatly. Some door authors may require you to pass specific information on the command line of the executable file while other door authors may store the information in a configuration file. Other door programs may use a combination of configuration files and command line parameters. Because setting up door programs requires a comprehensive knowledge of creating batch files, setting up door programs in a multinode environment may prove tricky at first. However, your efforts will pay off in the long run especially if you plan on adding more nodes in the future. By using the methods discussed in this section you will learn how you will be able to use one batch file for each door on all of your nodes. You can set up your system so that each node has a different DOORS.LST. However, this would mean that you would have to add your door configuration to each node rather than making the change on one node and spreading the change automatically through the entire system. It is strongly recommended that you stay with one single DOORS.LST for your entire system. See Using A Different DOORS.LST For Each Node for additional information. Using One Batch File For All Nodes The first step in setting up a door is to browse the documentation included with the door package. Look to see if the door requires any special hardware or software. If you are using a COM port other than COM1 or COM2, you should also check to see if the door will support non-standard COM port definitions. Likewise, if you are using the /M version of PCBoard, check and see if the program supports the FOSSIL interface. If the door program does not support your hardware configuration, you will not be able to run the door. The next step is to install the door on your system as per the instructions provided by the author. If you have questions on the installation of the door, contact the author for further assistance. Test the door program and make sure that it works on at least one node. Do not proceed until you have confirmed that the door operates properly. If the door does not work correctly your best chance of getting the door program to operate correctly is to contact the author of the program directly since they know how their program functions. If the author of the program is no longer available, try contacting other SysOps to see if they might already have it up and running. The PCBoard technical support staff is very familiar with the PCBoard program but are not very familiar with the thousands of third party programs that are available for PCBoard. Now that you know that the door works you should examine the batch file you use to run the door. When looking at this batch file you should search for anything that is specific to a particular node. Look at the following example: C: CD\DOORS\ABCGAME ABCGAME C:\PCB\NODE2\ C: CD\PCB BOARD Notice how this batch file explicitly uses C:\PCB\NODE2\. This means that if you ran this door batch file on node 3, it would not work because the C:\PCB\NODE2\ is hard-coded into the batch file. Not all of the node specific information is so easy to spot. Let's take a look at another example: C: CD\DOORS\NEATDOOR NEATDOOR ND.CFG C: CD\PCB BOARD On the outside it appears this door does not reference any node-specific information. However, if you look in the configuration file for this door (ND.CFG) you will most likely find that it contains some node specific information. This node specific information might be where to find PCBOARD.SYS, DOOR.SYS, or even what serial port to use. Once you have determined where the node specific information is, you will need to find a way around this problem so you can still use one batch file for all of your nodes. To help you with your door configuration, PCBoard will create four environment variables. They are as follows: PCBNODE Contains the number of the node that is executing the door (e.g., 3) PCBDRIVE Contains the drive letter that PCBOARD.EXE was run from. This is sometimes referred to the home drive for the node (e.g., D:) PCBDIR This variable will contain only the directory that PCBOARD.EXE was run from. This is sometimes referred to as the home directory for the node and is also the location where, PCBOARD.SYS, USERS.SYS, and DOOR.SYS will be created (e.g., \PCB\NODE3) PCBDAT Contains the full drive, path and filename of the PCBOARD.DAT that is being loaded for this node. If you did not heed the previous warning regarding environment variables and how to use them in batch files, consult your DOS manual for that information at this time. A batch file that does not use the environment variables PCBoard provides might look like the following: C: CD\DOORS\ABCGAME ABCGAME C:\PCB\NODE2\ C: CD\PCB BOARD The same batch file using the environment variables that PCBoard provides, would look like the following: C: CD\DOORS\ABCGAME ABCGAME %PCBDRIVE%%PCBDIR%\ %PCBDRIVE% CD %PCBDIR% BOARD The following describes each line in the above example. It will help you understand how and why the environment variable were used: C: Change to the C: drive because that is where the door is installed CD\DOORS... Change to the \DOORS\ABCGAME subdirectory (where the door is installed) ABCGAME... Execute the door program. Uses the PCBDRIVE and PCBDIR environment variables to tell the door where it can find specific files (e.g., PCBOARD.SYS) for the node running the program. %PCBDRIVE% Change to the PCBoard drive (where the node subdirectory is located) CD %PCBDIR% Change to the PCBoard directory (the node subdirectory) BOARD Reloads your BBS batch file The variables (surrounded by % signs) will be replaced by the appropriate values as they are set for each node. At this point you may be asking yourself, if this makes my node configuration easier, why are the batch files larger? What you may not be aware of is that you can use this batch file for EVERY node in your system. This makes both your maintenance and system configuration less complex. A tradeoff that is well worth the results. Consider the following two examples to really appreciate how using environment variables in your DOOR batch files can help you out: You add more nodes to your system. You change the location or delete the door from your system. In the first example you do not really have to do anything to activate your new nodes on the system. In the second example, if you move the location of the door you only need to change the one batch file to reflect the new location (The first CD command in the batch file). Can you imagine running 19 nodes and having to change 19 different batch files? Having numerous batch files for one door also increases your chance of making a configuration mistake. Some door programs use a configuration (config) file for normal operation. Some of these programs store node-specific information in these files. Remember, environment variables can only be used in the batch files themselves (i.e., not in config files). This may lead you to wonder how you can still use environment variables and create one batch file for all of your nodes. The answer is quite simple. Create multiple config files and then use the PCBNODE environment variable to load the proper one. As an example lets say you have the following batch file: C: CD\DOORS\NEATDOOR NEATDOOR ND.CFG C: CD\PCB BOARD Now, lets say in the ND.CFG file is the following: C:\PCB\NODE3\PCBOARD.SYS ;location of PCBOARD.SYS 5 ;number of times game can be played per day 400 ;points per win If you could use environment variables in other files, the solution would be easy enough, you would replace the C:\PCB\NODE3\PCBOARD.SYS in the ND.CFG file to say %PCBDRIVE%%PCBDIR%\PCBOARD.SYS. However, you cannot do that because environment variables cannot be read in from configuration files. Therefore, you need another alternative. At this point you need to create a configuration file for each node. You will want to come up with some sort of naming convention. Since the original config file was called ND.CFG you may want to simply tack on the node number to each config file (e.g. ND1.CFG, ND2.CFG, ND3.CFG). By naming them with the node numbers in the filename we will be able to use the PCBNODE environment variable. The most important thing to remember is that you should remain consistent in your naming conventions. If you do not, you will not be able to use environment variables. Once you have created (or copied) a config file for each node you need to change the first line to reflect the location of the PCBOARD.SYS for each node. Next, you need to make the modification to the batch file. After you have added the environment variables, your batch file would look like this: C: CD\DOORS\NEATDOOR NEATDOOR ND%PCBNODE%.CFG %PCBDRIVE% CD %PCBDIR% BOARD The following describes each line in the previous example: C: Change to the C: drive (where the DOOR is installed) CD\DOORS... Change to the \DOORS\NEATDOOR subdirectory (where the DOOR is installed) NEATDOOR... Execute the DOOR program using a config file. Because of the PCBNODE environment variable a different file will be loaded for each node. %PCBDRIVE% Change to the PCBoard drive (where the node subdirectory is located) CD %PCBDIR% Change to the PCBoard directory (the node subdirectory) And finally, a more complex batch file might look something like the following: C: CD\DOORS\PCBMAIL PCBMAIL PCBM.CFG C:\PCB\NODE3\ /PORT:3E8:5 C: CD \PCB\NODE2 BOARD This batch file represents a door which points to a single config file which does not contain information specific to any node (maximum plays per day, points rewarded, etc.). Also passed on the command line is the location of this node and the final parameter passed on the command line is the base address and IRQ for the COM port (/PORT parameter). Do not let the additional parameters worry you. Your goal should still be the same. Replace the node specific information with environment variables. What makes this problem just a little different is that PCBoard does not create environment variables for the base address and IRQ for COM port. However, you could easily enough create some environment variables in your BOARD.BAT file which would represent your base address and IRQ for each of your COM ports. If you wish to do this, add the following lines to your BOARD.BAT: SET COMBASE=2f8 SET COMIRQ=5 Of course, your system may not use 2f8, with an IRQ of 5 so you should change that information to reflect your system configuration. We have now assured ourselves that we have environment variables that we can use to replace all of the node specific information in the previous batch file we are ready to change the batch file. Your final batch file should resemble the following: C: CD\DOORS\PCBMAIL PCBMAIL PCBM.CFG %PCBDRIVE%%PCBDIR%\ /PORT:%COMBASE%:%COMIRQ% %PCBDRIVE% CD %PCBDIR% BOARD One thing that you should note about the above batch file is that the door that was used for this example does use a configuration file called PCBM.CFG. However, this configuration file does not contain any node specific information and that is why we did not have to make any changes. All of the node specific information was passed on the command line therefore it would be pointless to create multiple configuration files. This batch is a little more difficult because it contains more node specific information on the command line. In reality however, the technique is the same as in the previous examples. By now you should have noticed that for all intents and purposes most of the batch file looks the same, the only line that has changed is the line that calls the program. For the most part this is the way most of your door batch files will look. You will change to the directory where the door is located, run the program, change back to the PCBoard drive and directory, and finally reload the BBS. Once you have replaced the node specific information with environment variables, you are now ready to test the door to make sure that, with the changes you have made, the door still works. If it works on one node, try it on another node and make sure everything still works correctly. As an extra precaution you should try it out on every node (especially when a door uses config files) to make sure that all nodes work correctly. If the door works correctly on all nodes, you have properly setup your door for use in a multi-node environment. If you have problems with any nodes, use the debugging information described previously to help locate the problem. There are about as many ways to configure a door as there are door programs out there. The previous examples should be used to aid you in several of the more popular types of door configurations. Not all of the configurations could be covered in this section so remember that you may run into configurations that you may not recognize. If you do run into such a configuration identify the node specific information and use environment variables to create one batch file for all of your nodes Using A Different DOORS.LST For Each Node If you decided you do not want to go to the trouble of using environment variables in your door batch files, you can have each node use a different DOORS.LST file. By doing that, you can specify a different location for the door batch file. For example, instead of storing the batch file in C:\PCB\DOOR\, you may instead choose to locate the batch file in C:\PCB\DOOR\N1\ for node 1, and C:\PCB\DOOR\N2\ for node 2. The problem with this type of setup though is that as the number of nodes on your system increases, the time it takes to change the batch files also increase. If you have two nodes you may only have to edit two batch files. However, if you have 20 nodes online then that means 20 files to edit and consequently more lost time. If you decide that separate DOORS.LST files are the way for you, the setup can be accomplished very easily. Since all of your nodes likely share the same CNAMES file you can change the location of DOORS.LST to look like the following: Menu Listing Path/Name List File Doors : C:\PCB\GEN\DOORS : DOORS.LST Notice that only the filename DOORS.LST is in this field. That means that PCBoard will search the current directory to find the file instead of an absolute location like C:\PCB\GEN\DOORS.LST. Since you are in different directories on every node this means each node will have a DOORS.LST file in their default directory. Where to find DOOR.SYS, or USERS.SYS Because PCBoard creates DOOR.SYS and USERS.SYS before the door is run and deletes them when returning there may be some confusion as to where these files are created. These files will be located in the same location as PCBOARD.SYS for the nodes. The best way to determine the subdirectory is to log into that node locally and then press 5. The subdirectory you are in is the subdirectory where the files will be stored. NOTE: This subdirectory is also the subdirectory that you were in when you loaded PCBOARD.EXE from. In addition, it is also the subdirectory that is specified by the PCBDRIVE and PCBDIR environment variables. Opening A DOOR There are four methods with which a door may be opened via PCBoard: * Using the OPEN command from the conference command prompt. * Using the DOOR command from the conference command prompt. * Typing the name of the door at the conference command prompt. * If you are using an MNU file, one of your options in the MNU file can execute a door. The third and forth methods provide the most interesting possibilities because you can make the door appear to be a more integrated function of your bulletin board system. Accessing Parameters Passed To A Door Any text that is entered after the door name or number will be passed as command line parameters. These command line parameters are available to the door application if they will read the PCBDOOR environment variable. If you open a door called MAIL by typing the following, MAIL D;Y;G PCBoard will store D;Y;G in the PCBDOOR environment variable. In order for the door to see these parameters, you will most likely have to modify the door batch file. For the MAIL door mentioned previously, the batch file may resemble the following: @ECHO OFF CD\DOORS\MAIL MAIL %PCBDRIVE% CD %PCBDIR% BOARD You must only make one change to this batch file in order to pass the command line parameters to the door. The change you must make is the line that executes MAIL. This line would change to read: MAIL %PCBDOOR% NOTE: For more information on accessing environment variables in batch files, please refer to your DOS manual. Stuffing The Keyboard Upon Return When PCBoard returns from running a door, it will check to see if a file named PCBSTUFF.KBD exits in the current directory. If it does, the contents of this file will be stuffed into PCBoard's keyboard buffer. Example If you have a door which creates a file that you want to the user to download, you would want PCBoard to automatically download a specific filename. The first thing that you would need to do is to create a file that you want to stuff into the keyboard. For this example, the filename created by the door will be called DATA.ZIP. In your PCBoard directory create a file named. DATA.STF. The contents of this file should be the following: D;DATA.ZIP The only change you will have to make to the door batch file is to add a line that will copy your DATA.STF file to the PCBSTUFF.KBD file. In your batch file, this line may appear as: COPY C:\PCB\DATA.STF %PCBDRIVE%%PCBDIR%\PCBSTUFF.KBD The %PCBDRIVE% and %PCBDIR% environment variables are used to insure the PCBSTUFF.KBD file is created in the proper directory. If it is not, PCBoard will not find it and nothing will be stuffed into the keyboard. NOTE: Once the file has been read by PCBoard, it will be deleted. Displaying A File Upon Return When PCBoard returns from running a door, it will check to see if a file named PCBDOOR.TXT exists in the current directory. If it does, the contents of this file will be displayed on the local and remote screens. Example After you have installed a door, you may find it has a problem which will force you to take it temporarily off line. You could delete the definition of the door from the DOORS.LST file, but that will be more trouble than it is worth if you are taking it off-line temporarily. Instead, try inserting a REM before each line in your door batch file except BOARD (if that line is in your door batch file). When you have done this, create a text file that you want to display to your callers. The next step is for you to add the following line to your door batch file (before BOARD (if that line exists in your batch file): COPY C:\PCB\CLOSED.TXT %PCBDRIVE%%PCBDIR%\PCBDOOR.TXT Assuming that you name you display file CLOSED.TXT and store it in C:\PCB, that file will be displayed to anyone who runs the door. What will happen is that DOS will skip all of the lines that begin with REM and then execute the line that you added to your batch file. Finally it will return to PCBoard which will find the PCBDOOR.TXT and display it on the screen. NOTE: Once the file has been read by PCBoard, it will be deleted. Disabling To disable doors in a particular conference, simply clear out the fields related to door configuration as shown in the following example: Menu Listing Path/Name List File Doors : : If you do this, when a user attempts to open a door they will be informed that no doors are presently available. NOTE: Doors are always disabled for users who do not have established accounts on the system. The following lists the two possibilities for a user to not establish an account on your system: The caller logged in as a new user on a node defined as a closed board and you have a NEWASK questionnaire defined. A user calls for the first time. When asked if they want to register, they choose not to. In order for the user to remain online, you must give those that refuse to register a security level other than 0. Creating Menu If doors are available in a conference, when a user types OPEN or DOOR from the conference command prompt they will be shown a file which lists all of the doors that are available on the system. This file is specified by the following field in the conference configuration: Menu Listing Doors : C:\PCB\GEN\DOORS This file is commonly referred to as the DOORS file. You can edit this text file by pressing F2 or F3 as listed on the bottom of the screen. When you are creating this file, you should list either the door number or door name (filename in DOORS.LST) and a description of the door for your users. The user can open the door by typing the door name or door number. Script Questionnaires Script questionnaires provide a method which you can ask the user questions and record their responses to a text file. Creating There are two types of script questionnaires you can create. You can use the regular questionnaire type which is a text file with a question on each line. The second type you can create is a PPE file. To create a PPE file, you need to have purchased the optional PPL (PCBoard Programming Language) Compliler. Any PCBoard v15.0 system can run a PPE file even if the owner of the system did not buy the compiler. To create the PPE files though, you will need the compiler. Scripts are defined for the conference in the SCRIPT.LST file. This file contains the location of the script file and where the answers for the script will be stored. When you edit the SCRIPT.LST by pressing 2, you should see a screen which resembles the following: Conference Name (#0) : Main Board SCRIPT Questionnaire Files SCRIPT Answer Files -------------------------- ------------------- 1) The first field specifies the location of the script questionnaire. The second field specifies the location where the response file will be stored. PCBoard determines if the file is a standard questionnaire or a PPE file based on the filename extension you specify. If the filename of the questionnaire ends with PPE, the questionnaire will be treated as a PPE. Otherwise, the file will be treated as a standard questionnaire. Standard Questionnaires Standard questionnaires are very easy to setup because the questionnaire itself is a text file. Questions are asked one line at a time and the user is given the ability to respond to each question with a 60 character response. There is no method provided to check the response of the user. The question itself may be up to 79 characters in length. The easiest way to load the script questionnaire file is to press F2 when you are highlighting the script to edit while in the SCRIPT.LST editor. PCBSetup will use your text editor to load the script questionnaire. The first five lines of your questionnaire file is called the script header. You can use these five lines to give your users a brief overview of the questionnaire. After PCBoard displays the header to the user, they are asked if they wish to continue to answer the script. If they choose not to respond to your questionnaire, they will be returned back to the system. If they choose to respond, PCBoard will continue. Anything after line five in your questionnaire file is considered a question. Each line is a question. The following is a simple example of a questionnaire: ----------------------------------------------------- This questionnaire will ask for your name ----------------------------------------------------- Enter your first name? Enter your last name? If a user will executes this script then they will see the following: ----------------------------------------------------- This questionnaire will ask for your name ----------------------------------------------------- Complete the Questionnaire (Enter)=no? (y) Enter your first name? ? (Jim ) Enter your last name? ? (Smith ) As you can see, every line after the fifth line is considered as a question. If you want to only display text and not ask a question, you would begin the line to display with a semi-colon. This is referred to as a comment line. If you wish, you can use comment lines to ask questions which use more than one line. Look at the following questionnaire file: ----------------------------------------------------- We have several items available for sale. From hardware to software, we have products that fit your needs and wants. If we don't have it, just ask! ----------------------------------------------------- ;We have the following products available for sale: ; ; 1. Complete 80486 system with SVGA video system ; 2. Whiz-bang hard-drive ; 3. Plain paper bag software Which item would you like to order? When the user executes this script, they will see the following display: ----------------------------------------------------- We have several items available for sale. From hardware to software, we have products that fit your needs and wants. If we don't have it, just ask! ----------------------------------------------------- Complete the Questionnaire (Enter)=no? (y) We have the following products available for sale: 1. Complete 80486 system with SVGA video system 2. Whiz-bang hard-drive 3. Plain paper bag software Which item would you like to order? ? (3 ) Notice how those lines that were prefixed with a semicolon were only displayed on the screen. Only after the items for sale were listed was the user prompted for input by the line in the questionnaire that did not have a semicolon in front of the line. PPE Files Because PPE files are made from the PCBoard Programming Language the actual creation of these files are too complex to cover in this section. Instead, you should refer to the documentation that was included with the optional PPL Compiler package for further instructions. If you are given a PPE file and need to install it on your system, simply enter the PPE filename in the Script Questionnaire Files field including the .PPE extension. PCBoard will know that it is a PPE file and execute it properly. Reading Responses The entire purpose behind questionnaires is to get responses from the users who fill them out. The responses to your questionnaire will be stored in the filename you specified in SCRIPT.LST as the answer file. The following is a sample entry in SCRIPT.LST: SCRIPT Questionnaire Files SCRIPT Answer Files -------------------------- ------------------- 1) C:\PCB\MAIN\SCRIPT1 C:\PCB\MAIN\ANSWER1 In this example, all answers will be written to a file called ANSWER1 located in the C:\PCB\MAIN\ subdirectory. Standard Questionnaires The response or answer file for a standard questionnaire follows a very rigid format. PCBoard will begin the response with a row of asterisks (*) to help separate this response from any previous responses. The next line contains the name of the user that filled out the questionnaire, the date and time the questionnaire was filled out, the node number the user was on, the security level of the user, and finally the expiration date of the user. The rest of the lines in the response file show the question, and the response of the user. Only the question line is recorded. If you use comment lines in your script questionnaire they will not be recorded. PCBoard will continue to append responses to the file so you may want to periodically delete the response file after you have reviewed the answers. PPE Files Because PPE files are created using PPL (PCBoard's Programming Language) the way the responses are stored is the responsibility of the PPE author. Therefore, if you do not understand the response format, contact the author of the PPE file. Disabling Scripts You can disable script questionnaires simply by blanking the SCRIPT and SCRIPT.LST fields in the conference configuration of PCBSetup. If it used to look like Scripts : C:\PCB\GEN\SCRIPT : C:\PCB\LST\SCRIPT.LST change it to read Scripts : : By doing this, your users will be notified that no scripts currently exists when they try to fill out a script questionnaire. Creating The Menu In order for your users to know what scripts are available on your system (if any), you need to edit the Script Menu Listing file. This file is commonly referred to as SCRIPT. This is the file that is displayed to the user when they execute the S user command. This file is nothing more than a text file. Because it is a text file, you can design it to look or display anything you want. As a general rule it should contain the script number and a description of each script questionnaire. The following is a sample script questionnaire menu file: Scripts Available On This System ------------------------------------------ [1] Order a subscription to this system [2] Order a product we sell You can create this text file using just about any text editor. Better yet, if you have defined your text editor or graphics editor in PCBSM, you can simply press F2 or F3 (depending on which file you want to edit). Otherwise you will have to manually edit the files while at the DOS prompt. Bulletins Bulletins provide a method with which you can display text files to callers. Text files can be created with text editors or even with word processors that allow you to export to ASCII format. You can use bulletins to list current events, rules of your system, legal information in regards to communications services, etc. Creating Bulletins are very easy to setup. To configure the bulletins that are available in a particular conference, you need to highlight the following field in the conference configuration screen: Path/Name List File Bulletins :C:\PCB\LST\BLT.LST Now press F2 to edit the BLT.LST file. You should see a screen which resembles the following: Conference Name (#0) : Main Board Enter a list of BLT Paths & Names ------------------------------------ 1) The number on the left hand side of the screen represents the bulletin number. In the edit field you can specify any filename you wish to display when a user chooses the bulletin number that is listed to the left. As an example, you may want to have the users view C:\PCB\GEN\ORDER when they view bulletin 1. If you do, make the following entry in your BLT.LST file: Enter a list of BLT Paths & Names ------------------------------------ 1) C:\PCB\GEN\ORDER Adding another bulletin can be dine simply by pressing ALT-I. You will now see that there is an entry for bulletin F2 that you may fill in with the filename you wish to display. Making Bulletins Available For Download Any bulletin(s) can be download as long as the location of the bulletin file is included in the DLPATH.LST for the conference. The B user command provides subcommands and explanations for downloading any bulletin number. If you want, you may provide compressed versions of the bulletins on your system. PCBoard will look at the Filename EXTENSION for compressed files in PCBSetup | File Locations | Configuration to find the extension for compressed files on your system. NOTE: If PCBoard can find a file with the same name as the bulletin and with your compression extension, it will pick that file for download instead of the uncompressed version. Disabling To disable bulletins in a conference, you simply clear out the fields that relate to bulletins in a conference configuration screen. For example, if your bulletin fields contain the following information: Menu Listing Path/Name List File Bulletins : C:\PCB\GEN\BLT : C:\PCB\GEN\BLT.LST then you would blank them out making them look like the following: Menu Listing Path/Name List File Bulletins : : Your bulletins would then be disabled and your users would be warned that no bulletins currently are available on the system if they tried to view any of the bulletins. Creating Menu Whenever a user presses B and RETURN, a list of bulletins that exist on the system will be displayed. The file that is displayed to your callers is the bulletin menu listing. The filename for this menu or the actual menu itself may be changed by editing the following field in the conference configuration screen: Menu Listing Bulletins : C:\BLT\BLTMENU