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FastChat Ver. 1.02/b Full-Featured Split Screen Chatting for RemoteAccess, Maximus, EzyCom, ProBoard, and DORINFOx.DEF-type systems (c) 1993 Peter Hebert FidoNet 1:135/57 Table of Contents Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 RemoteAccess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Maximus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Flavor differences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Appearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Multinode Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Multilanguage Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 SysOp Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Directories and Filenames . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Misc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Page bell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 End of window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Scrollback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Externals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 User editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Paging control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 ASC/ANS/AVT screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Page bell maintenance (FastBell) . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Page bell formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Multinode operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Multilanguage operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 FC-TSR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 FC-Ext . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Invocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 i FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 While you are being paged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Scrollback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Extended character entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 The menu system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 User editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Attribute editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 File transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 File viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Switching modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Split-screen chatting mode (general) . . . . . . . . . . 39 Flat mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Common Problems and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Runtime errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Registration Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 ii FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Preface Thank you for trying FastChat. I am delighted that you took the time to download or FREQ this program and sincerely hope that you continue to use it. I am confident that you will enjoy using FastChat. I offer no guarantees whatsoever. I'm not responsible for any damages, loss of profits, etc. caused by your use of (or inability to use) this software. Your use of this software signifies that you agree to these terms. If this license is not valid in your area, then you are not allowed to use this software and it must be destroyed. FastChat is shareware. Thus, you cannot sell it or bundle it with any other hardware or software without my explicit permission. You are free to copy and distribute whole copies of this archive by any medium, but are not permitted to split it up or modify it in any way (besides archive format-conversion). If this piece of software (or any other, for that matter) becomes a permanent part of your menu structure, you are expected to register it. Registration is not an optional matter; you must pay for the software you use. A registration form and specific registration information are found at the end of this document. Registration entitles you to a "key", which, once inserted into FCConfig, permanently registers your copy of FastChat. Registration does not "unlock" any special features, as FastChat is not CrippleWare in any way. In the words of a tagline I saw somewhere: "Just say DEL *.* to CrippleWare!" As far as technical support is concerned, I love to answer netmail and E-mail, although sometimes I'm a little slow with my replies. In any correspondence, try to be as specific as possible and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. I usually monitor the FidoNet RA_UTIL and MUFFIN echoes. There are two ways to describe the copy of FastChat you have: version and flavor. Version is the number associated with the release; the higher the version number, the more features present (usually). Flavor applies to the BBS software that FastChat was installed for; different flavors of FastChat may vary slightly in content and functionality. Thus, don't be confused when you see the word "flavor" used to describe this piece of software :) This documentation serves for all flavors of FastChat, so some parts may not apply to your flavor. These parts are marked appropriately. Now onto the good stuff... Page 1 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Introduction FastChat is an external split screen chat program, meant to run as a door from many popular BBS softwares. FastChat is meant to make chatting with your users much more pleasant. Although it works on multinode systems, FastChat is not a user-to-user chatting program - it is solely a SysOp-to-user chatting program. Here is a partial features list that separates FastChat from other similar-but-different split screen chatting programs: * Configurable colors for the windows and text * Full screen configuration program with online help * Optional on-screen clock * Full FOSSIL locked/unlocked port support * [Wants Chat] flag support (most flavors) * RemoteAccess Alt-O function support for paging overrides * "Forced chat" function for use on a function key * Color in "flat" (non-split-screen) mode * A full screen user editor (RA and Max only) * Ability to lock out or silence specific users * Dual-window scrollback, with configurable capacity (split- screen mode only) * In-text macro facility with interactive additions/deletions * Full Avatar/0+ support * Full multilanguage support * Optional flashing keyboard light for "SysOp paged" flag * Ability to have two sysops that can answer pages, each with his/her own identity * Ability to create menus and launch external programs with the press of an Alt-key * Much more ... Throughout this documentation you will find sprinkled references to the terms "split screen mode" and "flat mode", which refer to FastChat's two modes of operation. Flat mode is similar in operation to a normal Alt-C chat. Split screen mode is similar in operation to RA's or FrontDoor's iEMSI chat, where the sysop and user each have their own windows and can type simultaneously. Page 2 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Installation I realize that most SysOps dislike programs that take more than a few seconds to set up. Although you could probably rush through the FastChat setup, I don't recommend it. Please, take some time and READ this documentation so that you can utilize FastChat to the fullest. Hopefully, if you are reading this now, you have already in- stalled FastChat physically; the only remaining task is to tell your BBS software about it. If you do not have FastChat physically installed (i.e.: you have not yet run FC_INST.EXE), then please refer to INSTALL.DOC. RemoteAccess To install: 1) Replace your chatting option on the main menu or global menu with a type 7, optional data = "x:\path\fastchat.exe /P*P Chat *!*M" or for multinode systems: "x:\path\fastchat.exe /P*P /N*N Chat *!*M" Don't forget the .EXE extension! If you neglect to put it in, RA will never execute FastChat. The "*!" at the end of each of those lines causes RA to freeze the timer while the user is in FastChat. The *M is optional and causes RA to swap out before running FastChat. FastChat does use a lot of memory, but it is usually not necessary to swap RA out unless you are running in a memory-constricted environment. 3) In RaConfig, set one of your free Alt-Fx keys to: "x:\path\fastchat.exe /P*P forced chat *!*M" or for multinode systems: "x:\path\fastchat.exe /P*P /N*N forced chat *!*M" This will allow you to force a FastChat with any user by pressing that Alt-Fx key. Again, be sure to enter this line exactly as you see it, changing only the drive letter and path name. Please, do NOT set FastChat as the external chat program in RAConfig. You're better off leaving Alt-C for quickie comments to your users and only use FastChat when you really want to chat at length with somebody. Page 3 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation You've now told RA everything it needs to know in order to get FastChat running. Skip to the Configuration section (page 7) to configure FastChat. Maximus To install: 1) Copy the FC_PAGE.MEC file into your C:\MAX\MISC directory. You will need to edit this file to point to your FastChat directory. More information about the MEC file is provided in another part of this documentation. 2) Copy the FC_CHAT.MEC file into your C:\MAX\MISC directory. You will also need to edit this file to point to your FastChat directory. Select a function key that you would like to use to run FastChat and rename FC_CHAT.MEC to Fxx.MEC, where xx is the number of the function key (F1 = F1.MEC, F10 = F10.MEC, etc.) 3) Compile the FC_PAGE.MEC and Fxx.MEC files with MECCA. 4) Change your <Y>ell command in MENUS.CTL to Display_File Misc\FC_PAGE.MEC, and recompile with SILT. You can put FastChat in your MAX.CTL file using the Chat External keyword, but I recommend saving Alt-C for quickie SysOp-to-user comments. Page 4 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Flavor differences The same version of this documentation is used for all FastChat's varieties. Some parts may or may not apply to your particular setup. Differences in FastChat's behavior among various BBS softwares are explained below, along with short explanations justifying these differences. References to command line parameters are explained below solely for your convenience; the appropriate parameters to use appear also in the above Installation section and later in the Invoca- tion section (page 31). RemoteAccess The RemoteAccess flavor of FastChat works only with RA 1.0x to 1.1x. Users of RA 1.2 (in beta testing at the time this was written) should contact me for the appropriate files to make FastChat work with RA 1.2. The RemoteAccess flavor is one of the fullest implementations of FastChat. The user editor is present, as is support for RA's [Wants Chat] flag and the Alt-O paging hours override function. FastChat will change USERON.BBS to reflect that the SysOp is chatting with the user, if he or she elects to do so. One feature missing from the RemoteAccess flavor (that I cannot add due to a deficiency in the EXITINFO.BBS structures) is the ability to put the reason for chat on the status line. There is also no facility for the user writing the SysOp a message after a failed page. On single-node systems, the BBS System directory and Drop file path should point to the main RA directory. Under multinode systems, the BBS System directory must point to the directory containing USERON.BBS and PAGESTAT.RA, while the Drop file path should point to where FastChat can expect to find EXITINFO.BBS (you can use the $ character in the path if you wish it to be replaced with the node number; for example, C:\RA\NODE$ if your directories are called C:\RA\NODE1 and C:\RA\NODE2). All RA systems must use the /P parameter to start FastChat, and all multinode RA systems must use the /N parameter. Maximus The Maximus flavor of FastChat is for the most part similar to the RemoteAccess flavor in functionality, with the following exceptions: the "C" flag on the status line cannot be changed by FastChat (because it is accessible structurally only via an ErrorLevel exit) and RA's Alt-O feature is obviously not support- ed because Maximus does not have an equivalent. Unique to the Maximus flavor is the ability for the user to write a message to the SysOp after an unanswered page. This is attrib- utable solely to the fact that Maximus's MECCA language facili- Page 5 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation tates two-way communication between doors and programs and that no other BBS software has an equivalent. The BBS System directory and Drop file path in FCConfig should point to Maximus's main directory (usually C:\MAX). All Max systems must use the /P parameter to start FastChat, and all multinode Max systems must use the /N parameter. Ezycom The Ezycom flavor of FastChat is similar to the RemoteAccess flavor in all respects except that the reason for chat will be passed back to appear on the status line. I have not yet written a user editor for the Ezycom flavor, however it is a possibility for the future if there is sufficient demand. All Ezycom systems must use both the /P and /N parameters to start FastChat (regardless of whether they are single node or multinode). DORINFO.DEF The DorInfo flavor of FastChat is for the most part stripped- down, due to the lack of information present in the DORINFO.DEF file. There is no support for the user editor, and no support for any features that require two-way communication (Wants Chat flag, hours override, etc.) If you run a multinode system, you must tell FastChat the naming conventions your BBS software uses for the DorInfo*.Def file. This can be accomplished as follows: /T0 - Always use DORINFO1.DEF (default) /T1 - Use DORINFOx.DEF, where x = node number /T2 - Use DORINFxx.DEF, where xx = node number Multinode systems must specify both the /N parameter and the /T parameter. If you wish to specify the name of your BBS software, use the /Bstring parameter, where "string" is the name (i.e.: /BT.A.G.) Page 6 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Configuration FastChat is configured using FCConfig, the configuration program. The first time you run FCConfig, you will be asked if you wish to create a new configuration file. Respond "Y" for Yes. You will then be presented with the main menu. Special note: FCConfig requires the FCCONFIG.REZ file to be in the same directory where the .EXE resides. All menus in FCConfig are organized vertically. To select an option, use the up and down arrow keys to move the highlight bar, and press Enter to select the item under the bar. All menu items have a "hot" letter; these will appear underlined on EGA or VGA displays (unless you run a multitasker). Help for a particular option or prompt can usually be obtained by pressing F1. Escape will exit a menu, and at the main menu, it will exit and save your configuration. If you have a Microsoft compatible mouse driver installed, you can also use your mouse to navigate FCConfig. Move the menu bar up and down with the mouse. The left button selects an option. To return to a previous menu, hit the right button. To get help for a particular option or prompt, hit the middle button (users with two button mice can hit the left and right at the same time). Note that FCConfig is a little different from other programs insofar as mouse support is concerned, as there is no "mouse cursor". Any menus which make use of other function keys will have them listed on the bottom line. The main menu has six options: Appearance, System, Options, Paging control, Save and quit, and Quit without save. Use of the last two is rather obvious; the first four will be discussed in depth in the following sections. Appearance The "Appearance" section of FCConfig allows you to alter FastChat's color scheme. When you select this option, the screen will clear. On the top portion of the screen the color grid will appear; on the bottom portion, there will be a sample split screen and flat-mode chat screen. To navigate the color grid, use the arrow keys. Up and down arrow select the object whose color you are modifying. Left and right arrow change that object's foreground color. The space bar changes the background color. As you make changes, they will be reflected in the samples on the bottom of the screen. Note that background colors apply only to "sets" of objects. The status line (which consists of highlight and lowlight text) can only have one background color; the same applies to both the user and sysop windows. Flat mode text cannot have a background color. Page 7 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation When done, hit Enter to save your color selections or Escape to abort them. System The "System" menu allows you to set global defaults pertaining to your BBS system. They are imperative for FastChat to operate correctly. The menu consists of two options and three submenus. Multinode Options Multinode system This tells FastChat if you are running a multinode system or not. If you are, FastChat will take special precautions, such as not allowing a user on another node to page you while you are chatting with someone else. Also under Maximus systems, this will cause FastChat to search for LASTUSxx.BBS instead of LASTUSER.BBS. USERDOES.<n> path (RA only) This tells FastChat where it should put a USERDOES.<n> file. This file is used by Gerhard Hoogterp's Type- 51 replacement program, USERON (contact 2:283/1.2 for more information). This path should be set to either your prima- ry RA directory or your semaphore direc- tory (depending on your setup). If you do not use the USERON utility, leave this blank. Multilanguage Options Multilanguage support When this option is enabled, FastChat will, whenever possible, display messag- es in each user's preferred language. When disabled, FastChat will always use language #1 (usually English). If you are using FastChat with non-multi- language-capable BBS software, then this should be set to No. Language definitions This option allows you to set the avail- able languages. Up to eight languages are supported. By default language #1 is set to ENGLISH and the rest are left blank. You must always have at least language #1 defined. For each language, specify the language name and the default textfiles path to the text files for that language. If you have Multi- language support set to Yes, then these paths will be used and not the path set in the Directories menu. Information on editing and creating language files can be found on page 24. Page 8 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Edit diacritical pairs This allows you to add to the list of accent pairs that FastChat translates when the Accent Character command is used (Ctrl-Backslash). Selecting this option will bring you to a box listing the first few diacritical pairs. Use PgUp and PgDn to scroll through the list; type a pair's number to edit it. <Del> deletes a pair, <Esc> aborts, and <F10> saves. Diacritical pairs are case sensitive; A: is different from a:. They are not or- der-sensitive, however; :A is the same as A:. If you list the same character twice in a pair definition, it means that that character need only be pressed before the accent key for the transla- tion to occur. SysOp Information Name of primary SysOp This allows you to set the name of the main SysOp of the system. This field is linked to "Registration Name". Under most circumstances, this should be your name (how you wish it to be presented to the users). Sex of primary SysOp This should be set to the sex (Male or Female) of the primary SysOp. This al- lows FastChat to use the more appropri- ate message when that message contains third person pronouns (his/her). Name of secondary SysOp This should be set to the name of the secondary resident SysOp of your system. If you are the only resident SysOp, leave this field blank. The secondary SysOp will be able to answer pages and have his or her name appear to the user instead of the primary SysOp's name. Sex of secondary SysOp This should be set to the sex (Male or Female) of the secondary SysOp. If your system does not have a secondary SysOp, you need not set this. Directories and Filenames FastChat directory This entry should contain the full drive and path that points to FastChat and its auxiliary files. BBS System directory This entry should contain the full drive and path that points to your BBS software's main directory. For RA, this Page 9 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation must point to the USERON.BBS and PAGE- STAT.RA files. For Maximus, this must point to the LASTUS*.BBS files. BBS TxtFiles directory This entry should contain the full drive and path that points to the default text files (ASC/ANS/AVT) directory. If you are using FastChat's multilanguage fea- ture, the contents of this field are ig- nored, and the path stored in the language definitions section is used instead. Drop file directory This entry should contain the full drive and path that points to the location where your BBS software will place its drop file. If you run a multinode sys- tem and this may vary, you may either use the $ at any place in the path to indicate where the node number should go, or use a batch file to copy it into the FastChat directory. If you leave this blank, FastChat will not run. Capture filename This entry should contain the full drive, path, and filename of where you want your capture file to go. If you leave this blank, the capture file fea- ture will be disabled. Flag file filename This entry should contain the full drive, path, and filename of where you would like FastChat's semaphore file to go. This is only applicable if you are running a multinode system. The flag file must be readable and writable by all of the nodes on your system. This should point to your "semaphore" or "IPC" directory. Reason to chat Q-A If you are using a reason-to-chat ques- tionnaire on your system, this entry should point to its base name. FastChat will search for this file (with the ex- tension ASW) and display it on the screen when a user pages you. If you wish FastChat to instead ask the reason to chat, set this to "Internal". Registration Registered name This field should be set to the name of the primary SysOp of your system. When you register FastChat, this is the name you should write on the registration form, and it is also the name that will appear when FastChat exits. Page 10 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Registered number This field should contain your FastChat registration key. The key is a six place alphanumeric string that is (theo- retically, anyway) unique to your name. You will receive your key upon registra- tion. Defaults The "Defaults" menu is where you set the various defaults for the Ctrl-key functions available while chatting. All defaults are "Yes/No" type options and usually control what the user can and cannot do. The control key that is appropriated to each function follows the description in brackets. Capture on This controls whether the capture file (the file which keeps a record of every- thing typed by both parties) is enabled upon entry of FastChat. [Ctrl-A] Remote keyboard enabled This controls whether or not the user's input is acknowledged upon entry. I don't know why in particular you would want to set this to No, however there are special circumstances which may warrant this. [Ctrl-K] Owner only backspacing In flat mode, this controls whether or not the user can backspace what the SysOp types. This is kind of useless but can be useful to toggle when you are chatting with that obnoxious user who always butts in while you're typing... This option is available ONLY in flat mode. [Ctrl-O] Double spacing This controls whether double spacing is active in flat mode when FastChat starts. Double spacing means that when either party presses Enter, FastChat automatically jumps down two lines in- stead of one. This option is available ONLY in flat mode. [Ctrl-D] User can TERMINATE chat This controls whether or not the user can terminate the chat from his or her side. If enabled, the user can type "terminate" on a blank line to end chat mode. If you don't want the user get- ting out, then set this to No. [Ctrl-T] Start off in user's window This option is a little different from the rest. It controls whose window the cursor appears in when split screen mode starts. If set to Yes, the user will have the cursor. Otherwise the SysOp Page 11 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation will. There is no direct Ctrl-key equivalent for this command. This op- tion is ONLY available in split screen mode. High character filter This controls whether or not high char- acters (the "upper 128", box characters, etc.) will be displayed when received from the user. Their entry is always permitted from the sysop's side. This can act as a line noise filter of sorts, as a lot of line noise is in the "upper 128". Users can still enter high end characters if they use the proper diacritical pairs, however. [Ctrl-F] User control keys This controls whether Ctrl-W, R, and E work for the user (these and all the other control keys are explained later). This is usually used if there is a real- ly bad connection and line noise is "pressing" Ctrl-keys for the user... This option is ONLY available in split screen mode. [Ctrl-O] Options The options menu, which is divided into ten sub-menus, allows you to control the various options available in FastChat. Usually these options, unlike those found on the Defaults menu, cannot be controlled from within FastChat. They typically alter how FastChat acts rather than what the user can and cannot do. Misc FastChat operates in silence When set to Yes, FastChat will never make a single noise. This applies to auxiliary beeps as well as the page bell. Use this option only if your BBS is set up in an environment where com- puter generated noises are not appropriate. Clock on bottom line When set to Yes, a clock will appear on the bottom line while chatting in split screen mode. 24 hour clock format When set to Yes, the onscreen clock will use military (24-hour) time. Otherwise times after noon will be followed by ei- ther AM or PM. User can page more than once (RA/Ezycom only) When set to Yes, users will be allowed to page regardless of their current [Wants Chat] flag setting. Page 12 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Otherwise, the user will not be allowed to page and the ALREADY.A?? file will be displayed instead. Beep remotely while paging When set to Yes, the user will hear a beep once a second while paging. Note that this option may not be honored by add-on (SoundBlaster, etc) paging bells. User information window When set to Yes, a window will appear on the bottom half of the screen when a user pages. This window contains vari- ous useful statistics about that user. Ask reason to chat When set to Yes, FastChat will ask the user why s/he wants to chat when s/he pages you. Setting this to Yes has the same effect as setting the "Reason to chat Q-A" to "Internal". Modem Carrier loss detection When set to Yes, FastChat exits if the user drops carrier. Otherwise the SysOp is simply notified. This should normal- ly be kept set to Yes. Watch user's online time When set to Yes, FastChat exits if the user runs out of time on the BBS. This is not often used because time is usual- ly suspended while in chat mode. Use CTS/RTS handshaking When set to Yes, FastChat forces the FOSSIL to use hardware (CTS/RTS) hand- shaking. Normally, if your port is locked, this is done automatically. This option exists in case your FOSSIL doesn't force it and the port needs locking. Slow communications When set to Yes, FastChat ignores the FOSSIL's buffers when transmitting char- acters. This can slow things down some- what, but if you are experiencing prob- lems with FastChat dropping characters, try setting this to Yes. Locked baud rate This should be set to whatever baud rate your COM: port is locked at, or 0 if it is unlocked. This is currently not used by FastChat, so don't worry about setting it! Macro Page 13 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Use macros When set to Yes, FastChat will expand in-text macros. Super backspacing When set to Yes, FastChat will un-expand macros if you hit backspace immediately after a macro is expanded. Activation set This option allows you to edit the set of characters that can activate a macro. [Space] and [Enter] are always implied and need never be entered in the list. Edit macros This option brings up another window that allows you to edit the current macros. Use the arrow keys to scroll through the list. The following func- tion keys have special functions: [F2]: Select who the macro works for [F3]: Toggle whether the macro is case sensitive [F4]: Edit the macro's from-text [F5]: Edit the macro's to-text [F10]: Abort editing and lose all changes Page bell Selection This option brings up a menu allowing you to choose what song will play for each of the three different paging con- ditions. Enter the index number (dis- played left of the name in FastBell) of the bell to play for each condition, or 0 if you want FastChat to randomly choose a bell. The three paging conditions are: Normal - This bell is played when nei- ther of the other two conditions are met Special - This bell is played when the user who pages is marked "Special" under Special Handling Secondary - This bell is played when the user is paging the secondary SysOp Management This option brings up FastBell, the page bell maintenance program. FastBell al- lows you to sample, delete, rename, im- port, and export page bells in FastChat's page bell library. See the "Page bell maintenance" section of the documentation for more information (page 20) Page 14 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Length This option allows you to set the length of the page bell, in seconds. End of window This sub-menu allows you to choose what happens after either the user or sysop presses [Enter] at the bottom of their window. The preferred action can be set differently for each of the different baud rates and Avatar/0+. The possible choices for each baud rate are: Clear Window clears and cursor returns to the top Scroll-# Contents of window scroll up # lines, and the cursor moves up appropriately. It is recommended that you set higher numbers for lower baud rates, and Scroll-1 for 9600+ and Avt/0+. Detection ANSI autodetection When set to Yes, FastChat will attempt to autodetect ANSI when it performs autodetection. Avt/0 autodetection When set to Yes, FastChat will attempt to autodetect Avt/0 (not Avt/0+) when it performs autodetection. Note that this option requires ANSI autodetection to be on. Immediate detect When set to Yes, FastChat will perform autodetection on startup before it en- ters chat mode. If ANSI or Avt/0 are detected, split screen mode will come up. Otherwise flat mode will come up. FastChat will not attempt autodetection if the user's profile indicates that their terminal supports ANSI or Avt/0. Switching detect When set to Yes, FastChat will perform autodetection when you switch from flat to split screen mode. If the user's terminal does not support ANSI, you will be unable to switch. Setting both Imme- diate and Switching detect to No totally disables autodetection. Use color When set to Yes, FastChat will use color when it detects ANSI or Avt/0. Other- wise, split screen mode will appear in black and white Logging Page 15 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation FastChat Log Filename Full filespec of FastChat log file. The FastChat log file is disabled if this is left blank. The $ may be used at any point in the name or path to indicate where the node number should go; for example, x:\path\fastchat.lg$ will cause FastChat to create x:\path\fastchat.lg1 and x:\path\fastchat.lg2. BBS Log Filename Full filespec of your BBS software's log file. Nothing is put in your BBS log file if this is left blank. The $ character has the same effect as it does for the FastChat log. BBS Log Type RA or Maximus. Sets the logging style the BBS log file. Note that the Maximus style is equivalent to RA's "Expanded" style. Amount to un-log Currently disabled. This will be used to remove characters from the log file indicating that FastChat was spawned, which are superfluous and will waste space. Right now, however, this feature is not enabled. Scrollback Active When set to Yes, memory is allocated for scrollback and a scrollback buffer is maintained. Use EMS When set to Yes, the scrollback buffer is stored in EMS rather than convention- al memory. Number of lines This option allows you to select the number of lines total to hold in scrollback buffer. If you are using EMS, you are best off making this an even multiple of 200. Otherwise it can be any number up to 2000. Externals This section of FCConfig allows you to set up a maximum of 15 external programs that can be called from within FastChat. These are for FastChat add-ons ONLY and not for other programs. For running other programs from within FastChat, use FC_Ext (de- scribed elsewhere in this document). Each program can have the following settings. You can add "key" add-ons (programs run when you hit a particular key, like FcUserEd) using the F2 key. Other addons such as pagebells must be installed using the FCConfig /A switch. Page 16 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Active When set to No, that external program cannot be activated. EXE filename Filename of the .EXE file to run when this External is called. The .EXE file must reside in the FastChat Directory. Parameters Parameters to pass on command line to EXE file. Key scan code Scan code of extended key that activates this external. Press F1 while editing this field for a scancode listing. Needs extra info When set to Yes, this external will only run in the presence of an EXITINFO.BBS or LASTUS*.BBS file. This is used mainly for the user editor. User editor This section is applicable only for those systems where the FastChat user editor is supported (namely, RA and Maximus). Field character Character that appears in the blank por- tions of a field. After selecting this option, immediately press the key which you wish to use (Alt-### keys are val- id). Insert When set to Yes, the user editor starts off in Insert mode. Start at left When set to Yes, the cursor will start at the left portion of every field. Clear on first When set to Yes, all fields will clear if you press any alphanumeric key before moving the cursor. NEWUSER.ASW name Name of newuser questionnaire answer file (sought in the BBS System Directo- ry). This is required to use the Alt-I function in FcUserEd. Auto templates The auto templates allow you to quickly verify a user while in the user editor by pressing Alt-1 through Alt-4. Each template can change the user's security, group, and flags or keys. Press F1 from within FCConfig for more information regarding the auto templates. In Maximus, the Group setting is ig- nored. Also, the flags are not labelled A1-D8 but 1-8 and A-X. Page 17 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Paging control The Paging control menu allows you to set paging hours and other related options. The bulk of the menu is for setting each day of the week's individual valid paging hours. When you move the highlight bar to any day of the week and press Enter, a box will appear prompting you for the starting and ending paging hours. You may enter these times in any logical format (ie: 23:45, 11:45 PM, 2345, etc). The time-parser is very flexible and will try to translate anything you throw at it. Note that "X" (for "Not Allowed") is permitted only in the "start time" box. While on the menu (NOT entering paging hours), if you press F2 on any given day of the week, all the week's hours will be set to that particular day's values. The three other options on this menu are as follows: Special handling This allows you to specify a list of people who are special, muted, or not allowed to page. The following keys are in effect while editing the list: [Ins] - add name to list [Del] - remove name from list [F2] - toggle status There are several ways to specify groups of users in the special handling list. They are as follows: Group ### (RA only) Security ##### (RA) Security $$$$$ (Maximus) The Group keyword allows you to give all users with a specific value in the Group field an attribute. ### should be a three digit number from 1 to 255. Pad any one or two digit numbers with zeroes to ensure proper operation! The Security keyword allows you to give all users with a specific security level an attribute. Under RA, ##### should be a five digit number from 0 to 65535. Pad any one to four digit security lev- els with leading zeroes. Under Maximus, $$$$$ should be the name of the security level (Twit, Disgrace, Normal, etc...) You can get by with only the first let- ter as that is all that FastChat checks. Page 18 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Under Maximus, any users marked "Nerd" are automatically silenced. The various special handling types have the following meanings: Silenced - when a user marked "Silenced" pages, no sound will be made. This is a more subtle alternative to the "Locked Out" setting. Special - "Special" users have a different page bell and are also allowed to page out of paging hours. Locked Out - when a user marked "Locked Out" pages, they will be informed that they are not allowed to page and will be kicked out of FastChat. Avatar/0 & Avatar/0+ - these settings can be used to override a user's termi- nal setting. If any users who chat with you a LOT use an Avatar capable terminal but are not set that way in the BBS, these settings can override their termi- nal setting while they are in FastChat. ASC/ANS/AVT screens FastChat can optionally display custom ASC/ANS/AVT screens on certain conditions (when you don't answer the page, etc.) These screens are not required, as default messages are in the language files (see page 24 for more information on the language files). They were installed in a directory under the FastChat directory called TEXT or SAMPTEXT (depending on your BBS software) when FastChat unbundled itself. The following screens are used by FastChat when the specified conditions are met: NOTAVAIL.A?? Paged out of paging hours MAXPAGE.A?? Paged too many times today SYSPABRT.A?? SysOp aborted the page PAGED.A?? Nobody answered the page ALREADY.A?? User already paged without success LOCKED.A?? User is not permitted to page CHATTING.A?? SysOp is currently chatting (multinode) Also available in each screen is a limited set of control metacharacters. They are as follows: ^A - Waits for the user to press Enter ^E - Waits for the user to press any key ^KA - Replaced with the user's full name ^KN - Replaced with the user's node number ^KW - Replaced with the user's first name Page 19 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation ^P - Pauses one second Page bell maintenance (FastBell) FastChat stores all of its page bells in a database-like file called PAGEBELL.FC. FastBell, one of the auxiliary programs included with FastChat, allows you to access this file and play, rename, import, export, and delete the page bells within it. FastBell can be called in two ways - either by directly running it from the DOS prompt, or from the Options/Page Bell/Management option in FCConfig. Either way, you are presented with two windows on entry - a large blue one containing the numbers, title, and length of the page bells in the file, and a narrow red one listing available commands. Following is an explanation of FastBell's commands: [F1]: Help This brings up a little summary of FastBell's commands and how they work. [F2]: Play This plays the currently highlighted page bell. [Shift-F2]: Play tagged This plays all tagged page bells. If no page bells are tagged, this command is dimmed. [F3]: Change name This allows you to change the title of a page bell. The cursor will be moved to the highlight bar, where you will be allowed to change the name of the cur- rently highlighted bell. [F4]: Delete This allows you to delete a page bell. [Shift-F4]: Del tagged This deletes all tagged page bells. Use with caution! [F5]: Import This imports a page bell. After selecting this, you will be prompted for the format then the filename of the page bell (or page bell library) to import. Your choices are: [F2]: PAGE.RA - RemoteAccess style [F3]: TUNE.ABC - FastChat style [F4]: TUNES.BBS - Maximus style [F5]: *.PLB - FastChat library style These formats are described in detail later. [F6]: Export This exports a page bell. After selecting this, you will be prompted for the destination format of the exported page bell, then the filename. The for- Page 20 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation mats are the same as above except that TUNE.ABC is replaced with Chart, which makes a simple little frequency/duration chart of the song. [Shift-F6]: Exp tagged This is exactly the same as [F6] except it operates on tagged page bells instead of the current one. Note: if you are exporting to PAGE.RA format, you must NOT specify the filename. Page bells will be named BELL###.RA, where ### is the page bell number. [F7]: Tag all This tags all entries in the database. [F8]: Untag all This untags all entries in the database. [Esc]: Save & exit This exits FastBell and saves changes. [F10}: Abort This exits FastBell and loses changes. Page bell formats FastBell supports the following types of page bells for import and export: A PAGE.RA is a RemoteAccess-style file, also used by some other third party programs such as Communique, a terminal program. It consists of a number of one word commands followed by parameters. FastChat has expanded on the specification just slightly for its own use; the extra keywords need not be used but can be for more versatile rendering of the file. The following commands are supported (only TONE and WAIT are in a standard PAGE.RA file): TITLE title Gives a title to the current selection. MS Changes current duration units to milli- seconds. RATIO mul/div Changes current sound:silence ratio. The default is 7/8 (meaning each note will play for 7/8ths of its specified duration, and the other 1/8th will be silence). TONE freq dur Declares a note. The two parameters stand for the frequency, in Hz, and the duration, in centiseconds (or millisec- onds if the MS command has been used). A frequency table can be found at the end of this documentation. WAIT dur Declares a rest. The parameter is the duration of the rest period, in centiseconds or, if the MS command has been issued, milliseconds. Page 21 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation A TUNE.ABC file is a format created for FastChat that allows you to easily convert sheet music into page bell music. It, too, consists of a number of one word commands followed by parameters. The primary difference between a PAGE.RA and TUNE.ABC file, however, is the fact that notes are referred to by letter and octave in a TUNE.ABC file rather than by number. The following commands are valid in a TUNE.ABC file: TITLE title Gives a title to the current selection. TEMPO number Sets the current tempo of a piece to "number" quarter notes per minute. RATIO mul/div Changes the current sound:silence ratio. The default is 7/8 (meaning each note will play for 7/8ths of its specified duration, and the other 1/8th will be silence). N notedata Declares notes and rests. The parameter to this command should be a number of alphanumeric strings separated by spac- es. Each "word" represents one note, and is formatted like this (the spaces shown here are added for clarity and should not appear in actuality): [mod1[=]] note [mod2] [[=]length[+]] [{. | _}] MOD1 defines the octave of the note. For each H present, the octave is increased by one. For each L present, the octave is decreased by one. By putting an equals sign (=) between the octave identifier and the note, that octave is made the current "default" one. There can be as many H's or L's as necessary, but FastBell only counts octaves 0 through 6. NOTE is not optional, and tells FastBell what note to play. Valid characters are A through G, and R for a rest. MOD2 sharpens, flattens, or naturalizes the note. A plus sign (+) "temporarily" sharpens the note; the sharp is active for the current note only. Likewise, a minus sign (-) temporarily flattens a note. A pound sign (#) "permanently" sharpens a note, meaning that the sharp sticks throughout the rest of the page bell. Likewise, a lowercase B (b) "permanently" flattens a note. A backslash (\) temporarily naturalizes a note, bypassing a "permanent" sharp or flat declared previously. The LENGTH defines the length of the note. 1 is a whole note, 2 a half note, 4 a quarter note, etc. By following the length with a plus sign [+], the duration is dotted (lasts 3/2 of its normal duration). By preceding the length with an equals sign (=), the current length is made "permanent" until overridden or changed again. Note: the first note in a piece should have a default length declaration. Other note: To dot a note, you MUST specify the duration, otherwise the + would be interpreted as a sharp. Page 22 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation After a note can be one of two things: a staccato dot, or a legato line. Following a note with a period (.) makes it stacca- to. Replacing the space that normally follows a note with an underline (_) makes the note legato (hence temporarily overriding the current "RATIO" to 1/1). This no doubt sounds very confusing - if so, don't worry, because you don't really need to know this. If you're interested in transcribing page bells, however, perhaps an example will clear things up: ; ; We Wish You a Merry Christmas ; Title Wish You a Merry Xmas Tempo 175 N D=4 G G8 A8 G8 F#8 E E E A A8 B8 A8 G8 N F D D B B8 hC8 B8 A8 G E D8 D8 N E A F G2 D G G G F2 F N G F E D2 A B A G hD D D8 D8 N E A F G2 D G G8 A8 G8 F8 N E E E A A8 B8 A8 G8 F D D N B B8 hC8 B8 A8 G E D8 D8 E A F G2 R It looks simpler here than in the explanation above. The D=4 sets the current "default" note length to a quarter note. The numbers after some of the other notes override this length: G8 means an eighth note G, D2 a half note D, etc. The # after the first F tells FastBell to sharpen all F's in this melody. Finally, the "h" before some of the notes moves them up an octave; hC8 is an eighth note high C. A TUNES.BBS file is a Maximus-format page bell file. TUNES.BBS files can contain more than one page bell (as a matter of fact, most of the bells that are included with FastChat came from a public domain TUNES.BBS library). The format is simple: * Title freq dur freq dur freq dur [etc] Where freq is a frequency (in Hz, of course) and dur is the duration (in milliseconds, always). Each number must be separat- ed by a space. You may have as many as you want on each line. FastBell is rather picky about importing other TUNES.BBS files. Each song must have only ONE title, not two as Maximus allows. Also, all spaces in each title must be replaced with underlines. Multinode operation This version of FastChat may not be completely ready for multi- node operation. I have provided and implemented most of the tools which may make multinode operation work, but I am unsure of whether it will or not. Page 23 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Remember - FastChat is a user-to-sysop chatting system, NOT a user-to-user chatting system. Implementing the latter could prove to be a much more difficult task. Therefore, please don't expect FastChat to do something it was never meant to do. FastChat supports multinode systems in the following ways: USERON.BBS modification (RA only) Sought after in the RA System Directory, this file will be modified to reflect that the user is chatting with the sysop and not in an external utili- ty. Flag (semaphore) file As specified in FCConfig, this file tells FastChat if you are currently chatting with anybody or not. The file contains the name of the user currently chatting and the node number they are on. DESQview awareness FastChat itself uses DOS calls for all output and should not bleed through any windows. FCConfig and the other full screen programs use a DESQview-aware screen library. Note that FCConfig has to perform a little video magic to under- line the hotkeys - if you try to run it in anything but 25 line mode, or if you run it under a remote-access-to-DOS program, your screen will look a little strange. If this occurs, simply SET FCCFONT=N in your DOS environment to disable the font manipulation. Multilanguage operation FastChat supports up to eight installable user languages. All text displayed from within FastChat comes from the language file, so you can customize it to your heart's content. If your BBS software does not support multilanguage operations, then disable the multilanguage feature in FCConfig. Language #1 is considered the default SysOp language and is always used, regardless of the user's language setting, in the following cases: 1) When multilanguage support is disabled 2) When prompting the SysOp to <C>hat, <S>ilence, or <A>bort 3) When displaying the SysOp help screens All other text comes from the language file specified in the paging user's user record. Information on customizing language files can be found in the ENGLISH.LNG file in your FastChat ...\LANG\ directory. Once a language has been modified, you must run "LNG2L langname" to compile the language. Page 24 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation If you create any new languages, please send the *.LNG file to my FidoNet address for inclusion in the next version of FastChat. FC-TSR FC-TSR is FastChat's scroll-lock light blinking module. It re- quires 446 bytes of memory (it's a TSR), an AT-class computer, and a 101-key extended keyboard. If your system doesn't meet these requirements, then you can skip this section. A lot of SysOps, perhaps because they want to extend the life of their equipment, or perhaps because they don't want to turn into monsters due to excessive radiation, turn off their BBS's monitor when nothing important is happening. This is all well and good, but... What about the [Wants Chat] flag in your BBS software? Turning off your monitor defeats its purpose. Suppose you're at the grocery store when someone pages you, and you come home but don't bother to turn on your monitor because you're busy putting away the groceries. Little do you know that Scott Dudley (or Andrew Milner) was just on your system and had paged you because he thinks you should be a Maximus (or RA) beta tester (yeah, right). You missed your big chance for fame because he just logged off, and you were too busy with the groceries. FC-TSR tries to help alleviate this problem. It won't tell you when Scott Dudley (or Andrew Milner) is soliciting your services, but it will tell you when someone has paged you by blinking the scroll-lock light on your keyboard. To see if FC-TSR will work on your system, get to a DOS prompt and type FC-TSR (with no parameters) to install the resident portion. Then type "FC-TSR 99" and hit Enter. Your scroll-lock light should start to blink. If it does not, "DEL FC-TSR.COM" because it's of no use to you. Otherwise, to turn off the blinking, type "FC-TSR 0" (that's a zero). If it worked, install FC-TSR in your AUTOEXEC.BAT (no parameters are necessary). You can load it high if you're privileged to a computer capable of that. From that moment on, your scroll lock light will blink whenever a user pages you and stop when you chat with them. The big flaw in this plan is that FC-TSR has no way of knowing when a user logs off. Therefore, in your BBS's batch file, you must add this to the part that runs immediately after a user logs off: FC-TSR <nodenumber> If you run a single node system, set the node number to 1. Otherwise set it to the node number of that window or batch file (FC-TSR uses this to make sure it doesn't turn off the blinker Page 25 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation when the user on Node 2 pages and the user on Node 1 logs off). Example: "FC-TSR 1". FC-Ext FC-Ext allows you to run other programs from within FastChat by simply pressing a key. It allows you to create moving-bar menus that permit you to run any program at the touch of a key. Although you needn't know a programming language, you must have an analytical mind to set it up to do something new. Sample scripts are provided for file transfers and external file viewing (Alt-F and Alt-V in chat mode). FC-Ext is controlled solely through the FC_EXT.CFG file. In the file are mini-scripts that tell FC-Ext what to do. There are some constant declarations (a constant is a string of text assigned to an identifier), menu blocks (which tell FC-Ext what each menu should look like), and action blocks (which tell FC-Ext how to run programs). All three blocks allow the use of 36 variables, labelled *A, *B, *C, ... *Z, *0, *1, .. *9. Variables are replaced with their contents at runtime. Some variables have predefined values, such as: *P Communications port (Maximus %p) *B Baud rate (Maximus %b) *N Node number (Maximus %k) *F First name (Maximus %f) *L Last name (Maximus %l) *G ANSI setting (Maximus %g) *C Path/name of COMMAND.COM These are also the same meta-macros used in RemoteAccess for Type-7 exits (for those more familiar with Maximus, the equivalents are listed above...you must use the *-macros, not the %-macros, with FC-Ext, however). All of the other variables are free for you to assign in your FC-Ext scripts. Constants Constants are text strings that are assigned to a variable. These are used in the sample setup, for example, to give the path and filename of your file transfer engine. Constants simplify your life by making it so that you don't have to search through all of FC_EXT.CFG when you need to change drive letters or pathnames. Constants that are declared outside action blocks are global; all of the action blocks in FC_EXT.CFG can use them. The syntax for declaring a constant is: Declare <var> <string> Declares a constant <var> - Variable (any of *A..*Z, *0..*9) <string> - What to put in <var> Page 26 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation For example: Declare *Z c:\utils\dsz.exe Declare *S port *P ha cts estimate 0 *B sz -m If you used the above two declarations, the strings following the variable name would always replace the variable wherever it is used. So if you said: Exec *Z *S fc.zip It would be replaced with (assuming a 2400bps user is on COM1:) Exec c:\utils\dsz.exe port 1 ha cts estimate 0 2400 sz -m fc.zip (the EXEC command is described later in the action block section) Menu blocks Menu blocks allow you to tell FC-Ext to present you with a menu of options. You tell FC-Ext the size of the menu and what is on it, and it will draw it on the screen and allow you to choose one of the options. Menu blocks begin with the following text: MENU <identifier> Begins a menu block <identifier> - Name of menu All blocks (menu and action) must have an identifier. It should be descriptive but short (27 characters or less), and must be unique. After the block header, the menu description should follow. Menus are described with six commands: Title <string> Defines title of menu <string> - Title for menu The title appears above menu. It must be no more than Width-6 characters in length Width <number> Defines width of menu <number> - Width of menu in characters Length <number> Defines length of menu <number> - Number of options on menu Colors <t> <h> Defines menu's colors - Menu border color pair <t> - Menu text color pair <h> - Menu hotkey color pair Color pairs are two numbers separated by a space. The first number is the fore- ground (text) color, the second is the Page 27 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation background (space) color. Valid color numbers are: 0 - Black 1 - Blue 2 - Green 3 - Cyan 4 - Red 5 - Magenta 6 - Brown 7 - Gray +8 - to brighten color Colors 0-15 are valid foreground colors; 0-7 are valid background colors. Exam- ple: Colors 15 1 14 1 11 1 Would give a menu bright white on blue text, a yellow on blue border, and bright cyan on blue hotkeys. Prompt <string> Defines prompt text <string> - prompt text The prompt text is what appears on the bottom line of the screen when the menu appears (to remind you of what to do). It appears in place of FastChat's status line and in the same colors. To highlight part of the prompt text, surround it in {curly braces}. Option <key> <text> Declares a menu option <key> - Hotkey <text> - Text to appear on menu Menu options appear on a menu in the order declared in FC_EXT.CFG. To high- light the hotkey in the menu text, surround it in {curly braces}. A bottom line description must follow the menu text, delimited with a vertical bar. Example: Option X {X}modem|Cheezy protocol Option 1 Xmodem-{1}k|Cheezy 1k protocol Menu definitions should end with the word END. Action blocks Action blocks provide the "meat" of an FC-Ext script. They tell FC-Ext what to actually do. Action blocks begin with the following text: Page 28 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Begin <identifier> Begins an action block <identifier> - name of block <Identifier> should be a unique, descriptive (but short) tag for the procedure. The following <#> commands can appear in an action block: Go <identifier> Executes another action block <identifier> - name of block The Go command jumps to another action block. After that action block is fin- ished processing, control will be re- turned to the caller. DoMenu <var> <ident> Executes a menu <var> - variable for result <ident> - name of menu The DoMenu command runs a menu defined with the Menu command. The result of the menu (the key that the SysOp press- es) is stored in the variable <var>. If the SysOp presses <Esc>, then the let- ters "ESC" will be present in <var>. Otherwise it will contain the letter of the command pressed. Return Returns to calling block The Return command returns control to the block that called the block in which it is found. If the Return command is processed in the block specified on the command line, control will be returned to FastChat. Restart Restarts this block The Restart command restarts the block in which it is found from the beginning. This can be used, for example, if the SysOp hits <Esc> at a certain prompt to return to the menu previous. Exit Returns to FastChat The Exit command returns control to FastChat immediately. ChDir <directory> Changes directory <directory> - directory to change to The ChDir command changes the current directory. Page 29 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation GetDir <var> Gets directory <var> - variable to store into The GetDir command stores the current directory in variable <var>. Ask <var> (<len>) [<old>] "<prompt>" Prompts for text <var> - variable to store into <len> - maximum length of input <old> - suggested input <prompt> - prompt for input The Ask command prompts the SysOp for a string of text. Note that all of the fields are required and must be delimit- ed as shown. Prompt <string> Displays prompt <string> - string to display The Prompt command displays <string> on the bottom line of the screen where menu information text usually goes. Declare <var> <string> Declares a constant <var> - Variable (any of *A..*Z, *0..*9) <string> - What to put in <var> Check <var> Loads check variable <var> - variable to check The Check command is used in conjunction with the If command to choose the vari- able that will be examined. Note that if the variable specified here changes after the Check command is issued, the If command will not recognize the change until another Check command is issued. If <contents> do <cmd> Compare check variable <contents> - what to compare to <cmd> - what to do if true The If command compares the variable specified in the Check command with <contents>. If the two are the same (the check is case insensitive), <cmd> is executed. The If command is neces- sary after a menu to determine what the SysOp pressed. Exec <string> Executes external program <string> - what to execute The Exec command executes another pro- gram. Note that you must specify the Page 30 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation full path and filename, including the extension (usually .EXE). Any parame- ters can be listed on the line. Action blocks should end with the word END. Invocation To use a script written for FC-Ext into FastChat, you must go into the Options/External menu in FCConfig and add a new key. You can assign your script to any extended (Alt-x, Fx, etc) key you wish. The filename should, of course, be "FC_EXT". The parameter should be the name of the action block to execute. Usage The above section of the documentation dealt with the configura- tion and installation of FastChat. The remainder of the document will deal with its usage. Invocation In the Installation section, I specifically gave you a set of command line parameters to use on for calling FastChat. The ones I gave you are probably what you would want to use, however, FastChat accepts other parameters as well. Following is a list of all command line parameters. They are case insensitive and can be entered in any order on the command line, so long as each is followed by a space. Parameters that may contain a space (such as user name) should be enclosed entirely in quotes (single or double). Examples appear after the parameter listing. Not all command line parameters work for all BBS softwares; those not supported (or those particularily required) for various flavors of FastChat are noted appropriately. Commands There must always be one (and only one) command on the FastChat command line. It tells FastChat what you want to do. Valid commands are: Chat This command activates FastChat's main function: chatting. When used with the "Forced" modifier, it brings you direct- ly to chat mode. Otherwise the user is given the opportunity to page you (assuming paging hours are in effect). Version This command causes FastChat to report its version and registration informa- tion. Use this command to determine your version number if you are having trouble, and also after inserting your Page 31 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation registration key in FCConfig to make sure it was entered correctly. Modifiers Modifiers act on a command and cause it to perform (or not to perform) certain secondary actions. All modifiers work only on the "Chat" command. Flat This modifier causes FastChat not to use split screen mode but to only use flat mode, even with ANSI or Avt/0+ capable callers. Forced This modifier causes FastChat not to page the SysOp but to jump directly to chat mode. It is meant for use on a function key where the BBS software calls FastChat directly. Do not use the Forced modifier on the command line used for your age/<Y>ell command. Secondary This modifier causes FastChat to reverse the roles of the primary/secondary SysOps, if your system has such. Thus on a normal Chat command, this would cause the user to page the secondary SysOp. On a Forced Chat command, this would cause the secondary SysOp to be the one who initiates chat with a user. Switches These parameters are used to tell FastChat some user characteristics not passed along in the BBS software. They are all interpreted by each BBS software's interface to FastChat. /P# Required: Maximus, RemoteAccess Specifies the COM#: port where the cur- rent user is online. This is required for both Maximus and RemoteAccess sys- tems because this information is not in the drop file. This is the real COM#: port, not the FOSSIL port; for COM1:, specify /P1, COM2: /P2, etc. /N# Required: all multinode systems Specifies the node number of the current node on multinode systems. Single node systems should not specify this parame- ter. /T# Required: DORINF*.DEF multinode systems Tells FastChat how the DORINF*.DEF is named in relation to node number. /T0 means that the file is named DORINFO1.DEF regardless of node number; Page 32 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation /T1 means that the file is named DORINFO#.DEF, where # is the node num- ber; /T2 means that the file is named DORINF##.DEF, where ## is a two digit node number. /Bxxxx Optional: DORINF*.DEF systems Tells FastChat the name of your BBS software. This is no big deal; it's just cosmetic. If the name of your BBS contains a space, you'd better use an Alt-255 or you will confuse FastChat. /L Optional: all systems Tells FastChat to run in local mode. This is used for local testing - simply type FASTCHAT /L to test out your setup. "Chat" is implied on the command line when you do this; you can use modifiers, like Forced or Secondary, but don't say "Chat" because it's redundant. Examples: Local mode (all systems): x:\path\fastchat.exe /l Single node systems: RA: x:\path\fastchat.exe /p*p chat *! Max: x:\path\fastchat.exe /p%P chat While you are being paged This is basically what the screen looks like when someone pages you: FastChat for Maximus - Version 1.02/b Copyright 1993 Peter Hebert - 1:135/57 +-------------------------------------------------------------+ | I would like to talk to you because I am bored. | +-------------------------------------------------------------+ Typical User is paging you... (1) Press <C> to Chat, <S> to Silence, or <A> to Abort ... (2) Paging the SysOp, please wait... (3) The top two lines are the intro and copyright information. These will always appear, whether you initiate a chat or the user pages you. The bottom three lines of text (the numbered ones) are lan- guage-specific, so may not always appear as shown. Page 33 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Inside the box will appear the user's reason to chat. If you have it set to INTERNAL in FCConfig (so that FastChat prompts the user for a reason), the reason they enter will appear here. If you have it set to the name of a questionnaire, the contents of that ASW file will appear in this space, the reason will be logged, and the ASW file deleted. Then you see the user's name, and a little prompt. While you are being paged, three (sometimes four) keys are active: <C> Chat with the user. Depending on the user's terminal's capabilities, a split screen or flat mode FastChat session will be initiated. <S> Silence the user's page. The page will continue, however you will not have to hear it. This key should be used when you don't want to talk to the user, but don't want them to realize that you are present. <A> Abort the user's page. The page will be abruptly cut off. The user will see a little message (PAGEABRT.A??), and will then be returned to the BBS. <Alt-C> Chat with the user as the other SysOp. This option is only available if you have your system set up for dual SysOps. If the user is paging the primary SysOp, this will answer his/her page as the secondary. If the user is paging the secondary SysOp, this will answer his/her page as the primary. IMPORTANT NOTE: The keys listed above are for ENGLISH mode only. If you run a multilanguage BBS, they may be different for the active language. The user can abort the page by pressing Ctrl-C or Ctrl-K. More dots will appear after the "Paging the SysOp, please wait..." line; one every second. It is during this time that you are permitted to answer the page. While chatting, colors will appear in both split screen and flat mode. In flat mode, however, thee colors are not visible to the user unless they are ANSI or Avatar/0+ capable. Scrollback Scrollback is available only in split screen mode. It appears only on the local side; while you are in the scrollback buffer, the user will have no idea that you are in there. Page 34 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation To activate scrollback, press Ctrl-B. A scrolling message will prompt you to select which window you wish to scroll back in: <S>ysOp or ser. Press <S> or to select the proper buffer. The scrollback buffer is always viewed in the SysOp's window. Once you choose which buffer to view, you will be positioned at the end of that window's scrollback buffer. Use the Up, Down, PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End keys to navigate through the buffer. There are two ways to exit scrollback mode. Hitting <Esc> restores the window to its previous contents. Hitting <Ctrl- Enter> will "paste" the current contents of the window (what you see) down so that the user can see it. The pasted text will disappear when you press a key. The size of the scrollback buffer is determined in FCConfig. Both windows share the "pool" of available scrollback memory, so there may not be an equal amount of information in each windows' buffer. Macros A macro, as defined by FastChat, is a sequence of text that is expanded immediately after it is typed into a longer or different sequence of text. They are more like abbreviations than macros in the traditional one-key sense, because they are comprised of multiple letters. For example, if you type "RA" while chatting with a user, it will be expanded into "RemoteAccess" when you press the space bar (or punctuation mark). In this case, the space bar serves as the activation character. The list of keys which work as activation characters can be edited in FCConfig. The macro facility is automatically "on" when you enter chat mode, and cannot be turned off. Macros are activated the moment an activation key is pressed. They can be "un-expanded" by pressing backspace immediately after they are expanded if Super- Backspacing is enabled in FCConfig. The list of macros can be changed from the Options/Macro menu in FCConfig. Please note that you will be allowed to enter recursive macros (macros that include themselves, for example, "fat" to "fat cat"). This is for technical reasons (otherwise, they would go on indefinitely when activated). Extended character entry FastChat allows you to enter many of the high-bit characters in the ASCII character set without having to remember their ASCII character numbers. This is done with the Accent Character key, Ctrl-Backslash. To enter an accented character, type the base character (the letter being accented). Press Ctrl-Backslash, then the accent that you want placed on the character. If the combined character is in the IBM character set, the base charac- ter will be replaced with the appropriate accented character. Page 35 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Some high-bit characters can be entered using only one key. These characters will be automatically changed when you press Ctrl-Backslash. For example, to enter an upside-down question mark, hit the question mark and then Ctrl-Backslash (no accent key is necessary). The number of character pairs FastChat recognizes can be in- creased in FCConfig. If you find any important ones that I left out, please send me a message so that I can keep the list up to date. The menu system In split screen mode, FastChat has available a number of vertical bar menus for selecting functions. While in the SysOp window, a press of the F1 key will bring up a vertical bar menu. Use the arrow keys to move the selection bar and press <Enter> on the option that you would like to select. FastChat's menu system is laid out like this: Change mode (F4) - Toggles split screen mode Options... Capture file (^A) - Toggles capture file HighChar filt (^F) - Toggles HighChar filter Rem. keyboard (^K) - Toggles user's keyboard User control (^O) - Toggles user's control chars User terminate (^T) - Toggles user's TERMINATE Parameters... Terminal type - Changes the user's terminal type. You ASCII (TTY) can use this to override what is in ANSI (b/w) the drop file while you are chatting. ANSI (color) Avt/0 (b/w) Avt/0 (color) Avt/0+ (b/w) Avt/0+ (color) Scroll size - Changes the scroll size for each Clear screen window. This is not permanent. Scroll 1 line Scroll 2 lines [etc.] Scroll 7 lines Status line speed - Changes the status line scrolling Speed 1 (fastest) speed. This is not permanent. Speed 2 [etc.] Speed 8 (slowest) Functions... Beep (^G) - Beeps the user Hangup (poof) (^P) - Hangs up on the user WinClear SysOp (^W) - Clears the SysOp's window WinClear User (^Q) - Clears the User's window Redraw screen (^R) - Redraws the screen Scrollback (^B) - Activates scrollback Externals... User editor (Alt-E) - Activates user editor Page 36 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Attribute ed. (Alt-A) - Activates color editor File transfers (Alt-T) - Activates file transfers File viewing (Alt-V) - Activates file viewer Help (^E) - Calls up online help Exit FastChat (Esc-Esc) - Exits chat mode Most of the functions on the menu have Ctrl-key or Alt-key equivalents; these are listed on the right side of the menu. The menu does not work in flat mode. Note that the user does not know when you are in the menu system. User editor The FastChat User Editor is a pop-up user editor very similar in function (and somewhat in appearance) to RA's internal Alt-E editor. It is activated in either flat or split screen mode by pressing the Alt-E key from within FastChat. Different versions are included in the RemoteAccess and Maximus flavors of FastChat. When you press Alt-E, the chatting screen will be replaced by a large blue window. In the RemoteAccess flavor, there are two pages; in the Maximus flavor, only one. Use PgUp and PgDn to switch between the two pages (RA only). While on either page, the up and down arrow keys will move the cursor between fields, as will the Tab and Shift-Tab keys. Ctrl- PgUp will bring you to the first field on the page, and Ctrl-PgDn will bring you to the last field. You can type at any point to edit the contents of the active field. Ctrl-LeftArrow and Ctrl-RightArrow do NOT, as you would expect, move the cursor left and right a word within a field. Rather, they move the cursor left and right a COLUMN on the page. If there is no place to go left or right, the field cursor will stay put. Alt-U provides a two-level undo feature. The first time you press it, the current field reverts to its original value (if you have edited it). The second time you press it, the entire user record is restored to its status as it was when you entered the user editor. Alt-I displays the information in the newuser answer file on the current user. The ASW file is sought in the BBS System Directory (as specified in FCConfig). The name of the file which is used can be set in FCConfig (though the default is NEWUSER). Most of the Y/N toggles in the user record are alphabetized on the lower right hand portion of the first page. One letter in each field is in Bright Cyan; pressing Alt in conjunction with this letter toggles that field's value. The FastChat User Editor also has access to four quick-verify templates. These are defined in FCConfig, and accessed from within the user editor with the Alt-1 through Alt-4 keys. These Page 37 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation allow you toset a user'ssecurity andflags/keys with onekeystroke. General note: A change in the user's terminal emulation type will not be reflected in FastChat's operation. You must exit and re- enter FastChat to make the new terminal selection active. Attribute editor The attribute editor allows you to modify the split screen chatting colors online. These changes can be made permanent if you consider them desirable. When you press Alt-A, a little blue window will appear in the center of the screen, similar to the window in FCConfig. In it will be six sets of color bars. To select which color you wish to change, use the up and down arrow keys. While on an "object", press the left and right arrow keys to change its foreground color. Press the space bar to change its background color. Note that these changes will not be reflected on the screen behind the attribute editor until you exit. Hit Alt-S to save your new colors permanently, or hit Enter to use the colors for the current session only. To abort all chang- es, hit Escape. File transfers FastChat allows you to easily perform file transfers using DSZ or GSZ, via the FC-Ext utility program (included). Simply press Alt-F while in chat mode. You will be presented with a menu asking whether you wish to send or receive. After selecting that, you will be presented with a protocol menu. Select the appropriate protocol for the transfer. You will then be allowed to enter the path to receive into or the name(s) of the file(s) to send. For more information on FC-Ext, see page 26. File viewing FastChat also allows you to effortlessly view ASCII text files online, using FastView (a public domain utility which is included with FastChat). Simply hit Alt-V while in chat mode, enter the filename, and you will be placed into the full screen file viewer. Locally you can use the arrow keys to scroll through the file, however, the user can only use the <N> and keys to move one page at a time. Use of FastView is better described in its help file and documentation. Be certain to set FastView up for your BBS software as it must access EXITINFO.BBS or LASTUSER.BBS to find the user's screen size. Switching modes Page 38 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation If the user you are chatting with is ANSI or Avatar/0(+) capable, you can hit F4 at any time to switch between flat and split screen mode. If you have Detection enabled in FCConfig, you may be able to switch from flat to split screen mode if FastChat can detect the user's emulation. Split-screen chatting mode (general) Once you answer a page, assuming the user is ANSI or Avatar/0(+) capable, FastChat's split screen chatting mode will activate. Now....CHAT! You may both type at the same time, and wordwrap is active. You may wish to double-space after each paragraph, however whether you do or not is a matter of personal style. A few things to keep in mind: When you both type at the same time, things may get a little chunky (particularly at lower bps rates). Don't worry about this; it's normal. Both of you CAN type while either window is scrolling. There is no need to wait for it to stop scrolling before you can continue. The user has four extra keys at his or her disposal: Ctrl-E - Help! Ctrl-W - Clear window Ctrl-R - Redraw screen (in case of line noise, etc.) Ctrl-\ - Accent character These will be explained with the SysOp keys (as all four are available to the SysOp, too). The Enter, Backspace, and Tab keys work as would be expected. As sysop, you have a number of keys at your disposal: Ctrl-A - Toggle capture file Ctrl-E - Help! Ctrl-F - Toggle high character filter Ctrl-G - Beep the user Ctrl-K - Toggle remote keyboard Ctrl-O - Toggle user cOntrol Ctrl-P - *Poof* (disconnect user) Ctrl-Q - Clear the USER'S window Ctrl-R - Redraw the screen Ctrl-S - Shell to DOS Ctrl-T - Toggle user's ability to 'TERMINATE' the chat Ctrl-W - Clear your window Ctrl-\ - Accent character Esc-Esc - Terminate chat Alt-A - Modify chatting colors Alt-E - Edit current user Alt-T - Transfer files Alt-V - View ASCII files PgUp/Dn - Jump between windows F1 - Activate the menu system F4 - Drop down to flat chat mode Page 39 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Each of the "toggle" Ctrl-keys produces a sound when it is pressed: If the notes go from low to high, then that option was just turned on. If the notes go from high to low, then the option is being turned off. Now for the explanation of all the control keys: Ctrl-A Toggle capture file (SysOp) This control key toggles the capture file on and off. The capture file is the text file in which everything that is typed is recorded. Ctrl-E Extended Help (SysOp and User) This control key replaces the contents of the window in which it is pressed with a help screen. The help text is defined in the Multilanguage part of FCConfig. Ctrl-F Toggle high character filter (SysOp) The high character filter, when on, pre- vents the user from typing any of the upper-128 characters. Turning the fil- ter on can often help when chatting over a noisy connection. Ctrl-G Beep user (SysOp) Pressing Ctrl-G sends a beep to the re- mote side. What is actually heard is determined by the user's terminal pro- gram. Ctrl-K Toggle remote keyboard (SysOp) This key allows you to prevent the user from typing. This is useful in flat mode when a user refuses to behave. Ctrl-O Toggle user cOntrol (SysOp) This key allows you temporarily disable the user's ability to use the Ctrl-E, W, and R keys. On a particularly noisy line, some control characters may be coming through and wreaking havoc with the display. Ctrl-P *Poof* (disconnect user) (SysOp) The *Poof* key is like the Alt-H key in RA or the Ctrl-X key in Maximus, in that it tries to terminate the user's connec- tion. It does this by dropping DTR for a variable amount of time. If your modem is not configured correctly, this may not work. Ctrl-Q Clear user's window (SysOp) Page 40 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation This key clears the user's window. This is merely a convenience key so that you needn't press PgUp, then Ctrl-W, then PgDn to clear the user's window. Ctrl-R Redraw screen (SysOp and User) This key redraws the screen. It should be used by the user if line noise trash- es the screen, or by the SysOp if a background process accidentally bleeds through. Ctrl-S Shell to DOS (SysOp) This key activates a temporary DOS shell. Type EXIT to return to FastChat. Note that FastChat does not swap itself out from memory. Ctrl-T Toggle user 'TERMINATE' (SysOp) This key toggles the user's ability to terminate the chat session by typing 'TERMINATE' and pressing Enter. Ctrl-W Clear window (SysOp and User) This key clears the window of the person who pressed it. If you are the SysOp, you can also clear the user's window with the Ctrl-Q key. The first time the user presses Ctrl-W, FastChat does a "smart" clear that may not clear the entire window if there is line noise. If the user hits Ctrl-W a second time, however, the window will be unconditionally cleared. Ctrl-\ Accent character (SysOp and User) This key allows you to accent the char- acter you typed just before it. This function is explained in more detail on page 35. Esc-Esc Terminate chat mode (SysOp) This key (you must press Escape twice) terminates your chat with the user. PgUp/PgDn Jump between windows (SysOp) These keys jump you between windows in split screen mode. This permits you to type in the user's window. Note that while in the user's window, none of your SysOp keys are active except for PgDn. The other six keys (Alt-A, Alt-E, Alt-T, Alt-V, F1, and F4) are discussed elsewhere in the manual. Flat mode Page 41 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Non-split screen mode (ASCII) is pretty boring. It's very similar to the internal chat mode found in most BBS softwares, with a few extra features. Locally (by default), the sysop's text appears in yellow and the user's text appears in dark cyan. The user does not see these colors unless his or her terminal is ANSI or Avatar capable. Also, the user has no control keys in this mode. The SysOp, however, has plenty: Ctrl-A - Toggle capture file Ctrl-D - Toggle double spacing Ctrl-F - Toggle high character filter Ctrl-G - Beep the user Ctrl-K - Toggle remote keyboard Ctrl-L - Scroll the screen clear Ctrl-O - Toggle owner-only backspacing Ctrl-P - *Poof* Ctrl-S - Shell to DOS Ctrl-T - Toggle user's ability to 'TERMINATE' the chat Ctrl-\ - Accent character Esc-Esc - Terminate chat Alt-E - User editor Alt-T - File transfers Alt-V - File viewing F4 - Bring up split-screen mode (ANSI or Avatar/0+ users) The functions listed below are exclusive to the ASCII chat mode. All others function exactly as in split-screen mode and are not described here. Ctrl-D Toggle double spacing (SysOp) This key turns automatic double spacing on or off. When enabled, this function double-spaces when either side hits the Enter key. Ctrl-L Clear screen (SysOp) This key clears the screen. Note that you can also use Ctrl-W to perform this action. Ctrl-O Toggle owner-only backspacing (SysOp) This key toggles the user's ability to backspace what you type. You may find that some users tend to get a little obnoxious and may try to interrupt you while you're typing. Ctrl-O will pre- vent them from backspacing over your text. F8 Import text (SysOp) This function is slated for removal but is still described because it is active. Use it until FastView is complete. Page 42 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation This key allows you to activate FastChat's ASCII import function. You can only press F8 at the far left margin of a line. When you do, the text "Im- port: " will appear. Type the name of the ASCII text file which you would like to import, and it will be done. While the file is coming in, you can use the F9 key to pause and resume scroll- ing. Scrolling will automatically pause every 24 lines, permitting you to type between pages. To turn off this auto- pagination, hit Ctrl-F9. To abort the file import, hit Escape once. ASCII import is available only in full- screen (flat) mode. Page 43 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Common Problems and Solutions Problem: I'm (trying) to run FC under DESQview and locally all I get are a bunch of ANSI codes. Remotely it looks fine. Solution: Run DVANSI.COM that came with DESQview once in each window that needs ANSI support (any BBS window). DESQview doesn't use DOS's ANSI.SYS and requires its own driver. Loading this in AUTOEXEC.BAT will accom- plish nothing! Problem: No matter what I do, FC always tells the user that they are paging out of paging hours. Solution: First, make sure Ignore Paging Hours in FCConfig is Off. Second, if you are using RemoteAccess, hit Alt-O next time you are in RA locally or a user is online and set it to "Use paging hours". This setting sticks between calls and sometimes, if you set it to OFF, you may forget to switch it back to ON. Problem: FCConfig's background is a bunch of weird smiley faces and diamonds. Solution: "SET FCCFONT=N" in AUTOEXEC.BAT. Also please report to me directly so I can get more information. This shouldn't happen (unless you use FCConfig under DoorWay or Windows). Problem: My scroll-lock light keeps on blinking, even after a user logs off. Solution: Add the command "FC-TSR nodenumber" in your batch file(s) after each user logs off. FC-TSR doesn't read minds, so it can't know when the user who paged you logs off unless you tell it. Refer to page 25 for more information. Page 44 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Runtime errors Although these should rarely occur, I figured it may be useful (both for the sake of FastChat and for other software written in Borland Pascal) to list them. These are condensed from the Borland Pascal 7.0 Programmer's Guide. 1 - Invalid function number DOS errors 2 - File not found 3 - Path not found 4 - Too many open files 5 - File access denied 6 - Invalid file handle 12 - Invalid file access code 15 - Invalid drive number 16 - Cannot remove current directory 17 - Cannot rename across drives 100 - Disk read error I/O Errors 101 - Disk write error 102 - File not assigned 103 - File not open 104 - File not open for input 105 - File not open for output 106 - Invalid numeric format 150 - Disk is write-protected Critical DOS errors 151 - Unknown unit 152 - Drive not ready 153 - Unknown command 154 - CRC error in data 155 - Bad drive request structure length 156 - Disk seek error 157 - Unknown media type 158 - Sector not found 159 - Printer out of paper 160 - Device write fault 161 - Device read fault 162 - Hardware failure 200 - Division by zero Misc. fatal errors 201 - Range check error 202 - Stack overflow error 203 - Heap overflow error 204 - Invalid pointer operation 205 - Floating point overflow 206 - Floating point underflow 207 - Invalid floating point operation 208 - Overlay manager not installed 209 - Overlay file read error 210 - Object not initialized 211 - Call to abstract method 212 - Stream registration error 213 - Collection index out of range 214 - Collection overflow error 215 - Arithmetic overflow error 216 - General protection fault (protected mode only) The following errors are internal FastChat errors that may be reported by the BBS interface (FASTCHAT.EXE): Page 45 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation 301 - Error opening FASTCHAT.CF2. This can usually be cor- rected by deleting it if it is present and running FCConfig and exiting. 302 - Error reading FASTCHAT.CF2. This can also be corrected by deleting the file and running FCConfig. 310 - Error opening drop file. Most likely the drop file could not be found. 311 - Error reading drop file. For some reason, the drop file is of an incorrect length. If this occurs consis- tently, the BBS interface may need to be updated. 4xx - DOS error. The xx can equal any of the error numbers listed above that are less than 100. Most common will be error 402 and 403, which mean that the path to FC_EXE.EXE has changed (run FCConfig and exit to cor- rect). An error 408 indicates insufficient memory. Page 46 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Conclusion If you ever need to get in touch with me (technical support, registrations, whatever!), you can do so in the following ways: E-mail: FidoNet: 1:135/57 (Peter Hebert) America Online: PeterH11 BBS: The Software Cuisine 1-305-642-0754: Miami, FL, USA 1200 to 14.4k v.32(bis)/v.42(bis) Simply log on as a new user. If you are in the US or in Canada and you call after 5pm, the call back verifier will verify you and you will have full access. SnailMail: Peter Hebert 2352 SW 4th St. Miami, FL 33135-3134 The latest version of FastChat is always FREQable 22 (or 23) hours a day under the magic name FASTCHAT from the following systems: Node# Location Maximum baud rate 1:135/57 Miami, FL, USA 14.4k V32b 1:135/58 Miami, FL, USA 14.4k HST/V32b 2:245/31 Bochum, Germany 14.4k HST/V32 3:???/??? Christian Kraus 9600 V32 4:900/109 Buenos Aires, Argentina 14.4k HST 6:753/2 Cubi Point, Philippines 14.4k HST Please note! At the time this documentation is written, I don't know where I will be after June 1993. If you are unable to get in touch with me at any of my addresses listed above after that point, ask at one of the distribution sites listed above, as one of them may know where I am. FastChat and all of its utilities were written in Borland Pascal with Objects 7.0 with a little assembly language where it's prudent. This documentation was written with WordPerfect for Windows 5.1. Page 47 FastChat Ver. 1.02/b SysOp Documentation Credits The following are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners: RemoteAccess, RA Continental Software Maximus Scott Dudley EzyCom ? DESQview Quarterdeck Office Systems DSZ, GSZ Omen Technologies Borland Pascal Borland International WordPerfect WordPerfect Corporation Windows Microsoft Corporation FidoNet Tom Jennings/Fido Software America Online! America Online, Inc. HST USRobotics, Inc. FastChat contains an internal multitasker based on some code written by Wayne Conrad called MTask. Other than that, it and its utilities are for the most part original code. FastView is a separate freeware product by me. Page 48 Registration Form There are three FastChat registration sites; use the one nearest or on your continent: USA (US$15) Europe (DM20) FastChat Registration FastChat Registration Europe c/o Peter Hebert c/o Ralf Reck 2352 SW 4th St. somewhere Miami, FL 33135-3134 Friedrichshafen USA United Germany Australia (A$25) FastChat Registration OZ c/o Online-Tronics P.O. Box 112 Westgate NSW Australia Please remit the appropriate amount to the correct address, preferably in the form of a check or money order made out in the correct currency, and send it along with a filled-out copy of this form. It's a good idea (on general principles) to get in touch with your registration site before sending in your registration to ensure that they still exist and that registration policies are the same. Print your name exactly as it is in FCConfig (for your key): Address: BBS name: BBS phone#: BBS net#s: BBS sftwre: Version # lines: Modem flavor: The following information is just for my general information: CPU: [ ] 8088 [ ] V20 [ ] 80286 [ ] 80386 [ ] 80486 Op. Sys: - DOS Version OS/2 Version Multitasker: [ ] DESQview [ ] Windows [ ] Built-in [ ] None Thank you for registering FastChat! (This form is not valid after June 1993)