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1989-08-25
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WWIV SYSOP'S GUIDE
By William Daystrom
WWIV v4 Copyright (c) 1989 Wayne Bell
WWIV v4 Documentation Copyright (c) 1989 White Star Software
WWIV SysOp's Guide
CONTENTS
SYSOP/CO-SYSOP OPTIONS............................................... 1
Introduction................................................... 1
Top of Screen Data............................................. 1
WFC Commands................................................... 2
Main Menu SysOp Commands....................................... 3
Transfer Section SysOp Commands................................ 5
DETAILED SYSOP COMMANDS.............................................. 6
Boardedit...................................................... 6
Diredit........................................................ 8
Chainedit...................................................... 9
DETAILED SYSOP/CO-SYSOP COMMANDS..................................... 11
Gfileedit...................................................... 11
Uedit.......................................................... 12
Voting Initialization.......................................... 14
SysOp Text Editor.............................................. 14
Mail and Message Base Commands................................. 14
Function Key Assignments....................................... 15
WWIV SysOp's Guide
SECTION ONE: SYSOP/CO-SYSOP OPTIONS
Introduction
This guide will describe all SysOp and co-SysOp functions. Most of these
commands are available both at WFC and the main prompt. The first section
of this guide will present a summary of commands. The second section will
present a detailed explanation of the SysOp commands, and the third
section will explain the co-SysOp commands.
Top of Screen Data
The local sysop's screen can show two screens of information, which may
be toggled with the F2 key. The first screen is system status. The second
screen shows the current caller's statistics. The second screen,
compressed for space, appears thus:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Banana Guru #1 W=53 UL= 0/ 0 SL=255 LO= 6191 PO= 6
Bryan Bates 314-666-2448 S0L0W DL= 2/ 611 DL=255 TO= 6845 ES= 314
ARs=ABCD /ABC R= EX= 0 Today: 4 FS= 2
The Top Banana M 13 Other T-251.92 FW= 53
----Comm Disabled------Temp Sysop-------Capture-------Alert-----Available------
The first line contains the user's name (alias) and number, mail waiting
for user, uploaded files and kilobytes, security level, total logons, and
posts. The second line contains the user's real name, phone number,
callsign, downloaded files and kilobytes, download security level, total
time on, and e-mail sent. The third line contains the user's AR and DAR,
restrictions, exemption, logons today, and feedback sent. The forth line
shows the user's note, sex, age, computer, time left, and feedback waiting
for the sysop. A fifth line may appear after a caller requests a chat.
This line would give the reason the caller entered for wanting to chat
with you. The border line at the bottom of the topscreen information may
also show Temp Sysop, Capture, Alert, Comm Disabled, and/or Available.
Temp Sysop appears when the sysop has toggled temporary sysop status with
F9. Capture appears when the sysop has toggled the global capture with
Shift-F1. Alert appears when the sysop has pressed F6 to be informed when
the caller hangs up. Comm Disabled appears when the sysop has pressed F3
to prevent the caller from typing. Available appears when the sysop has
toggled the sysop available for chat option with scroll-lock. More
information about function keys is given on page 15 of this guide.
To summarize the abbreviations:
W - Mail waiting for caller SL - Security Level
R - User restrictions DL - Download Security Level
AR - User AR/DAR PO - Total number of posts
LO - Total number of logons ES - Total e-mails sent
TO - Total minutes on FW - Feedback waiting for sysop
FS - Total feedback sent EX - User exemptions
UL - Files uploaded/kilobytes uploaded
DL - Files downloaded/kilobytes downloaded
- 1 -
WWIV SysOp's Guide
The system status topscreen information shows the following:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Temple of Bananas Activity for 07/15/89:
Users: 66 Total Calls: 6875 Calls Today: 2 Posted : 1
Banana Guru #1 6 min / 1% E-mail sent : 4
SL=255 DL=255 T-251.92 FW =53 Uploaded: 0 files Feedback : 8
----Comm Disabled------Temp Sysop-------Capture-------Alert-----Available------
The first line contains the BBS name and today's date. The second line
shows the total number of users, total calls to date, calls today, and
number of posts today. The third line shows the current user's name
(alias) and number, time the system has been active today, percent of time
today the system has been used, and amount of e-mail sent today. The forth
line shows the current user's security level, download security level,
time left, feedback waiting for the sysop, files uploaded today, and
feedback sent today.
WFC Commands
? - list WFC commands.
[Spacebar] - logon from the keyboard. When running a BBS, it is usually
necessary for the SysOp to log on to the system. If you have
"Phone off hook" set in INIT, the BBS will pick up the phone
for the time you are logged on, so other callers will be
annoyed by a busy signal instead of being confused by a
constant ringing. At the prompt after pressing the spacebar,
you may press 'F' to logon quickly as the sysop without
entering logon information, or 'Y' to logon as any account,
with the need to enter password and phone number.
A - Answer phone. If you are talking to someone (voice) on the BBS phone
line, and want to allow that person to log on, hitting "A" will cause
the BBS to pick up the phone and send a carrier, just as if the phone
had rung.
B - Boardedit: Allows you to change/add/delete message bases.
C - Chainedit: Allows you to change/add/delete on-line programs (games).
D - Diredit: Allows you to change/add/delete file directories.
E - Edit text file: Allows editing of any text file.
F - DOS functions: This temporarily drops to DOS so the SysOp can do
something. If you have the "Phone off hook" set in INIT, the BBS will
pick up the phone during the time you are in DOS. Type "EXIT" to quit
back to the BBS. Do NOT run a terminal program from here.
G - Gfileedit: Allows you to change/add/delete gfile sections.
I - Init votes: Allows you to add/delete voting questions for callers.
L - Log of the day: Presents you with a detailed account of what your
callers did while on-line today.
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WWIV SysOp's Guide
M - Read all mail: This will allow you to read any mail that has been
sent on the system, and to delete any you want. NOTE: This should not
be used for reading feedback; use the R function for that.
N - Net log: If your system is a member of WWIVnet, this command will show
a list of the past 77 network connections, including information such
as connect times, data sent and received, systems connected, etc.
P - Pending Files: If your system is a part of WWIVnet, this command
will present a list of pending files to be sent, along with various
information such as system numbers, bytes to send, and how many
hours have elapsed since your board last connected with others.
Q - Quit and terminate the BBS program.
R - Read your mail: This is the same as logging on under account #1,
reading your mail, then logging off again. If "Phone off hook" is set
in INIT, the phone will be picked up while you read your mail.
S - Status display: This will display a quick listing of total system
usage, disk space remaining, total number of callers, and several
other items.
T - Terminal program: If you have a terminal program set in INIT, hitting
"T" will run it, then return back to the BBS when it is completed.
U - Uedit: Allows you to delete/modify caller accounts/information.
Y - Yesterday's log: This displays the SysOp log for the previous day.
Z - Zlog: This displays a short listing of daily activity for about the
past 3 months, including posts sent, uploads, downloads, time active,
etc.
/ - Force callout: If you are a part of WWIVnet, you can enter this
command to force your bulletin board to call another network board.
Main Menu SysOp Commands
Normally, commands entered at the main prompt in the BBS will be executed
immediately after they are typed, without the need of hitting the [Enter]
key. Typing // at the main menu, however, will allow you to enter a
complete line of input. So, if the command you want is Uedit, you would
type //UEDIT.
The following commands may be used by co-SysOps and SysOps:
LOG - Displays today's SysOp log. Same as L from WFC.
NLOG - Displays network activity log. Same as N from WFC.
YLOG - Displays yesterday's SysOp log. Same as Y from WFC.
ZLOG - Displays log of past system usage. Same as Z from WFC.
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WWIV SysOp's Guide
UEDIT - Runs the Uedit procedure. Same as U from WFC.
IVOTES - Runs voting initialization program. Same as I from WFC.
STATUS - Displays current system status. Same as S from WFC.
VOTEPRINT - Creates VOTING.TXT in the GFILES directory which contains a
summary of how each caller voted in the voting section.
TEDIT - Edit a text file located in the GFILES directory only.
Same as E from WFC.
The following are SysOp commands, which require an SL of 255.
Most require the system password to be entered.
BOARDEDIT - Runs Boardedit procedure. Same as B from WFC.
DIREDIT - Runs Diredit procedure. Same as D from WFC.
CHAINEDIT - Runs Chainedit procedure. Same as C from WFC.
GFILEEDIT - Runs Gfileedit procedure. Same as G from WFC.
DOS - Drops to DOS. This will allow the SysOp, locally or remotely,
to temporarily drop to DOS for system maintenance. Type
"EXIT" to return to the BBS. Same as F from WFC.
CHAT - Toggles the scroll-lock key, thereby toggling the
sysop-available switch. This is used when the sysop is
calling remotely and wants for some reason to either turn
sysop available on or off.
STAT - Stack and Heap Info. This tells the sysop how memory is being
managed by the BBS.
RELOAD - This reloads the bulletin board's menus into memory, in the
event that you find it necessary.
RESETF - Reset NAMES.LST. The NAMES.LST file contains a short list of
all user names. At times, when accounts are changed or
deleted, this file is not changed accordingly. So, in a user
listing, you might see the same name appear more then once.
In that event, use RESETF. It re-creates NAMES.LST, removing
all names that have been deleted from the main user list.
REBOOT - Reboot the computer. This command will do just what it says -
reboot your computer - NOT the BBS. Use with caution.
EDIT - Runs the SysOp editor (or full screen editor if selected);
allows the text files to be located anywhere on the hard
disk, instead of just in the GFILES directory as with TEDIT.
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WWIV SysOp's Guide
LOAD - Loads a file from anywhere on the system into a workspace.
Then, for the next post or e-mail the SysOp does, that text
file will be used as if the SysOp had typed the entire file
into the editor.
CHUSER - Allows the SysOp to temporarily change to another account.
MAILR - Allows the SysOp to read all mail. Same as M from WFC.
Transfer Section SysOp Commands
UPLOAD - For the current directory, the appropriate DOS directory is is
searched to see if there are any files in the DOS dir, but
not in the BBS dir database. If there are any, the
description is prompted for.
UPLOADALL - Same as UPLOAD, but acts on all BBS file directories.
REN - Allows a filename, or its description, to be changed.
MOVE - Allows a file (or files) to be moved from the current
directory to another one. Same as M from the transfer system
prompt.
SORT - Sorts the current directory (or all dirs) by filename.
M - Move a file. Same as //MOVE.
R - Remove any file entry from the file listing, with the option
to actually delete the file from disk and revoke upload
credit from the person who originally uploaded the file.
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WWIV SysOp's Guide
SECTION TWO: DETAILED SYSOP COMMANDS
Boardedit
The next order of business is to create the message bases that you want.
WWIV can handle up to 32 different message bases, where callers can post
and read messages. B from WFC, or //BOARDEDIT from the main prompt, will
put you in the Boardedit procedure.
In the Boardedit procedure, you can delete, insert, and modify subs. WWIV
defaults with one sub-board, General. You will most likely want to insert
more after it. Any topic you can imagine may be used for a sub. Common
examples include politics, science fiction, entertainment, sports,
trivia, etc.
For each sub-board, the following information is necessary:
Name
Each sub-board needs a name, describing what type of messages are
expected on that sub-board. If your BBS is a member of WWIVnet, it is
encouraged to preceed names of your network subs with "WWIVnet/" so
that callers will know it is a net board.
Filename
Each sub-board also needs a DISTINCT FILENAME. If two subs have the
same filename, BOTH SUBS WILL REFER TO THE SAME MESSAGES. The filename
can be whatever you want, but without an extension.
Key
Normally, all sub-boards are assigned a number (in ascending order,
starting at one for your first sub-board) which callers can press to
immediately access them. If you would prefer that a sub-board be
referred to by a key (such as %,&,#, etc) instead of a number, setting
the key to that character will do so. In most cases, you won't need to
use this option.
Read SL
This setting determines the minimum SL required to allow a caller to
read messages on the sub-board. If the read SL for a sub is 40, and a
caller's SL is 39, that caller will never know that the sub-board
exists.
Post SL
This setting determines the minimum SL required for a caller to post
on the sub. The post SL should be greater or equal to the read SL.
Having the post SL greater than the read SL would allow callers to
read messages on the sub, but not post any.
- 6 -
WWIV SysOp's Guide
Anony
Setting the anony (no, yes, forced, dear abby) determines whether or
not messages posted on that sub can be anonymous. No means no
anonymous (unless the caller has a security level which permits it);
yes means the caller has the option of posting anonymously, regardless
of security level; forced means the post is always anonymous; dear abby
means that the caller will be presented a choice of "signatures" for
his/her post: their name (alias), Abby, or Problemed Person. In effect,
the "dear abby" option does the same thing as setting anony to yes, but
it gives the caller two options on which name will represent the author
of the post.
Min age
This will allow you to set the minimum age of callers on that sub. If,
for example, you set the minimum age to 18 (years), anyone under 18
would not know the sub existed. Usually used for adult-oriented
subjects.
Max msgs
This sets the maximum number of messages that can be on the sub at one
time. This is usually set to 50 or 100, but can be up to 249 if you
really want it to be. When the maximum number is reached, the oldest
post in the sub is rotated off (deleted) as each new post is entered,
unless a post has been given permanent status. See the User Manual for
details on that.
AR
This allows you to set the AR for that sub. AR is used to allow
specific people to access specific subs when other sub limitations
(age, post SL, etc) are not sufficient for your needs. As an example,
suppose you have a group of Amiga callers on your BBS. You want to give
them their own area to talk about Amigas. Age and SL restrictions would
be cumbersome and inefficient. That's where AR comes into play. There
are 16 different AR flags that can be used, A through P. To give the
Amiga callers their own sub, you would use BOARDEDIT to create a sub
for their use. Set the AR to whatever you wish, as long as it isn't in
conflict with another sub which doesn't concern the Amiga people (you
can use the same AR on different subs, but realize that anybody with
the same AR flag set would be able to access all subs with the
identical AR). For this example, set the AR flag to A. Then you would
go into UEDIT and activate each Amiga caller's A flag. Now, all Amiga
callers would be able to access the Amiga sub (as long as SL and age
requirements, if any, were met) and nobody else would know the sub
exists.
Sub type
Used with WWIVnet on network subs to properly allocate messages. If the
sub you are editing is not a WWIVnet sub, leave this blank.
Storage type
There are 2 main ways messages can be stored, either with each message
in its own file, or with all messages in that message base in one
large file. 0 means each message will be in its own (text) file, 2
means all messages in that sub will be in one large (non-text) file.
- 7 -
WWIV SysOp's Guide
Diredit
WWIV allows files available for downloading to be logically divided into
different directories. The Diredit procedure will allow you to set and
update those directories. It functions very much like the Boardedit
procedure.
The options you can set for each directory are:
Name
Each dir requires a name that designates what type of files should be
uploaded (and are available for downloading) in that directory.
Filename
Like the filename in Boardedit, each dir needs its own filename to
store data in. Each dir NEEDS its own DISTINCT filename.
Path
Each dir can store files in a different DOS dir, or even on a different
drive. The paths for all new dirs default to whatever the DLOADS dir
is set to in INIT, but will need to be changed. In general, you should
have each dir set to a sub-dir of DLOADS. So, for example, the SysOp
dir is set with a path of DLOADS\SYSOP\. If you wish to use a directory
on a different drive, specify the full pathname from the root
directory.
DSL
Like the read SL, this sets the minimum DSL necessary for a caller to
access that directory.
Min age
Like in Boardedit, callers who are younger than the age set here can
not access that dir. This might be used for an adult file directory,
where it may not be desireable to allow just any caller to access the
files.
Max files
This specifies the maximum number of files in the directory. It may be
anything up to 255. Once the maximum number is reached, no more uploads
will be allowed to the directory.
DAR
Like AR, this allows you to restrict access only to certain callers.
Mask
This is used when a caller wants to upload a file. Setting this to 1
causes the BBS to specifically ask the caller if the file is public
domain.
Dir type
Currently not in use.
Uploads
You can prohibit uploads to a directory by using this option.
- 8 -
WWIV SysOp's Guide
Chainedit
The Chainedit function is also quite similar to the Boardedit function.
Chains aren't really chains, but complete external programs. In early
versions of WWIV, external programs really were "chain files" in the sense
that they couldn't run at all without the BBS, but in WWIV v4, the
external programs must be completely stand-alone. Nevertheless, the name
"chains" has stuck, and so it is used.
Not all files can be run as external programs from WWIV. Only those files
that do all I/O through DOS calls can be run. This means that Wordstar,
WordPerfect, the Norton Utilities, and any graphics programs can NOT be
run from WWIV.
When you run Chainedit, you will see a summary of the chains currently
available, if any. Your options are Insert, Delete, and Modify. When
inserting a new chain or modifying an old entry, you will be given a
chance to change the following data:
Description
The description of the chain, printed out for callers.
Filename
The filename actually executed. The program to be used can have either
an EXE, COM, or BAT extension. You cannot run BAS or CHN files from
here. If you put a "%1" anywhere in the filename, before the chain is
executed, the %1 will be replaced with a full path and filename of a
text file the bulletin board creates holding data about that caller,
such as the caller's name, security level, time left, etc. For most
programs explicitly written for WWIV v4, you will NEED to put the %1
after the filename. If you do not, you will see a "Parameter file not
found" error message. If you see that message when running a chain, add
the %1, as in "tw2001 %1".
SL
The SL required in order to run the chain.
AR
The AR required in order to run the chain.
ANSI
If ANSI is required in order to run the chain.
- 9 -
WWIV SysOp's Guide
Intercept DOS calls
Most programs you run remotely will not have built-in code for
accessing the modem. Thus, for most programs, you will want the BBS to
intercept the DOS calls, and "re-direct" the output to go to the modem,
as well as the screen. It is possible, however, that you will have a
program that will do its own modem access, in which case you will want
to set it so the BBS won't intercept DOS calls. In most cases, you WILL
want the BBS to.
300 Baud
Some programs use ANSI graphics to such an extent that the display rate
with 300 baud connections would be intolerable. With this setting, you
can prohibit 300 baud callers from using the chain.
Shrink
With WWIV v4.10 comes a new feature - Shrink. This option handles
memory very differently from the usual procedure. With Shrink set to
off, the BBS remains in memory when you run an external program, thus
restricting the maximum size of the program you can use. With Shrink
set to on, the BBS will essentially unload from memory, allowing large
externals to be run. Shrinking reduces the amount of memory the BBS
occupies down to around 46k. Other than this different way of handling
memory, chains run with Shrink operate just as they do without Shrink -
except for a slight delay when entering and exiting the program. If
memory is a problem on your system, use Shrink. Otherwise, it isn't
necessary to use it.
- 10 -
WWIV SysOp's Guide
SECTION THREE: DETAILED SYSOP/CO-SYSOP COMMANDS
Gfileedit
Gfiles in this instance are just text files you would like your callers
to be able to read; in other words, they are bulletins. With Gfileedit,
you may create file directories to hold your gfiles, and you may create
gfile areas which your callers can access.
You may have noticed by now that WWIV SysOp functions all function quite
the same way. This enables you to quickly learn how to use each of them,
without having to know many different commands and parameters. As with
the previous commands you have read about, Gfileedit displays a summary
of gfile directories currently in place, if any. The insert, delete, and
modify options are again available to you. When inserting a new gfile
section or changing an old one, you can modify the following data:
Name
This is the name of the section you and your callers will see. You
should set this to describe the kind of files you will be displaying,
such as humor, communications, ANSI, etc.
Filename
The filename for the section. In this instance, however, the filename
is ALSO the directory where the gfiles for this section will be stored.
The directory you choose will be a sub-directory of the main GFILES
directory. After you enter the filename, you will be asked if you want
to create the directory. If you say no, you will have to create it
yourself. In either instance, once the directory exists, you will have
to move whatever files or bulletins you want to display to it.
SL
SL required for section access. Callers cannot add their own gfiles to
the section, so there is no "post" SL involved.
Min. Age
The minimum age necessary for section access.
Max Files
The maximum number of gfiles in the section (can be up to 99). Once the
maximum number is reached, you will not be able to add additional
gfiles unless you increase this.
AR
AR required for section access. This option works exactly the way it
does in Boardedit.
Once in the gfiles section (command G at the main menu), hitting A at the
SECTION prompt (first prompt given) will add gfiles to ALL sections.
Hitting A within a section will add files for that section only. When you
add files to a gfile section, the BBS will search that section's directory
for files to add. For every file it finds, it will prompt for a
description. Once a description has been entered, that file will be
accessible to anyone who is capable of using that gfile section. Hitting R
within a section will allow a co-sysop to remove gfiles.
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WWIV SysOp's Guide
Uedit
Uedit is the user account editor function which will allow you to maintain
your user list and alter accounts as you need to.
There are two possible displays in Uedit - the short display, and the long
display. If there is a remote caller, it will default to the short
display. Otherwise, it will default to the long display. Typing a period
at the Uedit prompt will toggle between the long and short displays. In
the short display, typing a comma will expand to the long display FOR THAT
ACCOUNT ONLY.
You use [ and ] to move down and up accounts in the user list. "]" will
move to the next account in the user list, and "[" will move to the next
lower account. "{" and "}" search through the user list, using the options
set with "/", to the next (or previous) account which satisfies the
selected criteria. Hitting "U" and entering a (full or partial) name will
go directly to that account.
Other options in Uedit are:
? - Menu of options
: - Force user to re-enter birthdate upon next logon.
~ - Reset ass_pts to zero. Not currently implemented elsewhere.
A - Change user's AR.
C - Change user's callsign.
D - Delete the current account, erasing any mail to/from that user
and discounting any votes made by that user.
E - Change user's exemptions, 1=transfer ratio.
G - Change user's birthdate.
I - Change user's DAR.
L - Change user's real name.
M - Change user's computer type.
N - Change user's name.
O - Change note about user.
P - Change user's phone number.
Q - Quit out of Uedit.
R - Restore a deleted user. This doesn't re-create any mail, or add
back in votes made by that user before deletion.
S - Change user's SL.
T - Change user's DSL.
Y - Change user's sysop sub. Set to 255 to clear the sysopsub value.
Z - Change user's restrictions. Available restrictions are:
A - Automessage : The caller cannot change the automessage.
C - Chat : Caller won't be able to request chats with you.
E - E-Mail : The caller cannot send e-mail.
L - Logons : Limits the caller to 1 logon per day.
N - WWIVnet : The caller cannot use WWIVnet on your board.
P - Posts : The caller cannot post messages.
V - Voting : The caller is not permitted to vote.
* - Anonymous : The caller cannot post anonymously.
M - Messages : Posts by the caller will not be accessible by your
other callers until either yourself or a co-sysop
have read and approved the message for public
viewing.
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WWIV SysOp's Guide
The long information printed about a user account consists of:
Name: Random #1 (name/alias of user, number of user)
RN : Wayne (real name of user)
Call: N6PLU (amateur radio callsign)
PH : 213-208-6689 (phone number)
Age : 22 M (age, sex)
PW : AAA (password)
Comp: IBM AT (80386) (user's computer type)
Last: 07/12/89 12/15/87 (last date on, first date on)
Msgs: P=123 E=148 F=125 W=64 (posts, emails, feedbacks, mail waiting)
Log : 802 4 I=0 (total calls, calls today, illegal logons)
UpDn: U=17-989k D=3-43k (uploads, downloads)
Note: This is a note (user note)
SL : 255 DSL=255 (SL, DSL)
AR : ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP (user AR)
DAR : ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP (user DAR)
The comments on the right are not printed in Uedit. Some of the lines are
not always printed unless they have a value. For example, if the user did
not have an amateur radio callsign, the callsign line would not be
present in the Uedit listing. This rule also applies to restrictions, AR,
DAR, and sysopsub.
Passwords are ONLY printed for 255 SL's. If a co-sysop goes into Uedit,
passwords will not be displayed (although they will be printed locally on
your computer screen).
- 13 -
WWIV SysOp's Guide
Voting Initialization
The voting initialization procedure allows you to set voting questions.
When this procedure is run, you will be given a list of all current
questions, with those not in use listed as >>> NO QUESTION <<<. You enter
the number of the question you wish to change. You then enter the
question, and after that, all possible responses (up to 19).
SysOp Text Editor
The BBS contains an internal text editor that may be used to edit files.
This editor is different from the one used when writing e-mail or posts.
If your account has a full screen editor selected, that editor will be
used instead of the internal editor. The use of a full screen editor is
greatly encouraged, since they are much easier to use, and since the
internal editor has minimal editing features.
The internal editor is line-oriented, and has the following options:
P - Print the current line.
L - List from the current line onward.
I - Insert lines starting BEFORE the current line.
D - Delete line(s). D10 will delete 10 lines, starting with the current
line.
+ - forward line(s). +10 will move forward 10 lines.
- - backward line(s). -10 will move backward 10 lines.
Q - Quit, without saving.
S - Save & exit.
C - Clear workspace.
# - entering a number will go directly to that line.
Mail and Message Base SysOp Functions
At the mail read prompt, a co-sysop has the following additional options:
O - Reply with a form letter. This option allows you to send a
pre-written message as a reply to the e-mail you just read. This
is often used to respond to validation letters or frequently-asked
questions. Form letters must have a filename of the format
"FORMxxxx.MSG" where xxxx are 1-4 characters, and be placed in the
GFILES directory. For example, a validation confirmation form
letter might be called FORMVAL.MSG. After typing 'O' at the mail
read prompt, you will be prompted for the 1-4 character suffix of
the filename. Following the example, you would simply type VAL. If
the letter exists, it is loaded into the text area and you are
prompted for the title of the message. Once entered, the contents
of the form letter are used in the message area, and the letter is
sent to the user.
V - Validate the sender of the current piece of mail. By hitting V, a
co-sysop can view some basic information about the user, and also
change the SL, DSL, AR, DAR, and restrictions.
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Z - Zap mail. This is the same as "D"eleting the mail, except with the
Z option, no confirmation is sent back to the sender telling him
that the mail has been read.
At the scan prompt, a co-sysop has the following additional options:
V - Validate the user. Same as in mail read, or "!" from main prompt.
N - No-delete. This will save the message from being auto-deleted to make
room for new messages. For a no-delete message, a limited co-sysop
must explicitly remove the message.
U - Un-anonymous a post. If a message was posted anonymously, the U
option will make the name visible for anyone to see.
D - Delete the message.
M - Move the message. The co-sysop will be prompted for the message base
to move it to. ? will list the subs.
Also, at either the mail read or scan prompt, hitting "E" by a sysop
(SL=255) will extract the message/mail out to a text file in the GFILES
directory. A filename will be prompted for, and if the file doesn't
already exist, the message will be written out to that text file. If
the file does exist, you will be prompted if you want to overwrite.
Function Key Assignments
While a user is logged on, there are many sysop function keys that may
be used to change the current status, or information about the user's
account. The keys are:
F1 - Validate the user. This will pop up, on the screen, a window
allowing you to change the caller's SL, DSL, AR, DAR, exemptions,
sysop sub, and note. The up-arrow will move to the previous field,
down-arrow (or <C/R>) moves to the next field, and escape (or F1)
finishes changing the data and returns back to the normal BBS. To
change AR, DAR, or the restrictions, simply move to the character
position you wish to toggle, and hit the spacebar to clear that
option, or hit the letter of the AR/DAR you want to toggle on or
off.
Shift-F1 - Global Capture. This will toggle a global capture system on
and off. Global capture will write to a text file in the
GFILES directory (GLOBAL.TXT) everything that occurs on the
BBS from the moment capture is turned on. Subsequent captures
are added to the end of the GLOBAL.TXT file.
F2 - Toggle top of screen info. The top of screen data defaults to
information about the user's account, but may be changed. Hitting
F2 once will clear the top of screen data, so the entire screen may
be used normally. Hitting F2 again will display system status
information in the window.
F3 - Disable remote typing. If you wish to temporarily disable the
remote user from typing, hit F3. Hit F3 again to restore his
ability to type. Note that the caller will still be able to see
everything printed on the screen even if the caller isn't allowed
to type.
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F4 - Disable chat call. If a user is requesting a chat, and you don't
want to talk with that user, hit F4 to turn off the chat call.
F5 - Hang up on the user. When you hit F5, carrier is immediately
dropped.
Ctrl-F5 - Prints out "Call back later when you are there" and hangs up.
This message is also the one printed out when a user has not
pressed a key for 3 minutes and is disconnected due to
inactivity.
Shift-F5 - Prints out a few characters of garbage, then hangs up on the
caller. This may appear to the caller as if disconnection was
due to line noise.
F6 - Toggle sysop page. If a user is on, and you want to use the system
but don't want to hang up on the user (such as with the F5 key),
you can set the sysop page using the F6 key. "Alert" will appear in
the topscreen information border. When the user logs off, the BBS
will beep at you for about a minute, telling you that the user is
off the system, and you may now use it.
F7 - Subtract 5 minutes from the time the user has on. If the time gets
to zero, this will not hang up on the user, but when the user gets
to the main menu (or scan prompt, or any one of a number of other
places), he will be logged off.
F8 - Add 5 minutes to the time left on, to a maximum of 255 minutes.
F9 - Temporary sysop. If you wish to perform sysop functions while a
user is on-line, hitting F9 will temporarily change their security
level to 255. Hitting F9 again will return their security level to
what it previously was. If a user hangs up while a temporary sysop,
his SL will automatically be returned to what it was before.
F10 - Chat. If you wish to chat with a user, hit F10. If the user
supports ANSI (and supports at least 1200 bps), two-way chat will
be used (unless disabled in INIT). This is a split-screen chat
system whereby everything you type will be printed in the top half
of the screen, and everything the user types will be printed in the
lower half. If the user does not support ANSI, standard chat mode
will be used. Basically, this is a system whereby the entire screen
is used for dialogue; one person types, then another, then another
in turn, while the text of the conversation scrolls off the top of
the screen. While in standard chat (NOT two-way), you may hit the
[Home] key to record what is typed. It will be stored to CHAT.TXT
in the GFILES dir. Turning on chat capture will INCLUDE the line
you hit [Home] on, even though a message saying things are being
captured is printed after that line. Likewise, when chat capture is
turned off, the current line will NOT be included, even though the
message is printed after that line. Those messages telling you when
capture is on or off are printed locally, but not remotely, so the
caller will not see them. If you want to save conversations made in
two-way chat mode, you must use global capture, by toggling
Shift-F1. Chats saved with global capture will be saved just as
they happened, so in some instances (for the sake of clarity) it
may be preferable to use standard chat and [Home] to record chats.
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Ctrl-F10 - Chat. This chat mode differs from the above in that two-way
is not used at all. With Ctrl-F10, you can force standard
chat mode when two-way chat would normally be used. This
enables you to use the [Home] key to save the conversation if
you want to.
Shift-F10 - Drops to DOS. The remote caller sees "[WAIT]" while you are
in DOS. Note that this is different from //DOS in that there
is no remote echo.
CONCLUSION
That's all there is to the SysOp's Guide. If so many commands seem
confusing, don't worry about it. Knowing which key to press to use certain
functions will become second-nature once you've become accustomed to using
them. If you have read this far, it is assumed that you already looked
through the Installation/Configuration docs. Now, if you haven't already,
take a look at the User's Guide. It will provide you with information
pertaining to commands available to the average caller, as well as to
co-sysops, who will use your bulletin board.
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