Menus and Optional Menus
MENU FILES DESCRIPTION
--------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------
ALLMAIL Sysop's reading all mail on system menus
ATTR Ctrl-A code menu for use within the Synchronet internal editor
BATCHXFR Batch transfer menu
BATDPROT Batch download transfer protocols
BATFLAG Batch flag command key menu
BATUPROT Batch upload transfer protocols
BIPROT Bidirectional transfer protocols
CHAT Chat section menu
DLPROT Download transfer protocols
E-MAIL E-mail section menu
EDITOR Synchronet internal editor commands and line editing keys
EXEMPT Exemption flag descriptions for use within User Edit
FLAGS1 Flag set #1 descriptions for use within User Edit
FLAGS2 Flag set #2 descriptions for use within User Edit
FLAGS3 Flag set #3 descriptions for use within User Edit
FLAGS4 Flag set #4 descriptions for use within User Edit
LOGOFF Logoff ('O' command) screen
LOGON Logon screen (LOGON2, LOGON3, ... LOGON9 also supported)
MAILREAD Reading mail menu
MAIN Main section menu
MAINCFG Main configuration menu
MAININFO Main information menu
MSGSCAN Message reading/scanning menu
MULTCHAT Multinode chat menu
PRIVCHAT Private node-to-node chat menu
QWK QWK Packet menu
RESTRICT Restriction flag descriptions for use within User Edit
SENTMAIL Reading sent mail menu
SYSMAILR Sysop additional commands while reading mail
SYSMAIN Sysop additional commands for main section
SYSMSCAN Sysop additional commands while message reading/scanning
SYSSMAIL Sysop additional commands while reading sent mail
SYSXFER Sysop additional commands for transfer section
TEMPXFER Temporary directory commands menu
TRANSFER Transfer section menu
UEDIT User Edit menu
ULPROT Upload transfer protocols
WFC Waiting for call menu
XFERCFG Transfer section configuration menu
XFERINFO Transfer section information menu
[OPTIONAL MENUS]----------------------------------------------------------------
The following files must be created in the TEXT\MENU directory if you wish to
use them.
GRPS Message Group listing
SUBSx Message Sub-board listing, 'x' is the group number
LIBS File Library listing
DIRSx File Directory listing, 'x' is the library number
XTRN_SEC External Program Sections
XTRNx External Program listing, 'x' is the section number
TEXT_SEC Text File Section listing
TEXTx Text File listing, 'x' is the text file section number
CHAN Multinode Chat Channels
TMESSAGE Displays when the user enters the transfer section
TPOLICY Transfer policy (&T transfer section command)
[OPTIONAL MESSAGE FILES]--------------------------------------------------------
If you want to have an information file displayed for sub-boards when using
the 'I' scanning command and 'IS' main menu command, create a file for the
sub-board in the DATA\SUBS directory using the internal code for that sub-board
as the name and .MSG as the extension. Example:
DATA\SUBS\GENERAL.MSG
If you want to create in information file for file directories to be displayed
with the 'ID' transfer section command, create a file for the directory in
the DATA\DIRS directory using the internal code as the name and .MSG as the
extension. Example:
DATA\DIRS\GAMES.MSG
If you want to create a custom file listing header for a file directory, create
a file in the DATA\DIRS directory using the internal code as the name and .HDR
as the extension. Example:
DATA\DIRS\GAMES.HDR
Colors
Synchronet supports six different Color Code formats. When Synchronet
encounters one of these Color Codes in a message, it changes the text following
the Color Code to the specified color. Support of the formats which are not
native to Synchronet (WWIV, Celerity, Renegade, PCBoard, and Wildcat) can be
toggled on and off from the Synchronet Configuration utility (System->Message
Options->Extra Attribute Codes). The non-Synchronet color codes (Extra
Attribute Codes) only affect the text that is displayed on the SAME LINE. When
using Synchronet color codes, the new color is retained from line to line until
another color code is processed or the end of the text is reached.
Synchronet Format
The native Synchronet Color Code format (preferred) consists of a Control-A
followed by a singe character. The following is a list of valid Control-A
Color Codes:
Foreground Background
---------- ----------
Black K 0
Red R 1
Green G 2
Yellow Y 3
Blue B 4
Magenta M 5
Cyan C 6
White W 7
Attribute Description
--------- -----------
High H High Intensity
Blink I Blinking
Normal N No Special Attributes (Normal)
Pause P Insert a Pause Prompt into message
Pause Reset Q Reset the line counter for the auto screen-pause
Delay , Insert a Tenth Second Delay into message
Delay ; Insert a Half Second Delay into message
Delay . Insert a Two Second Delay into message
Date D Display the system date
Time T Display the system time
Cls L Insert a Form Feed (Ctrl-L, Clear Screen) into message
Clreol > Clear to End of Line (leave cursor in current position)
Bckspc < Non-destructive backspace (Ctrl-H)
CR [ Carriage return (Ctrl-M)
LF ] Line feed (Ctrl-J)
Ctrl-A A Send an actual Ctrl-A character
Sync S Synchronize output with remote system
EOF Z End of displayable text in this file
Normal - Same as 'N' but only sends ANSI codes if the
High Intensity, Blinking, or Background attribute is
set.
Normal _ Same as 'N' but only sends ANSI codes if the
Blinking or Background attribute is set.
Synchronet also supports Special Control-A codes used to hide text from users
not meeting certain criteria (i.e.: Security Level or Flags from Flag Set #1).
The following is a list of Special Control-A codes, and a brief description
of each code's usage:
Code Description
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
^A thru ^Z Only display the following text to users with the corresponding
flag A through Z turned on (from Flag Set #1).
! Toggle the text display off/on for users of less than level 10.
@ " " 20.
# " " 30.
$ " " 40.
% " " 50.
^ " " 60.
& " " 70.
* " " 80.
( " " 90.
) Restore the displaying of text to ALL users.
" Display contents of (from your TEXT directory)
High Bit (greater than ASCII 127) Used for cursor right positioning.
WWIV Format
Synchronet also supports Color Codes which are native to WWIV BBS software.
These codes consist of a Control-C followed by a number (0 through 7):
Code Color
---- -----
0 Normal
1 High Intensity Cyan
2 High Intensity Yellow
3 Normal Magenta
4 High Intensity White with Blue Background
5 Normal Green
6 High Intensity Blinking Red
7 High Intensity Blue
8 Low Intensity Blue
9 Low Intensity Cyan
Celerity Format
Synchronet also supports Color Codes which are native to Celerity BBS software.
These codes consist of a pipe symbol '|' followed by a letter (case sensitive):
Code Color (foreground)
---- ------------------
k Normal Black
b Normal Blue
g Normal Green
c Normal Cyan
r Normal Red
m Normal Magenta
y Brown
w Normal White
d High Intensity Black
B High Intensity Blue
G High Intensity Green
C High Intensity Cyan
R High Intensity Red
M High Intensity Magenta
Y Yellow
W High Intensity White
S * Swap foreground and background
Example: "|b|S|W" would set the current color to high intensity white on a
blue background.
Note: Due to conflicting escape sequences (namely, the pipe character),
Celerity color codes are not supported when using RIP terminal mode.
Renegade Format
Synchronet also supports Color Codes which are native to Renegade BBS software.
These codes consist of a pipe symbol '|' followed by a number (0-23):
Code Color
---- -----
0 Normal Black
1 Normal Blue
2 Normal Green
3 Normal Cyan
4 Normal Red
5 Normal Magenta
6 Brown
7 Normal White
8 High Intensity Black
9 High Intensity Blue
10 High Intensity Green
11 High Intensity Cyan
12 High Intensity Red
13 High Intensity Magenta
14 Yellow
15 High Intensity White
16 Background Black
17 Background Blue
18 Background Green
19 Background Cyan
20 Background Red
21 Background Magenta
22 Background Brown
23 Background White
Example: "|15|17" would set the current color to high intensity white on a
blue background.
Note: Due to conflicting escape sequences (namely, the pipe character),
Renegade color codes are not supported when using RIP terminal mode.
PCBoard/Wildcat Format
Two of the Color Code formats which Synchronet supports (PCBoard and Wildcat)
use similar, yet cryptic, methods of displaying colors. The PCBoard method
uses the format "@X", and Wildcat uses the format
"@@". The following is a list of the Background and
Foreground choices available:
Color Attribute Color Attribute
------------ ----- --------- ------------ ----- ---------
0 Black Normal 0 Black Normal
1 Blue " 1 Blue "
2 Green " 2 Green "
3 Cyan " 3 Cyan "
4 Red " 4 Red "
5 Magenta " 5 Magenta "
6 Brown " 6 Brown "
7 White " 7 White "
8 Black Blinks Foreground 8 Black High Intensity
9 Blue " 9 Blue "
A Green " A Green "
B Cyan " B Cyan "
C Red " C Red "
D Magenta " D Magenta "
E Brown " E Yellow "
F White " F White "
Example: "@1F@" in Wildcat format and "@X1F" in PCBoard format would set the
current color to high intensity white on a blue background.
[NOTES]-------------------------------------------------------------------------
To modify some of colors of the BBS you can edit the ATTR.CFG file which is
located in the CTRL directory. The file contains one color per line and is
commented as to the use of the color. The colors are represented with ctrl-a
code attribute letters/numbers. The number of colors you can change with this
method is very small.
Virtually all the text and color that the BBS displays is stored in the file
TEXT.DAT in the CTRL directory. The syntax of this file is VERY specific and
extreme caution should be taken when editing it. Knowledge of the C language
would be very helpful in producing the desired results. If all you want to
do is change colors of a certain text line, take care not to disturb the
arrangement of the other characters on the line. Ctrl-a codes can be preceded
by an embedded ctrl-a character (usually a black happy face) or by a '\1'
(the printf() equivalent of ctrl-a).
The syntax of the characters between the double quotations is identical to
the C language printf() format string with one exception: \xxx where x are
digits (0-9) represents a decimal number, not an octal number. The range is
0 to 255. If you wish to set a background color using \1 for the ctrl-a code,
you may need to pad the attribute number with zeros. For example; to set the
background to blue, you might try to use the sequence "\14" which won't work.
You could either embed the actual ctrl-a character (which is preferred) or
use "\0014".
Some of the strings have characters preceded by a tilde ('~'). These strings
are referred to as mnemonics. The tilde precedes a character that is to be
highlighted for users supporting ANSI and enclosed in parenthesis for non-ANSI
users. Usually used for prompt strings that contain the valid key commands.
The colors to use for the highlighted characters, normal characters, and the
command character are specified in the CTRL\ATTR.CFG file.
The order of the % specifiers (if they exist) in a TEXT.DAT line cannot be
altered. The display of %s specifiers can be suppressed by changing the '%s' to
'%.0s'. Another way to suppress the display of specifiers is to enclose them
between Ctrl-A( and Ctrl-A). Any text between Ctrl-A( and Ctrl-A) would only
be displayed to users of level 90 or higher. To suppress the display to all
users, put the text/specifiers between Ctrl-ACtrl-Z and Ctrl-A) (assuming
that the Z flag from flag set #1 is not set on any user accounts).
** WARNING **
Make a backup of the TEXT.DAT file before you edit it. If you damage the file
syntax when editing it, Synchronet may execute erroneously or even fail to
initialize.
Variables
Message Variables (also called @-Codes) are a way to customize text files in
Synchronet to display information about the user online or the BBS.
If Synchronet encounters an @-Code in a text file (i.e.: TEXT.DAT, menus, etc.),
it will replace the @-Code in the file with the information that it corresponds
with. @-Codes in e-mail messages and posts will only be expanded if they were
posted locally (not networked) by user #1. TEXT.DAT lines that have %
specifiers will not expand @-Codes unless the % specifiers are removed.
For example, placing the following line in a text file displayed to a user
named Fred Jones living on 100 Maple Street:
Hi @ALIAS@, you live at @ADDR1@ don't you?
Would result in the user seeing:
Hi Fred Jones, you live at 100 Maple Street don't you?
It's that simple. The following is a list of the @-Codes that Synchronet will
recognize. Remember that the Code NAME must begin and end with an @ symbol.
The two columns after the description of the @-Code show which other BBS
programs also support that @-Code (either PCBoard or Wildcat).
The @-Codes with "[...]" following the name indicate that you can have the
variable displayed with padding. If the @-Code name ends in "-L" the variable
will be left justified and "-R" indicates it will be right justified. If for
example, the user's name is Bob, the text string "___@NAME-L@___" would display
to the user as "___Bob ___" and the text string "___@NAME-R@___" would
display to as "___ Bob___". If you want the string to be padded longer, you
can add extra characters to the end of the @-Code name and before the
terminating '@' sign. So for example, "___@NAME-L#####@___" would display as
"___Bob ___" (the "___" segments of the above text examples are only
to demonstrate where the padding begins and ends).
*** Synchronet Supported @-Codes ***
( * Indicates Synchronet specific )
Note: All codes must be uppercase and sandwiched between @ symbols
(e.g. @USER@).
System Information
Code Description Ver
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
BBS Name of BBS
BOARDNAME Name of BBS
CONF Name of current Group and Sub-board
CONFNUM Number of current Group and Sub-board
CONN Connection description (modem type, "Telnet", "Local") 2.3c
DATE Current system date
DIR Current file directory short description
DIR-L[...] " " padded and left justified
DIR-R[...] " " padded and right justified
DIRL Current file directory long description
DIRL-L[...] " " padded and left justified
DIRL-R[...] " " padded and right justified
DN Number of current file directory
DL " " padded and left justified (4 chars wide)
DR " " padded and right justified (4 chars wide)
FIDOADDR System's primary FidoNet address 2.3c
FREESPACE Free disk space available for uploads
GRP Current message group short description
GRP-L[...] " " padded and left justified
GRP-R[...] " " padded and right justified
GRPL Current message group long description
GRPL-L[...] " " padded and left justified
GRPL-R[...] " " padded and right justified
GN Number of current message group
GL " " padded and left justified (4 chars wide)
GR " " padded and right justified (4 chars wide)
INETADDR System's Internet Address (as configured in SCFG) 2.3c
LASTCALLERNODE Name of user last on this node
LASTCALLERSYSTEM
LIB Current file library short description
LIB-L[...] " " padded and left justified
LIB-R[...] " " padded and right justified
LIBL Current file library long description
LIBL-L[...] " " padded and left justified
LIBL-R[...] " " padded and right justified
LN Number of current file library
LL " " padded and left justified (4 chars wide)
LR " " padded and right justified (4 chars wide)
LOCAL-IP System's IP address 3.0b
LOCATION System location (city, state) 2.3c
NOACCESS Why user was denied access (last false ARS)
NODE Number of current node
NODE### Status of node number ###
NUMCALLS
NUMDIR Number of current library and directory
PREVON
QUESTION Current Yes/No question (for TEXT\MENU\YESNO.*)
QWKID System's QWK BBS-ID 2.3c
REV Software revision (single letter)
STATS.LOGONS Total logons during history of system 3.0b
STATS.LTODAY Total logons today 3.0b
STATS.TIMEON Total time used during history of system (in minutes) 3.0b
STATS.TTODAY Total time used today (in minutes) 3.0b
STATS.ULS Total uploads today 3.0b
STATS.ULB Total bytes uploaded today 3.0b
STATS.DLS Total download today 3.0b
STATS.DLB Total bytes downloaded today 3.0b
STATS.PTODAY Total posts today 3.0b
STATS.ETODAY Total e-mails sent today 3.0b
STATS.FTODAY Total feedbacks sent today 3.0b
STATS.NUSERS Total number of new users today 3.0b
SUB Current message sub-board short description
SUB-L[...] " " padded and left justified
SUB-R[...] " " padded and right justified
SUBL Current message sub-board long description
SUBL-L[...] " " padded and left justified
SUBL-R[...] " " padded and right justified
SN Number of current message sub-board
SL " " padded and left justified (4 chars wide)
SR " " padded and right justified (4 chars wide)
SYSDATE Current system date
SYSOP Name of System Operator
SYSTIME Current system time
TCALLS Total number of logons for system
TFILE Total number of files on system
TIME Current system time
TMSG Total number of messages on system
TNODE Total number of nodes on system
TUSER Total number of user slots on system
VER BBS version number
WHO Display status of all active nodes
User Information
Code Description Ver
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADDR1 User's street address
ALIAS User's name or alias
BAUD User's connect rate (DCE) in bps
BDATE User's birthdate (MM/DD/YY)
BPS
BYTELIMIT User's free credits per day
BYTESLEFT User's total credits
CALLS Total number of logons for user
CID Caller's Caller-ID info or IP address 2.3c
CITY User's city
COMPANY User's company name or real name
CPU User's computer type (v2.x) or hostname (v3.x)
DATA
DATAPHONE
DAYBYTES Number of free credits used today by user
DLBYTES Total bytes downloaded by user
DLFILES Total files downloaded by user
DLKLIMIT User's total credits (in kilobytes)
DOWNK Total kilobytes downloaded by user
DOWNS
EXDATE User's expiration date (MM/DD/YY)
EXPDATE
EXPDAYS Days left before user expires
FIRST User's first name/alias
FIRSTREAL User's first real/company name
FROM User's location (City, State)
HANDLE User's chat handle
HOMEPHONE
HOST 2.3c
IP 2.3c
KBLEFT User's total credits (in kilobytes)
KBLIMIT User's free credits per day (in kilobytes)
LAST User's last name (alias)
LASTDATEON Date of user's last logon (MM/DD/YY)
LASTNEW Date of user's last new file scan (MM/DD/YY)
LASTON Date and time of user's last logon
LASTTIMEON Time of user's last logon (HH:MM am)
LASTREAL User's last real/company name
LEFT
MAILW Number of mail messages waiting for current user
MAILW:x Number of mail messages waiting for current user #x
MAILP Number of pending mail messages sent by current user
MAILP:x Number of pending mail messages sent by current user #x
MAXDK
MEMO Date of user's last password modification
MEMO1 User's note
MEMO2
MINLEFT User's time left in minutes
MSGLEFT Total number of messages posted by user
MSGREAD Number of messages read by user this call
MSGSLEFT
NAME User's name or alias
NAME-L[...] User's name (padded and left justified)
NAME-R[...] User's name (padded and right justified)
NEWFILETIME Date and time of user's last new file scan
NUMTIMESON
PHONE User's phone number (###-###-####)
REAL User's real first name
SEC User's security level
SECURITY
SINCE Date of user's first call (MM/DD/YY)
STATE User's state (from location)
TIMELEFT
TIMELIMIT Maximum time per call in minutes
TIMEON Time used this call in minutes
TIMEUSED
TLEFT Time left (H:MM:SS)
TPERC Time allowed per call (H:MM:SS)
TPERD Time allowed per day (H:MM:SS)
TUSED Time used this call (H:MM:SS)
UPBYTES Total bytes uploaded by user
UPFILES Total files uploaded by user
UPK Total kilobytes uploaded by user
UPS
USER User's name or alias (same as ALIAS)
ZIP User's zip/postal code
Display
Code Description Ver
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
AUTOMORE Toggle automatic pausing
BEEP Generate a beep
BELL
CLS Clear screen
CRLF carriage return/line-feed pair 3.0b
MENU:filename Display a menu file (from TEXT\MENU directory)
MSGREPLY Command key to reply to last message 3.0b
MSGREREAD Command key used to re-read last message 3.0b
NOPAUSE
MORE
PAUSE Immediately produces a [Hit a key] prompt
PON Toggles automatic screen pause for everyone
POFF Toggles automatic screen pause for everyone
TYPE:filename Display a specific filename
UP Move cursor up one row (ANSI) 3.0b
UP:n Move cursor up n rows (ANSI) 3.0b
DOWN Move cursor down one row (ANSI) 3.0b
DOWN:n Move cursor down n rows (ANSI) 3.0b
RIGHT Move cursor right one column (ANSI) 3.0b
RIGHT:n Move cursor right n columns (ANSI) 3.0b
LEFT Move cursor left one column (ANSI) 3.0b
LEFT:n Move cursor left n columns (ANSI) 3.0b
GOTOXY:x,y Move cursor to x/y (1-based) (ANSI) 3.0b
PUSHXY Save current cursor position (ANSI) 3.0b
POPXY Restore saved cursor position (ANSI) 3.0b
Miscellaneous
There a few special Synchronet specific @-Codes which require a parameter
(following the colon and before the terminating @ symbol):
Code Description Ver
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
HANGUP Immediately disconnect user
SETSTR:STR Sets the current Baja command string to STR
EXEC:MODNAME Execute a loadable (Baja) module, EXEC\MODNAME.BIN
TYPE:FILENAME Display a specific filename (must specify path and file ext.)
MENU:FILENAME Display a menu file (from TEXT\MENU with automatic file ext.)
Synchronet command line specifiers may be used in the FILENAME parameter to
the TYPE: @-Code allowing symbolic replacment for specific Synchronet
directories (%!, %z, %k, %j, etc).
Examples:
@EXEC:MYMOD@
@TYPE:%zSYSTEM.MSG@
@MENU:YESNO@
SIF Questionare Files
An automatic new user SIF questionnaire can be specified in SCFG->System.
If a newuser SIF is specified, all users who logon and don't have a copy of
the answered questionnaire data in their user file will be given the
questionnaire upon logon. The sysop can view the answered questionnaire from
User Edit with the '#' command. For convenience, the sysop can create a second
(abbreviated) SIF file for his own use in viewing user's answers. The two SIF
files (input and output) should be identical with the exception of what is
in the 'text' portion.
format:
textmode[mod][l][r][x][.n]["str"]
element descriptions:
STX is the ASCII code for start of text (ASCII 2 / Ctrl-B)
ETX is the ASCII code for end of text (ASCII 3 / Ctrl-C)
text is any number of ASCII characters - Synchronet Ctrl-A codes supported
mode text input mode desired for this field. Possible mode values are:
c single character
s string of characters
mod optional mode modifier. Possible mode modifiers are:
n numeric characters only
u input converted to uppercase
f forced word capitalization ('s' mode only)
l input line will be displayed (inverse bar of maximum input length)
r a carriage return / line feed pair will be appended to this field
in the data buffer. Only use this field if you want the data buffer
or file to be more readable. All data is on one line otherwise.
x maximum string length allowed (required for non-template 's' mode)
n minimum string length allowed (only applicable with 's' input mode)
str 1: in 's' modes, a template string that defines what will be displayed
at the prompt and what type of characters the user can input. All
characters other than 'N', 'A' or '!' are printed at the prompt.
Occurances of 'N', 'A' or '!' define which type of character the user
can input for each character position. 'N' allows the user only to
enter a numeric character, 'A' allows only alphabetic, and '!' allows
any character. Popular templates are "NNN-NNN-NNNN" for phone number
input or "NN/NN/NN" for date input.
2: in 'c' modes, a string that defines which characters the user will
be allowed to input (not case sensitive), usually used for multiple
choice answers. Most common allowed characters are "ABCD..." or
"1234...". If this string is specified in 'c' input mode, 'u' and 'n'
have no effect and input will be converted to uppercase automatically.
Example 1:
Enter string: sulr8.3
Prints the prompt, "Enter string: ", then a line of 8 blue spaces
(an input bar, if you like), would convert all of user's input to uppercase,
allow the user to input a maximum of eight characters, a minimum of three and
append a CRLF onto the end of the data field.
Example 2:
A> First Answer
B> Second Answer
C> Third Answer
Which: c"ABC"
Prints "A> First Answer" "B> Second Answer" etc... then allows the
user to input one character, either A,B, or C. No other characters will be
accepted as input.
Example 3:
Enter phone number: s"NNN-NNN-NNNN"
Prints "Enter phone number: ", then allows the user to input only
numbers in the 'N' character positions, and automatically skips over the
'-' characters.
See EXAMPLE.SIF in the SBBS\TEXT directory for more information.
GURU Cutomization
The Synchronet Guru is an artificial intelligence engine that users can chat
with for entertainment or educational purposes. You may wish to fool the users
into believing the guru is a live human, or tell them up-front that it's just
a program.
You may have up to 500 different guru available to chat with on your BBS,
each with its own "personality" and "intelligence". You add additional gurus
in SCFG->Chat Options->Artificial Gurus. You can specify access requirements
(see the ARS chapter for details) for each guru, allowing you to have specific
gurus for different groups of users or allow users to choose which guru they
want to chat with.
The gurus of your BBS can be "taught" to respond to keywords and phrasing that
your users use when chatting with him. The default guru's "brain" is a file
named GURU.DAT that is kept in the CTRL directory. It is a special data file
that contains logic expressions and lists of responses. Before you edit the
GURU.DAT file, be sure you understand exactly what you are doing, as the neuro
system that interprets the GURU.DAT file does not handle syntax errors very
well. The basic structure of the GURU.DAT is as follows:
(expression)
response
response
(expression)
response
response
()
response
response
response
You may include as many Expression/Response sets as you like, as long as
the file size does not exceed 64k or the amount of available memory.
Each expression contains one or more string of characters that The Guru may
respond to and logic operators. The string must be in all uppercase and may
not contain the following characters: ~^|&()
If the expression just contains one string (e.g. (HELLO)) and that string is
used in the users input, The Guru will pick a random response from the list
that follows that expression. The Guru will only use one response for each
line input by the user, so as soon as a "true" expression is encountered, a
response is made and the evaluation of the user's line is complete.
All expressions are evaluated from the top of the file down, so if a true
expression is encountered toward the top of the file, all of the remaining
expressions are ignored until the next evaluation. Notice that the last set of
responses is preceded by a pair of empty parenthesis. This is an "always true"
expression and should always be the last expression in the file. Omitting this
fall-through expression is a syntax error. If all the previous expressions are
evaluated as false, then a response will be picked from the set following the
fall-through expression.
The simplest form of an expression is just a string of uppercase letters (with
or without spaces). If the string is followed by a tilde '~', the string will
be evaluated as true even if the string is embedded in another string (e.g. if
the user types "XhelloX", an expression of (HELLO) would evaluate as false, but
an expression of (HELLO~) would evaluate as true).
You can also specify that the string must be the beginning of the users input
line by following the string with a caret '^'symbol (e.g. if the user types
"I said, Hello!", an expression of (HELLO) would evaluate to true, but an
expression of (HELLO^) would be false).
An expression can contain multiple strings connected with logic symbols. The
valid logic symbols are & (and) and | (or) (e.g. if you have the expression
(HELLO&GURU) the user must type both "hello" and "guru" in the input line in
order for the expression to be true. If you have the expression (HELLO|HI), it
will be evaluated as true if the users includes either "hello" or "hi" in his
input string). Nested evaluations are supported (e.g. the expression,
(GURU&(HELLO|HI)) will evaluate as true if the user inputs either "guru" and
"hello", or "guru" and "hi").
Expressions may also contain AR strings within square brackets ([ and ]). The
expression (HELLO&GURU&[LEVEL 20]) would evaluate as TRUE only if the user
typed the words "HELLO" and "GURU" and had a level of 20 or higher. See the
ARS chapter for details on the AR string syntax and possible keywords.
RESPONSES:
Each expression can be followed by up to 100 responses and each response can
be up to 512 bytes long. Responses can not contain the characters ( or ) and
may only span several lines if the last character of each continued line is a
back-slash '\'. Responses are picked at random from the group below the first
expression that is evaluated as true. The more responses you have to each
expression, the less likely The Guru is to repeat himself. The Guru can also
respond with information about the current user or perform an action. To
initiate these special responses, you must precede a valid response variable
with a back-quote (`) character. The valid response variables and their
definitions are as follows:
A User's alias (name, if Aliases not allowed)
B User's birth date
C User's computer type
D User's download bytes
G Guru's name
H Hang up on the user (immediately)
I System's QWK ID
J Current day of the month
L User's security level
M Current month
N User's note (location, if Aliases not allowed)
O Sysop's name
P User's phone number
Q Quit chat
R User's real name (address, if Aliases not allowed)
S System name
T Current time
U User's upload bytes
W Current day of the week
Y Current year
Z User's zip/postal code
$ User's credits
# User's age
! Toggle The Guru's typing mistakes Off/On
_ Pause in response
Three of the above response variables only have effect when the user is
chatting with The Guru in the "Local" mode and not from multinode chat. These
are the 'Q'uit chat (which is the only means of the exiting without hitting
Alt-G locally), '!' Toggle typing mistakes, and '_' pause in response.
e.g. The expression/response pair:
(HELLO)
Hello there, `a...
would display "Hello there, Joey..." if Joey were to say "hello" to The Guru.
See CTRL\GURU.DAT for more detailed examples of GURU.DAT programming.
Trash(*.CAN) Files
Trash can files are used to be able to reject text during certain sequences on
the BBS. For example, if you don't want a user to be able to log on with a
certain name or use a certain phone number, you would place the information you
don't want them to use into the appropriate trash can file. Synchronet looks
for trash can files in the \SBBS\TEXT directory, certain ones may already
exist, others will need to be created if you wish to use them. The names of
the various trash can files and their function are as follows:
TEXT\CID.CAN You MUST have caller ID capabilities in your area (as well as a
modem which can support those capabilities) in order to use
this file. When a call comes in to the BBS who's caller ID
phone number matches a phone number in this file, the call will
be rejected.
TEXT\NAME.CAN When a user attempts to use a name contained in this file as
the name for their user account, they will be told that s/he
cannot use that name.
If the file TEXT\BADNAME.MSG exists, this will be displayed to
the user.
TEXT\FILE.CAN When a user uploads a file to the transfer section who's
filename matches one of the names contained in this file, the
user will be told that s/he cannot upload the file.
If the file TEXT\BADFILE.MSG exists, this will be displayed to
the user.
TEXT\PHONE.CAN When a user attempts to use a phone number contained in this
file as a phone number for their user account, they will be
told that s/he cannot use that phone number. This file can
also be used by the Synchronet Callback Verifier program.
If the file TEXT\BADPHONE.MSG exists, this will be displayed to
the user.
The trash can files also allow special key characters to be used within them,
the tilde '~' character means "contained within" and the carrot '^' character
means "beginning with". For example:
sysop in the name.can would mean users could not use the name "sysop".
sysop^ would mean users could not use names beginning with the word "sysop",
like "sysopa" or "sysops" etc.
sysop~ would mean users could not use names that have the word "sysop"
anywhere in them, like "imthesysop" or "mesysophere".
These key characters can be used in any of the trash can files.
SysOp Commands
Most sysop functions will be performed locally, while some sysop functions can
only be performed locally. The following special key combination are only
available while online locally (not from the Waiting for Call screen).
[MACROS]------------------------------------------------------------------------
All the function keys (F1-F12) and combinations with Shift, Ctrl, and
Alt (48 macros total) are available for the sysop. A macro is a short
way to enter many keystrokes. Each macro is stored in a separate file
in the TEXT directory with a MAC extension. The name reflects which
key combination will initiate the macro. For regular F1 through F12,
the name is F1.MAC through F12.MAC respectively. For Alt-F1 through
Alt-F12 the name is ALT-F1.MAC through ALT-F12, Ctrl-F1 through
Ctrl-F12 are named CTRL-F1.MAC through CTRL-F12, and Shift-F1 through
Shift-F12 are named SHFT-F1.MAC through SHFT-F12. Each file is a basic
ASCII text file with one exception; an extended key combination (such
as Alt-D) can be entered by placing a Ctrl-@ (ASCII 0, NULL) in the
file followed by the scan code of the key you wish to use.
[ALT-KEY COMBINATIONS]----------------------------------------------------------
Alt-U (User Edit)
At any place within Synchronet, pressing Alt-U at the local keyboard
will pop the local console into User Edit while the remote side (if
there is a remote user) will see [WAIT]. Alt-U is available while using
the terminal mode as well. See User Edit for more information.
See UEDIT command below.
Alt-# (Quick Validation)
Pressing Alt and then any of the numbers 0-9 will change the current
users level/flags/exemptions/restrictions/credits and extend their
expiration date to the settings for that quick-validation slot set in
the system configuration. SCFG->System->Toggle Options->Quick
Validation Hot Keys must be set to 'Yes' for this feature to work.
Alt-S (Crazy Cursor Toggle)
Pressing Alt-S will toggle the state of the crazy (spinning) cursor,
but doesn't change the current user's default settings regarding it.
Alt-E (Local I/O Only)
If a user is on remotely, this allows the local console to use the BBS
while the remote user just sees [WAIT]. Pressing Alt-E again re-enables
the remote console.
Alt-L (Capture)
This starts and stops the local capture of text to a file. If capture
is active the status line will reflect this state with a blinking 'C'
as the far left character. The file the BBS opens to capture to will be
appended if the file already exists. The filename to capture to is
prompted for when capture is started. The filename defaults to
CAPTURE.TXT in the current node's directory. To direct output to the
printer, change the filename to PRN.
See ANSCAP command below.
Alt-Q (Quiet Remote User)
If a user is connected remotely, hitting this key will disable him from
being able to enter any keystrokes into the BBS . The user will see all
the BBSs output, but any characters sent from his side will not be
accepted as input. Hitting Alt-Q again enables remote input again.
Alt-P (Sysop Page Off)
If someone is currently paging the local sysop (annoying sounds at the
local console), hitting Alt-P will turn them off. Scroll-lock toggles
local sysop availability.
Alt-H (Disconnect)
Hangs up on the current user immediately.
Alt-I (Interrupt)
Hangs up on the current user after displaying a message the node has
been closed for maintenance.
See INTR command below.
Alt-A (Sysop Alert)
When the current user logs off the BBS, the local sysop will be alerted
by a message and a continuous alarm.
Alt-R (Rerun Node)
When the current user logs off the BBS, this node will automatically
rerun itself.
See RERUN command below.
Alt-X (Down Node After User Logs Off)
Hitting this key combination while the user is in the BBS will toggle
the down status of this node. When a node is to be downed, it will
be automatically shutdown when the current user logs off.
See DOWN command below.
Alt-- (Subtracts 5 Minutes)
Subtracts 5 minutes from the users time allowed online this logon.
Alt-+ (Add 5 Minutes)
Add 5 minutes to the user's time allowed online this logon.
Alt-N (Lock Node)
Pressing this key will disallow any non-sysops or users without the
'N' exemption from logging on after the current user logs off.
See LOCK command below.
Alt-T (Temp Sysop)
Gives the current user sysop status temporarily for this logon. Hitting
Alt-T again removes the temp sysop status. This doesn't actually raise
the security level of the user to 90, but gives him access to all sysop
functions. The status line reflects Temp Sysop state with a blinking
asterisk to the far left of the status line.
Alt-G (Guru Chat)
Pops the user in and out of apparent local chat with the system's guru.
Alt-C (Local Chat)
Pops the user into chat with the local console.
Alt-D (DOS Shell)
Pops the local console into DOS. If a user is on remotely, he sees
[WAIT] till the local console exits the shell. The sysop can use the
'D' command to shell to DOS from the wait for call screen.
See DOS command below.
Alt-Z (Local Key Menu)
Displays the local key menu.
[STATUS LINE]-------------------------------------------------------------------
The status line displays one line of user information at any given
time. To change the current line, use CTRL and the UP and DOWN arrow
keys to scroll through different information lines, or CTRL-HOME to go
to the default (1st) or CTRL-END to go to the last.
The available status lines are:
0: UserName SecLevel Password ModemType Birthday Age Sex Phone
1: UserName SecLevel RealName/CompanyName "Alt-Z for help"
2: UserName SecLevel RealName/CompanyName Age Sex Phone
3: UserName SecLevel Location Phone
4: UserName SecLevel Note/Caller-ID Phone
5: UserName SecLevel Flags1 Age Sex Phone
6: UserName SecLevel Flags1 Expiration
7: UserName SecLevel DateFirstOn DateLastOn Expiration
8: UserName SecLevel Credits Minutes Expiration
9: SecLevel Flags1 Flags2
10: Exemptions Restrictions
11: ComputerType ModemType ChatHandle
12: Address Location ZipCode
13: UploadBytes UploadFiles DownloadBytes DownloadFiles LeechCount
14: Posts EmailSent FeedbackSent EmailWaiting TotalLogons TotalTimeOn
15: NetMailForwardingAddress
16: SysopComment
You can set the default status line number in SCFG->System->Advanced
options. This will be the default status line that appears until
manually scrolled.
There are status flags on the status line that indicate specific status
items. They appear blinking on the left or right edges of the status
line. They are defined as:
C Local text/ANSI capture is on
* Temporary sysop status
A Alert sysop when user logs off
R Rerun this node when user logs off
D Down this node when user logs off
E Run node daily event when user logs off
L This node is locked for sysop logons only
[EXTRA ONLINE SYSOP COMMANDS]---------------------------------------------------
Most of the additional commands available to sysops online (local or remote)
are initiated from the main or transfer sections. A menu of the available
commands can be viewed with the '!' command from the main or transfer sections
with the Synchronet Classic command shell. Additional sysop commands are
available in many other sections of the BBS and are displayed after the normal
menu with the '?' command. All sysop commands from the main or transfer
sections of the Synchronet Classic command shell begin with a semicolon (';')
character, end with CR (ENTER), and some have optional parameters (shown in
square brackets). Users with certain exemptions can use some of these commands
and have access to the menus via the '!' command using the Synchronet Classic
command shell.
UEDIT [x] (User Edit)
This command initiates the User Edit function. If 'x' is specified
and is a valid user number, that user will be the current user when
User Edit starts, otherwise the user online will be the current user.
This command is also available from the transfer menu. Locally, Alt-U
is the preferred method of initiating User Edit.
See the chapter on User Edit for more information.
SPY [n] (Spy on Another User) (v3.00c+ Only)
This command allows the sysop to remotely monitor or control another node
running in the same instance as the node the sysop is logged into.
CHUSER (Change into Another User)
This command allows the sysop to temporarily change to another user
account. If changing to an account with a higher level, the password
of that user must be given. Changing to an account of non-sysop status
automatically enables Temp Sysop mode so that the sysop can change back
to his/her own account before logging off (a suggested action).
ANSCAP (Toggle ANSI Capture Mode) (v2 Only)
Normal ANSI escape sequences are not written to the capture file. The
sysop can use this command to enable all characters (including ANSI
escape sequences) to be written.
LOCK [x] (Lock Node)
The sysop can use this command to prevent users logging onto a node
until the lock is removed. If 'x' is specified, that node's lock
status will be toggled, otherwise a list of all nodes is given and
the sysop is prompted for the node to lock or unlock. Sysops and
users with the 'L' exemption can use this command and log onto locked
nodes. A locked node will have an 'L' in parenthesis after the node
information in the node listings.
INTR [x] (Interrupt Node)
This command allows a sysop (or user with the 'I' exemption) to hang up
on a user on another node. If the user is currently executing an
external program (editors and transfer protocols included), he will
not be disconnected until control returns to Synchronet. A message will
be displayed telling the user that the node has been temporarily closed
for maintenance before carrier is dropped. If 'x' is specified that
node's interrupt status will be toggled, otherwise a list of all nodes
is displayed and the sysop is prompted for the node who's interrupt
state he wishes to toggle. The current interrupt status of a node is
reflected by an 'I' in square brackets following the node information
line in the node listings.
DOWN [x] (Down Node)
A sysop can toggle the down status of a node with this command. When
a node has the down status (noted by the [D] flag on the node status
line) it will be shutdown immediately after the user logs off. If a
user is not online, it will shutdown immediately.
ANON (Anonymous)
This command makes the current node anonymous. Sysops and users with
the 'Q' exemption have access to this command. To a sysop, an anonymous
node appears normal with the addition of an 'A' in square brackets
following the node information line.
QUIET (Quiet Mode)
Using this command, a sysop (or user with the 'Q' exemption) can make
his node appear to be "Waiting for call" to other users of the system.
Users with this ability can also make this state their default state
upon logon in the user defaults section. Local users can logon in
this state with the WFC command SPACE, then 'Z' or user number 1 can
logon fast and quiet with the WFC command SPACE, then 'Q'.
To a sysop, a node in this state appears normal with the addition of
a 'Q' in square brackets following the node information line.
RERUN [x] (Rerun Node)
This command allows a sysop to rerun any node on the system by
specifying the node number on the command line. If there is a user
on the node that is to be rerun, the node will not rerun until that
user logs off. A node that is going to be rerun is noted with an
'R' in square brackets following the node information in node listings.
DOS (Shell to DOS)
Using this command, a sysop can go straight to the DOS command line
locally or remotely. If the sysop is on locally, ALT-D is the
preferred method of shelling to DOS. If a local sysop wishes to shell
to DOS from the wait for call screen, he can use the 'D' command.
EDIT [s] (Edit Text/MSG File)
A sysop can edit any ASCII text (and MSG format) files on the system
with this command. If 's' is given, it will be used as the filename to
be opened or created if it doesn't exist. If 's' is not specified, the
filename will be prompted for.
LOG (Today's Detail Log)
A sysop can view today's detailed log file with this command. This
command views the same file as the 'L' wait for call screen command.
YLOG (Yesterday's Detail Log)
A sysop can view yesterday's detailed log file with this command. This
command views the same file as the 'Y' wait for call screen command.
NS [x] (Node Statistics)
This command will give today's statistics for node 'x' if specified,
or the current node.
SS (System Statistics)
This command will give today's statistics for all nodes combined.
NLOG [x] (Node Statistics Log)
A sysop can view the history of statistics information for any node on
the system. If 'x' is specified, that will be the node who's statistics
are viewed, otherwise the current node. Same as 'N' from the wait for
call screen.
SLOG (System Statistics Log)
Using this command, a sysop can view the history of statistics
information for the system. Same as 'S' from the wait for call screen.
MEM (Available Memory) (v2 for DOS Only)
This command displays the amount of memory available to Synchronet and
any external programs it executes (without swapping).
LIST [s] (View Text/MSG File)
A sysop can use this command to view any ASCII text (or MSG format)
file on the system. If the filename 's' is not specified, it is
prompted for.
GURU (View Guru Log)
A sysop can use this command to view the GURU.LOG file which contains
discussions that users have had with the system guru (GURU.DAT).
See GURU.DAT for more information.
MAIL (Read All Mail)
Using this command (or 'M' from the WFC screen) a sysop can read all
the e-mail on the system.
BULKMAIL (Send Mass Mailing)
Use this command to send a single e-mail message to multiple users.
CALL [Hub-ID] (Force QWKnet Call-out)
Forces a QWKnet call-out to the hub "Hub-ID" the next time the call-out
node is at the WFC screen. Example: CALL VERT
EXEC [Command] (Execute a DOS program or Baja module)
Execute internal DOS commands (DIR, TYPE, etc.) by prepending
"command /c" to your command line. Execute Baja modules by prepending
"*" to the command line. Baja modules must be located in your EXEC
directory. Command line specifiers (see appendix A) may be used.
CHAT
Users with the 'C' exemption can use this command to page the sysop.
OLD (Search for Files not Downloaded Since New-Scan Date)
A sysop can use this command to remove, edit, or move files that were
uploaded before the new-scan date (set with the '&P' transfer section
command) and have not been downloaded since.
OLDUL (Search for Files Uploaded Before New-Scan Date)
A sysop can use this command to remove, edit, or move files that were
uploaded before the new-scan date (set with the '&P' transfer section
command).
CLOSE (Search for Files Currently Open)
If there are no users online and all nodes are running, there should
be no file records open. A sysop can check for open file records with
this command. Any file records that are left open erroneously, can be
closed with this command. This circumstance should not happen.
ALTUL [x] (Alternate File Path Uploads)
If there are alternate file paths configured, a sysop can use this
command to set the current upload path to one of the alternate file
paths. All subsequent upload commands will use the alternate upload
path as the storage directory regardless of the storage path specified
for the directory being uploaded to. This is a useful command for
those who wish to have one directory with files listed from multiple
CD-ROMs.
See CD-ROM for more information on creating alternate file paths.
UPLOAD (Bulk Local Upload)
This command searches for files that are on disk, but not in the
database of the directory. If any are found, a description is prompted
for and the file is then added to the database.
RESORT (Re-Sort and/or Compress)
A sysop can use this command to re-sort a directory if he has changed
the sort order in the directory configuration or can use this command
to remove deleted file records from the database to conserve memory and
disk space. If there are many deleted files in the database of a
directory, performance will also be affected. Deleted file records
are used by new uploaded files, but if a substantial amount of files
have been removed from a directory, a sysop may wish to use this
command.
OFFLINE (Search for Offline Files)
This command will search the disk for files that are in the database
of a directory but not actually on the disk. The sysop can then remove,
edit, or move these files to another directory. Offline directories
are ignored in this search.
DIR [s] (Directory of Files)
This command displays a DOS directory of the path specified. If no
path is specified, a directory of the current file transfer directory
is displayed.
GET [s] (Download File From Anywhere)
A sysop can download a file from any drive or directory on the system
by using this command. The file does not have to be in the file
database.
PUT [s] (Upload File to Anywhere)
A sysop can use this command to upload a file to a local disk without
having to add it to the file database.
Note: The Baja source code file for these commands is: exec/str_cmds.src