MAXIDOOR Docs Sept 16,1991 Introduction What is MAXIDOOR? This is a doors program for FoReM/Turbo BBS's that will allow your users to log in, download new messages from the bases that they have selected (and you have validated them for) in a compressed format. Also included in the compressed packet will be any confmail they select to receive and a listing of New files since they last logged on. They can then take this packet and through MaxiMiser (for ST's) or any IBM QWK compatible program (Deluxe2,SLMR, Ezreader all have been tested) enter their replies to be uploaded and posted in the correct message bases. MaxiDoor maintains complete BBS security: Checks for Message Read flags Checks for Message Enter Flags Checks for File area Access Flag Checks for File Access levels Checks User Time limits (Can't enter without enough time) Checks free disk space so it will not crash or overfill HD Checks Ram available to ensure safe execution of ARC/LZH/ZIP Validates packets to ensure correct Compression program used Updates Messages Entered Counter Updates Messages Read Counters Allows you to configure: Do you want to send Confmail at all Do you want to send New files list at all Which commands to pass to ARC/ZIP/LZH How Many messages a user can get from a Base by baud rate How many messages a user can get from a Session by baud rate Allows user to configure: Do they want Confmail (only if you allowed it) Which Compression they want to use Which protocol they want to use How many messages they will receive (<= you global choice) Maintains Users High Message read counters What does running MAXIDOOR mean to you the Sysop? Your BBS will become more available to other users. I can log onto the a BBS, grab 700 messages and download the packet and be off in 9 mins instead of the usual 90 (and even in 90 I didn't get to read everything). If you have a second system you to will be able to take advantage of offline entry of messages. MAXIDOOR in local mode copies files to disk so that you may take you packet to your other system and stay current. Again you BBS will be available to your users even though you are "on it" The message content will be more accurate and precise. People will be able to take their time in composing responses so typo's will be reduced and the message will be more coherent and to the point. (With the added time maybe even FLAMES will be toned down) Without Toll charges hindering some of your long distance callers, they to will become more involved in the BBS. Setting up First you should have in this LZH the following files: MAXIDOOR.PRG - This is the main program MAXIOFF.PRG - This is the program that resets message counters. It should be added to the LOGOFF.BAT MAXICFG.PRG - The configuration program MAXIDOOR.txt - You are reading it There may also be the odd readme.now which will contain a revision history if maxidoor.txt has not been updated. You will need to supply from your own collection: ARC.TTP - This is the default compression used in MAXIDOOR For speed I recommend ARC 6.02 but any will work. LHARC.TTP - This is Optional but it provides an alternative Compression. I have used LZH11321 successfully. STZIP.PRG - This is also optional. This will provide your IBM Users with a alternative as many of their readers default to ZIP. I have used STZIP09 with success. XYZ.TTP - This is the file protocols I use to send and receive the packets. Please get version 2.01. I have coded some parameters that I pass to XYZ that only 2.01 accepts. Remember that XYZ is shareware and Mr. Hamilton deserves his money. Now with all of these gathered together in one place (the main BBS folder where CONFIG.DAT is) you should run MAXICFG.PRG. It will ask you to fill in a few pertinent details that maxidoor needs to know. Here is an overview of each configuration option: 1) BBS Name - The is the full name of your BBS 2) Location - There is the City and State/Province in which you are located. 3) Logoff - This is where you enter a txt file that will be displayed to the user when they terminate their offline session. 4) Sysop - Your Name/Alias 5) Welcome - An intro screen shown to the user when they begin to read a packet generated from your BBS. 6) Shortname- This is a name (less then 8 characters) that will be applied to the packets outgoing and incoming from your BBS. Please note that no spaces or none ascii characters are allowed. LEFTOVER is valid but LEFT OVER is not. 7) Bulletin - This is a file shown to the user directly after the intro screen. This may contain any news or bulletins you feel the user should see. 8) Phone # - The Phone # for the BBS 9) ARC Location - This is where you tell MAXIDOOR where to find ARC.TTP 10) ARC Extract - These are the commands you pass to ARC to extract a file. 11) ARC Move - These are the command you pass to ARC to MOVE a group of files into a compressed format. 12,13,14) - Same as 9,10,11 except this is for ZIP 15,16,17) - Same as 9,10,11 except this is for LHA **Note leaving 9,12 or 15 blank will disable the availability of those compressions to the users. 18) XYZ Location - This is where XYZ is on your system. I need this to send and receive the files. 19) Max Messages/baud - This will take you to a submenu when you can define BY BAUD RATE, how many messages will be sent both per conference and per session. This will allow you to fairly decide which baud rates can receive more or less. I support only bauds 300,1200,2400,9600 & 19200 at this time. IF the bbs reports any other baud rates please let me know and I will make the adjustments. 20) BBS Type - This is where you enter FOREM/TURBO or TURBO2 (for turbo 2 owners I will add the necessary offsets for the expanded pas.dat file and adjust for the different file directory structure). 21) Allow MaxiMiser Quotes - A YES will allow the initials in quote lines to be left in. A NO will strip the initials out and leave the > symbol only. 22) Allow Confmail - Yes will let your users recieve Confmail in their packets. The users still have a YES/NO option but only if you have said YES at this point. 23) Location of LOG file - This is the name of the MAXIDOOR log file. If you do not wish to have one then enter NOLOG on this line. 24) Allow Scan for files - A YES will enable the scanning of the files area and sending to the user a list of the files new since he last called. Normal BBS security is maintain during this file scan!! 25) Censor Taglines - There are 3 possible options here, ALL, NONE or a base list. If you enter ALL or a base list then taglines will be removed from messages entered offline into those bases select or ALL bases. NONE would be the preferred choice here as all the programmers use their taglines as a method of tracking their programs and potential theft of their products. 26) Delete >8 includes - This is Maxidoor's IMS routine. If you enable this routine then Maxidoor will strip excess quoted lines from the uploaded messages. This will work in blocks of 8 so that an offline reader can intelligently quote upto 8 lines, generate a response then quote 8 more for the next section of their reply. 27) Chars to be treated as quote chars - Different offline readers use different characters to define a quote. What you enter here is a string of characters that you want treated as potential quote characters. If Maxidoor finds these characters in the position used by the quote characters it will recognize them and have the IMS routine treat them accordingly. 28) Base user is forced to read - This is a base that will be sent to the user regardless of whether it is flagged or not. This could be used for a base where you keep your users posted on the current happens with the BBS. Entering 0 disables this feature. Hints for using MAXICFG.PRG... When MAXICFG asks for path names you must supply full path names ie C:\FOREM\XYZ.TTP To save you some typing you may hit return and select the programs/Paths via a file selector by hitting return) The Extract and Move Commands are left in the case you type them and are passed to the program unmodified. I have supplied suggested parameters as defaults but you are free to modify them as you wish. I HEARTILY RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO A SEND QWK AND RECEIVE REP WITH EACH COMPRESSOR YOU HAVE ONLINE BEFORE YOU LEAVE THEM UNATTENDED. Once you have finished, press return to save the file. MAXICFG will now save your CFG file and it will examine your Pas.Dat (or TPAS.DAT for turbo 2 owners) and create a file called MXUSPREF.DAT. This is the file that contains the users preferences. It is 250 bytes/user. It will only create this file if it does not exist. Now create a MAXIDOOR folder on EVERY drive the BBS knows about. When I create the packets I use the drive with the most free space. MAXIDOOR will create them if needed but in the interest of time please do it yourself. If you do not create the folder the program does have a routine to create them to avoid crashes but you are still best to do it yourself. Add MAXIOFF to your LOGOFF.BAT. This program will reset the users high message read counters. It will also examine your PAS.DAT (TPAS.DAT for turbo2 owners) and if the MXUSPREF is not the same size it will adjust it (upwards only) Now edit your FDOORS.DAT file to add MAXIDOOR.PRG in as per the BBS instruction manual: MaxiDoor 0 C:\forem\txt\maxi.in C:\forem\maxidoor.prg C:\forem\maxidoor.prg C:\forem\txt\maxi.out You have now successfully set up MaxiDoor. I love user feedback on new features and ideas please encourage your users to try MAXIDOOR and let their imagination run wild about what they would LIKE it to do in the future. I want to take this opportunity to thank the BETA test team for testing this new and revolutionary (To Atarians) product. A special thanks to Bill Scull, Ben Van Bokkem, Lesley Dee Dylan, Len Waller and Don Liscombe. These and about 35 others have subjected their systems to the risks of testing this software for the past 12 weeks or so. WE ACTUALLY MADE IT THROUGH IT!!!! Yeah Team!!!! Caveat!!!!!!!! This program is playing with your config.dat and message bases. While I have made every effort to ensure their safety something may go wrong. Please while testing make regular backups and I do recommend running Don Liscombe's Message Manager to ensure your message bases continued health. This version of MAXIDOOR is released as FREEWARE. You are expected to pay NOTHING for using it. I (Shawn Smith) do retain all rights to the program and it is provided strictly on an "AS IS" bases. I take absolutely no responsibility for the programs performance (or lack thereof). Enjoy and I hope to hear from you soon, I can be reached at node 68 and I do run a MaxiMiser/Maxidoor support conference (Code 10068) if you would like to join drop me a line there. Descriptionm of MXUSPREF.DAT This file at present contains the users Rec # in the pas.dat, User name (for comparison in case the user got deleted and a new user was assigned to the rec #. There is all the various options the user selects like ARC/LZH/ZIP, # of messages/base, # of messages/conference. I have left some expansion as I do have future plans. The structure is as follows: struct userpref { int rec; /* Record # in pas.dat */ char uname[31]; /* User name */ char Mxflags; /* User flags */ int Messperconf; /* Messages per conference */ int Messperpack; /* Messages per packet */ char mxflags2; /* User flags 2*/ char Expand[212]; /* Expansion, Seems like a lot but I have plans */ }; /* User flags definition bit 0 = ARC bit 1 = ZIP bit 2 = LZH bit 3 = Confmail allowed bit 4 = Xmodem bit 5 = 1K Xmodem bit 6 = Ymodem bit 7 = Zmodem User Flags 2 definition Bit 0 = Confmail Messages shown bit 1 = Do not Clear lines bit 3-7 = Future Expansion */