CONFIGUR(1)          FNORDADEL BBS SOFTWARE           CONFIGUR(1)

NAME
     configur.tos - configuration program for Fnordadel

SYNOPSIS
     configur [X] [-c] [+] [+{var}] [+{novar}] [+{var=value}]
     [...]

DESCRIPTION
     Configur reads the file ctdlcnfg.sys which it expects to
     find in the current directory (the directory in which confi-
     gur is run).  It will create any system data files which
     need to be created and will scan currently existing data
     files.  Configur produces ctdltabl.sys which is used by
     citadel.tos and by many Fnordadel utilities.  If configur is
     being run for the first time, it will attempt to create the
     following files:

     #msgdir\ctdlmsg.sys
     #sysdir\ctdllog.sys
     #sysdir\ctdlflr.sys
     #roomdir\room0000.sys ... roomnnnn.sys
     #netdir\ctdlnet.sys

     Configur, when invoked with no arguments or only "-c", will
     ask the Sysop if he or she wants to wipe clean some or all
     of the above data files.

OPTIONS
     X    If this or any other dummy parameter is present confi-
          gur will assume that it is running unattended and will
          not ask if .sys files are to be changed or wiped clean.

     -c   This tells configur to use the "checkpoint" file
          (checkpt.sys in the #sysdir) to drastically speed up
          the scan of the message base when configur starts its
          run.  However, if there is corruption in your message
          base this feature may do more harm than good.  On the
          other (and rarer) hand, checkpointing may save your
          bacon with certain sorts of corruption.

     The why of things is this: configur needs to find out what
     the newest and oldest messages are in your message base.
     Normally, it will start at sector 0 of the message file and
     scan every message until the file's end, recording the
     newest and oldest message numbers found.  This is the "brute
     force and ignorance" approach; it takes time, but is nor-
     mally secure.

     On the speedier side, we do know something about the struc-
     ture of the message file: the oldest message will always
     follow the newest one, due to the cirular nature of the mes-
     sage base.  Even better, each time we save a message into
     the file, we know where the newest message went, and its
     message ID#.  So Fnordadel writes this information into the
     checkpt.sys file so that configur can read it and find the
     exact place to start its scan.

     Normally, with no errors, the newest message will thus be
     the first one read, and the oldest will be the second one
     read.  If they don't match what checkpt.sys says they should
     be, configur knows something is wrong and keeps scanning
     trying to find the right values.  It will generate an error
     message if it can't find what checkpt.sys says the right
     values should be.  In such a case, you should probably rerun
     without -c.

     +    This has the effect of re-reading the ctdlcnfg.sys file
          and changing the variables stored in ctdltabl.sys
          accordingly.  It does not scan data files and therefore
          is used only when changing cosmetic variable values.

     +var This has the effect of setting the binary switch 'var'
          to 1 (i.e. turning on the particular feature).

     +novar
          This has the opposite effect of the above (i.e. it
          turns off the variable 'var').  Note the lack of a
          space between

     +var=value
          This is used to change a non-binary numeric variable.
          The variable 'var' is set to the value 'value'.

     The last three '+' arguments are used to change cosmetic
     variables on the fly.  To make the changes permanent,
     ctdlcnfg.sys should be edited to reflect the new values.

NOTES
     Configur will tell you if it runs into anything abnormal,
     like a missing data file, misconfigured variable, et cetera.
     If it thinks the error is serious enough (which is usual)
     then configur will stop right there and let you fix it.

     PLEASE ensure that the configuration file (ctdlcnfg.sys)
     matches reality (i.e. what is in the system files).  If you
     use a Fnordadel utility to, say, change the number of rooms
     in the system, ensure that you've changed the appropriate
     value in ctdlcnfg.sys BEFORE you run configur again.  Nasty
     things WILL happen if you don't!

     There is no way to change string variables on-the-fly with
     the "+var=value" notation.  You have to edit ctdlcnfg.sys
     for that; and indeed, we recommend not being cute with the
     [+var...] arguments and just sticking to editing
     ctdlcnfg.sys.  Life will be less confusing that way.

     While configur is processing the rooms of an existing setup,
     it will check for empty "temporary" type rooms.  Any such
     rooms that it finds will be purged from the system.

FILES
     configur.tos   Configuration program.
     ctdlcnfg.sys   List of customizing information.
     ctdltabl.sys   Tables file read and written by citadel.tos
                    and regenerated by configur.
     checkpt.sys    The checkpoint file, in #sysdir.

SEE ALSO
     ctdlcnfg.doc   A fully-commented version of ctdlcnfg.sys.
     The Fnordadel Reference Manual

AUTHORS
     Configur is one of the original Citadel programs, and prob-
     ably still contains original CrT code.

     Lots of it was written by Hue, Jr., for Citadel-86.

     It was extensively hacked by David Parsons for STadel.

     And, it was hacked yet again by Adrian Ashley and Royce How-
     land for the Fnordadel system, including a major rearrange-
     ment and rehashing by AA.