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� 旼컴컴컴왯컴컴컴커旼컴컴컴왯컴컴커旼컴� 旼커旼컴컴컴� �
� 낡굉悶갚납갚꾹염교낡굉悶갚납갚꾹켸낡굉� 낡교낡굉旼컴� �
� 낢꾼잎굉납굉邦袂꾸낢꾼납굉납굉邦� 낢꾼� 낢껙낢꾼읕컴� �
� 남栢旼컴冒꾼柏엾枋남栢납꾼납꾼柏� 남栢읏남枋읕컴커꾼� �
� 넴栢� 넴栢잎栢납栢枋넴枋넴栢읕엿栢� 잎栢넬컴컴昴枋 �
� 읕컴� 읕컴컴컴牡컴켸읕켸읕컴컴牡컴컴컴컴牡컴컴컴켸 �
냐컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴캐
� Issue #2 Last Text Issue! October 1995 �
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� Article 1 - Introduction � The ProBoard Newsletter is published �
� Article 2 - The Pex Support Net � monthly from North Georgia Online. �
� Article 3 - Top 10 PB Sites � The newsletter is the result of hard �
� Article 4 - SysOp of the Month � work from several different people. �
� Article 5 - BBS of the Month � You can always get the newest copies �
� Article 6 - The "How-To" Forum � of PBNEWS by FREQing 'PBNEWS' from �
� Article 7 - PEX/Utility Reviews � 1:3672/800. If you would like to �
� Article 8 - The Future of ProBoard� become part of the PBNEWS Team and �
� Article 9 - ProBoard BBS List � get our exclusive PBNEWS Message Echo �
� Article 10 - Multiple File Areas � please FREQ or DOWNLOAD 'PBNEWS.NFO' �
� Article 11 - PBNEWS Team Members � from 1:3672/800 today! �
� Article 12 - Credits � �
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Article #1 Introduction Warren Davis
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Welcome to the second issue of the ProBoard Newsletter! I would like to
thank everyone who helped put this issue together and sent netmail with
suggestions.
I am also proud to announce that this is the final straight text issue.
Beginning in November each issue will be compiled to operate with my very own
executable reader. What does this mean? It means that beginning next month
you can view each issue of PBNEWS in full color with a menu driven program.
The viewer (PBNEWS Pro) will be hatched into the PROBOARD filebone as soon as
it is completed. And the online version (PBNEWS Online Pro) is coming soon!
Finally I would like to encourage everyone to become involved with this
publication in some way. We are always in need of new writers and
distribution sites. If you would like more information please FREQ 'PBNNFO'
today from 1:3672/820. And if you are a member of the PEX SUPPORT NETWORK
please ask your uplink for the PROBOARD NEWSLETTER echo!
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Article #2 The Pex Support Network Warren Davis
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Now available in the USA is the PEX SUPPORT NETWORK (PSN). This network is
unique in that it links Europe and the USA together for the purpose of
distributing and supporting ProBoard software. Members can get a link to
several message and file echos including file gates for DqP Net and PB-Net.
The net also takes pride in offering the least possible policy. The only
rule is keep to the main subject, ProBoard! PSN is already in five (5)
states within the USA and is expanding everyday.
Want more information on joining PSN within the USA? If you are reading
this online please download PBN-1095.* now for the original PBNEWS archive.
If you are reading this locally check the file PBNEXTRA.* included within
the PBN-1095.* file. It includes the file PSN-ENG.TXT. This file explains
PSN in great detail and includes an application.
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Article #3 Top 10 Sites for PB Utilities Billy Boulware
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* It should be noted that this article will be a monthly forum and is not *
* complete. If you should have any additions to this list please send *
* to 1:3672/820 via netmail and they will be included in the future. *
The dream of every System Operator is to be able to find a couple of places
that he can call or freq the latest files for their bbs software! Here is a
list that I compiled from my experience to help the wonderful ProBoard SysOps
in the US to find all the files they need!
If you feel that your board has a considerable number of ProBoard files please
let me know the phone number, and modem type, I will call your board and check
you out. Your name and board will be listed here, if you have more files than
the others listed.
I hope everyone gets use out of this list, and I really hope it gets changed
often, I do not mind the work ;-)
T O P T E N P R O B O A R D S U P P O R T B O A R D S
Compiled By Bill Boulware, Last Revised 9-22-95
1. BBS Name: The Silverado
SysOp : David Silver
Nodes : TWO (2)
1. : 1-904-532-1158
Speed : 2400 - 28,800 ZyXel V.34
Fido : 1:3618/11
2. : 1-904-532-1177
Speed : 2400 - 28,800 MicroCom V.34
Fido : 1:3618/22
Notes : David's board was not just chosen because he is the ProBoard
: Registration Site. David does truly have a wide variety of
: ProBoard and related files! I personally have spent several
: hours and big $$$ downloading some things that I have not been
: able to find before he came!
: Member: FidoNet Echos, Proboard Net, And Dutch Quality Pex Net
Freq : FILES, For Allfiles Listing, PBFILES, For ProBoard Only Files
2. BBS Name: Acid Test Systems, Online
SysOp : Bill Boulware
Nodes : ONE (1)
1. : 1-904-591-3629
Speed : 2400 - 28,800 USR V.Everything
Fido : 1:365/3629
Notes : Well this is my board. I have over 350 ProBoard specific files,
: along with many, many more utilities that will work with ProBoard.
: Member: FidoNet Echos, ProBoard Net, And Dutch Quality Pex Net
Freq : ALLFILES, For Allfiles Listing, PBFILES For ProBoard Only Files
: BBSFILES, For Any Files Related To BBS (Doors, Utils, Etc)
3. BBS Name: <<<<((KABOODLE))>>>>
SysOp : Kitt Brown
Nodes : TWO (2)
1. : 1-706-602-9085
Speed : 2400 - 28,800 USR V.Everything
Fido : 1:133/3003
2. : 1-706-625-1302
Speed : 2400 - 28,800 USR V.Everything
Fido : 1:133/3004
Notes : The several times I have called Kitt's Board, she has always had
: just what I was looking for! Give her a call to check her out
: Member: FidoNet Echos, And Dutch Quality Pex Net
If any of these are incorrect in anyway please correct me, in private echomail!
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Article #4 SysOp of the Month Billy Boulware
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This section is dediated to the ProBoard system operator of the month,
chosen again at random, until we find a better way of doing so.
The sysop of the month will write, why they thing they are the sysop of
the month. Do they download all the latest proboard files, and make
them available for freq/download, do you answer your pages/mail from
other proboard sysops needing help etc?
I do not have time to write an example for this one, however I am
positive that the first person chosen will show great influence in
writing the first column.
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Article #5 BBS of the Month Billy Boulware
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This section of PBNEWS will be devoted to the BBS of the month, the
chosen board's sysop will write a column about how their board began
what improvents have been made since they started (hardware, added
nodes, moves, name changes, software changes, how you came to run
ProBoard. I will write a following example to show you how to do it
for when YOU are chosen. As of right now the Sysop and Board of the
month are chosen at random, until we find a better way, that is how
it will continue.
BBS: Acid Test Systems, Online
SysOp: Bill Boulware
Number: 1-904-591-3629
Nodes: 1
I began my SysOping experience 6 years ago, when I started a small bbs
with a 2400 baud modem, a 40 megabyte hard drive, and two megs of RAM
on a 286/12 Mhz machine. (Yes this is the most premitive system most
have heard of!) The name of my first bbs was "The Summer Escape BBS"
running Spitfire, I had never heard of any other software except
MAXIMUS, and I refused to run that. After registering Spitfire about
one year after that, and the author being a real jerk. I and around
5 other SysOps around here were downloading software like crazy trying
to find something better... After many long distance bills and hours
of reading docs and speaking with other SysOps. All of a sudden A
Friend of mine Carol Rex Shot me over ProBoard 2.01 and said, here
it is kinda like remote access but better, everyone in Connecticut is
running it! so she registered it for our friends birthday, then I
registered it, then she registered it for herself. Three registrations
in about 24 hours of each other. I immediatley printed the docs and
started adding every feature there was. ProBoard was excellent! It
had done everything I had ever dreamed and the support was wonderful!
But alas due to personal problems, and other things, I was forced to
close my Board down, after 3 years of being online. As of June 1, 1995
I opened a new board, with a new name, and a new look, still with
PROBOARD, Acid Test Systems, Online. Now I average around 30 callers
per day (good for my area where there are only around 20 local boards)
Everyone is amazed how much proboard does for the price and I have
started many people running it. My system is now much improved now
Running a 486DX4/100 With 12 Meg Of Ram, A Quad Speed CD-ROm, And Two
1.6 Gig Hard Drives I Am one of the largest bbs' in the area, and
growing every day!
The above was a rough example of what the true board of the month
will be each month!
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Article #6 The "How-To" Forum Branislav Slantchev
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* This file was taken from the PBLib archive. It was reproduced for *
* PBNEWS with permission from Branislav Slantchev. *
HOWTO-1
How to create areas with multiple directories.
Even though the User's Manual mentions this capability on p.51
under "File Location", the process described there is wrong and
doesn't work. The text should read (starting from the second
sentence):
It is also possible to specify multiple directories per file area.
To do this, create a file in your ProBoard system directory called
FA_.CTL. Place all file directories (one directory per line)
in this file to tell ProBoard where to find all the directories for
this file area. Next, enter the full path and name of the new
FA_.CTL file in the File Location entry in ProCFG for that
area. Create a master list for all directories in the extended
FILES.BBS (CD-ROM format). You can do this by concatenating existing
listings. Refer to HOWTO-5 for the expected format of this file.
Enter the full path of the new listing in the Listing File entry
in ProCFG for that area.
EXAMPLE
for file area #10 (Games), which has a total of 4
directories, create a file called FA_10.CTL. In this file, place
all directories one per line like this:
D:\DLOAD\GAMES1
D:\DLOAD\GAMES2
D:\DLOAD\GAMES3
D:\DLOAD\GAMES4
Use an ASCII editor like QEDIT or the DOS editor to create this
file. Next, assuming that your ProBoard system directory (the
directory where PROBOARD.EXE and PBUTIL.EXE reside) is C:\PB,
place the following in the File Location slot for area 10:
C:\PB\FA_10.CTL
Now, for each directory create a FILES.BBS listing in the
extended format. Concatenate all files into one big listing
(we will call it FA_10.BBS). Next, place it somewhere (we will
put it in C:\PB\LISTS). Finally, in the Listing File slot for
area 10 put the following line:
C:\PB\LISTS\FA_10.BBS
Mark the area as CD-ROM.
Run PBUTIL FI to update ProBoard's index file.
HOWTO-2
How to put text files in directories other than Textfiles
If you have noticed, the possible length for the path in ProCFG
is 60 characters. Now, most display functions expect to find
the ANS/ASC files in the Textfiles directory. You can trick the
functions if you create a subdirectory in the Textfiles directory
and place some of the files there. The resulting pathname should
not exceed 60 characters (with the filename included). Next, in
the data field for the show file function, put the directory and
the filename. Obviously, ProBoard just appends what it finds there
to its Textfiles directory name. It will show the file. This is
very useful for bulletins and such, so you don't clutter your
Textfiles directory. Some programs that let you specify file names
for the display screens will let you use subdirectories too! Most
Silicon Creations PEXes do it.
Example You want to have score files in a separate directory.
Assume Your Textfiles directory is C:\PB\TEXT
One of the score files is called SCORE.ANS
Create a subdirectory WITHIN the Textfiles and name it SCORES
mkdir C:\PB\TEXT\SCORES
Copy the desired files there
copy SCORE.ANS C:\PUB\TEXT\SCORES
Edit your menu
Function 5, Show ANS/ASC File
Data: SCORES\SCORE
That's it. try it out.
HOWTO-3
How to compile the PEX from within Borland's IDE
Rename the PB_SDK.OBJ file to C0PB_SDK.OBJ (or any name as long
as it starts with C0). Create a project file as usual. The first
file in that project should be the C0PB_SDK.OBJ. Then, go on as
usual and include the other files. In Options~Linker~Libraries,
set the Standard Run-time Libraries to none. This is it. Now you
can build your executable. Rename it from EXE to PEX and you're
done. Don't forget to use the Large memory model.
NOTE: as of May 5, 1995, I have run into a problem with this
approach. One of the programs I was developing, if made
in the described way would crash the machine when run.
The conventional makefile approach worked well. It is
only this program... any ideas?
HOWTO-4
Command-line parameters for PROCFG.EXE
ProCFG recognizes a lot of command line parameters that will
start it in the desired mode.
SYNTAX
PROCFG [option] [data]
OPTIONS
OP options menu, no data
PR protocol configuration, no data
MA message areas editor, no data
MG message groups editor, no data
FA file areas editor, no data
FG file groups editor, no data
LI time/download limits, no data
UE user editor, you can pass the record number as data
ex: PROCFG UE 23
Note: if the number is too high, last record is shown
ME menu editor, you can pass the menu name as data.
ex: PROCFG ME GLOBAL
Note: if menu doesn't exist, it is created!
MO modem setup, no data
EV setup events, no data
PF personal files editor, no data
LE language editor, no data
VTE validate template editor, no data
NOTE
If anybody knows the switches for the Sysop Macros and the
Matrix Address, let me know, please.
HOWTO-5
How to convert normal FILES.BBS to extended.
The FILES.BBS file is a normal ASCII text file (editable by QEDIT
or the MS-DOS editor) which has the following format:
FILENAME.EXT Description
The description can be one long line or split to the next one, in
which case the first character must be blank.
The extended FILES.BBS add size and date of file to that format.
FILENAME.EXT 1000000 01-01-95 Description
The STD2EXT utility will do that conversion for you. If you want
to strip an extended FILES.BBS and make it a normal one, use the
EXT2STD.AWK AWK script. You must have GAWK to run this one.
ProBoard has some additional codes for the text lines in the file
(refer to page 113 in the User's Manual). These are not widely
supported yet and should be avoided if you are going to use another
utility for any kind of processing.
HOWTO-6
Output tabs ('\t') in printf() and puts()
The problem is that ProBoard uses the '\t' escape sequence for
the "Press [Enter] to continue..." action (no prompt is shown, of
course). Why did Philippe chose that, I don't know. Some of us
like to use tabs to format the output, but I guess we qualify as
the nearly extinct school of old C programmers ;-) Anyway, if
you need to use a tab, just print the appropriate number of spaces.
Sorry, I don't know of a better way. See the Fortune Cookie for
an example of this action. It filters the tabs from the text file.
HOWTO-7
Control colors in your source code.
First of all, the constants for MAGENTA and BLUE in the PB_SDK.H
are switched, so you'll need to fix that. If you're using the
PBLIB.H file, this is done for you. Also, the SetfullColor()
function prototype is actually the SetFullColor() (notice the
capitalization). It is just a typo, but the header file is right,
and the manual is wrong.
It is a good idea to use the SetFullColor() function because it
gives you great versatility. Refer to the EFFECTS.MAN on how to
code the color byte value it expects.
HOWTO-8
The ResetInactivity() function.
This function is described in the ProBoard SDK Manual, but its
prototype is not in the header file. The code, however, is in
the SDK. If you want to use it, here's what it should look like:
void ResetInactivity( void );
The function is prototyped for you in PBLIB.H. Refer to the manual
for more information on what that function does.
HOWTO-9
Searching the userbase index by name or alias.
The userbase index file, USERSIDX.BBS consists of records that
contain the 32-bit CRC of the user name and alias. To search for
the record number, compute the CRC, then find the one entry that
matches it. The number of this entry in the file is the number
of the user record in USERS.BBS and USERSPB.BBS.
Note that Philippe's (or maybe RA author's) implementation of the
CRC calculation is buggy. First, make sure you upper-case the name
(or the alias) that you will be looking for. This makes sense. Next,
compute the CRC using the standard ANSI X3.66 method and polynomial
and then, instead of returning (~crc), return the plain (crc) as
this is what's stored in the file.
Check out USERSIDX.C for the proper way to do that (PB-Lib).
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Article #7 Reviews Warren Davis
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The following is a review of selected 3rd party utilities for ProBoard. The
comments expressed are those of the author and not necessarily PBNEWS. We
urge you to try each utility for yourself regardless of the review given in
this column.
Archive Name : CS101-G6.ZIP
Program Name : Cursory
Version : Gamma 6 - Heaven's Door
PEX / EXE : PEX
Price : Freeware while in Gamma
Description : Cursory is a utility for ProBoard which allows the sysop to
: use cursors for the menus. Cursory also allows for scrolling
: text messages within the menu.
Strong Points : Cursory is one of the best cursor program for ProBoard yet.
: It is very powerful in the fact that it gives the sysop the
: option to configure every aspect of the program. You define
: where to go if 'x' cursor is pressed.
: Another powerful feature is the animation. The scrolling
: text adds to the overall look of your menus.
: Finally the fact that the Gamma versions are FREEWARE really
: makes this utility even more worth the time.
Weak Points : Unfortunately the documentation for this program was
: completely written in German. But before you disregard this
: program give the setup a try. I found it to be much easier
: than I thought.
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Article #8 The Future of ProBoard Robert Kemp
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What does the future hold for ProBoard? That is a question on a lot of
peoples minds these days.
There have been quite a few major changes since the release of 2.10. One
of the most major is Jim Biggs shutting down his opperation and leaving the
ProBoard BBS scene. Also, at about the same time another long time ProBoard
Beta site and ex-registration site closed it's doors. This of course is Paul
Tabara. I have also noticed that several other long time dedicated ProBoard
sysops are calling it quits. Lastly, ProBoard has a new Support/Registration
site. When Jim Biggs decided to leave the BBS scene, Philippe appointed David
Silver as the new site. There have been many changes up to this point, and I
am sure there will be more in the future.
The question of support is one that has been discused many times before.
Where can we get it, and who do we get it from? This area of ProBoard may
also be changing. In the past sysop's were directed to the registeration site. , may be going to a regional site in the future. This will
It is now being discused that sysops will be directed to a regional support
site. This consists of 6-10 ProBoard support sites across the USA. Say for
example a sysop in the east has a question, comment, or concern, they may be
directed to David Silver or another regional site in the east. The main
reason for regional sites is to take the burden off of the registration site.
Though the regional idea is still in the planing stages, it really looks like
a giant leap forward for ProBoard! Be sure to read the ProBoard echo for
further developments in this area!
If you asked someone who knows very little about computers what America
Online or CompuServ was they would probably tell you it is "Some sort of
computer deal over the phone line". Now if you asked them what ProBoard or
even a BBS was they might say "Is that some sort of a boardgame" or "Big Blues
Singer". The truth is the large services are taking a lot of BBS users away
from us! As more large online services pop up like Microsoft Network, the
less people that will be calling our BBS'!
In the past years a lot of changes have been taking place in the online
world. With quite a few large online services and the InterNet, less people
are finding Bulitin Board Systems interesting. For the most part AOL and
Prodigy have really come a long way in the past few years. The problem as I
see it, is that BBS' aren't expanding at the same rate. We have all seen RIP
and what it can do, but can this compare to todays online services? And for
the most part, no one really uses RIP because it takes too much time to setup.
I think "we" really need to do some brain storming and see what can be done to
catch up to these large services! If we don't BBS' may just fade away...
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Article #9 The ProBoard BBS List Billy Boulware
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* Once again this article is not complete. It will also be a monthly *
* forum. If you would like your BBS listed please send it via netmail to *
* 1:365/3629. *
This is a listing of Bulletin Board Systems that run ProBoard, I know this list
is FAR from complete, this is basically a plea to respond to me and tell me
if your bbs is NOT listed or if any information is incorrect!
Board Name | Sysop Name | Number | # |Speed
=============================|===================|================|===|=====
Acid Test Systems, Online | Bill Boulware | 904-591-3629 | 1 |33600
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
The Night Owl | Cheryl Willis | 203-888-3629 | 1 |33600
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
Flightline BBS | Chuck Stewart | 817-249-6515 | 2 |28800
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
Alpha-Omega BBS | Dave Christie | 417-862-5584 | 1 |28800
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
The Shooting Gallery | Geoffrey Harris | 817-539-5119 | 1 |28800
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
The Silverado/PB US REG Site | David Silver | 904-532-1177 | 1 |28800
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
The Silverado/PB US REG Site | David Silver | 904-532-1158 | 1 |19200
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
Highlander | Christian Schulz | +49-5874-1656 | 2 |28800
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
Cosmic Gate BBS | Ryan Chiu | +63-32-217-332 | 1 |24000
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
Tool Box | Thorsten Grimm |+49-4192-899413 | 1 |14400
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
Tool Box | Thorsten Grimm |+49-4192-899463 | 1 |28800
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
Mississippi Redneck BBS | Shelby Johnson | 205-820-8451 | 1 |28800
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
Reverse Polarity I/S | Bill Arlofski | 203-620-0001 | 3 |33600
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
The Pigeon Coop | Dan Wheeler | 203-720-1649 | 3 |33600
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
Doggy's BBS |JeanMichel Dossogne| +32-71-666292 | 1 |28800
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
God & Country BBSCK BBS | Dave Wright | 217-877-USA8 | 2 |14400
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
God & Country BBSCK BBS | Robert King | 217-428-1752 | 2 |14400
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
Brainless BBS | Tobias Rill | +49-581-30515 | 1 |28800
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
The File Dispenser BBS | Jonathan Norred | 706-845-8359 | 1 |28800
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
North Georgia Online | Warren Davis | 706-517-0045 | 1 |28800
-----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
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Article #10 Multiple File Areas Branislav Slantchev
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The Misdocumented Way to Create File Areas with Multiple Directories
====================================================================
This article is Copyright (C) 1995 by Branislav L. Slantchev
Another fine product of Silicon Creations and the PB-GNU Project
Written expressly for PBNEWS - The Official ProBoard Newsletter
Permission is granted to distribute the whole text verbatim, but changing
it is not allowed. You may not remove the copyright notice above.
1. Introduction
---------------
You just got that brand new CD-ROM disk with the latest files. You
love it, your users love it and you can't wait to put it online. There's
only one thing: importing the disk into the ProBoard filebase
configuration. Of course, there are a couple of very good programs that
will do this for you, but do you really want 10 areas for utilities, named
"Utilities 1", "Utilities 2", etc. or do you want to have them all in one
area "Utilities"? The problem with most CD-ROMs out there is that they
come with a good number of directories and at least two-thirds of those
could be lumped together. Until now, you probably went along with naming
your areas in a sequential fashion, but when users look for a file, do
they really want to scan fifty areas with similar names? Probably not.
So, you open your ProBoard User's Manual on page 51 and read about the
ability to define one area that has files scattered across multiple
directories. You probably tried it... and it didn't work. For a long
time, I thought it was just a bug in ProBoard, but thanks to a couple of
guys from the FidoNet support echo, I got it up and running in a few
moments.
So this time, instead of saying "Read the Fine Manual!", I will have to
say "Just ignore it and do as I say." The reason is simple: the method
described in the user's guide does not work.
Here's how you do it
--------------------
It is possible to specify multiple directories per file area. To do
this, create a file in your ProBoard system directory called
FA_.CTL, where 'area' is the number of the file area you are working
on. This number should _not_ have any leading zeroes. This is a plain
ASCII text file which consists of all directories you want included in the
file area, one per line, without a trailing backslash. Next, enter the
full path to this control file, including the name, in the "File Location"
entry in ProCFG's File Area configuration for this area. Create a master
file list for all directories in the extended FILES.BBS format and put its
full path in the "Listing File" entry in ProCFG for that area. Run PBUTIL
FI and you are ready to roll.
Ok, you ask, what is an "extended FILES.BBS format" and how do I create
a master list file? The extended FILES.BBS file is a text file that has
the following basic layout:
FILENAME.EXT size date description
| | | |
| | | +----- text description of the file
| | +------------- file date, usually MM-DD-YY
| +------------------ file size (in bytes, no commas)
+--------------------------- file name and extension
This basic line can contain a download counter between the 'date' and
'description' entries. The text description may span across multiple
lines, but the first character of each line should be either a space,
tab, '!', '+' or ';' (you can read about these on page 124 of the
User's Manual).
Usually, most CD-ROMs for BBS usage come file FILES.BBS already on the
disk. Most of the time, however, they are not in the required format. If
they are not, you can use a program like the freeware PBCD to create the
file listings for you. When you have the FILES.BBS for each directory
ready, simply concatenate them into one big file. You can use the 'copy'
command to do this.
A real-life example
-------------------
Ok, now that you're totally confused, let's clean it up with some
practical examples. We assume that we have the following setup:
1. ProBoard is installed in 'C:\PB'
2. The CD-ROM drive is 'E:' and the directories we want to include in
one file area are called 'GAMES1', 'GAMES2', 'GAMES3' and 'GAMES4'.
3. We store our file listings in 'C:\PB\LISTS'.
4. The file area we want to create is number 45.
5. You have a FILES.BBS file in each directory on the CD-ROM and it is
in the required format.
Ok, here's the sequence of steps to take:
1. With a straight ASCII editor (EDIT, QEDIT, BOXER, etc.), open a
file and type the following:
E:\GAMES1
E:\GAMES2
E:\GAMES3
E:\GAMES4
2. Save the file as 'C:\PB\FA_45.CTL'
3. Execute the following commands (yes, they can be shorter):
copy /b e:\games1\files.bbs + e:\games2\files.bbs c:\file.tm1
copy /b e:\games3\files.bbs + e:\games4\files.bbs c:\file.tm2
copy /b c:\file.tm1+ c:\file.tm2 c:\pb\lists\files.45
del c:\file.tm?
We chose the name 'FILES.45' arbitrarily, it can be anything you
might possibly want.
4. Change directory to 'C:\PB', run PROCFG and choose File Areas.
In the configuration for file area number 45, enter
C:\PB\FA_45.CTL <-- in the File Location slot
C:\PB\LISTS\FILES.45 <-- in the File Listing Location slot
For ProBoard v2.10+, set the FILES.BBS date format to MM/DD/YY and
the 'Copy Local' flag to 'Yes'.
For ProBoard v2.01 or older, set the 'CD-ROM area' flag to 'Yes'.
5. Save the configuration and exit PROCFG. Run 'PBUTIL FI' to update
your file index and you're done!
Quirks and Workarounds
----------------------
There are a couple of quirks associated with the support for multiple
directories per file area. The biggest problem is keeping the area
numbers and the names of the control files synchronized. For example, if
you just used PBDESK or a similar utility to shuffle your areas around or
if you restructured your filebase, the area numbers will no longer be the
same, which means that the FA_.CTL files will not have the correct
'area' number... which means ProBoard will not recognize them! I spoke
with the author of PBDESK and he said that there are currently no plans to
include support for this mechanism because "nobody uses it". Sorry, but
you will have to do the work manually. The ChkPRO utility from Silicon
Creations will help you identify control files that are out of sync, so
this will make life easier.
Another thing to be aware of is that not all utilities for ProBoard
know about the mechanism, so they may or may not support it. All Silicon
Creations programs work correctly with it.
Of course, the whole thing works just fine with directories that are on
your hard disk, network or optical disk. There's no limitation to them
being on CD-ROM. You will have to setup the 'Copy Local' (or 'CD-ROM')
flags, though for the trick to work, though.
September 26, 1995
San Angelo, TX
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Article #11 PBNEWS Members Warren Davis
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The ProBoard Newsletter is the result of hard work and dedication from many
people. All of the following have been involved in bringing you the ProBoard
Newsletter:
SysOp: Warren Davis
BBS : North Georgia Online
Phone: (706) 517-0045
Baud : 2400 - 28.8 VFC (9600 or greater for FREQ)
Hours: 24
Fido : 1:3672/820
Cmt 1: North Georgia Online is the proud home for the ProBoard Newsletter,
Cmt 2: in addition we are support sites for EFC, XTC, PB-GNU, and GWARE.
Cmt 3: We are also the USA RC for The Pex Support Network.
SysOp: Branislav Slantchev
BBS : Silicon Creations
Phone: (915) 949-4798
Baud : 2400 - 28.8
Hours: 24
Fido : 1:383/47
Cmt 1: Silicon Creations - The Home of the PB-GNU Project
Cmt 2: All PB-GNU utilities, latest releases of PB-Lib and all other Silicon
Cmt 3: Creations programs. Huge selection of ProBoard and programming files.
SysOp: Billy Boulware
BBS : The Acid Test BBS
Phone: (904) 591-3629
Baud : 2400 - 33.6
Hours: 24
Fido : 1:365/3629
SysOp: Robert Kemp
BBS : The Wild West BBS
Phone: (612) 557-9039
Baud : 2400 - 14.4
Hours: 24
Fido : 1:282/4058
If your BBS should be listed or is listed incorrectly please notify me before
October 29th for corrections before the next issue is released! Please note
that due to the large number of distribution sites we can no longer publish
any sites which are not contributing writers.
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Article #12 Credits Warren Davis
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Original Idea Created By: Warren Davis, Josh Jones, and Brandon Whitten
Logo and Design By: Warren Davis
Articles 1, 2, 7, 11, and 12 Written By: Warren Davis
Articles 3, 4, 5, and 9 Written By: Billy Boulware
Articles 6 and 10 Written By: Branislav Slantchev
Article 8 Written By: Robert Kemp
ProBoard and all its executables are copyrighted material of Philippe Leybaert
PBNEWS, PBNEWS Pro, and PBNEWS Online Pro are registered to GWARE Technologies
All other programs mentioned are registered to their respected authors
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