ÄÄÄÄÄÄ · Ö ÖÄÄ ÒÄ· ÖÄ· ÖÄ· · Ö ÄÒÄ ÒÄ· ÒÄ· ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ±±±±±± º º ÓÄ· ÇÄ Ç½ ºÄÒ º º º º º ÇÄ ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ±±±±±± ÓĽ ÄĽ ÐĽ ½ÀÄ ÓĽ ÓĽ ÄÐÄ ÐĽ ÐĽ ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ÄÄÄÄÄÄ WILDCAT! v3.01 Bulletin Board Software ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ M A I N M E N U ÕÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͸ ÕÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͸ ßßßß ³ [M]...........Message Menu ³ ßßßßß ³ [F].............Files Menu ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [C]..Comments to the SysOp ³ ßßßßß ³ [B]..........Bulletin Menu ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [P].........Page the SysOp ³ ßßßßß ³ [I].Initial Welcome Screen ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [Q].....Questionnaire Menu ³ ßßßßß ³ [V]..........Verify a User ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [Y]..........Your Settings ³ ßßßßß ³ [S]......System Statistics ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [U]...........Userlog List ³ ßßßßß ³ [L]..Live Programs [Doors] ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [N].............Newsletter ³ ßßßßß ³ [G].......Goodbye & LogOff ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [H].............Help Level ³ ßßßßß ³ [?]...........Command Help ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [J]......Join a Conference ³ ßßßßß ³ [W].....Who Else is Online ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [T]..Talk with Other Users ³ ßßßßß ³ ³ ßßßß ÔÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ; ÔÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ; M S G S M E N U ÕÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͸ ÕÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͸ ßßßß ³ [Q]..Quit to the Main Menu ³ ßßßßß ³ [J]......Join a Conference ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [R]........Read Message(s) ³ ßßßßß ³ [S]........Scan Message(s) ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [E]....Enter a New Message ³ ßßßßß ³ [K].........Kill a Message ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [G].......Goodbye & LogOff ³ ßßßßß ³ [H].............Help Level ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [?]...........Command Help ³ ßßßßß ³ [F].............Files Menu ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [T]..TomCat! QWK Mail DOOR ³ ßßßßß ³ [U]..Update Conf Scan/Read ³ ßßßß ÔÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ; ÔÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ; F I L E M E N U ÕÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͸ ÕÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͸ ßßßß ³ [Q]......Quit to Main Menu ³ ßßßßß ³ [I]..Information on a File ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [L]...List Available Files ³ ßßßßß ³ [D].....Download a File(s) ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [U].......Upload a File(s) ³ ßßßßß ³ [N]....New Files Since [N] ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [T]............Text Search ³ ßßßßß ³ [S]..Stats on Up/Downloads ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [F].....File Transfer Info ³ ßßßßß ³ [G].......Goodbye & LogOff ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [H].............Help Level ³ ßßßßß ³ [?]...........Command Help ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [M]...........Message Menu ³ ßßßßß ³ [V].View a Compressed File ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [R].......Read a Text File ³ ßßßßß ³ [J]......Join a Conference ³ ßßßß ßßßß ³ [E]......Edit Marked Files ³ ßßßßß ³ ³ ßßßß ÔÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ; ÔÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ; ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Dedicated to those that only have time to call the very best! ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Written by Joe Martin Preliminary - Revised 11/04/91 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 WHAT IS A BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 MAIN MENU SCREEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 [M]essage Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 [F]iles Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 [C]omments to the SysOp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 [B]ulletin Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 [R]elist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 [N]ew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 [P]age the SysOp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 [I]nitial Welcome Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 [Q]uestionnaire Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 [V]erify a User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 [Y]our Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Computer type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Phone number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Birth date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Screen length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Color menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Erase prompt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Hot keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Quote on reply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Msg clear screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Default editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Line editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Full screen editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Select each time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 File display mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Single line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Double line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Full listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Alias name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Default protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Calling from . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Alias name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 i WILDCAT! USER GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS MAIN MENU OPTIONS - continued Chat status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 [S]ystem Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 [U]serlog List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 [D]oors - Live Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 [N]ewsletter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 [G]oodbye & LogOff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 [H]elp Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 [N]ovice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 [R]egular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 [E]xpert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 [?] Command Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 [W]ho Else is Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 [T]alk with Other Nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 [J]oin a Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Echomail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Netmail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 CHATMODE INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 CHATMODE OPERATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 [#,#] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 [R]espond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 [G]roup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 [U]navailable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 /QUIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 /HELP or /? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 /USERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 /DAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 /TIMEON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 FILE MENU SCREEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 [Q]uit to Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 [I]nformation on a File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 [L]ist Available Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 (1..32) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 [#, #-#] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 [A]ll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 [L]ist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 ii WILDCAT! USER GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS FILE MENU OPTIONS - continued [S|D|F] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 [C]ont . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 [N]onstop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 [M]ark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 [A]ll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 [E]dit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 [D]wnld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 [V]iew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 [I]nfo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 [S]top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 [D]ownload a File(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 [U]pload a File(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 [N]ew Files Since [N] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 [T]ext Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 [N]ame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 [K]eyword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 [D]escription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 [U]ploaded by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 [S]tats on Up/Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 [F]ile Transfer Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 [G]oodbye & LogOff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 [H]elp Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 [?] Command Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 [M]essage Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 [V]iew an ARC File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 [R]ead a Text File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 [J]oin a Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 [E]dit Marked List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 DISPLAY MODE INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 [F]ull/Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 [D]ouble Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 [S]ingle Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 MESSAGE MENU SCREEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 [Q]uit to the Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 [J]oin a Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 [R]ead Message(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 iii WILDCAT! USER GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS MESSAGE MENU OPTIONS - continued [1..2520] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 [N]ew mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 [C]urrent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 [A]ll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 [S]elected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 [S]earch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 [F]rom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 [T]o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 S[u]bject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Msg [B]ody . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 [N]umber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 [D]irection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 [C]onference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 [C]urrent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 [A]ll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 [S]elected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 [U]nread personal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Read mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 (SELECTED) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 (ALL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 (MARK) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 (THREAD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 (726 +) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 [1-2520] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 [E]dit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 [F]orward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 [H]elp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 [K]ill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 [N]onstop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 [Q]uit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 [T]hread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 [M]ark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 [R]eply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 [D]ownload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 [S]can Message(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 [F]rom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 [T]o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 S[u]bject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Msg [B]ody . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 [N]umber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 [D]irection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 iv WILDCAT! USER GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS MESSAGE MENU OPTIONS - continued [C]onference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 [C]urrent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 [A]ll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 [S]elected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 [S]tart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 [M]ark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 [E]nter a New Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 [A]bort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 [C]ontinue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 [I]nsert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 [L]ist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 [E]dit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Ca[r]bon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 [Q]uote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 [F]ull screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 [D]elete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 [S]ave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 At[t]ach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 [K]ill a Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 [G]oodbye & LogOff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 [H]elp Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 [?] Command Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 [F]ile Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 [T]omcat! QWK Mail Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 [U]pdate Conf Scan/Read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 [#-#] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 [D]eselect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 [S]elect all . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 MESSAGE INFORMATION LAYOUT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 MESSAGE FORMAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 From . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 To . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Conf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Private . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 v WILDCAT! USER GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS RETURN RECEIPTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 FULL SCREEN VISUAL EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 TOMCAT! QWK MAIL DOOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 ECHOMAIL/NETMAIL EXPLANATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 XMODEM FILE TRANSFER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 1K-XMODEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 YMODEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 YMODEM/G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 1K-XMODEM/G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 ZMODEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 KERMIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 ASCII DATA CAPTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 NEWUSER TIPS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 CURSOR POSITIONING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 STOPPING THE DISPLAY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 FAST LOGIN SUPPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 READ NEW PERSONAL MAIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 NEW FILES DISPLAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 vi WILDCAT! USER GUIDE INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION With the plummeting prices of PC's and modems these days, more and more people are finding out there's a whole new world out there that only their modem can bring them. They're finding out they can communicate with people all over the nation without ever having to leave the comfortable surroundings of their home. With the increased usage, comes demands of better, faster and more efficient systems to call. They want the information and they want it now. Quite a number of companies have risen to the challenge of producing high quality, user friendly bulletin board software, but only one has truly met this challenge and has risen head and shoulders above the rest. These are the folks at Mustang Software. Having had a hand in helping develop this software by being one of the members of the WILDCAT! Alpha team, it has provided me a lot of insight as to what the developers were up against and what they had to go through to ultimately bring us this very easy and flexible piece of BBS software. Since the release of WILDCAT! v3.00 BBS software, a lot of changes and enhancements have taken place that even the experienced callers wanted to know how to take advantage of. Since I had first hand experience using the product, I figured it was time for me to do what I could to bring this power and ease of use to the masses. This users guide was put together out of the sheer enjoyment of WILDCAT! BBSing. The long hours it took to create, is my way of thanking those folks that have helped me out along the way. The BBS community on a whole, is one of incredible talent and a true willingness to offer a helping hand. To those of you that understand what I mean, I tip my hat to you. To all the newcomers that are just now learning the ropes, I hope this manual offers you a solid reference and a good springboard to many, many hours of BBSing pleasure with very few busy signals. Warmest Regards, Joe Martin - SysOp The Power Station BBS (707) 552-0462 9 Nodes FidoNet - (1:161/123) Page 1 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A heartfelt thanks go to the folks at Mustang Software for creating an exceptional product in WILDCAT! v3.0. For without them, there would have never been so many late nights, lost hours of sleep, dangerously high phone bills and last but not least, this users manual. Thanks guys.. WHAT IS A BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) are systems that people can call with their modems to pickup and send E-Mail and transfer files between the two different systems. These machines are often standalone PC's, running 24 hours a day, and are made available free of charge by computer enthusiasts. BBS's can often be used to check the latest football scores, or possibly find out what the stock market is doing. Many of the larger systems have the ability to "chat" with the other callers that are online. Another common feature found on BBS's is online games or more commonly referred to as doors. Doors are programs that are executed outside of the normal BBS program and can offer a wide variety of gaming and leisure time activities. Some of the larger systems have multiple lines and incredibly large hard drives with literally thousands of files that can be transferred to your PC. Usually with systems this large, you will find high speed modems to help move those large files fast and efficiently. Electronic Mail, or commonly referred to as E-Mail, is becoming more and more popular as it offers the ability to communicate with others around the world. A multitude of networks have sprung up across the nation linking these BBS's together and offer the users the ability to share ideas and help resolve problems. This gives the caller limitless sources of information and perspectives on just about anything from cooking to sailing. Each system that you logon to will have it's own special personality. These personalities often reflect what the System Operator has intended the BBS to be used for. Some systems are set up primarily as chat boards offering a common meeting ground for people to meet and converse 'live'. Other boards will cater to a more select group of people like musicians, software programmers. While others will try and be more general and cater to just about any type of computer user that logs on. Page 2 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE OVERVIEW OVERVIEW WILDCAT! bulletin board systems are divided up into 3 distinct menu driven categories. These being the MAIN, FILE and the MESSAGE Menus. Each menu section offers options to the caller that's associated with it's specific category, plus offer the caller the ability to traverse from one menu to another without having to return to the MAIN menu. In addition, there are global options that facilitate easy maneuverability throughout the system. These options are [J]oin a Conference, [H]elp Level, [?] Command Help and [G]oodbye & Log-Off. MAIN MENU This is the first menu you come to after successfully logging on to the system. From here you have your choice of jumping to one of the other menus or selecting one of the available options. Options available from this menu are typically "system" related. Meaning system statistics, listing of the callers on the board or possibly modifying your user information. FILE MENU This menu is used to perform some sort of file manipulation. This could be displaying a list of available files on the system, transferring a file(s) to or from your system, or possibly displaying extended information about a specific file. In addition, you could view the contents of a compressed file and possibly even read it while online prior to downloading to be certain this is a file you will use. MESSAGE MENU This menu is used to facilitate sending and receiving electronic mail. Various types of different message bases exist in specific conferences to better categorize its topic line. From any one of the available conferences, you can send or receive mail, create a QWK mail packet for offline viewing. Additionally, you could scan messages for a specific subject line, keyword or phrase or possibly by a users name. The message bases are indexed for extremely fast scanning and retrieving of information. A full screen editor is available with full quoting capabilities for easy replying or editing of messages. Page 3 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MAIN MENU SCREEN ÄÄÄÄÄ ÒÒ· ÖÄ· ÄÒÄ ÒÄ· ÒÒ· ÒÄ· ÒÄ· · Ö ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ±±±±± ººº ÇĶ º º º ººº ÇÄ º º º º ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ±±±±± ½ Ó ½ Ó ÄÐÄ ½ Ó ½ Ó ÐĽ ½ Ó ÓĽ ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ÄÄÄÄÄ T H E P O W E R S T A T I O N ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÕÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͸ ÕÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͸ ßßß ³ [M]..........Message Menu ³ ßßß ³ [F].............Files Menu ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [C].Comments to the SysOp ³ ßßß ³ [B]..........Bulletin Menu ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [P]........Page the SysOp ³ ßßß ³ [I].Initial Welcome Screen ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [Q]....Questionnaire Menu ³ ßßß ³ [V]..........Verify a User ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [Y].........Your Settings ³ ßßß ³ [S]......System Statistics ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [U]..........Userlog List ³ ßßß ³ [D]..Doors [Live Programs] ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [N]............Newsletter ³ ßßß ³ [G].......Goodbye & LogOff ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [H]............Help Level ³ ßßß ³ [?]...........Command Help ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [J].....Join a Conference ³ ßßß ³ [W].....Who Else is Online ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [T].Talk with Other Users ³ ßßß ³ ³ ßßß ÔÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ; ÔÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ; You've Been on 1 Minutes with 60 Minutes Remaining For This Call CONFERENCE: "General Message Area" MAIN MENU : [M F C B P I Q V Y S U D N G H ? J W T]:? [ ] Page 4 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MAIN MENU OPTIONS [M]............MESSAGE MENU This option takes you directly to the MESSAGE menu. The MESSAGE menu allows you to read/reply to your messages both public and private. [F]...............FILE MENU Takes you directly to the FILE menu where file uploads and downloads are available. [C]...COMMENTS TO THE SYSOP This choice enables you to enter a private message to the system operator. WILDCAT! makes these comments an integral part of the message base for easy reply by the SysOp, if desired. If the BBS has Echomail, you need to be very careful not to save the comment in one of those conferences. Instead, [C]omments to the SysOp should be saved in one of the local conferences. [B]...........BULLETIN MENU The Bulletin menu could be considered a sub-menu of sorts, in that it presents you with the options of reading one or more bulletins by selecting a bulletin number, re-listing the bulletins that are available for display, or simply returning to the MAIN menu. If any bulletins have been updated since your last logon, you will be presented a with a listing of those bulletins by number similar to below. Bulletins updated: 1, 2 Enter bulletin # [1..699], [R]elist menu, [N]ew, [ENTER] to Quit: [R]elist - Selecting this option will redisplay the bulletin menu. [N]ew - This will display in numerical order, only those bulletins that have been updated since your last call to the BBS. If more than one bulletin has been updated, you will be prompted as shown below. End of bulletin #1. Continue reading NEW Bulletins? [Y] Page 5 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MAIN MENU OPTIONS [B]...........BULLETIN MENU - continued You can then continue reading the newly updated bulletins, or enter [N]o to return to the MAIN menu. Depending on the system configuration, bulletins may vary depending on which conference you are currently in. [P]..........PAGE THE SYSOP This selection is used to [P]age the System Operator. The response of the local system may vary depending on whether the current time is within the SysOp's paging hours, whether the override toggle is on, and whether the page bell is turned on or off. If the conditions allow, the BBS will then send a series of beeps to notify the SysOp that someone is online would like to chat with him/her. Pages are only made if the time falls within the SysOps defined paging hours. Please try and be courteous and not over use this function. You won't make friends paging the SysOp at 3 am. [I]..INITIAL WELCOME SCREEN This option re-displays the information you saw when you initially logged on to the BBS. This is useful for reviewing some information that you might have previously overlooked, thus saving you from having to logoff and log back on again. [Q]...........QUESTIONNAIRE You are presented with a menu screen containing numbered listings of questionnaires made available by the SysOp. Select the desired questionnaire to answer. Depending on system configuration, it's possible for questionnaires to vary depending on what conference you're currently in. [V]...........VERIFY A USER This option allows you to enter in a complete user name to check and see when was the last time they called the BBS. If the name you entered was not found, you are prompted if you would like to continue the search using the information supplied. If you continue, the system will start displaying user names with the search based upon the users last names. Searches for user names is not case sensitive. Page 6 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MAIN MENU OPTIONS [Y]...........YOUR SETTINGS You are allowed to make changes to certain information in your user record with this option. When [Y] is selected, a complete screen of your modifiable settings is displayed. Below is a list of modifiable settings. [ 1] Password - Password used to logon to the system. Your password can be up to 14 characters long. [ 2] Computer type - This field is used to identify the type of computer you are using to connect to the BBS. [ 3] Phone number - Your VOICE phone number. Normally, this is only used by the Sysop in unusual circumstances and is always held in the strictest of confidence. [ 4] Birth date - Your birth date in MM/DD/YY format. [ 5] Screen length - This will determine the number of lines displayed before displaying a -Pause- prompt. This is used to prevent information from scrolling off the screen. Normally this value is set to 23. A value of 0 is used to turn off the automatic screen pauses. [ 6] Color menus - Ability to toggle on or off the fancy color menus. [ 7] Erase prompt - This causes various command prompts to be erased prior to displaying any more information, allowing for very smooth screen operation. [ 8] Hot keys - With this feature turned on, you need only tap the letter that corresponds to the option. Pressing [ENTER] is not required. Page 7 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MAIN MENU OPTIONS [Y]...........YOUR SETTINGS - continued [ 9] Quote on reply - When replying to a message with this option toggled on, the original message is placed at the beginning of the reply and allows you to respond to specific sections of that message using normal editing features. [10] Msg Clear Screen - Allows the ability to clear the screen prior to displaying the next message. [11] Default editor - This option is used to select which type of editor you wish to use as a default when entering and replying to messages. When selecting this option, the caller is presented with the following prompt: Current editor setting: No default [L]ine editor : use a standard line-by-line editor. [F]ull screen editor : use an ANSI driven editor. [S]elect each time : decide on editor before each use. [H]elp with selection. Default editor mode? [ ] Each type of editor has it's own set of requirements and thus must be chosen carefully. Below is an brief explanation of each type. [L]ine editor - This is a common type of message editor requiring the caller to enter in information one line at a time. The primary disadvantage to this is editing. For editing changes to be made, you must enter in the word to be corrected followed by the correct spelling. This can be time consuming at best. Only the Delete key and Backspace keys are active. Use of the cursor keys will cause unpredictable and undesirable results. Page 8 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MAIN MENU OPTIONS [Y]...........YOUR SETTINGS - continued [F]ull screen editor - The full-screen editor supports several cursor movement commands generated by different communication programs. Cursor positioning using ANSI terminal emulation as well as standard ESCape commands are interpreted properly. If you find that your communication program is not operating properly when in the full-screen editor, you may need to activate ANSI terminal emulation mode. [S]elect each time - Allow the option to be able to choose which editor you would like to use prior to editing or replying to a message. [12] File display mode - Changing the default file display mode alters the way files are listed on the screen. This selection is only a default, you have the option of overriding it every time files are listed by appending a S, D, or F to the file list command. When changing your default, the following sub-prompt is displayed: Current file list method is: Double line [S]ingle line : displays name and short desc only. [D]ouble line : displays name, date, size, DL time. [F]ull listing : displays all information on the file. New file display method? : [ ] Remember, whichever method you choose here, it's just a default, and may be overridden each time files are listed. [13] Help level - Three different types of help levels exist in WILDCAT! [N]ovice, [R]egular and [E]xpert. Refer to the MAIN menu [H]elp level for additional information. [14] Default protocol - This option selects which file transfer protocol will be used when downloading or uploading files to the BBS. Page 9 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MAIN MENU OPTIONS [Y]...........YOUR SETTINGS - continued [15] Calling from - The location from which you are calling from in City, State format. i.e. - Vallejo, CA. [16] Alias name - This field is used for a name which you would like to be known as other than your real name. This is a secret type identity. Please note, this field is only displayed if you are presently IN an alias type conference. [17] Chat status - Chat status is used for enabling/disabling the ability to be interrupted by other callers for a quick chat between nodes. [S].......SYSTEM STATISTICS This menu choice displays statistical information about the system. It may be a simple summary of the number of callers and the date the system began, or may go into extreme detail with percentages of callers at each baud rate and include graphs of system time usage, frequently downloaded files and so on. [U]............USERLOG LIST You are presented with a complete list of users on the system, displayed in alphabetical order, along with the date they last called, their calling point of origin and PC type. If you are currently in a ALIAS type conference, instead of displaying regular user names, only the ALIAS names will be displayed. The usual screen pauses are in effect while using this option. [D]...DOORS - LIVE PROGRAMS The door feature in WILDCAT! allows you to run other programs made available by the SysOp through a menu choice. Doors can be almost any type of online program ranging from database type programs to multi-player games. Page 10 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MAIN MENU OPTIONS [N]..............NEWSLETTER This menu choice displays information supplied by the SysOp and can be a variety of different types of information. Regardless of what the information is, whenever this information is updated, upon login, you will automatically be notified and asked if you would like to view it. [G].......GOODBYE & LOG-OFF Terminates the current connection and disconnects. If your current Help level is set to the NOVICE mode, choosing this option gives you a way to "back out" of the command. Selecting this command brings up a friendly question, "Are you sure you want to logoff?". If you respond with a "Y", then normal logoff procedures are begun. Otherwise, WILDCAT! will assume the command has been entered in error, and will return to current menu. If your current help level settings are set to REGULAR or EXPERT, this extra prompt will no longer be displayed. WILDCAT! assumes that you know the commands well enough to deliberately wish to logoff. This command is available in ALL major menus and performs exactly the same in each of them. [H]..............HELP LEVEL WILDCAT! supports three different levels of menu prompts. Selecting this option presents the following sub-prompt: Current help level is set at: NOVICE [N]ovice : Complete menus, full command line. [R]egular : No menus, command line only. [E]xpert : No menus or command line. Help level desired [N R E] ? ? [N] Below is a explanation of the above options. [N]ovice - The first and default value for new users is the Novice level. At this level, the user is presented with full, dynamic monochrome or color menus, and a command line Page 11 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MAIN MENU OPTIONS [H]..............HELP LEVEL - continued [N]ovice - continued prompt containing the name of current menu area (MAIN, MESSAGE, FILE) and the first character for a particular option in the current menu. The characters presented agree with the letter designator selected for that option. [R]egular - This is the second level. At this level, only the current conference number/description, time and command line option letter designator's are displayed. No menus are displayed at this level. Shown below is a sample display prompt. Conf: "[0] - Main Message Area", time on 1, with 59 left MAIN MENU: [M F C B P I Q V Y S U O G H ? J W T] ? [ ] [E]xpert - The final and highest level is the Expert level. At this level, only the current conference number and description along with the menu name is displayed. Shown below is a sample display prompt. General Message Area (0), MAIN MENU: ? [ ] Selecting this level requires a reasonable understanding of all the options. It's primarily designed for speed. If at any time you forget what a certain option letter is, pressing [?] at any of the menus will present you with a HELP screen showing all the possible options. The HELP LEVEL command is available in ALL major menus and the usage is exactly the same in each of them. [?]............COMMAND HELP Displays a Help screen that breaks down all the available commands from the MAIN menu. [W]......WHO ELSE IS ONLINE Selecting this choice in a multi-line system, presents you with a list of callers who are presently logged on, their respective node numbers and their current status. If a node is up, but has no one logged on at the moment, it is reported as "Waiting for Calls". Page 12 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MAIN MENU OPTIONS [T].TALK WITH OTHER NODE(s) If a multi-node system is in operation, this choice will allow you to enter into PRIVATE or public GROUP chat with callers on the other nodes. For a indepth explanation on how to use this feature, refer to page 14. [J].......JOIN A CONFERENCE This command is used to leave the current conference and move to another. A conference is simply a section of the BBS with a single message base different from any other conference. A certain conference may or may not allow file transfers depending on the configuration. If allowed, file transfers may draw files from any area you have access to, even if it's from another conference. Basically, there are three types of conferences, Echomail, Netmail and Local. For a indepth explanation of differences and operation, refer to page 53. Echomail - Refers to messages with a defined topic, shared with other BBS's across the nation. All messages are considered public. Netmail - This conference type is used to send private mail to a specific user on a certain BBS in one of the existing networks. There is a cost involved with this option and requires a previously established account balance before you will be able to enter a message. Local - Messages saved in this type of conference, will stay on the BBS and won't be transmitted anywhere. This is normally used for saving general messages pertaining to the callers and local activities on the BBS. Private messages are supported in this type of conference. When the Join Conference command is selected, the following sub-prompt appears: Join Conference [0-200], [L]ist, [H]elp [ ] You may enter the conference number you want to join from the available numbers in the brackets, or may list the conference numbers and names by pressing [L]ist. Page 13 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE CHATMODE OPERATION CHATMODE INFORMATION Most people have had a opportunity to chat with the SysOp on various different BBS's from time to time. This is usually accomplished in what's called REAL TIME mode. This means that both the SysOp and the caller see exactly what each other is typing WHEN they are typing it. However, when you want several people talking together (more than 2) there are inherent problems that must be overcome. 1) Who's doing the typing? 2) Who's that person trying to talk to? If you remember REAL TIME mode, all an observer would see is that someone (anyone) is typing something and have absolutely no idea who it's coming from. The BBS has addressed this very specific problem, but this requires a little understanding as to what it does, along with why. CHATMODE OPERATION Upon initial login and immediately following the new messages notification, you will be informed if there are any callers in group chat mode. Prompts similar to the ones below will be displayed: No one is in Group Chat at this moment. - or - 1 caller is in Group Chat. This tells you that either there is no one presently in chat mode, or someone is presently in chat mode waiting for another caller (any caller) to join in. If there are several people already engaging in chat mode, you then have the option to join in on the conversation by continuing on to the MAIN menu and selecting the [T]alk to Other Nodes option. Page 14 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE CHATMODE OPERATION CHATMODE INFORMATION - continued Now if someone on another node uses the [T]alk to Other Nodes option and [P]ages you, you will be presented with a message similar to the one below: -- ATTENTION -- Frank Thomas from Las Vegas, NV is PAGING YOU Use the MAIN MENU command [T]alk to other Nodes to [R]espond. This informs you that Frank Thomas from Las Vegas wants to chat with you. At this point you would then continue on to the MAIN menu and select one of the two options below. [W].............Who Else is Online [T]..........Talk with other Nodes From the MAIN menu, selecting [W]ho Else is Online, will present the caller with a complete list of all the callers on the board at the PRESENT time. This is very important, as people logon and off on a regular basis, so who was on 2 minutes ago may no longer be there now. Below is a sample display. # Baud Name From Status --- ------ ------------------ -------------- ------------------- 1 2400 Frank Thomas Las Vegas, NV Transferring a File 2 1200 Mike Hart Vallejo, CA 3 OPEN Waiting For Calls 4 14400 Joe Martin Vallejo, CA In a Group Chat Below is an explanation of the above information: # = The actual NODE that caller has logged to, i.e., 1 = NODE 1 (Phone Line 1) 2 = NODE 2 (Phone Line 2) etc, etc... Baud = The current baud rate this caller is connected at. This can be anything from 300 to 14400 or LOCAL if has logged onto this node locally. Name = Callers name used on the BBS. From = City and State the call is originating from. Status = Shows what the caller is currently doing. If the area is blank, chances are that he/she is at one of the menus. Normally this will show if the caller is Transferring a File, Entering a Message, in a Door etc. Page 15 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE CHATMODE OPERATION CHATMODE INFORMATION - continued By selecting [T]alk to Other Nodes, you will be presented with a screen briefly describing how to [P]age another node, [R]espond to another callers page, or join a [G]roup chat. Below are a list of the available options. [#,#] - Type in the node number you wish to page. If you wish to only talk to node 4, enter 4 and then press [ENTER]. Unlike other BBS's, this allows you to have multiple people in PRIVATE chat. If you're initiating the chat, just type in the nodes you want in the chat, separated by commas. The BBS will then page the other node(s) and tell you when they have arrived. Keep in mind, it may take the other node(s) a minute or two to get the [P]age and [R]espond to the chat request. [R]espond - If you've been paged, you'll see [R]espond to Page as an option at the chat menu. This option will take you directly into PRIVATE chat with the person that [P]aged you. If you are [P]aged and don't use this option, you will not be able to chat with the node that paged you. [G]roup - If you want to enter an open "Free for All" chat where others can join at will, then choose [G]roup chat. [U]navailable - This will change your current chat mode status on the board to that of UNAVAILABLE. This is used to prevent someone from interrupting your activities on the BBS wishing to chat. [ENTER] - Returns you back to the MAIN menu. After selecting [#,#] (by entering the node(s)) this puts you immediately into PRIVATE chat mode. You must then wait for the other caller(s) to [R]espond to your [P]age before you can begin the actual "conversation". Page 16 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE CHATMODE OPERATION CHATMODE INFORMATION - continued Only the callers that desire to be in PRIVATE chat mode will be able to talk to each other. There can be others in GROUP chat mode, but they will not even "see" you, because you're considered PRIVATE. Selecting [G]roup chat mode will place you into a "Free for All" type mode of operation. Basically, there is no limit to the number callers that can participate in GROUP chat, so whatever you type, all the other callers currently in chat mode will see your entries. There is also a drawback to GROUP chat mode in that no one gets [P]aged to notify them that you are waiting to chat. They would have to want to chat first. Then of course, they would look to see who's online with the above options and go from there. When selecting GROUP chat mode, you are taking your chances on spending some idle time just waiting for someone to join you. Usually this type of mode is used at prescribed times so people will know to look for you. If you sit idle for more that 4 mins in CHAT Mode, the system will inform you that it will log you off if you don't press any keys within the next 60 seconds. NOTE: This is where the reading becomes very important for PROPER operation. Please read this very carefully! As was stated earlier, this is not considered REAL TIME mode. You will be required to enter a COMPLETE sentence (or a FULL line of text) before anything gets sent to the other caller(s) in chat mode. If you enter a short sentence without exceeding the current line length, you will need to press [ENTER] before the information will be sent to them. If you send out more than one line, the exceeded line length text will be automatically sent, but if your next line response is less than a full line, you will need to press [ENTER] to send the remaining text. One of the most important considerations of using chat mode is to be patient! You MUST wait for the other caller(s) to input their sentence and press [ENTER] or until the sentence runs on more than one line. If the person you're chatting with is a slow typist, it could take a few moments before you receive any response from them. The system will generally send out their response within 3 seconds of its completion. It's very important to TAKE YOUR TIME! Page 17 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE CHATMODE OPERATION CHATMODE INFORMATION - continued The reason the board "waits" for the caller to input his/her sentence is simple. When he/she presses [ENTER] (or the sentence exceeds the line length), the callers name will be attached to the response letting the other callers know who it came from. This takes a little getting used to, but in time, I think you will find that it makes a lot of sense. Another problem to address is who is PRESENTLY in chat mode. When a caller enters or exits chat mode, all the other callers are notified by the system stating the date and time along with the callers name. Upon selecting [G]roup chat, below is a sample of what you might see: You are entering GROUP chat. Anyone can join in! Type "/QUIT" to Exit, "/HELP" for Help At this point, you are now in chat mode and the other callers in chat mode are notified with a message similar to the one below: 0 - 07-30-89 12:44 : Frank Thomas Entered Group chat. Also, if you had selected COLOR screens prior to entering chat mode, the callers names will alternate [WHITE] and [YELLOW] to help distinguish between them. You will NOT be able to see what the past conversations were prior to your arrival, but you will see everything DURING your stay in chat mode. Simulated BBS chat mode discussion: ------------------------------------------------------- 2 - Mike : Hi Joe, how are you? 4 - Joe : Welcome to GROUP CHAT mode Mike. 2 - Mike : Why thanx, I think this will work! 0 - 07-30-89 12:44 : Frank Thomas Entered Group Chat. 2 - Mike : Hello Frank! 1 - Frank : Hi Mike. This looks like fun. 2 - Mike : It sure can be! 2 - Mike : What do you think about that Joe? 4 - Joe : You're right. This is great! 2 - Mike : Gotta run, you guy's take care. 0 - 07-30-89 12:47 : Joe Martin has exited chat. The number preceding the callers name indicates what NODE the caller is attached to and a "0" indicates a statement generated by the system. Page 18 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE CHATMODE OPERATION CHATMODE INFORMATION - continued The available options while in chat mode are: /QUIT - Exit chat mode and inform all the other callers that you have departed. /HELP or /? - Displays HELP information on how to use chat mode. /USERS - Displays a list of the users in chat mode. Similar to [W]ho Else is Online option. /DAY - Displays the current date and time. /TIMEON - Displays your current time on, and minutes remaining. Since there is a delay from when the caller reads the last line entered and then starts to enter a reply, the best thing to do until all the callers get "used to" the way the other callers type and reply to the discussion, is to keep all the statements and replies very short. This will help everyone get a "feel" for how each other types and then you can progressively increase the size of your responses. Remember also, that there may be several people trying to reply at the same time and the phrases might be a little out of turn, but with a little patience, you will be able to figure it all out. Page 19 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE FILE MENU SCREEN ÄÄÄÄÄ ÒÄ· ÄÒÄ Ò ÒÄ· ÒÒ· ÒÄ· ÒÄ· · Ö ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ±±±±± ÇÄ º º ÇÄ ººº ÇÄ º º º º ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ±±±±± Ð ÄÐÄ ÐÄÄ ÐĽ ½ Ó ÐĽ ½ Ó ÓĽ ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ÄÄÄÄÄ T H E P O W E R S T A T I O N ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÕÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͸ ÕÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͸ ßßß ³ [Q].....Quit to Main Menu ³ ßßß ³ [I]..Information on a File ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [L]..List Available Files ³ ßßß ³ [D].....Download a File(s) ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [U]......Upload a File(s) ³ ßßß ³ [N]....New Files Since [N] ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [T]...........Text Search ³ ßßß ³ [S]..Stats on Up/Downloads ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [F]....File Transfer Info ³ ßßß ³ [G].......Goodbye & LogOff ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [H]............Help Level ³ ßßß ³ [?]...........Command Help ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [M]..........Message Menu ³ ßßß ³ [V].View a Compressed File ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [R]......Read a Text File ³ ßßß ³ [J]......Join a Conference ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [E].....Edit Marked Files ³ ßßß ³ ³ ßßß ÔÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ; ÔÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ; You've Been on 2 Minutes with 58 Minutes Remaining For This Call CONFERENCE: "General Message Area" FILE MENU : [Q I L D U N T S F G H ? M V R J E]:? [ ] Page 20 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE FILE MENU OPTIONS [Q].......QUIT TO MAIN MENU Exits the FILE menu and returns to MAIN menu. [I]...INFORMATION ON A FILE This menu choice prompts you for the filename you're interested in. After checking for a valid file, you are shown information in the [F]ull/Detailed file description mode. See page 31 for additional information on display modes. [L]....LIST AVAILABLE FILES This is the menu choice used to view the files available for download from the current conference. Each conference contains specific file area listings, and they may vary from conference to conference. Any file available in any conference may be downloaded from any conference, but will only be listed in conferences to which it's assigned. In other words, if the SysOp has elected to categorize specific files to go with certain conferences, only those files assigned to their currently [J]oined conference will be displayed. Other files not listed in this conference can be downloaded, just not [L]isted. Selecting this option will display the following sub-prompt: Areas (1..32) [#, #-#], [A]ll, [L]ist, [S|D|F], [H]elp Below is a brief description of each available option. (1..32) - File areas available for [L]isting based upon your security level and currently [J]oined conference. [#, #-#] - File area(s) you wish to display. You can list several areas by separating your choices with spaces, or with a dash to read all areas between two numbers inclusively. For example, to see areas 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 you can enter the command [2 4-8 10]. [A]ll - Use the [A]ll choice to list files in all available file areas for the currently [J]oined conference. Page 21 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE FILE MENU OPTIONS [L]....LIST AVAILABLE FILES - continued [L]ist - Displays a list of available file areas assigned to the currently [J]oined conference. [S|D|F] - When listing files you may view the files in a [S]ingle line format, a [D]ouble line format, or [F]ull/Detailed file information. Each user can set a default method by modifying their user record in the MAIN menu option, [Y]our Settings. If no method is specified on this command line, the default is used. If the user has not yet set a default, the [D]ouble line mode is used. To override your default settings, simply append the letter S, D, or F to your choice. An example asking for [F]ull/Detailed display might be 2 4-8 10F. This example requests files in the same areas as above, but specifies full file information display. For additional information on display modes, refer to page 31. After files have been listed to the screen, you have a number of options available. The following sub-prompt is displayed: -Pause- [C]ont, [H]elp, [N]onstop, [M]ark, [D]wnld, [I]nfo, [V]iew, [S]top? Below is a brief description of each available option. [C]ont - This is the default response, and results in a continuation of the file listing. [N]onstop - This choice continues the file listings, but does not pause between screens, nor offer the opportunity to [M]ark files any longer. Page 22 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE FILE MENU OPTIONS [L]....LIST AVAILABLE FILES - continued [M]ark - This choice allows you to create a queue of files for downloading by selecting the corresponding file number instead of the entire filename. Marked filenames are stored in a temporary buffer, and may be viewed and/or modified as your listing continues. Choosing [M]ark presents the following sub-prompt: Mark File Command [#, #-#], [A]ll, [E]dit/View, [H]elp? Files may be marked individually or in groups by number. Each screen full of files is numbered from 1 to the maximum number which will fit on a single screen display. To [M]ark files numbered 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 you can enter the command 2 4-8 10. Below is a brief description of the available options. [A]ll - This will [M]ark all the files displayed on the screen for download. If the number of daily downloads set by the SysOp is exceeded, only those selected prior to the maximum will be marked for download. In other words, if the maximum downloads per day is set to 5 and you select 7 with the [A]ll command, only the first 5 will be allowed and you will be notified for the remainder of the selected files that you have exceeded your maximum daily limit. [E]dit - Selecting this option presents a display of the number and size of files marked as follows: Item File Name File Size D/L Time ---- ------------ --------- -------- [ 1] ALLFILES.TXT 23,993 00:02:44 [ 2] WILDCAT1.EXE 237,229 00:23:19 [ 3] WILDCAT2.EXE 244,122 00:24:44 [ 4] TOMCAT.ZIP 78,375 00:08:11 Total Files Queued D/L Bytes Est time ------------------ --------- -------- 4 583,719 00:58:58 Edit marked files command: [R]emove item, [C]lear List, [Q]uit edit? [ ] Page 23 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE FILE MENU OPTIONS [L]....LIST AVAILABLE FILES - continued [E]dit - continued After viewing the files queued, you can delete individual files with the [R]emove item command or remove ALL the queued files with the [C]lear List command. [D]wnld - Allows you to begin downloading files. If you haven't selected any files using the [M]ark command, you're asked for the 1st file name and any additional file names until you have reached the maximum allowed, or until you enter a blank name. If you have [M]arked files in the download queue, you are presented with the following sub-prompt: You have these MARKED files queued ready for download: Item File Name File Size D/L Time ---- ------------ --------- -------- [ 1] ALLFILES.TXT 23,993 00:02:44 [ 2] WILDCAT1.EXE 237,229 00:23:19 [ 3] WILDCAT2.EXE 244,122 00:24:44 [ 4] TOMCAT.ZIP 78,375 00:08:11 Total Files Queued D/L Bytes Est time ------------------ --------- -------- 4 583,719 00:58:58 What would you like to do: [D]ownload - Download all marked files. [E]dit - Edit/View marked files. [A]dd - Add more files (by name) to the DL list. [G]oodbye - Download all marked files, then Log-Off. [S]TOP - Return to the Menu Prompt. Command? [D] From here you can select one of the above options and continue. After selecting [D]ownload files, you will be prompted whether or not to remain online after the transfer is complete or to have the system automatically log you off the BBS after the transfer is finished. Page 24 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE FILE MENU OPTIONS [L]....LIST AVAILABLE FILES - continued Should you have difficulties transferring any of the [M]arked files in the queue, the files not transferred will remain in the queue for easy re-transmittal. When the file transfer(s) are complete, you will be returned to the same location in listing files you started from. This allows you to continue listing more files for additional downloading. [V]iew - This option is used to look into the contents of an archived or compressed file such as a .ZIP or .LZH file. Various utility programs perform this function in different ways. In it's simplest form, it will display a list of all the files contained within this archive. A more advanced function would be, in addition to listing the files, the ability to read the contents of one of the text files. In addition, be able to select several files contained within the original archive and download only those selected files. This function will vary from BBS to BBS depending on what's installed. [I]nfo - Once prompted for a file number, you are shown information in the [F]ull/Detailed file information mode for the filename selected. See page 31 for additional information on display modes. [S]top - Stops the file listing display and returns to the menu. [D]......DOWNLOAD A FILE(s) This option allows transferring files from the BBS system to your computer. There are a number of different methods of transferring files which are fully explained in the chapter on Transfer Protocols. Following a request for download, if you haven't previously [M]arked files for download, you will be prompted for the name of the file (or files) to download. You can enter up to the maximum allowable per day as defined by the SysOp. If you haven't defined a default transfer protocol, you will be prompted to enter which one to use followed by a choice whether or not to be automatically logged off after the transfer is complete. Page 25 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE FILE MENU OPTIONS [D]......DOWNLOAD A FILE(s) - continued When the BBS indicates it's "Ready to Send", you should begin your own local transfer procedures using the same protocol selected when the download was started. WILDCAT! will allow you to download up to 99 files using internal batch protocols such as Ymodem and Zmodem and selected external protocols like MobyZmodem and PUMA. Even non-batch protocols like Xmodem, Xmodem/CRC you can queue up to 99 files for repetitive auto-download. This is, of course, subject to the limitation imposed by the SysOp for your security level. [U]........UPLOAD A FILE(s) This option allows sending a file from your system to the BBS. Batch file transfers may be done using some protocols. Prior to every upload, you are asked to establish which file area will be the destination for the uploaded file(s). Only one file area can be selected, even for batch uploads. If you are unsure of the area you want, use the [L]ist areas command for details of the available areas. Some systems may only allow uploads to a single area where they will be screened by the SysOp prior to being made generally available. After the upload(s) is complete, the BBS may then proceed to uncompress the file(s) and scan them for viruses. This is done while you are online and is for the protection of the other callers that might download this file(s). [N].....NEW FILES SINCE [N] Displays a sub-prompt requesting the date to use as a basis for the search. The default date is the last time you used this particular option, not your last logon. A new user's search date is always set to [01/01/80]. You can logon for weeks, even months, and providing the [N] option is not selected during a particular logon, the default date will not be changed. In addition to the automatic default date discussed above, you may manually enter any date from which to start a new files search, allowing a display of all files added since the specified date. This option is most commonly used to check for new files uploaded since the last time you were on the BBS, or more specifically, since the last time you used this function. Page 26 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE FILE MENU OPTIONS [T].............TEXT SEARCH The Text search function allows you to locate files using a user-specified set of search criteria. Selecting this option presents the sub-prompt: Search criteria: [N]ame : *.* [K]eyword : All [D]escription : All [U]ploaded by : All [L]isting method: Double line Search command [N K D L U], [H]elp, [Q]uit, [S]tart [ ] Defaults parameters shown above will produce a complete list of all the files on the BBS. You can specify more than one search parameter to further narrow down your search. Below is a explanation of the above commands. [N]ame - The name search criteria lets you locate files with a file mask using the standard DOS wildcard characters of * & ?. You can edit the field to search only for files with the ZIP extension (*.ZIP) or only those beginning with the word WILD (WILD*.*). This criterion performs an incredibly fast search since the file names are indexed. [K]eyword - The Keyword search criteria lets you locate files based any one of the five keywords connected with each file. The keywords connected with each file are used to help identify common factors when doing searches. The key (no pun intended) to a successful keyword search is brevity. If you are looking for programs for Microsoft Windows version 3.0, don't enter the entire phrase, shorten it to WIN. The reason is that key searches will produce a match for every key word that matches or is LONGER. Page 27 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE FILE MENU OPTIONS [T].............TEXT SEARCH - continued For example, if a group of files contains the following keywords: VICTOR WAN WIN WINDOWS VITAMIN WAR WINDOW WONDER Then the word WIN will select and match WIN WINDOW and WINDOWS while the word WINDOWS will only match the single entry. Keep your keywords short, and try several related ideas for the best search. Keyword searches are very fast since they are indexed. [D]escription - The description search criteria lets you locate files by searching the entire description of the file, including the extended message description. Utilizing this search method adds significant time to the search process! If used, it should be limited to a specific file area, or combined with a limited filename mask. [U]ploaded by - This parameter will allow you to search for files that a specific caller has uploaded. Selecting this choice presents the sub-prompt: Users FIRST & LAST name? [ ] and then allows you to enter a callers name or any portion of it. After entering and accepting your criteria you may also select the type of listing you want prior to beginning the search with the [L]isting method command. For additional information on the different display modes, refer to page 33. [S]...STATS ON UP/DOWNLOADS Statistics presents you with a complete summary of file information for both the system as well as your own file database activity and limits. It includes number and size of uploads & downloads for today and since your first call, as well as your limits for your established security level. Page 28 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE FILE MENU OPTIONS [F]......FILE TRANSFER INFO Presents extensive information on various file transfer protocols available, including Xmodem, Ymodem, Zmodem, ASCII, and others. It can give you help on what protocols are fastest, and which should be used in different situations. For additional information on file transfer protocols, refer to page 57. [G].......GOODBYE & LOG-OFF This option is used to log off of the bulletin board system and disconnects the connection. For an indepth explanation, refer to page 11, [G]oodbye & Log-Off option. [H]..............HELP LEVEL WILDCAT! supports three different levels of menu prompts. [N]ovice, [R]egular and [E]xpert modes. For an indepth explanation, refer to page 11, [H]elp level option. [?]............COMMAND HELP Displays a Help screen that breaks down all the available commands from the FILE menu. [M]............MESSAGE MENU Presents the MESSAGE menu, without traversing through the MAIN menu. [V]........VIEW AN ARC FILE This option is used to look into the contents of an archived or compressed file such as a .ZIP or .LZH file. Various utility programs perform this function in different ways. In it's simplest form, it will display a list of all the files contained within this archive. A more advanced function would be in addition to listing the files, the ability to read the contents of one of the text files. In addition, be able to select several files contained within the original archive and download only those files needed. This function will vary from BBS to BBS depending on what the SysOp has installed. Page 29 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE FILE MENU OPTIONS [R]........READ A TEXT FILE A sub-prompt requests the name of any ASCII file listed in the file database. The selected text file is displayed with appropriate screen pauses. Files which are obviously not in ASCII format such as .COM, .EXE, .ARC, .ZIP etc. are accepted at the sub-prompt, but a warning is issued that the file may be unreadable when displayed. [J].......JOIN A CONFERENCE This command is used to leave the current conference and move to another. For a indepth explanation, refer to page 13, [J]oin Conference option. [E]........EDIT MARKED LIST This option is used to edit the list of files previously [M]arked for download. You can add, delete and clear the entire list of files selected. Information about transfer time for each file, along with totals on Kbytes and transfer time are displayed. This list is only maintained for the current logon. If after [M]arking files for download, you decide not to download them and logoff, the list will be automatically cleared. Selecting [E]dit presents a display of the number and size of files marked as follows: Item File Name File Size D/L Time ---- ------------ --------- -------- [ 1] ALLFILES.TXT 23,993 00:03:24 [ 2] WILDCAT1.EXE 237,229 00:12:19 [ 3] WILDCAT2.EXE 244,122 00:13:44 [ 4] TOMCAT.ZIP 78,375 00:09:11 Total Files Queued D/L Bytes Est time ------------------ --------- -------- 4 583,719 00:58:01 Edit marked files command: [R]emove item, [C]lear List, [Q]uit edit? [ ] After viewing the files queued, you can delete individual ones with the [R]emove item command or remove ALL the queued files with the [C]lear List command. Page 30 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE FILE DISPLAY MODES DISPLAY MODE INFORMATION The numbers in the [ #] (brackets) to the left of the filename, are used with the [M]ark function to mark files for downloading. The *Info* flag, if displayed, indicates it there is detailed file information displayed in the [D]etail mode. Shown on files #1 and #2 is the letter P to indicate it requires a password before it can be downloaded. Shown below is sample [F]ull/Detail, [D]ouble and [S]ingle Line modes of displaying files. **** DETAIL FILE LISTING **** ------------------------- Detail File Information ---------------------- Name: IDEATREE.ZIP File date : 07/21/91 12:57 Downloads : 15 Size: 137,010 Last accessed: 08/17/91 11:57 Cost : 0 From: WILLIAM HOLLAND Dwnld Time : 00:01:31 OffLine : NO Area: Business Related Software Free Flag : NO Keys: TREE IDEAS TASKS ORGANIZE LOGIC Desc: IDEATREE v1.00 - Organizes Ideas and Tasks Logically -------------------------- Detailed Description ------------------------ IDEA TREE is a powerful and unique thinking tool. Unlike "outline" software, IDEA TREE takes a general concept, or "parent" idea, and allows you to visually separate the concept into its components, or "children". Each of these components can then be broken down further. In effect, each child can be a parent to children of its own, allowing for an immense amount of detail which is limited only by your computer's memory. **** DOUBLE LINE DISPLAY MODE **** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scanning file area - PC Modem/Terminal Programs [ 1] H44FIX.ZIP 6,676 04/28/91 P Bug fix for HOST44.ZIP if you use DwnLds: 13 DL Time 00:00:04 | Telix version 3.15 *Info* [ 2] HOST44.ZIP 130,775 01/12/91 P HOST3 v4.40 - The Most Advanced DwnLds: 18 DL Time 00:01:27 | Host/BBS System for Telix *Info* **** SINGLE LINE DISPLAY MODE **** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scanning file area - PC Modem/Terminal Programs [ 1] H44FIX.ZIP PBug fix for HOST44.ZIP if you use Telix version 3.15 [ 2] HOST44.ZIP PHOST3 v4.40 - The Most Advanced Host/BBS System [ 3] HOTKEYZ7.ZIP HOTKEY-Z v1.70 - ZMODEM via Hot-Key w/ProComm Plus [ 4] INVLINK.ZIP INVLINK v1.00 - TSR Communications Program [ 5] LEAVEMSG.ZIP LEAVEMSG v1.00 - Allows Sending Receiving Msgs Page 31 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MESSAGE MENU SCREEN ÄÄÄÄÄ ÒÒ· ÖÄÄ ÖÄ· ÖÄÄ ÒÒ· ÒÄ· ÒÄ· · Ö ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ±±±±± ººº ÓÄ· ºÄÒ ÓÄ· ººº ÇÄ º º º º ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ±±±±± ½ Ó ÄĽ ÓĽ ÄĽ ½ Ó ÐĽ ½ Ó ÓĽ ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ÄÄÄÄÄ T H E P O W E R S T A T I O N ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÕÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͸ ÕÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͸ ßßß ³ [Q]..Quit to the Main Menu ³ ßßß ³ [J].....Join a Conference ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [R]........Read Message(s) ³ ßßß ³ [S].......Scan Message(s) ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [E]....Enter a New Message ³ ßßß ³ [K]........Kill a Message ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [G].......Goodbye & LogOff ³ ßßß ³ [H]............Help Level ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [?]...........Command Help ³ ßßß ³ [F]............Files Menu ³ ßßß ßßß ³ [T]..TomCat! QWK Mail DOOR ³ ßßß ³ [U].Update Conf Scan/Read ³ ßßß ÔÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ; ÔÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ; You've Been on 3 Minutes with 57 Minutes Remaining For This Call CONFERENCE: "General Message Area" MSGS MENU : [Q J R S E K G H ? F T U]:? [ ] Page 32 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MESSAGE MENU OPTIONS [Q]...QUIT TO THE MAIN MENU Exits the MESSAGE menu and returns to the MAIN menu. [J].......JOIN A CONFERENCE This command is used to leave the current conference and move to another. For an indepth explanation, refer to page 14, [J]oin Conference option. [R]...........READ MESSAGES This command allows you to select which messages you want to read. Reading can be done using a number of command line options. The READ sub-prompt appears as follows: Starting from [1-2520], [H]elp, [N]ew mail, [S]earch, [U]nread personal, or [ENTER] to quit? Each option is explained below: [1..2520] - Allows you to enter a beginning message number from the message range available. Entering a number begins reading at that message and continues in a direction specified by the [D]irection selection. [N]ew mail - Selecting this option displays the following sub-prompt: Read mail in [C]urrent, [A]ll, or [S]elected conferences? [S] Below is a description of available options: [C]urrent - Displays all previously unread messages in the currently joined conference. [A]ll - Displays all previously unread messages in all of the conferences available based upon your security level. Page 33 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MESSAGE MENU OPTIONS [R]...........READ MESSAGES - continued [S]elected - Similar to [A]ll option, except this will display all unread messages based upon conferences selected by the [U]pdate Conferences Scan/Read function found on the MESSAGE Menu. [S]earch - Selecting this option displays the following sub-prompt: [F]rom : [T]o : S[u]bject : Msg [B]ody : [N]umber : [D]irection : Forward [C]onference : Selected Search command [F T U N D B C], [H]elp, [S]tart, [ENTER] to Quit? Below is a description of available options: [F]rom - Select a user name addressed [F]rom: [T]o - Select a user name addressed [T]o: S[u]bject - Searches on a specific Subject line string. Msg [B]ody - Select keywords in the message body to search for. Example: Entering '386' will cause a search for all occurrences of that string in all messages based upon overall search criteria. [N]umber - Selects the starting message number to begin the search. Page 34 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MESSAGE MENU OPTIONS [R]...........READ MESSAGES - continued [D]irection - This is a toggle between forward and reverse search direction. Forward is searching by incrementing the message count by one, and reverse just the opposite. [C]onference - Selecting this option displays the following sub- prompt: Scan [C]urrent, [S]elected, [A]ll conferences? [ ] [C]urrent - Displays all previously unread messages in the currently selected conference. [A]ll - Displays all previously unread messages in all of the conferences available based upon your security level. [S]elected - Similar to [A]ll option except this will display all unread messages based upon conferences selected by the [U]pdate Conferences Scan/Read function found on the MESSAGE menu. [U]nread personal - Reads all messages that are addressed TO you, and have not been read previously. This command would be used to read only mail addressed to you that is new, and is frequently used to pickup your personal mail. After you've specified the type of [R]ead mode, the BBS will then proceed to display the first message. If at anytime you would like to change the [D]irection of message reading, either [F]orward or [R]everse, placing a plus (+) or minus (-) at the Read prompt will toggle the read mode direction. Additionally, to redisplay the current message, pressing [A] or any non-valid option letter will perform this function. Below is a sample prompt displayed between messages. Read mode : (SELECTED) (726 +) Msg Read [1-2520], [E]dit, [F]wd, [H]elp, [K]ill, [N]onstop, [M]arked, [Q]uit, [R]eply, [D]ownload, [T]hread, [ENTER] Page 35 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MESSAGE MENU OPTIONS [R]...........READ MESSAGES - continued When reading messages, there is a line located directly above the 'Msg Read' prompt. This line contains information on how the messages are being displayed, from what conferences and what direction. Below is a sample prompt with a list of possible Read modes and it's description. Read mode : (UNREAD) (SELECTED) (726 +) (SELECTED) - Reading messages from [S]elected conferences. (UNREAD) - Indicates you are reading previously [U]nread personal mail. (ALL) - Displaying messages in [A]ll conferences. 'blank' - If no READ mode is displayed, messages are being displayed from the current conference. (MARK) - Reading messages that have been previously [M]arked when using the scan option. (THREAD) - Displays messages with a common subject line. (726 +) - Currently displaying message number 726 and reading in a forward direction. After you are presented with the above prompt, you can continue reading the messages by pressing [ENTER] or select one of the available commands. Shown below is description of those commands. [1-2520] - Available message numbers in this conference. You can jump to a specific message by entering in the new message number and pressing [ENTER]. [E]dit - If this option is displayed, you will be able to place the current message in edit mode and make any necessary revisions. [F]orward - This function allows the ability to [F]orward a copy of the current message to another caller. After selecting this option, enter in the callers full name and a duplicate of the current message will be [F]orwarded to that person(s). Page 36 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MESSAGE MENU OPTIONS [R]...........READ MESSAGES - continued [H]elp - Displays online help for the available commands. [K]ill - Once the message has been received, the BBS could prompt you to [K]ill all your [R]eceived mail. Selecting this option will in fact do this. All messages that have been [K]illed are not physically removed from the system until the SysOp purges them from the message databases. [N]onstop - This will display the remaining messages in [N]onstop mode. This means there will no longer be any screen pauses until the last message has been displayed. However, pressing the SPACE BAR will interrupt the displaying of messages and exit the Read mode. [Q]uit - This option, when selected, will stop the reading of messages and return you to the MESSAGE menu. [T]hread - This option is only displayed if there is a common 'subject' line or thread associated with the currently displayed message. The Reference field displays the message number to which this message is a reply. When you select this option, you can read the messages in this thread in either a forward or reverse direction by placing a (-) reverse or a (+) for forward reading after the [T]hread command. Example: T- or T+. [M]ark - This option will only be displayed if messages were previously [M]arked using the scan function. When chosen, this will display only those marked messages. [R]eply - You would select this option if you would like to [R]eply to the current message. After selecting this, you would be prompted for certain information such as, Full screen editor, Subject, Private toggle and possibly Return Receipt, after which, you will be placed in edit mode. Return Receipt is available if you wish to have the BBS send you a special message notifying you of the date and time the message was received. If you had the [Q]uoting feature enabled, the previous message would be quoted and you will be placed at the end of the message to start your reply. Page 37 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MESSAGE MENU OPTIONS [R]...........READ MESSAGES - continued [D]ownload - This option only shows up if there has been a file attached to this message. Once selected, you will then be able to start normal download procedures after choosing the file transfer protocol. [S]...........SCAN MESSAGES This command allows you to Scan messages. Scanning operates much like reading except that the entire text of the message is not displayed. A scan presents the following sub-prompt: [F]rom : [T]o : S[u]bject : Msg [B]ody : [N]umber : [D]irection : Forward [C]onference : Selected Search command [F T U N D B C], [H]elp, [S]tart, [ENTER] to Quit? [ ] When defining the search criteria, you can been very specific about what your looking for, or very general. The smaller the text string used for any of the below fields, will allow greater possibilities of matches. For example, if you want to find all the messages left by someone, but you can't remember how to spell their name. By entering 'JO' (less the quotes), the BBS could find matches on JOE, JOSEPH, JOSE and so on. An added benefit by keeping the search string short is speed. The shorter the string, the faster the entire search process. Below is an explanation of the available search fields. [F]rom - Select a user name addressed [F]rom: [T]o - Select a user name addressed [T]o: S[u]bject - Searches on a specific Subject line string. Page 38 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MESSAGE MENU OPTIONS [S]...........SCAN MESSAGES - continued Msg [B]ody - Select keywords in the message body to search for. Example: entering '386' will cause a search for all occurrences of that string in all messages based upon overall search criteria. [N]umber - Selects the starting message number to begin the search. [D]irection - This is a toggle between forward and reverse search direction. Forward is searching by incrementing the message count by one, and reverse just the opposite. [C]onference - Selecting this option displays the following sub-prompt: Scan [C]urrent, [S]elected, [A]ll conference(s)? [ ] [C]urrent - Limits the scan to the currently [J]oined conference. [A]ll - Searches all of the conferences available based upon your security level. [S]elected - Similar to [A]ll option except this will search only those conferences selected by the [U]pdate Conferences Scan/Read function found on the MESSAGE menu. Page 39 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MESSAGE MENU OPTIONS [S]...........SCAN MESSAGES - continued [S]tart - Begins the search based upon the above settings. Shown below is a sample format of messages found in a scan. Conference 000 - General Message Area [ 1] Msg:23 Fm:ORION HILL To:ALL Sb:TIPC Users Group [ 2] Msg:26 Fm:SEAN THOMAS To:ALL Sb:UL of A-BBSS.LZH [ 3] Msg:41 Fm:WARREN CRAIG To:SEAN THOMAS Sb:Mac Advantages... [ 4] Msg:55 Fm:LEE ETHERIDGE To:ALL Sb:**StarFire** [ 5] Msg:70 Fm:CHRIS DICELY To:WARREN CRAIG Sb:Mac Advantages... [ 6] Msg:89 Fm:ISRAEL CLEWS To:WARREN CRAIG Sb:format -Pause- [C]ontinue, [M]ark, [N]onstop, [S]top? [ ] After messages have been found, you can mark them using the [M]ark function. This allows tagging specific messages based upon the MARKED number, and not the actual message number. [M]ark - Marking messages from the message base allows for fast and easy reading of messages from the currently joined conference. After marking the messages you want to read, selecting [R]ead Message(s) from the MESSAGE menu will display an option to read those [M]arked Messages. This will cause only those messages chosen to be viewed. Each screen full of message headers is numbered from 1 to the maximum number which will fit on a single screen display. Choosing the number to the far left of the actual message number, ie - [ 2] for message number 26 in the above example, will flag that message as being marked. Specified numbers can be entered, as can ranges of numbers. To mark messages numbered 26, 55, 70, 89, simply enter [2, 4-6] at the prompt. All listed messages can be marked for reading with the [A]ll command. [E].....ENTER A NEW MESSAGE Selecting this option allows you to enter a message to a specific user on the board either locally, or in one of the Echomail/Netmail conferences. Upon selecting this option, you are presented with the following sub-prompt: Enter conference, [L]ist, or [ENTER] = "000 - General Message Area" ? Page 40 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MESSAGE MENU OPTIONS [E].....ENTER A NEW MESSAGE - continued Pressing [ENTER] will place this message in the current conference, in this case, conference 0, or you can select a specific conference to save it in. Selecting [L]ist will display all the available conferences. Once a conference number has been selected, you are then prompted to enter in the name of the person you wish to address this to. WILDCAT! then checks to see if that user is in the database, and if not found, asks you whether or not to continue with the message or re-enter the users name. If you are entering a new message to someone in one of the Echomail conferences, it's common for the BBS to inform you that this person doesn't exist. In reality they do, just not in "this" systems user database. If the conference you're saving this message in supports Return Receipts, you'll be asked if you wish to have the BBS send a special message notifying you of the date and time the message was read. However, if this message is addressed to 'ALL', you won't have the option of a Return Receipt. Normally, you wouldn't use this feature in a Echomail conference. You must then enter the subject of the message. If this field is left blank, WILDCAT! will abort the process and return you to the menu. Depending on your settings in your user record, you could then be prompted to use either the full screen editor or the line editor. You would now proceed to enter in the actual contents of the message. Upon finalizing entry of a message, either by pressing [ESCAPE] or pressing consecutive [ENTER]'s, the following sub-prompt appears: Edit Message [A]bort, [C]ontinue, [I]nsert, [L]ist, [E]dit, Ca[r]bon [Q]uote, [F]ull Scrn, [D]elete, [S]ave, [H]elp? At[t]ach Below is a breakdown of each of the options. [A]bort - This will not update the message and will cancel all changes made during the editing session. [C]ontinue - You will be able to continue editing the message. The cursor will be positioned at the last line you entered and return you to SINGLE LINE editing mode. Page 41 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MESSAGE MENU OPTIONS [E].....ENTER A NEW MESSAGE - continued [I]nsert - Allows insertion of new lines in the text. You are prompted for the line number where new lines should be inserted. You are then asked to enter your text, and then your new line(s) are added at the chosen number. Any number of new lines will be inserted as word-wrap creates more new lines as needed. [L]ist - This will redisplay the message with normal screen pauses in effect (if needed), and present you with the 'Edit Message' prompt. [E]dit - Selecting this option will place you back in edit mode, but in the SINGLE LINE mode of editing. Below is a explanation on how to use this mode to edit a specific line. The old and new text is separated by a ";". The terminology used is OLDSTRING for the text to be replaced and NEWSTRING for the new text. After asking for the line number to be edited, WILDCAT! needs to know what needs to be changed. The syntax for this procedure is: OLDSTRING;NEWSTRING (note the semicolon between the two words). This command is translated as "Take the first occurrence of the characters OLDSTRING and delete them, then insert the characters NEWSTRING in the same location. For example, if the message line reads: "this is a message to shw how to use th Edit command." Obviously we need to change two errors, the word "th" for "the" and "shw" for "show". First lets fix "shw" by using the command "shw;show" which scans for the word "shw" and replaces it with "show". Now the harder correction. Notice that the first occurrence of the incorrect text "th" is actually a part of correct text "this" in the 1st word. Therefore we can't simply use the command "th;the" or the new message will read: "theis is a message...". Page 42 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MESSAGE MENU OPTIONS [E].....ENTER A NEW MESSAGE - continued The proper method is to broaden the OLDSTRING search to include additional unique text such as: "use th;use the" Notice that we can replace any number of letters even with a shorter or longer NEWSTRING. After an edit the caller is presented with the corrected line and allowed to make more corrections, if needed. A blank [C/R] terminates the Edit mode. Ca[r]bon - You will be prompted for the user name(s) of whom you want to receive copies of the message being edited. This is very useful if you would like to send this message to more than one person. Each person that receives this message will have a "cc: User Name" appended to the end of this message. [Q]uote - Allows you to quote all or part of the message being replied to. You are asked for the start line to quote and then you need to enter the last line to quote. You then need to [C]ontinue your message and you will be positioned at the end of the quoted lines. The [Q]uoted lines will appear with the minus-greater-than "->" on the far left side. Press [ENTER], and then you can continue with your reply to the message. [F]ull Screen - This will take you back to the full screen editor and will put you in edit mode placing the cursor at the end of the message. For an indepth explanation, refer to the page 51. [D]elete - You will be prompted for the line number(s) to delete. The editor will then redisplay the line(s) you want to delete and will ask for confirmation before actually deleting them. [S]ave - After the message has been proofread and edited, the save command will update the message base with the message and appropriate carbon copies, if requested. Page 43 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MESSAGE MENU OPTIONS [E].....ENTER A NEW MESSAGE - continued At[t]ach - This function allows you to attach a file to the current message. This allows the reader the ability to download the file. This file is not maintained in the normal file database, but rather stored separately with the messages. This file will stay "attached" to the message until it has been [K]illed. [K]..........KILL A MESSAGE This is a routine for erasing old messages directly from the MESSAGE Menu. It requires that (1), the message to be deleted is either TO or FROM the user who is attempting to erase same, and (2), that the message number is already known. Messages may also be deleted interactively while reading them in the message conference. Messages [K]illed will not be physically removed from the system until the SysOp "purges" them from the databases. [G].......GOODBYE & LOG-OFF This option is used to logoff of the bulletin board system and disconnects the connection. For an indepth explanation, refer to page 11, [G]oodbye & Log-Off option. [H]..............HELP LEVEL WILDCAT! supports three different levels of menu prompts. [N]ovice, [R]egular and [E]xpert modes. For an indepth explanation, refer to page 11, [H]elp level option. [?]............COMMAND HELP Displays a Help screen that breaks down all the available commands from the MESSAGE menu. [F]...............FILE MENU Presents the FILE menu directly, where activities such as uploading and downloading take place. Page 44 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MESSAGE MENU OPTIONS [T]...TOMCAT! QWK MAIL DOOR This option when selected runs an a special program to create QWK compatible downloadable mail packets from the BBS. For additional information on this feature, refer to page 55. [U]...UPDATE CONF SCAN/READ This option is used to specify which conferences are to be checked when mail is [R]ead or [S]canned using the [S]elected Conferences option. Since WILDCAT! has the ability to have 100's of different conferences, you don't usually want to spend time searching for or reading messages in conferences you're not interested in. So this option is used to [S]elect which conferences to scan in. You also have the ability to manually override these settings by choosing [A]ll Conferences when prompted. When the Update Conference command is selected, a screen appears listing the conferences available to your security level similar to the following: 0) * General Message Area 1) * Games Comments/Info 2) * DOS Commands & Info 3) * Classifieds Buy & Sell 4) * Technical Information 5) * Printer Tech Info 6) SysOp to SysOp Area 7) * BBS Advertisements 8) * Commercial Software Info 9) * Uploaded File Reviews 10) Comments to the SysOp 11) * NetMail BBS/BBS Direct -Pause- [#-#], [D]eselect all, [H]elp, [S]elect all, [Q]uit? The above display indicates that you have access to 12 conferences, and that you scan and read from 10 of them (marked with the *) when the [S]elected conferences command is used. You may modify your default conferences by entering the number of the conference to change. Entering a conference number toggles the status from selected (*) to not selected (no *). You may also deselect or select ALL available conferences with the [D]eselect all or [S]elect all commands. Page 45 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MESSAGE MENU OPTIONS [U]...UPDATE CONF SCAN/READ - continued [#-#] - You can select a specific conference number, or a range of conferences to update for Scan/Read. For a range of conferences, type the number of the conference you would like to start with and then type the dash - and then enter the number of the conference to end with. This method will select all conferences between the two numbers inclusively. ie. [2-5] will select conferences 2, 3, 4 and 5. An "*" will appear next to all the conferences that have been selected. [D]eselect all - This selection will deselect all conferences. You will notice that the "*" next to the previously selected conferences will disappear. [S]elect all - This selection will select all conferences. You will notice that the "*" will appear next to all the conference numbers selected. Page 46 WILDCAT! USERS GUIDE MESSAGE INFORMATION LAYOUT MESSAGE FORMAT When messages are displayed to the caller, quite a bit of information about the message is displayed. Below is our sample message that will be referenced for explanation purposes. ================================================================ From : JOE MARTIN (Staff) Number : 1129 of 1181 To : GREG GORIN Date : 10/11/91 00:00 Subject : Hatching files Reference : NONE Read : [N/A] Private : NO Conf : 018 - WILDCAT! Conference -> I need a file hatcher for Wildcat 3.0 does anyone know of a -> hatcher that works? Try Wildcat File Forward, it does both, imports and exports files... --- WM v2.00 WM 91-0002 * Origin: The Power Station BBS 8 Nodes! (1:161/123) Read mode : (1129 +) Msg Read [431-1181], [F]orward, [H]elp, [N]onstop, [P]rint, [Q]uit, [R]eply, [ENTER = prev]? ================================================================ Shown below is a breakdown of the available fields in the message including information stored in the message body. From : JOE MARTIN (Staff) This is the person the message was left by. In this case, Joe Martin. If the system is setup to support them, you will see the persons title displayed in parentheses to the right of their name. To : GREG GORIN This is the person that Joe Martin is addressing the message to. Subject : Hatching files This is the subject line of the message and is used for several reasons. First off, to identify what the message body is about, and secondly, it's used as a starting point for proper message 'threads'. For more on message threads, see the "Reference :" field. Page 47 WILDCAT! USERS GUIDE MESSAGE INFORMATION LAYOUT MESSAGE FORMAT - continued Read : [N/A] This displays the date and time the message was read. Obviously messages to ALL cannot be received nor can most messages in Echomail type conferences. It is used by WILDCAT! to speed up the search for [U]nread personal mail at logon. Possible entries displayed would be: 10/10/91 01:34 - Date and time this message was read. [N/A] - The 'To :' username was not found in the user database. Possibly because this is a Echomail conference or this message was addressed to ALL. Therefore, it's not applicable. NO - This message has not been read by the person it was addressed to. (REPLIES) - This is displayed after the date and time the message was read, and that replies exist. Conf : 018 - WILDCAT! Conference - This is the actual conference the message was stored in and does not necessarily indicate the currently [J]oined Conference. '018' indicates conference number 18, followed by a dash and the actual conference description. Number : 1129 of 1181 - This indicates this is message number 1129, and the highest available message number for this conference is 1181. This does not necessarily mean there is 1,181 messages in this conference. Date : 10/11/91 00:00 - This is the date and time the message was created. Reference : NONE - This field tracks the message number to which the current message is a direct reply. For example, if while reading message 20, a reply is requested creating message 30, message 30 has the number 20 in the Reference field. If a reply is then made to message 30 creating message 40, message 40 places the number 30 in its Reference field and number 20 in its Thread field (it gets it from message 30's Thread field). Please note, the Thread field is internal to the message and is not displayed. Page 48 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MESSAGE INFORMATION LAYOUT MESSAGE FORMAT - continued Private : NO - This is a toggle to display whether this is a private or public message. Once the above information has been displayed, if this message had been previously [F]orwarded, WILDCAT! will display something similar to: NOTE: This message was originally addressed to GREG GORIN and was forwarded to you by JOE MARTIN -------------------- Otherwise, the actual body of the message comes next. This can contain several things. The example message had its first two lines starting off with the '->' characters. This indicates this was part of a previous message that had been quoted for easy reference when replying. These characters can be a wide variety of combinations created by various different editors, but the '->' indicates this message was quoted by the editor in WILDCAT! Next is the actual reply, followed by what is referred to as the 'tear line'. This is only inserted in the message if this message was exported from the message base by a mail processor and added to a Echo type conference. You won't find this in one of the local type conferences. --- WM v2.00 WM 91-0002 The breakdown of the information is as follows. The dashes indicates this is the tear line and the remainder is the actual mail processor with version and serial numbers that extracted the message. In this case, WILDMAIL! v2.00, serial number WM 91-0002. Following the tear line is the 'Origin' line. This is used in conjunction with the tear line. This is the system that this message originated from. Again, this is only displayed if this is a Echomail type message. * Origin: The Power Station BBS 8 Nodes! (1:161/123) This indicates this message came from The Power Station BBS with the address of 1:161/123. This is the actual node address of the BBS within the FidoNet network. Page 49 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE MESSAGE INFORMATION LAYOUT MESSAGE FORMAT - continued Another possible item that could be added to the message body would be the SEENBY: field. If shown, this will indicate what node addresses have already received, or have 'seen' this message. Normally, this information is hidden and is for the SysOp's use and will only be displayed in a Echomail type conference. After displaying the contents of the message, if chosen by the SysOp, it's possible for the BBS to display a prompt to [K]ill your received mail if it's no longer needed. This merely a reminder to clean up after yourself. If you no longer have use for this message, be sure and [K]ill it to make room for additional messages. The remaining information displayed is the [R]ead prompt. For additional information on the options associated with this prompt, refer to page 33. RETURN RECEIPTS If you have elected to receive a Return Receipt on messages sent to someone, WILDCAT! will create a special message addressed to you. Upon initial logon, you will be prompted similar to below: You have personal mail waiting, do you want to list it? [Y] Conference 000 - General Messages #: 3383 From: WILDCAT! MAIL ROOM Subj: Return receipt Below is a sample message. ============================================================= From : WILDCAT! MAIL ROOM Number : 3383 of 3383 To : JOE MARTIN Date : 10/15/91 20:39 Subject : Return receipt Reference : NONE Read : 10/15/91 20:47 Private : YES Conf : 000 - General Messages Your message to FRANK THOMAS, regarding: Hi There... was received on 10/15/91 at 20:39. ---------------------------------------- ============================================================= Note that this message is flagged as Private and is addressed to you from the WILDCAT! MAIL ROOM. After you have received this message, you should then [K]ill it if it's no longer needed. Page 50 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE FULL SCREEN EDITOR FULL SCREEN VISUAL EDITOR The full-screen editor supports several cursor movement commands generated by different communication programs. Cursor positioning using ANSI terminal emulation as well as standard Escape commands are interpreted properly. If you find that your communication program is not operating properly when in the full-screen editor, you may need to activate ANSI terminal emulation mode. Some programs support both ANSI and Escape codes and do not require ANSI to be activated. If you still have problems with cursor positioning, make use of the Ctrl keys listed below to move the cursor. Note that Ctrl key movement and keys such as PgUp/PgDn cannot be used if your communication program used Ctrl key commands for its own operation or macros. If your comm program supports a pass-through mode such as Doorway Mode, you may find it better suited for full-screen editor operation. The following is a list of current commands supported by the full screen editor: CTRL KEY or KEY COMBINATION = EFFECT -------- --------------- --------------------- ^A CTRL-Left Arrow Cursor word left ^B Reformat paragraph ^C Page Down Page down ^D Right Arrow Cursor right ^E Up Arrow Cursor up ^F CTRL-Right Arrow Cursor word right ^G Del Delete character ^I TAB ^J Join lines ^L Re-draw screen ^M Enter New line ^N Split line ^P End Cursor to end of line ^R Page Up Page up ^S Left Arrow Cursor left ^T Delete word right ^V Ins Toggle insert mode ^W Home Cursor to beg of line ^X Down Arrow Cursor down ^Y Delete the line Page 51 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE TOMCAT! QWK MAIL DOOR TOMCAT! QWK MAIL DOOR TomCat! allows you to download BBS messages to read offline with a reader program such as Qmail, EZ-Reader or SLMR. You download a .QWK mail packet consisting of messages, bulletins, new file listings, and the bulletin board's own "hello" and "goodbye" screens. It takes far less time to download a hundred or so messages than it does to read them on line. Use your favorite text editor or word processor while replying to messages at your convenience. The offline reader simulates an on-line BBS session, allowing you to read and reply to messages, without tying up the phone line or incurring expensive toll charges. Later, you can call back and upload your replies, where they are inserted automatically into the BBS message base. It takes only a few seconds. And you can use your communications program's automated scripts to call bulletin boards in the middle of the night, download mail and upload replies -- all without the frustration of redialing a busy system during prime time. Online help is available from TomCat!'s main menu, but here are a few quick tips to get you going. TomCat! is easy to learn, particularly if you have used other .QWK mail doors. New users will find the configuration menu easy to understand, and advanced users will like the powerful options available. Most of your default settings are taken directly from WILDCAT!'s user file -- color, hotkeys, and default transfer protocol. From the [C]onfigure TomCat! menu, you can select which conferences to download, reset your high message pointers to reread old mail or skip messages globally or within specific conferences, and reset your new file/bulletin scan date. Default download options and packet types (.QWK, uncompressed or compressed text file) can all be saved in your TomCat! user record. You can also configure TomCat! offline. Add, reset or drop conferences using the features of your mail reader -- TomCat! will look for messages addressed to QMAIL, QWIKMAIL, MARKMAIL or TOMCAT, to add, drop or reset a conference. You can even request a return receipt -- messages uploaded through the door with a topic line beginning with RRR will generate a return receipt in WILDCAT!'s message database to inform you when the addressee reads or downloads your message. Page 52 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE ECHOMAIL/NETMAIL CONCEPTS ECHOMAIL/NETMAIL EXPLANATION You may not have heard the term "Store and Forward Electronic Mail Network" before, but you may well have used one without knowing it. Examples of common store and forward networks are FidoNet, PCRelayNet and UseNet. Store and Forward networks are "distributed" in nature, meaning messages can be shared with other systems. Not all BBS's are part of a store and forward network; those that are not part of one allow only local electronic mail, meaning that messages entered on the system never physically leave that system. The recipient must dial into the BBS to receive their mail. Networking BBS message areas nationally or even globally to reach a wider audience has become very popular in the BBS community. As the name suggest, store and forward mail networks store, then later forward electronic mail to its destination at a physically different location. This contrasts with real-time networks, where messages are delivered to their destination immediately upon entry. Store and forward networks have one key technical advantage - they don't require constant computing power to handle the mail. Realtime networks are always using at least a portion of the host system's computing power to continually process mail as a background task. On PC based systems, this difference can be important, because background processing is not always a reasonable proposition. On store and forward systems, mail is processed as a batch when necessary. Mail is processed only when actually required, or on a regularly scheduled basis. The networks you're likely to encounter in your modem travels, FidoNet (and other FidoNet technology based networks such as RBBS-Net) and PC RelayNet both use this same basic procedure to process and deliver electronic mail. Because FidoNet is so common and well established, we'll use it as a basis for our explanation of the process in a bit more detail. Within FidoNet, there are two basic types of network mail: NetMail, and EchoMail. NetMail is person to person electronic mail, sent from one FidoNet system to another. EchoMail is a term which describes "shared" message areas. With EchoMail, a message entered on one FidoNet BBS is delivered to dozens or even hundreds of other FidoNet BBS's which carry the same message area. EchoMail is delivered on a subscription type arrangement, so not all FidoNet systems carry all areas. In fact with hundreds of different EchoMail areas, most systems carry just a small fraction of total (if any; EchoMail is optional). Page 53 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE ECHOMAIL/NETMAIL CONCEPTS ECHOMAIL/NETMAIL EXPLANATION - continued Other networks generally have analogous functions as well. For example UseNet, a UNIX based network, has both electronic mail (system to system) and "newsgroups" (shared message areas). In the case of FidoNet, NetMail and EchoMail is delivered via the same physical mechanism and process, it's just the handling of the messages themselves that varies. Let's first follow a NetMail message from source to destination to get an idea of the process. As a BBS user, you sign on to a FidoNet BBS near you, in Denver for example. You wish to send a message to a friend in Seattle who uses a FidoNet BBS there. On most FidoNet systems, it's possible to arrange with the system operator to have NetMail privileges, usually for a modest fee to cover the costs of message delivery. The only other thing you as a user need to know is the FidoNet address of the system you're sending mail to. This address, called a node number or node address, is a unique identifier that designates a specific FidoNet member system. Your friend calls the Seattle Software Exchange BBS whose FidoNet address is 343/8. The "343" is a net number, and means that the BBS is in Seattle. Most major metropolitan areas have a net number used by all systems there. The "8" is the node number portion, and when paired with the net number forms a unique address that specifically designates Seattle Software Exchange. From the FidoNet BBS you call in Denver, you access the special NetMail message area, and begin entering a message just as you normally would to someone on the BBS. When the system prompts you for the node address, you enter 343/8. Most BBS software confirms your selection by displaying the name and location of the BBS which corresponds to the address you entered. After entering the usual information (subject of the message and so on), you enter the text of the message as you normally would, then save the message. It's this part of the process that makes up the "store" portion of "store and forward electronic mail". You aren't immediately kicked off the system so it can send your message, and it's very unlikely that some sort of background task is running to deliver the message while you stay online. The message is stored until, at a later time, the system will process it further. Many FidoNet systems exit automatically after you hang-up to process any FidoNet messages you entered. Other BBS software is configured to come offline at scheduled times to perform this processing. In all cases, the basic steps are the same. Page 54 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE ECHOMAIL/NETMAIL CONCEPTS ECHOMAIL/NETMAIL EXPLANATION - continued The BBS software itself becomes inactive, releasing the machine for the processing of mail. Special utilities are run to perform a process called "scanning". The BBS message base is examined for newly entered messages, which are copied out from the message base and stored in a special format for further processing. When scanning is complete, a "packer" is run which takes these interim processed messages and processes them further, delivering them as- is or possibly re-packaging or archiving them for delivery first. The packages are called appropriately enough, "packets" and are analogous to the mail bag filled with individual envelopes. Next, a special software utility called a "mailer" takes the outbound packages, dials the telephone and delivers them to their destination. In our example, the FidoNet system here in Denver would place a call to Seattle Software Exchange automatically. A telephone directory called a "nodelist" is maintained by the FidoNet system, and 343/8, the system in Seattle, is listed there with the telephone number (206) 637-2398. A call is placed by the mailer. On the Seattle side of the connection, a mailer answers the phone. Both mailers "handshake" and begin transferring the mail. For a simple one message transfer, the entire transaction takes less than a minute at 2400 bps. The calling mailer then hangs up, and the process on the Denver side of the connection is complete. It's this delivery process that makes up the "forward" portion of the "store and forward electronic mail". With most FidoNet systems, local calls are placed any time of the day or night because there is no cost incurred in doing so. Long distance calls like the one to Seattle, are normally scheduled to occur at night after the long distance rates have gone down and costs are at their most economical level. Once the message is received on the Seattle side, it is sometimes held for later processing after more messages are received, or it might be processed immediately. The basic flow, however, is again the same. An "unpacker" is run which takes the message out of its packaging for additional handling during the "tossing" process. Here, the new messages that have been received are merged into or tossed into the message base, where the BBS callers can access them. Anytime after this, your friend in Seattle can dial into the Seattle Software Exchange and read the message you've sent. He could also reply to the message, which would start the process over again in reverse. Page 55 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE ECHOMAIL/NETMAIL CONCEPTS ECHOMAIL/NETMAIL EXPLANATION - continued As involved as the entire process sounds, it's actually very simple, entirely automated, and usually takes about one day to get the messages from point to point. Our example was detailing the flow of a NetMail message, but EchoMail messages are handled in nearly an identical manner. However, because EchoMail is shared among other systems, there's more to the process. Obviously with hundreds of participating systems, it's not realistic for each system to dial hundreds of BBS each day and every night. For this reason, distribution "topologies" have been developed that dictate the flow of EchoMail. There's even a national "backbone" of systems that handle most of the EchoMail traffic between large geographical regions. In each region of the country, there are smaller distribution channels that act like mini backbones. In this manner, each participating system calls just a handful of (sometimes just one or two) other systems, then each of them calls a few more, and them a few more, and so on in bucket brigade fashion. Even with multiple processing layers, a message entered in an EchoMail area on one BBS can reach all of the other participating systems within a few days in most cases. SYSOP NOTE: The above was a article written by Alan D. Applegate of Boardwatch Magazine dated July, 1991. This is a magazine devoted to BBS system operators and users which contains a wealth of information concerning BBS and modeming in general. If you would like more information concerning this magazine, dial their voice line at 1-800-933-6038 and talk to them about subscribing. If you care to write to them, their address is 5970 South Vivian Street, Littleton, CO, 90127. Page 56 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOLS FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOLS The file area allows movement of files between the host BBS system and the caller's computer. Downloading is the process of moving files from the BBS to the caller, and uploading is moving files from the caller to the BBS. Data transfer can be done in a number of ways in on the BBS. New error checking protocols are being added on a regular basis, and the following is a summary of many of those available. XMODEM FILE TRANSFER The BBS supports two variations of the XMODEM protocol,originally developed by Ward Christensen, called XMODEM and XMODEM/CRC respectively. XMODEM offers the advantage of error checking on a block by block basis to assure that the data sent contains no errors. It does this by adding a checksum byte to the end of each 128 byte block of data; the receiver calculates its own checksum and compares it to the one received. If an error is detected in the transmission, XMODEM will request that WILDCAT! retransmit the block of data. In addition to the above checksum comparison, XMODEM/CRC adds another level of error detection using a complex CYCLICAL REDUNDANCY CHECK algorithm. XMODEM and XMODEM/CRC are slow transfer protocols when compared to many others available. They should only be used when your software supports no other protocol. XMODEM/CRC is preferable to XMODEM due to its greatly improved error checking. 1K-XMODEM This protocol performs exactly like regular XMODEM/CRC, but increases the block size to 1024 bytes, hence the name 1K. It is slightly faster (on fairly clean phone lines) than regular XMODEM due to a smaller number of blocks being sent, and therefore fewer block checks being made. YMODEM YMODEM is a protocol devised by Chuck Forsberg of Omen Technology which adds a number of enhancements to protocol based transfer. Block sizes are variable at 128/1024, but 1K is the usual size. Page 57 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOLS FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOLS - continued YMODEM - continued Error checking makes use of CRC-16, accurate to 99.99%. By definition, all YMODEM transfers are capable of sending multiple files at one request, with the file size and date included in the "header block" sent prior to each file. YMODEM supports multiple file transfer (both down AND up) of up to 50 files with WILDCAT!. CAUTION: A number of communication programs incorrectly use the term YMODEM but actually send using 1K-XMODEM. This practice is not proper and will result in a failure when used with a true YMODEM transfer as used by WILDCAT!. Use of YMODEM, if supported by a caller's software, is recommended over XMODEM and 1K-XMODEM for speed, reliability, and features. YMODEM/G This variation of YMODEM is available only to callers making a "reliable" connection using a modem supporting MNP (Microcom Networking Protocol) or the U.S. Robotics ARQ hardware error checking or the most recently introduced correction method, V.42/V.42bis. If a MNP connection is detected, WILDCAT! will add this protocol choice (as well as 1K-XMODEM/G) to the available options. MNP is a hardware based system in which the modems perform the actual error checking and correction, if needed. The software such as WILDCAT! and Qmodem simply send the information blindly from one system to the other using the protocol for block sorting information only. For this reason, these two protocol choices ONLY appear if a MNP connection is detected at logon. YMODEM/G is among the fastest protocols with the exception of the newer versions of ZMODEM discussed below. If you have a modem that supports MNP or ARQ, YMODEM/G should be your usual choice on the BBS. Connections using two U.S. Robotics HST modems, with ports locked at 19200 or 38400 at both ends, results in throughput in excess of 1725 characters per second (equivalent of over 14,400 bps)! YMODEM/G also supports multiple file transfer (both down AND up) of up to 50 files at on time. Page 58 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOLS FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOLS - continued 1K-XMODEM/G This version of 1K-XMODEM makes use of MNP hardware error correction to do away with the block-by-block checking in the normal version. The result is a very fast single file transfer protocol for use if YMODEM/G is not readily available. ZMODEM This is another protocol developed by Chuck Forsberg. It is a "streaming protocol", one which sends variable sized blocks of data with CRC-32 error checking for an accuracy of 99.9999%, but does not wait for an acknowledgment from the receiving computer. The sending system assumes data received is OK unless a repeat request is sent for a specific block. This streaming activity tends to make ZMODEM one of the fastest protocols available (but slightly slower than Ymodem/G or 1K-Xmodem/G). ZMODEM also supports multiple file transfer capability, and should be considered in situations where MNP is not available, or another batch transfer protocol cannot be used. Zmodem also has the unique capability to resume file transfers that have been aborted for some reason and thus only partially completed. This is called crash recovery. KERMIT This protocol's main claim is not speed, but rather its ability to interact with many types of computers from mainframes to micros. It can cope with systems limited to seven-bit characters even when the data to be transmitted is in eight-bit form. All characters to be sent are translated into standard printable characters and reconstructed on the receiving end. While not terribly efficient, it is sometimes an absolute necessity for data transfer involving different types of systems and terminal types. It is not normally recommended for PC to PC transfers. Page 59 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOLS FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOLS - continued ASCII DATA CAPTURE ASCII transfer is simply the sending of information as characters, and is limited to 7 bit information. The transfer of files in ASCII mode can be done if your system is capable of any type of data capture. ASCII transfer is limited, and some sort of error checking protocol is required if you intend to transfer files with extensions of EXE, OBJ, COM, ARC or ZIP, as well as tokenized BASIC programs and files containing the IBM PC special ASCII characters (ones with ASCII values above 128). These files cannot be transferred in ASCII mode since ASCII transfer is only 7 bit and these types of files require the full 8 bit transfer of the data, with no translation of the contents of the file. Page 60 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE NEW USER TIPS CURSOR POSITIONING WILDCAT! supports cursor key movement on the command line for easy editing of information entered by the caller. For example, if choose to perform a [N]ew Files listing, the system will then display the date and time of the last [N]ew file search, you can use your cursor keys to position in the prompt the number you wish to change. This allows you to edit only a single digit instead of re-entering the entire date. This is supported in all the prompts if the caller has ANSI detected by the BBS. STOPPING THE DISPLAY To interrupt any information that's in the process of being displayed to the screen, press the SPACE BAR. FAST LOGIN SUPPORT This allows you to logon to the BBS and be taken directly to the MAIN menu bypassing all the initial display screens. To use this feature, place a asterisk at the beginning of your first name. Additionally, you can put your entire logon information on the first line saving you from having to answer all three separate questions (First Name, Last Name and Password). Example: ' *Joe Martin password ' If fast login support is available for your security level, you will be taken directly to the MAIN menu, otherwise you will be logged on normally with all the usual screens being displayed. READ NEW PERSONAL MAIL To read new mail that is addressed to you, go to the Message menu and select [R]ead Messages followed by [U]nread personal mail. After selecting which conference(s) to scan through, you will be presented with all your new mail in succession without having to remember what each individual message number was. NEW FILES DISPLAY To list all the new files uploaded to the board since the last time you called (checked for new files), from the FILE menu, select [N].....New Files Since [N] option. After verifying the 'since date', choose which file areas to scan through, normally you would select [A]ll and press [ENTER]. The BBS will list all the new files and you can then use the [M]ark files feature for fast and simple downloads. Page 61 WILDCAT! USER GUIDE CONCLUSION CONCLUSION As you can see, WILDCAT! BBS software is an extremely full featured, flexible and easy to use system. The more you use bulletin boards that run this software, the easier it is to use. Mustang Software has now redefined the minimum requirements for BBS software by which other software companies will be judged. You know, when I started this project of creating a user guide for WILDCAT! v3.00, I had no idea it would turn into such a big project with over 70+ pages of documentation. I look back on this and think, had I known it then, I would of thought twice about undertaking it! But as usual, we all live and learn. I hope this information will be a good reference for you, I know writing this manual has taught me a lot more about the features of this software, and I have been using it for over 4 years! I plan on keeping this up to date with the new revisions that will be coming out, so offer your feedback, it will be well received. At the time of this writing, the TomCat! QWK Mail Door, is an external program that must be added by the SysOp. After the 1st of the year, it will be completely integrated into the BBS software and no longer be a option. Consequently, there will be a slight change in operation. I have intentionally been "light" with information about how it presently runs and have full intention of updating this documentation once the dust settles and the bugs are worked out of the integration. I would like to point out, this manual was not written by the authors of WILDCAT! BBS software, Mustang Software. If you have any questions or suggestions on improving it, please refer all your comments to Joe Martin on The Power Station BBS by dialing (707) 552-0462, or VOICE at (510) 687-1122 during normal business hours. Thank you. Now, where's that beer of mine? "Live long and prosper". Page 62