BBSLISTER Version 1.50 (C) 1996 TiMESoFT by Jesse Bertier - Documentation
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Credits:  

        I would like to thank several people for helping distribute
        this list and those who gave me ideas and corrections:

       þ Pern  ( The Land of Dragons BBS ), for all the ideas :P
       þ Malachai ( Amateur Hour BBS ), for getting distro sites going
       þ Karl ( GameNet BBS ), for getting the list over to his area :)                                                                     
       þ Especially All other distro sites and BBSs supporting this list
       þ All those who sent in their corrections and additions
        


                  -= WELCOME TO BBSLISTER VERSION 1.50 =-

     Well, heres a new idea in BBS listing options.  This list allows users
to search the list of all BBSs in Connecticut with ease.  The lister is
FREEWARE, and should be distributed freely.  However, this should not be
modified in any way, as this will defeat the purpose of a standardized list.

     This list differs from all others for many reasons.  First, not only do
you have the data accessible to you, you also can manipulate it by incorpor-
ating it into other uses besides a self-executing list.  Hopefully this
program will suit your needs, and if it lacks a great feature, kindly let me
know and I'll add it to the existing features.

     The list is updated monthly and the new lists become available on the 
1st day of each month.  However, it does take time for the new lists to 
become widely available.  Each month all the submitted corrections and 
additions will be included.  The list will be compiled into the same easy to
use executable.  

                            -= OPTIONS =-

  * Easy Searching by any one of the fields listed below:

         - BBS Name (Fuzzy Search Possible)
         - City
         - Area Code
         - First or Last digits in Phone #
         - BBS Software (Fuzzy Search Possible)
         - SysOp (Fuzzy Search Possible)
         - Nets (Fuzzy Search Possible)
         - Baud Rate (Fuzzy Search Possible)
         - Megabytes Online
  * Allows "FUZZY" Searches, or partial info searches.
  * Data Export Modes for DBASE (Compatible), TEXT, or MAXIMUS .MEC files.
  * Optional Mouse Support
  * Fast Searching
  * Local BBS Search
  * Ablility to modify local areas
  * Extended View mode to see all the data at once in a simple format.
  * You can print data to your printer.. (Thanks Pern!)


                        -= CORRECTIONS / ADDITIONS =-

     Any corrections and additions should be sent to Jesse Bertier at
Somewhere in Time BBS - (203) 245-5958.  (I can also be reached via other
methods.. See "Using the Lister for Another State" section for all my
addresses)  If you send me an E-Mail message via Internet, I will send you
a reply.  Also, when sending your additions/corrections, please include all
the information that you can provide: For instance, include any Networks, 
Notes, Misc information that you have.  

     Each month, a new list will be distributed.  For the latest copy, call 
your local BBS and download.  Or call Somewhere in Time at the number above.  
If you prefer to save on long distance calls, you can also download the 
latest copy from AMERICA ONLINE (Assuming they continue to support the 
lister.)   Or, visit our web page:  http://www.connix.com/~jbertier.  The
latest BBS list will be placed on the web page as soon as it is created.
 

                        -= HOW TO USE BBSLISTER =-

     Well, first type BBSLIST at the DOS Prompt.  After seeing the intro
screen, press any key to go to the main menu.  From the main menu, you can
perform any of the searches you wish.  Simply choose one of the search
methods and then press the highlighted letter.  A dialogue box will apear and
then type in what you are looking for.  Example:

          Say you wanted to search for all BBSs in NEW HAVEN.
          From the main menu, choose the search by Town.  Then
          enter 'new haven' or 'NEW HAVEN' or 'NeW HaVen' or any
          other combination of upper and lower case letters.  Then
          press ENTER.

     After each search, you will be brought back to the main menu.  Also,
the lister performs a "fuzzy" search.  For example, if you were looking for
a BBS by its name, but only know a word or two, you can enter what you know
and it will find the BBS by that information.  Example:

          Say you wanted to find Somewhere in Time BBS, but you forgot
          whether or not the "BBS" is on the end of the title.  Just
          enter "Somewhere in Time" or just "Somewhere" and the lister
          will find the record.

     This type of search will work when searching by Sysop Name, BBS Name,
and any other field.  The only exception is that this type of search is
not valid when searching by area code, first 3 digits or last 4 digits of the
phone number.
     Extended mode can be enabled by pressing "E" at the main menu.  
Everything remains the same, except the results are displayed one record 
at a time, in a simple format.  Press "E" again to disable extended view 
mode.
     Printer Echo mode can be enabled by pressing "P" at the main menu. 
When this is enabled, the data will be displayed on your screen as normal
and will be printed to the printer as well.  If you are in Extended view
mode, the data will be printed in an extended format as well.  If you wanted
to print out a local list, just turn on printer echo, and do a local
search.  All matching records are printed to the printer.
     Make sure you have paper in the printer and it is turned on.  The 
lister will write its printer output to DOS's PRN device, not LPT1.  
Therefore, it is important that the device is ready to go, otherwise a 
"Device Fault [A]bort [R]etry [I]gnore" Message will result.
     

                         -= CONFIGURATION FILE =-

     The lister looks in the current directory for a configuration file
called BBSLIST.CFG.  This file is _NOT_ necessary for the operation of the
lister, but is rather another option.  The file itself must be plain ASCII
text, with each option CAPITOLIZED where necessary and a Carriage Return
and Line Feed after each option (CR/LF).  This can be done easily with DOS's
EDIT.  Below is a list of all available options.  Note that there are line
numbers for each option.  This simply refers to what order these must be in.

LINE           OPTIONS        EXPLANATION

 1              0 or 1        Mouse Support  (0=DISABLED 1=ENABLED)
 2               N/A          Name of "LOCAL.DAT"

     Mouse Support is only available if you have a mouse correctly installed
and the mouse driver must be resident in memory.  The BBSLISTer does not have
a mouse driver.  The default is NO MOUSE SUPPORT.
     With mouse support enabled, click with the left mouse button on the line
which contains the option you wish to run.  Or, just click on the letter that
is highlighted. For example, if you wish to perform a search of a certain
area code, click on the line that contains the "Area Code" option.

     Line 2 of the configuration file is for keeping multiple "LOCAL.DAT"
files.  For example, you could have a .DAT file for several towns in the
directory at once.  On line 2, you can change the name of the file.  You
must enter the extension as well.  Example:  MADISON.DAT.  This option must
be followed by a CR/LF.


Sample Config File:
-----------------------<Beginning of file, (or line 1)
1
MADISON.DAT
-----------------------<End of file

Changing LOCAL.DAT

        The LOCAL.DAT can be changed to fit the different local calling
areas.  The format is ALL CAPS, one town per line, followed by a Carriage
return/line feed.  The file must be terminated with "[END]" and a carriage
return/line feed.  You can list as many towns as are needed to fill your
local calling area.   There is only one town per line and the file can be
called whatever you wish, but the lister will load the file that is specified
in the BBSLIST.CFG.  Therefore, if you want to make a separate data file,
change or add the option in the BBSLIST.CFG.

Example LOCAL.DAT:

TOWN1
TOWN2
TOWN3
[END]



                         -= COMMAND LINE SWITCHES =-

     The BBSLISTer has several command line switches that can be enabled
easily.  Please read the instructions as to how these work so that you can
benefit from these options.  Only one switch may be specified at a time.


                          -= Text Output Utility =-

     The BBSLISTer allows you to output all the BBS data into a text file
for easy printing to a printer or whatever you wish.  The filename that it
will output to depends on the version of the BBS List itself.  For example,
if the list were January, 1996, then the filename would be TIMEJA96.TXT.
The "JA" is the first two letters of the month and the "96" is the last two
numbers of the year.
     The text will be alphabetized according to the town.  All towns in the
list will be written.  The text file will contain the town, the area code,
the phone number, the BBS name, the highest baud rate, the megabytes online,
and the BBS software that is running.  Each will have its own formatted
column.  The text output can be acheived by typing the following at the DOS
prompt:

     BBSLIST /TEXTOUT

                  -= DBase (Compatible) Output Utility =-

     The BBSLISTer also allows you to output all the BBS data into a file
that can be read by DBase.  Usually, most programs other than DBase will
be able to load this file as a database.  Such programs are Microsoft Word
and Microsoft Excell or Microsoft Works.  You will have to import the data.
Use the CSV format, or Comma Separated format.
     The Output will be the same as in the text output only the filename
will be IMPORT.TXT.  This remains the same throughout each different version
of the list.  To acheive DBase output, type the following at the DOS prompt:

     BBSLIST /DBASE


                 -= Maximus MECCA Script Output Utility =-

     The lister will output a MAX .MEC file of the entire list. This can then
be compiled with MAXIMUS and be put online for users to see.  This file will
start with a cls, then begin displaying the data.  The list will be colorized
as well.  However, you must compile the list before it can be run under Maximus.
Type the following at the DOS prompt:

     BBSLIST /MAXIMUS



                     -= PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS =-


     BBSLISTer was programmed in an extended BASIC format with ASSEMBLER
Sub-routines.  For example, all text output is done by assembler directly
to your video buffer.  Even on a 286, this program will run _FAST_.  I would
have done this in "C" or "C++", but I could accomplish the same amount of
speed and memory optimization with the language I know best.

     When the data export utilities are used, it is strongly recommended
that you load SMARTDRV before output.  I did not want to attempt any direct
writes to your HD.  Thats what "DOS" is for.

     For a list of all bugs and fixes that have been worked out since my
original release, please see WHATSNEW.xx where xx is the version number.


 
                 -= USING THIS LOADER FOR ANOTHER STATE =-


        I welcome others to use this format for BBS Listing.  If you wish
to provide data for another state, I will include it in a special version
just for your state.  If you are a programmer, I can make arrangements to
give you source code and compilers to make your own changes/additions.
However, please understand that I must use discretion with this.  If you
are interested, please contact me via one of the following methods:


jbertier@connix.com   (If you send me an E-Mail, I will send you a reply and
                       if you wish, I can put you on my E-mail list to 
                       receive the newest version each month...)

        
Visit Our Web Page!   http://www.connix.com/~jbertier


"Somewhere in Time BBS"     (203) 245-5958  N,8,1, ANSI, RIP, or TTY
                                            2400-33,600 BPS
Address all E-mail to Jesse Bertier, or SysOp



                             -= TROUBLESHOOTING =-


Problem:  File xxxxxxx.xxx not found!

Solution:   The file needed for proper execution is missing.
            Obtain a fresh copy of the program and all it's files.
            Also, you may have specified a replacement "LOCAL.DAT" file
            on line 2 of the BBSLIST.CFG file and it is not in the current
            directory.

Thanks for reading the documentation.  Enjoy the program!