Please read and print out for reference... ____________________________________________________________________ ELECTRONIC MESSAGE BOARD VER 1.00 EVALUATION COPY Electronic Message Board © Peter Glasson 1994 Peter Glasson, P.O. Box 429, Burwood, Sydney, NSW 2134, AUSTRALIA. InterNet E-Mail Address: 100036.560@compuserve.com CompuServe E-Mail Address: 100036,560 ___________________________________________________________________ EVALUATION TERMS The Electronic Message Board can be installed on a PC or LAN and evaluated under full working conditions for 30 days. If a decision should be made to purchase, payment should be made not less than 7 days after the 30 days evaluation period. Payment should be made to the above address. Please note that payment should be by International Money Order or overseas bank draft. Personal and company checks are generally not negotiable outside the country of origin. Cash can be sent, as the sum involved is not large, though a paper trail does offer insurance. The cost of the application is US$30. On receipt of payment, the following will be sent by air-mail on disk: 1. Application and system files. 2. An alternative LAN version, with faster loading times. The evaluation version carries a large overhead unconnected to LAN needs. If the evaluation version runs satisfactorily on your LAN, with the user environment variable being used as the ID, then you would certainly be interested in the LAN version. 3. Manuals in Word format for User and Administrator. These can be adapated for internal training purposes. Bitmaps used in the manuals are also included. 4. 12 months support from date of purchase. 5. Licence authorising unlimited use of the application within the organisation purchasing the application. If an individual, a single site licence will be issued. On the order form below, nominate a company or put in your own name. This detail will be put in the About... box. If you want nothing to appear in the About.. box, then mention the fact on the order form. Company logos in the form of an icon or BMP can be sent on disk, and will be included in the About... box, if so desired. * A free copy of the next upgrade will also be sent on disk as part of the purchase. Any change of mail address in the interim should be notified. SOURCE CODING If changes need to be made to the application to suit your LAN's configuration, or company policy, then these changes can be negotiated. However, in view of the large number of different LAN configurations, it is suggested that you avail yourself of the source coding and make any changes in full knowledge of how your LAN is structured. This should prove easier and cheaper. Conversely, if you have no knowledge of LAN programming, the coding could prove helpful. The language used is Visual Basic, the most commonly used language. Porting the coding to other languages, such as C, should not be problematic for experienced programmers, who can deal with the VB coding as prototype. The programming package for the evaluation version is available for US$40. The programming package will be sent by air-mail on disk and includes: 1. Data Dictionary 2. File Structure Diagram 3. Forms, Modules, Coding 4. Original Help files with bitmaps 5. Icons ___________________________________________________________________ PURCHASE ORDER FORM ELECTRONIC MESSAGE BOARD VER 1.00 TO: Peter Glasson, P.O. Box 429, Burwood, Sydney, NSW 2134, AUSTRALIA. FROM: NAME OF PERSON OR COMPANY__________________________________________ __________________________________________ MAIL ADDRESS __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ ZIPCODE___________________________________ COUNTRY___________________________________ Payment is by: International Money Order Overseas Bank Draft Cash Payment is for: APPLICATION: US$30 __________ SOURCE CODING: US$40 __________ TOTAL: US$ __________ Date:__________________ DISCLAIMER: Purchase of the source coding in no way places its author under any obligation or commitment whatsoever. In purchasing the coding, the purchaser accepts full and total responsibility for use of the programming data in whatever way he or she may use it. Similarly, while every effort has been made to ensure the integrity of the application, its use on any computer platform whatsoever must remain the user's reponsibility. ___________________________________________________________________ ELECTRONIC MESSAGE BOARD VER 1.00 SETUP 1. Preliminary 2. Features of Electronic Message Board 3. File List 4. LAN Installation 5. PC installation 6. Accessing the Administrator's Menu 7. Technical ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Preliminary The Electronic Message Board is designed to let users post messages onto Boards for other users to read. It is ideal for semi-permanent and permanent information and can cut paper costs considerably. Files can be attached to messages for users to copy to their directory, view within the application or print out. Comment can also be added to messages designated by the author as interactive, rather than static (no comment can be added). One source of inspiration for naming Boards is to consider what paper circulating around the office can be centralised on the Electronic Message Board. The Electronic Message Board can be installed on a Local Area Network or a standalone Personal Computer. Setup will configure the software for the hardware platform you select: LAN or PC. Once installed on a PC, the files, and any messages created, cannot be transferred to a LAN platform, and vice-versa. The configurations differ. Unpredictable results will occur if files configured for one platform are transferred to the other. It is suggested that you first install the files on a PC and run SetUp, keeping the original files safe on a disk. When you are ready to install the software on a LAN, create a directory for the application on the LAN and install the original files. Then run SetUp. The application has been found to run without problems on LAN's where Windows or a similar interface is either the primary or secondary user interface. The application is self-contained. Neither SetUp nor the application writes to any file outside its own directory. Once the application has been installed, click on HELP in the User and Administrator menus for further information. Although the application will run quite happily on a PC, it has been primarily designed to run on LANs, and to handle those problems which people, whose misfortune in life is to manage a LAN, know only too well. Thus, I have tried to give good value for money... __________________________________________________________________ 2. FEATURES OF ELECTRONIC MESSAGE BOARD 1. Expiry Date - users must nominate an expiry date for every message they create, including messages put on HOLD in their Filing Cabinet. Once the expiry date is reached, there is no way to get a message back. Users can, however, extend the expiry date at any time by clicking on a message in their Filing Cabinet and then on the Expiry button. A new expiry date can then be selected. The default, or the maximum length of time a message can exist, is set at 90 days by SetUp. An Administrator can choose another default through the Administrator's menu (the application requires at least one Administrator). 2. There are two types of messages: text and graphic. Text messages can be static or interactive. Graphic messages can be Window Metafiles (WMF) or Bitmaps (BMP). The 3 categories of messages are indicated in the application by their initials: S = STATIC - users cannot add comment to a text message. I = INTERACTIVE - users can add comment to a text message. G = GRAPHIC - BMP or WMF files. Interactive messages are indicated by the appearance of an ADD button when viewed. To add comment to the end of a message, the user clicks on ADD and then types in their comment. The Add Comment window is a floating window. If it disappears at any time, clicking on the Add button again will restore it. It should be maintained to users that they are responsible for any messages they put on. They own the message, and only they can edit or delete a message they have nominated as InterActive. Another user cannot edit comment he or she has added. The exception is Administrators, who can edit or delete any message through their menu. 3. Graphic Messages - 2 graphic formats are supported: BMP (Paintbrush) files, and WMF files, which can be created in Powerpoint. There are also many excellent freeware and shareware packages for creating WMF files (Window Metafiles). Graphic messages should be kept in perspective. Ten BMP files being accessed, say, 20 times are day, are unlikely to bring down your LAN. However, 10 BMP files may be equal to 1.4 MB disk space. Anything over this figure may be undesirable. To assist Administrators with graphics, a Graphics Monitor displays a list of current graphics and authors. A ceiling can be put on the total bytes allowable for graphics. Choosing a ceiling of 0 MB disables the create graphics message choice. Rather than exclude graphics altogether, Administrators should encourage the use of Powerpoint or other paint programs to create WMF files. These are small in size and give colour and variety to messages. And they offer a minor means of relief on sometimes austere LANs... 4. Application Title - You can give the application whatever title you or your company considers suitable. This can assist users to relate to the application and the information it holds. 5. Links - the means for users to open up a document, spreadsheet or Help file on a remote server in another building or location. It should be noted that this has been designed to run with LANs using Microsoft's LANMAN 1.00 +. Use of this feature should be referred to your LAN Manager if you are uncertain. 6. News Flash! - If Administrators wish to bring some new feature to the attention of users, e.g., a new Board or important message, they can activate News Flash! through their menu. News Flash! will appear to users when they log in. Such things quickly lose their appeal if left on for too long. So an expiry date can be set for News Flash! to switch itself off. It is suggested that 2 to 3 days is sufficient. 7. Menu Help buttons - little grey help icons will bring up an explanation of what a menu choice is about. These are meant as initial guidance only, the Help files and manuals being available for detailed procedures. 8. Some sample messages have been included in SetUp. These messages have been included as belonging to the initial Administrator. They have been grouped under the Board listing, SAMPLE MESSAGES. Click on this Board to view them. 9. Documents can be attached to a message, and saved to the user's directory or viewed within the application. The button ATTACH appears whenever a message has attachments. 10. There is an emphasis on the visual side, with pictures and picture buttons freely used. The Administrator's menu is a full MDI (multi-document interface), working like File Manager or Excel. The User's Menu was also originally an MDI interface. During its trial, users found this interface confusing. So the User's Menu has been confined to one-step-at-a-time controls. The means to manipulate individual windows has been removed, and replaced with floating windows. That, I am afraid, is the result. It seems that not all users are familiar with the windows mechanism of File Manager or Excel. On the other side of the equation, however, is that users will probably find the application simple to use, and training, if any, will be minimal. __________________________________________________________________ 3. FILE LIST APPLICATION FILES: These 15 files must be present in the application's directory before SetUp is run. They are included in EMB100.ZIP. MB_SETUP.EXE MB_1.MB$ MB_2.MB$ MB_3.MB$ MB_4.MB$ MB_5.MB$ MB_6.MB$ MB_7.MB$ MB_8.MB$ MB_9.MB$ MB_10.MB$ MB_11.MB$ MB_12.MB$ MB_13.MB$ MB_14.MB$ SYSTEM FILES: The following 2 system files are included in EMB100.ZIP: CMDIALOG.VBX THREED.VBX These 2 files are Microsoft Visual Basic Extensions which are fully compatible with Windows or similar interfaces. VBRUN300.DLL is also required. It is not included in EMB100.ZIP. It can be downloaded from CompuServe and most Bulletin Boards. VBRUN300.DLL is included on the disk sent out on registration. On a PC, the DLL and the 2 VBXs must be installed under WINDOWS/SYSTEM. On LANs, the 3 files should go with all other DLLs in the user path. For best results, do not put these 3 files in the application's directory, whether on a PC or LAN. It is recommended that MB_SETUP.EXE be deleted after SetUp has run. ___________________________________________________________________ 4. LAN INSTALLATION 1. If your LAN supports logical drives, then create a directory for the application on a server which has few users. Do not use a sub-directory. Any name for the directory will do, e.g., c:\EMB If your LAN does NOT support logical drives, then do NOT create a directory for the application, but put all the setup files in the root directory of a drive, e.g., c:\ 2. Note that ALL 15 files listed must go into a directory or root directory for SetUp to be successful. The 3 system files should be put into the user path on all servers. SetUp will need the 3 system files. 3. If you use modularisation, remember that the application is in reality a database. So it must reside on one server. It cannot reside on several servers. 4. Out of Program Manager or File Manager, run MB_SETUP.EXE. 5. You will be prompted to provide the following information in this order: 1. Whether your hardware platform is a PC or LAN. Choose LAN. 2. The method of user access: 1. Password and ID unique to the application and the user. It could be irksome to users to input a Password and ID every time they use the application. If the second method below is available, use that. Identification is necessary so the application knows which messages belong to whom. 2. The application identifies the user's LAN ID from the user environment. The LAN ID can take many forms, depending upon the system being used, i.e., USER, USERID, USERLOG, etc. Use this method if it is available. 3. The date format required, e.g., Month-Day-Year. 4. A title for the application. Electronic Message Board is not the most exciting title. It is suggested that you invent a title suitable to your organisation, e.g., ACME GRAPEVINE, ACME BULLETIN BOARD, ACME INFOBOARD. The title nominated can be changed at any time by clicking on MISC/APPLICATION TITLE in the Administrator's menu. 5. The name, department and telephone number of the initial Administrator of the application. If the method of user access is through an environment variable mentioned in Point 2,2 above, then the Administrator's LAN ID will also need to be input. If access is through Password and ID, then the ID for the Administrator, as the first user, will be 1. 6. Once Setup has completed its work, it will automatically run the application. If a problem occurs, then you may have chosen the wrong platform, or a file, as listed above, is missing. 7. If the test is successful, set up the application on the LAN as you would any other application. MB1.EXE is the activating file. 8. Delete MB_SETUP.EXE to avoid it being accidentally activated and overwriting files. _________________________________________________________________ 5. PC INSTALLATION 1. Create a directory for the application. Any name for the directory will do, e.g., EMB. 2. Put all 15 application files listed above into the directory. Note that ALL 15 files listed must go into the directory, or SetUp will be unsuccessful. The 3 system files should be put into WINDOWS/SYSTEM before SetUp is run. 3. Out of Program Manager or File Manager, run MB_SETUP.EXE. 4. You will be prompted to provide the following information in this order: 1. Whether your hardware platform is a PC or LAN. Choose PC. 2. The date format required, e.g., Month-Day-Year. 3. A title for the application. Electronic Message Board is not the most exciting title. It is suggested that you invent a title suitable to your organisation, e.g., ACME GRAPEVINE, ACME BULLETIN BOARD, ACME INFOBOARD. The title nominated can be changed at any time by clicking on MISC/APPLICATION TITLE in the Administrator's menu. 4. The name, department and telephone number of the initial Administrator of the application. The ID for the Administrator, as its first user, will be 1. 5. Once this information is input, SetUp will create some files and then automatically run the application. If a problem occurs, then you may have chosen the wrong platform, or a file, as listed above, is missing. 6. If the application runs successfully on your PC, you can then create a new item for it in a Program Group on your desktop. The activating file is MB1.EXE. 7. Delete MB_SETUP.EXE to avoid it being accidentally activated and overwriting files. ___________________________________________________________________ 6. ACCESSING THE ADMINISTRATOR'S MENU Once SetUp has been run, and access gained to the application, the initial Administrator nominated in SetUp can access the Administrator's Menu. The only way to access this menu is through MISC/ADMINISTRATORS in the User's Menu. In this menu choice, a button appears for Administrators which does not appear for users. It is labelled Admins, and its icon is a key. Administrators can click on this button to gain access to their menu. The duties of an Administrator are few, as the application virtually looks after itself: 1. Run the Maintenance choice once a month. This will delete the files of users who have not accessed the application for a certain period of time, and all messages which have expired. This is an important duty, as it checks files and frees up disk space. 2. Create/approve Board names under which messages are grouped for easy access. If users could create any Board name they wished, this could become chaotic. So this is included as a duty of an Administrator. 3. Change User Access Levels. There are three levels of access: 1. Administrator 2. User 3. Deny User Write Access; Read Only 4. Arranging with IT staff to have the application's files backed up on a regular basis. There is no limit on the number of Administrators. In some organisations it may be useful to have an Administrator in each department. The initial Administrator should have a backup. This can be done, once the application is installed, by having a user access the application and inputting their details. The Administrator can then change the user's access level to Administrator through the choice USERS/EDIT USER DATA in the Administrator's menu. ___________________________________________________________________ 7. TECHNICAL 1. The approximate limits are: 1. Number of Users - 3000 2. Number of Boards - 1500 3. Number of Messages per Board - 1500 These limits can be deleted to encompass indefinite numbers. Most organisations, however, do not have servers which allow for more than 600 accesses at the same time. The hardware platform would have to be considered in expanding the application to cater for larger or unlimited numbers. 2. Calendar DLL expires 2078 AD. 3. Minimum User Hardware Configuration 1. 386 2. 4MB of memory 3. Standard VGA video monitor 4. Laserjet printer or similar type If large monitor screens are used, then the coding can be modified to run the application on any sized screens. 4. User Desktop Configuration Windows 3 or similar interface 5. The application is a relational database. No files, other than messages, are ported across the LAN in their entirety. The application takes what information it needs, and no more. This results in efficient response times, and a minimum of LAN traffic. ___________________________________________________________________