Amsg - Update v1.00

Included in AMSG100.ZIP should be the following:

AMSGFLAG.Q-A - Questionnaire that turns off B1 flag
AMSGFLA2.Q-A - Questionnaire that resets B1 flag
AMSG.DOC - Documentation
AMSG.EXE - Main Exe file
AMSG.MNU - Menu to use with AMSG.ANS/ASC file
NEWSFLAG.EXE - Program to set all users flag to ON


There was no way for a QuickBBS SysOp to enter a message to "All"
and be sure that everyone would see it. So I wrote Amsg. I guess it is
short for AutoMsg, just easier to type :-). It writes two files called
Amsg.ANS and Amsg.ASC (For ANSI and ASCII users). The AMSG.A?? files are
written to your TextFiles directory. Amsg reads the config.bbs created by
QuickBBS in order to know where to place your AMSG.A?? files as well as to
know which full screen editor to call up. Use "Amsg ?" for quick help.

Amsg will allow you to create a message or append a new message onto an
older message. The files created look similar to a QuickBBS message and uses
QuickBBS control characters to call the date and user's name. Amsg also
is set up so that a user sees the message only once. This 'program' is
mostly a method of doing something. The only thing the actual program
included does is let you enter a news message using your full-screen editor.


SETUP:

1. Copy the files AMSG.EXE, AMSGFLAG.Q-A and AMSGFLA2.Q-A to your QuickBBS
directory.
2. Copy the menu file AMSG.MNU to your QuickBBS Menu directory.
3. Edit your TOP.MNU as follows:
a. Insert a line before your first line on your Top.Mnu
b. Edit that line as follows:
1) Put a semi-colon (;) on the first field.
2) Optional Data field: Amsg
3) Command Type 1
4) Command Key ^A (control A)
5) Make sure you set B1 on (Example: B flag: X-------)
NOTE:
The B1 flag is used throughout this manual as an example.
You may choose ANY flag. If you already are using the
B1 flag, then you will need to select an unused flag
and edit the AMSGFLAG.Q-A and AMSGFLA2.Q-A to reflect
the flag you have selected. You also need to set
that flag on in the top menu instead of the B1 flag.

4. Every time you change your news you must set everyone's B1 flag
on. Don't spend your day setting each and every user's flag
to ON! Use NewsFlag (included in archive) like this:

NewsFlag B1

5. Edit AMSG.MNU to your specific setup. You must change the eply
to your name, for example (Chris_Lamprecht). Please note the underscore
between the first and last names.

6. Now, you should be ready to run Amsg. You must be in the same
directory as Config.BBS. You can specify which message board you
want to appear in the message by typing its board number (set in
Qconfig). Example: "Amsg 1" would use message board #1. If you
leave out the command line, or the message board doesn't exist
Amsg will use "News" for the name of the message board. Amsg will
ask you for the Subject, and then load your full-screen editor
(found in CONFIG.BBS). Type in the message just as your normally
would, and then save it just as normal. If you abort the message
Amsg will not save any files.

Theory of operation:

When a caller logs on and gets to your top menu, it will auto execute
Amsg menu which will set B1 off then call up the message you typed.
At which time the caller can do the following:

gain, ext, ack, eply, top?

After the caller sends you a message or stops Amsg menu returns the
caller to Top menu, but since their B1 flag is now off they won't loop back
to Amsg menu. (If you want the user to see the message again upon logon,
you must reset B1 back on at logoff or they will never see your
messages again). To do this, go to your final menu and insert the following
before line 1:

1) place a semi-colon on the top line
2) on the data field, enter: AMSGFLA2
3) command type 12
4) command key ^A

Note:

Be sure to change the eply command in Amsg menu to send mail to
your username instead of sysop. For example (Chris_Lamprecht) so that
mail goes to your mailbox!

I need input! I can only write what I know, please let me know
how I can change Amsg. I want it to be as simple and liked as
possible. Thank you.
PS- the ONLY files it writes is AMSG.ANS/ASC.

Various information:

Amsg is written in Turbo Pascal 5.5. It has been tested with many
(all?) of the full-screen editors for QuickBBS including: QuickEd 1.02
and 1.10, Shedit, and Zaffer. These docs have been worked on by many
people, and I hope they are easier to understand than they were before.
Fact is, after reading them myself, I would have been lost too!

In alphabetical order, thanks to:

Adam Hudson - for writing QuickBBS
Adam Levine - beta tester, suggestions
Jeb Barger - beta tester, suggestions (of course!)
Jim Roe - beta tester and many suggestions, and rewrote the docs
AND for getting me interested in QuickBBS.
John Schutz - whipped out NewsFlag.exe in 15 minutes
Michael Twiselton - rewrote the docs (again..)
Kenneth Wall - wrote the docs!
The QuickBBS Group - for keeping QuickBBS alive

Send comments to Chris Lamprecht @ 1:382/36,
Atlantis BBS - (512)836-8777. Home of the PROTOCOL Echo!