Category : BBS Programs+Doors
Archive   : RACE150.ZIP
Filename : UPDATE.150

RACE version 1.50 update documentation


*** NOTICE ***

The number of validation templates has expanded greatly and there have
been a few other changes to RACE.CFG that requires reconfiguring.

You must delete (or otherwise remove) your current RACE.CFG file and
run RACECFG.EXE. When RACECFG cannot find RACE.CFG and ask you if you
wish to create a new one say "Y" and step through all items and
configure to your preference.




List of all changes and fixes in no particular order. Specific
information, where necessary, follows this list.

* If the default 'colors' were not modified and RACE was used on
a monochrome monitor, one could not 'hide' user passwords.

* Changed number of templates for validation and added templates
for reports. Explained in detail after this list.

* Added =minor= mouse support. All pick list type screens allow
using the mouse as does the user edit mode.

* Improved message base file locking routines to provide more time
to retry for access. A graphic sliding bar decreases in lenght
as retries occur.

* Changed the global change "Apply to" field. Instead of having
to manually type "A", ">", "<" or "=", you now toggle through
"ALL USERS", "EQUAL TO", "LESS THAN" and "GREATER THAN" by using
the , <+>, <-> or left mouse button.

* Changed all the date fields for USERSXI data so that you may
edit them completely. In other words, RACE no longer forces
the uneditable hyphen character.

* Updated RACE to include the Users index file. This file is
updated when ever you make a change to a user record, add a new user
or restore a user with Whoops. It's completely rewritten after a
pack or sort.

* User Date Format has been added. Like Usered, or the plus
and minus keys will toggle you through the available options for
that field.

* ALT-W in validate mode will write the displayed answers to the
temporary msg file that RACEEDIT uses. RACEEDIT is then executed
and the answers are imported in quoted form. ALT-W, like ALT-E, is
only available to registered RACE users.

ALT-S may be used to save a RACEEDIT message. Upon exiting the
editor and returning to RACE, you will be given the opportunity
to edit the message subject field.

CTRL-Z has also been added as yet another way to save the message
in RACEEDIT.

* changed ump to dos and tils so that either will return to
the user RECORD currently on-screen if possible. If the record no
longer exists, RACE will return to record 0. If you have packed or
sorted the user file, the record RACE returns to may not be the same
user name but it will be the same record number.

* had some difficulties with RACECFG's color configuration bombing out
if you attempted to use it in other than 25 line mode. For now it
switches you into 25 line mode when going into color config and puts
you back upon return.

* Added a display of the status of a user in the ALT-U window.
This tells you what the user is doing on the system. ALT-U is a
registered user only feature.

* Added global security level changes and global netmail credit changes.

* Fixed a long standing oversite in color configuration for "Reports".
This color was used for most of the lists in which you were able move
a highlight bar around to pick a name or some such thing. The
highlight bar was hardcoded as white with black text. As you can
imagine, if you configured your "reports" to the same color, the bar
was not visible at all.

* Added a "USERED" type initial display. This is activated by a command
line switch of /U (or -u, /u, -U). Presently this works very
similiar to Usered. Highlight a name, hit and you go to that
user record in the familiar RACE screen. Once there, all functions
work as usual.

or to quit out of the RACE view screen will take you back to
the list type display. in the list display will exit RACE with
no prompting.

This item may also be configured as the default in RACECFG but it
will only take effect in the Registered version.


1) VALIDATION GENERAL INFO

The most significant change to validate is in the number of
templates. This has increased from 5 to 50. Naturally this
necessitated removing the list of templates from the main
validation screen.

Once you have become accustomed to your personal template setup,
merely type the number while not in another function in validate
and a window will pop up to accept your input.

If you can't remember which template is which, pressing will
pop up a pick list. You may scroll through this list to find the
appropriate template. "==== Label not defined ====" will appear
in any slot that has a blank description.

Also, while the template pick list is active, you may type a
template number and the highlight bar will move to that number.


It is important to understand that RACE considers a template valid
if there is a description for it and invalid if the description
field is blank. RACE will not allow you to apply a template that,
in its opinion, is undefined. The description field is the ONLY
test RACE uses to determine a template's validity.

Validation templates still have welcome message capability. It
will be up to you to create 50 messages if you want a specific
message for each template. RACE will use the .001 template
message if it can't find one that fits the current template
number.

For example, you could have a WELCOME.001 and a WELCOME.038. In
that case, all users except level 38 would get WELCOME.001. Level
38 would get WELCOME.038.

The configuration of the subscription time allowance in months
has not changed though the application of the time has had a
slight modification.

If the user is new and has no current subscription date or if the
use has a subscription date but it has expired, applying a template
to the user will work as in previous versions. That is, the user
will be given the number of months from the template based on the
current system date.

If the user has a subscription date that is in the future, i.e. not
yet expired, RACE will ask if you wish to dd the months to the
user's subscription date or estart. Restart means to ignore
the date currently in the user's subscription field and start him
over from the current system date.


2) VALIDATION TEMPLATE CONFIGURATION

There have been a number of changes to the templates other than
the increase from 5 to 50.

The description field has been expanded slightly to allow for
more descriptive labels. Be sure to leave this field blank if
you do not wish a template to be considered valid.

"APPLY SEC" has been added to allow you disable the security level
change when applying a particular template. Previously, there was
no way to use templates to change a user's status without applying
a security level during the change. Enter a "N" in this field if
you don't want the security level to apply for this template. It
does not matter what number is in the security level field if you've
set the "APPLY SEC" option to "N".

The NO-KILL and XFER PRIORITY fields will now turn ON =OR= turn
OFF either of these flags. Place a "N" in either one to turn OFF
that attribute when updating a user. Place a "Y" there to turn ON
that attribute.

3) OTHER NEW VALIDATE FEATURES

ALT-W has been provided to allow REGISTERED RACE users to load the
RACEEDIT editor, quoting the current user's answers in the process.
Merely press ALT-W instead of ALT-E if you'd like to write the user
a message and quote his/her questionnaire answers.

Two additional keystroke combinations have been added as a means of
saving the RACEEDIT message. Pressing ALT-S within RACEEDIT will
save the message and allow you to edit the subject of the message.
You will be asked for the new subject AFTER returning to RACE.

Ctrl-Z has been added as a means to save the message for those that
are used to using that combination in QuickED or FrontDoor.


4) REPORT CONFIGURATION


TEMPLATES
---------

Templates have been added so that it is not necessary to constantly
reselect the same fields over and over to get your favorite report.
You may define up to 20 report templates.

** NOTICE **

Report templates are enabled in RACE for REGISTERED users only.
While you ARE permitted to configure templates in RACECFG and
the info will be saved, RACE will =NOT= offer the emplate
option in the eport menu if you are not a registered RACE user.

Report templates allow defining the device to which the report will
be sent (printer, screen, disk) and the fields to include in the
report. There is also a 60 character field for a description that
will appear in a 'pick' list in RACE when emplate is selected.

Set up of a report template is a simple process. Select "Reports"
on the RACECFG main menu. A pull down menu will offer Template as
the first option in this menu. Hit while in the Template
option field and yet another window will appear.

There are three items in the template configuration window.

Desc: Enter a descriptive comment for this template.
Device: Use the to toggle through the choices.
Fields: Hit in this field and a field selection
window will open up allowing you to select the
fields to include for this template.

While anywhere within the individual template configuration window
you may hit and to access templates 1 through 20.

When you are finished configuring the report templates, hit
to save your changes to disk. Report templates are
stored in a separate file called RACERPT.TPL.

To use the template feature, select eports within RACE. Select
emplates in the small report menu that appears near the top of
the screen. A pick list window will appear in which you may scroll
around and select the template you wish to use.

Once a template has been selected, RACE goes to the search menu and
from then on works as if you had not used a template. See chapter 7
in RACE.DOC for more information on using reports in RACE.


PRINTER CONFIGURATION FOR REPORTS
---------------------------------

As with report templates, select REPORTS in the main RACECFG menu to
access report printer configuration.

Select "1" for LPT1 or "2" for LPT2. You may also disable (or
enable) a form feed at the end of each printed page. The length of
the printed page is also definable within a range of 1 to 255 lines.
This defines the number of lines that will be printed before a form
feed, if enabled, is sent.

A printer initialization and de-initialization is also provided.
Reports now allow you to select up to 240 characters worth of
fields for each report line. If the report is going to the screen,
it will be up to you to limit the line length to a value that is
appropriate for your screen width.

In order to print such wide reports you will most likely want to
place your printer into a compressed mode first. RACE will send
whatever is in the "init" string prior to printing a report and
then will send the "Down" string upon completion of the printout.

In order to enter control characters (such as the ESC that preceeds
most printer codes) you will first need to press CTRL-P while in the
init or down string edit field. Upon pressing CTRL-P you will
notice that the cursor has changed to a large, rapidly blinkly
block. Whatever you enter next is entered literally.


To enter an ESC character you would first press CTRL-P and then
press your ESC key. Any control characters will display as high
intensity yellow (or just high intensity on mono systems) whereas
non-ctrl characters will be low intensity cyan.

If you've pressed CTRL-P and then the ESC key, what you should see
in the input field is a high intensity "[" character. RACECFG
automatically returns to non-literal mode after each entry. So, if
you need two or more control characters you will have to press
CTRL-P before entering each one of them.


= EOF =