Category : BBS Programs+Doors
Archive   : TAGLX400.ZIP
Filename : TLX.DOC

 
Output of file : TLX.DOC contained in archive : TAGLX400.ZIP





_______
____|__ | (R)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER


ÕÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͸
³ Tag Line Xpress v4.00 ³
ÔÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ;
Copyright (C) 1992,93,94
release date 05/20/94


Introduction
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tag Line Xpress (TLX) is an enhanced tagline manager for offline
QWK mail readers. A tagline is a single line comment that is
added to the end of each message, and is often a funny or
ridiculous statement. Most mail readers available today have
limitations to the amount of taglines they can handle, and one
has to physically select a tagline from what could well be a
sizable collection, or the mail reader will cycle through the
available taglines sequentially or randomly. TLX makes the job
of maintaining and selecting taglines infinitely easier.

Tag Line Xpress (TLX) supports an UNLIMITED number of taglines,
up to 72 characters in length! TLX uses a database to store your
tagline collection, and keeps a count of how many times each
tagline has been used. TLX will read your message, and suggest
taglines from the database depending on the subject and content
of the message, giving priority to lesser used taglines. TLX
supports FIDO style taglines. TLX can steal taglines from entire
QWK, Blue Wave BW and Silver Xpress OPX mail packets. There is a
quote enhancement feature that places a quote box around the
message. TLX also offers a signature manager that allows several
user signatures. TLX supports and installs automatically into
Silly Little Mail Reader (SLMR), Off Line Xpress (OLX), Deluxeý,
Jabber, SpeedRead (Speed), Blue Wave, 1st Reader, RoboMail,
MegaReader and Silver Xpress. Additionally, any mail reader that
supports a tagline manager can be set up to use TLX. Full mouse
support is available, and all features are fully configurable.
On line context sensitive help is available at all times. TLX
needs a minimum of 380K of system memory to work, any memory
over that including Expanded Memory will be used for dynamic
caching and index buffers.

A tutorial slide show is also included in this package called
TLXDEMO4.EXE that graphically demonstrates the various features
that TLX has to offer. Simply execute this demonstration program
to view the TLX presentation. Press any key to advance screens,
Escape to end the slide show.


ASP Ombudsman statement
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This program is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the
shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve
a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can
help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but
does not provide technical support for members' products. Please
write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI
49442-9427 USA, FAX 616-788-2765 or send a Compuserve message
via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536"


Registration
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tag Line Xpress (TLX) is being distributed under the Shareware
concept, you may freely copy and distribute TLX in its original
unmodified archive form. TLX is NOT crippled or restricted in
any way, the shareware version is a fully functional program to
allow you to evaluate its performance - except for the random
appearance of a nag screen reminding you to register. After a
reasonable evaluation period you are expected to register TLX
with the author.

ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
All registrations for Tag Line Xpress benefit the American Red
Cross! Please use the enclosed ORDER.FRM and mail it to:
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

First Prince C.C. Marketing
TLX Registration
22 Prince Street,
New York, NY 10012

Support and Orders: (212) 334-1243
FAX: (212) 334-1245

þ Basic registration (validation number only) US $20.00
Please make check payable to the AMERICAN RED CROSS!
Send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope!
^ ^ ^ ^
þ Printed illustrated user manual includes s/h US $10.00
Comes with v4.00 and BONUS tagline file on disk!
Make this check/money order payable to FIRST PRINCE
New York State residents please add 8.25% tax ($10.83)

The TLX user manual is a detailed 100+ page bound manual,
contains several descriptive screen shot illustrations, and is
fully indexed.

Payment accepted by check, money order and postal order. Credit
card (MasterCard/Visa) payments only accepted for the user
manual. International orders must arrange payment in US funds.

The registration number provided will be valid for all future
releases of TLX, however, the author reserves the right to
change the registration method.

The author hosts a support conference on RelayNet/RIME (Janorkar
Support Conference), and also monitors several national echo
networks for support including FIDO, Intelec, SmartNET, CatNET,
ILink and WildNET, in the TAGLINES and SHAREWARE Conferences.
Voice support is available to all users, Monday to Friday from
9am to 5pm at (212) 334-1243 FAX (212) 334-1245.

If you find a bug or error while using TLX, please PRINT-SCREEN
the error display and mail a printout along with a detailed
description to the author (certain errors will create a file
called TLX.ERR which will contain the technical information
related to the crash). Select the Program Information option
from the Main Menu, and press Enter. This will create a file
called ASSIST.TLX that will help the author better understand
the problem as well as your specific setup. User feedback has
played a vital role in the development of TLX and is welcomed.

This is a list of Official Distribution Sites where the latest
releases of Tag Line Xpress can be found, arranged by area code:

Support BBS Systematic BBS 718-716-6198 @14.4 (2 lines)

201-399-4772 201-839-5401 203-834-0490 206-367-9131
208-664-2983 212-737-6192 212-749-3268 212-799-0256
212-876-5885 214-235-5288 214-306-8269 214-613-6900
214-964-8726 215-540-0141 215-698-7677 216-992-6930
218-829-6340 301-645-1049 302-529-1650 304-572-2531
305-346-8524 310-676-3534 313-664-0437 315-393-6504
316-788-9913 317-831-9227 318-443-1065 401-732-0258
404-921-1186 404-941-0746 408-578-7954 409-321-4637
410-643-1479 410-758-4023 410-820-6734 410-827-6725
419-636-8737 502-276-9675 502-762-6963 503-656-9790
503-659-4603 504-347-8152 505-831-4581 508-368-7139
508-927-3757 509-926-1686 516-579-7507 518-563-7698
601-735-3201 602-945-0363 604-724-6280 606-297-2820
609-435-1663 610-929-2229 612-753-1943 615-494-7024
616-456-1845 617-354-3230 619-773-5572 703-898-7205
704-342-2333 706-694-3295 708-731-1017 713-726-0441
714-879-4052 715-345-1327 718-628-6661 718-716-6198
718-793-8548 718-893-2318 718-983-9152 800-542-5921
801-393-0531 801-943-4616 803-592-5208 804-583-0503
805-258-0413 805-272-9792 805-736-7066 805-946-4107
805-964-4414 813-960-5169 813-983-1776 814-362-6546
814-825-7905 817-589-1517 903-465-4022 904-472-5714
908-329-3216 908-572-9233 909-860-3728 909-862-5319
910-627-5190 914-964-0419 916-546-2095 918-446-8441
918-534-3759

FIDO freq sites:

1:278/111 (Systematic, NY) 1:150/420 (US Project, DE)
1:124/2113 (Lunatic Fringe, TX) 1:107/203 (Utopia Tech, NY)
1:231/425 (Hearthstone, IN) 1:3652/5 (Glory Bound, SC)

International sites:

NorthPaul BBS Scotland UK +23-645-8256/+23-545-7650
Enterprise BBS The Netherlands +31-59503933
HBBS Amsterdam The Netherlands +31-20-6196789
Michelange II BBS Belgium +32-67-211838
Dog & Disk Drive Pub United Kingdom +44-71-587-5180
Schizophrenic Wolf BBS United Kingdom +44-77-245-6526
PkMt BBS Australia +61-04-285-3349
Devil BBS Israel +972-3-804688


About the American Red Cross
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The American Red Cross is the nation's foremost volunteer
emergency services organization. Their mission is to improve the
quality of human life; to enhance self-reliance and concern for
other; and to help people avoid, prepare for, and cope with
emergencies. They do this through services that are governed and
directed by volunteers and are consistent with its congressional
charter and the principles of the International Red Cross:
humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary
service, unity, universality. For more information, please read
the enclosed REDCROSS.DOC.


What's New
~~~~~~~~~~
Version 4.00 is a major update and rewrite. All existing
features have been enhanced, and several new features have been
added. Added on line context sensitive help. Increased the
length of tagline viewing windows to FULL 72 characters. Deleted
taglines behave differently, and can be restored. New extended
search routines, allowing several operations during the search
process. Twit taglines are shortened to 25 characters. Full
featured signature manager added. The reader signature is now
controlled by TLX to ensure network compliance. A brand new
configuration menu, offering more control over every facet of
program operation. Quote enhancer has been redesigned to fit
within network quoting restrictions. Reduced command line length
to allow comfortable installation. New Full mode eliminates
BATch files, reduces swapping and allows for faster program
operation. Added support for the Silver Xpress mail reader and
Blue Wave OS2. Extended RoboMail support. Speed optimization for
all functions.


Upgrading
~~~~~~~~~
From v1.x or v2.x: Please remember to backup the TLX database
before updating to the new version! Simply copy the new TLX
files over the old files. Run TLX from the command line and
select Install from the menu, the old tagline database will be
detected and converted to the new format automatically.

From v3.x: Simply copy the new TLX files over the old files, TLX
will automatically detect the old database and configuration and
convert them to the new format.

If you are a registered user of Tag Line Xpress version 1, 2, or
3; it is necessary for you to obtain a NEW registration number.
Since all registrations for Tag Line Xpress directly benefit the
American Red Cross, you are REQUESTED to send in a registration
fee again. If you feel this is unfair, simply send a letter
about why you think it is unfair (mention your old registration
number), and you will receive a free updated serial number.


Quick Start
~~~~~~~~~~~
This section contains the basic information required to install
and use TLX. It is suggested that you also read the following
sections on the various options in TLX, and the reader-specific
document that is included in this archive.

At any time within the program, pressing the F1 key activates
the context sensitive help system.

Simply copy the contents of this archive into your mail reader
directory, or into a separate directory. When TLX is started for
the first time it will attempt to install itself automatically.
It will first ask for confirmation and show the reader type and
version that it has located.

*** MAKE A BACKUP OF YOUR MAIL READER BEFORE INSTALLATION ***

If the information that TLX displays is correct (mail reader
name and version number) type Y and it will install itself
automatically into the mail reader.

If you are using any other version of a reader - INSTALLATION
RESULTS ARE UNPREDICTABLE - since the mail reader formats could
well have changed between versions!!! Please read the specific
reader documentation included in this archive for more
information.

Once TLX is installed, you will offered the Configuration menu.
After you finish configuration, TLX will look for a default
tagline file. If it finds one it will ask for confirmation and
import the taglines into its database. If it can not recognize
any tagline files, it will prompt you to enter the filename, and
then read in the taglines. After importing the taglines, TLX
will ask if you want to rename the tagline file. You should
normally answer Yes - so your mail reader will not attempt to
attach a second tagline to your messages.

TLX is now installed and ready for use! If your mail reader will
not allow you to suppress its internal reader signature, you
have to either use the UNTAG.EXE utility provided with this
package; or disable the TLX reader signature.

Within your mail reader, edit the PACKER option:

Old Option> PKZIP -A
New Option> NEWZIP PKZIP -A

Each reader has a different syntax and different location for
this option, please check the specific reader documentation file
for more information.

When you respond to a message (or initiate a new message) TLX
will first enhance the quoted portion of your reply (a new
message has no quote and will be unaffected) and call your
editor. After you finish editing your reply, TLX will read the
message and suggest taglines based on the subject and contents.
You can then select an appropriate tagline from the suggestions,
or select one from the tagline database and TLX will add it to
your message.

Use of disk caching software will make TLX run much faster,
along with every other program you use. It is suggested that a
disk cache be used (especially on slower computers).

Pressing the F1 key anywhere within the program will activate
the context sensitive help system. If you do not wish to use the
on-line help screens, you can delete the help file (TLX.HLP) to
conserve disk space.


Other Readers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TLX can be installed into other mail readers that are not
currently supported automatically. There are two methods of
installation, the first is a "Classic" TLX installation, and the
second is a "Conventional" tagline manager installation.

"Classic" TLX Installation -

TLX is called instead of your editor; quotes your reply, then
directly loads your editor allowing you to edit your reply, and
finally adds the tagline along with an optional user signature.

You can modify your mail reader configuration to call TLX with
these command line parameters as the external editor:

\path\TLX //BC F * [!]

where \path\TLX is the full path and filename for TLX;
//BC is a switch telling TLX to protect your display cursor;
F indicates the Full feature mode;
* tells TLX to find its database automatically;
and [!] depends on your specific mail reader and is the reply
file name (normally passed as ! or %O check your reader
documentation for the exact format).

Then change the TLX configuration and enter your editor name. If
your mail reader supports a "standard" message header you should
enable it. The mail reader quote characters should be disabled,
and the mail reader tagline support should also be totally
disabled. When you reply to a message, TLX will quote the reply
portion and call your editor. After you edit your reply, TLX
will read it and suggest taglines; select one and TLX will add
the tagline to the bottom of your message along with an optional
user signature.

Some mail readers do NOT allow you to disable the default reader
signature! If your messages have double taglines, you have two
choices. You can either use the UNTAG utility provided with the
package, or disable the TLX reader signature from within the
configuration menu. If the TLX reader signature is disabled, all
taglines will be forced into FIDO style, there will be no tear
bar and no reader signature.

To use the UNTAG utility, edit the PACKER configuration in your
mail reader, and insert NEWZIP.BAT before the Compress command:

Old Option> PKZIP -A
New Option> \path\NEWZIP PKZIP -A

TLX will have created a batch file called NEWZIP.BAT that is
actually what does the tagline trimming. You will have to edit
this batch file with the correct parameters - depending on the
format your mail reader uses for compressing out-going mail.

\path\UNTAG %4
%1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9

This is how the NEWZIP.BAT looks - you have to determine which
parameter your mail reader is passing as the REPLIES file, and
change the UNTAG % number to that.

For example:

Old Option> PKZIP -A
New Option> \path\NEWZIP PKZIP -A

will pass the following line to NEWZIP.BAT:

PKZIP -A BBSNAME.REP BBSNAME.MSG

so %1 = PKZIP
%2 = -A
%3 = BBSNAME.REP
%4 = BBSNAME.MSG

What we are interested in is the .MSG file, which is the actual
replies file that will be compressed into the REP packet. In
this case it is %4.

Another example:

Old Option> PKZIP -A -ES
New Option> NEWZIP PKZIP -A -ES

will pass the following line to NEWZIP.BAT:

PKZIP -A -ES BBSNAME.REP BBSNAME.MSG

so %1 = PKZIP
%2 = -A
%3 = -ES
%4 = BBSNAME.REP
%5 = BBSNAME.MSG

In this case %5 is the parameter we want.

While this is definitely not an easy way to eliminate the
duplicate reader tagline, it is unfortunately the only way.

Conventional Tag Line Manager Installation -

TLX can mimic the popular John Hancock tagline manager and
return the tagline in a text file. This method has certain
drawbacks, it can not quote your message, the reader signature
can not be changed, and the user signature manager is not
available. Simply set up your mail reader to call TLX with the
following parameters:

\path\TLX g * \replypath\REPLY.FIL

where \path\TLX is the full path and filename of TLX;
g is the Generic command line switch;
* tells TLX to find the database automatically;
and \replypath\REPLY.FIL is the full path and filename of the
message file that TLX will read to make suggestions.

The tagline will be returned in a text file (called TLX.TAG by
default) the name of the tagline return file can be changed from
the TLX configuration menu. The mail reader must have the option
to read such a tagline return file and use it.


Quoting Guidelines
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While sensible use of the quote enhancer makes your replies
unique and easier to understand, over quoting makes sysops
upset. Only quote the portion of text that is relevant, never
quote the entire original message.


Detailed Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following is specific information on the various options and
behavior of TLX. It is not required for using TLX, but is
provided for those want to get the most out of the program.


Expanded Memory
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TLX will normally grab all available Expanded Memory (EMS) and
use it for dynamic caching and index buffers. However, if you
are running concurrent programs or operating under a multi user
environment, you can limit the amount of Expanded Memory that
TLX will use by setting an Environmental Variable:

SET TAGLINE=Ex

where E is the EMS switch and x denotes a numeric value for the
explicit amount of Expanded Memory in Kilobytes - using E0 will
tell TLX to not use ANY EMS memory.

Additionally, with certain VGA video hardware the cursor will
appear deranged. If this is the case you can use the TAGLINE
Environmental Variable to inform TLX that the cursor is
misbehaving with the switch BC

SET TAGLINE=BC

You can use both these switches with the Environmental Variable
by separating them with a semicolon e.g.

SET TAGLINE=BC;E1024

Note that there should be no spaces between the words. Please
refer to your DOS manual for more information on Environmental
Variables.


@ Variables
~~~~~~~~~~~
TLX supports several @ variables in the tagline, user signature,
reader signature and quote enhancer. Note that some options may
not be available with all mail readers - only SLMR and OLX can
offer full support for all variables. All these variables must
be in upper case (CAPITALS).

These variables are replaced by TLX as follows :

@FROM@ - Message authors full name
@FROMFIRST@ - Message authors first name
@FROMLAST@ - Message authors last name
@TO@ - Full name of message recipient
@TOFIRST@ - First name of message recipient
@TOLAST@ - Last name of message recipient
@SUBJECT@ - Subject of current message
@CONFNAME@ - Name of current conference
@TODAY@ - Current date in form MO/DA/YR
@DAY@ - Current day of week e.g. Monday, Tuesday
@DATE@ - Current date
@MONTH@ - Current month
@YEAR@ - Current year
@TIME@ - Current time in form HOUR:MIN:SEC
@HOUR@ - Current hour in 24 hour format
@MINUTE@ - Current minute
@SECOND@ - Current second
@VER@ - Current TLX version
@SDATE@ - Current time & date in Star Date format
@RND@ - Only available within QWK quoting text
@INI@ - available within FIDO/QWK quoting text


Quote Enhancer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can configure the quote enhancer to your specific design.
There are three sections in the quote enhancer - the Quote Top,
the Quote Text and the Quote Bottom. You can have up to 128
characters in each of these three options. To force a new line,
use the ASCII 227 character (ã) by holding down the ALT key and
pressing the 2 2 and 7 keys on the numeric keypad. An ASCII
chart and @ variable list can be summoned by pressing the F2 key
within each field. @ Variables can be used within each of these
options. TLX has an alternative quoting method when entering
mail on networks that do not allow high ASCII characters (FIDO
style), as well as the capability to 'Guess' the quoting and
tagline format allowed!


User Signature
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TLX can add a signature to the bottom of every message. A built
in signature manager allows you to have several different user
signatures, and select one for each message. You can have up to
128 characters in your signature, and also include @ variables.
To force a new line use the ASCII 227 character ã by holding
down the ALT key and pressing the 2 2 and 7 keys on the numeric
keypad. An ASCII chart and @ variable list can be summoned by
pressing the F2 key.

If you enter a filename in this field, TLX will read the entire
specified file in as a signature. A pop up file directory menu
can be called by pressing the F10 key to 'point-n-shoot'
signature files. The file directory tree has an integral ANSI
and text file viewer/editor built in. Pressing the Alt-A key
combination will display the ANSI graphics, and pressing the
Alt-V key combination will allow you to view/edit text files.
Note that an ANSI driver (such as ANSI.SYS) must be loaded in
order to view ANSI graphic files.

If the specified file is an executable program (or a batch file)
it will be automatically executed and TLX expects a signature
return file named TLX.SIG which will be added to the message as
a signature. This allows you to run external signature programs
directly from within TLX.


Translation Feature
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can translate text within the Quote enhancer by creating a
text file called TRANSLAT.TLX (or edit from the Configuration
menu). Basically you specify the text string to find and the
text string to replace with in the format:

Old Text = New Text

where Old Text is the string that will be replaced with the New
String. Capitalization is critical, since only an EXACT match
will be replaced. Typically this is used to personalize your
messages by translating names to short nicknames, e.g.

Joseph = Joe
Douglas = Doug
David = Dave
Doctor = Whats up Doc

For example, this quote addressed to DAVID:

@TOFIRST@ babbled incoherently ...

will be translated into:

Dave babbled incoherently ...

Note that the @ variables are translated first, then the text
translations take place.


Twit Taglines
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since TLX has the capability of stealing virtually every tagline
from within QWK, BW and OPX mail packets, occasionally you will
want to prevent certain taglines from being stolen. The twit
taglines are stored in a text file called TWITTAGS.TLX, and are
rejected by TLX when stealing and deleted within Maintenance.
Only a partial match is required, so the string:

WRITTEN

will cause the following taglines to be rejected/deleted:

Written by Joe Shmoe at 10:00am
Written in New York by Joe Shmoe
This tagline written on recycled newspapers.

Single characters can not be twitted and are ignored. You can
only have a maximum of 500 twit taglines, if you try to use more
TLX will inform you that there are too many twit taglines. Note
that the number of twit taglines directly affects the speed of
tagline theft and Maintenance. Additionally, TLX will reject or
delete any taglines that contain a standard format phone number
such as:

(212)334-1243
212-334-1243
212.334.1243
212 334 1243


File Directory Menu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The file directory menu offers a 'point-n-shoot' interface for
selecting files. Use the Up, Down, PageUp and PageDown keys to
navigate the list displayed files, and select by pressing the
Enter key. Pressing the first letter of a file will cause the
cursor bar to jump to the next matching filename. Mouse users
can simply click on the desired filename to select it, the arrow
symbols along the right border of the display simulate the
PageUp and the PageDown keys. Pressing the Escape key aborts
without selecting any files.

The top of the window displays the name of the current directory
being viewed. All available drives will be displayed at the top
of the list, if this list is incorrect you must change the TLX
Configuration (under System Settings, Lastdrive on system) to
reflect the correct last drive available on your system. To
switch to another drive, simply select the desired drive, and
the file listing will be updated.

Next all available subdirectories under the current directory
will be listed, to change directories simply select the desired
directory. The Root directory is denoted by a single dot and the
Parent directory is denoted by two dots.

All available files are listed alphabetically, with their sizes,
dates and time stamps. Pressing the Alt-A key combination allows
you to view the highlighted file in ANSI color (an ANSI driver
such as ANSI.SYS must be loaded in order for this to work).
Pressing the Alt-V key combination activates the internal file
viewer/editor, allowing you to view or edit any text file
directly.


'Expert' Configuration Options
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are a few hidden configuration options that can only be
changed by manually editing the TLX.CFG file. These are:

QUOTEALLOW - this option is normally either [G]uess or [A]sk;
but can be changed to [F]IDO or [Q]WK to force FIDO or QWK style
quoting for EACH message.

ANSISTRIP - this option forces TLX to strip ANSI codes out
during quoting, and is normally set to [Y]es. To prevent TLX
from removing ANSI lines during quoting, change this to [N]o.

QUOTETAG - this option is normally set to [N]o; and controls if
the original message tagline will be stripped out when the
message is quoted. To preserve the original tagline, change this
to [Y]es.

BBSPHONE - this option is normally set to [Y]es; and prevents
BBS advertisement taglines (any tagline with a phone number in
it) from being stolen. To disable this feature, change this
option to [N]o.

TAGTYPE - this option is normally set to [G]uess; and controls
the tagline style used for each message. It can be changed to
[F]IDO, [Q]WK or [N]o-bar-FIDO to force each respective style.


Configuration
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TLX saves your default settings in an ASCII text configuration
file. You can modify the configuration from within TLX or with a
text editor. If no configuration file is found, TLX will use
default internal values and create a new configuration file. The
available options are:

SYSTEM SETTINGS:

Your Full Name: Your name quite obviously!

Registration Number: Your registration number as stated on your
registration card. Registration of TLX stops the random
appearance of NAG screens that remind you to register.

Registration Key Code: Your registration key code as stated on
your registration card. Registration of TLX stops the
random appearance of NAG screens that remind you to
register.

Mouse Enabled: TLX offers full support for Microsoft-compatible
rodents. Options are Yes or No.

Path to Mail Packets: When you instruct TLX to steal taglines
from mail packets, it will default to this directory.
When installed automatically, TLX will interrogate the
mail reader configuration and read the correct directory
from there. QWK format mail packets are selected by
default, but TLX also supports Blue Wave BW and Silver
Xpress OPX format mail packets. If no filenames are
specified, TLX will add a wildcard automatically e.g.
*.QWK

Editor Path/Filename: In [F]ull Mode, TLX calls your editor
directly, speeding up operation. Enter the full path and
filename for your favorite editor. When installed
automatically, TLX will interrogate the mail reader
configuration and read the correct directory from there.
If this field is left blank, the internal editor will be
used instead.

Editor Minimum Memory: This is minimum amount of memory your
editor requires in KiloBytes. Reducing this number will
increase the speed of the program. Most editors can
manage with 150 KiloBytes. Using too low a value will
give insufficient memory error messages when you use the
editor, it will then be necessary to increase it.

Lastdrive on System: This tells the file directory menu how many
drives are attached to your system. Enter the letter for
the last drive available on your computer system.

QUOTE ENHANCER SETTINGS:

Quoter Enabled: This option controls the quote enhancer. If set
to No, the quoter will be disabled. Note that disabling
the quote enhancer will leave the message header intact
within the message, and some @ variables will not work.

Guess Quote Style: TLX has the capability to guess what quoting
format is allowed, and automatically use it. If this
option is set to No, TLX will ask you for each message.
A message will appear each time, prompting you to press
the Space Bar to use FIDO style quoting or any other key
to use QWK style quoting. If no key is pressed within 2
seconds, QWK style quoting is automatically selected.

Quote Top QWK Mode: This is the top of the quote box for QWK
messages. You can use @ variables and the TRANSLATE
features in this field. You can Enter up to 128
characters here. Press F2 to summon an ASCII chart, to
force a new line use the ASCII 227 character by holding
down the ALT key and pressing 2 2 7 on the numeric
keypad.

Quote Text QWK Mode: Each quoted line in the message will be
preceded by the contents of this entry. You can use @
variables and the TRANSLATE features in this field. You
can Enter up to 128 characters here. Press F2 to summon
an ASCII chart. Using the variable @RND@ will cause each
message to have random quote characters; and @INI@ will
place the initials of the person you are sending the
message to.

Quote Bottom QWK Mode: This is the bottom of the quote box for
QWK messages. You can use @ variables and the TRANSLATE
features in this field. You can Enter up to 128
characters here. Press F2 to summon an ASCII chart, to
force a new line use the ASCII 227 character by holding
down the ALT key and pressing 2 2 7 on the numeric
keypad.

Quote Top FIDO Mode: This is the top of the quote box for FIDO
messages. You can use @ variables and the TRANSLATE
features in this field. You can Enter up to 128
characters here. To force a new line use the ASCII 227
character by holding down the ALT key and pressing 2 2 7
on the numeric keypad. Do NOT use high ASCII characters
in FIDO messages!

Quote Text FIDO Mode: Each quoted line in the message will be
preceded by the contents of this entry. You can use @
variables and the TRANSLATE features in this field. You
can Enter up to 128 characters here. Using the variable
@INI@ will place the initials of the person you are
sending the message to. Do NOT use high ASCII characters
in FIDO messages!

Quote Bottom FIDO Mode: This is the bottom of the quote box for
FIDO messages. You can use @ variables and the TRANSLATE
features. You can Enter up to 128 characters here. To
force a new line use the ASCII 227 character by holding
down the ALT key and pressing 2 2 7 on the numeric
keypad. Do NOT use high ASCII characters in FIDO
messages!

TAGLINE SETTINGS:

Automatic Tagline Select: If this option is set to Yes, TLX will
automatically add a tagline without any prompting. This
option works along with the next option, if that is set
to Yes (Random) a random tagline will be automatically
added to the message; and if the next option is set to
No (Suggestion) the first suitable tagline suggestion
will be automatically added to the message.

Random Tagline Select: If this option is set to Yes, TLX will
pick a random tagline instead of making suggestions.

Reader Signature Enabled: If this option is set to No, TLX will
NOT use a reader signature, and all taglines will be
forced into FIDO mode.

Tagline Return Filename: This option is only relevant if you are
using TLX in the Generic mode. Enter the name of the
tagline return filename here.

LIST MAINTENANCE:

User Signature: Press the Enter key to activate the signature
manager. You can Add, Edit and Kill user signatures, as
well as select the default user signature that will be
added to all your messages. @ variables and signature
files are supported by TLX.

Reader Signature: Press the Enter key to activate the signature
manager. You can Add, Edit and Kill signatures, as well
as select the default reader signature that will be
added to all your messages. @ variables are supported.

Twit Taglines: Press the Enter key to activate the Twit tagline
editor. You can add, edit and delete twit taglines
interactively within the editor.

Translate List: Press the Enter key to activate the Translate
list editor. You can add, edit and delete translate
strings interactively within the editor.

COLOR SETTINGS:

All colors within TLX are fully user configurable. The active
option name is indicated on the left of the screen, and a sample
display window allows you to see how your color choices will
appear. Pressing the Up and the Down arrow keys change the color
of the active option, and pressing the Left and the Right arrow
keys move to the previous or the next option. Press the Escape
key to exit and return to the Configuration Menu.


Add Tagline File
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This option allows you to add text (ASCII) tagline files into
the tagline database. Taglines up to 72 characters in length are
supported. Each tagline must be on a new line, any lines longer
than 72 characters will be rejected. TLX also recognizes
RoboMail style .RTF tagline files.

If TLX can recognize a default tagline file, it will prompt you
with the filename. Press the Enter key to select the offered
file, or Enter the full path and filename of the text tagline
file to import. You can press the F10 key to activate the pop up
file directory menu, offering a 'point-n-shoot' interface for
selecting files. Pressing the Escape key during the import will
abort the process.

After TLX has successfully imported all taglines into the
tagline database, you will be informed how many taglines were
imported, and you will be prompted to rename the tagline file.
Press the Enter key to accept the filename that TLX has
suggested, or type in a new filename. You can press the Escape
key if you do not wish to rename the text tagline file.


Dump ASCII Text File
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This option allows you to export the entire Tagline Database to
a text (ASCII) file. Enter the name of the text file you wish to
create, or press the Enter key to accept the default filename
suggested by TLX.

A progress bar indicator will appear, showing progress during
the Dump operation. Pressing the Escape key will abort the
process immediately.


Browse Database
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Browse Menu offers an interactive interface to manipulate
the Tagline Database. The Browse window will display up to ten
taglines at a time, along with the amount of times each tagline
has been used. The top right corner of the window shows the
current location within the tagline database.

To edit a displayed tagline, move the highlighted cursor bar
over the tagline and press the Enter key. Mouse users can simply
click on the desired tagline. A smaller window will appear,
allowing you to edit the tagline. Pressing the Alt-K key
combination will delete the tagline. Pressing the F2 key will
activate the pop up ASCII chart along with the @ variable chart.
Press the Enter key to save your changes, or press the Escape
key to abandon them.

Pressing the Alt-K directly over a highlighted tagline will
delete it. The Used counter will be replaced by the letters DEL,
pressing Alt-K again will reverse the deletion and restore the
tagline. Deleted taglines are only removed during Maintenance;
they are ignored during Tagline suggestions.

Pressing the Space Bar will Mark the highlighted tagline with a
check mark. Marked taglines retain their mark until they are
unmarked. The Marked Taglines Menu option allows you to
manipulate marked taglines (see below).

Pressing the Alt-R key combination will prompt you for
confirmation, then revive ALL deleted taglines.

Pressing the Escape key will return you to the Main Menu.

There are six options available within the Browse Menu.

Add New Tagline - this option allows you to add a new tagline
directly. A window will appear, type in the new tagline and
press the Enter key to accept, or press the Escape key to abort.
Pressing the F2 key activates the pop up ASCII chart along with
the @ variable chart.

Search for Tagline - this option allows you to search for
taglines. TLX has a very powerful search capability. You can
Enter a portion of the string that you want to find, and even
place more than one string at once separated by semicolons ";"
for example, using:

CAT;DOG;CAR

will search for all taglines that contain the strings CAT DOG
and CAR in them. All searches begin at the beginning of the
tagline database, to continue an existing search pattern from
the current location within the database, use the Next Match
option (explained next). A progress bar indicator shows progress
during the search. There are three toggles available, Mark, Dump
and Kill. Press the Space Bar to toggle the check mark within
each entry, and press the Enter key when done. If the Mark
toggle is set, all matching taglines will be marked. If the Dump
toggle is set, all matching taglines will be dumped to a text
(ASCII) file. If the Kill toggle is set, all matching taglines
will be DELeted. The number of taglines being affected is
displayed below the progress bar. Pressing the Escape key during
the search will abort the process immediately. If none of the
three toggles have been set, the search process will stop at the
first matching tagline, and the highlighted cursor bar will be
placed over it. If no matching taglines are found, a message
will be displayed to that effect.

Next Match - this option continues an existing search from the
current location within the tagline database. The Mark, Dump and
Kill toggles are automatically disabled, and the search process
will stop at the next matching tagline. A progress bar indicator
shows progress during the search, pressing the Escape key will
abort the process immediately. If no matching taglines are
found, a message will be displayed to that effect.

Twit a Tagline - this option allows you to add a new Twit
tagline to the list of unwanted (twit) taglines, only a partial
string is required. Pressing the Alt-E key combination will
activate the Twit file editor, allowing you to edit the entire
twit tagline file. When Adding taglines and Stealing taglines,
any tagline matching an existing Twit tagline will be ignored;
and during Maintenance any tagline matching a Twit tagline will
be deleted.

Jump to Record - this option allows you to navigate longer
distances within the tagline database. You can Enter an explicit
tagline record number to jump to (the size of the tagline
database is displayed); pressing the PageUp key will jump to
beginning of the tagline database, and pressing the PageDown key
will jump to the end of the tagline database. Pressing the
Escape key will abort and return to the same location.

Marked Taglines - this option allows you to manipulate all
Marked taglines within the database. There are three toggles
available; Unmark, Dump and Kill. All three toggles are acted
on, so if all three have been set - all Marked taglines will be
Unmarked, Dumped to a text file, and also DELeted. Pressing the
Escape key or leaving all three toggles unselected will abort
the operation. Press the Enter key to accept. A progress bar
indicator shows progress, pressing the Escape key will abort the
process immediately. The number of taglines being affected is
displayed below the progress bar.


Steal Taglines
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Steal Tagline Menu allows you to steal all recognizable
taglines from entire QWK, BW and OPX format mail packets. After
a mail packet name is entered, the file is decompressed using
the appropriate decompression program. Each tagline will then be
displayed.

Yes Steal it - this will steal the displayed tagline, and
continue the process.

Edit & Steal - this allows you to edit the displayed tagline
before stealing it. The F2 key activates the pop up ASCII chart
along with the @ variable chart. Press the Enter key after
making any changes, or press the Escape key to discard the
tagline.

No Steal - this will reject the displayed tagline and continue
the process.

Rest Auto - this will automatically steal ALL following taglines
with NO user prompting. If a wildcard QWK packet specification
was used, all QWK packets will be stolen from automatically.

Twit a Tag - this allows you to Enter a Twit string for unwanted
taglines. Pressing the Alt-E key combination will activate the
Twit tagline editor, allowing you to edit the entire Twit
tagline file.

Quit Steal - this cancels the stealing operation. If a wildcard
QWK packet specification was used, the next available QWK packet
will be decompressed and processed.


Command line operation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All TLX options can be called from the interactive menu or by
passing command line parameters. The syntax for command line
operation is:

TLX

  3 Responses to “Category : BBS Programs+Doors
Archive   : TAGLX400.ZIP
Filename : TLX.DOC

  1. Very nice! Thank you for this wonderful archive. I wonder why I found it only now. Long live the BBS file archives!

  2. This is so awesome! 😀 I’d be cool if you could download an entire archive of this at once, though.

  3. But one thing that puzzles me is the “mtswslnkmcjklsdlsbdmMICROSOFT” string. There is an article about it here. It is definitely worth a read: http://www.os2museum.com/wp/mtswslnk/