APPENDAGES, TECHNICAL NOTES, AND TIPS ----------- --------- ------ --- ---- Message Boards ------- ------ The message board data is stored in the following files: POINTERS ........ Last-read message for each user HEADERS ......... To/From information for each message MSG.XXXXXXXXXXX . Each message's text All files are created automatically. **** IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT MESSAGE BOARDS! **** Do NOT delete messages either manually or with a disk utility program. If you want to delete a message, use the AppleNET program to do it. Simply select (D)elete a message from the message module and delete them. If you do not follow this instruction, your board WILL "crash". ALWAYS use the AppleNET program to delete messages. File Directories ---- ----------- The file directory data is stored in a file called FILE.LIST. This is a text file containing the information about each file in the base. The FILE.LIST file is created automatically when a user uploads a file to that directory. If you wish to add new files locally (as opposed to remotely), you will need to load the FILE.LIST file into a word processor and add the appropriate information to the table. The information under the TYPE heading is the type of file. This will be used most often to tell what program packer (if any) was used. Some commonly used types are: BNY ...... The Binary II protocol was used BQY ...... A program called BLU was used to pack it SHK ...... The ShrinkIt program was used PAK ...... The MS-DOS file archiver program was used TXT ...... This is a plain text file File types may be one to four characters in length. The BLOCKS heading signifies the number of Xmodem blocks the file occupies. This can be found by the following formula: ProDOS blocks x 4 = Number of Xmodem blocks Subtract 4 from the above answer to get the final answer. If the final answer is 0, then the file is actually 4 Xmodem blocks long. If the final answer is NOT 0, then no further modification is necessary. Online programs ------ -------- Online programs MUST be text-based only. Graphic-based or graphic-supportive programs may not be used, since the caller will not be able to see these graphics. Likewise, music- or sound-supportive programs will not translate on the user's computer. The program may have sound, but it will only be heard on your computer. Most programs require little or no modification. However, ALL will require that three simple BASIC lines be appended to them. These are to check for a carrier loss and to allow simple returns to the BBS once the program is finished. The three lines should look like this: 0 & WHEN NOT ONLINE GOTO 55000 50000 & RESTORE 1 TO PR$ : PRINT CHR$(4);"PREFIX";PR$ : PRINT CHR$(4);"-EXIT" 55000 & RESTORE 1 TO PR$ : PRINT CHR$(4);"PREFIX";PR$ : PRINT CHR$(4);"RESTORE ANET.VAR" : CH = 2 : PRINT D$;"CHAIN ANET.MAIN" Adding these three lines will allow successful recovery from any program. One thing to remember, when your program ends, ALWAYS make the ending program line GOTO 50000! Do NOT use the END statement. STATEMENTS TO AVOID IN ONLINE PROGRAMS: TEXT, END, VTAB, HTAB, INVERSE, POKE 32-35,x, HOME One other thing: You may wish to include the following line to your program: 1 ONERR GOTO 9000 This will allow the user to return to the BBS if there happens to be an error in the program. If you issue a POKE 216,0 statement in your program, you should restore the ONERR GOTO to line 9000. One other nifty little trick. If you would like to implement the user's name in your program, add the following line to your online program: xxxx & RESTORE 2 TO NAME$ This will make NAME$ equal to the name of the current user. SysOp Commands While A User Is Online ----- -------- ----- - ---- -- ------ AppleNET makes use of both the Apple keys on the keyboard (or the Open-Apple and Option key on newer IIe's and the IIgs) while the user is online. These are reserved for the SysOp's use. To use them, you merely hold one of them down immediately BEFORE a menu is about to appear. If a menu has already appeared, hold down the appropriate key and then press the question mark key (which would normally re-display the menu). It may take a little getting used to in order to use these keys efficiently, but it's not that difficult. OPEN-APPLE .... Initiate a chat-routine with the user. Here you can type back and forth with whoever is online. To exit from the chat mode, you hold down the OPEN-APPLE key and press RETURN. You may also press the OPEN-APPLE key while you are being paged to initiate the chat routine. OPTION-KEY .... This is the same as the CLOSED-APPLE on older Apple IIe's. The closed-apple accesses "background tasks". Background tasks are options which allow you to do maintenence or modifications while the user is still online. When you press the option key, AppleNET loads a called BACKGROUND. This is very similar to the Startup program, only it has different options. You may run the editors online without fear. When you select QUIT from any of the editors, they will not return to the Startup program as before. Instead they will return to the Background menu. You may also jump into Applesoft while a user is online. If you wish to enter BASIC alone (without the user seeing what you are doing, select APPLESOFT (W/O USER). However, if you would like to allow the user to see what is happening, select APPLESOFT (W/USER). When you exit to BASIC, to return, make sure you are in the AppleNET directory and enter: "-BACKGROUND". This will return you to to background program. To return to the BBS, select RETURN TO THE BBS from the background menu. The user information will still be intact and you may go about your session as if nothing had happened. Configuration Editor Tip ------------- ------ --- While using the configuration editor, instead of typing in the current directory name, enter a single "/" and the currect directory will be inserted. Module Editor Tip ------ ------ --- Create a "standard" message board first, making it contain normal read and write security settings, then press APPLE-C to copy this board several times. Now you won't have to re-enter the security settings for each board; only those which have special settings. Bulletin Tip -------- --- If you're posting a lengthy bulletin or article, separate it into several "chapters" using your word processor. This way users won't have to read the entire article all of the way through. Instead, they can select the article by sections. Event Files ----- ----- Event files can do just about anything. And they needn't conform to the same BASIC command restrictions that online programs do. To return from an event file, have your event program return to the BBS directory, then add a line such as xxxx PRINT CHR$(4);"-EXIT" This will properly return you to the board and await calls. Trouble-Shooting ---------------- One "peculiarity" found is when you exit the AppleNET system and run another program. The program known to cause a "RESTART SYSTEM" message on the IIgs is FrEdWriter. In order to recreate this flaw, you would have to exit FrEdWriter via the CONTROL-Q command, and then turn your modem off and then back on again. This will cause a system lock-up. Also found when testing the program on a IIgs, if you assign files to a RAM disk (/RAM5 in this case), and then run AppleWorks, the message boards will "freeze up" after re-loading AppleNET. To avoid problems, copy any new files to another disk and then turn the system off, back on again, and copy the files back into a RAM disk. One other thing. If you exit from AppleNET at all (such as via CONTROL-RESET or by QUIT THIS PROGRAM), you should turn your external modem off, then back on again. This will refresh the modem for the initialization process. If you do not do this, the program will most likely not answer the phone properly. Some modems may not behave this way. Check to see if yours refuses to answer the phone after such an exit. When placing files in file directories (manually, by copying the files with a disk utility program), you will need to change the FILE.LIST text file in that directory to show the new file. If you do not do this, the file will still be able to be downloaded, but nobody will see the file in the list. This can be used as a "trick" to hide files on disk that are unseen, but available. Handling A System "Crash" -------- - ------ ------- If, for some reason or another, the program breaks into Applesoft BASIC, AppleNET will remove the modem drivers and hang up the phone. This will obliviate the potential threat of file erasures or general vandalism by a user. Once the modem's carrier has been lost, the system will re-boot. The re-booting process can cause some problems, however. This is because of the fact that another program may load first. Even AppleNET's own Startup program will require that you select an item from the menu in order to resume normal operation. To avoid this, you might want to consider renaming the Startup file. For instance: ]RENAME STARTUP,START This will make the startup program called START on the disk. Now create the following program: ]NEW ]10 PRINT CHR$(4);"-ANET" ]SAVE STARTUP Now, instead of loading the normal startup program, it will load this one-line program. This program will, in turn, run the AppleNET program and begin accepting calls. You should note though, that anytime you run one of the editors or any program which returns to the Startup program, it will automatically re-run AppleNET. General Board Tips ------- ----- ---- While you or a user is on AppleNET, you will usually have several special "hot keys" available throughout the system. They are: CONTROL-S ... Stop/start the flow of text S ........... Skip the current procedure ESC ......... Skip the current procedure While entering text, rather than commands (such as writing messages), there are several more options: CONTROL-X ... Delete the current line's text CONTROL-W ... Delete the last word typed TAB ......... Tab over spaces (MOD 8) While READING messages, you can use: N ........... Skip to the next message S ........... Stop reading messages ESC ......... Stop reading messages You may wish to post these special commands in a bulletin for reference. You may also wish to post a bulletin or a message explaining that there is almost always online help for each menu command. For users to access this help, they need to press "H" from any menu. Some Telecommunications Terminology ---- ------------------ ----------- Baud .............. The maximum speed of a modem. Modems usually range from 300 to 9600 baud. BBS ............... Bulletin Board System. BPS ............... Bits-per-second. 8 bits make up one character sent over the modem. Carrier detecting.. The ability to recognize when the caller has hung up. Crash ............. A system "crash" happens when an irrecoverable error takes place during a program's execution. DIP Switches ...... (D)ual (I)nline (P)ackage switches used to configure some hardware, such as Super-Serial Cards and some modems. These are usually in the form of "rocker" switches. Hayes-compatibilty. The abiltity of a modem to emulate a Hayes-brand modem. Hot Keys .......... The ability to enter a command while a menu is being displayed and get an instant response. Hostware .......... A bulletin board system program. Local ............. Local refers to being at the site of the computer which is running a BBS program. Logoff ............ Hanging up and ending a call. Logon ............. The process of calling a BBS and entering identifying information about yourself. Menu .............. A menu, like a restaurant menu, is a list of options available at any particular time. Modem ............. MOdulator/DEModulator, or a device which "translates" any characters sent to and from a computer via a telephone line. Moderator ......... A moderator is a person specially assigned by the SysOp to tend to a particular section of a BBS. This allows some of the burden to be shared amongst other people. Module ............ A segment of the AppleNET program such as the messaging module or the file transfer module. Online ............ Online means the user is currently using the bulletin board system. Parsing ........... Interpreting any entered text. Prompt ............ A question or location at which the computer waits for a response from the user. Remote ............ Remote use of a BBS is merely using a BBS from another computer via calling the host computer and logging on. SysOp ............. The SYStem OPerator, or the human operator of a bulletin board system. System Log ........ A text file which keeps track of any calls your system receives. This allows you to monitor your board's activity. User .............. A user (in the BBS sense) is generally a person who calls your bulletin board system and whose account was accepted and registered. Validate .......... The process of accepting a new user's account information. This sets the prospective user's account so that it reflects your approval.