ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ßß ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÜ ÛÛÛÛÛ ÜÛÛÛÜ ÛÛÛÛÜ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛß ÛÛ ÛÛ ßÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛß/2 ÛÛ ÛÛ Version 1.45 Hippo v2 -format message reader Copyright 1993-1995 Markku Leini” 1. First of all 2. Good to know 3. Registration 4. Differences between HipHop/D and HipHop/2 5. Installing HipHop 6. Hardware requirements (OS/2) 7. Starting HipHop 8. Exiting HipHop 9. Configuring HipHop 10. Available key-commands 11. Hippo v2 -format 12. HipHop/2 -project (OS/2) 13. Copyrights and thanks 1. First of all --------------- Here it is: HipHop/2, the ultimate message reader for OS/2!-) HipHop uses only Hippo v2 -format to get and send messages. At the moment I know only two BBS programs that support Hippo v2 -format: BBBS and HBBS (both Finnish). (More information about the format can be found in HIPPO2.DOC.) HIP2_145.LZH -packet includes the following files: HIPHOP2.DOC (you are reading this right now) HIPHOP.FAQ Frequently Asked Questions; it's worth reading! HIPHOP2.EXE The program file. HIPHOP2.ICO An icon file. (New ideas?) HISTORY2.TXT Some kind of development history. Here are listed the changes from version to version. FILE_ID.DIZ (short description for BBSs) HIPPO2.DOC Hippo v2 -format specification. There shouldn't be any other files in the packet. HipHop can be freely distributed provided that all files listed above are included unmodified. F1-key gives you quick-help! 2. Good to know --------------- Shortly: Absolutely NO WARRANTY! The author is not responsible for any possible harm caused by the HipHop program. By using the program you accept this. However, I myself use HipHop every day, and I test versions before releasing them. Bug reports, comments and suggestions can be sent to: Markku Leini” Tuiskula 1 FIN-21360 LIETO AS. Finland Netmail (Fidonet): 2:222/151 (BCG-Box; Turku, Finland) Email: matale@utu.fi The HipHop's newest version can always be found in BCG-Box (+358 21 240 4036, or (921) 240 4036 from Finland). I can't guarantee all suggestions will be implemented in HipHop. I'm not a full-time HipHop-maker... But any suggestions are still welcome. 3. Registration --------------- Registering is easy. Send me Netmail (via Fidonet to address 2:222/151, username Markku Leini”) or Email (matale@utu.fi), and I will send you your own registration code. Please include also some information about your machine and why do you use HipHop. With the registration I'd like to know if anyone uses this program... Registration code is personal and it must not be given to someone else. Nobody has any reason to use the program with someone else's name. You can use the same registration code with both HipHop/D and HipHop/2. 4. Differences between HipHop/D and HipHop/2 -------------------------------------------- In this document the name 'HipHop' means both DOS and OS/2 versions of HipHop, unless the other version (HipHop/D or HipHop/2) is specifically mentioned. You can use the same directory with HipHop/D and HipHop/2. All common files are named HIPHOP.*, while DOS and OS/2 version's files are named HIPHOPD.* and HIPHOP2.*, respectively. As a OS/2 user, the author is not really interested in making a DOS version of HipHop. ;-) Because of the special features of OS/2, HipHop/D will not have all the same functionality as HipHop/2. The titles in this document indicate if the chapters contain DOS or OS/2 specific information, so you can skip some chapters if you are already familiar with the other version of HipHop. 5. Installing HipHop -------------------- HipHop doesn't have any separate install-program. Installing is simply made by copying the required executable file to the right directory. Usually HipHop is installed to own directory, C:\COMMS\HIPHOP, for example. At the first start HipHop makes the configuration file that contains user definable settings. Similarly, at the first start, HipHop makes MSGS- and OLDMSGS- directories to the HipHop-directory. MSGS-directory is used to store written messages and other operations before the packet is sent to the BBS. Old message packets are stored in OLDMSGS- directory. They are packed, same packets that were taken from BBS's. From there you can search some old messages if needed (by hand). The number of saved packets is configurable between 0-50 (see chapter 9). HIPHOP.ALA -file is created when needed, and it contains the alarm setting. HIPHOP.COL contains color settings, if any. Can be freely deleted to restore built-in colors. For each message packet, HipHop makes three files: .DAT, .IDX and .ARE. They are for HipHop's internal use. .ARE contains message area list of the BBS. .DAT and .IDX are deleted when message packet is done (Alt-Q), but .ARE is left on the disk, so that you don't have to take the area list with the message packet every time. Area list is in Hippo v2 message packet, depending on the BBS program. If you don't have the list, you can still enter messages to the BBS, but the list enables HipHop to warn you when you try to do something you don't have access to, or the message area doesn't exist. Therefore the list should always be up-to-date. If an individual signature for a BBS is defined, it is stored in text format in file .SIG. 6. Hardware requirements (OS/2) ------------------------------- Well, if you can run OS/2, you can run HipHop/2. Extended screen modes (100*40, 132*43, etc.) can be used if HipHop is started in that kind of mode. However, HipHop uses only first 80 columns. 80 columns is also the minimum. All necessary (un)packers must be found. They are searched first from the HipHop directory and then from the PATH setting. See configuration settings for info about required programs. HipHop/2 has been successfully tested with OS/2 versions 2.1 and Warp 3. 7. Starting HipHop ------------------ Reading is started with command 'HIPHOP2 packet', where 'packet' is the name of the message packet downloaded from a BBS. Packet name may also be omitted, in which case HipHop shows file selection menu. If specified packet doesn't exist, HipHop asks if it should be created, enabling you to write messages without downloaded message packet. When HipHop is instructed to open a message file, it first checks if .HD is found in the HipHop directory and opens it if found. If no unpacked message file exists, then HipHop searches download directory for the file, and unpacks it. Notice that even if you select a packed message file in the file selection menu, HipHop anyway opens the unpacked file with the same name, if exists. Only one packet can be unpacked from a BBS at a time. You must quit the packet with Alt-Q before you can open next packet *from the same BBS*. Starting examples: HIPHOP2 BCG-MSG1 opens .HD if found, then searches for packed file HIPHOP2 BCG-MSG1.LZH the same; file path and extension are ignored HIPHOP2 starts the file selection menu 8. Exiting HipHop ----------------- HipHop is exited with key Q. In that case, HipHop does not prepare any message packet to be sent. With key Alt-Q HipHop deletes the message packet. If there are any written messages (or other operations), the packet is packed and prepared to be sent to BBS. 9. Configuring HipHop --------------------- HipHop has some settings that have to be checked so that HipHop can operate correctly. When first started, HipHop automatically goes to the configuration menu. Later the settings can be modified with key Alt-C in normal mode or in file selection menu. Also, configuration menu can be entered from OS/2 command line by starting HipHop with parameter '/C' ('HIPHOP2 /C'). You can move in the configuration menu with arrow keys. Press X to exit and save changes, or Q to quit without saving. These are the settings: User name Your name. HipHop uses this name to indicate messages to you. Default signature String to be added to every written message. Not allowed in some BBSs! HipHop first checks if .SIG is found and uses it. If not found, then this is used. Editor command Command to start the message editor. Can be a batch file (command interpreter specified by COMSPEC is used). File name is given as the first argument. Download dir Directory, where your downloaded message packets are. Usually the same as your terminal program's download directory. Upload dir Directory, where packed message files should be put to wait for sending. Usually the same as your terminal program's upload directory. Quote char to use Character to be inserted before every quoted line. Default is '>'. Please don't change this unless you absolutely have to because '>' is 'de facto' standard. Quote indicators These characters indicate that the line is quoted. Used to show quoted lines in different color. Screen saver Time (in minutes) after which the screen saver activates, if no key is pressed. 0 to disable. Default name ext Specifies how a packet should be packed, if it is not otherwise known (empty packet created, or message packet was not packed). Name case convert When HipHop asks for a name, it automatically shows name in 'name case' (first letter is upper case). This behavior can be changed at run time with Tab key. This specifies the default. Saved old packets When HipHop unpacks message packet, it also copies the packed file to OLDMSGS-directory. This specifies how many packets will be saved. If 0 is specified, no files will be saved. Recommended setting is at least 5, unless you are extremely low in disk space (buy one more hard disk, man!-)). Packers... Specifies external programs to be used to pack and unpack messages. Defaults are: OS/2: LZH: LHA.EXE ZIP: ZIP.EXE/UNZIP.EXE ARJ: ARJ.EXE DOS: LZH: LHA.EXE ZIP: PKZIP.EXE/PKUNZIP.EXE ARJ: ARJ.EXE 10. Available key-commands -------------------------- The following keys can be used when in the normal message reading mode. F1 Shows quick help. Enter Shows next page, or next message. Right/left arrow Shows next/previous message. Up/Down/PgUp/PgDn/Home/End Scrolls the message. Ctrl-Home/End Goes to first/last message in the packet. Ctrl-Right/Left Goes to next/previous message area. > Goes to message that is reply to current message. < Goes to message to which current message is a reply. = Goes to next reply to message to which current message is a reply. N (Next) Goes to next message that is to/from you. E (Enter) Lets you write a new message to any area. R (Reply) Replies to a message. G (Goto) Goes to selected area. Shows also the number of messages in the areas. M (Messages) Goes to selected message. L (List) Lists operations you have made (ie. written messages and area joins/resigns). P (Print) Saves/prints current message to a file/printer. Alt-P Saves current message to file .CLP. J (Join) Joins an area. U (Unjoin) Resigns from an area. F (Find) Tries to find specified text from headers, text body, or both. Alt-F Repeats previous find. Alt-L Shows area list. Alt-C Configures HipHop. Alt-S Changes screen colors. Alt-I Edits BBS signature. Alt-R Changes screen mode between 25 and 43/50 lines. Alt-T SF7 character conversion toggle on/off. Alt-D Goes to OS shell. (Return to HipHop with EXIT command.) Alt-A Sets alarm. Alt-N Saves current name and netmail address to ADDRBOOK.NET (address book). ADDRBOOK.NET can also be edited manually. Alt-1..9 Sets/resets a bookmark. 1..9 Goes to bookmark position. 0 Clears specified bookmark. Q Quits HipHop. No packet is prepared for send. Alt-Q Quits HipHop and makes message packet if needed. 11. Hippo v2 -format -------------------- Hippo v2 -specifications can be found in the file HIPPO2.DOC. 12. HipHop/2 -project (OS/2) ---------------------------- HipHop/2 saw the daylight in December 1994. The autumn was spent porting HipHop's DOS version from Turbo Pascal to Borland C++. Because I'm using OS/2 myself, it was natural to port HipHop to OS/2. It went easier than I thought, and here we are!-) HipHop/2 is compiled with Borland C++ 1.5 for OS/2. If you want more information about HipHop's rise, see the HIPHOPD.DOC file in HipHop's DOS version's packet (HIPD_vvv.LZH). 13. Copyrights and thanks ------------------------- Product and company names mentioned here or somewhere else in the HipHop packet are copyrights or trademarks of their respective owners. Thanks to all registered users of HipHop! Thanks also to everyone who has reported bugs or somehow else helped with the development. Special thanks to Toni Nikkanen and Sami Luoma-Pukkila for beta testing!