* BBS2HTML CONVERSION UTILITY v1.0p - Documentation
Copyright 1994, 1995, Online Construction & Exploration Limited
36 Adelaide Street East, Unit 992, Toronto Canada M5C 2K3
Voice: 416-361-0810 Web: www.oce.com Email: scott.oce.com
BBS2HTML converts FILES.BBS listings to HTML native code automatically.
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* TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE
BBS2HTML is the property of Online Construction & Exploration Limited
(OCE) of Toronto Canada. All rights are reserved. This program is
FREEWARE and UNCRIPPLED, yet subject to the following conditions:
1. This program may not be altered in any fashion.
2. This original documentation must be included, unaltered in
distributed BBS2HTML archive files.
3. This program may not be sold or licensed without the express
permission of OCE.
4. The ending tag, "Created with BBS2HTML by: Online Construction &
Exploration Limited" must not be altered or removed from
files created with BBS2HTML.
* FEATURES
- Converts FILES.BBS listings to HTML native code automatically.
- Retails entire text contained in the original FILES.BBS file.
- Retains the order of the original file listing.
- HTML Click-on-file-and-download built-in.
- Your Online Service name appears at the top of each HTML page,
- and the name of "this archive" can appear below it.
* FILES INCLUDED IN THE ARCHIVE BBS2HTML.ZIP 46682 bytes
+ BBS2HTML.EXE 44738 bytes the program that creates a HTML file
+ FILES.BBS 16541 bytes Sample source FILES.BBS text
+ SAMPLE.HTM 13699 bytes Sample BBS2HTML output from SAMPLES.BBS
+ BBS2HTML.DOC 9862 bytes This document
+ FILE_ID.DIZ 267 bytes BBS file description for BBS2HTML.ZIP
* DESCRIPTION
BBS-2-HTML is a DOS program that creates an HTML file from a FILES.BBS
file. FILES.BBS is a text format that contains a catalogue of files found
on shareware CD-ROMS and BBS programs such as PCBoard. On CD-ROMs the
file is usally called FILES.BBS, with BBS programs the files may be
called DIR1, DIR2, DIR3 and so on. A typical FILES.BBS has been included
in this archive for clarity. It is called SAMPLE.BBS.
A HTML file created with BBS2HTML retains the all the information that
was in the original FILES.BBS text, althought the resulting format of the
text is somewhat different.
The program is prompt driven (it asks you questions) and completely
non-destructive to your original files. Simply answer the questions
asked at the prompts and in a few seconds your FILES.BBS text is
converted to full fledged HTML code. Once you put this HTML file on
a computer with HTTP server software, users can view your file list(s)
and simply click and download desired files. Needless to say, users
would need to use Netscape, Mosiac or some other HTML browser.
* CREATING A WORLD-WIDE-WEB FILE ARCHIVE with BBS2HTML
1) Create HTML files with BBS2HTML for each desired FILES.BBS list.
2) Create a directory on your UNIX system for each FILES.BBS collection,
such as "/var/www/docs/games".
3) Copy, upload or transfer each file collection to the appropriate
directory on your UNIX site.
4) Copy, upload or transfer the HTML files, created with BBS2HTML, to
each of the appropriate directories on the unix system.
I.e. "/var/www/docs/games".
5) To make the archive accessable; include an HTML "anchor" in your
Home Page or any page of your choosing on your web site. The anchor
should look something like this:
Various Games
The complete path to the file collection and the HTML file should
included. The games.htm file in this example would be a file created
with BBS2HTML.
Therefore the HTML file and the file archives should reside in the
same directory for easy file management.
6) Your file collection will now be viewable and downloadable for
anyone who has access to your web page with Netscape, Lynx,
Mosiac or any other HTML browser.
* BBS2HTML USAGE
When you run BBS2HTML it will ask you the following questions:
1. Enter the SOURCE files.bbs name:
2. Convert file NAMES to lower case for Unix? Y/n:
3. Enter the HTML file name to create:
4. Enter the Name of your Online Service:
5. Enter the TITLE of this HTML page:
6. Enter the path to this file collection:
7. PROCEED (Y/N):
Before using BBS2HTML you need to know the answers to the above questions.
The following is an explaination of each question.
Q-1. Enter the SOURCE files.bbs name:
This is the name of the FILES.BBS source file that you want
converted to HTML. The file can be named anything providing
the file structure conforms to FILES.BBS format. Typical names
could include: files.bbs, dir1.txt, dir5, games.dir, etc...
Therefore you MUST know the exact file name and you also MUST
know where the file is located. The path.
EXAMPLES:
Enter the SOURCE files.bbs name: d:\files\dir1
Enter the SOURCE files.bbs name: files.bbs
Enter the SOURCE files.bbs name: c:\bbs\files.bbs
Enter the SOURCE files.bbs name: c:\bbs\files\games\dir3.txt
Q-2. Convert file NAMES to lower case for Unix? Y/n:
Unix is case sensitive. Therefore the file ZOWWIE.EXE, Zowwie.exe
and zowwie.com are considered completely different files. Since the
HTTP (WEB) server you will be using is likely to be operating under
UNIX, this becomes important.
Usually you want to enter "Y" or "y" to this (the default) but
after you have transfered your files to the Unix system check
their CASE. Obviously if the file names are in UPPER CASE then
choose "n" or "N" to this question. If the file names are in
MIXED case (i.e MsPACman.zip) then this will NOT work with
BBS2HTML, you need to change them to upper or lower case.
Q-3. Enter the HTML file name to create:
The file name can be anything of you choosing and a path name is
optional. Please note that the file extension MUST be HTM for
most systems.
EXAMPLES:
Enter the HTML file name to create: utils3.htm
Enter the HTML file name to create: c:\upload\win95.htm
Enter the HTML file name to create: d:\games.htm
The file will be created with this name in the path specified.
If no path is specified, the file will be created in the current
directory.
Q-4. Enter the NAME of your Online Service:
This gives you the opportunity to put the NAME of your online
service at the top of the HTML page.
EXAMPLES:
Enter the Name of your Online Service: Edvar's Bavarian Circus
Enter the Name of your Online Service: Channel1 Communications
Q-5. Enter the TITLE of this HTML page:
This is allows you to provide a TITLE for this HTML/WEB page.
The TITLE will be presented in smaller text and directly below
the above NAME caption.
EXAMPLES:
Enter the TITLE of this HTML page: Windows Utilities
Enter the TITLE of this HTML page: GIF & JPG Nature Images
Enter the TITLE of this HTML page: Sound Board Drivers
Q-6. Enter the path to this file collection:
BBS2HTML needs to know where the file collection (the files listed
in the FILES.BBS file) will ultimately reside on the WEB server.
You need to enter the complete *UNIX* path accurately.
EXAMPLES:
Enter the path to this file collection: files/games/
Enter the path to this file collection: games/
Enter the path to this file collection: public/html/games/
* RESTRICTIONS * READ THIS *
Source FILES.BBS type files must NOT contain any special header
information. To determine this, look at the file with a text editor
(like DOS's EDIT program) the file should begin with a file name
followed by a file size, date, and description, as in the below
example. IF IT DOES NOT START THIS WAY: delete the offending text at
the top of the file until it DOES look this way.
ANNCE110.ZIP 13961 02-17-95 Announce 1.10 announces new and uploaded
| files in any mail conference of your TriBBS.
| (Robert Meier) (Reg.Fee: $15)
ANSICALL.ZIP 29113 02-24-95 ANSICall 1.0 adds ANSI colors to the
| CALLERS.LOG file of your SpitFire BBS, making
| it easier to identify important information
| by color. (Mike Penta) (Reg.Fee: $0)
AUTO_WEL.ZIP 32045 02-27-95 Auto-Welcome 1.0 displays your welcome
| screens on most BBS systems. (Nick Garcia)
| (Reg.Fee: $5)
By the way, the above is an example of the FILES.BBS format.
* COMMENTARY
I wrote this program to assist BBS operators to migrate their systems
to the Internet. I hope it helps. Please leave me a message if you
have any suggestions or if you discover any bugs.
Scott Fletcher / scott@oce.com
ONLINE CONSTRUCTION & EXPLORATION LIMITED
We Build Internet & Web Sites
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