--------------------- | Genius-NEWS | --------------------- By: Liquid Virus Ideas: Liquid Virus, Bandit, Blunt Helpfiles and CFG variations: Blunt, jangler Other help: Bandit, jangler ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 0. Contents ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Software requirements 1.0.1 BBBS Version requirements 2. How to install 2.0.1 How to get Gnews autorun each time user logs in 3. Form of CFG file and Data files 3.0.1 Macro codes in News files! 4. History 5. Future 6. Contact info 6.0.1 Miscellanious contact info 6.0.2 Where to get the latest version? 6.0.3 How to get SOURCE code. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Software requirements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. So you have been able to read this far! Nice, so here we go: - You will need to run BBBS or course =) - 4DOS/4OS2/4NT is recommended to get everything work via Gnews editor commands (Like add/delete/edit) - Lots of cache. Like in Delete, Gnews does tons of Renames.. 1.0.1 BBBS Version you need is How-C currently. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. How to install stuff ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ok, this is kinda tricky =) First edit Gnews.cfg 2 first lines to define path for Gnews data files (like gnews.num, intro.ans & gnewsdat) and the next one is where your BBBS is located. Then move Gnews.cfg to your BBBS directory and gnews.num,intro.ans and gnewsdat.x's to the data directory you defined above. Then copy GNEWS.BZB to your scripts directory and there edit ERROR.BZ and add spawn("gnews"); there - hope you know how to add. If you don't, contact someone who knows or ask me. **** Remember to put this DOC to **** **** your Gnews data directory **** 2.0.1 You can get Gnews to autorun each time user logs on by editing ASCRIPT.BZ and making it to spawn("gnews");. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. Format of CFG file and Data files.. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. CFG file is kinda simple, read more info in the end of the sample cfg! GNews.Num is important! There you define how many news is currently on your system. Intro.Ans is simple. Just edit it to suit your personal taste =) GnewsDat.x (x is the number of the news) contains your news. Its format is pretty simple: --- Cut --- Liquid Virus 27.01.1997 Welcome to Gnews world. You have downloaded the newest version of Gnews and got it to work.. nice! Now you just have to start making your news and Gnews does the rest. You can sit back and enjoy while your Easy-o-matic news program works =) P.S. Remember to send Email if you find this product good! --- Cut --- So first line tells who made this news. Second line informs date of making. And Third line tells the subject. and after that the body text of your news. This can be as many lines as you like =) 3.0.1 Macro codes. There are several of them but those you need to know are: #displayfile It will display directly a file to user. Very handy indeed. Use it by putting the line cleaning code and after that on a clean line put the name of the file you want to be shown. #vote Will enable vote command, so user can vote whatever you asked =) Here's a basic description on how to put a vote to your news: 1. After the body text in your news, add a line containing #vote 2. Put the name of the file containing your vote question and the possible answers 3. Put the name of the file where you want to store your users opinions Here's a sample news file containing vote: --- Cut --- jangler 27.01.1997 Vote 4 it! Today's gallup on btd: What's the best bbs in Finland? Answer by using the (V)ote command! #vote question.btd answers.btd --- Cut --- Now you might ask: what's the format of the question file? It's pretty simple. On the first line there is a number which tells Gnews how many lightbar options there are. Second line is the options lightbar the user uses to vote. The rest of the file can be ansi/ascii, it will be shown to the user and it contains the question and the options and whatever you want the question to contain. Here's a sample question file: --- Cut --- 6 btd/mpoli/mainframe/checkpoint/cyberdeck/other What's the best bbs in Finland? 1. Beyond the Dimension 2. Metropoli 3. Mainframe 4. Checkpoint/2 5. CyberDeck/2 6. None of the above --- Cut --- Yes, we know. It's quite complicated to use the vote-command and we are planning on making a VoteNewsEditor(tm) but for now you'll have to use it the hard way (or not to use vote at all in your news). #bbbscommand This simply does a bbbs command. If you have installed a new feature to BBBS and wanna force everyone to get it work this may become useful. Just put #bbbscommand and to next line your command like this: --- Cut --- #bbbscommand u set gnews_variable "Forced" --- Cut --- It will be done, but remember: the output will be disabled while running the command. So don't do anything that makes a --more-- prompt! (If someone insists me to do it another way, it will be done) #copyfiletohold Yeah, this will do just what the name says. :) But there is some extra work because BBBS returns hold_dir with a "/", not with a "\". So here is an example on how to use it. --- Cut --- #copyfiletohold c:\bbbs\files\compos\winners\module.mod f:\holds\hold --- Cut --- Confused? The first part is the path and filename to the file you want to be copied and the second part is your hold directory WITHOUT the last number (the hold directories in the example are f:\holds\hold1, f:\holds\hold2 etc). This is because the command has to work with multinode boards, too. #systemcommand Some may think this is a backdoor but nobody has told me to remove it so it's still there. Just like #bbbscommand it will do a system command and the format is the same with #bbbscommand. #pause Echos pause with goto x y coordinates and the enter prompt you defined in CFG file. PLEASE SEND ME NICE MACRO IDEAS THAT CAN BE USED IN GNEWS DATA FILES! * * * * * * more info about CFG in the end of sample CFG file * * * * * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4. History ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.0.0alfa build1 Se aloitus =) .. kaatoi koneen alta aika yksik”n.. en vain tied„ miksi =) 1.0.0alfa build5 Ensimm„inen julkaistu! Voit s„„t„„ X ja Y koortinaatit sek„ prompti rivit! 1.0.0beta1 Ensimm„inen jossa INTRO.ANS:issa s„„det„„n kaikki promptit, eli cfg on pelkk„„ numero sarjaa nyt. 1.0.0 Ensimm„inen julkaistu non-beta versio 1.0.1 Released by Blunt (changed to English) 2.0.0buildx Those many betas that wasnt released=) 2.0.0 Advanced NEWS. add/edit/dl/delete. Many other new things and now including those HELP files. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5. The future of GNews ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I will run out of ideas soon but if I'm lucky Xray/2 (Best upload processor for BBBS/2) will start using Gnews format for news and it will support GNews. And if this gets good enough, "B" doesn't need to create a news program for BBBS =) Send me your ideas! I need them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. How to contact stuff ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I can be reached by e-mail: lvirus@freenet.hut.fi Blunt can be reached by e-mail: blunt@finlink.net Bandit can be reached from CyberDeck/2 +358-(0)2-4382092 jangler can be reached from BTD or via email: teemu@spider.compart.fi 6.0.2 Latest version available for download in out BBBS:s and xTB distros. My BBS is : BEYOND THE DIMENSION BBBS/2 node1: +358-(0)9-2628133 v34+ node2: +358-(0)9-2628155 v34+ 6.0.3 How to get SOURCE code! If you want to have the source code of Genius News you have the following options: - call Beyond the Dimension bbbs/2 - e-mail LVirus or jangler [eof]