=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Power Converter Version 3.0 Copywright 1991 by PFG Software Copywright 1991 by John Schreiber =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= PFG Software, 756 White Oak Rd., Falmouth, Va. 22405 (703)373-4915 --- Warranty The Power Converter comes with no warranty expressed or implied. The user and the user alone is responsible for the use of this software. Neither John Schreiber nor PFG Software will be held responsible for any damage caused by this product. --- Upgrading from an earlier version. If you are upgrading for a earlier version of the converter, there are some changes you'll need to make. FIrst rename your .KEY file to PC.KEY. Secondly you'll have to redo your .DAT file and call it PC.DAT, additions and changes have been made to this file. Lastly, set the enviroment variable PFGERR equal to the path you would like your errors.pfg error log written. I believe that should do you. Enjoy! --- What is The Power Converter? The Power Converter is a door conversion utility that will convert your BBSs system files into the proper file(s) to run several different types of doors. The pride and joy of the Power Converter is it's accuracy. I went through great pains to ensure that I used as little 'dummy' data as possible. If the information was given to me, I used it. If I could deduce it from some other pieces of data, I did so. All this means that you will notice far less made up data on the status lines of your doors, thusly making your system more informative for you the SysOp and making your doors run more smoothly for your users. From this point on The Power Converter will be refered to as either PC.EXE in it's executable form or The Power Converter. Now then let's get on with telling you how to use the converter. --- Standard Features The Power Converter will convert your BBSs System files into the proper files to run the following door types: AUNTIE BBS denoted by AUNTIE DOORWAY denoted by DOORWAY EIS denoted by EIS FORCE denoted by FORCE GAP denoted by GAP GENESIS denoted by GENESIS Milton GameWorks denoted by MGW OLECOM denoted by OLECOM PCBoard 12.1 denoted by PCB12 PCBoard 14.1 denoted by PCB14 PHOENIX denoted by PHEONIX PROKIT 3.0 denoted by PCB14 PROKIT 3.1 denoted by PCB14 QuickBBS denoted by QuickBBS RBBS - PC 15.1 denoted by RBBS15 RBBS - PC 16+ denoted by RBBS16 RyBBS denoted by RYBBS SpitFire denoted by SPITFIRE T.A.G BBS denoted by TAG TP-Board denoted by TP-Board Wildcat! 1.13 denoted by WC Wildcat! 2.0 denoted by WC2 World War IV denoted by WWIV In addition The Power Converter will create the following door-specific (By door specific I mean files that only a certain door or group of doors use. They are not creted or used by any Bulletin Board system.) files: Bit Bucket Software denoted by OPENDOOR Operation Overkill II denoted by OO Solar Realms Elite denoted by SRE This is a list of what files each door conversion creates: AUNTIE Auntie.sys DOORWAY Door.sys EIS Dorinfox.def FORCE Door.sys GAP Door.sys GENESIS Callinfo.bbs Milton GameWorks Userinfo.txt OLECOM Dorinfox.def OPENDOOR Opendoor.sys OPERATION OVERKILL II Bbsinfo.oo PCBoard 12.1 PCBoard.sys, PCBoard.dat, Users PCBoard 14.1 PCBoard.sys, PCBoard.dat, Users PHOENIX Info.bbs PROKIT 3.0 PCBoard.sys, PCBoard.dat, Users PROKIT 3.1 PCBoard.sys, PCBoard.dat, Users QuickBBS Dorinfox.def RBBS - PC 15.1 Rbbs-pc.def, Messages, Dorinfox.def RBBS - PC 16+ Rbbs-pc.def, Messages, Dorinfox.def RyBBS Curruser.bbs SpitFire Sfdoors.dat SRE Doorfile.sr TAG Door.sys TP-Board Dorinfox.def Wildcat! 1.13 Callinfo.bbs Wildcat! 2.0 Callinfo.bbs WWIV Chain.txt In order for The Power Converter to run properly, you will need to have your BBS's system files and PC.DAT files all located in the same directory. The format of the PC.DAT file is as follows: Dr. Debug's Domain Robert York COM1 19200 H C:\BBS DOOR.SYS Line 1 -- The name of your BBS Line 2 -- Your first name Line 3 -- Your last name Line 4 -- The comm port your BBS is using Line 5 -- The locked baud rate of that port ( if none just leave blank) Note: If you are running a Locked Comm Port, you MUST set this line equal to that baud rate. If you do not your doors will not operate properly.) Line 6 -- Hayes 9600, or Fastcomm 9600 ( H or F or blank if neither ) Line 7 -- Where you want your DOORWAY file written. Line 8 -- The file type you want to use for DOORWAY. You have the choice of the following: DOOR.SYS - Gap style DOOR.SYS PCBOARD.SYS(12) - PCBoard v12 PCBOARD.SYS PCBOARD.SYS(14) - PCBoard v14 PCBOARD.SYS Both lines 7 & 8 are used by the converter when you call for a DOORWAY conversion either normally or with an advanced option to automatically detect both the path and the file type you wish to use. The next thing you wil have to do is set an environment variable called PFGERR equal to the path you want The Power Converter to write it's error log. You do so by editing your autoexec.bat file and adding a line like this: SET PFGERR=C:\GEN Where C:\GEN is the path you want to write the errors log file to. The log is called ERRORS.PFG, and it was added so that you didn't have to try to read the screen as an error scrolled by during batch file execution. It also allows you to keep an eye on your doors when you're not sitting there watching them. The environment variable was used because it was the only way I could be assured of having the path whenever I needed it during the execution of the code. The Power Converter works from command line parameters as follows: The Power Converter i.e. C:> PC.EXE GAP C:\GENESIS\ C:\GENESIS\DOORS\ Where the doortype is any of the above listed door types. The path to data files is the location of your system files and the PC.DAT. The second path is where you want the files associated with the doortype to go. You may enter the command line in upper or lower case. The trailing backslash on the paths is optional. You may omit both path statements provided the following conditions are met: 1) ALL the data files are in the directory you are calling The Power Converter from. 2) You want all the files created by The Power Converter to go in the path you call it from. 3) You are not converting to either of the PCBoard or PROKIT formats. The reason for this is that PROKIT and PCBoard doors are very touchy about the data they are given in the PCBOARD files ( PCBOARD.SYS, PCBOARD.DAT, and USERS) and require that the paths be given to them. NOTE: As of version 3.0, the second path is no longer optional if you wish an output path specified. You may however skip the second path if you want the files written to the directory you called the converter from. There is one command line delimeter that can be used with the Unregistered version of the converter it is as follows: -Nxx This delimiter will allow you to specify the node the system wrote the file for. The xx can specify any number. This delimiter is primarily used with systems that write DORINFOx.DEF files. --- Registered Options With the release of version 3.0 of the Power Converter, I have changed the way I handle unregistered copies of the converter. Now instead of lowering the users time in the door to 10 minutes ( which was on the whole unfair to the users who weren't to pay for the converter anyway ), I have created and isolated a few extras for use with the converter. They do not diminish from the converters day to day use but when you register the converter they can enhance it's use. The first of the registered options handles the paths you use on the command line of the converter. For those sysops who always read their files from the same directory and/or always write them to the same directory, I have added support for environment variables to specify both the path to data files and the output path. For the path to data files, you should set the variable PFGIN to the path you used to specify on your command line. For the output path you should set PFGOUT to the path you used to write your files to. You can use either both of the variables or either one individually. The choice is yours. Now is a good time to discuss the order the converter looks for variables in, and what it does when it finds conflicting commands. The converter first looks for the environment variables as a guide to where it should look for files and write it's conversions. If it finds them it will use them, if not it will look to the command line. You may however override the environment variables by specifying the paths on the command line. Any paths you issue the converter on the command line will automatically override the old paths set in the enviroment. So if you have the commands SET PFGIN=C:\BBS SET PFGOUT=C:\BBS\DOORS in your autoexec.bat file, the converter will use them, however if you enter a command line like this PC.EXE GAP C:\BBS C:\DOOR1 the converter will use the paths on the command line instead of the ones you issued in the environment. This is also a good time to discuss how the converter handles the command line parameters. The first undelimited( the delimited commands are shown below ) parameter the converter reads from the command line will always be thought of as the door type you want. The second will always be the path to your data files, and the third will always be the path you want the converter to write its files to. There are no exceptions to these rules. -Txx This delimiter allows you to lock the users time in the door to xx minutes. Again the xx can represent any number. NOTE: Be selective when using this option on PROKIT doors. Prokit doors are designed to disconnect the user when his time runs out, so if you lock the users time to 10 minutes when he has 30 minutes left on the system, a Prokit door will throw him offline when his 10 minutes are up. -D This delimiter is really a switch which tells the converter to write it's DOORWAY files in addition to it's already specified conversion. -A This delimiter is also really a switch. It tells the converter to log the door name you specify with the user's name, the time and date he entered the door, and hisr baud rate to a file. That file is readable by the included program called ACTIVITY, and will tell you who entered your doors when and will allow you to track how often your doors are used ( See the activity docs for more details ). The door name specified must be separated by a '_' if it's 2 words as shown below: PC.EXE OO -AOPERATION_OVERKILL When using a delimiter DO NOT separate the delimiter and its data by a space. That will cause a blank to be added to the beginning of the data and could cause problems for the converter. You may enter delimited parameters in any order you like because the converter uses the delimiters as a filter so it knows where to place each piece of data you give it. You may also use them with the undelimited parameters AS LONG AS you remember that the undelimited parameters must be entered in the order previously specified. One other option that has been added in this version of the converter is the ability for it to create any file it can create through a type conversion, individually. In other words if you have a door that only uses a PCBoard.sys file, the converter will now create just that file for you as opposed to your having to create all the files that a PCB12 or PCB14 conversion will create. This should prove to be of great benefit to those of you running on a slower system ( like an XT ) and who want to optimize ( or minimize ) the drop time to a door. The following is a list of individual files The Power Converter will create for you: Auntie.sys Auntie.bbs Bbsinfo.oo For Operatin Overkill Callinfo.bbs Genesis format Callinfo.bbs Callinfo.bbs(WC113) Wildcat! 1.13 format Callinfo.bbs Callinfo.bbs(WC2) Wildcat! 2.0 format Callinfo.bbs Chain.txt WWIV Curruser.bbs RyBBS Door.sys GAP format Door.sys Dorinfox.def RBBS-PC format dorinfox.def Info.bbs Phoenix BBS Messages(15) RBBS-PC v15 format Messages Messages(16) RBBS-PC v16 format Messages PCBoard.sys(12) PCBoard v12 PCBoard.sys PCBoard.dat(12) PCBoard v12 PCBoard.dat PCBOard.sys(14) PCBoard v14 PCBoard.sys PCBoard.dat(14) PCBoard v14 PCBoard.dat RBBS-PC.def(15) RBBS-PC v15 format RBBS-PC.def RBBS-PC.def(16) RBBS-PC v16 format RBBS-PC.def Sfdoors.dat Spitfire Users(12) PCBoard v12 format Users Users(14) PCBoard v14 format Users --- Registration In order to register The Power Converter you must fill out the registration form that is enclosed, and mail it to any of the appropriate support sites. They will , depending on the instructions you have given on the registration for either call you with or mail you, your registration code. Then all you need to do is type this at the command line: PC.EXE REGISTER and the Power Converter will prompt you for the same information that you entered on your order form and for your registration code. IF you have entered all the info correctly, the program will alter your key and you will be a registered user. --- In Closing Enclosed you will now find a list of doors that have been brought to my attention as having bugs, and the solutions, if any, to the problems they have. The file is called DOORHELP.TXT. If you find any other doors that cause you problems please let me know and I can work with the authors to get the bugs ironed out of the doors. If you have any suggestions that you think will help make the converter better or easier to use let me know and I will be more than happy to implement them if at all possible. Thanks for your support!