ÕÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͸ ³ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÜ Conference Menu System v1.10 ³ ³ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛÜÜÜÜ Copyright (C) 1995 ArcticSoft (Mario Mueller) ³ ³ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ßßßßÛÛ Antarctica/ArcticSoft (717) 755-2440 ³ ³ ßÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ßÛÛÛÛÛß USRobotics Courier 28,800 "v.everything" w/ HST ³ ÔÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ; ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ±±± 1. Introduction to the Conference Menu System ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ Welcome to the Conference Menu System! The Conference Menu System (CMS for short) is a "conference area" replacement utility for PCBoard 15.2/??? and above. It will allow you to enhance/expand the conference area on your bulletin board. Best of all, it is completely configurable when it comes to text displays and color schemes. CMS uses the same idea as PCBoard's PCBTEXT w/ with the MKPCBTXT.EXE program. With it, you can provide alternative languages/displays and change colors that are both presented to your users. Configuring CMS is extremely simple. By using CMSETUP.EXE, you are able access the configuration files through a setup environment that emulates the PCBoard setup utilities (ex: PCBSETUP.EXE or MKPCBTXT.EXE). This saves you the time of having to learn new "function keys". There's also no need to use external DOS text editors for editing configuration files, it's all configurable through CMSETUP.EXE included with the CMS archive. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ±±± 2. Features of the "Conference Menu System" ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ þ "Quick Install Program" - Included with the "Conference Menu System" archive is an INSTALL.EXE program to get things on the ball right away. þ "Quick/Easy Setup" - With a configuration program emulating the PCBSETUP.EXE configuration program, you won't have to worry about learning new keys. You have the look and feel of a familiar environment! þ "Description Importing" - For those who will make use of the "Sysop- Defined Conference Names", importing features are available to make the process even easier. þ "Enhanced [F1] Online-Help" - To make your life easier, friendly online help is provided in the CMSETUP.EXE configuration utility. No need to constantly keep referring to the external documentation. þ "Multi-Lingual Operation" - The "Conference Menu System" uses the same method as PCBoard's PCBTEXT. file. It holds the ability to use the same languages configured with PCBoard. CMSETUP.EXE includes an editor emulating MKPCBTXT.EXE for easy translation. þ "Configurable Text/Displays and Colors" - You are given the ability to modify any color show by the "Conference Menu System" making this addition completely seamless to your system. þ "Categorization of Conferences" - One of the popular features of the "Conference Menu System" is the ability to categorize your conferences with up to 255 sub-categories, each holding up to 65,535 conferences! þ "Sysop-Defined Conference Names" - Replace conference names with descriptions through CMS without having to modify CNAMES. þ "Sort Conferences Alphabetically" - Optionally sort your conferences alphabetically with a "flick!" of a switch. þ "Enhanced Keyboard Support for ANSI Callers" - For those callers who have enhanced ANSI, no more "Turn on your NumLock Key"! The "Conference Menu System" supports enhanced keyboard support through your modem! þ "Usable in All Graphic Emulations" - ANSI, RipScrip, or CTTY, the "Conference Menu System" will function normally. Even with non-graphic Macintosh users. þ "Small/Low Hard-Drive Space Requirements" - Ever since the beginning, I've made it a point to keep coding as minimized/optimized as possible. Even though my programs are smaller (in size) than other programs, they still do more! ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ±±± 3. Installing the "Conference Menu System" ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ NOTICE: The "Conference Menu System" is -NOT- installed through the CMD.LST command file. Since the [J] "Join Conference" command can be accesses through the [R] "Read Messages" command (and various other places), a different installation procedure is used. Use the following procedure to install the "Conference Menu System": þ Execute the INSTALL.EXE installation Program (You have probably already gotten this far, if you are reading this file ). þ Rename all conference menus to CNFNB (Back-Up) [REN CNFN*.* CNFNB*.*] (Note: RENAME and -not- COPY) þ Create new CNFN conference menu file (no graphic extension) and place "!C:\PCB\PPE\CMS\CMS.PPE" (or whatever applies) and nothing else. (Note: Create only one "CNFN" file. CMS.PPE handles graphic detection, security, and language extensions automatically) þ Backup PCBTEXT.* file(s) [COPY PCBTEXT.* BAKTEXT.*] þ Modify all PCBTEXT files w/ MKPCBTXT.EXE: Record Number 64; Completely erase current prompt and replace w/ "!C:\PCB\PPE\CMS\CMS.PPE /CR" Doing this will allow CMS.PPE to control the "Enter conference number to join (Enter)=none?" prompt. (Note: Make sure that you do this for -EACH- PCBTEXT. file) þ Return to CMS home directory and execute CMSETUP.EXE for configuration. Take advantage of the [F1] "Online Help" availability! Options are not covered through external documentation. Once you are done with configuration, the "Conference Menu System" will be ready for execution. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ±±± 4. Categorizing Conferences ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ One of the powerful features of the "Conference Menu System", is the ability to categorize conferences under "Conference Areas". You can define up to 255 conference areas each allowing up to 65,535 conferences giving you a fairly large environment! With the good number of networks we have today, people usually categorize their conferences under where they have originated from. [Local] conferences marked "Local", Internet marked as "Internet", Fidonet marked as "Fidonet", etc. Alternatively, those who have a large amount of conferences might want to individually sub-categorize conference topics. "Customer Support Conferences", "Shared Interests/Hobbies Conferences", "Chit-Chat Conferences", etc. For those who are familiar with PCBoard's PCBSETUP.EXE configuration program, you will find "Conference Sub-categorizing" a very simple thing to configure. Say you wanted to create two categories: "Local Conferences" and "Internet Conferences". [Procedure] þ Enter the CMSETUP.EXE configuration program located in the CMS home directory. This program was included with the CMS archive. þ Select [E] "Conference Area Configuration" from the "Main Menu". You will be presented with three different fields: "Area Description/Name", "Locations/Conferences", and "Sec". Use [Enter] to rotate through each field, [Up/Down] to traverse through each conference area. You'll notice that a default has been provided for you already. Study its layout to familiarize yourself with the setup form. þ Press [Alt-I] to insert a new record. The field will move down to the new record automatically. For "Area Description/Name", place "Local Conferences" and press [Enter]. Take notice that the field has moved to the "Locations/Conferences" column. þ Press [F2] to bring up a conference Pick-List. Move the high-light bar to the first "Local" conference and press [Enter]. The conference number that you selected will be placed in the field automatically. If your next "Local" conference precedes the previous conference, you may want to define the conference in a "range" by using a dash "-" (ex: "4-10"). If not, use a comma "," (ex: "4,9"). Once you are complete, press [Enter] to move on to the "Sec" column. o Note: The purpose of using "ranges" is to optimize the amount of room required for defining conferences. Instead of individually defining each conference (ex: "1,2,3,4,5,6,7"), you can use a ranged definition to produce the same result (ex: "1-7"). Unfortunately, not every conference listing is non-fragmented. In this case, a combination of commas "," and dashes "-" can be used. (ex: "1,2,3,5" could be "1-3,5"). þ Enter the PCBoard security level required for accessing this conference area. Any security level greater than or equal to this security will have access to this area. Once you are done, press [Enter] to return to the "Area Description/Name" column. For creating your second conference area, you would follow the same procedure. With the exception of the "Area Description/Name" specification and the "Locations/Conferences" definitions. Once you are done creating your conference areas, press [Esc] to return to the "Main Menu". Before returning to the Main Menu, you will be presented with a "Save Prompt" (common in PCBSETUP.EXE areas). By answering "No", you can continue conference area configuration as if you hadn't pressed [Esc]; By answering "Abort", you can return to the Main Menu as if you never entered the [E] "Conference Area Configuration" area; By answering "Yes", you can save your changes and return to the Main Menu. If you answered "Yes" to the question, you'll notice the marker "[Area-Update]" appear at the bottom of the screen next to the memory information. When this is shown, it means CMSETUP.EXE will automatically update the conference area indexes upon exit of the configuration program. Once you have done all your conference area configurations and the indexes have been properly generated, the "Conference Menu System" will provide the necessary categories during execution. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ±±± 5. Sysop-Defined Conference Names ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ Now that PCBoard provides up to 60 characters per conference definition, people have already taken advantage of it by extending their old 13 character definitions. Some Sysops, on the other hand, have left their conference definitions at the old 13 character length to allow support for some old third party applications. One good example would be offline QWK mail. Since most offline QWK readers still truncate conference names at around 13 characters, it often becomes hard for the user to read conference names when they're around 60 characters in length. For those who stay under the old 13 character limit, this feature can be put to use. Perhaps you want to have conference menus that have better conference descriptions, yet keep the CNAMES definitions limited? Alternatively, you may just want to replace a few conference names on the menu but keep them the same in CNAMES. This all can be done with "Sysop-Defined Conference Names". To activate "Sysop-Defined Conference Names", simply enable the "Use Sysop-Defined Conference Names" option under [C] "Other Program Configurations". Once you have done this, simply place all new descriptions in the [G] "Sysop-Defined Conference Names" area. All conferences that have a specification will replace the PCBoard definition. All specifications left blank will default back to the PCBoard definition. An alternative method of defining conference descriptions would be to import them through an external file called IMPORT.TXT. You can create IMPORT.TXT with any DOS-based ASCII/text editor. Such a feature could be useful when converting from other conference management systems. You can make use of the "cut/paste" features of the ASCII editor to transport your conference descriptions to IMPORT.TXT. From there, they can be easily imported to the CMSDESC.DEF form. Each line of IMPORT.TXT is considered the corresponding conference number. REMEMBER TO ALWAYS TAKE "MAIN BOARD" INTO CONSIDERATION. So, line #1 of IMPORT.TXT would actually represent conference [0] "Main Board". Line #2 of IMPORT.TXT would represent the preceding conference [1]. Line #96 of IMPORT.TXT would represent conference [95]. Perhaps there are some conference definitions that you don't want to change while using the "import" method. Conference definitions will not be modified if a blank line is left for any corresponding conference. The previous specification (if any) will be left alone. Once you have completed the creation of IMPORT.TXT and you are ready to import the data into CMSDESC.DEF, use the "CMSETUP /IMPORT" to finish the process. Your indexes will also automatically be regenerated afterwards. For reference, IMPORT.TXT will be left untouched. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ±±± 6. Configuration Utility/Command Switches ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ The configuration utility, CMSETUP.EXE, is used for altering the setup used w/ CMS.PPE. There are some enhanced routines that are used in this program that may not be compatible on some computers. Even though extreme detection takes place before actually using these routines, there may be exceptions. They are -NOT- case sensitive: Switch Description ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ /F Disable VGA Fading Routines (note: these are automatically disabled if VGA is not detected, DESQview/Windows/OS-2 exist in the environment, and/or if monitor is monochrome). /S Disable tenth-seconds time display (note: this is automatically disabled only if DESQview/Windows/OS-2 exist in the environment). /T Disable time slices (note: When DESQview, Windows, or OS-2 is detected, CMSETUP.EXE will automatically give-up time slices to improve the overall performance on your system). The command switches are also known as the "environment", simply because they not only can be specified on the command line, but also in a DOS environment variable called "ARCSOFT". Just use the "SET ARCSOFT=" DOS command in the AUTOEXEC.BAT and you won't have to worry about constantly placing them on the command line (if needed) each time you run the CMSETUP.EXE program. CMSETUP.EXE also uses special "requests" that are used by CMS.PPE to call some of CMSETUP.EXE's unique functions. Switch Description ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ /REQ:1 Generate "Conference Area" indexes (note: When the CMSAREA.LST file has been updated, CMSETUP.EXE will automatically perform this function). /REQ:2 Create "CMSTEXT." text/language display file (note: When CMS is first installed with INSTALL.EXE, this request is used to create your new language file). Even though "requests" may be placed in the "ARCSOFT" environment, it's recommended that it -NOT- be done. In order to allow certain functions to be automated through batch files, if necessary, CMSETUP.EXE also provides "functions". Switch Description ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ /IMPORT Entering "Sysop-Defined Conference Names" through the editor can become time consuming. If you are converting from another program that previously used text files for its configuration, you can make use of the "cut/paste" features of your DOS text editor to place them into IMPORT.TXT. For more information, see section-V of CMS.DOC. Even though "functions" may be placed in the "ARCSOFT" environment, it's recommended that it -NOT- be done. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ±±± 7. Screens/Images ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ Screens and Images are used to configure the image displays that the "Conference Menu System" presents to your users. By using an editor, such as PCBEDIT.EXE, you can create/modify external display files that the "Conference Menu System" uses to produce its presentations. Each screen/image file is placed in the "Screen Path" specification defined in the [B] "Adjust Program Paths/Filenames" area. Use the following table to help you in this task: Name/File Description ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ WELCOME Introductory image presented after program initialization. Each follow the PCBoard graphics/language/security pattern in determining its priority of display. o Note: Screen/images were just introduced in this version of the "Conference Menu System". The "screen/image" system will eventually expand in future versions. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ±±± 8. Existence of Back Doors? Never! ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ There are absolutely -NO- back doors in the Conference Menu System. There are -NO- undocumented secrets that will allow you to gain access to DOS nor anything like that! Doing such a thing is considered unprofessional to me and would NEVER exist in any of my programs. The only hidden command that exists, and that you should be aware about, is the [Ctrl-I] command on the main menu (CMS.PPE). It is a hidden command (not found on the Main Menu) used for viewing the introduction screen. Anyone can access the command, but only if they know about it. Since people who register CMS have the ability to disable the introduction screen, this command was added for emergency purposes. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ±±± 9. Enhanced ANSI and RipScrip Graphics ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ Implemented into CMS are both enhanced ANSI and RipScrip displays. Even though these options are available, they are not required to be used (obviously). CMS is usable in almost any graphic emulation, but you will find the ANSI and RipScrip emulations to be a lot more enhanced than the CTTY and AVATAR/AVT emulations. - Enhanced ANSI - One of the great features in enhanced ANSI is the ability to use the -REAL- arrow keys on your computer to provide a "Light-Bar" interface for the remote user. All terminals available today should support enhanced ANSI. If not, make sure the user is using the latest version or get an alternative terminal. The following terminals I -KNOW- support enhanced ANSI emulation: Telix Communications Terminate Procomm Plus for DOS/Windows Qmodem Pro Telemate Zterm (Macintosh) QuickLink II There are many more out there. Chances are there will be very few users who may run into the problem of not having enhanced ANSI, and if that happens they can either use DOORWAY mode or use the "hotkeys". There is a 1% chance of that happening. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ±±± 10. Errors/Problems w/ (CMS.PPE) ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ "Error Loading PPE (C:\PCB\CMS\CMS.PPE)" There are a couple of possibilities as to why you may receive this error. The most common one is, you aren't running PCBoard 15.2 or above. This version of CMS was compiled in PPLC v3.00 which can only be used with PCBoard versions 15.2 or later. "Unable to Allocate Memory (Variable Declaration)" This error is saying that there is not enough conventional memory to load CMS.PPE. If you are using a multi-tasker such as DESQview, Windows or OS/2, that is probably the cause of the problem. You will need to alter the DOS settings specified in your multi-tasker to adjust the conventional memory size. An alternative choice would be to lower the Overlay size of the PCBOARD.EXE executable w/ OVLSIZE.EXE (located in the PCBoard directory). As of today, the default Overlay size is the "20" setting. Try lowering it to 18 or 16 to free up more conventional memory if you are getting this error. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ±±± 11. Distribution Locations ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ The latest version of the "Conference Menu System" can be obtained at the following systems with the filename CMS???.ZIP (??? = version number) or with the magic name "CMS" (with using Fido-Net related FREQ) : Name/Bulletin Board Phone Fido-Net Location ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ þ Antarctica/ArcticSoft 717-755-2440 1:270/619 York, PA o CAP/CANADA Support 416-287-0234 1:250/710 West Hill, ON Canada SunShine PCBoard 305-432-2223 1:369/21 Pembroke Pines, FL Late Night BBS 315-564-5700 1:2608/15 Hannibal, NY Fellowship BBS 615-263-1046 1:3668/201 Etowah, TN o CAP/USA Support BBS 708-854-0255 1:115/710 Algonquin, IL Paranoimia 61-3-379-7041 3:635/541 Strathmore Vic Australia Metro Games BBS 61-3-328-2968 3:635/549 Melbourne Vic Australia The Wizard's Den 417-863-0526 1:284/26 Springfield, MO Note: "þ" = "DOWNLOAD CMS" (w/o quotes) login ability for downloading the latest version. "o" = "CAP SOFTWARE" (w/o quotes) login ability for downloading the latest version. [Note: ArcticSoft is in no affiliation with "CAP SOFTWARE"] For those who are interested in becoming a distribution site for "ArcticSoft Development", FREQ "DISFRM" (w/o quotes) from 1:270/619. I'm looking for systems with Fidonet node numbers and people who are willing to download the updates. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ±±± 12. Contacting the Author ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ Some people have told me that I'm one hard person to contact. I never wanted this to be the case, so I'm providing this section explaining the best ways to contact me. If you have any suggestions, questions, complaints, and/or nice comments, feel free to contact me at any of the following locations (ranked from best to no-so-best): Description Address/Location ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Fidonet Netmail Mario Mueller@1:270/619 Internet E-mail arcsoft@sevenstar.com Bulletin Board Antarctica/ArcticSoft (717) 755-2440 United States Mail Mario Mueller Attn: Conference Menu System P.O. Box 3556 York, PA 17402-3556 o Note: When writing messages, be sure "subject" the message as "CMS v1.10". You'll receive a quicker response. Eventually, I plan to get a "voice" line that will allow me to take orders and provide more support. For now, just use the above methods. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ±±± 13. Exit Codes/Error Levels ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ Throughout the usage of the "Conference Menu System", you may encounter errors that report the following error levels: Level Description ÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 1 Out-Dated CMS.CFG File 2 Invalid CMS.CFG File Version 3 Out-Dated CMSETUP.DAT File 4 Invalid CMSETUP.DAT File Version 5 Invalid CMS.CFG File Format 6 Missing PCBNODE Environment 7 Missing USERDATA. Index 8 Read/Access Failure (Locked?) 9 Insufficient Memory 10 Non-Existing Path 11 Non-Existing IMPORT.TXT Data Use these errorlevels to help in "debugging" situations. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ±±± 14. Decompilation of the "Conference Menu System" ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ With the existence of PPLC decompiling utilities, people now hold the ability to obtain a crude representation of the original source code. Some people dislike the existence of these utilities, some people like them. Of course, there are two different views behind this battle, and I respect both. Please keep in mind that the "Conference Menu System" is Copyrighted material. In absolutely -NO- way do you hold the right to decompile the "Conference Menu System". For those who want to make the illegal attempt to try and hack the "Conference Menu System", I suggest you find something else better to do. In the past I have found "hacked up" copies of some of my programs, and to be honest with you, I'm deeply shocked: Shocked that a bunch of adults find these attempts "cool". Realistically, not only are you damaging the software, but your damaging the hard work and dedication that was placed into creating these programs. Thanks for listening to my thoughts. ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ±±± 15. ArcticSoft Provides "Discussion/Customer Support" Echo's ±±±±±±±±± ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ ArcticSoft is in the process of getting a "discussion/customer support" echo on the world-known amateur network, Fidonet. Please be patient, for its existence may not come about until a few more weeks. Once one is established, an announcement will be made in the "PCBOARD" and "PCBNET" conferences (echo's). Derren Whiteman and Jeff Gerschkow, operators of CAPLink, recently offered a "discussion/customer support" echo on their network, CAPLink. For those who are on CAPLink, you can take advantage of this conference by grabbing the conference "CAP.ARCTICSOFT". For those who are not on CAPLink, I recommend connecting to it. CAPLink is a programming based network providing conference discussions related to various different programming topics. You will find CAPLink to be an extremely well organized network, just as I did. For more information about connecting to CAPLink, contact: Jeff Gerschkow, 1:115/710@fidonet.org (U.S.A.) or Derren Whiteman, 1:250/710@fidonet.org (Canada). ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ±±± 16. ArcticSoft Development "Catalog" ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ If you are interested in trying out some of our other programs, refer to the following listing for more information. Programs can be obtained at each of the distribution sites with the provided "magic" names or filenames. Super Vote v4.10 [Name: SVOTE410.ZIP] Copyright (C) 1994 ArcticSoft (Mario Mueller) [Magic: SVOTE] .Super Vote v4.10 for PCBoard 15.1 and Above. * ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ * * Û ÜÜÜÜÛ Û Û Û Û Û ÜÜÜ Û ÛÜÜ ÜÜÛ Û ÜÜÜÜÛ * * ÛÜÜÜÜ Û Û ÛÜÛ Û Û ÛÜÛ Û Û Û Û ÜÜÜÛÜ * * ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ * * * * Unlimited Voting Booths. Unlimited voting * * options. Censor Trashcan File. Unvoted * * voting booth notifier. Setup program * * emulating PCBoard setup program. Online * * help. Multi-Lingual Operation Support. * * Configurable colors and text displays. * * Bulletin generating utility. Informative * * bar graph display and percentages with * * booth results. Longer voting options. * * Optional @X-Color code removal. Optional * * mis-used @-variable replacement. and more * Bulletin Menu System v1.10 [Name: BMS110.ZIP] Copyright (C) 1994-1995 ArcticSoft (Mario Mueller) [Magic: BMS] <- Bulletin Menu System v1.10 - ArcticSoft -> Û ÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ Û Û ÛÛÜÜÜÛß ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ Û Û ÛÛßßßÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ßßßßÛÛ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ Û Û ÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ßÛÛÛÛÛß ver1.10/PCB 15.2 Û Û Enhance your PCBoard bulletin area! Neat- Û Û ly organize all those bulletins/make your Û Û bulletin area stylish with BMS: Enhanced Û Û ANSI High-Light bar, Unlimited Submenus, Û Û Conference Configurable, "New Bulletin" Û Û Logon Scanner, Multi-Lingual Support, w/ Û Û Configurable Text Displays and Colors, Û Û Setup emulating PCBoard setup Utilities. Û Bulletin Board Database [Name: BDB100.ZIP] Copyright 1995 ArcticSoft (Mario Mueller) [Magic: BDBASE] < Bulletin Board Database v1.00 - [PPE/EXE] > Û ÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ Û Û ÛÛÜÜÜÛß ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛÜÜÜÛß ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ Û Û ÛÛßßßÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛßßßÛÛ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ Û Û ÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛß ver1.00/PCB 15.2 Û Û Enhanced bulletin board lister! Graphical Û Û user interface with enhanced ANSI High- Û Û Light bar, enhanced RipScrip graphics, w/ Û Û user-friendly command system. Configure Û Û any text display/color, multi-lingual Û Û Support, and much more! Setup emulating Û Û PCBoard setup Utilities. Requires 160k HD Û ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ±±± 17. Other Information/Registration Methods ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ The "Conference Menu System" is Copyrighted and is distributed as "Shareware" for the purpose of evaluation. You are given an evaluation period of 30 days to examine the "Conference Menu System" to see if it reaches your requirements. If you would like to continue using the "Conference Menu System" after the evaluation, it is required that you send a $20.00 registration. When you register, you will be given extra benefits and features that aren't included with the evaluation copy of the "Conference Menu System". Please understand that a good amount of time has been placed into producing this product. By registering the "Conference Menu System", not only will you be helping yourself, but you will be helping the development of these products. To make things easier, I have listed the various types of registration methods (ranked from quickest to not-so-quickest): Method Description/Directions ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Credit-Card/BBS Logon "Antarctica/ArcticSoft" at (717) 755-2440; Location: York, PA in the United States of America. New user registration takes no longer than 1-2 minutes. Long distance callers won't perform call back verification (though it may look like you will). Use the "CHARGE" command at the main menu. Credit-Card/NET You can send REGISTER.FRM through Fido-Net (Mario Mueller@1:270/619) or Internet (arcsoft@sevenstar.com) if ordering with Credit Card. Please send mail DIRECT. ROUTE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Check/M.O./Mail Along with REGISTER.FRM, you can send Check or Money Orders to the address given in REGISTER.FRM. CASH MAY BE SENT AT YOUR OWN RISK. Registration also provides benefits! What happens when you register the "Conference Menu System": You'll receive a personalized registration password that will transform your "evaluation copy" into a "registered copy"; You can create up to 255 conference areas (Evaluation copies are limited to 4 conference areas); You'll hold the ability to use the "Conference Menu System" beyond the evaluation period; You'll have your name included on a widely distributed list that shows you have supported the Shareware concept; and you get on the author's good side. Please share the "Conference Menu System" with all your "Sysop friends", and upload it to all your favorite boards. Be sure to upload only the ORIGINAL archive unmodified. Thanks! Special thanks to Derren Whiteman. The "Conference Menu System" was originally requested by him. He had participation in some of the ideas behind the program, and participated heavily during testing. Thanks Derren! Thanks for choosing the "Conference Menu System"!