 Ŀ
           ĿĿĿĿĿ ĿĿ             
           ڿڿڿٳ              
           ٱٱٳ۳ ۳ Ŀ             
           ٳڿ۳۳۳ ۳Ŀ۳             
           ۳    ۳۳۳Ŀ ۳۳             
                            
 ĳ
  Issue #2                   Last Text Issue!                   October 1995 
 ĳ
  Article  1 - Introduction            The ProBoard Newsletter is published 
  Article  2 - The Pex Support Net    monthly from North Georgia Online.    
  Article  3 - Top 10 PB Sites        The newsletter is the result of hard  
  Article  4 - SysOp of the Month     work from several different people.   
  Article  5 - BBS of the Month       You can always get the newest copies  
  Article  6 - The "How-To" Forum     of PBNEWS by FREQing 'PBNEWS' from    
  Article  7 - PEX/Utility Reviews    1:3672/800.  If you would like to     
  Article  8 - The Future of ProBoard become part of the PBNEWS Team and    
  Article  9 - ProBoard BBS List      get our exclusive PBNEWS Message Echo 
  Article 10 - Multiple File Areas    please FREQ or DOWNLOAD 'PBNEWS.NFO'  
  Article 11 - PBNEWS Team Members    from 1:3672/800 today!                
  Article 12 - Credits                                                      
 


 
 Article #1                     Introduction                       Warren Davis
 

  Welcome to the second issue of the ProBoard Newsletter!  I would like to
 thank everyone who helped put this issue together and sent netmail with
 suggestions.

  I am also proud to announce that this is the final straight text issue.
 Beginning in November each issue will be compiled to operate with my very own
 executable reader.  What does this mean?  It means that beginning next month
 you can view each issue of PBNEWS in full color with a menu driven program.
 The viewer (PBNEWS Pro) will be hatched into the PROBOARD filebone as soon as
 it is completed.  And the online version (PBNEWS Online Pro) is coming soon!

  Finally I would like to encourage everyone to become involved with this
 publication in some way.  We are always in need of new writers and
 distribution sites.  If you would like more information please FREQ 'PBNNFO'
 today from 1:3672/820.  And if you are a member of the PEX SUPPORT NETWORK
 please ask your uplink for the PROBOARD NEWSLETTER echo!
 


 
 Article #2               The Pex Support Network                  Warren Davis
 

  Now available in the USA is the PEX SUPPORT NETWORK (PSN).  This network is
 unique in that it links Europe and the USA together for the purpose of
 distributing and supporting ProBoard software.  Members can get a link to
 several message and file echos including file gates for DqP Net and PB-Net.

  The net also takes pride in offering the least possible policy.  The only
 rule is keep to the main subject, ProBoard!  PSN is already in five (5)
 states within the USA and is expanding everyday.

  Want more information on joining PSN within the USA?  If you are reading
 this online please download PBN-1095.* now for the original PBNEWS archive.
 If you are reading this locally check the file PBNEXTRA.* included within
 the PBN-1095.* file.  It includes the file PSN-ENG.TXT.  This file explains
 PSN in great detail and includes an application.



 
 Article #3             Top 10 Sites for PB Utilities            Billy Boulware
 

  * It should be noted that this article will be a monthly forum and is not *
  * complete.  If you should have any additions to this list please send    *
  * to 1:3672/820 via netmail and they will be included in the future.      *


 The dream of every System Operator is to be able to find a couple of places
 that he can call or freq the latest files for their bbs software!   Here is a
 list that I compiled from my experience to help the wonderful ProBoard SysOps
 in the US to find all the files they need!

 If you feel that your board has a considerable number of ProBoard files please
 let me know the phone number, and modem type, I will call your board and check
 you out.  Your name and board will be listed here, if you have more files than
 the others listed.

 I hope everyone gets use out of this list, and I really hope it gets changed
 often, I do not mind the work ;-)

          T O P  T E N  P R O B O A R D  S U P P O R T  B O A R D S

              Compiled By Bill Boulware, Last Revised 9-22-95


 1. BBS Name: The Silverado
    SysOp   : David Silver
    Nodes   : TWO (2)
     1.     : 1-904-532-1158
      Speed : 2400 - 28,800 ZyXel V.34
      Fido  : 1:3618/11
     2.     : 1-904-532-1177
      Speed : 2400 - 28,800 MicroCom V.34
      Fido  : 1:3618/22
    Notes   : David's board was not just chosen because he is the ProBoard
            : Registration Site.  David does truly have a wide variety of
            : ProBoard and related files!  I personally have spent several
            : hours and big $$$ downloading some things that I have not been
            : able to find before he came!
            : Member: FidoNet Echos, Proboard Net, And Dutch Quality Pex Net
    Freq    : FILES, For Allfiles Listing, PBFILES, For ProBoard Only Files

 2. BBS Name: Acid Test Systems, Online
    SysOp   : Bill Boulware
    Nodes   : ONE (1)
     1.     : 1-904-591-3629
      Speed : 2400 - 28,800 USR V.Everything
      Fido  : 1:365/3629
    Notes   : Well this is my board.  I have over 350 ProBoard specific files,
            : along with many, many more utilities that will work with ProBoard.
            : Member: FidoNet Echos, ProBoard Net, And Dutch Quality Pex Net
    Freq    : ALLFILES, For Allfiles Listing, PBFILES For ProBoard Only Files
            : BBSFILES, For Any Files Related To BBS (Doors, Utils, Etc)

 3. BBS Name: <<<<((KABOODLE))>>>>
    SysOp   : Kitt Brown
    Nodes   : TWO (2)
     1.     : 1-706-602-9085
      Speed : 2400 - 28,800 USR V.Everything
      Fido  : 1:133/3003
     2.     : 1-706-625-1302
      Speed : 2400 - 28,800 USR V.Everything
      Fido  : 1:133/3004
    Notes   : The several times I have called Kitt's Board, she has always had
            : just what I was looking for!  Give her a call to check her out
            : Member: FidoNet Echos, And Dutch Quality Pex Net

 If any of these are incorrect in anyway please correct me, in private echomail!



 
 Article #4                  SysOp of the Month                  Billy Boulware
 

 This section is dediated to the ProBoard system operator of the month,
 chosen again at random, until we find a better way of doing so.

 The sysop of the month will write, why they thing they are the sysop of
 the month.  Do they download all the latest proboard files, and make
 them available for freq/download, do you answer your pages/mail from
 other proboard sysops needing help etc?

 I do not have time to write an example for this one, however I am
 positive that the first person chosen will show great influence in
 writing the first column.
 


 
 Article #5                   BBS of the Month                   Billy Boulware
 

 This section of PBNEWS will be devoted to the BBS of the month, the
 chosen board's sysop will write a column about how their board began
 what improvents have been made since they started (hardware, added
 nodes, moves, name changes, software changes, how you came to run
 ProBoard.  I will write a following example to show you how to do it
 for when YOU are chosen.  As of right now the Sysop and Board of the
 month are chosen at random, until we find a better way, that is how
 it will continue.

                 BBS: Acid Test Systems, Online
                 SysOp: Bill Boulware
                 Number: 1-904-591-3629
                 Nodes: 1

 I began my SysOping experience 6 years ago, when I started a small bbs
 with a 2400 baud modem, a 40 megabyte hard drive, and two megs of RAM
 on a 286/12 Mhz machine.  (Yes this is the most premitive system most
 have heard of!)  The name of my first bbs was "The Summer Escape BBS"
 running Spitfire, I had never heard of any other software except
 MAXIMUS, and I refused to run that.  After registering Spitfire about
 one year after that, and the author being a real jerk.  I and around
 5 other SysOps around here were downloading software like crazy trying
 to find something better...  After many long distance bills and hours
 of reading docs and speaking with other SysOps.  All of a sudden A
 Friend of mine Carol Rex Shot me over ProBoard 2.01 and said, here
 it is kinda like remote access but better, everyone in Connecticut is
 running it! so she registered it for our friends birthday, then I
 registered it, then she registered it for herself.  Three registrations
 in about 24 hours of each other.  I immediatley printed the docs and
 started adding every feature there was.  ProBoard was excellent!  It
 had done everything I had ever dreamed and the support was wonderful!
 But alas due to personal problems, and other things, I was forced to
 close my Board down, after 3 years of being online.  As of June 1, 1995
 I opened a new board, with a new name, and a new look, still with
 PROBOARD, Acid Test Systems, Online.  Now I average around 30 callers
 per day (good for my area where there are only around 20 local boards)
 Everyone is amazed how much proboard does for the price and I have
 started many people running it.  My system is now much improved now
 Running a 486DX4/100 With 12 Meg Of Ram, A Quad Speed CD-ROm, And Two
 1.6 Gig Hard Drives I Am one of the largest bbs' in the area, and
 growing every day!

 The above was a rough example of what the true board of the month
 will be each month!



 
 Article #6                  The "How-To" Forum             Branislav Slantchev
 

  * This file was taken from the PBLib archive.  It was reproduced for      *
  * PBNEWS with permission from Branislav Slantchev.                        *


 HOWTO-1
    How to create areas with multiple directories.

    Even though the User's Manual mentions this capability on p.51
    under "File Location", the process described there is wrong and
    doesn't work. The text should read (starting from the second
    sentence):

    It is also possible to specify multiple directories per file area.
    To do this, create a file in your ProBoard system directory called
    FA_<area>.CTL. Place all file directories (one directory per line)
    in this file to tell ProBoard where to find all the directories for
    this file area. Next, enter the full path and name of the new
    FA_<area>.CTL file in the File Location entry in ProCFG for that
    area. Create a master list for all directories in the extended
    FILES.BBS (CD-ROM format). You can do this by concatenating existing
    listings. Refer to HOWTO-5 for the expected format of this file.
    Enter the full path of the new listing in the Listing File entry
    in ProCFG for that area.

    EXAMPLE
        for file area #10 (Games), which has a total of 4
        directories, create a file called FA_10.CTL. In this file, place
        all directories one per line like this:

            D:\DLOAD\GAMES1
            D:\DLOAD\GAMES2
            D:\DLOAD\GAMES3
            D:\DLOAD\GAMES4

        Use an ASCII editor like QEDIT or the DOS editor to create this
        file. Next, assuming that your ProBoard system directory (the
        directory where PROBOARD.EXE and PBUTIL.EXE reside) is C:\PB,
        place the following in the File Location slot for area 10:

            C:\PB\FA_10.CTL

        Now, for each directory create a FILES.BBS listing in the
        extended format. Concatenate all files into one big listing
        (we will call it FA_10.BBS). Next, place it somewhere (we will
        put it in C:\PB\LISTS). Finally, in the Listing File slot for
        area 10 put the following line:

            C:\PB\LISTS\FA_10.BBS

        Mark the area as CD-ROM.

        Run PBUTIL FI to update ProBoard's index file.


 HOWTO-2
    How to put text files in directories other than Textfiles

    If you have noticed, the possible length for the path in ProCFG
    is 60 characters. Now, most display functions expect to find
    the ANS/ASC files in the Textfiles directory. You can trick the
    functions if you create a subdirectory in the Textfiles directory
    and place some of the files there. The resulting pathname should
    not exceed 60 characters (with the filename included). Next, in
    the data field for the show file function, put the directory and
    the filename. Obviously, ProBoard just appends what it finds there
    to its Textfiles directory name. It will show the file. This is
    very useful for bulletins and such, so you don't clutter your
    Textfiles directory. Some programs that let you specify file names
    for the display screens will let you use subdirectories too! Most
    Silicon Creations PEXes do it.

    Example You want to have score files in a separate directory.

    Assume  Your Textfiles directory is C:\PB\TEXT
            One of the score files is called SCORE.ANS

    Create a subdirectory WITHIN the Textfiles and name it SCORES
            mkdir C:\PB\TEXT\SCORES

    Copy the desired files there
            copy SCORE.ANS C:\PUB\TEXT\SCORES

    Edit your menu
            Function 5, Show ANS/ASC File
            Data: SCORES\SCORE

    That's it. try it out.


 HOWTO-3
    How to compile the PEX from within Borland's IDE

    Rename the PB_SDK.OBJ file to C0PB_SDK.OBJ (or any name as long
    as it starts with C0). Create a project file as usual. The first
    file in that project should be the C0PB_SDK.OBJ. Then, go on as
    usual and include the other files. In Options~Linker~Libraries,
    set the Standard Run-time Libraries to none. This is it. Now you
    can build your executable. Rename it from EXE to PEX and you're
    done. Don't forget to use the Large memory model.

    NOTE:   as of May 5, 1995, I have run into a problem with this
            approach. One of the programs I was developing, if made
            in the described way would crash the machine when run.
            The conventional makefile approach worked well. It is
            only this program... any ideas?

 HOWTO-4
    Command-line parameters for PROCFG.EXE

    ProCFG recognizes a lot of command line parameters that will
    start it in the desired mode.

    SYNTAX
        PROCFG [option] [data]

    OPTIONS
        OP      options menu, no data
        PR      protocol configuration, no data
        MA      message areas editor, no data
        MG      message groups editor, no data
        FA      file areas editor, no data
        FG      file groups editor, no data
        LI      time/download limits, no data
        UE      user editor, you can pass the record number as data
                ex: PROCFG UE 23
                Note: if the number is too high, last record is shown
        ME      menu editor, you can pass the menu name as data.
                ex: PROCFG ME GLOBAL
                Note: if menu doesn't exist, it is created!
        MO      modem setup, no data
        EV      setup events, no data
        PF      personal files editor, no data
        LE      language editor, no data
        VTE     validate template editor, no data

    NOTE
        If anybody knows the switches for the Sysop Macros and the
        Matrix Address, let me know, please.


 HOWTO-5
    How to convert normal FILES.BBS to extended.

    The FILES.BBS file is a normal ASCII text file (editable by QEDIT
    or the MS-DOS editor) which has the following format:

    FILENAME.EXT Description

    The description can be one long line or split to the next one, in
    which case the first character must be blank.

    The extended FILES.BBS add size and date of file to that format.

    FILENAME.EXT 1000000 01-01-95 Description

    The STD2EXT utility will do that conversion for you. If you want
    to strip an extended FILES.BBS and make it a normal one, use the
    EXT2STD.AWK AWK script. You must have GAWK to run this one.

    ProBoard has some additional codes for the text lines in the file
    (refer to page 113 in the User's Manual). These are not widely
    supported yet and should be avoided if you are going to use another
    utility for any kind of processing.

 HOWTO-6
    Output tabs ('\t') in printf() and puts()

    The problem is that ProBoard uses the '\t' escape sequence for
    the "Press [Enter] to continue..." action (no prompt is shown, of
    course). Why did Philippe chose that, I don't know. Some of us
    like to use tabs to format the output, but I guess we qualify as
    the nearly extinct school of old C programmers ;-) Anyway, if
    you need to use a tab, just print the appropriate number of spaces.
    Sorry, I don't know of a better way. See the Fortune Cookie for
    an example of this action. It filters the tabs from the text file.

 HOWTO-7
    Control colors in your source code.

    First of all, the constants for MAGENTA and BLUE in the PB_SDK.H
    are switched, so you'll need to fix that. If you're using the
    PBLIB.H file, this is done for you. Also, the SetfullColor()
    function prototype is actually the SetFullColor() (notice the
    capitalization). It is just a typo, but the header file is right,
    and the manual is wrong.

    It is a good idea to use the SetFullColor() function because it
    gives you great versatility. Refer to the EFFECTS.MAN on how to
    code the color byte value it expects.

 HOWTO-8
    The ResetInactivity() function.

    This function is described in the ProBoard SDK Manual, but its
    prototype is not in the header file. The code, however, is in
    the SDK. If you want to use it, here's what it should look like:

        void ResetInactivity( void );

    The function is prototyped for you in PBLIB.H. Refer to the manual
    for more information on what that function does.

 HOWTO-9
    Searching the userbase index by name or alias.

    The userbase index file, USERSIDX.BBS consists of records that
    contain the 32-bit CRC of the user name and alias. To search for
    the record number, compute the CRC, then find the one entry that
    matches it. The number of this entry in the file is the number
    of the user record in USERS.BBS and USERSPB.BBS.

    Note that Philippe's (or maybe RA author's) implementation of the
    CRC calculation is buggy. First, make sure you upper-case the name
    (or the alias) that you will be looking for. This makes sense. Next,
    compute the CRC using the standard ANSI X3.66 method and polynomial
    and then, instead of returning (~crc), return the plain (crc) as
    this is what's stored in the file.

    Check out USERSIDX.C for the proper way to do that (PB-Lib).



 
 Article #7                       Reviews                          Warren Davis
 

  The following is a review of selected 3rd party utilities for ProBoard.  The
 comments expressed are those of the author and not necessarily PBNEWS.  We
 urge you to try each utility for yourself regardless of the review given in
 this column.

 Archive Name  :  CS101-G6.ZIP
 Program Name  :  Cursory
 Version       :  Gamma 6 - Heaven's Door
 PEX / EXE     :  PEX
 Price         :  Freeware while in Gamma

 Description   :  Cursory is a utility for ProBoard which allows the sysop to
               :  use cursors for the menus.  Cursory also allows for scrolling
               :  text messages within the menu.

 Strong Points :  Cursory is one of the best cursor program for ProBoard yet.
               :  It is very powerful in the fact that it gives the sysop the
               :  option to configure every aspect of the program.  You define
               :  where to go if 'x' cursor is pressed.
               :  Another powerful feature is the animation.  The scrolling
               :  text adds to the overall look of your menus.
               :  Finally the fact that the Gamma versions are FREEWARE really
               :  makes this utility even more worth the time.

 Weak Points   :  Unfortunately the documentation for this program was
               :  completely written in German.  But before you disregard this
               :  program give the setup a try.  I found it to be much easier
               :  than I thought.



 
 Article #8                The Future of ProBoard                   Robert Kemp
 

     What does the future hold for ProBoard?  That is a question on a lot of
 peoples minds these days.

     There have been quite a few major changes since the release of 2.10.  One
 of the most major is Jim Biggs shutting down his opperation and leaving the
 ProBoard BBS scene.  Also, at about the same time another long time ProBoard
 Beta site and ex-registration site closed it's doors.  This of course is Paul
 Tabara.  I have also noticed that several other long time dedicated ProBoard
 sysops are calling it quits.  Lastly, ProBoard has a new Support/Registration
 site.  When Jim Biggs decided to leave the BBS scene, Philippe appointed David
 Silver as the new site.  There have been many changes up to this point, and I
 am sure there will be more in the future.

     The question of support is one that has been discused many times before.
 Where can we get it, and who do we get it from?  This area of ProBoard may
 also be changing.  In the past sysop's were directed to the registeration site.  , may be going to a regional site in the future.  This will
 It is now being discused that sysops will be directed to a regional support 
 site.  This consists of 6-10 ProBoard support sites across the USA.  Say for
 example a sysop in the east has a question, comment, or concern, they may be
 directed to David Silver or another regional site in the east.  The main
 reason for regional sites is to take the burden off of the registration site.
 Though the regional idea is still in the planing stages, it really looks like
 a giant leap forward for ProBoard!  Be sure to read the ProBoard echo for
 further developments in this area!

     If you asked someone who knows very little about computers what America
 Online or CompuServ was they would probably tell you it is "Some sort of
 computer deal over the phone line".  Now if you asked them what ProBoard or
 even a BBS was they might say "Is that some sort of a boardgame" or "Big Blues
 Singer".  The truth is the large services are taking a lot of BBS users away
 from us!  As more large online services pop up like Microsoft Network, the
 less people that will be calling our BBS'!

     In the past years a lot of changes have been taking place in the online
 world.  With quite a few large online services and the InterNet, less people
 are finding Bulitin Board Systems interesting.  For the most part AOL and
 Prodigy have really come a long way in the past few years.  The problem as I
 see it, is that BBS' aren't expanding at the same rate.  We have all seen RIP
 and what it can do, but can this compare to todays online services?  And for
 the most part, no one really uses RIP because it takes too much time to setup.
 I think "we" really need to do some brain storming and see what can be done to
 catch up to these large services!  If we don't BBS' may just fade away...



 
 Article #9                The ProBoard BBS List                 Billy Boulware
 

  * Once again this article is not complete.  It will also be a monthly     *
  * forum.  If you would like your BBS listed please send it via netmail to *
  * 1:365/3629.                                                             *

 This is a listing of Bulletin Board Systems that run ProBoard, I know this list
 is FAR from complete, this is basically a plea to respond to me and tell me
 if your bbs is NOT listed or if any information is incorrect!


         Board Name           |    Sysop Name     |     Number     | # |Speed
 =============================|===================|================|===|=====
  Acid Test Systems, Online   |   Bill Boulware   |  904-591-3629  | 1 |33600
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
       The Night Owl          |   Cheryl Willis   |  203-888-3629  | 1 |33600
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
       Flightline BBS         |   Chuck Stewart   |  817-249-6515  | 2 |28800
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
       Alpha-Omega BBS        |   Dave Christie   |  417-862-5584  | 1 |28800
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
    The Shooting Gallery      |  Geoffrey Harris  |  817-539-5119  | 1 |28800
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
 The Silverado/PB US REG Site |   David Silver    |  904-532-1177  | 1 |28800
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
 The Silverado/PB US REG Site |   David Silver    |  904-532-1158  | 1 |19200
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
         Highlander           | Christian Schulz  | +49-5874-1656  | 2 |28800
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
       Cosmic Gate BBS        |    Ryan Chiu      | +63-32-217-332 | 1 |24000
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
          Tool Box            |  Thorsten Grimm   |+49-4192-899413 | 1 |14400
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
          Tool Box            |  Thorsten Grimm   |+49-4192-899463 | 1 |28800
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
   Mississippi Redneck BBS    |  Shelby Johnson   |  205-820-8451  | 1 |28800
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
    Reverse Polarity I/S      |   Bill Arlofski   |  203-620-0001  | 3 |33600
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
      The Pigeon Coop         |    Dan Wheeler    |  203-720-1649  | 3 |33600
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
        Doggy's BBS           |JeanMichel Dossogne|  +32-71-666292 | 1 |28800
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
   God & Country BBSCK BBS    |    Dave Wright    |  217-877-USA8  | 2 |14400
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
   God & Country BBSCK BBS    |    Robert King    |  217-428-1752  | 2 |14400
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
       Brainless BBS          |    Tobias Rill    | +49-581-30515  | 1 |28800
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
    The File Dispenser BBS    |  Jonathan Norred  |  706-845-8359  | 1 |28800
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----
     North Georgia Online     |    Warren Davis   |  706-517-0045  | 1 |28800
 -----------------------------|-------------------|----------------|---|-----



 
 Article #10                Multiple File Areas             Branislav Slantchev
 

 The Misdocumented Way to Create File Areas with Multiple Directories
 ====================================================================

 This article is Copyright (C) 1995 by Branislav L. Slantchev
 Another fine product of Silicon Creations and the PB-GNU Project

 Written expressly for PBNEWS - The Official ProBoard Newsletter
 Permission is granted to distribute the whole text verbatim, but changing
 it is not allowed. You may not remove the copyright notice above.

 1. Introduction
 ---------------

   You just got that brand new CD-ROM disk with the latest files.  You
 love it, your users love it and you can't wait to put it online.  There's
 only one thing:  importing the disk into the ProBoard filebase
 configuration.  Of course, there are a couple of very good programs that
 will do this for you, but do you really want 10 areas for utilities, named
 "Utilities 1", "Utilities 2", etc. or do you want to have them all in one
 area "Utilities"?  The problem with most CD-ROMs out there is that they
 come with a good number of directories and at least two-thirds of those
 could be lumped together.  Until now, you probably went along with naming
 your areas in a sequential fashion, but when users look for a file, do
 they really want to scan fifty areas with similar names?  Probably not.
 So, you open your ProBoard User's Manual on page 51 and read about the
 ability to define one area that has files scattered across multiple
 directories.  You probably tried it... and it didn't work.  For a long
 time, I thought it was just a bug in ProBoard, but thanks to a couple of
 guys from the FidoNet support echo, I got it up and running in a few
 moments.

    So this time, instead of saying "Read the Fine Manual!", I will have to
 say "Just ignore it and do as I say."  The reason is simple:  the method
 described in the user's guide does not work.


 Here's how you do it
 --------------------

    It is possible to specify multiple directories per file area.  To do
 this, create a file in your ProBoard system directory called
 FA_<area>.CTL, where 'area' is the number of the file area you are working
 on.  This number should _not_ have any leading zeroes.  This is a plain
 ASCII text file which consists of all directories you want included in the
 file area, one per line, without a trailing backslash.  Next, enter the
 full path to this control file, including the name, in the "File Location"
 entry in ProCFG's File Area configuration for this area.  Create a master
 file list for all directories in the extended FILES.BBS format and put its
 full path in the "Listing File" entry in ProCFG for that area.  Run PBUTIL
 FI and you are ready to roll.

    Ok, you ask, what is an "extended FILES.BBS format" and how do I create
 a master list file?  The extended FILES.BBS file is a text file that has
 the following basic layout:

 FILENAME.EXT size date description
      |        |    |       |
      |        |    |       +----- text description of the file
      |        |    +------------- file date, usually MM-DD-YY
      |        +------------------ file size (in bytes, no commas)
      +--------------------------- file name and extension

    This basic line can contain a download counter between the 'date' and
 'description' entries.  The text description may span across multiple
 lines, but the first character of each line should be either a space,
 tab, '!', '+' or ';' (you can read about these on page 124 of the
 User's Manual).

    Usually, most CD-ROMs for BBS usage come file FILES.BBS already on the
 disk.  Most of the time, however, they are not in the required format.  If
 they are not, you can use a program like the freeware PBCD to create the
 file listings for you.  When you have the FILES.BBS for each directory
 ready, simply concatenate them into one big file.  You can use the 'copy'
 command to do this.


 A real-life example
 -------------------

    Ok, now that you're totally confused, let's clean it up with some
 practical examples.  We assume that we have the following setup:

    1. ProBoard is installed in 'C:\PB'
    2. The CD-ROM drive is 'E:' and the directories we want to include in
       one file area are called 'GAMES1', 'GAMES2', 'GAMES3' and 'GAMES4'.
    3. We store our file listings in 'C:\PB\LISTS'.
    4. The file area we want to create is number 45.
    5. You have a FILES.BBS file in each directory on the CD-ROM and it is
       in the required format.

 Ok, here's the sequence of steps to take:

    1. With a straight ASCII editor (EDIT, QEDIT, BOXER, etc.), open a
       file and type the following:

 E:\GAMES1
 E:\GAMES2
 E:\GAMES3
 E:\GAMES4

    2. Save the file as 'C:\PB\FA_45.CTL'
    3. Execute the following commands (yes, they can be shorter):

       copy /b e:\games1\files.bbs + e:\games2\files.bbs c:\file.tm1
       copy /b e:\games3\files.bbs + e:\games4\files.bbs c:\file.tm2
       copy /b c:\file.tm1+ c:\file.tm2 c:\pb\lists\files.45
       del c:\file.tm?

       We chose the name 'FILES.45' arbitrarily, it can be anything you
       might possibly want.

    4. Change directory to 'C:\PB', run PROCFG and choose File Areas.
       In the configuration for file area number 45, enter

         C:\PB\FA_45.CTL         <-- in the File Location slot
         C:\PB\LISTS\FILES.45    <-- in the File Listing Location slot

      For ProBoard v2.10+, set the FILES.BBS date format to MM/DD/YY and
      the 'Copy Local' flag to 'Yes'.

      For ProBoard v2.01 or older, set the 'CD-ROM area' flag to 'Yes'.

   5. Save the configuration and exit PROCFG.  Run 'PBUTIL FI' to update
      your file index and you're done!


 Quirks and Workarounds
 ----------------------

    There are a couple of quirks associated with the support for multiple
 directories per file area.  The biggest problem is keeping the area
 numbers and the names of the control files synchronized.  For example, if
 you just used PBDESK or a similar utility to shuffle your areas around or
 if you restructured your filebase, the area numbers will no longer be the
 same, which means that the FA_<area>.CTL files will not have the correct
 'area' number... which means ProBoard will not recognize them!  I spoke
 with the author of PBDESK and he said that there are currently no plans to
 include support for this mechanism because "nobody uses it".  Sorry, but
 you will have to do the work manually.  The ChkPRO utility from Silicon
 Creations will help you identify control files that are out of sync, so
 this will make life easier.

    Another thing to be aware of is that not all utilities for ProBoard
 know about the mechanism, so they may or may not support it.  All Silicon
 Creations programs work correctly with it.

    Of course, the whole thing works just fine with directories that are on
 your hard disk, network or optical disk.  There's no limitation to them
 being on CD-ROM.  You will have to setup the 'Copy Local' (or 'CD-ROM')
 flags, though for the trick to work, though.

 September 26, 1995
 San Angelo, TX



 
 Article #11                   PBNEWS Members                      Warren Davis
 

  The ProBoard Newsletter is the result of hard work and dedication from many
 people.  All of the following have been involved in bringing you the ProBoard
 Newsletter:

 SysOp:  Warren Davis
 BBS  :  North Georgia Online
 Phone:  (706) 517-0045
 Baud :  2400 - 28.8 VFC (9600 or greater for FREQ)
 Hours:  24
 Fido :  1:3672/820
 Cmt 1:  North Georgia Online is the proud home for the ProBoard Newsletter,
 Cmt 2:  in addition we are support sites for EFC, XTC, PB-GNU, and GWARE.
 Cmt 3:  We are also the USA RC for The Pex Support Network.

 SysOp:  Branislav Slantchev
 BBS  :  Silicon Creations
 Phone:  (915) 949-4798
 Baud :  2400 - 28.8
 Hours:  24
 Fido :  1:383/47
 Cmt 1:  Silicon Creations - The Home of the PB-GNU Project
 Cmt 2:  All PB-GNU utilities, latest releases of PB-Lib and all other Silicon
 Cmt 3:  Creations programs.  Huge selection of ProBoard and programming files.


 SysOp:  Billy Boulware
 BBS  :  The Acid Test BBS
 Phone:  (904) 591-3629
 Baud :  2400 - 33.6
 Hours:  24
 Fido :  1:365/3629

 SysOp:  Robert Kemp
 BBS  :  The Wild West BBS
 Phone:  (612) 557-9039
 Baud :  2400 - 14.4
 Hours:  24
 Fido :  1:282/4058

  If your BBS should be listed or is listed incorrectly please notify me before
 October 29th for corrections before the next issue is released!  Please note
 that due to the large number of distribution sites we can no longer publish
 any sites which are not contributing writers.



 
 Article #12                      Credits                          Warren Davis
 

 Original Idea Created By:  Warren Davis, Josh Jones, and Brandon Whitten

 Logo and Design By:  Warren Davis

 Articles 1, 2, 7, 11, and 12 Written By:  Warren Davis

 Articles 3, 4, 5, and 9 Written By:  Billy Boulware

 Articles 6 and 10 Written By:  Branislav Slantchev

 Article 8 Written By:  Robert Kemp

 ProBoard and all its executables are copyrighted material of Philippe Leybaert

 PBNEWS, PBNEWS Pro, and PBNEWS Online Pro are registered to GWARE Technologies

 All other programs mentioned are registered to their respected authors

 
