
       ===========================================================
       THIS DEMONSTRATION VERSION IS A FULL WORKING VERSION OF THE
       CLASSIFIED MANAGER THAT IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE FROM THE CONSOLE
       ===========================================================

                      THE CLASSIFIED MANAGER V2.0

                  Copyright 1995 BBS Consultants, Inc.
                             1-919-403-9473
                          All Rights Reserved

                             DOCUMENTATION
                             -------------

                 PLEASE - PLEASE - PUHLEEZE Read ALL of
                 the documentation BEFORE you post your
                 first ad.

                       SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT


    The enclosed software program is licensed by BBS Consultants, Inc. to
    customers for their use only on the terms set forth below.  Using
    the enclosed program indicates your acceptance of these terms.

    BBS Consultants, Inc. hereby grants you a non-exclusive license to
    use the enclosed software subject to the terms and restrictions set
    forth in this Software License Agreement.

    This software is copyrighted, with all rights reserved.  You may
    not copy or otherwise reproduce any part of the software, except
    that you may load the software into a computer as an essential
    step in executing the software on the computer.  The original and
    any back-up copies of the software are to be used only in
    connection with a single computer.  Only one copy of the program
    may be used at any one time. You may physically transfer
    the software from one computer to another, provided that the
    software is used in connection with only one computer at a time
    and that only one copy of the software is in use at any one time.
    You may not transfer the software electronically from one computer
    to another over a network.  You may not distribute copies of the
    software to others.

    YOU MAY NOT USE, COPY, MODIFY, TRANSFER, SUBLICENSE, RENT,
    LEASE, CONVEY, TRANSLATE, CONVERT TO ANY PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE OR
    FORMAT OR DECOMPILE OR DISASSEMBLE THE SOFTWARE OR ANY COPY,
    MODIFICATION OR MERGED PORTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, EXCEPT AS
    EXPRESSLY PROVIDED FOR IN THIS LICENSE.

    LICENSE: You are hereby authorized to use The Classified Manager on
    a single TBBS/TDBS installation. You may use multiple copies on this
    single installation but MAY NOT use TCM on more than one TBBS/TDBS
    installation.

    DISCLAIMER: The Classified Manager 2.0 has been beta tested at only
    one active beta site and may still contain significant defects or
    bugs. You use this program at YOUR OWN RISK. The author and/or
    copyright owner and/or reseller assume absolutely no responsibility
    for damages either direct or indirect that result from the purchaser
    either using or failing to use this software in any manner. In no
    case shall the liability of BBS Consultants, Inc. exceed the license
    fee paid for the right to use this software or one hundred dollars
    ($100.00), whichever is greater.



    Definitions as used in the following documentation:

    TCM - will mean The Classified Manager

    Category - means an individual classified ad category.


   ******************************************************************
                      Getting Started from scratch
   ******************************************************************

    You should first create a separate subdirectory (C:\TBBS\TCM for
    example) for your TCM files and unarchive all of the files in your
    release archive into this subdirectory. You should have the
    following files in your original archive:


   CLASS.TPG - This is the main executable TDBS file. This file can be
    called from any TBBS menu.

   CLAS_CON.TPG - This is the executable TDBS file for configuring and
    maintaining TCM. This file should be called from a menu accessed
    ONLY by the SysOp.

   CREDITS.TPG - Post pre-paid credits to a user's account. Mainly this
    would be used in conjunction with a user registration and
    maintenance program like FAMOUS. In FAMOUS you can define a service
    as a Type=200 command which would call CREDITS with the amount of
    credit to post as part of the Opt Data. For instance:
         Opt Data=c:\tcm\credits /q && 17.50
    would post $17.50 worth of credit to the user's account in the
    PAYMENTS.DBF table. The aging of the payments table is controlled by
    the same parameter that controls the user aging. If you set the
    parameter to age users from the database who have not called in xx
    days, pack_ads will delete any entry in the payments table that has
    not been used for the same xx days. That, of course, means that
    there is a possibility that you could delete an account that still
    has credits. Best to tell your users in the INFO_M.TXT file not to
    purchase more credits than they plan to use in the amount of time
    you select.

   NOTIFY.TXT - Sample notification file for when a PAYMENTS.LOG file
    is created so that you will know to process any credit card
    transactions.

   CLASS.SDL - Simple TBBS SDL file showing how CLASS.TPG and
    CLAS_CON.TPG can be called from a TBBS menu.

   TC20.TXT - The file you are reading.

    NOT AVAILABLE IN DEMONSTRATION VERSION
   PACK_ADS.EXE - This is a stand alone program which is run when TBBS
    is NOT active, normally during an external event. It uses the
    parameters set in CLAS_CON.TPG to delete and purge old ads. In
    addition, it will reindex all active indexes. This will increase the
    speed of TCM somewhat but the main reason, of course, is simply to
    keep the file sizes from becoming unmanageable. If no ads have been
    deleted, all indexes will still be reindexed. Normally PACK_ADS.EXE
    will be run from a batch file as part of an external event.
    PACK_ADS.EXE will accept one command line argument which is "NOTEXT"
    (without the quotes). This parameter tells PACK_ADS.EXE NOT to
    create the text file: DN_TXT.ADS which is the file that can be
    downloaded (or an archived version) if you are using the text file
    download option. PACK_ADS.EXE will also delete any file enclosures
    that are attached to deleted ads. (File attachments are NOT deleted
    when ads are deleted on-line). PACK_ADS.EXE should be run EVERYTIME
    you have an external event.

   PROMPTx.TXT are text files which contain the text of certain prompts
    used in TCM. These may be modified by the SysOp.

   INFO_x.TXT are text files which are displayed when callers ask for
    information by pressing [H]elp on the main menu. These may be
    modified by the SysOp.

   TMPxx.DBF and TMPxx.NDX are the database and index files used to
    store text from each line while writing/editing an ad, i.e. before
    it is saved. There are 16 sets of these files, one for each line.
    You can delete those not needed or if you have more than 16 lines
    you can create an additional set for each line by copying the
    exiting files to new names such as "COPY TMP16.* TMP17.*".

   AD_USER.DBF and AD_USER.NDX are the database and index files used to
    store the date for the [N]ew ads function.

   AD_SAVE.DBF is a dummy database file which is locked when a caller
    is saving or editing an ad, or an entry is being written to the log
    file. This assures that only one caller will be saving an ad at any
    one time so that AD_TEXT.DBF will not be corrupted.

   AD_HEAD.DBF, AD_CAT.NDX and AD_DATE.NDX are the database and index
    files containing the ad header.

   AD_TEXT.DBF is the database used to store all text.

   AD_CNFG.DBF and AD_DISP.NDX are the database and index files
    containing the configuration information for each category and
    global configuration information for color, etc. This database comes
    configured with several categories already specified. You can delete
    or modify these categories as needed.

                                  ***

    When you have put all the files in a subdirectory you will need to
    create TBBS menu entries for CLAS_CON.TPG (in the SysOp menu) and
    CLASS.TPG, for example:


       Entry:
       <C>lassified Ads
       Priv=100 A1=-------- A2=-------- A3=-------- A4=-------- ANS=- IBM=-
       KEY=C TYPE=200 Opt Data=c:\tbbs\tcm\class/q

       Entry:
       <C>lassified Ad Sysop Configuration
       Priv=255 A1=-------- A2=-------- A3=-------- A4=-------- ANS=- IBM=-
       KEY=C TYPE=200 Opt Data=c:\tbbs\tcm\clas_con/q



                      ****************************


                           Using CLAS_CON.TPG

    You will use CLAS_CON.TPG to create and maintain your ad system.
    When you enter CLAS_CON.TPG you will see the following menu:

                       The Classified Manager 2.0
                      SysOp Configure/Edit Module

                  Copyright 1995 BBS Consultants, Inc.

 [A] Edit Category                       [I] Set Global Autodelete Parameters
 [B] Add New Category                    [J] Protect Ads from Deletion/Editing
 [C] Delete Category                     [K] Edit Main Menu Header
 [D] Edit Category/Divider Display Order [L] Move Ads Category<>Category
 [E] Configure Msg Reply Option          [M] Configure Activity Logging
 [F] Configure Text File Download Option [N] Configure File Enclosure Option
 [G] Set Colors                          [O] Configure Costs
 [H] Un-delete Ads                       [P] Receive Payments

                 Command (Enter=Quit):


    A detailed explanation of each option follows:

    [A] Edit Category - This entry allows you to modify
        configuration information of an existing ad category
        (see "Add New Category" below).

                        ***

    [B] Add New Category -

        Choosing the Add New category entry will present the following
        menu along with several default answers:



        Category                     -------------------------------
        Minimum Priv to Post Ads    ?  0
        Delete Param-Number of days ?  0
        Display Order Index Number  ?  100
        Allow enclosed files        ?  F
        Min PRIV to enclose files   ?  0
        Allow ads to be Updated     ?  T


        Category Name - may be 30 chars or less.

        Minimum Priv to Write ads  ?  - This option allows you to
        designate a minimum PRIV level required to write an ad in this
        category.

        Delete Param-Number of days ? - This option allows you to set a
        parameter which will be used by PACK_ADS.EXE to maintain this
        category. If any ads are older than the number of days specified
        in this option they will be deleted. When a caller posts an ad
        he is advised of the maximum life of his ad in this category and
        he can specify that the ad should be deleted even sooner.

        Display Order Index Number  ? - This option allows you to change
        the order in which the categories are presented. For example, if
        you wanted to group certain categories together, use the display
        order to change the position of the category on the display
        page. Also, see "[D] Edit Category/Divider Display Order."

                                  ***

    [C] Delete category - This option will delete a category entirely.
        All ads in the category will be deleted and the category name
        will no longer appear.

                                  ***

    [D] Edit Category/Divider Display Order - This option allows you to
        fully customize the way that categories are displayed.
        "Dividers" are lines that may be inserted anywhere in the 18
        line display page. Dividers can be blank or they may contain
        text. By adding dividers you can group categories together and
        add titles and subtitles to the display.

        When a caller presses [P]ost an Ad or [S]elect Category on the
        main menu, the categories are displayed. Each category display
        page is 18 lines long. Dividers should be arranged so that the
        display logically divides into 18 line pages.

        Note: When you add or edit dividers you may need to exit this
        menu item and return for the results to be seen correctly.

                                  ***

    [E] Configure Msg Reply Option - This option allows you to enable
        the [R]eply option so that callers who want to correspond with a
        seller may write a message via the TBBS message base. I HIGHLY
        recommend enabling this feature unless you have some
        extraordinary reason for not doing so. This option operates via
        a DOTBBS command and automatically addresses the message to the
        person who wrote the ad. This option is configured with the
        following options:

          Enable Message Reply Option : _      T = Enable
                                               F = Disable

          TBBS Message Base name. Case
          and spelling MUST be correct: ______________________

        The TBBS message base you specify should be a PRIVATE E-Mail
        type message base and the spelling and case must be correct.

                                  ***

    [F] Configure Text File Download Option - This option allows you to
        enable the text download feature so that callers can download a
        text file of all ads to read offline. PACK_ADS.EXE will create a
        new text file each time it is run (unless you use the NOTEXT
        command line option) called DN_TXT.ADS. This file can be used in
        its uncompressed form or you can rename it and/or ZIP it during
        the external event right after it is created by PACK_ADS.EXE. In
        any case, the file you enter should be in the TCM subdirectory.


        Enable Textfile Dnload Option     : _  T = Enable
                                               F = Disable

        Filename (AD_TEXT.ZIP for example): _______________

                                  ***

    [G] Set Colors - This option allows you to set colors
        for the following items.

          Primary Foreground Color:___
          Primary Background Color:___
          Command Key Color       :___
          Ad Header Color         :___

          ͻ
                  TDBS Colors        
           W  - White   N  - Black   
           B  - Blue    G  - Green   
           R  - Red     RB - Magenta 
           GR - Brown   BG - Cyan    
                 GR+ - Yellow        
                                     
            + - Bright   * - Blink   
          ͼ

        The command key color is the color for the menu keys and the
        category number and command line keys that follow the text of
        each ad.

        The Ad Header color is for the category that appears in the
        header when you read the text of an ad.

                        ***

    [H] Un-delete ads - This option allows you to un-delete (RECALL in
        dBase parlance) ads that have been deleted. This option is
        provided mainly to un-delete ads that were mistakenly deleted.
        You can review all ads in a category and selectively toggle the
        delete on or off for each ad. If an ad has a file enclosure the
        file will still exist when you undelete the ad. File attachments
        are not actually deleted until you run PACK_ADS.EXE.

                                  ***

    [I] Set Global Autodelete Parameters - This option allows you to set
        two parameters that are used by PACK_ADS.EXE. Both parameters
        are specified in number of days. The first is the Global delete
        parameter for categories that have no parameter set (see "[B]
        Add New category" above). The second parameter is the User
        delete parameter which is used to purge old callers from the
        AD_USER.DBF file. This will normally be set to the same number
        of days that you use to purge callers from userlog.bbs. It is
        VERY important to set both of these parameters so your file
        sizes will stay manageable.

                                  ***

    [J] Protect ads from Deletion & editing - Here you can review ads in
        a specified category and selectively toggle a permanent protect
        for individual ads that you don't want to be deleted or edited.

                                  ***

    [K] Edit Main Menu Header - This item allows you to edit the 40
        character header that appears at the top of the main menu and
        also at the top of the text file DN_TXT.ADS.

                                  ***

    [L] Move Ads Category<>Category - This option allows you to move ads
        from one category to another, for example, when an ad is placed
        in the wrong category or when you are splitting a large category
        into subcategories.

        Please note: when you moving ads and you are asked for a
        category number be sure to enter the actual record number of the
        category and not the display order that appears to the caller on
        the main menu, they can be different. See option "[D] Edit
        Category/Divider Display Order" to be sure you are using the
        correct number.

    [M] Configure Activity Logging - This option will allow you to turn
        on or off the logging of activity. This log will be kept in the
        file CLASS.LOG and will contain an entry each time a new ad is
        posted or an existing ad is deleted, edited or updated. This log
        file should be deleted periodically as it will become quite
        large on an active BBS.

    [N] Configure File Enclosure Option - This option allows you to
        configure the file enclosure option. This option MUST be
        configured before enabling file attachments for individual
        categories. You must specify a path where file enclosures will
        be stored. In addition, you can specify whether download bytes
        will be added to the users total bytes downloaded in userlog.bbs
        and whether time and byte limits will apply.

    [O] Configure Costing Options - You have the option of charging by a
        number of ways: 1) Flat cost to post an ad,
                        2) Charge by the word,
                        3) Charge to enclose a file with an ad,
                        4) Charge per Kilobyte of enclosed file,
                        5) Re-apply charges if an ad is "updated",
                        6) Minimum charge for an ad,
                        7) One time or daily charges.

        User's are charged either the sum of charges 1, 2, 3 and 4. If
        you're selected to charge for each day the ad is present, this
        sum is multiplied by the number of days a user has selected for
        the ad to remain active. The user is charge the greater of this
        total or the minimum charge. If the ad is one that never expires
        and the category is configured for daily charges, the charge is
        applied for 365 days. Anyone with PRIV=255 is never charged.

        If you charge for a user to "update" an ad, they will be charged
        the flat rate specified without regard to any other charges.

        Users receive no credit for canceling an ad.

        All of these charges can, of course, be zero which would make
        the ad free. You may want to have some classifications free, and
        charge for others. You can control this on an individual basis
        and may want to explain it in the information file on posting
        ads. (info_p.txt)

        You can except payment with VISA, MasterCard, American Express,
        Discover or Pre-Paid and you can vary these on a category by
        category basis. If you charge, you must provide a way for users
        to pay. Otherwise, they will not be able to exit the program.

        All charges, whether pre-paid or credit card, are written to the
        log file PAYMENTS.LOG. You can configue TCM to notify you (or
        anyone you choose) via e-mail when this file is created. You can
        then process the credit card orders, if any, and delete the
        file. You will be notified again the next time someone enters a
        chargeable ad and the payments.log file is recreated. The
        message board name is configured here, the name of the person to
        receive the notification is specified in the file NOTIFY.TXT
        along with the from, subject, and specific text.

        See the section on charging options.

    [P] Post Credits/Debits to user accounts - You can post payments to
        a user's pre-paid account manually through this prompt. The
        first time you post credits, you will have to enter the user's
        name. This must be exactly the same as their log-on name.


                            CHARGING OPTIONS

    The costing options for The Classified Manager permits you to charge
    users for the privilege of posting ads.

    TCM permits you to charge a different price in each classification
    or even to make posting to a classification free.

    TCM allows you to select any combination of American Express, Visa,
    MasterCard, Discover, Pre-Paid for payment methods. For American
    Express, Visa, MasterCard and Discover, TCM will perform a checksum
    on the card number and reject it if the user enters and invalid
    number. If a user pays via credit card, they will be asked if they
    wish to set up a pre-paid account. That encourages them to spend
    more money now in return for not having to enter credit card
    information each time they post an ad.

    There are a variety of ways to charge users for posting an ad. The
    simplest is to charge a fixed fee for each post. You can; however,
    charge by the word, either a fixed fee to enclose a file or by the
    kilobyte, and/or charge to "update" an ad. You can set a minimum
    charge for an ad. Lastly, you can charge a lump sum for entering the
    ad, or you can charge for each day the ad is to run. There are no
    provisions for crediting a user if an ad is canceled so you should
    make sure your users understand that if they enter an ad for 6
    months and cancel it the next day they won't receive a refund unless
    you elect to do so manually.

    My feeling is that the simplest method of charging is probably best
    and I would tend to go with just a flat fee to post the ad. I would
    also have some categories free to encourage posting. Of course
    user's would then post ads they should pay for in those areas and
    you will have to delete those.

