The TriTel Bulletin Board System
Version 1.1
Copyright (c) 1991 By Mark D. Goodwin
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
----------------
TriTel is a copyrighted program being distributed under the
shareware concept. As such, you may operate a TriTel Bulletin
Board System for a period of 30 days without registering the
software. After the 30 day evaluation period, you must register
your copy of TriTel or you will be in violation of United States
and International copyright laws.
As a shareware program, TriTel may be freely distributed through
a BBS. Shareware distributors may distribute copies of TriTel on
disk for a modest disk duplication charge not to exceed $6 per
disk.
WARRANTY
--------
TriTel is distributed without warranty. In no event will Mark
Goodwin be liable to you for damages, including any loss of
profits, lost savings, or other incidental or consequential
damages arising out of your use of or inability to use the
program, even if Mark Goodwin or an authorized representative has
been advised of the possibility of such damages. Mark Goodwin
will not be liable for any such claim by any other party.
TRADEMARKS
---------
IBM is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation
Microsoft, MS, and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation
The TriTel Bulletin Board System i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
----------------
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
INSTALLATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Modifying BOARD.BAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Getting TriTel to Run on Boot Up . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Menu Configuration Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Your First Log On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
THE WAITING FOR CALLER SCREEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
The Waiting for Caller Screen Menu . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Drop to DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Configure Modem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Edit Conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Local Logon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Edit Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Edit Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Configure System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Edit File Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
View Callers Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Exit TriTel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
The Modem Status Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
The Statistics Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Screen Blanking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
DISPLAY SCREENS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Control Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Log On and Goodbye Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Security Specific Log On Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
User Specific Log On Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
New User Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Bulletin Menu and Bulletins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Message Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Door Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Door Bulletin Menu and Door Bulletins . . . . . . . . . 30
Questionnaire Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Sysop Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Making Your Own Display Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
THE TRITEL MENU SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
The Bulletin Menu Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . 32
The Main Menu Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
The Message Menu Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . 37
The File Menu Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
The Door Menu Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
The Door Bulletin Menu Configuration File . . . . . . . 48
The Questionnaire Menu Configuration File . . . . . . . 50
The TriTel Bulletin Board System ii
The Sysop Menu Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . 53
FILE LISTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
EXTERNAL PROTOCOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Send Batch Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Receive Batch Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Path Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
RUNNING TRITEL WITH A FRONTEND OR AS A DOOR . . . . . . . . . 61
ARCHIVE TESTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
TestZIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
ODDS AND ENDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Obnoxious Callers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Daily Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Special Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Packing the Message Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
SUPPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
REGISTRATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
FILE FORMATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
SYSDAT.DAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
USERS.DAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
MCONF.DAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Mnnnn.PTR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Mnnnn.IDX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Mnnnn.TXT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Mnnnn.LMR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
FAREA.DAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
EVENTS.DAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
TRITEL RELATED PROGRAMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Third Party Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 1
INTRODUCTION
------------
TriTel is one of the newest Bulletin Board Systems around.
Although TriTel is a relatively new BBS, it comes equipped with
many powerful features:
Internal Zmodem - Not many other Bulletin Board Systems can
claim this one. By offering Zmodem as an internal protocol,
the sysop is relieved from having to set it up as an
external protocol. Furthermore, the boards overall
operation is enhanced, because TriTel doesn't have to shell
out to DOS to call the external protocol driver.
Net Mail - TriTel's message base structure provides
extensive support for net mail conferences. A Revision 2
UTI is available for TriTel to support PCRelay. With
PCRelay, a TriTel board can join any of a number of PCRelay-
based networks: RelayNet, Intelec, etc.
Doors - TriTel can internally generate the door data files
to run most PCBoard, GAP (DOOR.SYS), and Spitfire doors. By
supporting these three major standards, TriTel can run
pretty much any door program. By generating the door data
files internally, TriTel relieves the sysop from setting up
a collection of door data file conversion utilities.
Archive Testing - TriTel allows you to optionally test
all uploaded ZIP files to see if they were uploaded
without errors and scan the archives' files for
viruses.
One of TriTel's chief design goals is ease of installation and
maintenance. Some of the above listed features, such as internal
Zmodem and internal generation of door data files, have already
pointed out some of the reasons why TriTel is so easy to use.
Other TriTel features include generation of security level
specific menu screens on the fly and the ability to run an almost
unlimited number of sliding and nonsliding events. Overall, you
should find TriTel to be one of the easiest Bulletin Board
Systems to use.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 2
REQUIREMENTS
------------
TriTel requires an IBM PC or compatible computer with at least
256K of memory, a modem, and a hard disk drive. Although it
would be possible to set up a small TriTel BBS on a floppy disk
based system, it really wouldn't be of much practical use.
Therefore, a floppy disk based TriTel board isn't recommended.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 3
INSTALLATION
------------
The first step in using any computer program is to install it.
You probably acquired your copy of TriTel from a BBS or online
service and have obviously uncompressed the file archive. The
next step you must take is to make a TriTel subdirectory on your
hard disk. If your hard disk is your C: drive, you could do this
by entering the following at the DOS command prompt:
MD C:\TRITEL
Next you should copy all of the files that were included in the
TriTel archive to this new subdirectory. This can be
accomplished with the following command:
COPY *.* \TRITEL
Now you must can delete the TriTel archive files in your current
directory by entering the following command:
DEL *.*
IMPORTANT: Be sure there aren't any other non-TriTel files in
your current directory before you enter the above command. If
you don't check for other files, you will lose them. If there
are other non-TriTel files in your current directory, you will
have to delete the TriTel files one at a time.
The next step is to change to the newly created TriTel directory.
This can be done with the following command:
CD \TRITEL
Now you must initialize your TriTel BBS by running the file
BBS.EXE. To do this, you simply enter the following at the DOS
prompt:
BBS
IMPORTANT: If your modem uses another port other than COM1, you
must start TriTel with the following command:
BBS /Cport
Where "port" is the number of your modem's serial port. For
example, a TriTel system that will be using a modem hooked up to
COM2 would need to be initialized with the following command:
BBS /C2
IMPORTANT: If your modem can't support at least 2400 baud, you
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 4
must start TriTel with the following command:
BBS /Bbaud
Where "baud" is your modem's highest baud rate. For example, a
TriTel system that will be using a 1200 baud modem would need to
be initialized with the following command:
BBS /B1200
You can of course combine the /C and /B command line switches.
For example, a system with a 300 baud (YUCK!!!) modem hooked up
to COM3 would use one of the following commands:
BBS /C3 /B300 or BBS /B300 /C3
If everything went ok, you should now see TriTel's Waiting for
Caller screen. This screen presents you with 10 menu options.
At this time, you should use the arrow keys to position the
double-lined box around the "Exit TriTel" option. Once the
double-lined box is around the "Exit TriTel" option, simply press
<ENTER> (For the rest of this manual, a keyboard key is indicated
by surrounding it with <>.) and you will be returned to the DOS
prompt.
By running TriTel in this fashion, TriTel has created a system
data file and two subdirectories off your main TriTel directory.
These two subdirectories are name WORK and DISPLAY. If your main
TriTel directory is C:\TRITEL, you should now have the two
subdirectories: C:\TRITEL\WORK and C:\TRITEL\DISPLAY. TriTel
creates these two subdirectories to maintain the BBS. The WORK
directory holds the user data file, the message conferences, menu
configuration files, questionnaires, answers to questionnaires,
the callers log, and a few other data files. The DISPLAY
directory holds display screens: log on screens, goodbye screen,
bulletins, door bulletins, custom menu screens, etc.
Modifying BOARD.BAT
-------------------
The next step in getting a minimal TriTel system up and running
is to make any necessary modifications to a batch file called
BOARD.BAT. Although TriTel will run by simply executing BBS.EXE
at the DOS prompt, it will not be able to properly run events and
doors without being executed by BOARD.BAT. Consequently, you
should always start up your BBS by enter the following at the DOS
prompt:
BOARD
As we said though, BOARD.BAT may need to be modified. The
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 5
following is a listing of BOARD.BAT:
echo off
cd \tritel
if exist door.bat del door.bat
if exist event.bat del event.bat
if exist endbbs del endbbs
bbs
if exist door.bat door
if exist event.bat event
if exist endbbs goto end
board
:end
Note how the second line of BOARD.BAT changes the current
directory to the TriTel BBS's main directory. If your TriTel
setup uses a different directory other than "\tritel", you will
have to use some type of a text editor to make the appropriate
change.
Getting TriTel to Run on Boot Up
--------------------------------
You will want your TriTel system to automatically start up
whenever your computer reboots. This can be accomplished by
performing two simple modifications to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
First of all, you should modify or create a SET PATH or PATH
command to include your main TriTel directory. At the end of
your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, you should put the command BOARD. That
way DOS will automatically run TriTel each time the computer is
rebooted. The following is a sample AUTOEXEC.BAT file before it
has been modified to start up TriTel automatically:
@ECHO OFF
PROMPT $p$g
PATH C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS;C:\QEMM;C:\ZIP
The following is the same AUTOEXEC.BAT file after the appropriate
changes have been made to it for TriTel:
@ECHO OFF
PROMPT $p$g
PATH C:\TRITEL;C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS;C:\QEMM;C:\ZIP
BOARD
Note how the PATH command in line three was modified and how
BOARD was added to the end of the batch file.
If everything has been done properly, TriTel should start up
automatically after a reboot. So let's give it a try and press
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 6
RESET. After a few seconds, you should see the TriTel Waiting
for Caller screen. If you don't, you should go back and check
both BOARD.BAT and AUTOEXEC.BAT for errors. It will probably be
something really simple.
The Menu Configuration Files
----------------------------
Only one last step and TriTel should be all set to run as a
minimal system. If you are still at the TriTel's Waiting for
Caller screen, exit from TriTel by selecting the "Exit TriTel"
menu option. You should now be returned to the DOS prompt and
should be in the main TriTel directory. If DOS isn't in the main
TriTel directory, recheck your BOARD.BAT file to see if the
change directory command in line two was changed properly.
TriTel uses a series of menu configuration files to generate menu
displays on the fly. If you do a directory listing of your main
TriTel directory, you will note that TriTel came with a number of
files with the extension of MNU. These are the menu
configuration files and must be placed in your WORK subdirectory
for TriTel to function properly. Moving these files to the WORK
subdirectory and deleting them from main TriTel directory can be
accomplished with the two following commands:
COPY *.MNU WORK
DEL *.MNU
Your First Log On
-----------------
You can now finally log on as a new user. Simply enter BOARD at
the DOS prompt to restart TriTel. After the Waiting for Caller
screen appears and the modem has been initialized, move the
double-lined border to the "Local Logon" menu option and select
it by pressing <ENTER>. This option will log you on to the BBS
and takes the phone off the hook. The screen should now clear
and the following will be displayed:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 7
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CONNECT LOCAL / 05-15-91 (09:14)
Welcome to Unnamed BBS.
A TriTel BBS 1.1 Bulletin Board System
Copyright (c) 1991 By Mark D. Goodwin
Your Sysop is Joe Sysop.
Registration Number: Unregistered!!!!!
Do you want ANSI color graphics (y/N)?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This display simply displays that a local connection was made,
the name of the board, Unnamed BBS; that it's a TriTel 1.1 BBS; a
copyright notice; the sysop's name, Joe Sysop; and it's an
"Unregistered!!!!!" board. The board's name and the sysop's name
can be changed quite simply. We'll discuss how it's done in the
next section. As for a registration number, you'll have to
register your board to get rid of "Unregistered!!!!!". (Hint,
Hint)
You will also note that TriTel is prompting you as to whether or
not you want ANSI color graphics or not. If you have a color
monitor, you will probably want to respond affirmatively by
pressing <Y>. If you don't have a color monitor or just simply
do not want a color display, respond "No" by pressing either the
<N> or the <ENTER> key. Note how the prompt has the "N"
capitalized. This indicates that TriTel will consider pressing
<ENTER> as the same as pressing <N>. So whenever you see a
similar TriTel prompt, you will know that pressing <ENTER> will
perform the same action as pressing the capitalized key.
After selecting the appropriate color choice, TriTel will prompt
you to enter your name as follows:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Please enter your name:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Simply type your name and press <ENTER>. Because this is your
first log on, TriTel will display the following:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 8
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Please enter your name: Mark Goodwin
Searching user records for Mark Goodwin.
<G>oodbye, <R>eenter name, or <N>ew User?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Because you are a "new user", you should press <N>. If you
weren't a new user, you could either "reenter name" by pressing
<R> or say "goodbye" by pressing <G>.
TriTel will now prompt you for a password as follows:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Enter your password (1 to 15 chars.):
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Simply type in a password and press <ENTER>. IMPORTANT: Be sure
that you use a unique password for your system. If somebody
finds out what you password is, it is possible for them to make
extensive modifications to your BBS. So be careful with your
password.
TriTel will now ask if you entered your password correctly as
follows:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Enter your password (1 to 15 chars.): install
Is Install correct (Y,n)?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
If your password is correct, press either <Y> or <ENTER>. If it
is incorrect, press <N> and TriTel will once again prompt you for
your password. The main reason for allowing you to reenter a
password is because a remote user may get hit with line noise and
not realize that his desired password wasn't entered properly.
After entering your password correctly, TriTel will prompt you
for your city and state as follows:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Enter your City, State:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 9
After entering your city and state, TriTel will give you the
opportunity to change it as follows:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Enter your City, State: Orland, ME
Is Orland, Me correct (Y,n)?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
TriTel continues this process by asking for your phone number and
date of birth as follows:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Enter your phone number ###-###-####:
Enter your phone number ###-###-####: 207-469-6556
Is 207-469-6556 correct (Y,n)?
Enter your date of birth MM/DD/YY:
Enter your date of birth MM/DD/YY: 10/19/56
Is 10/19/56 correct (Y,n)?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After entering your date of birth, TriTel will prompt you to
select a default protocol as follows:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
<X> Xmodem
<K> Xmodem-1K
<Y> Ymodem
<G> Ymodem-G
<Z> Zmodem
<N> No Default
Please select a default protocol:
----------------------------------------------------------------
Simply select the default file transfer protocol would like to
use when calling your board remotely. If you don't want to set a
default protocol, press <N>. By selecting "No Default", TriTel
will prompt you to select a protocol before each file transfer.
After you've entered all of you personal information, TriTel
continues with its normal log on procedure by displaying the
following list of statistics:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 10
-----------------------------------------------------------------
You are caller number 1.
There has been 0 other calls today.
There has been 0 other calls today.
There has been 0 messages posted today.
There has been 0 files uploaded today.
There has been 0 files downloaded today.
Your last call was on 04/06/91 13:15.
You have called 1 times.
You have called 0 other times today.
You have uploaded 0 files.
You have downloaded 0 files.
Your security level is 10!
<S>top, <N>onstop, or <ENTER> for more?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Note the "<S>top, <N>onstop, or <ENTER> for more?" prompt at the
bottom of the display. This is TriTel's more prompt. By
pressing <S>, TriTel will stop the display and continue with the
next task. By pressing <N>, TriTel will continuously display the
remainder of the information without displaying another more
prompt. By pressing <ENTER>, TriTel will display another
screenful of information and then another more prompt. You
should note that most screen displays can be stopped by simply
pressing <SPACE>. As it so happens, the above is the entire
statistics display so pressing either <S> or <ENTER> will have
the same effect.
Because your system doesn't have any bulletins yet, the following
will be displayed:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
There are no bulletins available today!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
If there were any bulletins, you would have been presented with
TriTel's bulletin menu. Instead, TriTel continues on by
displaying the main menu with the following selections:
<B>..Bulletin Menu <N>..Newsletter
<M>..Message Menu <Y>..Your Personal Information
<F>..File Menu <I>..System Information
<D>..Door Menu <X>..Expert Mode
<Q>..Questionnaire Menu <P>..Page Sysop
<C>..Comment to Sysop <G>..Goodbye
<A>..Toggle ANSI Graphics Mode
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 11
For the most part, TriTel's main menu is its gateway to other
areas of interest. You will also see the following prompt:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
You have been on 7 minutes with 23 remaining.
Enter Selection - [B M F D Q C A N Y I X P G]?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
At this point, you will want to log off your BBS by pressing <G>.
Before logging off, TriTel will give you a final chance to change
your mind as follows:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Are you sure you want to log off (Y/n)?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 12
THE WAITING FOR CALLER SCREEN
-----------------------------
Other than being pretty colorful, TriTel's Waiting for Caller
screen allows the sysop to perform a great deal of board
maintenance without even having to log on to the board. Indeed,
certain configuration information can only be changed by some of
the Waiting for Caller screen options. The Waiting for Caller
screen is divided into three major parts.
The Waiting for Caller Screen Menu
----------------------------------
The top portion of the screen is the Waiting for Caller menu and
allows you to select one of the following ten options:
Drop to DOS
Configure Modem
Edit Conferences
Local Logon
Edit Users
Edit Events
Configure System
Edit File Areas
View Callers Log
Exit TriTel
As you already know from installing TriTel, a menu option is
selected by moving the double-lined border to the desired option
and pressing <ENTER>. Each of these ten menu options will now be
explained one at a time.
Drop to DOS
-----------
The "Drop to DOS" menu option will temporarily shell out to DOS
and allow you to enter DOS commands. You can return to TriTel by
simply entering EXIT at the DOS command prompt. You should note
that TriTel takes the phone off the hook when the "Drop to DOS"
menu option is selected and will put it back on the hook when you
return from DOS. This will give any callers a BUSY signal while
you are shelled out to DOS.
Configure Modem
---------------
The "Configure Modem" menu option allows you to change the
modem's configuration information. It will display a dialog box
with the following six items:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 13
<A> Serial Port: 1
Pressing <A> allows you to change the modem's serial
port. Simply enter the new serial port number. COM1
is the default.
<B> Init String: ATS0=0Q0E0M0V1H0S2=43X1^M
Pressing <B> allows you to change the modem's
initialization string. The above initialization string
is TriTel's default initialization string and should
work with most modems. If your modem doesn't answer
correctly, you should consult your modem's manual to
determine what changes may be necessary to the above
initialization string. Any control characters are
indicated by using the format ^character. The
initialization string must end with a ^M control
character. Although you can change the above string to
suit your needs, you shouldn't modify S0=0 (this
instructs your modem NOT to automatically answer a
call), Q0 (this instructs your modem to display result
codes), V1 (this instructs your modem to use verbal
result codes), H0 (this instructs your modem to put the
phone on the hook), S2=43 (this tells your modem the
escape sequence character). Additionally, you should
insure that you use X1 or greater for result codes.
Otherwise, CONNECT codes aren't returned by the modem.
You should note that you can specify a modem
initialization string by using a "/I" command line
switch. Simply follow "/I" with the initialization
string while executing BBS.EXE.
<C> Init Baud Rate: 2400
Pressing <C> allows you to specify your modem's highest
baud rate. The default is 2400 baud.
<D> Error Correct Message: ARQ
Pressing <D> allows you to specify your modem's error
correcting connection message. If you have an error
correcting modem and a caller connects with another
error correcting modem, your modem will pass a message
to TriTel in the CONNECT string indicating that it is
an error correcting connection. Most modem's use ARQ
to indicate an error correcting connection.
Accordingly, TriTel uses ARQ as its default. If your
modem uses a different error correcting connection
string, you should specify the appropriate string. If
you modem isn't an error correcting modem, you don't
have to worry about even setting this.
<E> Lock Serial Port: No
Pressing <E> toggles TriTel's "Lock Serial Port" flag.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 14
If this flag is set to "Yes", TriTel will keep the
serial port at your modem's highest baud rate upon
connection. If this flag is set to "No" (the default),
TriTel will adjust the serial port to match the baud
rate in the CONNECT message. Locking a serial port is
only necessary for most error correcting modems.
<F> Hardware Data Flow: No
Pressing <F> toggles TriTel's "Hardware Data Flow"
flag. If this flag is set to "Yes", TriTel will use
hardware data flow control. If this flag is set to
"No" (the default), TriTel won't use hardware data flow
control. Hardware data flow control is only necessary
for most error correcting modems.
After you have made any and all changes to your modem's
configuration, you can return to the Waiting for Caller screen by
pressing <ESC>. Before returning to the Waiting for Caller
screen, TriTel will reinitialize the modem. This is necessary
for any changes to take effect. While you are using the
"Configure Modem" dialog box, TriTel takes the phone off the
hook. The phone will be placed back on the hook as soon as you
return to the Waiting for Caller screen.
Edit Conferences
----------------
The "Edit Conferences" menu option allows you to add, edit, and
delete your message base conferences. It will display a menu
similar to the following:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 15
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Message Conference Record Number 1 of 15
Conference Description.. : General
Conference Security..... : 10
Netmail Conference...... : No
User Message Deletion... : Allowed
Purge Msgs Older Than... : 14 days
Msg Pack Backup File.... : Yes
<M> Conference Description <+> Next Conference
<S> Conference Security <-> Previous Conference
<N> Netmail Toggle <R> Record Number
<U> User Deletion <A> Add New Conference
<P> Old Message Purge <I> Insert New Conference
<B> Backup Files <D> Delete Conference
<Q> Quit
Enter Selection - [M S N U P B + - R A I D Q]?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As you can see from this sample display, the "Edit Conferences"
menu presents you with the following 13 options:
<M> Conference Description
Pressing <M> allows you to change the message
conference's name.
<+> Next Conference
Pressing <+> will move the editor to the next message
conference.
<S> Conference Security
Pressing <S> allows you to set the conference's
security level. This is the minimum security level a
user must have in order to be allowed to access the
conference.
<-> Previous Conference
Pressing <-> will move the editor to the previous
message conference.
<N> Netmail Toggle
Pressing <N> will toggle the message conference's net
mail flag. If the conference is a net mail conference,
users will be allowed to enter messages to a person who
isn't registered on your board. Furthermore, the user
will be asked whether or not the message will be ECHOed
or not. You should note the some net mail systems
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 16
ignore the ECHO flag and just go ahead and echo all
messages.
<R> Record Number
Pressing <R> allows you to specify the message
conference to be edited. TriTel will prompt you for
the desired message conference's number.
<U> User Deletion
Pressing <U> will toggle the message conference's user
deletion flag. If user deletion is "Allowed", the user
will be able to delete messages that he has either sent
or are addressed to him. Otherwise, only a user with a
minimum sysop security level will be able to delete
messages from the conference.
<A> Add New Conference
Pressing <A> adds a new message conference to your
board's message base. The new conference will be added
on to the end of any existing conferences.
<P> Old Message Purge
Pressing <P> allows you to specify the number of days
TRIPACK is to keep messages for. TRIPACK is the TriTel
message base packer and will be discussed in a later
section of this manual. After pressing <P>, TriTel
will prompt you for the number of days to be kept.
<I> Insert New Conference
Pressing <I> inserts a new message conference in your
board's message base. TriTel will prompt you to enter
the number of the message conference you want the new
message conference to come before.
<B> Backup Files
Pressing <B> toggles the TRIPACK backup flag. If the
backup flag is set for "Yes", TRIPACK will keep a
backup of the message conferences after it is done
packing. Otherwise, TRIPACK will delete the backup
data files.
<D> Delete Conference
Pressing <D> will delete the current conference.
TriTel will prompt you to confirm this request before
carrying it out.
<Q> Quit
Pressing <Q> will return you to the Waiting for Caller
screen. While you are editing the conferences, TriTel
takes the phone off the hook. The phone will be placed
back on the hook as soon as you return to the Waiting
for Caller screen.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 17
Local Logon
-----------
As you already know from the installation instructions (You did
read those didn't you?), the "Local Logon" menu option takes the
phone off the hook and logs you on to the BBS just like a remote
caller would be. Once logged on, you can use the board as any
remote caller might. You can return to the Waiting for Caller
screen by selecting <G>oodbye at one of TriTel's menus. The
phone is placed back on the hook after TriTel returns to the
Waiting for Caller screen.
Edit Users
----------
The "Edit Users" menu option allows you to edit your board's user
file. It will display a menu similar to the following:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
User Record Number [1 of 1] Original Log..: 04/06/91
User Name...: Mark Goodwin Last File Area: 0
Address.....: Orland, Me Last Msg Conf.: 0
Password....: Install Security Level: 10
Phone Number: 207-469-6556 Expert Mode...: No
Birth Date..: 10/19/56 Uploads.......: 0
Last Call...: 04/06/91 13:15 Downloads.....: 0
Time Left...: 12 Locked Out....: No
Times On....: 1 Delete User...: No
<+> Next Record <-> Previous Record <D> Downloads
<N> User Name <X> Expert <U> Uploads
<A> User Address <&> Delete User <E> Last Msg Conf
<P> User Password <L> Lock User Out <C> Last File Area
<#> User Phone No <T> Times On <!> Time Left
<R> Record Number <S> Security Level <B>irth Date
<O> Original Log Date <F> Find User <Q>uit
Enter Selection - [+ - D N X U A & E P L C # T ! R S B O F Q]?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As you can see from this sample display, the "Edit Users" menu
presents you with the following 21 options:
<+> Next Record
Pressing <+> will move the editor to the next user.
<-> Previous Record
Pressing <-> will move the editor to the previous user.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 18
<D> Downloads
Pressing <D> will prompt you to enter the user's new
number of downloads.
<N> User Name
Pressing <N> will prompt you to enter the user's new
name.
<X> Expert
Pressing <X> will toggle the user's expert mode flag.
If the user's expert mode flag is set for "Yes", TriTel
will only display the menu prompts. Otherwise, TriTel
will display the full menus.
<U> Uploads
Pressing <U> will prompt you to enter the user's new
number of uploads.
<A> User Address
Pressing <A> will prompt you to enter the user's new
name.
<&> Delete User
Pressing <&> will toggle the user's delete flag. The
user will not actually be deleted from the user data
file by selecting this option. If the user's delete
flag is set to "Yes" and the sysop packs the user file
(more about that later), the user's record will be
deleted from the user data file.
<E> Last Msg Conf
Pressing <E> will prompt you to enter the user's new
last message conference.
<P> User Password
Pressing <P> will prompt you to enter the user's new
password.
<L> Lock User Out
Pressing <L> will toggle the user's lock user out flag.
If this flag is set to "Yes", the caller will be
automatically logged off whenever he tries to log on.
This is intended to keep abusive users off you board
and unfortunately you'll run across your share of them.
<C> Last File Area
Pressing <C> will prompt you to enter the user's last
file area.
<#> User Phone No
Pressing <#> will prompt you to enter the user's new
phone number.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 19
<T> Times On
Pressing <T> will prompt you to enter the user's number
of times on.
<!> Time Left
Pressing <!> will prompt you to enter the user's
remaining time for the day.
<R> Record Number
Pressing <R> will prompt you to enter the record number
for the user you want to edit.
<S> Security Level
Pressing <S> will prompt you for the user's new
security level.
<B>irth Date
Pressing <B> will prompt you for the user's new birth
date.
<O> Original Log Date
Pressing <O> will prompt you for the user's new
original log on date.
<F> Find User
Pressing <F> will prompt you for the user's name you'd
like to edit. TriTel will then search the user file
for a match.
<Q>uit
Pressing <Q> will return you to the Waiting for Caller
screen. While you are editing the user file, TriTel
takes the phone off the hook. The phone will be placed
back on the hook as soon as you return to the Waiting
for Caller screen.
Edit Events
-----------
The "Edit Events" menu option allows you to edit your board's
events. When TriTel runs an event, it exits from memory and runs
a specified batch file. An event can be set to run at a
particular time and for either a specific day or every day of the
week. Events are handy for performing such tasks as daily door
maintenance routines, net mail relays, etc. After selecting the
"Edit Events" menu option, TriTel will display a menu similar to
the following:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 20
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Event Record Number 1 of 2
Event Day (0 = Sun to 6 = Fri or 7 = All).. : 7
Event Time................................. : 00:01
Event File................................. : IMPEVENT
Event Slide................................ : Yes
Event Already Executed Today............... : Yes
<Y> Event Day <-> Previous Event
<T> Event Time <R> Record Number
<N> Event File Name <A> Add New Event
<S> Slide Toggle <I> Insert New Event
<F> Event Flag Toggle <D> Delete Event
<+> Next Event <Q> Quit
Enter Selection - [Y T N S F + - R A I D Q]?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As you can see from this sample display, the "Edit Events" menu
presents you with the following 12 options:
<Y> Event Day
Pressing <Y> will prompt you to enter the day the event
is supposed to run. Enter 0 for Sunday, 1 for Monday,
2 for Tuesday, etc. If you want the event to run
everyday, enter 7.
<-> Previous Event
Pressing <-> will move the editor to the previous
event.
<T> Event Time
Pressing <T> will prompt you for the event time. The
event time should use a 24-hour clock and must be in
the format hh:mm.
<R> Record Number
Pressing <R> will prompt you to enter the record number
for the event you want to edit.
<N> Event File Name
Pressing <N> will prompt you to enter the name of the
event's batch file. This batch file must be located in
your board's main directory. You should note that an
extension of BAT is not required for the event batch
file; however, the event batch file name you specify
must match the file's name exactly. So the event batch
file in the above example must be name IMPEVENT and not
IMPEVENT.BAT. TriTel will copy this file to EVENT.BAT
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 21
before exiting from memory and then BOARD.BAT will run
EVENT.BAT. It is crucial that the event batch file
changes the directory back to your main TriTel
directory and then re-executes the board by having
BOARD as the last command in the batch file. The
following is a sample event batch file:
cd \doors\imperium
impcycle
cd \tritel
board
<A> Add New Event
Pressing <A> adds a new event to your board's event
data file. The new event will be added on to the end
of any existing events.
<S> Slide Toggle
Pressing <S> will toggle the event's slide flag. If
the slide flag is set for "Yes", the event will be a
sliding event. If it is a sliding event and the event
time occurs while somebody is logged on to the board,
the event won't run until the caller logs off. If the
slide flag is set for "No", the event will be a
nonsliding event. If the next scheduled event is a
nonsliding event and a caller's remaining time for the
day would put him past the scheduled event time, TriTel
will adjust the caller's log on time so that his time
will always expire shortly before the event is
scheduled to take place. TriTel will display an
appropriate message to the caller whenever the caller's
log on time has been adjusted for an event.
<I> Insert New Event
Pressing <I> inserts a new event in your board's event
data file. TriTel will prompt you to enter the number
of the event you want the new event to come before.
<F> Event Flag Toggle
Pressing <F> will toggle the event's event flag. If
the event flag is set for "Yes", the event has already
been run for the day. If the event flag is set for
"No", TriTel will run the event at its scheduled time.
<D> Delete Event
Pressing <D> will delete the current event. TriTel
will prompt you to confirm this request before carrying
it out.
<+> Next Event
Pressing <+> will move the editor to the next event.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 22
<Q> Quit
Pressing <Q> will return you to the Waiting for Caller
screen. While you are editing the events, TriTel takes
the phone off the hook. The phone will be placed back
on the hook as soon as you return to the Waiting for
Caller screen.
Configure System
----------------
The "Configure System" menu option allows you to change a number
of TriTel's configuration options. It will display a dialog box
with the following 15 items:
<A> Board Name: Unnamed BBS
Pressing <A> allows you to change your board's name.
<B> Sysop Name: Joe Sysop
Pressing <B> allows you to change the sysop's name for
your board.
<C> BBS Starting Date: 01/01/90
Pressing <C> allows you to change the BBS's starting
date.
<D> Total Calls: 1
Pressing <D> allows you to change the total number of
calls your BBS has had. This is particularly useful if
you are switching from another system to TriTel.
<E> Daily Time Limit: 120
Pressing <E> allows you to change the default daily
time limit each caller is given. This can be
overridden by the user's security level by the file
DLIMITS.DAT.
<F> Daily Logon Limit: 5
Pressing <F> allows you to change the default number of
daily calls a caller can make. This can be overridden
by the user's security level by the file DLIMITS.DAT.
<G> Max. Time Per Logon: 60
Pressing <G> allows you to change the maximum allowable
time a caller is given during each log on. TriTel will
give the user the lesser of his remaining daily time,
the maximum allowable time per log on, or the time
remaining until the next scheduled event.
<H> Minimum Sysop Security Level: 100
Pressing <H> allows you to change the minimum sysop
security level. You should only give such a security
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 23
level to people who can be fully trusted. If the
caller's security level is at least equal to the
minimum sysop security level, he will be able to read
all private messages, delete and undelete all mail,
toggle mail between being private and public, and
perform any other sysop level functions that your menu
setup allows. You should of course edit your user
record to give yourself a security level that is at
least this high.
<I> New User Security Level: 10
Pressing <I> allows you to change the new user security
level. This is the security level a caller is given
during his first call. It is up to you as to whether
or not the new user's security level should be raised
or lowered from this level.
<J> New User Time Limit: 30
Pressing <J> allows you to change the new user time
limit. This is the amount of time a new user is given
during his first day.
<K> 300 Baud Callers Allowed: Yes
Pressing <K> allows you to toggle the 300 baud caller
flag. If the 300 baud caller flag is set to "Yes",
TriTel will allow 300 baud calls. Otherwise, TriTel
will display a message to the caller that 300 baud
calls aren't allowed and disconnect the call.
<L> Upload Time Compensation: 1
Pressing <L> allows you to change the upload time
compensation ratio. TriTel takes the amount of time it
takes for a user to upload a file and multiplies it by
the upload time compensation amount. The result is
added to the user's remaining time. By setting this
figure to 2, 3, or whatever, you can reward your
callers for their uploads with more time.
<M> Max. No Input Time: 5
Pressing <M> allows you to change the maximum no input
time. TriTel will log the user off if there is no
activity within the specified number of minutes.
<N> Page Bell: Off
Pressing <N> allows you to toggle the page bell. If
the page bell flag is set to "On", TriTel will sound an
alarm when a caller tries to page you. Otherwise,
TriTel will display a message informing the caller that
you are not available.
<O> Direct Screen Writes: Yes
Pressing <O> allows you to toggle the direct screen
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 24
write flag. If the direct screen write flag is set to
"Yes", TriTel's video routines read and write directly
to video memory. If you have an old CGA adapter and
are experiencing snow on you display screen, you should
set this to "No" so TriTel will use BIOS calls to
perform video input/output.
After you have made any and all changes to your system's
configuration, you can return to the Waiting for Caller screen by
pressing <ESC>. While you are using the "Configure System"
dialog box, TriTel takes the phone off the hook. The phone will
be placed back on the hook as soon as you return to the Waiting
for Caller screen.
Edit File Areas
---------------
The "Edit File Areas" menu option allows you to add, edit, and
delete your file areas. It will display a menu similar to the
following:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
File Area Record Number 1 of 17
File Area Description.. : Compiled Libraries For My Books
File Area Security..... : 10
File Area Sort Type.... : By Filename
File Area Path......... : c:\tritel\mybooks
File Area Upload Path.. : c:\tritel\uploads
<F> File Area Description <-> Previous File Area
<S> File Area Security <R> Record Number
<T> File Area Sort Type <A> Add New Fila Area
<P> File Area Path <I> Insert New File Area
<U> File Area Upload Path <D> Delete File Area
<+> Next File Area <Q> Quit
Enter Selection - [F S T P U + - R A I D Q]?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As you can see from this sample display, the "Edit File Areas"
menu presents you with the following 12 options:
<F> File Area Description
Pressing <F> allows you to change the file area's name.
<-> Previous File Area
Pressing <-> will move the editor to the previous file
area.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 25
<S> File Area Security
Pressing <S> allows you to set the file area's security
level. This is the minimum security level a user must
have in order to be allowed access to the file area.
<R> Record Number
Pressing <R> allows you to specify the file area to be
edited. TriTel will prompt you for the desired file
area's number.
<T> File Area Sort Type
Pressing <T> allows you to toggle the file area's sort
type. If the file area's sort type is set for "By
Filename", the "Sort File Areas" Sysop Menu option will
sort the file area's list by filenames. Otherwise,
TriTel will sort the file area by date. Normally, you
will probably only use a "By Date" sort type for your
current uploads file area. That way new uploads will
be listed in the order they were uploaded.
<A> Add New File Area
Pressing <A> adds a new file area to your board. The
new file area will be added on to the end of any
existing file areas.
<P> File Area Path
Pressing <P> allows you to specify the file area's
path. This is the subdirectory TriTel will use to
store the file area's files and file list. Do not use
a "\" at the end of the pathname.
<I> Insert New File Area
Pressing <I> inserts a new file area in your board's
file areas. TriTel will prompt you to enter the number
of the file area you want the new file area to come
before.
<U> File Area Upload Path
Pressing <U> allows you to specify the file area's
upload path. All new uploaded files for the file area
will be stored in the specified subdirectory. It is
common practice to have a new uploads directory to put
all new files in. Once you have had a chance to review
the upload, you can easily move the file to its proper
file area. Do not use a "\" at the end of the
pathname.
<D> Delete File Area
Pressing <D> will delete the current file area. TriTel
will prompt you to confirm this request before carrying
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 26
it out.
<+> Next File Area
Pressing <+> will move the editor to the next file
area.
<Q> Quit
Pressing <Q> will return you to the Waiting for Caller
screen. While you are editing the file areas, TriTel
takes the phone off the hook. The phone will be placed
back on the hook as soon as you return to the Waiting
for Caller screen.
View Callers Log
----------------
The "View Callers Log" menu option allows you to view your
board's callers log. TriTel maintains a log of a user's activity
while a caller is logged on. This file is named CALLERS.LOG and
is kept in the WORK directory. By selecting the "View Callers
Log" menu option, TriTel will prompt you for a date to start
viewing the log from. You can simply press <ENTER> to view the
log starting at the beginning of the current day. While you are
viewing the callers log, TriTel takes the phone off the hook.
The phone will be placed back on the hook as soon as you return
to the Waiting for Caller screen.
Exit TriTel
-----------
The "Exit TriTel" menu option exits you from TriTel and returns
you to the DOS command prompt.
The Modem Status Window
-----------------------
The middle portion of the Waiting for Caller screen is the modem
status window. The window will display the current state of the
modem: initialization information, ring detection, and connection
information.
The Statistics Display
----------------------
The bottom portion of the Waiting for Caller screen displays a
variety of information about your board: the total number of
calls, the number of calls for the current day, the number of
messages that have been posted during the current day, the number
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 27
of uploads for the current day, the number of downloads for the
current day, and the name of the last caller.
Screen Blanking
---------------
After a short period of time, TriTel will blank the screen and
bounce a "TriTel BBS Ready For Caller" message around the screen.
This is done to prevent your screen from being burned by the
Waiting for Caller screen. The Waiting for Caller screen is
redisplayed by pressing any key.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 28
DISPLAY SCREENS
---------------
TriTel allows you to use a number of optional display screens to
customize your board. These screens can be either ANSI color
screens or monochrome screens. TriTel requires you to use an
extension of ANS for ANSI color screens and BBS for monochrome
screens. All display screens are stored in the TriTel DISPLAY
subdirectory.
If the caller has selected ANSI color graphics, TriTel will
always search the DISPLAY subdirectory for ANS screens. If
TriTel can't find an ANS screen or the caller doesn't have ANSI
color graphics selected, TriTel will search the DISPLAY
subdirectory for an appropriate monochrome screen. If TriTel
can't find either type of display screen, TriTel will either
display nothing if it's a simple display screen or TriTel will
generate and display a menu on the fly if an appropriate menu
screen isn't found.
Control Codes
-------------
By placing certain control codes in your display screen, you can
control how TriTel displays a screen. Control codes are the
ASCII codes 1 to 26. At present, TriTel supports the use of the
following control codes:
Code Description
2 Disables the "more prompt".
3 Makes the screen unbreakable. A breakable screen can
be stopped by the caller pressing <SPACE>.
4 Displays the caller's first name.
5 Enables the "more prompt".
6 Displays the caller's city/state.
12 Clears the display screen.
14 Makes the screen breakable.
15 Displays the caller's original log on date.
16 Displays a "more prompt".
Log On and Goodbye Screens
--------------------------
TriTel supports up to nine log on screens and one goodbye screen.
The filename for a log on screen is LOGONn.ANS or LOGONn.BBS.
Where "n" is a number from 1 to 9. After a caller answers the
ANSI color graphics prompt, TriTel will display either LOGON1.ANS
or LOGON1.BBS. After the caller has entered his name and
password, TriTel will display the screens LOGON2 to LOGON9. At
log off and before TriTel disconnects the caller, TriTel will
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 29
display either GOODBYE.ANS or GOODBYE.BBS.
Security Specific Log On Screens
--------------------------------
TriTel supports security specific log on screens. The filename
for a security specific log on screen is either nSEC.ANS or
nSEC.BBS. Where "n" is the security level for the log on screen.
Security specific log on screens are displayed after TriTel
displays the normal log on screens.
Newsletter Log On Screen
------------------------
TriTel supports a newsletter log on screen. The filename for a
newsletter log on screen is either BBSNEWS.ANS or BBSNEWS.BBS. A
newsletter log on screen is displayed to the caller after TriTel
displays any security specific log on screens. A newsletter log
on screen is only displayed if it has been updated since the
user's last call.
User Specific Log On Screens
----------------------------
TriTel supports user specific log on screens. The filename for a
user specific log on screen is either n.ANS or n.BBS. Where "n"
is the caller's user number. User specific log on screens are
displayed after TriTel displays any newletter log on screen.
Once a user specific log on screen has been displayed to the
appropriate caller, TriTel automatically deletes the screen.
New User Screen
---------------
After a new user enters his name and indicates that he is a new
user, TriTel will display a special new user screen named either
NEWUSER.ANS or NEWUSER.BBS.
Bulletin Menu and Bulletins
---------------------------
Normally, TriTel will generate a Bulletin Menu on the fly;
however, you may use a custom Bulletin Menu by naming the display
files BULLETIN.ANS and BULLETIN.BBS.
You can have from 1 to 99 bulletins by naming them as BULLETn.ANS
and BULLETn.BBS. Where "n" is a number from 1 to 99.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 30
Main Menu
---------
Normally, TriTel will generate a Main Menu for the caller's
security level on the fly; however, you may use custom Main Menus
by naming the display files MAINn.ANS and MAINn.BBS. Where "n"
is the menu's security level.
Message Menu
------------
Normally, TriTel will generate a Message Menu for the caller's
security level on the fly; however, you may use custom Message
menus by naming the display files MESSn.ANS and MESSn.BBS. Where
"n" is the menu's security level.
File Menu
---------
Normally, TriTel will generate a File Menu for the caller's
security level on the fly; however, you may use custom File Menus
by naming the display files FILEn.ANS and FILEn.BBS. Where "n"
is the menu's security level.
Door Menu
---------
Normally, TriTel will generate a Door Menu for the caller's
security level on the fly; however, you may use custom Door Menus
by naming the display files DOORn.ANS and DOORn.BBS. Where "n"
is the menu's security level.
Door Bulletin Menu and Door Bulletins
-------------------------------------
Normally, TriTel will generate a Door Bulletin Menu on the fly;
however, you may use a custom Door Bulletin Menu by naming the
display files DOORBULL.ANS and DOORBULL.BBS.
You can have from 1 to 99 door bulletins by naming them as
DRBULLn.ANS and DRBULLn.BBS. Where "n" is a number from 1 to 99.
Questionnaire Menu
-----------------
Normally, TriTel will generate a Questionnaire Menu for the
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 31
caller's security level on the fly; however, you may use a custom
Questionnaire Menu by naming the display files QUESTn.ANS and
QUESTn.BBS. Where "n" is the menu's security level.
Sysop Menu
----------
Normally, TriTel will generate a Sysop Menu for the caller's
security level on the fly; however, you may use custom Sysop
Menus by naming the display files SYSOPn.ANS and SYSOPn.BBS.
Where "n" is the menu's security level.
Making Your Own Display Screens
-------------------------------
To make your own custom display screens, you'll need a good ANSI
screen editor. Perhaps one of the best is a shareware product
called TheDraw. It has many powerful features including ANSI
animation.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 32
THE TRITEL MENU SYSTEM
----------------------
The heart of TriTel and what makes it so easy to set up and
maintain is its powerful menu system. The TriTel menu system is
comprised of eight menus: the Bulletin Menu, the Main Menu, the
Message Menu, the File Menu, the Door Menu, the Door Bulletin
Menu, the Questionnaire Menu, and the Sysop Menu. As you already
know, TriTel allows you to use your own security level specific
menus; however, TriTel can generate any of its eight menus from
the information contained in its eight menu configuration files.
These configuration files have an extension of .MNU and are
located in the TriTel WORK subdirectory.
The Bulletin Menu Configuration File
------------------------------------
The Bulletin Menu file has a name of BULLETIN.MNU. You should
note that this is an optional menu configuration file and is only
necessary if you have bulletins and aren't using custom Bulletin
Menus. As with all TriTel menu configuration files, BULLETIN.MNU
is a text file and can be edited with any text editor. The
format for BULLETIN.MNU is as follows:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 33
-----------------------------------------------------------------
border background,border foreground,background,foreground
description
.
.
.
description
Where:
border background is the border background color for an
ANSI color menu.
border foreground is the border foreground color for an
ANSI color menu.
background is the background color for an ANSI
color menu.
foreground is the foreground color for an ANSI
color menu.
description is one of more description of the
bulletins. These should be in the order
of your bulletins. For example, the
first description should be for
BULLET1.ANS and BULLET1.BBS, the second
description should be for BULLET2.ANS
and BULLET2.BBS, etc.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The following is a sample BULLETIN.MNU file:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
7,0,4,15
Rules of the BBS
TriTel BBS 1.0 History
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Main Menu Configuration File
--------------------------------
The Main Menu configuration file has a name of MAIN.MNU. As with
all other TriTel menu configuration files, MAIN.MNU is a text
file and can be edited with any text editor. The format for
MAIN.MNU is as follows:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 34
-----------------------------------------------------------------
border background,border foreground,background,foreground
B,Bulletin Menu,security level
M,Message Menu,security level
F,File Menu,security level
D,Door Menu,security level
Q,Questionnaire Menu,security level
S,Sysop Menu,security level
C,Comment to Sysop,security level
A,Toggle ANSI Graphics Mode,security level
N,Newsletter,security level
Y,Your Personal Information,security level
I,System Information,security level
X,Expert Mode,security level
P,Page Sysop,security level
G,Goodbye,security level
Where:
border background is the border background color for an
ANSI color menu.
border foreground is the border foreground color for an
ANSI color menu.
background is the background color for an ANSI
color menu.
foreground is the foreground color for an ANSI
color menu.
security level is the minimum security level for this
command.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
You should note that the order of the Main Menu items and their
descriptions can be changed. However, the color codes must be in
the configuration file's first line and each of the menu item
hotkeys (the character in the first column) must remain the same.
The following is a sample Main Menu configuration file:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 35
-----------------------------------------------------------------
6,0,1,15
B,Bulletin Menu,10
M,Message Menu,10
F,File Menu,10
D,Door Menu,10
Q,Questionnaire Menu,999
S,Sysop Menu,100
C,Comment to Sysop,10
A,Toggle ANSI Graphics Mode,10
N,Newsletter,10
Y,Your Personal Information,10
I,System Information,10
X,Expert Mode,10
P,Page Sysop,10
G,Goodbye,0
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The following are descriptions of the 14 Main Menu items:
B,Bulletin Menu,security level
By pressing <B> at the Main Menu, TriTel will branch to
the Bulletin Menu.
M,Message Menu,security level
By pressing <M> at the Main Menu, TriTel will branch to
the Message Menu.
F,File Menu,security level
By pressing <F> at the Main Menu, TriTel will branch to
the File Menu.
D,Door Menu,security level
By pressing <D> at the Main Menu, TriTel will branch to
the Door Menu. If your board doesn't have any doors,
you should set the security level for this option
higher than anybody's security level.
Q,Questionnaire Menu,security level
By pressing <Q> at the Main Menu, TriTel will branch to
the Questionnaire Menu. If your board doesn't have any
questionnaires, you should set the security level for
this option higher than anybody's security level.
S,Sysop Menu,security level
By pressing <S> at the Main Menu, TriTel will branch to
the Sysop Menu. IMPORTANT: The security level for this
option should be set for at least your minimum sysop
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 36
security level.
C,Comment to Sysop,security level
By pressing <C> at the Main Menu, TriTel will let the
caller send a private message to the sysop. The
message will be saved in the board's first message
conference.
A,Toggle ANSI Graphics Mode,security level
By pressing <A> at the Main Menu, TriTel will toggle
ANSI color graphics on and off.
N,Newsletter,security level
By pressing <N> at the Main Menu, TriTel will display
the board's newsletter, if any.
Y,Your Personal Information,security level
By pressing <Y> at the Main Menu, TriTel will let the
caller display and edit some of his information.
TriTel will display the following menu to the caller:
------------------------------------------------------------
Name......: Mark Goodwin
Address...: Orland, Me
Phone.....: 207-469-6556 Birth.........: 10/19/56
First Call: 05/15/91 Last Call.....: 05/15/91 09:14
Uploads...: 0 Downloads.....: 0
Times On..: 2 Security Level: 10
Password..: Install Protocol......: Zmodem
<A>ddress, <P>assword, Phone <N>umber, <D>efault Protocol,
<Q>uit:
------------------------------------------------------------
As you can see from this sample display, the "Your
Personal Information" menu features the following five
options:
<A>ddress
Pressing <A> prompts the caller for his new
city/state.
<P>assword
Pressing <P> prompts the caller for his new
password.
Phone <N>umber
Pressing <N> prompts the caller for his new
phone number.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 37
<D>efault Protocol
Pressing <D> prompts the caller to select a
new default protocol.
<Q>uit
Pressing <Q> returns the caller to the Main
Menu.
I,System Information,security level
By pressing <I> at the Main Menu, TriTel will display a
number of the board's statistics.
X,Expert Mode,security level
Pressing <X> will toggle the caller's expert mode flag.
If his expert mode flag is set for "Yes", TriTel will
not display the menus for the caller. Otherwise,
TriTel will display the menus to the caller.
P,Page Sysop,security level
Pressing <P> will page the sysop.
G,Goodbye,security level
Pressing <G> will log the caller off the board.
The Message Menu Configuration File
-----------------------------------
The Message Menu configuration file has a name of MESSAGE.MNU.
As with all other TriTel menu configuration files, MESSAGE.MNU is
a text file and can be edited with any text editor. The format
for MESSAGE.MNU is as follows:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
border background,border foreground,background,foreground
C,Change Conference,security level
E,Enter a Message,security level
R,Read Messages,security level
N,New Messages,security level
Y,Your Messages,security level
S,Set Conference Queue,security level
M,Main Menu,security level
X,Expert Mode,security level
P,Page Sysop,security level
G,Goodbye,security level
Where:
border background is the border background color for an
ANSI color menu.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 38
border foreground is the border foreground color for an
ANSI color menu.
background is the background color for an ANSI
color menu.
foreground is the foreground color for an ANSI
color menu.
security level is the minimum security level for this
command.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
You should note that the order of the Message Menu items and
their descriptions can be changed. However, the color codes must
be in the configuration file's first line and each of the menu
item hotkeys (the characters in the first column) must remain the
same. The following is a sample Message Menu configuration file:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
7,0,2,15
C,Change Conference,10
E,Enter a Message,10
R,Read Messages,10
N,New Messages,10
Y,Your Messages,10
S,Set Conference Queue,10
M,Main Menu,0
X,Expert Mode,10
P,Page Sysop,0
G,Goodbye,0
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The following are descriptions of the 10 Message Menu items:
C,Change Conference,security level
Pressing <C> will let the caller change his current
message conference. After displaying a list of the
conferences that are available to the caller, TriTel
will prompt him for the new conference.
E,Enter a Message,security level
Pressing <E> will let the caller enter a message in the
current message conference. TriTel will prompt the
caller for the name to address the message to. If the
current conference isn't a net mail conference, TriTel
will check to see if the addressee is a user of the
board. Messages addressed to Sysop will be changed to
your name. If the message is addressed to an
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 39
individual, TriTel will ask if the message should be
flagged as PRIVATE. TriTel will then prompt for the
message subject. If the conference is a net mail
conference, TriTel will ask the caller if he wants the
message ECHOed. From there, TriTel will let the caller
enter his message using the TriTel line editor. The
editor's menu can be displayed by pressing <ENTER> on a
blank line. The following are the options the line
editor menu offers:
<S>ave
Pressing <S> will save the message.
<A>bort
Pressing <A> will abort the message.
<C>ontinue
Pressing <C> will start the line editor again
where the message left off.
<L>ist
Pressing <L> will list the message.
<D>elete Line
Pressing <D> will prompt the caller for the number
of the line he wants deleted.
<I>nsert Line
Pressing <I> will prompt the caller for the number
of the line he wants a blank line inserted before.
<E>dit Line
Pressing <E> will prompt the caller for the number
of the line he would like to edit.
<R>eplace Text:
Pressing <R> will prompt the caller for the number
of the line he would like to search and replace
text in. After selecting the desired line, TriTel
will prompt the caller to enter the search and
replace strings. These strings are entered on the
same line with a semicolon separating the two
strings. TriTel will then search the line for
occurrences of the search string. If the search
string is found, it will be replaced by the
replace string.
<Q>uote
Pressing <Q> will allow the caller to quote from a
message he is replying to. TriTel will display
the original message and then prompt the call for
the first and last lines to be quoted. (This menu
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 40
option is only available if the caller is replying
to another message.)
R,Read Messages,security level
Pressing <R> allows the caller to read messages.
TriTel will prompt the caller if he wants to read
messages in just the current conference, all
conferences, the caller's queued conferences, or quit
to the Message Menu. For each message conference,
TriTel allows the caller to enter the number of the
first message to be read only read new messages, or
quit to the Message Menu.
While reading messages, the caller will be presented
with the following options:
<R>eply
Pressing <R> will allow the caller to enter a
reply to the message. If the message is PUBLIC,
TriTel will give the caller the option of making
the reply PRIVATE.
Read Re<p>lies
Pressing <p> will allow the caller to read a
message's replies. After reading all of the
replies, TriTel will return to the original
message. (This option is only available if the
message has replies.)
<D>elete
Pressing <D> will allow the caller to delete the
message. (This option is only available if the
caller has at least a minimum sysop security level
or the conference allows user deletion and the
message is either from or to the caller.)
<U>ndelete
Pressing <U> will allow the caller to undelete a
previously deleted message. (This option is only
available if the caller has at least a minimum
sysop security level.)
Pu<b>lic
Pressing <b> will make a PRIVATE message PUBLIC.
(This option is only available if the caller has
at least a minimum sysop security level and the
message is PRIVATE.)
Pri<v>ate
Pressing <v> will make a PUBLIC message PRIVATE.
(This option is only available if the caller has
at least a minimum sysop security level and the
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 41
message is PUBLIC.)
<ENTER> Next Message
Pressing <ENTER> moves on to the next message.
<Q>uit
Pressing <Q> will allow the caller to quit reading
messages in this message conference.
N,New Messages,security level
Pressing <N> allows the caller to read new messages.
TriTel maintains pointers in each message conference of
the highest message number the caller has read. TriTel
will prompt the caller if he wants to read messages in
just the current conference, all conferences, the
caller's queued conferences, or quit to the Message
Menu. For each message conference, TriTel allows the
caller to read the conference's new messages or quit to
the Message Menu.
While reading messages, the caller will be presented
with the same options as TriTel uses with the "Read
Messages" menu option.
Y,Your Messages,security level
Pressing <Y> allows the caller to read his messages.
TriTel will prompt the caller if he wants to read his
messages in just the current conference, all
conferences, the caller's queued conferences, or quit
to the Message menu. For each message conference,
TriTel allows the caller to read the message to him in
the conference or quit to the Message Menu.
While reading messages, the caller will be presented
with the same options as TriTel uses with the "Read
Messages" and "New Messages" menu options.
S,Set Conference Queue,security level
Pressing <S> allows the caller to set a conference
queue. A conference queue allows the caller to select
whether or not a conference will be read while reading
messages in queued conferences. TriTel will display a
menu with the following three options:
<L>ist Your Queue
Entering <L> presents a list of the conferences
that are available to the user and indicates
whether or not they are queued conferences.
<####> Conference to Toggle
Entering a conference's number toggle's its queued
status.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 42
<ENTER> to Quit
Simply pressing <ENTER> returns the caller to the
Message Menu.
M,Main Menu,security level
Pressing <M> returns the caller to the Main Menu.
X,Expert Mode,security level
Pressing <X> will toggle the caller's expert mode flag.
If his expert mode flag is set for "Yes", TriTel will
not display the menus for the caller. Otherwise,
TriTel will display the menus to the caller.
P,Page Sysop,security level
Pressing <P> will page the sysop.
G,Goodbye,security level
Pressing <G> will log the caller off the board.
The File Menu Configuration File
--------------------------------
The File Menu configuration file has a name of FILES.MNU. As
with all other TriTel menu configuration files, FILES.MNU is a
text file and can be edited with any text editor. The format for
FILES.MNU is as follows:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 43
----------------------------------------------------------------
border background,border foreground,background,foreground
C,Change File Area,security level
L,List Files,security level
N,New Files,security level
T,Text Search File Lists,security level
U,Upload File,security level
D,Download File,security level
V,View ZIP Archive,security level
R,Remove File,security level
O,Move File,security level
M,Main Menu,security level
X,Expert Mode,security level
P,Page Sysop,security level
G,Goodbye,security level
Where:
border background is the border background color for an
ANSI color menu.
border foreground is the border foreground color for an
ANSI color menu.
background is the background color for an ANSI
color menu.
foreground is the foreground color for an ANSI
color menu.
security level is the minimum security level for this
command.
----------------------------------------------------------------
You should note that the order of the File Menu items and their
descriptions can be changed. However, the color codes must be in
the configuration file's first line and each of the menu item
hotkeys (the character in the first column) must remain the same.
The following is a sample File Menu configuration file:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 44
----------------------------------------------------------------
7,0,5,15
C,Change File Area,10
L,List Files,10
N,New Files,10
T,Text Search File Lists,10
U,Upload File,10
D,Download File,10
V,View ZIP Archive,10
R,Remove File,100
O,Move File,100
M,Main Menu,10
X,Expert Mode,10
P,Page Sysop,10
G,Goodbye,10
----------------------------------------------------------------
The following are descriptions of the 12 File Menu items:
C,Change File Area,security level
Pressing <C> will let the caller change his current
file area. After displaying a list of the file areas
that are available to the caller, TriTel will prompt
him for the new file area.
L,List Files,security level
Pressing <L> will let the caller view the board's file
lists. TriTel will prompt the caller to enter a file
mask. This file mask uses the same format as the DOS
DIR command. After entering an appropriate file mask,
TriTel will ask the caller if he wants to view the file
lists for his current file area or all file areas.
N,New Files,security level
Pressing <N> will let the caller view the board's new
files. TriTel will prompt the caller to enter a date
to begin the search with. If the caller simply presses
<ENTER>, TriTel will use the caller's last log on date
for the search date. TriTel will then ask the caller
if he wants to see the new files for his current file
area or all file areas.
T,Text Search File Lists,security level
Pressing <T> will let the caller search for a text
string in the board's file lists. TriTel will prompt
the caller to enter the string to be searched for.
After entering an appropriate search string, TriTel
will ask the caller if he wants to search the file
lists for his current file area or all file areas.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 45
U,Upload File,security level
Pressing <U> will let the caller upload a file. TriTel
will prompt the caller for the file's name and
description. If the call is a remote call, TriTel will
ask the caller to select an appropriate protocol. If
the call is a local call, the appropriate file must be
in the file area's file path.
D,Download File,security level
Pressing <D> will let the caller download one or more
files. TriTel will prompt the caller for the names of
the files to be downloaded. After entering a blank
line, TriTel will ask the caller to select an
appropriate protocol, if the caller hasn't selected a
default protocol. You should note that this menu
option is not available to local calls.
V,View ZIP Archive,security level
Pressing <V> will let the caller view the contents of a
ZIP archive. TriTel will first unZIP the archive and
then display a complete listing of the archive's
contents. The caller is then give the option of either
relisting the archive's contents, displaying one of the
archive's files, ZIPping up and downloading one or more
individual members of the archive, or returning to the
Files Menu.
R,Remove File,security level
Pressing <R> will let the caller remove a file from the
board's file lists and file areas. TriTel will prompt
the caller for the file's name. If the file is found,
TriTel will double check to be sure if the caller
really wants to delete the file. IMPORTANT: The
security level for this option should be set for at
least your minimum sysop security level.
O,Move File,security level
Pressing <O> will let the caller move a file from its
present file area to another file area. TriTel will
prompt the caller for the file's name and its new file
area. IMPORTANT: The security level for this option
should be set for at least your minimum sysop security
level.
M,Main Menu,security level
Pressing <M> returns the caller to the Main Menu.
X,Expert Mode,security level
Pressing <X> will toggle the caller's expert mode flag.
If his expert mode flag is set for "Yes", TriTel will
not display the menus for the caller. Otherwise,
TriTel will display the menus for the caller.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 46
P,Page Sysop,security level
Pressing <P> will page the sysop.
G,Goodbye,security level
Pressing <G> will log the caller off the board.
The Door Menu Configuration File
--------------------------------
The Door Menu configuration file has a name of DOORS.MNU. You
should note that this is an optional menu configuration file and
is only necessary if your board has doors available. As with all
other TriTel menu configuration files, DOORS.MNU is a text file
and can be edited with any text editor. The format for DOORS.MNU
is as follows:
----------------------------------------------------------------
border background,border foreground,background,foreground
door type,description,batch file,security level
.
.
.
door type,description,batch file,security level
Where:
border background is the border background color for an
ANSI color menu.
border foreground is the border foreground color for an
ANSI color menu.
background is the background color for an ANSI
color menu.
foreground is the foreground color for an ANSI
color menu.
door type is the type of door data files TriTel is
to generate for this door. The door
type can be any one of the following
characters:
D - Generates DOOR.SYS for GAP,
etc. type doors.
P - Generates PCBOARD.DAT,
PCBOARD.SYS, and USERS for PCBoard
14.x doors.
S - Generates SFDOORS.DAT for
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 47
Spitfire doors.
U - Generates UTIDOOR.TXT for UTI
doors such as MegaMail.
Note that a door type is required.
There are a few doors that don't require
a door data file to be run. If you wish
to use such a door, you can simply
specify any one of the above characters.
A "U" door type creates the smallest
files. Therefore, it is preferable to
the others.
description is a description for the door.
batch file is the door's batch file. With TriTel,
all doors are run with a batch file and
must be loaded in your board's main
directory. This batch file is similar to
an event batch file. An extension of
BAT is not required for a door batch
file; however, the file name you specify
in the configuration file must match the
batch file's name exactly. When TriTel
runs a door, it will generate the proper
door data files as is indicated by the
door's door type character. It will
then copy the door's batch file to a
file called DOOR.BAT. TriTel will then
create a temporary caller information
file. This temporary file holds the
information TriTel will need when the
caller returns to TriTel from the door.
After generating all of the proper
files, TriTel will exit from memory.
BOARD.BAT will then run DOOR.BAT. In
order for TriTel to restart after the
caller is done with the door, the last
line in the door batch file must call
BOARD.BAT. The following is an example
board batch file:
cd \doors\global
war /s c:\tritel\sfdoors.dat
cd \tritel
board
security level is the minimum security level the caller
needs to use the door.
----------------------------------------------------------------
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 48
The following is a sample DOORS.MNU file:
----------------------------------------------------------------
7,0,6,15
U,MaineRelay Hub,HUBDOOR,50
S,Global War,GLOBAL,10
P,Imperium,IMPERIUM,10
P,Bowling,BOWLING,10
S,Scrabble,SCRABBLE,10
P,Super Guppy,SUPERG,10
U,MegaMail,MEGAMAIL,10
P,TriTel Time Bank,TRIBANK,10
P,Tic-Tac-Toe,TICTAC,100
U,Page Me!!!!,PAGE,100
S,Hobbit Trivia,SFHOBTRV,10
S,Stackem,STACKEM,10
P,King of the Board,KINGOB,10
----------------------------------------------------------------
The Door Bulletin Menu Configuration File
-----------------------------------------
The Door Bulletin Menu configuration file has a name of
DOORBULL.MNU. You should note that this is an optional menu
configuration file and is only necessary if you have door
bulletins and aren't using custom Door Bulletin Menus. As with
all TriTel menu configuration files, DOORBULL.MNU is a text file
and can be edited with any text editor. The format for
DOORBULL.MNU is as follows:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 49
----------------------------------------------------------------
border background,border foreground,background,foreground
description
.
.
.
description
Where:
border background is the border background color for an
ANSI color menu.
border foreground is the border foreground color for an
ANSI color menu.
background is the background color for an ANSI
color menu.
foreground is the foreground color for an ANSI
color menu.
description is one of more description of the
bulletins. These should be in the order
of your bulletins. For example, the
first description should be for
DRBULL1.ANS and DRBULL1.BBS, the second
description should be for DRBULL2.ANS
and DRBULL2.BBS, etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------
The following is a sample DOORBULL.MNU file:
----------------------------------------------------------------
7,0,4,15
King of the Board Pyramid
King of the Board Points
Imperium Top Ten
Scrabble Status
Scrabble Top Ten
Hobbit Trivia Top Ten
Stackem Top Ten
----------------------------------------------------------------
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 50
The Questionnaire Menu Configuration File
----------------------------------------
The Questionnaire Menu configuration file has a name of
QUESTION.MNU. You should note that this is an optional menu
configuration file and is only necessary if your board has
questionnaires available. As with all other TriTel menu
configuration files, QUESTION.MNU is a text file and can be
edited with any text editor. The format for QUESTION.MNU is as
follows:
----------------------------------------------------------------
border background,border foreground,background,foreground
description,questionnaire file,security level
.
.
.
description,questionnaire file,security level
Where:
border background is the border background color for an
ANSI color menu.
border foreground is the border foreground color for an
ANSI color menu.
background is the background color for an ANSI
color menu.
foreground is the foreground color for an ANSI
color menu.
description is a description for the questionnaire.
questionnaire file is the name of the questionnaire and
response file. This file name must not
have an extension. Your questionnaire
file should be in your board's WORK
directory and have an extension of QUE.
TriTel will save the answers to the
questionnaire as a file with an
extension of ANS. A TriTel
questionnaire file will display each
line in the file as is unless the first
character of the line is a special
questionnaire character as follows:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 51
: - Will display the line and prompt the
user for input. Note that the caller
must enter something in response to this
prompt.
; - Will display the line and prompt the
user for input. Note that the caller
can enter a blank line in response to
this prompt.
@ - Will display the line and prompt the
user to enter a date using the format
MM-DD-YY. After the caller has entered
the date, TriTel will prompt the caller
to see if it was entered correctly.
# - Will display the line and prompt the
user to enter the date using the format
###-###-####. After the caller has
entered the phone number, TriTel will
prompt the caller to see if it was
entered correctly.
^security level - Will set the caller's
security level to the number specified
after "^".
? - Will prompt the user for a Yes/No
response. If the caller responds with a
"Yes", TriTel will ignore the remaining
questionnaire until TriTel finds a "+"
character. TriTel will continue with
the questionnaire until another "+"
character is encountered. If the caller
responds with a "No", TriTel will ignore
the remaining questionnaire until TriTel
finds a "-" character. TriTel will
continue with the questionnaire until
another "-" character is encountered.
security level is the minimum security level the caller
needs to be able to respond to the
questionnaire.
----------------------------------------------------------------
The following is a sample QUESTION.MNU file:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 52
----------------------------------------------------------------
7,0,6,15
Question # 1,QUEST0,10
----------------------------------------------------------------
The following is a sample questionnaire file:
----------------------------------------------------------------
Please answer the following questions truthfully:
:What is your real name?
:What is your street address?
:What is your city, state, and zip code?
:What type of computer do you own?
:What type of modem are you using?
:What type of communications software are you using?
:Are you interested in messages, files, doors, or all three?
?Are you the Sysop of a bulletin board
+
:What is the name of your BBS?
#What is the BBS's phone number?
+
----------------------------------------------------------------
You should note that TriTel supports a special New User
Questionnaire. This questionnaire has a file name of NEWUSER and
will be presented to a new user after displaying a new user
screen, if any.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 53
The Sysop Menu Configuration File
---------------------------------
The Sysop Menu configuration file has a name of SYSOP.MNU. As
with all other TriTel menu configuration files, SYSOP.MNU is a
text file an can be edited with any text editor. The format for
SYSOP.MNU is as follows:
----------------------------------------------------------------
border background,border foreground,background,foreground
U,Edit Users,security level
C,Edit Message Conferences,security level
F,Edit File Areas,security level
E,Edit Events,security level
V,View Callers Log,security level
K,Pack User File,security level
S,Sort File Lists,security level
M,Main Menu,security level
X,Expert Mode,security level
P,Page Sysop,security level
G,Goodbye,security level
Where:
border background is the border background color for an
ANSI color menu.
border foreground is the border foreground color for an
ANSI color menu.
background is the background color for an ANSI
color menu.
foreground is the foreground color for an ANSI
color menu.
security level is the minimum security level for this
command.
----------------------------------------------------------------
You should note that the order of the Sysop Menu items and their
descriptions can be changed. However, the color codes must be in
the configuration file's first line and each of the menu item
hotkeys (the character in the first column) must remain the same.
The following is a sample Sysop Menu configuration file:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 54
----------------------------------------------------------------
7,0,3,15
U,Edit Users,100
C,Edit Message Conferences,100
F,Edit File Areas,100
E,Edit Events,100
V,View Callers Log,100
K,Pack User File,100
S,Sort File Lists,100
M,Main Menu,10
X,Expert Mode,10
P,Page Sysop,10
G,Goodbye,0
----------------------------------------------------------------
The following are descriptions of the 11 Sysop Menu Items:
U,Edit Users,security level
Pressing <U> will let the caller edit the user records.
(See the Waiting for Caller screen section for a
description of how the user records are edited.)
C,Edit Message Conferences,security level
Pressing <C> will let the caller edit the message
conferences. (See the Waiting for Caller screen
section for a description of how the user records are
edited.)
F,Edit File Areas,security level
Pressing <F> will let the caller edit the file areas.
(See the Waiting for Caller screen section for a
description of how the file areas are edited.)
E,Edit Events,security level
Pressing <E> will let the caller edit the events. (See
the Waiting for Caller screen section for a description
of how the events are edited.)
V,View Callers Log,security level
Pressing <V> will let the caller view the callers log.
TriTel will prompt the caller to enter the starting
date to view the log from.
K,Pack User File,security level
Pressing <K> will let the caller pack the user file.
TriTel will purge any users that have been marked for
deletion from the user file and the last message read
pointer files. TriTel will prompt the caller if he
wants to proceed with packing the user file before it
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 55
is actually done.
S,Sort File Lists,security level
Pressing <S> will let the caller sort the board's file
lists. You should note that TriTel's sort routine has
an upper limit of 3000 files per list. If your file
lists grow beyond 3000 files, you will have to use an
external sorting program to sort them.
M,Main Menu,security level
Pressing <M> returns the caller to the Main Menu.
X,Expert Mode,security level
Pressing <X> will toggle the caller's expert mode flag.
If his expert mode flag is set for "Yes", TriTel will
not display the menus for the caller. Otherwise TriTel
will display the menus for the caller.
P,Page Sysop,security level
Pressing <P> will page the sysop.
G,Goodbye,security level
Pressing <G> will log the caller off the board.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 56
FILE LISTS
----------
TriTel maintains a file called FILES.LST for each file area.
Each file area's FILES.LST file resides in the file area's
subdirectory (the one you specified when you added the file area
to your board.) FILES.LST is a simple ASCII file where each line
contains the following information:
----------------------------------------------------------------
123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890.....
FFFFFFFFFFFF SSSSSSSS MM-DD-YY DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD.....
Where:
FFFFFFFFFFFF is the file's name.
SSSSSSSS is the file's size.
MM-DD-YY is the file's date.
DDDDDDDDDDDD..... is the file's description.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Each file entry in the list should be no more than 80 characters
in length. Although for display purposes, 79 character is a more
practical limit.
If you wish, you can create each FILES.LST file with a text
editor.
A simple way to add a file to an area's FILES.LST is to locally
upload it. Be sure that the file you want add to the file area's
FILES.LST is located in the file area's subdirectory. Next log
on locally, go to the Files Menu, change to the correct file area
if you're not already in it, and select the upload option. Next,
enter the file's name and description. TriTel will then add the
file's information to the file area's FILES.LST.
The easiest method for working with FILES.LST files is to use a
program called FILESLST. FILESLST if available for download on
The Lobster Buoy. Essentially, FILESLST scans a file area's
subdirectory for any files that aren't in the file area's
FILES.LST file. If a file wasn't found in the FILES.LST file,
FILESLST adds the file's name, size, date, and a dummy
description to the FILES.LST file. Although you will have to
edit the file (or files) description with a text editor, FILESLST
take most of the hassles out of adding numerous files to your
board.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 57
EXTERNAL PROTOCOLS
------------------
TriTel supports up to 15 external protocols. To enable external
protocols, you must create an external protocol menu
configuration file called EXTPROT.MNU in your WORK directory.
EXTPROT.MNU has the following format:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 58
----------------------------------------------------------------
hotkey,description,send file,receive file,batch,error correcting
.
.
.
hotkey,description,send file,receive file,batch,error correcting
Where:
hotkey is the key to be used to select the
external protocol. You should note that
you can override any of TriTel's
internal protocols by specifying the
internal protocol's hotkey for the
external protocol's hotkey. For
example, you can use a hotkey of "Z" to
replace TriTel's internal Zmodem
protocol with DSZ. Additionally, you
can't use "N" for a protocol's hotkey.
description is a description to be displayed for the
external protocol.
send file is the exact name of the batch file that
sends files to the caller with the
external protocol. This batch file must
reside in your board's main directory.
receive file is the exact name of the batch file that
receives files from the caller with the
external protocol. This batch file must
reside in your board's main directory.
batch is "Y" if the external protocol supports
batch downloading. Otherwise, "N" to
indicated that the external protocol
doesn't support batch downloading.
error correcting is "Y" if the external protocol is to be
used only with an error correcting
connection. Otherwise, "N" to indicate
that the external protocol can be used
with all types of connections.
----------------------------------------------------------------
The following is an example of an EXTPROT.MNU file:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 59
----------------------------------------------------------------
z,Zmodem (DSZ),sz.bat,rz.bat,y,n
m,MPt (Puma),smpt.bat,rmpt.bat,y,n
----------------------------------------------------------------
This example file replaces TriTel's internal Zmodem protocol with
DSZ and adds the very speedy MPt (formerly Puma) to the board's
list of protocols. Both protocols support batch downloads and
neither is an error correcting protocol.
Send Batch Files
----------------
When TriTel calls a send batch file, it passes the following
three parameters to the batch file:
port number baud rate filename or EBATCH.DAT
The "port number" and "baud rate" parameters are pretty self
explanatory. The third parameter TriTel passes to the batch file
requires a little further explanation. If the protocol, doesn't
support batch downloads, TriTel only passes a single "filename"
to the protocol. Otherwise, TriTel creates a file called
"EBATCH.DAT" and passes the name of the file to the protocol's
batch file. "EBATCH.DAT" is simple a line-by-line listing of the
files in the batch download.
The following is an example of a DSZ send batch file called
SZ.BAT:
----------------------------------------------------------------
dsz port %1 sz -m @c:%3
----------------------------------------------------------------
Note that the above batch file enables MobyTurbo transfers.
The following is an example of a MPt send batch file called
SMPT.BAT:
----------------------------------------------------------------
mpt p%1 s @%3
----------------------------------------------------------------
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 60
Receive Batch Files
-------------------
When TriTel calls a receive batch file, it passes the following
three parameters to the batch file:
----------------------------------------------------------------
port number baud rate filename
----------------------------------------------------------------
The following is an example of a DSZ receive batch file called
RZ.BAT:
----------------------------------------------------------------
dsz port %1 rz -mrr %3
----------------------------------------------------------------
Note that the above batch file enables MobyTurbo transfers.
The following is an example of a MPt receive batch file called
RMPT.BAT:
----------------------------------------------------------------
mpt p%1 r %3
----------------------------------------------------------------
Path Names
---------
TriTel sends full path names to external protocols. Some
shareware versions of protocols (most notably DSZ) don't support
full path names. Therefore, you must register some protocols to
get them to work with TriTel.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 61
RUNNING TRITEL WITH A FRONTEND OR AS A DOOR
-------------------------------------------
TriTel can be run with either a frontend program (i.e.,
FrontDoor, BinkleyTerm, etc.) or as a door. To execute TriTel
when there is already a connection, you must specify the
connection's baud rate with TriTel's "/F" command line switch.
The format for using this switch is "/Fbaud rate". Where "baud
rate" is the connection's baud rate. For example, TriTel could
be executed with a 2400 baud connection with the following
command line:
BBS /F2400
The above is only an example and you should use BOARD.BAT to run
TriTel as you normally would. Otherwise, doors will not function
properly. To do this, modify your BOARD.BAT file as follows:
----------------------------------------------------------------
echo off
cd \tritel
if exist door.bat del door.bat
if exist event.bat del event.bat
if exist endbbs del endbbs
bbs %1
if exist door.bat door
if exist event.bat event
if exist endbbs goto end
board
:end
----------------------------------------------------------------
Note the "%1" after "bbs" in the above batch file. This will use
BOARD.BAT's first command line parameter to pass the "/F" switch
to TriTel. For example, you could execute TriTel using the above
BOARD.BAT file with a 2400 baud connection by using the following
DOS command:
BOARD /F2400
Normally, TriTel will recycle to the Waiting for Caller screen
when the caller either logs off or is forced off the board. If
TriTel is started with a "/F" parameter, TriTel will exit memory
and return control to the calling program. Thus, TriTel acts
just like a door when a "/F" parameter is used.
IMPORTANT: Although doors run fine when using TriTel in this
manner, events are always executed by TriTel's Waiting for Caller
screen routine. Therefore, events will never run if TriTel is
being run with the "/F" parameter. If your board requires
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 62
maintenance events and you are using TriTel with a frontend
program, simple run them as a frontend event. If you are running
TriTel as a door, simple let your main board run the necessary
events.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 63
ARCHIVE TESTING
---------------
TriTel can optionally call a ZIP file archive testing program.
To enable archive testing of all remotely uploaded ZIP files, you
must create a batch file called TESTUP.BAT in your board's main
directory. If this file is found, TriTel will call TESTUP.BAT
with the ZIP file's name as the batch file's first parameter.
The actual testing program can be anything you chose to run in
TESTUP.BAT. Upon completion of the testing, TriTel expects to
find either a file called BADFILE.BBS to indicate a bad ZIP file
or a file called GOODFILE.BBS to indicate a good ZIP file. Your
ZIP file tester must place the appropriate file in your board's
main directory. (NOT the board's DISPLAY directory.) If TriTel
finds BADFILE.BBS in its main directory, it will automatically
delete the uploaded file, add an appropriate entry in the callers
log, and send a message to the sysop with BADFILE.BBS's contents.
If TriTel finds GOODFILE.BBS in its main directory, it will add
the file to the board using the normal procedure. In either
case, TriTel will display the contents of the appropriate "BBS"
file. So these files should provide pertinent information about
the ZIP file's test.
TestZIP
-------
One utility for testing a ZIP archive is called TestZIP.
(Available on The Lobster Buoy.) TestZIP can be used in
conjunction with TriTel's archiving testing ability to optionally
strip the ZIP file's comment, test the archive's integrity,
optionally scan the ZIP file's contents for viruses, and
optionally add a new ZIP comment to the archive.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 64
ODDS AND ENDS
-------------
Obnoxious Callers
-----------------
Sooner or later you will have to lock out a caller and although
the user's record doesn't take up much disk space there's no
sense in maintaining the record to just keep the caller locked
out. TriTel eliminates the need for needlessly maintaining the
caller's user record with a file called JOKER.DAT. JOKER.DAT is
a straight ASCII text file with each line being the name of a
caller you want to keep locked out. JOKER.DAT is an optional
file and must reside in your boards main directory. The
following is a sample JOKER.DAT file:
----------------------------------------------------------------
Joe Hacker
Dr. Doom
----------------------------------------------------------------
Daily Limits
------------
You will probably want to give callers with different security
levels different amounts of daily time and number of daily calls.
After all, don't you as a sysop deserve more daily time on you
own board than the average caller? TriTel supports a daily
limits file called DLIMITS.DAT. DLIMITS.DAT is an ASCII text
file and must reside in your boards WORK directory. You should
note that any callers whose security levels aren't found in
DLIMITS.DAT will be assigned your board's default daily time and
number of daily calls. DLIMITS.DAT is optional file and uses the
following format:
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 65
----------------------------------------------------------------
security level,time,calls
.
.
.
security level,time,calls
Where:
security level is a security level.
time is the security level's daily time
limit.
calls is the security level's number of daily
calls.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Special Keys
------------
There are a number of special keys that you can use while a
caller is logged on to your board. They are as follows:
Key(s) Description
<F1> Adds 5 minutes to the caller's time.
<F2> Takes 5 minutes away from the caller's time.
<F3> Toggles the page bell on and off.
<F4> Will allow you to adjust the caller's security level.
TriTel will prompt you to enter the caller's new
security level.
<F5> Logs the caller off.
<F6> Logs the caller off and marks his user record as
"Locked Out".
<HOME> Toggles between the caller status window at the top of
the display screen and a help screen about the above
mentioned function keys.
<ALT><C> Enters chat mode. The chat can be ended by pressing
<ESC>.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 66
<ALT><D> Allows you to drop to DOS.
<ALT><U> Toggles the caller status window on and off. By
default, TriTel initially sets the caller status window
off for local connections and on for remote
connections.
Packing the Message Base
------------------------
You may have noticed that included with your TriTel files is a
file called TRIPACK.EXE. TRIPACK is the TriTel message base
packer. It will remove any <DELETED> messages and messages that
are older than the number of days you have indicated in your
message conferences setup. TRIPACK was developed as an external
program in order to permit you to pack your message base as an
event. TRIPACK is a fairly easy program to use and can be
executed with the following command line:
TRIPACK /P /R /C:range
Where:
/P is an optional switch. If specified,
all messages marked <PRIVATE><RECEIVED>
will be deleted.
/R is an optional switch. If specified,
the message base conference will be
renumbered. TriTel support message
numbers as high as 999,999. You should
only renumber a message base conference
if you think the conference will
rollover this amount. Although TriTel
will update its message threads
internally, net mail message threads may
be lost. For example, PCRelay maintains
a list of message threads for each
netmail conference. After renumbering
your message conference, PCRelay will
not be able to correctly indicate if a
message has been replied to or not.
/C:range is an optional switch. It is used to
specify either a single conference or a
range of conferences to be packed. A
single conference is packed by
specifying its number after the ":".
For example, /C:4 would pack message
conference 4. A range of conferences
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 67
can be packed by separating them with a
"-". For example, /C:5-9 will pack
message conferences 5 through 9.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 68
SUPPORT
-------
You may obtain assistance with a TriTel related problem by
calling a TriTel support board. At present, there are two TriTel
support boards: The Lobster Buoy 207-469-6556 and James Bond's
Hideaway 207-942-6575. The Lobster Buoy is the home of TriTel
and I will do my utmost to handle all of your problems. James
Bond's Hideaway is run by Randy Hunt. Randy has been involved
with TriTel practically from day one. He is intimately familiar
with TriTel and is the only person besides myself who has access
to TriTel's source code. I encourage you to call Randy's board
if you have a problem. I am usually pretty bogged down with one
project or another and as such I can't answer your questions as
rapidly as Randy can. If you manage to stump Randy with a
problem, he will of course pass it on to me.
If you find what you think is a bug, please report it as soon as
possible. TriTel has been extensively beta tested on both The
Lobster Buoy and James Bond's Hideaway and all features appear to
work as advertised. However, it would be rather naive of me to
assume that all bugs have been weeded out. I'm certainly not the
perfect programmer and as such I don't believe TriTel is as yet
the perfect program. I've really tried to put TriTel through its
paces, but I can't possibly test everything under all of the
conditions a user might put it through. When reporting a
suspected bug, please try to give me as much information as
possible. The more information you provide will make it easier
for me to duplicate the problem on my own system and correct the
problem if one exists.
As far as interim updates are concerned, registered TriTel owners
will be notified of interim updates through a monthly TriTel
newsletter. Minor updates, such as 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, etc., will
be available for download from a TriTel support board. I will
upload major updates, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, etc., to a number of major
bulletin boards and online services across the country. Either
way, it is your responsibility to obtain the latest version of
TriTel.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 69
REGISTRATION
------------
Registration of TriTel is only $65.00. Please use the form at
the end of this manual to register your board. When you register
TriTel, you will receive the latest version of TriTel on disk, a
printed manual and an encrypted key file called TRITEL.KEY. All
you have to do is copy TRITEL.KEY into your board's main
directory and voila instant registered copy. TRITEL.KEY can also
be used to instantly register all future versions of TriTel and
many TriTel-related utilities written by myself. For example,
the TriTel UTI for PCRelay and MegaMail support is completely
crippled without a legitimate TRITEL.KEY file. However, a
registered TriTel sysop only has to obtain a copy of the TriTel
UTI and he automatically has a fully working registered version
of it. This will be true of all major TriTel-related utilities
and doors that I author. Although I do believe in the shareware
concept, I feel that this marketing strategy will encourage some
sysops to register TriTel who might not otherwise do so. So
think of TRITEL.KEY as your "key" to a wealth of free programs
for TriTel. As in the case of the UTI, some UTI authors charge
quite a bit for their work. But for a registered TriTel sysop,
the TriTel UTI is free.
If you find that TriTel is the BBS for you, then please register
it. I have tried to make TriTel a quality product. It has taken
hundreds of hours of programming and testing to get TriTel to
where it is today. So please support past, present, and future
TriTel development by registering your copy today. Just consider
how much a commercial software product of TriTel's quality would
cost you. By comparison, TriTel is quite a bargain.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 70
FILE FORMATS
------------
In order to encourage third-party development of TriTel-related
utilities and doors, this section details the file formats TriTel
uses. You should note that TriTel is written in C++ and as such
all data types are C data types. For example, all strings are
null-terminated C strings.
SYSDAT.DAT
----------
Is located in the main TriTel directory and uses the following
format:
Byte Data Description
Position Type
1 to 41 char [41] The board's name.
42 to 82 char [41] The sysop's name.
83 to 163 char [81] The modem's initialization string.
164 to 204 char [41] The board's DISPLAY directory path.
205 to 213 char [9] The date of the last call.
214 to 222 char [9] The board's starting date.
223 to 243 RESERVED for future use.
244 to 284 char [41] The board's WORK directory path.
285 to 289 char [5] The error correcting connection
message.
290 to 291 unsigned The modem's maximum baud rate.
292 to 293 int The modem's serial port.
294 to 295 int The number of calls made today.
296 to 297 int The number of messages posted
today.
298 to 299 int The number of uploads today.
300 to 301 int The number of downloads today.
302 to 303 int The default daily time limit.
304 to 305 int The default number of daily calls.
306 to 307 int The maximum time per call.
308 to 309 int The minimum sysop security level.
310 to 311 int The new user security level.
312 to 313 int The new user daily time limit.
314 to 315 int The page flag. TRUE for on/FALSE
for off.
316 to 317 int The 300 baud caller flag. TRUE for
300 baud callers aren't
allowed/FALSE for 300 baud calls
are allowed.
318 to 319 int Upload time compensation ratio.
320 to 321 RESERVED for future use.
322 to 323 int The number of the last caller.
324 to 325 int The direct screen write flag. TRUE
for direct screen writes/FALSE for
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 71
BIOS writes.
326 to 327 int Maximum no keyboard input time in
minutes.
328 to 329 int High speed modem flag. TRUE use
high speed modem settings/FALSE
don't use high speed modem
settings.
330 to 331 int Locked serial port flag. TRUE keep
serial port locked at maximum baud
rate/FALSE baud rate follows
connection rate.
332 to 335 long The total number of calls.
USERS.DAT
---------
Is TriTel's user records file and is located in TriTel's WORK
directory. Each user record is as follows:
Byte Data Description
Position Type
1 to 31 char [31] The user's name.
32 to 47 char [16] The user's password.
48 to 78 char [31] The user's city/state.
79 to 91 char [13] The user's phone number.
92 to 100 char [9] The user's date of birth.
101 to 109 char [9] The date of the user's first call.
110 to 124 char [15] The date and time of the user's
last call.
125 to 133 RESERVED for future use.
134 to 135 int The user's security level.
136 to 137 int The user's number of calls.
138 to 139 int The user's remaining time for
today.
140 to 145 RESERVED for future use
146 to 147 int The user's expert mode flag. TRUE
for expert mode is on/FALSE for
expert mode is off.
148 to 149 int The lock out user flag. TRUE for
the user is locked out/FALSE for
the caller isn't locked out.
150 to 151 int The delete user flag. TRUE for the
user is marked for deletion/FALSE
for the user isn't marked for
deletion.
152 to 153 int The number of times the user has
called today.
154 to 155 int RESERVED for future use.
155 to 159 long The user's number of uploads.
160 to 163 long The user's number of downloads.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 72
MCONF.DAT
---------
Is TriTel's message conference configuration file and is located
in TriTel's WORK directory. Each conference record is as
follows:
Byte Data Description
Position Type
1 to 2 int The conference's minimum security
level.
3 to 4 int The conference's net mail flag.
TRUE for net mail conference/FALSE
for non-net mail conference.
5 to 6 int The conference's user deletion
flag. TRUE if user deletion is
allowed/FALSE if user deletion
isn't allowed.
7 to 8 int The conference's backup flag. TRUE
if the conference's files are to be
saved during a message base
pack/FALSE if the conference's
files aren't backed up during a
message base pack.
9 to 10 The number of days to save. Tells
TRIPACK the number of days that
messages are to be saved for.
11 to 51 char [41] The conference's description.
52 to 55 long The conference's highest message
number.
Mnnnn.PTR
---------
Is a message conference's pointer file. Where the conference
number is specified by nnnn and is a number from 0001 to 9999.
Each message in the conference will have a record with the
following format:
Byte Data Description
Position Type
1 to 15 char [15] The date and time the message was
saved.
16 to 46 char [31] The name of the message's sender.
47 to 77 char [31] The name of who the message is to.
78 to 118 char [41] The message's subject.
119 to 120 int The message's echo flag. TRUE for
echo/FALSE for don't echo.
121 to 122 int The message's thread flag. TRUE if
the message has replies/FALSE if
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 73
the message doesn't have replies.
123 to 124 int The message's private flag. TRUE
if the message is private/FALSE if
the message is public.
125 to 126 int The message's deleted flag. TRUE
if the message is marked for
deletion/FALSE if the message isn't
marked for deletion.
127 to 128 int The message's received flag. TRUE
if the message has been
received/FALSE if the message
hasn't been received.
129 to 132 long The message's position in
Mnnnn.TXT.
133 to 136 long The message's number.
137 to 140 long If the message is a response to a
previous message, this value will
hold the original message's number.
Otherwise, this will be 0.
Mnnnn.IDX
---------
Is a message conference's index file. Where the conference
number is specified by nnnn and is a number form 0001 to 9999.
Each message in the conference will have a record with the
following format:
Byte Data Description
Position Type
1 to 4 unsigned long 32-bit CRC of the message sender's
name.
5 to 8 unsigned long 32-bit CRC of the message
addressee's name.
9 to 12 long The message's number.
13 to 16 long If the message is a response to a
previous message, this value will
hold the original message's number.
Otherwise, this will be 0.
Mnnnn.TXT
---------
Is the message conference's text file. Where the conference
number is specified by nnnn and is a number from 0001 to 9999.
The start of each message is pointed to by an appropriate pointer
in the conference's Mnnnn.PTR file. The message's text is made
up of null-terminated strings with a null string indicating the
end of the message. TriTel's internal line editor is limited to
messages of 72 characters per line with up to 99 lines per
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 74
message. This should be observed by offline mail doors and net
mail systems.
Mnnnn.LMR
---------
Is a message conference's last message read file. Where the
conference number is specified by nnnn and is a number from 0001
to 9999. Each user has a record with the following format:
Byte Data Description
Position Type
1 char The user's conference queue flag.
TRUE if the conference is included
in the user's conference queue.
2 to 5 long The highest message number the user
has read in this conference.
FAREA.DAT
---------
Is TriTel's file area configuration file and is located in
TriTel's WORK directory. Each file area record is as follows:
Byte Data Description
Position Type
1 to 2 int The file area's minimum security
level.
3 to 4 int The file area's sort flag. TRUE if
sort by file name/FALSE if sort by
date.
5 to 45 char [41] The file area's description.
46 to 106 char [61] The file area's path.
107 to 167 char [61] The file area's upload path.
EVENTS.DAT
----------
Is TriTel's event configuration file and is located in TriTel's
WORK directory. Each event record is as follows:
Byte Data Description
Position Type
1 to 2 int The event's day of the week.
3 to 4 int The event flag. TRUE if the event
has been executed/FALSE if the
event hasn't been executed.
5 to 6 int The slide flag. TRUE for a sliding
event/FALSE for a nonsliding event.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 75
7 to 12 char [6] The event's time.
13 to 21 char [9] The event's batch file.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 76
TRITEL RELATED PROGRAMS
-----------------------
At the time of this writing, here is a list of TriTel-related
programs that are available for downloading from The Lobster
Buoy:
TBANK12.ZIP By Randy Hunt
TriTel Time Bank v1.2 is a door that allows callers to stash away
their extra time for a rainy day.
TRIMAL11.ZIP By Mark Goodwin
TriMail v1.1 is a QWK mail door for TriTel. It will allow your
callers to read their mail offline with a QWK compatible mail
reader/replier like SLMR, EZ-Reader, Session Manager, WinQWK,
etc. (This program will only work for registered TriTel sysops.)
TRIMST13.ZIP By Randy Hunt
TriTel Master File List Maker v1.3 is a utility to create a
downloadable master file list for your board. Simply run this
program in your midnight maintenance event and your callers can
download a complete list of your board's files.
TTFLST10.ZIP By Mark Goodwin
FILESLST v1.0 is a utility to assist sysops in creating and
maintaining TriTel file lists. FILESLST scans a file area's
directory for files not found in the area's FILES.LST file. If a
file isn't found in the FILES.LST file, FILESLST adds the file's
name, size, date, and a dummy description to FILES.LST.
TTQ&A.ZIP By Randy Hunt
TTQ&A is a text file with many common questions and answers about
setting up and running a TriTel BBS. Beginning TriTel sysops
will find a lot of useful information in here.
TTUTI10.ZIP By Mark Goodwin
TriTel UTI v1.0 is a complete revision 2 Universal Text Interface
for using PCRelay and MegaMail with TriTel. (This program will
only work for registered TriTel sysops.)
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 77
TZIP10.ZIP By Mark Goodwin
TestZIP v1.0 is a ZIP file archive tester.
Third Party Authors
-------------------
I encourage all programmers to write TriTel-related programs. If
you create a TriTel-related program, please upload it to The
Lobster Buoy so other TriTel sysops can benefit from your
efforts.
The TriTel Bulletin Board System 78
TRITEL REGISTRATION FORM
Registration of TriTel 1.0 is $65.00. Please enclose your check
or money order with this form. Please answer all of the
following questions:
Name____________________________________________________________
Address_________________________________________________________
City__________________________State__________Zip________________
Telephone Number: Day_________________Night_____________________
BBS INFORMATION
BBS Name________________________________________________________
BBS Phone Number________________________________________________
Modem___________________________________________________________
Maximum Baud Rate_______________________________________________
Did you have to alter the default initialization string_________
If yes, your initialization string______________________________
Would you like your board listed in future manuals______________
THANK YOU FOR REGISTERING TRITEL
Mail To:
Mark Goodwin
P.O. Box 187
Orland, ME 04472