>*< FilesBBS Manager >*< ---------------- (c) Them & US SoftWare Programmed by: John Curtis & Mark Taylor Compiled w/Pure C This is just a quick document to get you going with the program. Full documentation will be coming later on but, the program is fairly straight foward to use and contains help buttons within the program. So without further ado, exit this file and try out the program... Okay, since your reading this I guess you want some more information before you try out the program so here goes a short explaination of how to get going with the program. >*< Short Instruction Docs >*< ---------------------- SETUP: HotKey - Control C ------------------------- Set-Up is where you should first go when the program is run for the first time. Here you define the external programs used by FilesBBS Manager and pertinent details related to your system. Here is a brief explaination of the options available. >*< Define Externals >*< ZIP, ZOO, ARC, LZH are easily definable - just select the appropriate button and then use the file selector to obtain the complete path w/filename of each archive program. ARJ is alittle different as it as 2 different programs that area required one to extract UNARJ.TTP and one to pack ARJBETA.TTP. FBM only supports versions of ARJ 9.94 or above. ARCHIVER - Here you define the external program that you wish to use as your archive shell program of choice, like TWOINONE.PRG... TEXT EDITOR - same as above just select the text editor that you want to utilize. MAF.TTP - This option is only available if you are using the OCTOPUS BBS option in File Area Options. Defining MAF.TTP will enable FBM to automatically update your BBS by running MAF at exit if you had made any changes to your file areas... >*< Pick Description Length >*< You have three options for description length, 256 characters, 400 characters, or extended descriptions. Octopus BBS supports this format, I'm not sure if any others support extended descriptions. Please Note that if you select extended descriptions your FILES.BBS file will be saved differently. EXAMPLE: ------- FBM_069.ZIP [1] FilesBBS Manager v0.69 +FilesBBS File Management System. Removed +restrictions emplaced on unregistered versions +of FBM and added a logo at exit that will +cause a 10 second delay encouraging you to +register. Read FBM_UPDT.TXT for more info!!! >*< File Area Options >*< QUICKBBS - Selecting this option will bring up the file selector for you to select the path and file to FLSEARCH.CTL file. This file will then be utilized for defining your different file areas. OCTOPUS - Selecting this option will bring up the file selector for you to select the path and file to OCTOPUS.CFG and CD-ROM files will be read in also. This file will then be utilized for defining your different file areas. ALT CFG - Selecting FBM's Config file will allow you to define your own file areas. When this option is selected a list of the already connected areas will be displayed from here you can - DELETE, ADD, or CHANGE the entries. Double click of the mouse will also auto select CHANGE. When adding or Changing an area paths are entered by double clicking on the line or by typing in the path. Also, if you define a CD-ROM area you must have an entry in the FilesBBS path & and CD-ROM path in order for the program to work. If you select one of the 3 available Links - what this means is that you are linking the files located in this path to the FilesBBS path... Once you have completed any changes and select Okay before returning to the Set-Up form you will be asked if you want to save any changes made... BRACKETS - Here you have the oporutinity to utilize a different bracket format than the standard [] to surround your download counters. Just select the type you desire... LOAD FILESBBS: HotKey - Control L --------------------------------- Here is the heart of the program and where most of the changes to your FILES.BBS areas will be made. Now a breakdown of the options available: Once Load FilesBBS is selected a list of the available areas will be display, use your mouse to scroll through the available areas. To make a selection Double click or highlight and select Load to load the FilesBBS file. Display Type can be changed from titles to paths by selecting the button... >*< Main Editor >*< FILENAME - You can change the filename of a file by clicking on filename or by entering ALT E. Then just type in the new name you desire and it will be changed for you as long as the filename you are changing it to doesn't exist. LIST FILES - ALT L, this option brings up a list of files with short descriptions (1 line per file) for you to scroll through, selections are made by double clicking on a line... >*< Moving Through Records >*< Move Foward 1 - Alt F Move Foward 10 - Alt G Move Back 1 - Alt B Move Back 10 - Alt V Jump To Record - Click on number will allow you to enter a number to jump to... >*< File Options (PopUp Menu) >*< COPY - ALT C, Selecting this option will copy the currently displayed file to another area. Just double click on the destination area. MOVE - ALT M, Selecting this option will move the currently displayed file to another area. Just double click on the destination area and it will be moved. DELETE - This will delete the currently displayed file... TOUCH - This will update the currently displayed files time stamp... UPLOAD - Selecting this option will allow you to upload files to this area. >*< Archive Options - (PopUp Menu) >*< LIST - This option will list the displays files contents, extension doesn't matter - the header will be read to determine the archive type. DIZ/UPL - This option will search the complete archive searching for either a FILE_ID.DIZ or *.UPL file to get a description. If found you will be presented with the description in a edit field so that you can modify it before either using this description or the old one... MAKEDIZ - This option will make a FILE_ID.DIZ file for the current archive based on the displayed description. CONVERT - Selecting this option will allow you to convert the current archive or text file to ZIP, ZOO, ARJ, ARC, or LZH. You will also have the option at this time to make a FILE_ID.DIZ file to include within the archive. >*< Search Options (PopUp Menu) >*< FILE - ALT F, selecting this option will allow you to enter a search mask to look for a file in the current area or all available areas. DESC - ALT D, selecting this option will allow you to enter a search mask to look for a description in the current area or all available areas. >*< Description >*< Here is were you can edit the discription for this file. You can scroll through the description by either using the ALT U or ALT D keys or clicking on the arrows. REFORMAT - ALT M, Selecting this option will reformat the displayed description. This is really only usefull when using extended descriptions as the record is saved in the exact same format as it's displayed. LOAD NEXT - ALT N, Selecting this option will Load the next FilesBBS record, if the current FilesBBS was altered you will be prompted to save it before continuing... >*< SAVE RECORD >*< Anytime you either exit or select another area or option that changes to a another FILES.BBS area and the current FILES.BBS was changed you will be prompted to save it. >*< Options (MenuBar) >*< Sort FilesBBS - ALT S, selecting this option will allow you to either select one path to sort or all paths in alphabetical order. Find Missing Files - ALT F, selecting this option will allow you to either select one path or all paths to search for missing files. If any missing files are found they will be added automatically to the FILES.BBS record with a description name of FBMDESC. You can then use search description within the main editor to find all the files that were added. Prior to exiting you will be prompted if any files were added. Find Missing Desc - ALT D, selecting this option works very simular to Find Missing Files. All missing descriptions will have the description FBMDESC that you can easily search for. >*< Utilities (MenuBar) >*< Text Editor - Control T, executes the Text Editor that you have defined in setup. Archiver - Control A, executes the Archive Program that you have defined in setup. Execute Program - Control X, will bring up a file selector for you to select a program to execute. If the program is a .TTP or .GTP program you will be presented with a command line to enter any text you want passed to the program... QUIT - Control Q, Selecting Quit exits the program, if you are running Octopus and any records were modified MAF.TTP will be run automatically for you and your file records updated... >*< ------------------------------------------------------------------>*< Now for the bad news that everyone hates to hear. FilesBBS Manager is ShareWare and what that means to you the user is that you are free to use the program in it's current configuration as long as you desire. Only problem with that is that un-registered versions limit you to 3 uploads per session & 3 saves of your files.bbs per session. You can obtain a demo key to try out the program for 30 days to see if you like it or not. After that time if you decide to register the program you will be required to pay either $15 or œ10 depending on where you register the program at. For more info on registering see READ_ME.1ST... Thanks, John & Mark