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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÜÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛÛ ÛÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ
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ÞÝ ÞÝ ÞÝ Þ ÞÝ Ý ÞÝ Þ ÞÝ ÞÝ
Ý Ý Þ Þ Þ Ý
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
IceChat v3.50 - CopyRight Jeremy Landvoigt, 1993 - IceChat v3.50
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
Ansi/Ascii Split Screen Chat Program
For RemoteAccess, SuperBBS Software
& Dorinfo1.Def Compatibles
Original Documentation by Jeremy Landvoigt,
Updated by Eddy Matthews For 3.10 Release
Revised again by Jeremy Landvoigt 3.50 Release
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³°°°±±±²²² Table Of Contents ²²²±±±°°°³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
Table Of Contents ...................................................... 1
Some Of IceChat's Features ............................................. 2
Setting Up IceChat Using ChatCfg.Exe ................................... 3
Upgrading from v3.10 to v3.50 .......................................... 9
Installing IceChat Into RA 2.0x Systems ................................ 9
Installing IceChat Into SuperBBS 1.1x Systems .......................... 13
Installing IceChat Into other Dorinfo1.Def Systems ..................... 17
Macros In IceChat Configuration ........................................ 17
BBS System Files Used By IceChat ....................................... 18
Parameters Used When Executing IceChat ................................. 19
Files Created & Used by IceChat ........................................ 20
Frequently Asked Questions ............................................. 23
Registration ........................................................... 24
-1-
Archive Contents ....................................................... 25
CopyRight Notices & Program Disclaimer ................................. 26
Credits ................................................................ 27
Program Support - BBS Locations ........................................ 27
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³°°°±±±²²² Some Of IceChat's Features ²²²±±±°°°³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
{+} Indicates registered only.
IceChat is a split screen chat utility for RemoteAccess & SuperBBS
BBS packages. It can be used with many other BBS types as long as they
support Dorinfo1.Def type Doors.
IceChat supports two different types of chat modes :
1) Horizontal Split Screen Chat (Chat Windows above and below)
2) Vertical Split Screen Chat Mode (Chat Windows Side By Side)
IceChat also has another chat mode for ASCII users.
{+} IceChat allows the users to post a comment in the area of the SysOps
Choice. It has a built Message Editor For this purpose. This function
requires the Hudson message Base Type.
If the SysOp doesn't answer the page, and you are using RemoteAccess or
SuperBBS, IceChat will update the [Wants Chat] flag causing it to be act-
ivated on the SysOps status line, and the users total number of pages for
the call will be incremented. This is ONLY possible when using RA or
SBBS, generic Dorinfo1.Def systems are not supported by this feature.
Configurable Emergency page option, password protected. This is activated
when a user has paged outside of paging hours. If they chose to emergency
page, they must enter a password. This can be disabled by leaving
password blank when configuring IceChat. It can also be configured so
that only users ABOVE a set security level will be asked for the
emergency page password.
IceChat v3.50 will seek out Ra 2.0x or Sbbs 1.1x and read in crucial
information from the BBS configuration to make IceChat v3.50 even easier
to install than it already is.
A configurable page tune for those users that are in your VIP.CTL Textfile
IceChat is Easily configured, unlike many programs SysOp's have to deal
with.
Easy To Use SysOp function keys :
F1 : Display Help Status Pop Up Menu
-2-
ALT-F2 : SplitScreen Chat Mode
ALT-F3 : Vertical Chat Mode
ALT-B : Blacklist User (Security Lockout) [RemoteAccess & SBBS Only!]
ALT-E : User Editor
ALT-H : Hang Up
ALT-J : Drop To DOS
ALT-L : Line Noise Key
ALT-T : ASCII TextFile Dump to modem & screen
ALT-X : Force Program Exit
Easy To Use User Keys :
CTRL-U : Display User help line
CTRL-L : List/Add to available Macros (if enabled)
CTRL-W : Clear Window
CTRL-R : Redraw Screen
Online User Editor : IceChat has an Online User Editor Built in so that
the SysOp can edit the users Profile without having to exit back to the
BBS. (RemoteAccess & SuperBBS Only)
Can play random page tunes
Defined Macro Listing in Chat
And LOTS MORE!!
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³°°°±±±²²² Setting Up IceChat Using ChatCfg.Exe ²²²±±±°°°³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
To Setup IceChat, please read this section thoroughly! Then also read the
section of these documents that apply to the Installation of IceChat into
the particular type of BBS system you are running (i.e. RA, SuperBBS etc)
N.B.
Menu items that are followed by '{+}' are REGISTERED ONLY features, and will
not be active until you have registered IceChat and obtained a valid key.
When you run CHATCFG.EXE, you will be presented with a series of pulldown
menus. In this section we will step through each menu in turn and explain
in some detail what you need to enter in order that IceChat will be
configured correctly. The cursor keys are used to move around the
configuration program, left and right will move between the various
pulldown menus, and the up and down keys will step through the items on
each menu or submenu.
FILE
------
ÛßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßÛ
Ý Save & Exit Þ
Ý Save Without Exit Þ
Ý Exit Without Save Þ
Ý Macro Editor Þ
Ý Quiet User Editor Þ
Ý Registration Info Þ
Ý Program Info Þ
ÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛ
ú Save & Exit - Selecting this option will save any changes you have made
and exit to Dos.
-3-
ú Save Without Exit - Save changes and stay in ChatCfg.
ú Exit Without Save - Exit ChatCfg, but DO NOT save any changes made.
ú Macro Editor - This menu option will bring up a submenu that will ask for a
'Keyword' and a 'Macro' that will be used in place of the 'Keyword' as
explained below. You can also configure the colour that will be used when
these macros are displayed.
- Page #1 - Page #5
There are five pages available for you to enter macros. They are
explained below. Pages #3-#5 are ONLY available to registered users
of IceChat, unregistered users are limited to two pages.
- User Keyword - The word to be translated by IceChat, i.e. RA
- Macro - The replacement to be used by IceChat, i.e. RemoteAccess
IceChat has the ability to translate Macros when in Chat mode,
here you can enter the macro and what IceChat should convert it
to. i.e. RA = RemoteAccess. You will be asked for the original
word and then for the replacement, enter "RA" (as the original) and
RemoteAccess (as the replacement) then whenever you type "RA" when
in chat mode, IceChat will convert it to "RemoteAccess" (without
Quotes). You have two pages in which you can enter any macros you
wish. It is useful to also place common mistyped words here too, i.e
TAHT (User Keyword) - THAT (Macro) then every time you accidentally
type 'Taht', IceChat will convert it to 'That'.
Control strings may also be used in macros. For Example, if your
key word is "HT!" and the Macro is "Hi There @F!", when "HT!" is
typed in chat, it will be replaced with "Hi There Jeremy!" For
example. Available control strings are listed in a seperate section
of these documents.
- Colour
Once you have entered a "User Keyword" and it's accompanying
"Macro" IceChat will ask for a colour. This is the colour that the
Macro will be displayed in when in chat. An Asterisk (*) will show
the colour you have selected.
ú Quiet User Editor - Allows you to edit a list of user names. Here you
can specify those users that you DO NOT wish to chat to. If a user that
is entered in this list attempts to page, IceChat will 'Appear' to operate
normally to the user, but it will NOT play a page tune to annoy the SysOp.
ú Registration Info - Gives detail of the status of IceChat and other
registration info.
ú Program Info - Gives detail of the current version of IceChat including
release date and any crucial fixes.
STRINGS
---------
ÛßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßÛ
Ý Greetings String Þ
Ý User Editor String Þ
Ý ASCII Dump String Þ
Ý Drop To Dos Header Þ
Ý SysOp Help String Þ
Ý Page SysOp String Þ
Ý Page Reason Header Þ
Ý Message String {+} Þ
ÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛ
NOTE: IceChat now has the ability to use a number of macro characters that
will be translated when it is run. These can be used in the various
'Strings' that can be displayed to the user. See the seperate section
of these docs for more info on the macros and their usage.
-4-
ú Greetings String - String displayed to users when the SysOp first enters
chat. This string will only be shown once per program execution. Leave
blank to disable.
ú User Editor String - String displayed to users when the user record is
being altered, by using the built in user editor in IceChat (RA and Sbbs
only).
ú ASCII Dump String - String displayed to users when SysOp is preparing to
view an ASCII file.
ú Drop To Dos String - String to be displayed to users when the SysOp Drops
To DOS.
ú SysOp Help String - String displayed to users when SysOp is viewing local
help window by pressing F1 (Function key F1) when in Chat.
ú Page SysOp String - Enter the string displayed to users when paging the
sysop.
ú Page Reason Header - Reason for page header. i.e. "Why do you want to chat
with Jeremy?"
ú Message String {+} - The string to be displayed when IceChat asks if the
user wants to enter a message to the SysOp if the chat request is
unanswered.
PATHS
-------
ÛßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßÛ
Ý MsgBase Path {+} Þ
Ý External Editor {+} Þ
Ý Logfile Path Þ
Ý External DOS Util Þ
Ý Regular Pagetune Þ
Ý VIP Pagetune Þ
ÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛ
ú MsgBase Path {+} - Path to your message base, i.e. C:\RA\MSGBASE
NOTE TO RA SYSOPS:
IceChat DOES support the JAM message base at this time. The area
selected for IceChat to post messages into MUST be specifically
configured to be either a HUDSON base OR a JAM Base.
ú External Editor {+} - The full path and command line of the external
message editor you want to use such as IceEdit. This will be called
whenever a user leaves a message to the SysOp when a page has not been
answered. Please refer to the documentation for the message editor of
your choice for details of the required command line.
ú External DOS Util - When shelling to DOS using the Alt-J function within
IceChat, you have the ability to call up a program automatically by
enabling this option.
If you enter the path and filename of a DOS utility, when you shell
to DOS IceChat will ask if you want to invoke your Dos program - You
can then select 'Y' to run it, or 'N' to go straight to Dos.
If you leave this field blank IceChat will just shell to Dos as
normal, you will NOT be asked to press Y/N.
ú Logfile Path - The path and filename of the logfile IceChat should use.
This can either be a seperate logfile, or IceChat can append to your BBS
logfile if you so choose.
ú Regular Pagetune - The path and filename the 'Normal' pagetune to be used
by IceChat (i.e. C:\ra\Icechat\Page.Ice).
-5-
ú VIP Pagetune - The path and filename of the 'VIP' pagetune to be used by
IceChat (i.e. C:\ra\icechat\Vip.Ice).
This tune is used for VIP users who's names are stored in an ASCII
control file called VIP.CTL. See the section of these docs about
the Files Used and Created by IceChat for more info on this file.
TOGGLES
---------
ÛßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßÛ
Ý Alias Usage NO Þ
Ý Force Greeting NO Þ
Ý Suspend Time YES Þ
Ý Chat In Top Window YES Þ
Ý View Macros YES Þ
Ý Create Macros NO Þ
Ý Allow Remote Exit NO Þ
Ý Page Exceeded Hangup NO Þ
Ý Beep Remotely YES Þ
Ý Use JAMbase NO Þ
Ý Use Tearline YES Þ
Ý Use Countdown Bar NO Þ
Ý Disable Bleep {+} YES Þ
ÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛ
ú Alias Usage - Should IceChat use the SysOp's & User's alias as defined
above? Yes/No
ú Force Greeting - Should IceChat use the 'Greeting' string when a 'Forced'
chat is initiated by the SysOp.
ú Suspend Time - Should IceChat freeze the users time whilst in chat.
ú Chat In Top Window - Should the Sysops chat window be the top one? If NO,
IceChat will place the users chat window on top.
ú View Macros - If Yes, users users can view the macros that have been
defined.
ú Create Macros - If set to Yes, users will be allowed to create thier own
macros. If set to No, they can only use the macros that the SysOp has
defined.
ú Allow Remote Exit - Are users allowed to terminate a chat? If set to NO,
only the Sysop will be able to stop the chat by pressing [Esc] or Alt-X.
ú Page Exceeded Hangup - Should IceChat drop the carrier on a user if he/she
exceeds the permitted number of attempts to page the Sysop. (RA/SBBS Only)
ú Beep Remotely - Should IceChat cause the remote (Users) terminal to Beep
whilst paging the sysop.
ú Use JAMbase - Should IceChat make use of the JAMBase when posting messages
to the Sysop after an unanswered page? If NO, IceChat will expect the
message base to be a HUDSON message base.
ú Use Tearline - Should IceChat append a tearline to the end of messages
written from within IceChat? Eg:
--- IceChat v3.50
* Origin: Ice Technologies BBS, 905-895-0852, IceSoft HQ!
ú Use Countdown Bar - Should IceChat use the countdown graph while paging?
(The countdown graph looks like this: [ÛÛÛÛ°°°°°°°°°°°] ) It is useful to
disable this if you often abort users pages.
ú Disable Beep {+} - Disable the beep on keypress when in ChatCfg. This option
also affects some beeps in IceChat itself.
-6-
NAMES
-------
ÛßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßÛ
Ý BBS Name Þ
Ý SysOp Real Name Þ
Ý SysOp Alias Þ
Ý CoSysOp 1 Name Þ
Ý CoSysOp 2 Name Þ
Ý CoSysOp 3 Name Þ
Ý Msg Area Name {+} Þ
ÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛ
ú BBS Name - Enter the name of your BBS system.
ú SysOp Real Name - The name of the System operator. If you are a registered
user of IceChat, this name MUST be exactly the same as the name that
appears in the registration key.
ú SysOp Alias - System operators Alias (if used). If this is enabled, IceChat
will use the Users alias aswell.
ú CoSysOp 1-3 Names - Enter up to 3 Co-SysOps in these fields. To select a
CoSysop for Chat, run IceChat with a parameter ranging from A-C, or you may
select the CoSysOp for chat from within IceChat while the pagetune is
playing.
i.e. IceChat.Exe /A - would cause IceChat to use the #1 Co-Sysops
name instead of the SysOp's name.
OR You may press 1,2 or 3 while the page is playing to select a CoSysOp for
chat.
ú Msg Area Name {+} - Name of the message area used to post messages into if
the sysop does not respond to a chat request (or if he/she manually aborts
the request)
COLOURS
---------
ÛßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßÛ
Ý Punctuation Þ
Ý Numbers Þ
Ý UpperCase ASCII Þ
Ý LowerCase ASCII Þ
Ý High Bit ASCII Þ
Ý Macros Þ
Ý Sysop Name Þ
Ý User Name Þ
Ý Time Clock Þ
Ý Chat Timer Þ
Ý Status Line Þ
Ý Default Settings Þ
ÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛ
Here you can define what colours IceChat should use for various
types of text. You can select the colour you prefer for any of the
following :
ú Punctuation ú Numbers ú Capital Letters ú High Bit ASCII
ú Macros ú SysOp Name ú User Name ú Time Clock
ú Chat Timer ú Status Line
ú Default Settings - Selecting this option will restore IceChat's 'Default'
colours.
Select the colour you prefer by entering the number indicated in
ChatCfg.Exe. IceChat will then use these colours when in chat.
PAGE SETUP
------------
ÛßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßÛ
Ý Page Hours Þ
Ý Page Duration Þ
Ý Maximum Pages Þ
Ý Page Reason Length Þ
Ý Emergency Password Þ
Ý Emergency Security Þ
ÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛ
ú Page Hours - Paging Hours (must NOT extend beyond midnight!) Enter the
starting and ending times for each day of the week. Users can ONLY
page between these hours, or by entering a password if it is outside paging
hours (See Emergency Password). These hours MUST NOT extend beyond
midnight.
-7-
ú Page Duration - How long (in seconds) IceChat should page the sysop.
ú Maximum Pages - How many times a user may page in one session. This feature
can only be used if SuperBBS or RA is the BBS package.
ú Page Reason Length - The minimum number of characters a user MUST enter as
a page reason. If the user enters LESS than this amount IceChat will exit
and inform him/her that the reason is too short.
ú Password required to page the sysop outside normal paging times. The user
will need to enter this password BEFORE IceChat will call the SysOp, in
this way regular or trusted users can page you at any time. They MUST also
have a security level ABOVE the level set in 'Emergency Security' for this
feature to be used.
ú Emergency Security - The MINIMUM security needed by a user before they
will be given the option to FORCE an 'Emergency Page' outside normal paging
hours. Users with a security BELOW this level will NOT be given the option
to page outside the normal hours. See also 'Emergency Password', the two
emergency options (Password and Security) work in combination with each
other.
OTHER
-------
ÛßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßÛ
Ý Board Number {+} Þ
Ý Msg Attribute {+} Þ
Ý Origin Line {+} Þ
Ý Chat Border Type Þ
Ý BBS Type Þ
Ý Name Brackets Þ
ÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛ
ú Board Number {+} - The number of the message board as defined in your BBS
config. This only applies if you are using the HUDSON style message base.
If you are using JAMBASE, make sure you specify the full path and filename
of the JAMbase in the files setup.
ú Msg Attribute {+} - Message Type - Private, Public, Or Both - Select the
message attribute. If set to 'Private/Public' IceChat will ask if the
message is Public or Private before it is saved.
ú Origin Line {+} - The originline that will be appended to messages to the
SysOp written from within IceChat. This can be disabled under the Toggles
setup.
ú Chat Border Type - Choose one out of a selection of three different types
of chat windows borders that you would like to use while chatting with the
user.
ú BBS Type - Select the BBS software you are using. This is essential for the
correct operation of IceChat.
- RemoteAccess v2.0x
- SuperBBS v1.1x
If you are using Sbbs, you will be presented with another menu
option:
- SBBS UserFile Path
If you are using SuperBBS v1.1x, you will be asked for the path
to your user file (Susers.Bbs). This is the PATH ONLY, NOT the
filename of your user file!.
- Dorinfo1.Def Compatible
If you are not using RA or SBBS, IceChat can still use the generic
Dorinfo1.Def file which is generated by *most* BBS packages. Check
your BBS documentation to see if it can generate a Dorinfo1.Def
file.
-8-
ú Name Brackets - Select the brackets ( {([ ) that will be used when
displaying the SysOp's or Users name in IceChat.
Please note that the configuration file is not a text file, so you
MUST use CHATCFG.EXE to configure the program, and the configuration file
must be named ICECHAT.CFG.
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³°°°±±±²²² Upgrading From v3.10 to v3.50 ²²²±±±°°°³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
This couldn't be easier!
Simply copy the files from the v3.50 distribution archive into the directory
you have IceChat installed and run 310TO350.EXE. This will upgrade all of the
previous versions configuration to the format needed by v3.50
Please Note!
Failure to upgrade your previous configuration files will result in an error
message being displayed if you attempt to run ChatCfg.Exe or IceChat.Exe
You should also run ChatCfg.Exe and step through each of the pulldown menus
to ensure your setup is correct.
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³°°°±±±²²² Installing IceChat Into RA v2.0x Systems ²²²±±±°°°³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
Please read the section of this document entitled 'Setting Up IceChat Using
ChatCfg.Exe' BEFORE attempting to install IceChat into RA. Failure to setup
IceChat correctly before installing it into your bbs program will probably
result in IceChat failing to run or not running as expected.
If you are using RemoteAccess, and you wish to take advantage of the added
features for the RemoteAccess BBS Package, you MUST be running RemoteAccess
v2.00 or a newer version. IceChat's added features will not work properly
with versions of RemoteAccess older than v2.00.
In order to run IceChat.Exe, you must have a fossil driver active. A fossil
driver such as BNU should work fine with IceChat. If you don't have a fossil driver installed, a
simple error message will be displayed, and the program will stop. A fossil
is not required when running in local mode.
-9-
We will now run through EVERYTHING you need to do in order to get IceChat to
run in your RemoteAccess setup.
1. Extract all the files in the distribution archive to a directory of your
choice. C:\RA\ICECHAT is recommended and is assumed to be the directory
you are using from now on.
2. To help IceChat find it's configuration files, you need to define an
environment variable for it in this manner in your AutoExec.Bat :
SET ICE={PATH TO ICECHAT DIRECTORY}
PLEASE NOTE, THE ENVIRONMENT VARIABLE NAME IS ICE - NOT ICECHAT !!
The environment variable is used by IceChat to find its system files
and configuration. Failure to setup the environment variable can result
in IceChat failing to run correctly - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Please see your DOS manual for more information on environment variables.
N.B.
You will need to reboot your machine after entering the environment
variable for it to take effect.
3. Run ChatCfg.Exe and configure all of IceChat's options as explained earlier
in this document. You MUST configure IceChat for it to work correctly!
Refer to the section of this document for setting up IceChat.
4. You will now need to edit your .MNU files to include IceChat so that when
a user pages you it will execute IceChat instead of the internal chat
routine built into RemoteAccess.
IceChat can be run using either a type 7 or a type 15 menu command. A type
15 menu will require a batch file that is called to execute IceChat, a type
7 menu only needs to have the command line to execute IceChat on the
Optional data line of the menu. See your BBS manual for more information on type 7 and type 15
menus... Decide which type of menu command (Type 7 or type 15) you wish to
use and then do ONE of the following depending on which menu type you have
chosen to use:
Type 7 Menu Command:
Optional Data:
<command line> [control codes]
Description:
This function will run an external program, or door in a
shell while the user is on-line.
Example command lines for Type 7 usage:
In a single line system, calling the SysOp to chat you may use...
-10-
C:\RA\ICECHAT\IceChat.Exe *! *M
In a multi-line system, calling the Sysop may use...
This example would call the correct node number by using RA's *N parameter.
C:\RA\ICECHAT\IceChat.Exe *! *M
In a single line system, calling CoSysOp #1 (NOT the sysop) you may use...
C:\RA\ICECHAT\IceChat.Exe -A *! *M
The following RA parameters are used in the above examples:
*M
Activate the MemorySwap feature. RemoteAccess attempts to
swap itself and all the memory it occupies to XMS and EMS
memory (if available) or to disk, leaving only 3KB resident.
This is ideal when running memory-hungry programs but takes
a few seconds longer in order to perform the swap. If the
swap cannot be accomplished, RemoteAccess will attempt to
load the program in a normal shell.
*N
The current node number, as specified by the -N command line
parameter when RemoteAccess was loaded.
*!
Freeze the system timer for the duration of the shell.
Type 15 Menu Command:
Exit to DOS with errorlevel
Optional data:
<errorlevel>
Description:
This function causes RemoteAccess to exit to DOS completely,
returning an errorlevel to your BBS batch file. The
optional data field should contain the errorlevel that you
wish to pass to the batch file. The batch file should trap
the errorlevel and act accordingly.
If you use this exit while the user is still on- line, the
user may be logged back into RemoteAccess using the command
line parameter -R. This forces RemoteAccess to read the
-11-
EXITINFO.BBS file that was written at the time of the exit
so that it can restore system and user information,
presenting the user with the TOP menu.
NOTE: Errorlevels 0 through 5 are reserved for internal use
by RemoteAccess. For a complete description of these
internal errorlevels and how they are used, see the
Errorlevels section of the Reference chapter.
If you decide to use a Type 15 menu to call IceChat you will need to add IceChat
into your BBS batchfile and call IceChat with the errorlevel you have chosen.
:START
IF ERRORLEVEL 10 GOTO ICECHAT
IF ERRORLEVEL 5 GOTO NET&ECHO
IF ERRORLEVEL 4 GOTO ECHOMAIL
IF ERRORLEVEL 3 GOTO NETMAIL
IF ERRORLEVEL 0 GOTO START_UP
GOTO START_UP
:ICECHAT
CD\RA\ICECHAT
ICECHAT.EXE <Don't forget IceChat's Parameters!>
RA -R
GOTO AFTER_BBS
In this example, a TYPE 15 menu command with an Errorlevel of
10 will make the batch file execute the command following the
:ICECHAT label. Include the line "RA -R" to return to
the board after the external programs have been executed.
N.B.
DO NOT FORGET to include the correct command line switches for IceChat in
your batchfile. Failure to do so will result in IceChat not functioning as
it is intended. See the section of this doc file for more info on IceChats
parameters.
5. Make sure you have changed ALL of the menus you wish to call IceChat from
and that you have saved the changes.
6. IceChat also needs to be setup in RACONFIG.EXE so that when you break in to
chat with a user it calls up IceChat and NOT the internal RemoteAccess chat.
Change to your RemoteAccess directory and run RACONFIG.EXE
7. What you do next depends on wether you have registered RA....
If you HAVE registered, Goto OPTIONS, PAGING and then to 'External'.
Enter the following command line:
C:\RA\ICECHAT\IceChat.Exe -F *E *M *!
If you are NOT running a registered version of RA you will need to setup
IceChat so that it is called from a Function key, as the above example will
ONLY work if you have a registered copy of RA. Instead you will need to do
the following.
-12-
Goto MANAGER, AltFn Key, and choose a blank entry to install IceChat into.
We will assume entry 1. Enter the following command line:
C:\RA\ICECHAT\IceChat.Exe -F *E *M *!
If you are running an UNREGISTERED copy of RA, and have chosen this second
example, you will need to call IceChat by pressing Alt-F1 instead of the
Alt-C command which would be used when it is installed in a REGISTERED
version.
These are only an example to get you going... Please refer to the section of
these docs about 'parameters' to ensure you have the correct command line
to execute IceChat.
8. Please make sure that there is a Page.Ice in your BBS System Directory,
or in your IceChat Directory. IceChat requires this as your page tune. A
selection of sample page tunes has been included, just rename the tune of
your choice to Page.Ice.
9. When you run IceChat, be sure that the IceChat.Cfg file has been created.
If it has not, then you MUST run ChatCfg.Exe. If you don't, and attempt to
run IceChat.Exe directly, IceChat will display an error message that
IceChat.Cfg doesn't exist.
That's all there is to it....
Please make sure that there is a Page.Ice in your BBS System Directory,
or in your IceChat Directory. IceChat requires this as your page tune. A
selection of sample page tunes has been included, just rename the tune of
your choice to Page.Ice. If you have enabled a seperate tune for VIP users
the tune you wish to use should be named Vip.Ice and this should also be
placed in either your system or IceChat directory. BOTH tunes must exist
for this feature to work, if the Vip.Ice tune does not exist, or cannot be
located by IceChat the default Page.Ice file will be used instead.
When you run IceChat, be sure that the IceChat.Cfg file has been created. If
it has not, then you MUST run ChatCfg.Exe. If you don't, and attempt to run
IceChat.Exe directly, IceChat will display an error message that IceChat.Cfg
doesn't exist.
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³°°°±±±²²² Installing IceChat Into SuperBBS v1.1x Systems ²²²±±±°°°³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
Please read the section of this document entitled 'Setting Up IceChat Using
ChatCfg.Exe' BEFORE attempting to install IceChat into SuperBBS. Failure to
setup IceChat correctly before installing it into your bbs program will
probably result in IceChat failing to run or not running as expected.
-13-
If you are using SuperBBS, and you wish to take advantage of the added
features for the SuperBBS Package, you MUST be running SuperBBS 1.15 Or a
newer version. IceChat's added features will not work properly with versions
of SuperBBS older than v1.15.
In order to run IceChat.Exe, you must have a fossil driver active. A fossil
driver such as BNU should work fine with IceChat. If you do not have a fossil
driver installed, a simple error message will be displayed, and the program
will stop.
**Note** : Do _NOT_ write protect _ANY_ Of the IceChat files, if you do,
IceChat will ignore them, and therefore not run properly.
We will now run through EVERYTHING you need to do in order to get IceChat to
run in your SuperBBS setup.
1. Extract all the files in the distribution archive to a directory of your
choice. C:\SBBS\ICECHAT is recommended and is assumed to be the directory
you are using from now on.
2. To help IceChat find it's configuration files, you need to define an
environment variable for it in this manner in your AutoExec.Bat :
SET ICE={PATH TO ICECHAT DIRECTORY}
PLEASE NOTE, THE ENVIRONMENT VARIABLE NAME IS ICE - NOT ICECHAT !!
The environment variable is used by IceChat to find its system files
and configuration. Failure to setup the environment variable can result
in IceChat failing to run correctly - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Please see your DOS manual for more information on environment variables.
N.B.
You will need to reboot your machine after entering the environment
variable for it to take effect.
3. Run ChatCfg.Exe and configure all of IceChat's options as explained earlier
in this document. You MUST configure IceChat for it to work correctly!
Refer to the section of this document for setting up IceChat.
4. You will now need to edit your .MNU files to include IceChat so that when
a user pages you it will execute IceChat instead of the internal chat
routine built into SuperBBS.
IceChat can be run using either a type 7 or a type 15 menu command. A type
15 menu will require a batch file that is called to execute IceChat, a type
7 menu only needs to have the command line to execute IceChat on the
Optional data line of the menu. See your BBS manual for more information on type 7 and type 15
menus... Decide which type of menu command (Type 7 or type 15) you wish to
use and then do ONE of the following depending on which menu type you have
chosen to use:
-14-
Type 7 Menu Command:
Description..: Shell to DOS and run program
This option is used for starting other pro-
grams, like doorgames and mailscanners, in
SuperBBS. It shells to DOS and starts the pro-
gram given in the optional data field. SuperBBS
will return to the menu the exit started from.
Optional data: ProgramName <Parameters>
Example command lines for Type 7 usage:
In a single line system, calling the SysOp to chat you may use...
C:\SBBS\ICECHAT\IceChat.Exe *S *E *!
In a multi-line system, calling the Sysop may use...
This example would call the correct node number by using Sbbs's *N parameter.
C:\SBBS\ICECHAT\IceChat.Exe -*N *S *E *!
In a single line system, calling CoSysOp #1 (NOT the sysop) you may use...
C:\SBBS\ICECHAT\IceChat.Exe -A *S *E *!
The following SuperBBS parameters are used in the above examples:
*E Read EXITINFO.BBS when returning to BBS.
This can be handy if the program used with
the type 7 exit, changes some of the
user's data, like a timebank.
*N Gives current node number.
*S Swap SuperBBS to EMS or disk. If you run a
program which needs more memory than the
normal amount available, specify the *S
option, so SuperBBS will swap itself to
EMS or, if EMS is not available, to disk.
*! Freeze system timer whilst in external
program.
Mostly you just use the *E and *S parameters.
With multi-node operations, you will need the
*N and *P options.
These are EXAMPLES ONLY, and you should read the section of this manual that
details command line parameters for IceChat for more information.
-15-
Type 15 Menu Command:
This is similar in usage to a type 7 menu command, but it returns to the batch
file which runs your BBS. Please see your BBS documentation for more info.
Description..: Exits to DOS with errorlevel
Leaves SuperBBS and returns to the batchfile
which you ran SuperBBS from. There you inter-
cept the given errorlevel and start an external
action.
Optional data: Errorlevel <MenuName>
The errorlevel will start the action required
from your batchfile. (Don't use errorlevels
below 10.)
If you decide to use a Type 15 menu to call IceChat you will need to add IceChat
into your BBS batchfile and call IceChat with the errorlevel you have chosen.
Example BBS batch file:
:START
IF ERRORLEVEL 10 GOTO ICECHAT
IF ERRORLEVEL 5 GOTO NET&ECHO
IF ERRORLEVEL 4 GOTO ECHOMAIL
IF ERRORLEVEL 3 GOTO NETMAIL
IF ERRORLEVEL 0 GOTO START_UP
GOTO START_UP
:ICECHAT
CD\SBBS\ICECHAT
ICECHAT.EXE <Don't forget IceChat's parameters!>
BBS -R
GOTO AFTER_BBS
In this example, a TYPE 15 menu command with an Errorlevel of
10 will make the batch file execute the command following the
:ICECHAT label. Include the line "BBS -R" to return to
the board after the external programs have been executed.
N.B.
DO NOT FORGET to include the correct command line switches for IceChat in
your batchfile. Failure to do so will result in IceChat not functioning as
it is intended. See the section of these docs about IceChats command line
parameters for more info.
5. Make sure you have changed ALL of the menus you wish to call IceChat from
and that you have saved the changes.
6. IceChat also needs to be setup in CONFIG.EXE so that when you break in to
chat with a user it calls up IceChat and NOT the internal SuperBBS chat.
Change to your SuperBBS directory and run CONFIG.EXE
7. Goto PATHS, and then to 'Ext. chat'. Enter the following command line:
-16-
C:\SBBS\ICECHAT\IceChat.Exe -F *E *S *!
This is only an example to get you going... Please refer to the section of
these docs about 'parameters' to ensure you have the correct command line
to execute IceChat.
8. Please make sure that there is a Page.Ice in your BBS System Directory,
or in your IceChat Directory. IceChat requires this as your page tune. A
selection of sample page tunes has been included, just rename the tune of
your choice to Page.Ice.
9. When you run IceChat, be sure that the IceChat.Cfg file has been created.
If it has not, then you MUST run ChatCfg.Exe. If you don't, and attempt to
run IceChat.Exe directly, IceChat will display an error message that
IceChat.Cfg doesn't exist.
That's all there is to it....
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³°°°±±±²²² Installing IceChat Into Other Dorinfo1.Def Systems ²²²±±±°°°³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
Please read the section of this document entitled 'Setting Up IceChat Using
ChatCfg.Exe' BEFORE attempting to install IceChat into your Dorinfo1.Def
compatible system.
Your BBS MUST be capable of producing a Dorinfo1.Def drop file for IceChat
to run correctly. If IceChat fails to find this file it will abort with an
error message!
Because of the number of slight differences between various BBS systems it
is impossible to give a detailed explanation of EXACTLY how to install
IceChat into any Non RA or SBBS system. However, if you follow the basic
ideas outlined in the sections of this document about installing IceChat
into either RA or SBBS it should give you the general layout of what is
necessary. Please refer also to the documents for your particular BBS
system for any differences in layout or command line parameters.
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³°°°±±±²²² Macros In IceChat Configuration ²²²±±±°°°³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
** NOTE : All MACROS and the following strings and headers (UserEditor,
ASCII, Drop To DOS, SysOp Help, Page Reason String, and Paging Header) can
all make use of built in control strings:
-17-
@1 = CoSysOp name #1
@2 = CoSysOp name #2
@3 = CoSysOp name #3
@A = SysOp alias
@B = BBS name
@C = Chat duration
@D = Date
@F = User's first name or alias
@S = SysOp name (Read From IceChat Configuration)
@T = Time of day
@V = Program version number
The control strings can be used in the following manner. For Example, if you
were configuring your Page Reason String to ask the user why they are paging,
you could put:
@F, Why Would You Like To Chat With The SysOp?
And then when IceChat is run, and asks the user who is "John Smith" in this
example to enter a page reason, the @F will be replaced, and the string
will appear to the user as:
John, Why Would You Like To Chat With The SysOp?
All the control strings can be used in a similar manner in all the other
Strings & Headers, as well as macros.
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³°°°±±±²²² BBS System Files Used By IceChat ²²²±±±°°°³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
See also the section on 'Files Created & Used By IceChat' later in these docs.
When executed, IceChat calls upon the following Files from your BBS System:
ExitInfo.Bbs - Read/Write To Exitinfo.BBS, to adjust time limit,
read in the User's Name, Location, baudrate etc..
and to indicate the [Wants Chat] at the bottom of the
SysOp's screen after exiting IceChat. Also accessed
by IceChat's User Editor.
Dorinfo1.Def - Read in user Information
When using RemoteAccess, IceChat also calls upon the following files as well
as those above :
Ra.Log - IceChat writes out to this file to indicate the User's
Paging reason (If you set your Logname to your Ra.Log)
-18-
PageStat.Ra - IceChat uses this to determine whether or not The
SysOp has disabled the paging by using ALT-O in
RemoteAccess. If Paging is set to [OFF] Then no page
tune will be heard on the Sysops end when the user pages
This file is only used if it can be found in the System
directory defined in ChatCfg.
When using SuperBBS, IceChat calls upon the following files as well as those
listed at the start of this section :
Susers.Bbs - Read/Write To the secondary SuperBBS UserFile. This is
not a RemoteAccess File, it is only accessed with
SuperBBS software.
If you have registered your copy of IceChat, it will also read and/or write
to the various BBS message base files if you have allowed the user to post
a message to the SysOp if the chat request is not answered.
If you are not using RemoteAccess or SuperBBS, the only file that is read
from is the Dorinfo1.Def BBS drop file.
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³°°°±±±²²² Parameters Used When Executing IceChat ²²²±±±°°°³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
There are many parameters that can be used for IceChat. They are :
IceChat.Exe -D:[PATH] This will cause IceChat to use the specified [PATH] to
locate the dropfiles that IceChat will read in. This is a change
since the previous versions, which had a limit of ten paths in
the configuration program. This new change will allow for more than
10 paths.
IceChat.Exe -F This will cause IceChat to abort the page reason prompt and
jump directly into chat mode. This would normally be used when
the SysOp instigates a chat with a user, OR if you do not want
IceChat to ask for a reason when paging.
IceChat.Exe -L This will cause IceChat to run in local/testing mode so that
the SysOp is able to test it out.
IceChat.Exe -V This will cause IceChat to run in Vertical Split Screen Chat
Mode.
IceChat.Exe -{A/B/C} This will cause IceChat to change the SysOp name to
either CoSysOp #1,#2, or #3. Co-SysOps names are
-19-
defined in ChatCfg.
IceChat.Exe This will cause IceChat To wait for the user to enter a page
reason. If they are outside of paging hours, a message to that
effect will be displayed, and they will return to the BBS.
These parameters may be used in almost any combination when executing IceChat,
It is IMPORTANT that you select the right parameters for IceChat to run
correctly, so please read this section carefully and refer to the various
examples given for setting up your particular BBS in the relevant section of
these documents.
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³°°°±±±²²² Files Created & Used by IceChat ²²²±±±°°°³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
IceChat creates a number of files for it's own use, these include it's main
configuration file and macro file etc. There are also a number of ANSI files
that you can create yourself using an ansi editor (such as TheDraw). These
ANSI files will be used by IceChat during its operation. See the following
list for a full rundown on the files that are created and/or used by IceChat.
!! ALL of these files MUST reside in the same directory as IceChat.Exe !!
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ICECHAT.CFG
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
This files stores IceChat's main configuration. It is created by
ChatCfg.Exe and MUST be present for IceChat to run.
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
MACRO.CFG
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
Macro.Ice file is an encoded file that you MUST use ChatCfg to edit. Do NOT
use a standard text editor. It contains words that will be replaced
in chat with new words. For Example, if you type "BBS" in chat, it will
replace it with "Bulletin Board System". These are all SysOp Defined.
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
NOPAGE.CFG
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
NoPage.Ice file is an encoded file that you MUST use ChatCfg To edit. Do NOT
user a standard text editor. It contains any names of users that you feel
shouldn't be allowed to page. When the user enters the page reason, it will
appear that the music is playing from the remote end, but no page music will
be heard on the Sysop's end. You do not HAVE to use a NoPage.Cfg, but it is
always handy to prevent yourself from being annoyed by the constantly paging
user that every BBS has.
-20-
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
RANDOM.CFG
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
Random.Cfg file is a text file that you can create. It contains any page
tunes that you would like to have randomly selected and played everytime
a user pages. When the user pages, IceChat will read in all of the page
tunes listed in this file, and will randomly select one to be played.
Please note, if this file exists, the VIP page tune will not be played
for VIP users. The Format is simple :
Page.Ice
Dallas.Ice
Dance.Ice
Axel_F.Ice
That is a simple example. You do not have to use these particular tunes,
just replace these names with the page tunes you prefer. These tunes must
be in your IceChat directory. If it can't find the random pagetune that it
selects, it will default to page.Ice. A file containing various page tunes
is included in the release archive.
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
PAGE.ICE & VIP.ICE
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
These are standard RemoteAccess page tunes that IceChat will play while
paging. Page.Ice is used for normal users, and Vip.Ice is used for VIP
users. These files must be located in either the IceChat directory or the
main BBS System directory. These files will not be used if the Random page
tune function is active.
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
VIP.CTL
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
Very Important Person TEXTFILE - use a different tune for these Users.
This file is a simple ascii text file which contains a list of user names
that will use the Vip.Ice pagetune when they page the SysOp. It's format
is simple, just enter each user that you wish to use the Vip.Ice pagetune,
ONE name per line as follows:
Jeremy Landvoigt
Eddy Matthews
Joe Smith
Dave Jones
Etc
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
NOTAVAIL.A**
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
-21-
This is an ANSI/ASCII file that can be displayed if the SysOp is unable to
(or chooses to abort) the users page. You can create this file using any
standard ANSI/ASCII editor. It uses the ^A (ASCII CODE 1) as a
'WAIT FOR C/R' symbol (just like in Remote Access)
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
OUTHOURS.A**
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
This is an ANSI/ASCII file that can be displayed if the user pages
outside of the SysOp's paging hours. You can create this file using any
standard ANSI/ASCII editor. It uses the ^A (ASCII CODE 1) as a
'WAIT FOR C/R' symbol (just like in Remote Access)
This file is ONLY Displayed when user pages out of hours and there is NOT
a defined emergency password.
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
HORIZCHT.ANS
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
The HORIZCHT.ANS and VERTCHT.ANS MUST be in 24x79 format, and they MUST be
saved in ANIMATED mode in TheDraw. If you dont save them like this, it is
possible for them to scroll off the bottom of the screen by one line, and
thus mess up the display. YOU MUST SAVE THEM IN THIS FORMAT TO WORK !!!
If you create this file, it will be used by IceChat to replace the built
in Horizontal Chat screen. This file is NOT necessary, but is included
so that you can make IceChat look like the rest of your BBS setup should
you wish to. Simply create an ANSI screen using an ansi editor (TheDraw)
And name it HorizCht.Ans. This file MUST be in the same directory as
IceChat.Exe. When an ascii user calls IceChat, this file is ignored and
IceChat will use it's internal ascii chat mode.
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
VERTCHT.ANS
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
The HORIZCHT.ANS and VERTCHT.ANS MUST be in 24x79 format, and they MUST be
saved in ANIMATED mode in TheDraw. If you dont save them like this, it is
possible for them to scroll off the bottom of the screen by one line, and
thus mess up the display. YOU MUST SAVE THEM IN THIS FORMAT TO WORK !!!
If you create this file, it will be used by IceChat to replace the built
in Vertical Chat screen. This file is NOT necessary, but is included
so that you can make IceChat look like the rest of your BBS setup should
you wish to. Simply create an ANSI screen using an ansi editor (TheDraw)
And name it VertCht.Ans. This file MUST be in the same directory as
IceChat.Exe. When an ascii user calls IceChat, this file is ignored and
IceChat will use it's internal ascii chat mode.
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
MACROHDR.ANS
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
Included in the release archive is an ANSI screen named SAMPLE3.ANS,
It is used to replace the header at the top of the macro listing feature.
the screen has to be renamed to MACROHDR.ANS to become active. If this
screen is not available in your chat directory IceChat will use its built
-22-
in screens.
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ICECHAT.KEY
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
This is your registration key that you will recieve after you have
registered IceChat. It is NOT included in the original archive OR
generated by IceChat. Once you have registered your copy of IceChat
it will release the functions that are disabled in the trial version.
As with all the other files listed here, simply place it in your
IceChat directory when you register.
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³°°°±±±²²² Frequently Asked Questions ²²²±±±°°°³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
Q: Is it possible to run Icechat from RA's external chat feature? I have the
path and filename set correctly, but RA's default chat mode always comes up.
A: This is most likely because your copy of RA is Unregistered. This RA feature
is only available in the registered version. Change from using RA's external
chat routine and use a Function key instead. This is explained in the section
of these docs about installing IceChat into RA.
--
Q: IceChat is ignoring the necessary configuration files that it requires at
startup. What is wrong?
A: There are two possible solutions. 1st: Make sure that none of the IceChat
files are WRITE-PROTECTED. If they are, IceChat will simply ignore them.
2nd : Make sure that you have set up and icechat environment variable. EG.
SET ICE=C:\bbs\doors\chat
This will allow IceChat to find its configuration files no matter where IceChat
is run on the System. Otherwise, it will be necessary to run IceChat from a
batchfile that will CD into Icechats home directory. EG:
@Echo OFF
-23-
Cd \BBS\DOORS\CHAT
ICECHAT.EXE
Cd \BBS\Ra
--
Q: When I try to run IceChat, it gives me a conversion error similar to
"Invalid IceChat.Cfg : Please run v3.10 -> v3.50 converter". What is wrong?
A: This is most likely because you have just recently upgraded to a newer
version of IceChat and not run the conversion utility. The solution would be to
run the Conversion program, or to delete your IceChat.Cfg file and start the
installation from scratch.
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³°°°±±±²²² Registration ²²²±±±°°°³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
The Development of IceChat v3.50 took many long hours, and alot of time
and effort not to mention money. This program is not FreeWare. If this
program satisfies your expections of a chat utility, if not MORE, then you
are expected to register it after an evaluation period of 30 days or
sooner. By doing this you can be sure of continued development of the
software. Thanks for your support.
This Program may be freely distributed but DO NOT under any circumstances
change any of the executables or alter any files that come in the original
distribution archive.
I urge you to register as soon as you can! The more registrations that
I have will show the interest of people in the program, and I will release
a newer version with many more features. If you register, the IceChat built
in message editor will be available and the extra Macro editing screens.
Also, all "Unregistered" messages and almost inaudible beeps within the
program will be removed.
If you wish to register, please fill out the registration form :
Register.Can - Registration Form For Canadian Users
Register.Aus - Registration Form For Australian Users
Register.Eur - Registration Form For United Kingdom / Europe
Register.Wld - For All Other Registrations
Please at this time send ALL registrations to the address listed in the correct
registration form. Thank you for your support. If you are interested in
becoming a Support/Beta Test Site, and there is not one in your area, you
may file request a Beta Application Form. Information you need :
FileName : BetaTest.App
MAGIC : ICEBETA
FileSize : 3702 Bytes
Address : 1:250/912
Who : Anyone can FREQ
-24-
When : Can be FREQed at anytime
Once it is completed correctly, send it to the address listed at the
end of that file. You will be contacted if you are accepted as a
Support/BetaTest site. Please note also, that if you are not accepted, you
will not be contacted until a time when your help might be required. (If
I was to call everyone that sent in a Betatest Form my Phone Bill would be
Sky-Rocketing!) Any Registration/Betatest forms that have invalid or missing
information may be considered void and not be processed, depending on the
extent of the errors.
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³°°°±±±²²² Archive Contents ²²²±±±°°°³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
The IceChat archive should contain the following files :
ICECHAT.EXE - The Main Program
CHATCFG.EXE - Use to configure the program
ICEPLAY.EXE - PageTune Player
310TO350.EXE - Convert your old IceChat.Cfg with this
ICECHAT.DOC - Program Documentation
WHATSNEW.350 - Changes (Additions/Deletions) in IceChat v3.50
REGISTER.WLD - Generic Registration Form
REGISTER.AUS - Australian Registration Form
REGISTER.CAN - Canadian Registration Form
REGISTER.EUR - UK/Europe Registration Form
PAGE.ICE - Page Tune
FILE_ID.DIZ - General Program Description
PAGES.ZIP - A selection of pagetunes
SAMPLE1.ANS - Sample Horizontal ANSI screen (rename to HorizCht.Ans
to use it). See HorizCht.Ans in the section of these
docs on 'Files Used & Created by IceChat' for more
info.
SAMPLE2.ANS - Sample Vertical ANSI screen (rename to VertCht.Ans to
use it). See VertCht.Ans in the section of these docs
on 'Files Used & Created by IceChat for more info.
SAMPLE3.ANS - Sample Macro Header ANSI screen (must be renamed to
MacroHdr.Ans to be used). See MacroHdr.Ans in the
'Files Used & Created by IceChat' section for more
info.
If one or any combination of these files are missing, or files have been
ADDED, then you are using a possibly modified or altered copy of ICECHAT.
It would be advised that you delete this copy, and get a clean copy of
ICECHAT from one of the BBS's listed at the end of the documentation.
Newest Version of IceChat can be F'REQed from Ice Technologies BBS under
the magic name 'ICECHAT' (Without the quotes)
Files IceChat will create are :
ICECHAT.CFG - The configuration file
MACRO.CFG - Encrypted Macro File
NOPAGE.CFG - List of TWIT users who may not page
-25-
ICECHAT.LOG - Usage Log (Can be configured to be appended to your
BBS system log)
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³°°°±±±²²² CopyRight Notices & Program Disclaimer ²²²±±±°°°³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
The door IceChat, along with all its support files and documents,
are Copyright (C) 1993 Jeremy Landvoigt. Distributing a version
AFTER it has been registered is prohibited; distribution of the
original, unaltered version is permitted, indeed encouraged, as long
as all support-files and documentation accompany the program are
included WITHOUT ALTERATION OF ANY SORT.
The author can be quickly reached for information through the RA_UTIL
international FidoNET Conference. If you wish to trust
comments/complaints/suggestions to the Post Office, you can send them to:
Jeremy Landvoigt
100 Burling Place
Newmarket, Ontario
L3Y - 5W4
Canada
The following programs mentioned in this documentation are Copyright of
their respective authors. They are listed in no particular order:
IceChat - CopyRight Jeremy Landvoigt
RemoteAccess - CopyRight Wantree Development & Andrew Milner
SuperBBS - CopyRight Aki Antman & Risto Virkkala
X00 - CopyRight Raymond L. Gwinn
BNU - CopyRight David Nugent and Unique Computing Pty Limited
FKFossil - CopyRight Tim Strike and Forbidden Knights Systems
Turbo Pascal - CopyRight Borland International
THE USUAL LEGALITIES
I (Jeremy Landvoigt) make no warranty of any kind, expressed or implied,
including without limitation any warranties of merchantability
and/or fitness for a particular purpose. I shall not be held liable
for any damages, whether direct, indirect, special or consequential
arising from the failure of this program to operate in the manner desired
by the user. I shall not be held liable for any damage to data or
property which may be caused directly or indirectly by the use of this
program.
In no event will I be held liable for any damages, including (but
not limited to) any lost profits, lost savings, or other incidental
or consequential damages arising out of the use -- or the inability
to use -- this program, or for any claim by any other party.
-26-
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³°°°±±±²²² Credits ²²²±±±°°°³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
There are a few people who helped with the development of IceChat that
although they weren't involved in the creation or writing of the program,
their suggestions, Bug reports, and lengthy áeta testing have been an
enormous asset. I would like to thank in no particular order :
Bill Dykstra, Danny Dufour, Adam Roycraft, Marcus Limosani, Eddy Matthews,
Marc Kulak, Max Quagliotto, Bob Miedema, Tom Harvey, Jim Edwards and
Steve Lanning for all of their help. Couldn't have done it without them!
Also, portions of the Fossil Routines used in IceChat v3.50 are Copyright
1993 By Tim Strike and Forbidden Knights Systems.
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³°°°±±±²²² Program Support - BBS Locations ²²²±±±°°°³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
IceChat can be File Requested from any of the following BBS's under the magic
name of ICECHAT. 1200-14400 Baud Rates Supported.
Legend
ÄÄÄÄÄÄ
S - Support Site B - Beta Site R - Registration Site D - Distrib. Site
L - Up To 2400 Bps H - Up To 14.4k Bps
BBSName Location Phone FidoNET Flags
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
* Ice Technologies ON, Canada (905) 895-0852 1:250/912 S B R D H
Blue iCE Beta Labs TX, USA (817) 596-5574 1:130/1016 S D H
Decker's BBS WI, USA (715) 839-0942 1:2300/15 S B D H
GeNNeXXuS NSW, Australia 61-2-725-3541 3:713/611 S D H
Infinity Links Vic, Australia 61-3-850-9115 3:633/262 S B R D H
InfoSoft BBS Cleveland, UK 44-642-764245 2:252/51 S B R D H
(21:00-08:00 GMT Only!)
Adventurer's Inn SC, USA (803) 552-6292 1:372/6577 S B D H
-27-
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