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║░░░░░ RABIRTH ░░░░░ For RemoteAccess 1.10 ░░░░░░░░░░ Documentation ░░░░░║
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Introduction
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RABIRTH is a utility for RemoteAccess 1.00 and later (including 1.10). RABIRTH
does a number of things with a user's BIRTHDATE field in the user record.
Features of RABIRTH
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■ ANS/ASC/AVT List of all users and their birthdays
■ ANS/ASC/AVT List of all users having birthdays this month
■ ANS/ASC/AVT List of users with birthdays today/tomorrow/yesterday
■ Post messages to users on their birthdays using a template
file with $macros.
■ Message base locking for multinode systems.
■ Full handle support, on messages and bulletin screens
■ Log for sysop of birthdays today, messages posted, errors
■ Opus or FrontDoor log
■ Support for hidden users
■ Configuration of most parameters
RABIRTH has been tested with RemoteAccess 1.01 and RemoteAccess 1.10.
Configuration of RABIRTH
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RABIRTH is configured by a standard text file (called RABIRTH.CFG) which you
must create with your favourite text editor (a sample is supplied).
The fields in RABIRTH.CFG are described below.
Line 1: Name of sysop for registration and message purposes
eg Hamish Moffatt
Line 2: Name of sysop to use on messages (or blank to use the sysop's
real name). eg Hamster
Line 3: Path to users file and message base, ie D:\RA
Line 4: Path and filename of ASC list of users and birthdays.
Include extension. Leave a blank line if you do not with to
have this bulletin created. eg BDAYLIST.ASC
Line 5: Path and filename of ANS list of users and birthdays.
Include extension. Leave a blank line if you do not with to
have this bulletin created. eg BDAYLIST.ANS
Line 6: Path and filename of AVT list of users and birthdays.
Include extension. Leave a blank line if you do not with to
have this bulletin created. eg BDAYLIST.ANS
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Line 7: Path and filename of AVT list of users with birthdays today,
tomorrow, and yesterday. Include extension. Leave a blank line
if you do not want this bulletin.
Line 8: Path and filename of ANS list of users with birthdays today,
tomorrow, and yesterday. Include extension. Leave a blank line
if you do not want this bulletin.
Line 9: Path and filename of AVT list of users with birthdays today,
tomorrow, and yesterday. Include extension. Leave a blank line
if you do not want this bulletin.
Line 10: Path and filename of ASC list of users with birthdays during
this month. Include extension, and leave a blank line if you
do not want this bulletin.
Line 11: Path and filename of ANS list of users with birthdays during
this month. Include extension, and leave a blank line if you
do not want this bulletin.
Line 12: Path and filename of AVT list of users with birthdays during
this month. Include extension, and leave a blank line if you
do not want this bulletin.
Line 13: Filename of log to write to, usually your RemoteAccess log.
Line 14: Registration number for RABIRTH, or 0 if you haven't
registered yet.
Line 15: Control word. This is a series of 1s and 0s which control
the operation of RABIRTH. Except where noted, 1 means yes
or on, and 0 means no or off.
Byte 1: Include yesterday's birthdays in
today/tomorrow/yesterday's screens?
Byte 2: Include tomorrow's birthdays in
today/tomorrow/yesterday's screens?
Byte 3: Include years in month and full lists?
Byte 4: Use month names (ie January) instead of month numbers
(ie 1)?
Byte 5: Multinode? SHARE is required for locking in a
multinode environment sucessfully.
Byte 6: FrontDoor (1) or Opus (0) log?
Byte 7: Use handles in message headers?
Byte 8: Use handles in lists (bulletins)?
Line 16: Board number to post messages to users in. 1-200 only!
Line 17: Filename of template containing message text to post to users.
See "Message template macros" below.
Message Template Macros
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RABIRTH supports several $macros (or $metastrings) in the message template
file. These are as follows.
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Macro Translates to Eg
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$name user's full name Hamish Moffatt
$first user's first name Hamish
$last user's other names Moffatt
$handle user's handle if set Hamster
$dayname name of day of week Friday
$monthname name of month October
$day day of month 11
$dayth day with suffix 11th
$month month of year 10
$year year 1991
$birthyear year of user's birth 1976
$age age of user 14
$ageth age with suffix 14th
Example:
Hello $handle!
It has come to attention that today, $dayname, $monthname $day, $year, is your
$birthyear birthday!
Happy Birthday from the users of Cloud Nine!
Regards,
Hamish Moffatt
This would translate to something like:
Hello Hamster!
It has come to attention that today, Friday, October 11, 1991, is your
14th birthday!
Happy Birthday from the users of Cloud Nine!
Regards,
Hamish Moffatt
Running RABIRTH
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RABIRTH requires no command line parameters, and will ignore any passed to it.
When RABIRTH is run (by typing RABIRTH, or running from a batch file), it will
display something like the following.
■ RABirth 1.10 for RemoteAccess 1.10
■ Written by Hamish Moffatt of 3:635/552@fidonet
■ Reading configuration file (RABIRTH.CFG)
■ Working...
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■ 0 user(s) have birthdays today
■ 1 user(s) have birthdays tomorrow
■ 2 user(s) had birthdays yesterday
■ Thanks for registering!
■ Done
Legal section (do not stop reading here!)
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RABIRTH is not freeware or public domain, but shareware. After a reasonable
trial period (14 days suggested), you are expected to register your copy of
RABIRTH with the author. See the "Registration" section.
RABIRTH is (c) 1991 Hamish Moffatt, All rights reserved.
Use in commercial environment without registration is prohibited after the
trial period!
Registration of RABIRTH
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Registration type ║ Price (Australian dollars)
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Non-commercial environment ║ $ 8.00
Commercial environment ║
First copy ║ $15.00
Subsequent copies ║ $ 5.00
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Please print out and complete the registration form found in the file
REGISTER.DOC, and post to the address found in "Contacting the author".
When unregistered, messages posted to users by RABIRTH have this tearline
on the end (eg):
--- RABIRTH 1.10 Unregistered
When registered, RABIRTH will not insert this line, but instead a ^aPID line
(eg: ^aPID: RABIRTH 1.1). Your users will not know the message is from a
robot once registered!
Feedback, bug reports, suggestions
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Feedback, bug reports and suggestions are most welcome, particularly
suggestions. Please post to any of the addresses in the following section.
Contacting the author
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The author of RABIRTH is Hamish Moffatt.
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You can contact me at : 3:635/552@fidonet
9:1390/304@guru.ftn
13:100/600@thundernet
199:4242/10@rainbownet
Moffsoft Support HQ
Cloud Nine
+61-3-803-1326
2230-0600 daily (UTC+10 (Melbourne) Time)
Alternatively, you can reach me on internet as hamish@phoenix.pub.uu.oz.au.
Postal address: Hamish Moffatt
c/- David Moffatt
ANZ Bank,
9/55 Collins Street,
Melbourne, Victoria,
Australia, 3000.
OR! Moffsoft Support Canberra, Australia!
Dynamite BBS
+61-6-241-7388 (2 line)
Harry Konstantinou
Fidonet 3:620/250
Credits and Thank yous
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■ RemoteAccess Andrew Milner and Continental Software
■ Turbo Pascal 5.5 Borland International
■ Logging routines Hamish Moffatt
■ Message base routines P.J.Muller
■ Sorting routines Jim Savold
■ The RABIRTH 1.10 beta team:
Hamish Moffatt 3:635/552,
Harry Konstantinou 3:620/250,
Eugene Mok 3:633/160, and
John Marsden 3:633/364
The end
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You're still here? Well you can go configure RABIRTH now, then fill out the
registration form and post it to me with your cheque :-)
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