Alterwho?
BETA version 1.0
A T.A.G. Utility for Multiuser T.A.G. SysOps
Written by: Melanie A. Meyer
The Snooze Button BBS
Glen Burnie, Maryland
Node 1 1:261/1106 (410)766-4058 USR Dual Standard
V.32bis, HST
Node 2 1:261/1156 (410)766-0640 Practical Peripherals
PM14400FXSA V.32bis
Registration There isn't any! This program is free. You may use it for
as long as you like.
Disclaimer This program is not guaranteed to do anything except take
up space on your hard drive. However, after testing it on
my own multiuser T.A.G. BBS, version 2.6c, I have found it
to do the job quite nicely.
Share Aware? Yes. This program utilizes file sharing/locking routines
by Mike Woltz BCSHARE (C) 1990, Buffalo Creek Software, and
*SHOULD* work properly on systems operating in multitasking
environments.
+===========================================================================+
What This Does...
The program alterwho.exe will read the contents of a configuration
file, and then change the long description in the $who.dat file.
Why would you use it?
After a user logs off of a T.A.G. board that is run with a front end
mailer, T.A.G. exits and changes the long description in the $who.dat
file to "Down". Suppose Muffy Button entered the Whos Online command.
This is what she would see:
Node 1: Down
Node 2: Muffy Button from Glen Burnie, Md at 2400 baud
Node 3: Down
So to change this, the Sysop would execute alterwho.exe AFTER T.A.G.
exited, and BEFORE the batch file loaded the front end mailer.
Suppose you wanted SysOp Steve to see:
Node 1: Muffy Button from Glen Burnie, Md (2400 baud)
In the GAMES again!
Node 2: Still waiting...
Node 3: Sysop Steve from Glen Burnie, Md (keyboard)
instead of:
Node 1: Muffy Button from Glen Burnie, Md (2400 baud)
In a door
Node 2: Down
Node 3: Sysop Steve from Glen Burnie, Md (keyboard)
when doing a Whos Online...
You would execute alterwho from the batch file that called the game,
specifying in the command line a config file that had the following
contents:
In the GAMES again! <-- Text for Long Description
+============================================================================+
Setup
Easy.
1) Put ALTERWHO.EXE in your Multinode Directory (the directory
where $who.dat resides..)
2) Create Configuration files in the Multinode Directory
for each task.
3) Insert a call to ALTERWHO into your batch files.
Done.
Configuration Files
Waiting.cfg - Used in mailer batch file after T.A.G. exits:
Waiting for NEXT VICTIM <- Text to display in description,
followed by a CR (ENTER)
64 character maximum
Game.cfg - Used in Online Game batch file before game is executed:
Playing Games! <- Text to appear in the description,
followed by a CR. 64 char max
OR, as Arthur Ward suggested, if you are already using a Logoff.bat
file, place a call to ALTERWHO at the beginning of the Logoff.bat
and use a config file like this:
logoff.cfg
Logging off the System ALREADY!
Normally T.A.G. reports that the user is "In a Door" when the
logoff.bat is running.
The Configuration files can be named anything you like. I suggest
you make the name indicative of what you are doing, for the sake of
clarity in the event you use Alterwho frequently.
+=============================================================================+
Color Codes
Yes.. you can use T.A.G. color codes in the config files. And to
make it easy, I've included a function that changes any '^'
encountered into a T.A.G. Contol-P color code.
example:
Waiting.cfg
^6Waiting for a ^9CALLER ^2!
"Waiting for a " would be in color number 6. "CALLER " would be
in color number 9 and "!" would display in color number 2.
Just place a carat(^), followed by a number from 0-9 in the text.
Calling ALTERWHO From Batch Files
cd\Multi <- Change to Multinode Dir
alterwho 1 Waiting.CFG <- Execute ALTERWHO on node 1
and use waiting.cfg for the
text.
cd\wherever <- Change Directories back to
where you need to be.
So the complete command line is:
alterwho <node number> <configuration filename>
Well.. Thats about it. If you have any trouble, please notify me
at FIDO 261/1156 or 261/1106. Thanks..
Melanie A. Meyer