.topic noContext=0, Contents
 FileCFG/Pro Online Help System 
  

 {Contact}                  {External programs:Extern}
 {Usage}                    {Control files:FileCtl}
 {Limits}                   {Reindexing:Index}
 {Acknowledgements:Acks}

.topic ExecProg,Exit,Files,System,Shell,ProCfg,Message,Maint,Mesg,Help,FileGroup,MesgGroup
 Undefined Topic 
  
 Help unavailable for this topic.

.topic Extern
 External Programs 
  

Users can define the programs which should be installed in the File and
Message menus as well as the text which should appear in the menus. To
do this, use (or create) as plain text file called SILICON.INI in your
ProBoard system directory. If you already have it (it is shared by several
programs), find or create a section called [FileCFG]. The entries below
show you the format the is expected as well as the keywords you need to
use. The text that appears on the left of the equal sign should be copied
verbatim, the text to the right is user-defined. Here are the setting I
use (copied straight from my SILICON.INI):

     [FileCFG]
     Allfix=D:\SBIN\ALLFIX\ASETUP.EXE
     AllfixMenu=A~l~lfix setup
     FileMgr=D:\SBIN\FEBBS\FEBBS.EXE
     FileMenu=File area ~m~anager
     AMU=D:\SBIN\AMU\AMUCFG.EXE
     AMUmenu=AMU ~c~onfiguration
     InterEcho=D:\IM\IESETUP.EXE
     IEmenu=InterEcho ~s~etup
     BlueWave=D:\SBIN\BWAVE\BWSETUP.EXE
     BWmenu=~B~lueWave setup

As you can see, you need to specify the full path and file name of the
command that needs to run (with the extension), and the text that is to
appear on the menu. You do not have to enclose it in quotation marks. The
letter which appears between the two tilde characters (~) will be the
hotkey for the item and will be red on the menu.

If FileCFG cannot find the programs when it initializes, the menu option
will not be available and will be greyed out.

.topic FileCtl, MesgCtl
 Control Files 
  

Both the file and message menus have a 'Process Control File' command on
them. To use those, you need to create a FILEUTIL.CTL and MESGUTIL.CTL
files in your FileCFG home directory (where the executable is). These are
simple text files which list the commands to be executed one per line.
You cannot have empty lines, but you can have comments which are denoted
by the ';' character in column one. These are very useful if you have a lot
of programs that reply on the area arrangement. If you do a lot of editing,
you can run all necessary update programs from those files. Here's what
my files look like:

   ; This is a sample configuration file for FileCFG
   ;
   ; Note that you cannot have empty lines, you must use the ';' comment
   ; character to separate lines. Each line that does not begin with a
   ; semi-colon will be treated as a command-line. Note also that you must
   ; give the full path and extension to the program (parameters are optional)
   ;
   ; Re-index the filebase and rewrite listings
   D:\PB\PBUTIL.EXE FI
   D:\PB\PBUTIL.EXE FC -R
   ;
   ; Update Allfix setup
   D:\SBIN\ALLFIX\FCOMP.EXE 5 D:\PB
   ;
   ; Generate file lists
   D:\SBIN\AMU\AMU386.EXE LISTS
   ;
   ; note that there are no empty lines. This is the last one.


.topic Index, ReindexMsg
 Reindexing Areas 
  

After you're through rearranging areas, it is necessary to reindex the
file areas (and, optionally, the message areas). These commands will
simply run PBUTIL with the correct command line switches to save you the
manual labor of typing them in. Note that the message indexing works for
Hudson and JAM areas only.

.topic Contact
 Contact 
  

    Fido1:383/47
    SCiNT751:430/2 and 751:430/1000
    CompuServe73023,262
    Internetsci@wtoc.net
    http://www.wtoc.net/~sci (try this first!)
    http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/sci
    FidoNet PROBOARD echo as Branislav Slantchev

Phone support numbers:
    BBS (and Fax)(915) 949-4798
    Voice(915) 947-5327

Conventional snail-mail:
    Branislav L. Slantchev
    Silicon Creations, Inc.
    1814 S.Pierce Str. #36
    San Angelo, TX 76904
    USA

.topic Limits
 Limitations 
  

FileCFG does not support all 10,000 areas that ProBoard does. It currently
will work with up to 5,000. If you have more than that, you are out of luck.
With the memory limitations of DOS, there's nothing I can really do to
make it work. If memory is still a problem, use the overlaid version which
is available from the sample place you got this one.

.topic Usage
 Overview and Usage 
  

Please refer to the README file for quick tips and COPYING for license.

To ensure correct and hassle-less operation, make sure you follow these
simple guidelines: ensure your PROBOARD environment points to your PB
system directory (FileCFG will refuse to work without it), make backups
for all the necessary files manually (FILECFG.PRO, FGROUPS.PB, MGROUPS.PB
and MESSAGES.PB). Even though FileCFG does make .BAK copies each time it
loads data, it is a good idea to do it yourself. I am not responsible for
any data loss that might occur.

.topic Acks
 Acknowledgements 
  

This program would not be possible without the kind support of my beta
testers. Thanks, guys and gals, you've been really great once again!

Thanks to my girlfriend who puts up with me going to bed at 4:00a because
of those stupid help files. I promise I will not write another program in
the next few weeks! :-)

This program uses SPAWNO v4.0 A EMS/XMS/DISK Swapping Library
Copyright (C) 1990-1991 Ralf Brown. All Rights Reserved.

It is also using the TurboVision v1.03 Application Frameworks from
Borland, Intl. You will need the library as I cannot distribute it
with my sources (without infringing Borland's copyrights on it.)

Also, I used routines from David Baldwin and Barnaby Falls (these
are noted in the source code) as well as some rip offs from the
Borland's RTL library sources. As usual, creative ripping is good!

.topic About
 About Dialog Box 
  

       *******          * ***
      *       ***      *  ****  *   *
     *         **     *  *  ****   ***
     **        *     *  **   **     *
      ***           *  ***
     ** ***        **   **        ***
      *** ***      **   **         ***
        *** ***    **   **          **
          *** ***  **   **          **
            ** *** **   **          **
             ** **  **  **          **
              * *    ** *      *    **
    ***        *      ***     *     **
   *  *********        *******      *** *
  *     *****            ***         ***
  *

  Silicon Creations, Inc. (another bragbox)

.topic AkaDlg
 System Network Addresses (AKA) 
  

'AKA = Also Known As' - network address setup for this system.

Each networked system has its own unique address (or set of addresses)
on the net. If it belongs to more than one net, this number grows. Each
message area can be restricted to a particular net. This is the address
you wish to use for this area. All messages posted in this area on your
system will be stamped by ProBoard with this originating address. Make
sure you select the correct address or it may confuse some tossers.

.topic AreaName
 File Area Name 
  

Choose a name for this file area. This name can be anything you want.
I suggest you make it descriptive (not just 'Cool Utils').

Hint: use prefixes to group areas. For example, if you belong to SCiNET
and you receive files in a couple of areas, name them with 'SCiNET: ' as
prefix. This way, you can sort the areas later and they will stay grouped,
and users can easily identify areas too.

.topic CancelButton
 Cancel 
  

Pressing this button will cancel the current dialog. All changes you may
have made will not be carried over. Pressing Escape usually does the same.

.topic ChangeRecs
 Global Record Update 
  

This is a very powerful option and must be used with great care. You have
to tag one or more records for this command to work. When you select global
update, you will be presented with a menu from which you can choose which
one setting to update. You cannot change more than one setting at a time.
Depending on the selection, you will be prompted for the new value. There
are a couple of different dialogs you may encounter while doing that:

  (a) Text input (for directories, names, etc.)
      This is the regular input.

  (b) Numeric input (for digits, numbers).
      Make sure you type the correct values.
      Your input is not being validated at all here.

  (c) Yes, No and Cancel dialogs
      This may seem counter-intuitive at first.
      Selecting 'Yes' will turn the option ON.
      Selecting 'No' will turn the option OFF.
      Selecting 'Cancel' will not change it.

After the selection is made, you will be prompted whether you want to
save the global settings. If you choose 'Yes', all tagged records will
be updated immediately. Data is not verified, it will simply be dumped
into the ProBoard configuration. This option is intended for experienced
users only. Use with caution.

.topic ChDir
 Change Directory 
  

This dialog lets you select a directory. Use the tree to navigate through
the drives and paths, or simply type the directory name in the input line
above it. 'Revert' will restore you back to the original startup directory.
You can also choose a directory from the pull-down history list. Choose
'{OK:OKButton}' to accept the new directory name.

.topic Delete
 Delete Record 
  

Delets the currently focused record (highlighted in the list window). Note
that there will be no prompt before deleting it. Also note that this will
cause the rest of the records to be be pulled up by one. This command does
not work with tagged records (ignores them). This is done on purpose to
prevent people from tagging all areas and then accidentally hitting delete.
Note that pressing the 'Del' key accomplishes the same effect.

 {Insert}
 {Edit}
 {Save}

.topic Edit
 Edit Current Record 
  

Edit the current record. This command will pop up a dialog box with the
appropriate fields to edit. If you don't cancel the dialog, you will be
prompted whether you want to update the record on disk. Choosing 'Yes'
will immediately update the record.

 {Insert}
 {Delete}
 {Save}

.topic FileAllGroups
 All Groups 
  

Toggles the 'all groups' flag for the file area. This flag lets you mark
this area as globally belonging to all groups. Very useful with certain
areas of special interest, like the local system file area with listings,
rules and archived bulletins which are free for download. If an area is
set as belonging to 'all groups', it will show up in all listings that
involve group selection (provided the user has access to it).

.topic FileDateFormat
 Date Format for FILES.BBS 
  

Currently, ProBoard supports three different extended formats of the
FILES.BBS listings. This option is ignored if the area is not marked
as {CD-ROM:FileLocal} ('Copy Local' in ProCFG). Depending on where you
are, the FILES.BBS can have different formats. Most utilities will
write them in the American (MM/DD/YY) format and that is why this is
the preferred setting here.

.topic FileDialog
 File Selection Dialog 
  

This dialog lets you select a file from a list of files. You can navigate
through the list using the arrow keys or speed searches (just start typing
the name and the program will attempt to match a file). The directories
are grouped at the end of the listing and are indicated by a backslash (\)
after the name. The '..' indicates the parent directory, if any. You can
use this dialog to change drives too, just type 'D:\*.*' in the input line,
for example, to switch to the root directory of drive 'D'.

.topic FileFlag
 File Area Access Flags 
  

Setting particular flags lets you control access to the file area. Note
that this is all or nothing type of deal. There is no 'view, but don't
download' thing in native ProBoard. You can specify which flags should
be present (those will appear in white) or which should not be present
in the user flag list (those will appear on green background). The setup
is exactly the same as in ProCFG so you should not have any problems.

See also: {Level:FileLevel}

.topic FileFree
 File Area Free 
  

If you set this to 'Yes', all file downloads from this area will not be
counted towards the user daily limits. Be careful with this option for
large areas. Some users will hog the system downloading everything they
can find once they figure out the area is free. I, for example, have the
system listings and my programs for free download, but that's all.

.topic FileGrpSel
 File Area Group Selection 
  

Each file area can be defined as belonging to not more than four groups.
When users select a certain group, only areas in this group will be shown.
Pressing Enter on the input line will pop up a dialog box with a list of
all currently defined groups. Simply select one from the list. You can also
type in the number directly if you so prefer.

.topic FileLevel
 File Area Access Level 
  

This is where you set up the minimum access level required for this area
to be made available. Note that if the user has a level equal to or higher
than this one, they will be given access to the area.

See also: {Flags:FileFlag}

.topic FileList
 File Area List Path 
  

Each file area has its own FILES.BBS (or compatible) file listing. This
is usually located in the directory with the files but does not have to
be there. It is advisable that you keep your listings named FILES.BBS and
placed in the file area directories as there are too many utilities that
will assume this.

You need to specify the full path and name of the file. Press Enter on
the input line to bring up a {file selection dialog:FileDialog}.

If your area has mutlitple directories, this is the path to the master
listing file which will be a concatenation of the individual listings.

FileCFG fully supports the FA_nnn.CTL mechanism for specifying multiple
directories per file area (refer to the ProBoard FAQ on my {WebSite:Contact}
and will automatically update the names of the FA_nnn.CTL files when
necessary.

See also: {File Location:FileLoc}

.topic FileLoc
 File Area File Location 
  

This is the directory path where the files for this area are stored. Even
though you can actually have mutliple directories per file area, it is
not advisable to use the feature as there are not too many programs out
there that support it. Pressing Enter on the input line will bring up a
directory selection dialog box.

See also: {File Listings:FileList}

.topic FileLocal
 Mark Area as CD-ROM 
  

This field is called 'Copy Local' meaning that ProBoard will treat the area
as slow access and copy the files to the local hard drive before letting the
user download them. Please, refer to the ProBoard manual for the location
of the destination directories.

It is important that you set this to 'Yes' for your CD-ROM areas because
the file listings there usually have the extended FILES.BBS format (with
date and file size). Not only this will speed up the operation, but it
will ensure correct file listings.

See also: {Date format:FileDateFormat}

.topic FileMaxFiles
 Maximum Files to Download 
  

Limit the number of files that can be downloaded daily bu users from this
area. Entering '0' in this field will disable this option. You can also use
the {KB:FileMaxKb} restrictions.

.topic FileMaxKb
 Maximum Kilobytes for Area 
  

Limit the total number of kilobytes that can be downloaded from this area.
Use this in conjuction with the {number limit:FileMaxFiles} to enforce
certain restrictions. Entering '0' in this field disables this option.

.topic FileMinAge
 Minimum Age for Access 
  

This field is not editable with ProCFG and I am not sure ProBoard actually
respects it. This number defines the minimum age requirement for an user
to be able to access the files in the area. Entering '0' in this field will
make the area accessible to all people regardless of age (they must still
have the necessary {level:FileLevel} and {flags:FileFlag} though.

.topic FileTops
 File Top Downloads 
  

ProBoard can generate listings with top downloaded files. If you want the
files in this area to be included in those listings, leave this option to
'Yes'. Setting it to 'No' will cause ProBoard not to consider any file from
this area for a top list candidate. Very useful if you have areas with
frequently downloaded files which are not suitable for top listings.

.topic FindFirst
 Search for Text 
  

Scan the list of records and try to match the record name with the search
text. The matching is not case-sensitive. When a match is located, the
record will be focused in the list viewer. Use the {find next:FindNext}
command to continue scanning from the current position.

.topic FindNext
 Find Next 
  

You must use {find first:FindFirst} to initiate the search before you can
use this command. It will continue the scan starting where a previous call
to 'Find first' or 'Find next' left off. If a match is found, the record
will be highlighted in the list viewer.

.topic GlobAKA
 Global Change of AKA 
  

This command allows you to change the AKA address for all tagged areas.
You can {select:AkaDlg} the address from the list you entered in ProBoard.

.topic GlobAllGrps
 Global Change All Groups 
  

Allows you to change the 'All Groups' settings globally. Selecting 'Yes'
in the dialog box will set the flag to ON, 'No' turns it off, and Cancel
will not make any changes. This works regardless of the current setting.

.topic GlobCDROM
 Global CD-ROM Areas 
  

Globally change the CD-ROM (Copy local) flag for the file areas. Selecting
'Yes' will mark the areas as remote (CD-ROM), choosing 'No' will make them
local (hard drive) and Cancel will not make any changes. This will update
the flag regardless of the current setting.

.topic GlobFlags
 Global Flags Change 
  

Globally change the access flags. Regular and reverse flags are supported.
To set a flag, type the letter (or number) that corresponds to it. To
reverse it, type it again (reversing a flag means that the caller must
not have this flag in order to get access).

.topic GlobFree
 Global Set as Free 
  

Globally mark file area as free. An area marked as free lets the user
download any files from it without subtracting from the current download
limits. Be careful with this option as a lot of users are real bbs hogs.

.topic GlobKillDays
 Global Kill After Days 
  

ProBoard's maintenance utility (PBUTIL) can fully maintain your Hudson
and/or JAM message bases. With this option, you can set up the number of
days to keep messages in the areas. The utility will delete them when
run if they are older than this number of days. I find it useful to have
this number set between 10 and 21, depending on the message traffic and
the interest of my callers. This option works globally and will modify
all tagged areas.

If you are using Squish or *.MSG, you are on your own. As far as I know,
you will need to use their programs to do the maintenance and those do
not use this setting.

.topic GlobKillRecv
 Global Kill Received After Days 
  

Globally set the number of days to keep received messages. All messages
that have been read by the individuals they were addressed to, will be
deleted after this number of days. A setting of 1 or 2 is generally
enough here. This only works for the JAM and Hudson areas. Squish and
Fido *.MSG users will have to use the configuration options of the
respective programs.

This option will change the setting for all tagged records.

.topic GlobLevel
 Global Access Level 
  

Change the minimum security level needed to access the particular group
or area. Note that area security overrides group settings (if the level
required for the area is higher than the one required for the group, the
one for the area will be applied).

This will let you change this setting for all tagged records.

.topic GlobList
 Global File List Location 
  

Change the drive and root directory for the file listing locations for
the tagged file areas. You can type a drive letter only to change the
drive and you can type the drive letter and a root directory to change
those too. This is very useful when moving areas around physically. For
example, if you had 'C:\COOL\FILES\LIST.BBS' as the original setting
and you type 'D:\FILEBASE' in the dialog box, the new resulting path will
be 'D:\FILEBASE\COOL\FILES\LIST.BBS'. You can change the drive letter only
by typing 'D:' only, for example.

.topic GlobLoc
 Global File Location 
  

This allows you to change the file location globally for all tagged areas.
This is the directory where the files are. This option is very useful if
you move the areas physically to a new drive or new root directory. You
can change the drive and/or the drive and directory in one shot. If you
changed the BBS file base drive from 'D' to 'E', you would enter 'E:' in
the dialog box and this will update the areas correctly.

.topic GlobMaxFiles
 Global Max Files 
  

Change the maximum number of files allowed for download from the tagged
areas. The user will not be able to download more than this number of
files during the call. Setting this field to 0 (the usual situation) will
disable the feature and allow unlimited (actually, limited by the security
setup) downloads from the areas (the recommended setting).

 {Max KBytes:GlobMaxKB}

.topic GlobMaxKB
 Global Max Kbytes 
  

This option is very similar to the global {files:GlobMaxFiles} limit setup,
but instead of file numbers, it works on file sizes. Specify the number of
Kilobytes (Bytes / 1024) that the users can download from this area at one
time. Setting this field to 0 will disable this option.

 {Max files:GlobMaxFiles}

.topic GlobMaxMsgs
 Global Max Messages 
  

This option lets you define the maximum number of messages allowed in the
particular area. This works only for JAM and Hudson areas and will be
enforced during the maintenance (purge option with PBUTIL). All excessive
messages will be deleted to trim down the number. Even though JAM is very
forgiving with respect to the number of messages per area, Hudson bases
can become very flakey with large volumes of messages (the whole base is
limited to about 16 Mb). I suggest you be conservative woth those numbers
for the Hudson base.

This will set the number for all tagged areas.

.topic GlobMBase
 Global Base Format 
  

Change the format of all the tagged message areas. ProBoard supports four
different formats: Hudson, JAM, Squish, and Fido *.MSG. Be very careful
with this option as it may have side-effects that you have not expected.

.topic GlobMKind
 Global Message Kind 
  

Change the area kind for all tagged areas. Areas can be local, netmail,
echomail and private echomail. Even though global operation is not very
useful for this type of setting, I decided to throw it in as a bonus.

.topic GlobMName
 Global Area Name Options 
  

Change the area poster's name options for all tagged areas. The options
include enforced real name, free alias, alias or real name, and alias
only enforced. Again, this may not be very useful in global opreations.

.topic GlobMType
 Global Message Type 
  

This selects the default status of the messages posted to these areas. The
messages can be private, public, public and private (user chooses), and
to-all (great for system announcements). Generally, netmail is private,
echomail is public, and system messages are in to-all areas.

.topic GlobOrigin
 Global Origin Line 
  

Change the default origin line for the range of tagged areas. If this
field is left blank, the origin line from ProCFG will be used by ProBoard.
Origin lines should be short and say something about your system (usually)
and it is a good idea to have different origin lines depending on the
conference (show off your creativity a little).

.topic GlobSFlags
 Global Sysop Flags 
  

Set the sysop flags (and reverse flags) for all tagged message areas. If
a user has the required sysop flags and level, the system will let them
delete, export (and others) messages in the area. Careful with this one.

 {Global Sysop level:GlobSLevel}

.topic GlobSLevel
 Global Sysop Level 
  

This lets you define the sysop level for all tagged message areas. The
sysop level is another aspect of the sysop access to message areas. Sysop
access means maintenance options and other goodies. Careful with this one.

 {Global Sysop flags:GlobSFlags}

.topic GlobSysop
 Global Sysop Name 
  

Here you can change the name of the person considered a 'Sysop' for all the
tagged message areas. All messages posted to 'Sysop' in those areas will be
automatically posted to that person. If left blank, the real sysop will
receive the messages. This is useful if you have CoSysops or persons that
maintain the message areas themselves.

.topic GlobTops
 Global Show in Tops 
  

Set the 'Show in TOPFILES' flag for all tagged file areas. If this flag is
set, files downloaded from the areas will appear in the topfiles listings
(if they are indeed top!). If set to 'No', then the files will be ignored
regardless of the number of downloads. Useful for certain things like areas
with distributable files (nodelists) as your callers rarely have any special
interest for those.

.topic GlobWFlags
 Global Write Flags 
  

Specify the flags needed for the user to have (or not have) in order to be
able to write messages in the tagged areas. You can use both the normal
(required) and reverse (must not have them) flags. Great for restricting
the Sysop and message areas.

 {Global write level:GlobWLevel}

.topic GlobWLevel
 Global Write Level 
  

Specify the level needed for the user to be able to post messages in all
tagged areas. The user must also have the necessary access flags. Great
for restricting the announcement areas so that users cannot write any
announcements themselves. :-)

 {Global write flags:GlobWFlags}

.topic GotoNum
 Goto Record Number 
  

This command allows you to jump to a specific record number directly. Just
type the number in the box provided. If found, the record will appear
highlighted in the list viewer box. Note that actual numbers are used, and
not the ones that may be visible on the screen. Choose '{Renumber}' to
synchronize the numbers.

.topic GroupFlags
 Group Flags 
  

The flags neccessary for users to access areas in this group. You can use
both normal and reverse flags for more security. Note that the group flags
can be overriden individually by each area.

 {Group level:GroupLevel}

.topic GroupLevel
 Group Level 
  

The minimum security level required in order for users to be able to access
the areas in this group. Note that area level defintion will take precedence
(if higher than this one) and thus you can have individual overrides.

 {Group flags:GroupFlags}

.topic GroupName
 Group Name 
  

Choose a descriptive name for your users to see. This can be anything you
might come up with. Don't assume callers always know what you are talking
about (EFF might mean something to you, but not to them :-)

BTW, I have a group called EFF and people ask me about it all the time! :)

.topic HelpOnHelp
 Help on help 
  

To use the help system, press F1 on any item of interest. Generally, you
will see a single screen with a concise description. If there are any
hypertext links (in different color), you can select them using either
the arrow or tab (shift-tab) keys and jump to them by pressing Enter or
clicking them with the mouse.

.topic Insert
 Insert a New Record 
  

This command inserts an empty record at the current highlight position.
Note that all areas following it will be shifted downwards. The record
will be empty but can be edited as a normal record afterwards. You will
need to manually {Save} the data before you can edit an individual record.

.topic ListBox
 Record List Viewer 
  

This is the window where all the records are listed. Use the up and down
arrows to move the selection bar, Home and End to move it to the top and
bottom of the currently visible window, PageUp and PageDown to scroll the
window contents and Ctrl+PageUp / Ctrl+PageDown to move to the beginning
or end of the list.

Space bar will toggle the tag of the current item and advance the selection
bar down if possible. F5 tags all records for group processing. F6 untags
all records and F7 toggles all tags (the tags will be cleared and the ones
that were not tagged will be).

You can use the mouse to select an item by clicking on it with the left
button. Advanced dragging is available with the right button: just place
the selection bar on the record you want to drag and then, press and hold
the right button, and drag the record up and down. You can quickly swap
two records that are both visible in the list by selecting the first with
the left button and then clicking the right button on the other one.

You can also select a range of areas by selecting the first one and then
holding down the Shift key and clicking with the left mouse button. This
will select the range of records between the clicked one and the old one.
If you use Control+left-click, the effect is the same as pressing Space.

.topic MesgAka
 Message AKA Address 
  

Select the system network address to use for this area. All messages that
are posted on your system in this area will be stamped with this identifying
address. Generally, you would use the address for the network this area
belongs to. You may press Enter to use a pop-up list of all the addressed
you have defined in ProCFG.

 {AKA Dialog:AkaDlg}

.topic MesgAllGroups
 Area Belongs to All Groups 
  

If you select 'Yes', then the area will be listed always when a user chooses
to use the group option. This makes the area visible regardless of the
group selected. This is generally useful for local system areas that you
want your users to see no matter what.

 {Groups:MesgGroupNum}

.topic MesgAreaName
 Message Area Name 
  

This is the (hopefully informative) name you choose for this message area.
This can be anything you want and it is recommended that you put some
thought in the process of assigning names. You can group areas by name by
using a common prefix, say [SCiNET] for all message areas from SCiNET. This
way users can tell what they are looking at, and this way FileCFG will sort
the areas and keep them together.

.topic MesgBase
 Message Base Format 
  

Choose the message base format for this area. Hints: use Fido *.MSG of this
is going to be a NetMail area. Use Hudson for the areas local to your BBS,
like System Announcements. Use Squish or/and JAM for the rest of the BBS.
Please refer to the ProBoard FAQ available at my {WebSite:Contact} for more
information and suggestions about this topic.

 {Kind:MesgKind}
 {Type:MesgType}
 {Name:MesgName}

.topic MesgEcho
 Message Area Echo Tag 
  

Each echo area has a unique identifier called a tag which is assigned by
the people that create the echo. You cannot freely choose a tag, you must
use the official one from the EchoList (this list should be avialble from
your Uplink upon request or by sending a %QUERY message to AreaMgr). The
name is not case-sensitive, but it is customary to use upper-case in this
field. This field might not be the same as the {QWK:MesgQwk} entry.

.topic MesgGroupNum
 Message Area Groups 
  

Each message area can belong to zero or more (up to four) message groups.
Groups are used for organizing areas together in some logical order, like
all areas dealing with programming might go in a separate group and all
areas for a certain network might go to another. Pressing Enter in this
field will pop up a list will all currently defined groups, you can choose
one of them.

 {All Groups:MesgAllGroups}

.topic MesgHudson
 Hudson Area Number 
  

The purpose of this field is unclear, it seems to be always set to 0. I
suggest you don't mess around with it unless you figure out what purpose
it serves. Maybe Philippe will tell us one day?

.topic MesgKillDays
 Kill After Days 
  

This sets the number of days to keep messages in this area. Messages older
than this number will be purged during maintenance. Note that this only
works with Hudson and JAM areas for which PBUTIL is used to do all the
necessary work. As far as I know, Fido *.MSG and Squish users must use
the confgurations for their particular programs. A good setting here
depends on the particular area, with values from 7 to 21 not uncommon.

 {Kill received:MesgKillRecv}
 {Maximum messages:MesgMax}

.topic MesgKillRecv
 Kill Received After 
  

This option is similar to {Kill Messages:MesgKillDays} but it only applies
to messages that have been received by the person they were for. It is not
usually necessary to keep those around for more than a couple of days.

 {Maximum messages:MesgMax}
 {Days to keep:MesgKillDays}

.topic MesgKind
 Message Area Kind 
  

Each message area can be one of four kinds: local (messages are only to
and from this system and they never get out to other BBS'), netmail (direct
contact with almost all other BBS' in the net(s), good for Sysops, not
generally good to let callers use), echomail (all FidoNet and compatible
message transfer systems use this), and private echomail (this is the same
as echomail, except private messages are allowed: not a good idea for the
public echoes, and generally frowned upon by many).

 {Type:MesgType}
 {Base:MesgBase}
 {Name:MesgName}

.topic MesgMax
 Maximum Messages 
  

Maximum amount of messages to keep in this area at any one time. Note that
this will not be enforced until maintenance runs with the purging option.
This setting only works for Hudson and JAM areas for which PBUTIL is used.
Squish and Fido *.MSG users should refer to their respective utilities.

 {Days to keep:MesgKillDays}
 {Kill received:MesgKillRecv}

.topic MesgMinAge
 Minimum Age 
  

This field is not available in ProCFG and (probably) defines the minimum
age required to access a particular message area. I don't know if ProBoard
respects it or not, but if it does, this can be very useful for adult
systems with validated callers.

.topic MesgName
 Message Name Options 
  

Each message area has certain name options that lets the Sysop control how
messages get posted. Users can be forced to use their real name, their
own alias, choose a free alias, or choose between their name and alias.
Generally, the FidoNet echoes do not like aliases, so the echo areas should
be set to 'Real Names Only'. In an alias-only system, you would want all
local messages to be posted under an alias (certain echoes, like FLAME
also lean towards this), so you would set it to 'Fixed Alias'. If you want
to have even more fun, select 'Free Alias' which would let users choose
an alias each time they post a message. If you want to let the users choose
between their name and their alias, set this area to 'Real Name  or Fixed
Alias'. Thus, each time they post a message, they will be prompted if they
want to use their alias instead of the real name.

 {Type:MesgType}
 {Kind:MesgKind}
 {Base:MesgBase}

.topic MesgOrigin
 Message Origin	Line 
  

Each message area can have its own distinct origin line (show your creativity
here). It's a good idea to have topical origin lines with regards to the
individual area. For good ideas on origin lines, see the TAGLINES FidoNet
echo. If this is left undefined, the defaul origin line from ProCFG will
be used instead. Do not append your network address here, it is added by
ProBoard automatically.

.topic MesgPath
 Message Area Path 
  

This field depends on the type of {message base:MesgBase} used. For Hudson,
leave this field blank (the Messagebase path in ProCFG will be used). This
is because all Hudson areas share the same set of files. For Squish and JAM,
type the directory and the root file name (no extension) for the area. The
two use a separate set of files with the same name and different extensions
to manage the area. For Fido *.MSG, type a directory name only. This format
uses one file per message to store the messages and only requires the name
of the directory.

.topic MesgQwk
 Message QWK Tag 
  

QWK-compatible software as well as some offline mail doors like BlueWave
require this field to be set to some unique string for identifying
purposes. Note that this field is not the same as the {Echo Tag:MesgEcho}
and should be set separately. Unlike the latter, this one is defined by
you and only works for your system. I usually type the EchoMail tag in
this field because those are unique already. If it's too long, I just
truncate it. Use of all uppercase here is customary.

.topic MesgReply
 Reply Board Number 
  

This is the number of the message area where all replies will be posted
to instead of this one. This is great if you have a To-Sysop area and you
want your replies to be posted in a world-accessible area. Simply give
the area number here. Note that 0 in this field means you want messages
to be posted to the same area (default), you do not need to give the area
number in the reply field in this case.

FileCFG keeps track of those numbers and if you decide to move areas
around, it will automatically adjust those numbers for you to match the
new areas.

.topic MesgSysop
 Area Sysop Name 
  

Users can post messages addressed to 'Sysop'. If you want someone else to
receive those (Co-Sysop or the person maintaining the echo), type the name
in this field. Leave blank for real sysop (default).

.topic MesgType
 Message Area Type 
  

Message areas can be private (users can only see messages addressed to
them), public only (users cannot post private messages there), private
or public (users can choose what type of message to post) or 'To-All'.
The first is generally useful for local private areas. The next one is
good for 'Message to Sysop' which can be made public so that other users
benefit from the information or private if it's for the Sysop only. The
third one, public only, is good for FidoNet echomail areas. The last
one (and often overlooked) is the To-All type which lets you post mail
to all users (kind of). They will see the messages posted in this area
in their new mail scan.

 {Name:MesgName}
 {Kind:MesgKind}
 {Base:MesgBase}

.topic Move
 Move Tagged Records 
  

You need to have tagged one or more records for this command to work. It
will simply move all tagged areas and group them right after the selection
bar. The empty areas that will be generated will be removed. Use the
{Renumber} command to fix the display of the area numbers if you want.

 {Sort}

.topic OKButton
 OK Button 
  

Accept the settings in the current dialog box.

.topic Pack
 Pack Records 
  

Packing means removing empty entries from the list. This operation will
remove all empty records. It is not reversible and should be used with
care. That's why you will be prompted once again if you want to do it.

.topic ReadFlags
 Read Flags 
  

The security flags required for the user to have (or not have) in order
to be able to read messages in this area.

 {Read level:ReadLevel}
 {Write flags:WriteFlags}
 {Sysop flags:SysopFlags}

.topic ReadLevel
 Read Level 
  

The minimum level required for user to have in order to read messages in
this area.

 {Read flags:ReadFlags}
 {Write level:WriteLevel}
 {Sysop level:SysopLevel}

.topic Renumber
 Renumber Records 
  

When moving areas around, FileCFG does not automatically adjust the numbers
for you. This is done so you can verify correct operation. Once done, choose
this command to synchronize the internal numbers with the display. Note that
this command does no saving of the data, it simply matches the numbers in
memory with the numbers you see.

.topic Save
 Save 
  

Save all data to disk. It might be necessary to use this after inserting
new empty records and before editing any record.

.topic Sort
 Move and Sort 
  

This works exactly like the {Move} command except it will also sort the
records by name when grouping them together.

.topic SysopFlags
 Sysop Flags 
  

Flags required for Sysop access to this message area. Sysops can do a lot
more than general users. Messages can be deleted, exported, and forwarded.

 {Sysop level:SysopLevel}
 {Read flags:ReadFlags}
 {Write flags:WriteFlags}

.topic SysopLevel
 Sysop Level 
  

The level required for Sysop access to this area. Again, this is a very
powerful feature, don't let a lot of your users have access to it.

 {Sysop flags:SysopFlags}
 {Read level:ReadLevel}
 {Write level:WriteLevel}

.topic WriteFlags
 Write Flags 
  

Flags required for user to have (or not have) in order to be able to write
messages in this area. Additional control is available via the
{level:WriteLevel} setting.

 {Read level:ReadLevel}
 {Sysop level:SysopLevel}

.topic WriteLevel
 Write Level 
  

Minimum level a user has to have in order to be able to write to this area.
This should be used in conjunction with {flags:WriteFlags} for additional
control if you wish.

 {Write flags:WriteFlags}
 {Read flags:ReadFlags}
 {Sysop flags:SysopFlags}
