5.0  Language Support

       5.01 How does the language system in Telegard work?

               The language system of Telegard is virtually the backbone
               of how to customize the software.  It allows the Sysop to
               configure his system in every detail.  Telegard 3.0+ no
               longer has an internal strings list, but rather all
               user-displayed strings are stored in an external language
               file.

               The default of which is ENGLISH.TXT in your /language/
               folder.  To change this file, use a standard text editor to
               modify the entries you wish to update.  NOTE: Some text
               editors strip spaces off the end of edited lines; this
               unfortunately causes problems when used with the Telegard
               language file since there are trailing spaces which are
               required for some strings (using QEdit with the trailing
               space stripping disabled, for instance).

               After changing any language file, you must recompile it. From
               your /language/ directory, run "C:\BBS\LANGUAGE\MAKELANG
               " and this will compile your new
language strings.

               The language system is fairly extensive, and just about every
               user-displayed string can be configured in any manner you
               like.  For more information, see the header in ENGLISH.TXT,
               and don't forget about the *.REF files in the /docs/ folder.

       5.02 How do I display files from a language line?

               If you know a language string/item would be large its best to
               save this data into a file (using standard Telegard file types
               like .ANS, .MSG or .RIP).  On the line you wish to display 
               this file you should supply the filename (with no extension)
               next to the string number.  You should add a {at} (at sign)
               character in front of the filename.  For example if you have
               somemenu.msg for string item 1485 it would look like this

                        1485 {at}somemenu

               The file you use should be placed in the text path you define
               for that language file in the language manager.  Menus 
               can also be done in this similar way.
               
       5.03 How do I run scripts from a language line?

               As with files to display scripts can further customize your
               system to your liking.  Instead of simple questions or
               things to do Telegard can run scripts instead.  For example
               there is a line that tells the user he has not voted on
               some questions yet.  If you replace this line with a script
               that will tell them this and then force them to vote it
               would be very easy.  To run scripts on a language line you
               would use a $ (dollar sign) in front of the filename (no
               extension).  So in this it might look like

                        0369 $vote

               Where vote.scr (and any script you use) would be placed in
               your \text directory with other Telegard displayable files.
               These scripts can be given parameters like

                        0369 $vote ~CN

               Which would tell the script its for a certain node.
              
       5.04 How do I use the ~&x MCI codes in other places?

               The ~&x MCI codes are localized MCI codes, and may or may not
               have the correct value outside of their intended scope.  The
               MCI does will always display whatever their set contents are,
               however, using the MCI outside of the lines for which the MCI
               was intended may result in unpredictable strings since the
               contents aren't guaranteed not to change after the intended
               lines have been displayed.

       5.05 How do I disable script logging (my logs keep filling up with my
            pause scripts, etc.)?

               To disable script logging from your SysOp logs, add a * after
               the filename (i.e. $scriptnm* will disable scripting for the
               script "scriptnm").  Note that script commands can not have 
               paths or extensions; including either may cause this feature 
               to be ignored!
       
       5.06  Are you sure it's okay to change the language file?

               Absolutely--that is the reason the language file exists.
               The language system of Telegard is the heart of the bbs you 
               run.  You can use any text (ascii) editor, and there are 
               several TG language editors out there as well which show the 
               language file in full color.  
               
               Anything you edit in the language file determines your level 
               of overall bbs customization.  Don't be afraid to play with 
               the language file.  Good rule of thumb it so keep a backup 
               just in case.  Don't forget to re-compile your language file 
               when your changes are complete.
               
               Remember the other caveats from section 5.01.
              
       5.07 What is this new line 0344 in the g2-sp3 language file?
               
               It allows full screen ansi logins to position the cursor for
               things like error messages, illegal logons or just maybe to
               clear the screen via ~SC.
               
       6.0  Message Areas
       
       6.01 How do I remove deleted messages from Telegard?

               Telegard uses JAM and Squish message bases because they are 
               standardized.  Standardized formats allow external utilities 
               to easily work with Telegard, without the need of a conversion 
               program (/a la TELEMAIL).  For these reasons as well, we have
               not taken the time to develop a message base packer for 
               Telegard --  it's development time that we just don't have.

       6.02 What external message packers are available?
               
               There are several external packers available -- some with 
               freeware/evaluation packages, others with shareware packages:
           
               Gecho 1.10+       Registered Only    MBUTIL     JAM
               FastEcho 1.45a    Shareware          FEUTILS    JAM
               Fmail 1.02g       Shareware          FTOOLS     JAM
               Squish 1.11       Shareware          SQPACK     Squish

               If you use these programs already you should consult their
               full documentation on how to purge messages.  There might
               also be Telegard support files that will delete messages as
               well like Msgpack (for example MPACK102.ZIP).
              
       6.03  How do I allow user file attaches?
                
               File attaches are enabled in Telegard, but the popular JAM 
               tossers do not support or do not correctly support incoming
               and outgoing messages.  We suggest limiting attaches to local
               bases *ONLY* for now.  To give users this ability you will
               need to give them the access you defined in the message
               system configuration -> access system (option I-netmail
               attach).  If they qualify they will have an option upon
               saving their messages to attach files.  However, you will
               have to make the message base itself permit such attachs. To
               do this enter the message base editor, edit the flags (option
               n) and toggle the F toggle.

       6.04 How do I edit messages once they are posted?
               
               Editing of messages will *not* be added to Telegard.  Tim has
               his personal reasons, and while he realizes that it is an
               often requested feature, he refuses to submerge his values
               for others on everything -- he will implement some features
               he doesn't agree with, this won't be one of them!  Setup an
               external SysOp editor (TimEd, GoldEd, etc) to the editing of
               messages if you so desire.  Or export/capture the message,
               delete the post, and resend it.

       6.05 How do I get a full screen editor in Telegard?
         
               Telegard does not have an internal full screen editor.

               However, Telegard works quite well with external FSE
               programs!  Telegard 3.1 has been tested with IceEdit (v2.35,
               Ice Technologies), QuikEdit (the followup to IceEdit, v2.40,
               Matrix Technologies), Gedit (v2.10, The Developers Network,
               1:170/303) and QuickEd (v1.nn, Dror Tirosh).  Other FSE
               programs have not been tested, and may not work that well
               with Telegard (i.e.  TopEd and it's awkward multinode
               configuration/expectations).

               To add any of these editors, all you will need to do is
               install and setup the FSE as normal.  Enter the message
               system configuration and you will find several options for
               FSEs.  Option U should be supplied with the command line to
               run the FSE while Option W should be given the FSE dropfile
               format so Telegard can work with it.

       6.06 Why does Telegard not have an internal FSE?

               Internal full screen editing will *not* be added to Telegard
               in the near future.  Our development time is limited to new
               features -- since many FSE programs already exist, some with 
               extended TG3 support, we refuse to re-invent the wheel while
               we have other areas of concern.

               If a full screen editor is written for Telegard, and the
               source code released to the Telegard team, we are willing to
               take the time to integrate said code into Telegard.

       6.07  How do I get my mail batch file to recognize that messages were 
             posted during the last call?  What errorlevels are used?

               Telegard does *not* exit with special errorlevels when the 
               user has posted a new netmail or echomail message.  Instead, 
               Telegard creates semaphore files in your /semaphore/ directory. 

               To use those files, you would check for their existence, 
               process is necessary, and then delete the files.  The files are 
               as follows:
        
                ECHOMAIL.TGS    ; Echomail in a Squish area
                ECHOMAIL.TGJ    ; Echomail in a JAM area
                NETMAIL.TGS     ; Netmail in a Squish area
                NETMAIL.TGJ     ; Netmail in A JAM area

               You will need to consult your mailer's documentation on how
               to process these files.  For example in Gecho all you would
               need is have gecho look for the file and then you would just
               use a Gecho Scan -Quick command line.  Where -Quick tells
               that to use only the data in the semaphore file (which speeds
               things up rather than scan and check every message base).

       6.08  How do I get the mail waiting (MW) command to update lastread 
             pointers when the scanning is done?

               Message bases only update the lastread pointer if using the
               NEWSCAN option.  This is done *on purpose*.  Reading forwards
               through a base, or for that matter, reverse, would cause the
               highread to be set when it wasn't meant to be set.  This is 
               not a bug, and infact, is a rather useful and powerful 
               feature (which we won't change now or in the future --
               sorry).

       6.09  How do I get nodelist lookups to work?  What nodelist formats 
             does Telegard use?
        
               For nodelist lookups to work for your netmail areas, you must
               compile a Version 6 or Version 7 nodelist.  These formats of 
               nodelists can be compiled by most popular nodelist compilers; 
               Qnode, XLaxNode, and several others.  FrontDoor (and 
               Intermail) use proprietary nodelists which Telegard can not 
               support.  Once you have a compiled nodelist all you will
               need is to add the link to Telegard.  Enter the Telegard
               message system configuration and use option X.  You will
               need to tell it the type of nodelist (v6 or v7) and where
               the compiled nodelist is found at.
         
       6.10  What are the limits to the message system?
               
               DOS and most operating systems can't handle a large number of 
               files in any given directory.  Remember this and try and keep 
               your directories limited to a smaller number of files; each 
               JAM/Squish area requires 5 data files, and thus storing 100 
               areas in one directory results in 500 files.
               
               Separating the files into categories (most notably, Networks) 
               can cut down on access time for those files.  It's more 
               significant on multinode systems, but I suggest keeping the 
               number of files to somewhere between 100 and 150, meaning 
               keep the number of areas per directory to around 30.

       
       7.0  File Areas

       7.01 How do I import new protocols?

               Telegard uses an advanced setup mechanism for protocols, 
               archivers and modems.  We provide working setups which have 
               been tested for the most popular products, and allow you to 
               quickly import these setups and us as-is.  Most of these 
               setups do not require any form of modification.

               To import the release setups for protocols, archivers and 
               modems, goto the respective area, select the item to define, 
               select option (!)Definition Files, select (I)mport and select 
               the correct item to import.  Telegard gamma-3 also prompts 
               when adding/deleting these items if you wish to import a pre-
               define definition.
               
               If at all possible, DO THIS.  It will save you many headaches
               when trying to setup these external programs on your system.

       7.02 My LHA protocol is messing up, why?
               
               LHA troubleshooting -- If you are using LHA/LZH on your 
               system, make sure you run a version which is compatible with 
               extracting to a specific path.  I personally use LHA 2.05.  
               If you have problems unpacking mail/files from an LHA archive 
               -- then try changing ~AP to ~AP\ in the definition, and if it 
               *still* doesn't work, try removing ~AP entirely from the 
               definition.
              
       7.03 My RAR protocol is messing up, why?
               
               RAR troubleshooting -- RAR encrypted archive handling 
               (archives w/ file passwords) is _very_ poor.  To ensure that 
               RAR does not mess up files on your system, use the RAR 
               definition included with Telegard -- it has been tested with 
               version 1.54/1.55.

       7.04 My DSZ/GSZ protocols seems to not work, why?
           
               DSZ/GSZ configuration -- If you are using non-standard port 
               setups for your communications, then you will need to update 
               your DSZ/GSZ protocol definitions.  Change "PORT
~CP" to "
               PORTX ~CJ,~CI" and that should alleviate the problems.  Make 
               sure that within Telegard you have your modem BASE I/O 
               ADDRESS and IRQ set properly as well (single nodes -> Config.
               Modem, multiple nodes -> Manager.Nodes.Modem).

       7.05 Why is BIMODEM not working well with Telegard?
         
               BIMODEM troubleshooting -- don't bother.  BiModem is *not* 
               worth the effort because it has poor error handling and is 
               prone to problems.  If you really must use BiModem, then set 
               it up from the docs as if you were using DSZ compatibility, 
               and then use the DSZ definition as a base definition, updating 
               only the protocol command lines and description.

       7.06 General protocol troubleshooting
      
               Protocol troubleshooting, in general -- There are several 
               things to check when troubleshooting protocol problems:
           
                 (1) Are you using non-standard ports?  If YES, you will 
                     likely need to modify your protocols so they know this.
                 
                 (2) Have you set the log options correctly?  Check by 
                     looking at a imported definition for examples -- or 
                     better yet, *use* an imported definition.  If you have
                     a SET DSZLOG= statement *outside* of Telegard, remove it 
                     so as not to interfere with protocol SET statement.

                 (3) Is your environment size big enough for the SET= 
                     statement used by the protocol?  DOS defaults the 
                     environment to 256 bytes.  If you have increased your
                     environment or are getting close to the 256 byte mark 
                     outside of Telegard, then you need to increase the 
                     environment *inside* Telegard -- setup environment size 
                     under SystemConfig.e(X)ternal.
       
       7.07 Can Telegard handle long filenames like in Win95? 

               Telegard has very much been designed for DOS 8+3 filename 
               type systems.  To change this would require some of the guts 
               of the system to be removed and reworked, and in all honesty, 
               I'm not going to make the effort.  File systems which use 
               longer filenames can also use 8+3 format -- so use that format 
               for BBS related files.  Windows '95 users can use the 
               SHORTFILE name for backwards compatibility.


       8.0  Doors

       8.01 How can I show real names in my doors?       

               To supply the door the real names only all you need to do is
               add R; in front of the options (option #5 on door menu item)
               command line to run the door.  So for example BRE might look 
               like this:

                        R;c:\game\bre\bre.bat

       8.02 How can I not log door use?

               To not show the door usage into the sysop logs you can just
               add L; in front of the options command line of the menu item
               (option #5 of door menu item).  So for example bre might look
               like this:

                        L;c:\game\bre\bre.bat
       
       8.03 How can I limit door time use?

               There are two ways to limit door use.  The first is through
               the ACS system like through time of day limits and such.  The
               second method is to simply add Mn (where n is the number of
               minutes to limit that player in the door) to the options 
               command line of the door menu item (option #5).  So for
               example you could limit a bre player to 45 minutes time by:

                        M45;c:\game\bre\bre.bat

       8.04 Why are there two door.sys formats in Telegard?

               The DOOR.SYS file (Menu DG) has been updated to reflect the 
               *correct* format of the DOOR.SYS file created by GAP.  This 
               means that the REAL NAME of the user is *always* sent instead 
               of the realname/alias toggle we previously used, and in 
               addition, the handle is sent later in the DOOR.SYS file.

               If you use doors which use the DOOR.SYS and also keep user 
               information, the new format will cause those doors not to 
               recognize the users as active players/etc.  If this is the 
               case you have two options--update the 'player name' id entries 
               in your DOOR.SYS to use the real name instead of the handle, 
               or use the OLDDOORS.SCR file to create an old DOOR.SYS 
               compatible drop file.  I honestly suggest a slow progression 
               to the new, and proper, drop file format.  This script file
               can be found in your \text directory.

               SysOps who use R; (real name force) in their DOOR.SYS drop 
               file commands should have no problems--the file is of 
               compatible format.

       8.05 Why is there a doorfile.scr script?     

               A proper DOORFILE.SCR was included which has the new REAL NAME
               line for the DOORFILE.SR generation.  This is used for 
               duplicate checking for the Solar Realm games, and certain 
               somebodies may not like if you put this new script in . . . 
               (infact, I'm honestly not sure what effect it will have).
       
       8.06  How do I handle doors in multi-node setups?
         
               Door drop files are stored in /TEMPnnn/ under multinode 
               systems.  When running doors under a multinode system, it 
               is suggested that you look at several things:
               
                (a) Can the door handle more than one node at once?  If 
                    not, you will need to use the script SINGLE.SCR -- read
                    it for implementation instructions.
                (b) If the door can handle more than one node, it *should*
                    have the ability to point to the directory containing 
                    the door drop files -- use /TEMP%1/ with the ~CN 
                    command in your batch file to pass the node directory.

       
       9.0  Scripts       
       
       9.01 How do I parse IF/NOT statements for empty strings?
         
               To parse IF/IFNOT statements for empty strings (""), try
               putting a dummy character on either side of the test: i.e. 
               IF "!~&1" "!" will parse only if
~&1 == NULL, and replaces the 
               logical statement of IF "~&1" ""
which most of us would try.
               This is similar to the logical problems in .BAT files and the 
               token based parsing of the current script language.

       9.02 My scripts do not seem to run, why?

               The two most common mistakes on this are:

               (1) The script MUST be placed in your text directory and
               (2) You do not need to supply the .scr extension while using
                   the -E menu command and the like

       9.03 What are the newuser.scr, logon.scr and logoff.scr scripts for?

               These are standard scripts which Telegard calls automatically
               for your system.

               The newuser.scr script is called after a new user has
               completed filling our their application and sending a new
               user letter (if required), but before actually logging into
               the system.

               The logon.scr script is called during the logon sequence.  As
               Telegard scripts become more powerful, your entire login
               sequence will be contained in this logon script file.

               The logoff.scr script is called when a user has asked to be
               logged off the system (any of the hangup commands).

       9.04 How do I use the scripts?

               You should use scripts to replace menu items which take up
               space or you wish to perform some complex action or task.
               You can run scripts from within the menu system or in the 
               language system.  This will save menu editing and space.  You
               should consult the \docs\script.ref reference file for the
               various commands you can use in script files.  You do not
               need to know any level of programming.

       9.05 Why do some of my menu commands not work in scripts?

               You will need to experiment with script commands to get
               the full effect of them.  However there are cases where
               you get some menu commands to work and others do not. For
               example the script line MENU UR works fine by itself and
               MENU DG c:\game\bre\bre.bat does as well.  But why does
               a command like MENU MA 2 not work?  This depends on the
               options for that menu command.  If you notice this type
               of situation not working delete the space between the command
               and option like MENU MA2 and it will work.  

       9.06 What is this {at}*{at} stuff in scripts?

               You will notice the use of this in doorsys.scr for example.
               This acts like a script parameter which replaces what
               the script was given by Telegard as a parameter.

               {at}*{at} will take all parameters passed to the script, while
               using {at}n{at} with n being 1 to 9, you will take the n'th
               parameter passed to the script.

       
       10.0  Miscellaneous

       10.01 What does ACS/MCI stand for?

               These terms have been lost with history, as they have been
               around Telegard since the project started, some 10+ years
               ago.

               ACS stands for Access Control System which controls the 
                   overall security for Telegard.  If there is a security
                   hole in your bbs it will be in the ACS system you define
                   for that area of the bbs.

               MCI stands for Macro Command Interpreter which is a way of
                   displaying items or checking information of items in
                   a easy and efficient way by replacing that mci code with
                   the information needed.  MCI might also stand for
                   Message Command Interface.  The true definition of ACS
                   and MCI is murky on what they stood for.

       10.02 When and where are the IRC chat sessions?

               The IRC (Internet Relay Chat) sessions are held on the IRC
               SysopNet servers.  For a list of such servers consult the
               web page www.sysopnet.org.  The channel we use is #telegard
               and the day is Sunday night.  The chats tend to be every
               other sunday night (you should check the channel topic for
               more info) usually around 7:30-9pm EST (USA daylight savings
               time).  Come join us!  How can you attend?  You will need
               to setup a IRC client.  Some popular ones are Mirc, Pirch,
               Virch and OpenChat to name a few.  This is your chance to
               talk to the author and those active in the Telegard area.

       10.03 How can I get my files hatched out to TG Sysops?

               Please note that this is a MAJOR change to past procedure in 
               this area.  Kevin Watkins has taken the duty of maintaining 
               the TG_SUP file echo.  All the new info is posted below and 
               goes into effect immediately.
                                                                               
 
               Files are hatched into TG_SUP (The FidoNet Filebone Telegard 
               File Echo) by Telegard Alpha #2, Kevin Watkins.   
               
               Policy for getting your files hatched into TG_SUP:

               1.  Files must be in ZIP format.  Files not in this format 
                   will be unpacked and the files will then be converted to 
                   ZIP format.  Other format archives will not be packed 
                   inside ZIP archives so any authenticity and archive 
                   comments will be destroyed.  It is also possible that 
                   your archive may be ignored completely.   ZIP is the 
                   official format of TG_SUP.
               
               2.  Files must include documentation, including how to 
                   contact the author.
               
               3.  Files *MUST* contain a valid FILE_ID.DIZ description 
                   file! A valid FILD_ID.DIZ is one that contains no more 
                   than 10 lines which each contain no more than 45 
                   characters.  This should not *NOT* contain any ANSI 
                   Codes, TG Color Codes, or High ASCII Characters. Failure 
                   to follow this rule completely may result in your file 
                   *NOT DEING HATCHED AT ALL*.  Placement of color (ANSI or 
                   BBS Codes) is the biggest problem with following this 
                   rule!
               
               4.  To get your files hatched in a timely manner, they should 
                   be sent directly to Kevin Watkins at one of the following 
                   addresses:
                   
                   File Attach to:  1:101/321 {at} FidoNet
                   
                   File Attach to:  hatch{at}telegard.net
               
               5.  UUEncode files are NOT TO BE POSTED IN TG_SUPPORT (See 
                   Echo Rules).
               
               6.  Files may also be sent to any Alpha or Beta site, but 
                   their release will be delayed slightly while the file is 
                   routed to Kevin for hatching.  This method is not 
                   recommended at all.  This can end up costing some of 
                   LD charges and is something that none of the Beta Sites 
                   are equiped to handle in an automated manner.  It is 
                   entirely possible for your file to "get lost"
on it's way 
                   to Kevin's system.

       10.04 Is the Telegard source code out for the public?  

                Yes and no.  There is the old Telegard v2.5 source code
                 out there (v2.5i and v2.5g are known).  However, this
                code generally takes a lot of debugging work to get even
                to compile.  Its not very clean, efficient and even usable.
                It is very slow and old code.  So its more a waste of time
                to find it than use it.  The modern completely redone version
                (v3.0+) source code is NOT out in the public.

       10.05 Why do my ansi files not show the Y/N/C prompt?

                By default, .ANS/.AVT/.RIP files are shown with no pausing
                instead of the Y/N/C pause; you can use some of the ~Dx MCI
                commands to change the behavior for specific files by using
                them at the beginning of the file. display of the file).
                The Telegard .MSG files however which can use both TG Color
                codes and ASCII use the default Y/N/C prompt.

       10.06 What is PWE Encryption              


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