TerQWK1b  addendum

                       Configuring TerMail QWK
                     When a new Conference occurs

                       Monday, October 30, 1995

                _____________________________________
                     from the State O' Maine, USA
                lmckimmy@wa2000.winarea.biddeford.com
                             1:109/921.2

           [The following information is for JAM message
           base use, and will make a lot more sense if you
           have a printout of the files  TMRUN.CFG  and
           TMRUN.BBS  included in the TerQWKxx package.]


When tossing one of my QWK packets the other day I noticed that
TerMail paused to inquire about how to handle a new Conference. It
occurred to me that I had not addressed that issue in TerQWKxx, so
what follows is the way I handle new Conferences.

When TerMail pauses for input on how to handle a new Conference, I
accept the Conference name offered, then assign that new Conference
to the appropriate Group.  i.e.:

Let's say I toss the Runninga.QWK packet, and TerMail stops,
informing me that it has come upon a new Conference, named

                DIDDYBOO, conference number  460

and it prompts me to accept that name for the new Conference, which
is what I do.

At the TerMail prompting for which Group the new Conference should
be assigned too, I assign that new Conference to the RIME Group,
because that is the GROUP I have all other Conferences from the
RUNNINGA.QW? packets assigned to.

(I assigned RIME as a Group name, because the Runninga BBS is one of
the home BBSs for the RIME network, and RIME is easier to type than
RUNNINGA... <g>)

After TerMail finishes tossing the packet, I _immediately quit_
TerMail, and edit the appropriate .CFG and .BBS files for the QWK
packet.  In the above example, I would edit (referring to the sample
.CFG and .BBS files included in TerQWK1x) the TMRUN.CFG and TMRUN.BBS
as follows:

[ This may be rather confusing, but if you look at the sample files
included, then look at what TerMail writes as a default when it tosses
a new Conference, and compare the two instances, it should be clear.
(famous last words... ?? ) ]

Load TMRUN.CFG and go to the bottom of the file. There you would
find the new Conference listed. The format and position of that
information will _not_ match the rest of the .CFG file.

Move and edit that line to correctly relate it to the rest of the
Conferences in the TMRUN.CFG file for the RUNNINGA QWK packet.

For example...

%    EchoId                    Description                    Group
...
Desc OFFLINE                   RIME_OffLine                   RIME
...

The above line, from the enclosed TMRUN.CFG file, would be the exact
same for our new Conference, but for the actual change in the
Conference name itself.  As an example, if the new Conference were
named DIDDYBOO, then we would edit the line TerMail created and put
at the bottom of the TMRUN.BBS file, so that it would read... :

Desc DIDDYBOO                  DIDDYBOO                       RIME

In other words, the Conference-name line that is the focus of our
attention should be made to match all the other Conference-name
lines in the TMRUN.CFG, but for the actual Conference-name itself.

Next...

Load TMRUN.BBS and go to the bottom of the file. There you would
find the new Conference listed. The format and position of that
information will _not_ match the rest of the .BBS file.

Move and edit that line to correctly relate it to the rest of the
Conferences in the TMRUN.BBS file for the RUNNINGA QWK packet.

Note that the path/file.name must be changed to reflect the proper
subdirectory and Conference name being used for the Runninga QWK
packet.  In this sample case, though the actual path is

                    \terminat\termail\run\

all that is needed in the TMRUN.BBS file would be the path

                    RUN\conference.name.

For example, from TMRUN.BBS :

% Path             EchoID               Flags

...
RUN\OFFLINE       OFFLINE              JAM QWK RUNNINGA   178
...

The above line, from the enclosed TMRUN.BBS file, would be the exact
same for our new Conference, but for the actual change in the
Conference name *and number* itself.  As an example, if the new
Conference were named DIDDYBOO, then we would edit the line TerMail
created and put at the bottom of the TMRUN.BBS file, so that it
would read... :

RUN\DIDDYBOO      DIDDYBOO             JAM QWK RUNNINGA   460

and place the line where we would want to appear in the main screen
listing of Runninga QWK Conferences.


   [ NOTE: the above files names would of course change to reflect
    AGAIN: the QWK packet _you_ are using...]


!!!!                   <<<<<<<<<<   >>>>>>>>>>>

Finally, in the set of samples files included in TerQWK1, after
tossing a packet with the new Conference, finishing tossing the
packet and then exiting TerMail and editing TMRUN.CFG and TMRUN.BBS
to configure a new Conference, you would find that the four JAM
files for that new Conference would _not_ be properly placed in the
appropriate Group subdirectory.  !!

The files would instead be in the ..\ECHO\ subdirectory.

If I use the above fictitious Conference name, the files TerMail
creates and places in the \ECHO\ directory would be (using JAM
message base) :

                    diddyboo.JHR
                    diddyboo.JLR
                    diddyboo.JDT
                    diddyboo.JDX

All you have to do (remembering that I'm referencing _my_ sample
configuration and packets... _not_ your actually case...) is to move
those four JAM-type files to the appropriate Group subdirectory.  In
my case (the sample case files in TerQWK1a), the files would be
moved to
                \terminate\termail\run\

which would be the location designated by your earlier editing of
TMRUN.CFG and TMRUN.BBS files...  (note _AGAIN_ that file names
refer to sample files, and _not_ your actual case...)

Restart TerMail (in the sample case, with the batch file TMRUN), and
the new Conference will show up located in the place where you
entered the info when you edited TMRUN.CFG and TMRUN.BBS.

A note of caution -- when designating names in *.CFG and *.BBS
files, pay close attention that 'spelling' is the same in all
instances.  'Spelling,' in this case, includes whether you have used
the  ^  carrot symbol, or the  _  underscore symbol to separate
words.  Even these must match...

                           *---*---*---*

The whole procedure is tedious, of course, but thankfully doesn't
often have to be done.  Perhaps some "Wild-Bill Coder" will peruse
the TerQWK information and come up with a QuickBasic or Pascal
program to automate the process for using TerMail with QWK packets.
                                          ...  (IhopeIhopeIhope...)

The information offered may be worth exactly what you paid for it.
I _hope_ it's worth somewhat more. If you need help, ask for it and
I'm sure some Terminate user will respond. Things can get confusing.
This I know, because being confused is one of my specialties. ;-)

                            Take care...  Larry
                            October 30, 1995  5:12pm


