Userapplication: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 05:06, 16 February 2026

BBS Operation - The User Application

The application routine gathers information about new callers and collects membership details such as real name, phone number, and related information. This portion of the BBS is fully customizable.

To enable the feature, the file named "√application" must be present on your System Files drive. The file must follow a specific format, so it is recommended that you begin with the included sample and modify it to suit your needs.

User Input Prompts

When the application routine begins, it prints text from the √application file until it encounters a line where the first character is a "#". When such a line is found, the routine pauses and waits for user input. After the caller enters a response, the routine continues printing text until another "#" line or the end of the file is reached.

Each response entered by the caller is stored as part of their application.

You may include short remarks for each prompt. These remarks are displayed when the caller reviews their completed application and are also included in your mailbox copy. This ensures that both you and the caller can clearly identify which answer corresponds to which question.

To include a remark, place it immediately after the "#" character on the prompt line. The remark should be brief but descriptive.

Anything following the "#" will precede the caller's response in both their review screen and your mailbox copy. For example, if the remark is:

My Full Name Is:

and the caller enters "John Smith", it will appear in your mailbox as:

My Full Name Is: John Smith

Keep remarks concise to maintain readability.

Getting Membership Information

The application routine can automatically capture certain fields that are stored directly in the caller’s password record. Five special codes are recognized when placed in a prompt line:

rn$ – Real Name
ph$ – Phone Number
bd – Birth Date
a1$ – Address Line 1
a2$ – Address Line 2

These are BASIC variable names used internally by the system. When displayed to the caller and stored in your mailbox, the variable codes themselves are not shown. Only the readable text portion of the prompt appears.

The information entered by the caller is saved into their permanent password record. By default, callers cannot leave these special prompts blank. If you want to allow blank responses, delete line 18851 of √bbs.init.

You may include as many or as few of these special prompts as desired. This is the only automated method for collecting this specific membership data.

Once the Caller is Finished

When a new user completes the application, the results are sent to your mailbox and also written to a monthly archive file stored on your PRIVATE MESSAGES drive.

The archive file is automatically created each month using the format:

"√questXX"

Where "XX" represents the month number. For example, July applications are stored in √quest07.

This archive is maintained automatically and may be copied, backed up, or scratched at your discretion.

If you would like application results delivered to a different mailbox, examine the code beginning around line 18700 in √bbs.init and locate the references to "√private 2". This appears in two locations. Change both occurrences to redirect application mail to a different user ID, such as a co-sysop responsible for validations.

Next Section: Local Console Commands

BBS Operation

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{DISPLAYTITLE:User Application}}
 [[bbs operation|BBS Operation]] - <strong>The User Application</strong>
-The application routine is used to find out information about your new users.  The application routine is also used to get other membership information such as a real name and phone number.  Fortunately for you, this aspect of the BBS program can be fully customized.  To use the application feature, you'll need to have the file called "√application" present on your System Files drive.  The √application file must be formatted in a certain way, so pay attention.  I suggest you use the included "√application" file and then modify it to suit your own needs.
+The application routine gathers information about new callers and collects membership details such as real name, phone number, and related information. This portion of the BBS is fully customizable.
-<strong>User Input Prompts </strong>
+To enable the feature, the file named "√application" must be present on your System Files drive. The file must follow a specific format, so it is recommended that you begin with the included sample and modify it to suit your needs.
-When the application routine first begins, it will spit out any text it finds in this .application file, UNTIL it sees a “#" as the first character in any line.  When that occurs, it will stop and await user input, then it will continue until it finds another "#" or the end of the file.  The user input at each of these prompts is put into their application.
+<strong>User Input Prompts</strong>
-The routine gives you the capability of including simple remarks for each question.  For example, after a new user fills out the entire application, they are given their responses.  The only problem is, they probably forgot what the questions were.  This problem is corrected by allowing you to add a small remark which will show up after the caller completes the questions.  These remarks will also go into your mailbox so that you will be able to know what the questions were as well.
+When the application routine begins, it prints text from the √application file until it encounters a line where the first character is a "#". When such a line is found, the routine pauses and waits for user input. After the caller enters a response, the routine continues printing text until another "#" line or the end of the file is reached.
-To include a remark, you place it after the “#" in the file.  The remark should be as short as possible but should still convey the meaning of the information in the answer.  See the below picture as an example.
+Each response entered by the caller is stored as part of their application.
-Anything included after the “#" will precede the caller's answer when they review their information, and in the final application.  So, if the caller answered: "John Smith", it would end up in your mailbox as: "My Full Name Is: John Smith".  Just remember that the remarks should be as short as possible.
+You may include short remarks for each prompt. These remarks are displayed when the caller reviews their completed application and are also included in your mailbox copy. This ensures that both you and the caller can clearly identify which answer corresponds to which question.
-<strong>Getting Membership Information </strong>
+To include a remark, place it immediately after the "#" character on the prompt line. The remark should be brief but descriptive.
-The application routine is where you will also get some of the information that goes into the caller's password record, such as the real name, phone number, etc.  The application routine will recognize 5 special remarks that will indicate you want to ask for this information.  To accomplish this, you use a prompt line in this format:
+[[File:applicationscript.png|center|300px]]
+Anything following the "#" will precede the caller's response in both their review screen and your mailbox copy. For example, if the remark is:
+#My Full Name Is:
+and the caller enters "John Smith", it will appear in your mailbox as:
+My Full Name Is: John Smith
+Keep remarks concise to maintain readability.
+<strong>Getting Membership Information</strong>
+The application routine can automatically capture certain fields that are stored directly in the caller’s password record. Five special codes are recognized when placed in a prompt line:
+* rn$  – Real Name
+* ph$  – Phone Number
+* bd   – Birth Date
+* a1$  – Address Line 1
+* a2$  – Address Line 2
-[[File:applicationscript.png|center|300px]]
+These are BASIC variable names used internally by the system. When displayed to the caller and stored in your mailbox, the variable codes themselves are not shown. Only the readable text portion of the prompt appears.
-The 5 codes (rn$, ph$, bd, a1$, a2$), are the BASIC variable names for the real name, phone number, birth date, address line 1, and address line 2, respectively.  The choice of these as the codes was arbitrary, but I thought it would make things easier in the future if more codes were added.
+The information entered by the caller is saved into their permanent password record. By default, callers cannot leave these special prompts blank. If you want to allow blank responses, delete line 18851 of √bbs.init.
-When displayed on the screen to the caller, and when put in the mailbox, the codes will not be included as part of the text (e.g. it would appear as Real Name, not (rn$)Real name).  The information that they enter will be put in their permanent password record, and the routine is currently set up so that the caller cannot leave a question blank.  If you wish for callers to be able to leave these types of questions blank, then delete line 18851 of √bbs.init.  Also, you can ask as many or as few of these special questions as you like but remember that this is the only automatic way to obtain this information.
+You may include as many or as few of these special prompts as desired. This is the only automated method for collecting this specific membership data.
 <strong>Once the Caller is Finished</strong>
-The application routine will send the results of a new user's application to your mailbox AND to an ongoing monthly self-maintaining archive file.  This file will be automatically created on your PRIVATE MESSAGES drive each month with the filename of: "√questXX".  "XX" being the month of applications in that file.  This file serves no purpose other than to keep a record of new users’ info.  You can scratch the file or copy the file off at any time you like.
+When a new user completes the application, the results are sent to your mailbox and also written to a monthly archive file stored on your PRIVATE MESSAGES drive.
+The archive file is automatically created each month using the format:
+"√questXX"
+Where "XX" represents the month number. For example, July applications are stored in √quest07.
+This archive is maintained automatically and may be copied, backed up, or scratched at your discretion.
-If you would like to redirect the application results to go into someone else’s mailbox, look through the code (18700+) and look for the phrase "√private 2".  You will see it in two places.  Make sure you change it in both places if you want the mail to go to a different ID (perhaps a co-sysop who validates).
+If you would like application results delivered to a different mailbox, examine the code beginning around line 18700 in √bbs.init and locate the references to "√private 2". This appears in two locations. Change both occurrences to redirect application mail to a different user ID, such as a co-sysop responsible for validations.
 Next Section: [[localconsole|Local Console Commands]]
 [[bbs operation|BBS Operation]]