TOM/Ayourk BBS Client Manual

The BBS List

The newest feature of the TOM/Ayourk BBS Client is the Menu, or BBS List, which is the first thing most users will see. This short menu displays a list of BBSes which users commonly connect to using the TOM/Ayourk BBS Client, as well as some common configuration tasks. Each choice is displayed on one line, and can be activated by pressing the key listed at the beginning of each line. The key is bracketed with < and > signs. To choose an item, just press the appropriate key.

This section will cover customization of the BBS List. Choosing <C> from the Menu will begin customization by presenting a configuration menu with several options. Choosing Quit & save will finish the customization, and apply and save any changes. Choosing Exit & cancel will finish the customization, and apply any changes; the changes will be lost the next time you run the client.

The configuration menu works just like any other client configuration menu. If you need help with choosing options, see Using Configuration Menus.

Adding a BBS

To add a BBS, choose the first option, Add. You will be prompted to enter various information about the BBS. Following are the various prompts with short explanations.

Enter a name to be displayed for the BBS ->

This is the name you'll see in the BBS List. Commonly, it is the proper name of the BBS. It can be almost anything, but it should be unique, that is, no other BBS in your list should have that name, or it'll probably confuse you. If you leave this blank, and just hit enter, you will be returned to the menu, and no BBS will be added.

Enter the host name or IP address for the BBS () ->

This is the address you would normally telnet to. For example, for the ISCA BBS, it would be bbs.isca.uiowa.edu. It can also be an IP address, like 128.255.85.69. Do not enter a port number here. If you would normally type

telnet bbs.digitech.org 4123

to telnet to the BBS, only enter the "bbs.digitech.org" part. Don't put in the 4123. If you leave this blank, and just hit enter, you will be returned to the menu, and no BBS will be added.

Enter the port for the BBS (23) ->

This is the port number used for telnet. For the digitech example above, it would be 4123. This prompt automatically defaults to 23, since that's the default port for telnet. If you don't use a port number to telnet to the BBS, just hit enter to accept 23.

Enter the SSL port for the BBS (0) ->

This is the port number used for telnet. For the digitech example above, it would be 5234. This prompt automatically defaults to 0, since that's the value used for BBSes which don't support SSL connections. If you don't want to use SSL, enter 0 here.

Enter a basename for the BBS ->

This is very important. Each BBS gets information saved to separate configuration files. Generally, these files will have names like: "iscarc", "techrc", or "gestaltrc". The basename is the part before the rc. Each BBS has to have a basename in order to figure out which configuration files belong to it. Information on friends and enemies lists, macros, etc. are kept there. You should probably read Configuration Files and check the contents of your .tabbs Directory before choosing a basename. If you leave this blank and just press enter, you will be returned to the menu, and no BBS will be added.

Enter a keypress for the BBS ->

This too, is very important. This is where you press the key you want to type at the BBS List menu to connect to the BBS. This keypress cannot conflict with any other BBS or the other special keys from that menu. If it does, you will be prompted to enter another key.

Upon successful completion, the client will tell you the BBS was added, and return you to the menu.

If you exit the menu by choosing to eXit & cancel, the BBS will be available on your BBS list, but will not be available the next time you run the client. Always use Quit & save to make the changes permanent.

Deleting a BBS

To remove a BBS from the list, choose Delete. The client will display a list of all BBS currently saved in memory. Press the key for the BBS you want removed. The client will delete the entry for that BBS, making it inaccessible.

If you exit the menu by choosing to eXit & cancel, the BBS will be removed on your BBS list, but will be back again the next time you run the client. Always use Quit & save to make the changes permanent.

Editing a BBS

To change the information about a BBS, choose Edit. The client will prompt you to re-enter or edit each piece of information, similar to how a BBS is added.

If you exit the menu by choosing to eXit & cancel, the changes will be shown and used on your BBS list, but the next time you run the client, those changes will be lost. Always use Quit & save to make the changes permanent.

Listing BBSes

The configuration menu has an option to list the BBSes currently saved in memory. This list does not necessarily reflect what is saved in the configuration file (see the last paragraph of the above section). To view specific information about a BBS, press the key associated with the BBS. Pressing any other key will return you to the menu.

Update to the latest BBS List

If you don't ever modify the BBS list yourself, you can download updates provided by TOM and Ayourk by visiting the BBS List page and following the directions at the bottom.