Display files are displayed by the BBS to the user at certain times while a user is online. These files exist in the theme's text directory and have an extension of either .ANS or .ASC, where .ANS files contain ANSI color codes and .ASC contain either pipe color codes, or no color at all.
Some display files are displayed by certain events within the BBS, such as the user's birthday. Others are used within certain functions of the BBS such as reading messages. Others are shown by executing a menu command on one of your menus, or from within MPL or Python scripting.
Every prompt shown to the user within the BBS can also be replaced with a display file, so you will find and want to use these files everywhere.
The extension of the display file will automatically be resolved based on the user's terminal emulation. If the user has ANSI graphics enabled, then Mystic will select a .ANS file. If no .ANS file exists, then Mystic will instead look for the same file but with an .ASC extension. Similarly, if the user does not have ANSI terminal emulation, then Mystic will immediately look for the .ASC extension.
Pipe color codes can be used in .ASC files, and Mystic will filter them out just as is does anywhere else in the BBS, displaying the colors when the user has ANSI and not displaying colors when they don't. This allows the option to have a single .ASC file which can work for both ANSI colors and non-ANSI emulations, if so desired.
Note that all extensions are lower-cased on operating systems with case sensitive file names.
Mystic has the capability to allow for an unlimited number of variations of any display file which will be selected at random when the file is displayed. If for example the base filename of the display file is “test” then any addition files with a .# after the base filename will be included and selected to display at random whenever the “test” display file would normally display. For example:
test.ans test.1.ans test.2.ans test.10.ans
In the above example, any time the “test” display file would normally display Mystic will randomly select one of the files.
Mystic allows for display file variations to be defined for custom terminal sizes and it will select the most appropriate file based on the user's current terminal size. For example, if the base display file name is “test” then variations can be created based on column size, line size, or both. Here is an example of creating some column-based variations:
test.ans < Displays to users with less than 120 columns test.c120.ans < Displays to users with 120-159 columns test.c160.ans < Displays to users with 160+ columns
The line size can also be defined as well, for example:
test.c132x37.ans < Displays to users who have 132x37 or larger terminal
This system can even work side by side with the random display file system! For example:
scroller.1.ans scroller.2.ans scroller.1.c160.ans scroller.2.c160.ans
In this example Mystic would select randomly either scroller.1.c160 or scroller.2.c160.ans if the user had 160+ columns, otherwise it would select one of scroller.1 or scroller.2 display files whenever the display file “scroller” is requested to display.
(NOTE: The column based file naming also works for all of Mystic's template files and menu files as well!)
Mystic allows every display file to be shown as if it were being displayed at a specific modem baud rate. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, from embedding a Display Code within the display file itself, to using parameters when executing from a Menu Command or MPL/Python script.
Mystic does its baud rate emulation on the server side, which means that it will work on any terminal that can connect to your BBS. The terminal does not have to have any sort of baud rate capabilities like other BBS systems use which means that Mystic's baud rate emulation will even work on legacy DOS or older system terminals and terminals not designed to be used with a BBS!
These files are automatically displayed by Mystic at certain times during a user's session if they exist in the current theme's text directory. The file extension .XXX is either .ANS or .ASC
Note: All file names are lower-cased in operating systems that use case sensitive file names.
ANSICHAT .XXX - This is the template file for the split screen
chat mode. For more information on templates,
see the section on the Template System.
ANSIEDIT .XXX - This is the template file for the full screen
editor. For more information on this file,
see the section on the Template System.
ANSIFINF .XXX - This is the template file used when displaying
extended file information during the lightbar
file listings.
ANSIFLST .XXX - This is the template file used to setup the
ANSI lightbar file listings. For more information
on this, see the Editing Template section.
ANSIMLST .XXX - This is the template file used for the lightbar
message reading index.
ANSIMRD .XXX - This is the tempalte file used for the lightbar
message reading.
ANSIQUOT .XXX - This is the template file for the full screen
editor quote mode window. For more information
on this, see the section on the Template System.
ANSITEXT .XXX - This is the template file for the full screen
text editor. For more information on this,
see the section on the Template System.
AMSGHLP1 .XXX - Help file for ANSIMLST.XXX
AMSGHLP2 .XXX - Help file for ANSIMRD.XXX
BIRTHDAY .XXX - Displayed during login if the user calls on
their birthday.
BLINDUL .XXX - Displayed when a user selects to start a blind
file upload.
CLOSED .XXX - Displayed if a System Password has been defined
and the incoming caller did not enter the
correct password.
DOWNLOAD .XXX - Displayed before the "Filename:" prompt when a
user attempts a download.
EMAILHLP .XXX - Displayed during the e-mail reading prompt when
the user enters "?".
FEEDBACK .XXX - Displayed before new users are forced to send
the SysOp an e-mail message.
FGROUPx .XXX - Displayed after joining file group x.
FLAG1x .XXX - Displayed during login if user has flag 1x set.
FLAG2x .XXX - Displayed during login if user has flag 2x set.
FLISTHLP .XXX - Displayed when help is selected during the
lightbar file listings.
FSEARCH .XXX - Displayed before a file search.
FSHELP .XXX - Displayed if user selects help while in the
full screen editor.
GROUPx .XXX - Displayed after joining group x.
LOGOFF .XXX - Displayed right before hanging up the caller when
a user selects to log off the BBS.
LOGON1-9 .XXX - Displayed in order from 1 to 9 after a user
successfully enters their password.
NEWUSER .XXX - Displayed before asking the user if they'd like
sign up as a new user.
NEWUSER1 .XXX - Displayed after user answers yes to continue to
login as a new user.
NONEWUSR .XXX - Displayed if a new user tries to log in when
Allow New Users is toggled off. The call is
terminated after this file is displayed.
PRELOGON .XXX - Displayed after the user selects their terminal
emulation, and before the "login:" prompt.
PROTO .XXX - Displayed as a list of available protocols. If
this file doesn't exist, Mystic will generate a
protocol list.
PROTOB .XXX - Displayed as a list of available batch protocols.
If this file doesn't exist, Mystic will generate
a batch protocol list.
READHLP .XXX - Displayed during the message reading prompt when
the user enters "?".
READSHLP .XXX - Displayed during the message reading prompt when
the user enters "?" AND they have SysOp access to
the message base.
SLxxx .XXX - Displayed during login if user has a security
level of xxx or higher.
TELECONF .XXX - Displated when entering the standard
teleconference system, and redisplayed again
after the teleconference help file is displayed.
TELEHELP .XXX - The help file displayed in the teleconference
when a /? is entered.
UPLOAD .XXX - Displayed before the "File Name:" prompt when a
user attempts an upload.
These system files are worth looking at and reviewing their content. If some are left unchanged it will show you really have not spent any time setting up or customizing your BBS :)
These file all reside in the DATA directory of your Mystic BBS.
NEWLETTER.TXT Sent to a new user that has signed up to the BBS
the contents of this file appear as a new BBS
email the user is presented with when their
BBS email account is checked.
SYSLETTER.TXT - This is a template that contains the contents of
a BBS email that is sent to the sysop when a new
user registers.
HACKWARN.TXT - Displayed as a BBS email to users who have had
someone attempt (and fail) to login to the BBS
using their account name.