Table of Contents
Message Areas Configuration
Message Areas are configured in SCFG->Message Areas.
This is a listing of message groups for your BBS, which are used to logically separate your message sub-boards into groups. Every sub-board belongs to a message group, and you must have at least one message group and one sub-board configured.
One popular use for message groups is to separate local sub-boards and networked sub-boards. One might have a Local message group that contains non-networked sub-boards of various topics, and then also have a FidoNet message group that contains sub-boards that are echoed across FidoNet.
Some sysops separate sub-boards into more specific areas such as Main, Technical, or Adult. If you have many sub-boards that have a common subject denominator, you may want to have a separate message group for those sub-boards for a more organized message structure.
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ Message Groups Sub-boards ║ ╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ │Local 4 ║ ║ │DOVE-Net 22 ║ ║ │ ║ ╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
This screen lists each of the configured Message Groups with a count of how many sub-boards are in each group. Local and DOVE-Net are included in the default installation.
Message Group Configuration
Message Group
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ Local Group ║ ╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ │Long Name Local ║ ║ │Short Name Local ║ ║ │Internal Code Prefix LOCAL- ║ ║ │Access Requirements ║ ║ │Sort Group by Sub-board Index Position ║ ║ │Clone Options ║ ║ │Export Areas... ║ ║ │Import Areas... ║ ║ │Message Sub-boards... ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
This menu allows you to configure the security requirements for access to this message group. You can also add, delete, and configure the sub-boards of this group by selecting the Messages Sub-boards... option.
The screen above and defaults below are examples from the Local message group.
| Option Name | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Long Name | Local | This is a description of the message group which is displayed when a user of the system uses the /* command from the main menu. |
| Short Name | Local | This is a short description of the message group which is used for the main menu and reading message prompts. |
| Internal Code Prefix | LOCAL- | This is an optional, but highly recommended code prefix used to help generate unique internal codes for the sub-boards in this message group. When code prefixes are used, sub-board internal codes will be constructed from a combination of the prefix and the specified code suffix for each sub-board. Code prefixes may contain up to 8 legal filename characters. Code prefixes should be unique among the message groups on the system. Changing a group's code prefix implicitly changes all the internal codes of the sub-boards within the group, so change this value with caution. |
| Access Requirements | <blank> | Access requirements string for the selected feature/section |
| Sort Group by Sub-board | Index Position | Normally, the sub-boards within a message group are listed in the order that the sysop created them or a logical order determined by the sysop. Optionally, you can have the group sorted by sub-board Long Name, Short Name, or Internal Code. The group will be automatically re-sorted when new sub-boards are added via SCFG or when existing sub-boards are modified. |
| Clone Options | <blank> | If you want to clone the options of the template sub-board of this group into all sub-boards of this group, select Yes. If no template sub-board is found, then the first sub-board in the group is used as the default template. A sub-board is marked as the template for the group in its Toggle Options menu. The options cloned are: posting requirements, reading requirements, operator requirements, moderated user requirements, toggle options, network options (including EchoMail origin line, EchoMail address, and QWK Network tagline), maximum number of messages, maximum number of CRCs, maximum age of messages, storage method, and data directory. |
Export Areas
╔═══════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ Export Area File Format ║ ╠═══════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ │subs.txt Synchronet Sub-boards ║ ║ │areas.bbs SBBSecho Area File ║ ║ │backbone.na FidoNet EchoList ║ ║ │newsgroup.lst USENET Newsgroup List ║ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════╝
This menu allows you to choose the format of the area file you wish to export the current message group into.
Defaults shown are for Unix. Windows paths would use drive letters and backslashes (e.g., C:\sbbs\ctrl\subs.txt).
| Option Name | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| subs.txt | /sbbs/ctrl/subs.txt | Complete details of a group of Synchronet sub-boards in text format. |
| areas.bbs | Area File as used by the Synchronet Fido EchoMail program, SBBSecho. | |
| backbone.na | backbone.na | FidoNet standard EchoList containing standardized echo Area Tags and (optional) descriptions. |
| newsgroup.lst | newsgroup.lst | Standard (RFC3977) NNTP LIST NEWSGROUPS output format: Newsgroup names and (optional) descriptions, one line per newsgroup. |
Import Areas
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ Import Area File Format ║ ╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ │subs.txt Synchronet Sub-boards ║ ║ │control.dat QWK Conference List ║ ║ │areas.bbs Generic Area File ║ ║ │areas.bbs SBBSecho Area File ║ ║ │backbone.na FidoNet EchoList ║ ║ │badareas.lst SBBSecho Bad Area List ║ ║ │echostats.ini SBBSecho EchoMail Statistics ║ ║ │newsgroup.lst USENET Newsgroup List ║ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════╝
This menu allows you to choose the format of the area file you wish to import into the current message group.
Defaults shown are for Unix. Windows paths would use drive letters and backslashes (e.g., C:\sbbs\ctrl\subs.txt).
| Option Name | Option Info | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| subs.txt | Synchronet Sub-boards | /sbbs/ctrl/subs.txt | Complete details of a group of sub-boards as exported from SCFG. |
| control.dat | QWK Conference List | control.dat | Standard file contained within QWK packets (typically ZIP archives). Additional questions will appear when editing that allow you to control the range of QWK conference numbers that will be imported from the control.dat file. Default range is 1000-1999. |
| areas.bbs | Generic Area File | areas.bbs | FidoNet EchoMail Area File, in Generic flavor, as used by most FidoNet EchoMail Programs or SBBSecho. |
| areas.bbs | SBBSecho Area File | ../data/areas.bbs | FidoNet EchoMail Area File, in SBBSecho flavor, as used by most FidoNet EchoMail Programs or SBBSecho. |
| backbone.na | FidoNet EchoList | backbone.na | FidoNet standard EchoList containing standardized echo Area Tags and optional Titles (descriptions). |
| badareas.lst | SBBSecho Bad Area List | ../data/badareas.lst | |
| echostats.ini | SBBSecho EchoMail Statistics | ../data/echostats.ini | SBBSecho cumulative EchoMail statistics (imports Unknown Areas only). |
| newsgroup.lst | USENET Newsgroup List | newsgroup.lst | Standard (RFC3977) NNTP LIST NEWSGROUPS output format: Newsgroup names and (optional) descriptions, one line per newsgroup. |
Sub-board Configuration
Message Sub-boards
╔══════════════════════╗ ║ Local Sub-boards (4) ║ ╠══════════════════════╣ ║ │Sysop Notices ║ ║ │General ║ ║ │Debate ║ ║ │Entertainment ║ ║ │ ║ ╚══════════════════════╝
This screen lists the sub-boards in the selected message group. Use Ins to add a new sub-board, Del to remove one. Selecting a sub-board opens its configuration menu.
Sub-board Main Options
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ General Sub-board ║ ╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ │Long Name General Discussion ║ ║ │Short Name General ║ ║ │QWK Name General ║ ║ │Internal Code LOCAL-GEN ║ ║ │Newsgroup Name [local.general] ║ ║ │FidoNet Area Tag [LOCAL.GENERAL] ║ ║ │Access Requirements ║ ║ │Reading Requirements ║ ║ │Posting Requirements ║ ║ │Operator Requirements LEVEL 90 ║ ║ │Moderated Posting User ║ ║ │Maximum Messages Unlimited ║ ║ │Purge by Age Disabled ║ ║ │Duplicate Checking Disabled ║ ║ │Toggle Options... ║ ║ │Network Options... ║ ║ │Advanced Options... ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
| Option Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Long Name | Description shown in sub-board listings (e.g. /* command). |
| Short Name | Short description used in prompts and the main menu. |
| QWK Name | Conference name written to CONTROL.DAT in QWK packets for off-line readers. Auto-generated for QWK Extended (QWKE) packets if blank. Not used for QWK networking. |
| Internal Code | Per-sub-board suffix appended to the group's Internal Code Prefix to form the full unique internal code. Up to 8 valid filename characters. |
| Newsgroup Name | Sub-board's newsgroup name for NNTP readers. Auto-generated from Group Short Name + Sub-board Short Name if blank. Per RFC 5536 may contain only [a-z], [A-Z], [0-9], +, _, -, and .; cannot begin or end with .. |
| FidoNet Area Tag | FidoNet / FTN Echo or Area Tag for this sub-board. Auto-generated from the Newsgroup Name (or Short Name) if blank. Cannot contain spaces. |
| Access Requirements | ARS users must match to see/access this sub-board at all. |
| Reading Requirements | ARS users must match to read messages. |
| Posting Requirements | ARS users must match to post messages. |
| Operator Requirements | ARS to be a sub-op (sysop of just this sub-board). |
| Moderated Posting User | ARS — users matching this requirement have their posts held for sub-op/sysop validation before they're visible. See moderation. |
| Maximum Messages | Soft maximum number of messages stored. Older messages above this count are purged by smbutil m (typically run as a timed event). 0 = unlimited. |
| Purge by Age | Soft maximum age (in days) for stored messages. Older messages are purged by smbutil m. |
| Duplicate Checking | When enabled, specifies how many recently-imported message CRCs to retain for duplicate detection. Larger numbers slow message importing. Recommended: about one week's worth of messages. |
Sub-board Toggle Options
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ Sub-board Toggle Options ║ ╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ │Allow Private Posts No ║ ║ │Allow Anonymous Posts No ║ ║ │Post Using Real Names No ║ ║ │Users Can Delete Posts Yes ║ ║ │Default On for New Scan Yes ║ ║ │Forced On for New Scan No ║ ║ │Default On for Your Scan Yes ║ ║ │Public 'To' User No ║ ║ │Allow Message Voting Yes ║ ║ │Allow Message Quoting Yes ║ ║ │Allow Message Tagging Yes ║ ║ │Suppress User Signatures No ║ ║ │Permanent Operator Msgs No ║ ║ │Compress Messages (LZH) No ║ ║ │Apply Markup Codes No ║ ║ │Word-wrap Messages Yes ║ ║ │Format Output for 80 Columns No ║ ║ │Auto-detect UTF-8 Msgs No ║ ║ │Expand @-codes in Sysop Msgs Yes ║ ║ │Template for New Subs No ║ ║ │Extra Attribute Codes... ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
| Option Name | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Allow Private Posts | Yes/No/Only | Allow users to post private messages addressed to a specific user on the sub-board. Only forces all posts to be private. Most sysops keep this No (private mail uses e-mail instead). |
| Allow Anonymous Posts | Yes/No/Only | Allow users with the A exemption to post anonymously. Only forces all posts to be anonymous (regardless of exemption). |
| Post Using Real Names | Yes/No | Force posts on this sub-board to use the user's real name instead of alias. Many networks require real names on networked sub-boards. |
| Users Can Delete Posts | Yes/No/Last | Allow users to delete their own posts. Last permits deletion only of the most recent message. |
| Default On for New Scan | Yes/No | Sub-board defaults to “on” the first time a user runs a new-message scan. |
| Forced On for New Scan | Yes/No | Sub-board is included in new-message scans even if the user has opted it out. |
| Default On for Your Scan | Yes/No | Sub-board defaults to “on” for personal-message scans. |
| Public 'To' User | Yes/No | Prompt for a “To” user even on public posts. Useful on networked sub-boards that don't allow private messages. |
| Allow Message Voting | Yes/No | Permit users to attach votes/polls to messages. |
| Allow Message Quoting | Yes/No | Permit users to quote from other messages when replying. |
| Allow Message Tagging | Yes/No | Permit users to attach tags to messages. |
| Suppress User Signatures | Yes/No | Strip per-user message signatures on this sub-board. |
| Permanent Operator Msgs | Yes/No | Sysop and sub-op posts are marked permanent (excluded from age-based / max-count purges). |
| Compress Messages (LZH) | Yes/No | Apply LZH compression to message bodies on disk. Saves 30-50% space at the cost of slower importing. |
| Apply Markup Codes | Yes/No/Hide | Process markup codes in message bodies. Hide processes them but hides the source codes from the reader. |
| Word-wrap Messages | Yes/No | Wrap message body to the user's terminal width when displaying. |
| Format Output for 80 Columns | Yes/No | Force display formatting at 80 columns. |
| Auto-detect UTF-8 Msgs | Yes/No | Detect and properly handle UTF-8-encoded message bodies. |
| Expand @-codes in Sysop Msgs | Yes/No | Process @-codes in messages posted by sysops/sub-ops. |
| Template for New Subs | Yes/No | This sub-board is the template whose options are cloned into new sub-boards added to this group (and into existing sub-boards when the group's Clone Options is invoked). |
| Extra Attribute Codes | sub-menu | Per-sub-board override of the system-wide Extra Attribute Codes — see below. |
Extra Attribute Codes in Messages
Synchronet can recognise the native colour-attribute codes of several other BBS programs in posted message text. By default each option here inherits the system-wide Extra Attribute Codes in Display Files setting (see System → Extra Attribute Codes); toggle individual codes on/off here to override per sub-board.
╔════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ Extra Attribute Codes in Messages ║ ╠════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ │WWIV (Heart) Codes No ║ ║ │PCBoard (@Xxx) Codes No ║ ║ │Wildcat (@xx@) Codes No ║ ║ │Celerity (|x) Codes No ║ ║ │Renegade (|xx) Codes Yes ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════╝
- WWIV — Ctrl-C (ASCII 3) followed by a colour digit.
- PCBoard —
@Xxxwherexxis two hex digits (background-foreground). - Wildcat —
@xx@wherexxis two hex digits. - Celerity —
|xwherexis a single alpha character. - Renegade —
|xxwherexxis two decimal digits. Renegade codes are the most common among non-Synchronet BBSes.
See colors for the full code tables.
Sub-board Network Options
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ Sub-board Network Options ║ ╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ │Append Tag/Origin Line Yes ║ ║ │Export ASCII Only No ║ ║ │Gate Between Net Types No ║ ║ │QWK Networked No ║ ║ │QWK Tagline ║ ║ │Internet (UUCP/NNTP) No ║ ║ │FidoNet EchoMail No ║ ║ │FidoNet Address ║ ║ │EchoMail Origin Line ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
| Option Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Append Tag/Origin Line | Append a QWK tagline (for QWK networking) or FidoNet origin line (for EchoMail) to outbound messages. |
| Export ASCII Only | Strip non-ASCII characters from messages before export to message networks. |
| Gate Between Net Types | If a sub-board is networked via multiple network technologies, gate messages from one network into the others. Requires authorization from the moderator of each network — do not enable casually. |
| QWK Networked | Enable QWK networking for this sub-board. Limits message titles to 25 characters. |
| QWK Tagline | Per-sub-board tagline for QWK networking. Falls back to the system default if blank. Has no effect when Append Tag/Origin Line is No. |
| Internet (UUCP/NNTP) | This sub-board is gatewayed via Internet (e.g. via NNTP / newslink). |
| FidoNet EchoMail | This sub-board is networked via FidoNet EchoMail (handled by SBBSecho). |
| FidoNet Address | The FidoNet address used for this sub-board (overrides the system default). |
| EchoMail Origin Line | Per-sub-board EchoMail origin line. Synchronet automatically prepends * Origin: and appends (Zone:Net/Node.Point); do not include the address yourself. Falls back to the system default if blank. |
Sub-board Advanced Options
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ Sub-board Advanced Options ║ ╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ ║ │QWK Conference Number Dynamic ║ ║ │Storage Method Self-packing ║ ║ │Storage Directory /sbbs/data/subs/ ║ ║ │Semaphore File ║ ║ │Pointer File Index 0 ║ ║ │Sub-board Index Now N / Was N ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
| Option Name | Description |
|---|---|
| QWK Conference Number | Dynamic (auto-numbered from group/sub position) or Static (sysop-assigned). Static numbering lets you add/remove sub-boards without renumbering others — useful for QWK clients that bookmark by number. |
| Storage Method | How messages are stored on disk. Self-packing — reuses deleted message blocks; smallest disk footprint, slowest imports. The default and recommended method. Fast Allocation — appends new messages without searching for free blocks; faster imports, requires periodic smbutil p to reclaim space. Hyper Allocation — fastest imports, requires regular smbutil p. |
| Storage Directory | Override path where this sub-board's SMB files live. Defaults to data/subs/. |
| Semaphore File | Path to a file Synchronet creates after a successful post to this sub-board. Used to trigger external processes (e.g. an EchoMail export). |
| Pointer File Index | Internal pointer-file index. Do not change unless instructed. |
| Sub-board Index | Current and previous numeric index of this sub-board within the group's sort order. Informational. |