External Programs (Doors)

External programs — commonly called doors — are programs or games the sysop has added to the system and made available to users. They run outside the BBS software itself, dropping the BBS into a shell (or “door”) so the external program can take over your connection.

In the Classic shell, press X from the Main or File Transfer prompt to open the External Programs / Doors menu.

Doors vary wildly between BBSes and are entirely at the sysop's discretion. Common examples:

• Games — BBS classics like LORD (Legend of the Red Dragon), TradeWars 2002, Barren Realms Elite
• Door games — multi-user games that persist between sessions
• Utilities — database lookups, online shopping, dating/matchmaking, survey programs
• Virtually anything else — a sysop can add any program as a door

Each door should display its own help and instructions once launched. If a service requires credits for access, the rate is listed next to the door name in the menu.

• User Documentation
• Classic shell — Main prompt
• xtrn_sec module — the External Services/Doors section module
• External Programs (sysop config) — how sysops set up doors