User Settings Menu

The User Settings menu (also called Account Defaults Configuration or just Configuration in older documentation) lets you, the user, change account-level preferences: terminal type, command shell, default editor, screen options, password, and personal information. It does not change the BBS's configuration, only your own account.

The User Settings menu is a loadable module — by default user_settings — and is separate from the command shell. The shell binds a key to invoke it (in Classic, that's D from the Main prompt; other shells use other keys).

A live capture from vertrauen (running Synchronet v3.22, UTF-8 / ANSI terminal):

User Settings for Claudeai-Docs #1191:

[T] Terminal Mode                : Auto UTF-8 / ANSI (color) DEL=BS
[K] Command Shell                : Synchronet (Classic)
[L] Language                     : English
[E] External Editor              : None
[A] Temporary/QWK Archive Type   : zip
[X] Expert Menu Mode             : Off
[P] Screen Pause                 : On
[S] Spinning Cursor              : Pause Prompt Only
[C] Clear Screen Between Messages: Off
[N] Ask For New Message/File Scan: On
[Y] Ask For Your Un-read Msg Scan: Off
[F] Automatic New File Scan      : On
[R] Remember Current Sub-board   : On
[B] Batch Download File Flagging : On
[M] Forward Mail                 : Off (noreply@anthropic.com)
[Z] Default Download Protocol    : None
[W] Change Personal Information

Which or [Q] to Quit:

The single bracketed letters are command keys — type the letter to change that setting. Q (or Enter on the bracketed default) returns to the previous prompt.

• T Terminal Mode — Auto-detects ANSI / RIP / mouse / UTF-8 / CP437 / PETSCII capabilities at logon, or you can pin a specific mode. Affects how the BBS draws menus and text. ANSI is the standard for color menus and text art on most BBSes; if your terminal supports it (most modern terminals and BBS clients do), you'll see color, boxes, and animated displays. If something looks wrong after logon — wrong character set, garbled art — you can override the detected mode here. The logon sequence shows what was auto-detected (e.g. 80×24 UTF-8 / ANSI (color)).
• K Command Shell — Choose your preferred command shell (only shells the sysop has made available are listed). The BBS remembers your choice across sessions.
• L Language — Choose your preferred display language (only languages the sysop has installed are available).
• E External Editor — Choose an external message editor (e.g. SlyEdit, FSEditor) to use instead of the built-in line editor when composing messages.
• A Temporary/QWK Archive Type — Archiver used for QWK packets and the temp-file feature (e.g. zip).
• X Expert Menu Mode — When off (default for new users), full menus are redisplayed at every prompt; when on (“expert” mode), menus are hidden until you press ?. Saves screen real estate once you know the keys.
• P Screen Pause — Pause every screenful with a “Hit a key” prompt. When this is off, text scrolls without stopping — use Ctrl-S to pause and Ctrl-Q to resume. You can also temporarily toggle pause for the current command with Ctrl-O without changing this setting permanently.
• S Spinning Cursor — Show a spinning cursor at pause prompts (or always, or never).
• C Clear Screen Between Messages — Clear the screen before displaying each new message when reading.
• N Ask For New Message/File Scan — At logon, ask whether to scan for new messages and files.
• Y Ask For Your Un-read Msg Scan — At logon, ask whether to scan for messages addressed to you.
• F Automatic New File Scan — Automatically run a new-file scan at logon.
• R Remember Current Sub-board — Resume each session at the sub-board you were on at last logoff.
• B Batch Download File Flagging — Flag files during browsing for later batch download (vs. download immediately).
• M Forward Mail — Forward your local BBS e-mail to your network e-mail address (the address shown in parentheses).
• Z Default Download Protocol — Download protocol used by default if you don't specify one.
• W Change Personal Information — Opens the Personal Information sub-menu (see below).

W opens the Personal Information sub-menu (module: user_personal). A live capture from vertrauen:

Personal Information for Claudeai-Docs #1191:

[A] Alias: Claudeai-Docs
[R] Real Name: Claude Ai Documentation
[H] Handle: Claudeai
[E] NetMail Address: noreply@anthropic.com
[L] Location: Internet
[G] Gender: X
[P] Password  (last changed: May07'26)
[S] SSH Keys  (last changed: never)
[M] Signature (last changed: never)

Which or [Q] to Quit:

Type the bracketed letter to change that field; Q to return to the User Settings menu.

• A Alias — Your handle; what other users see. Must be unique on this system.
• R Real Name — Your full real name (visible to the sysop; may appear on some listings).
• H Handle — A short call-sign or alternate identifier.
• E NetMail Address — Your network e-mail address, used for mail forwarding and sysop contact.
• L Location — Your city/state or other location description.
• G Gender — Single letter: M, F, or X (other/unspecified).
• P Password — Change your login password. The date of last change is shown.
• S SSH Keys — Manage your SSH public keys (if the BBS supports SSH login). Date of last change shown.
• M Signature — Edit your message signature appended to posts. Date of last change shown.

Which fields appear depends on what the sysop has enabled (configured in modopts.ini under [user_personal]). The NetMail Address and Signature are shown by default; all others are optional.

• Avatar — Use /A from the Main prompt (Classic) to change your avatar.
• New-message scan list — Configured separately. In Classic, & from the Main prompt.

The User Settings module is independent of the shell, but the key that invokes it is shell-specific:

• Synchronet Classic — D from the Main prompt
• Other shells — see the relevant shell page

A sysop can replace the stock user_settings module with a different one (configured in SCFG -> System -> Loadable Modules -> User Config); BBSes running a custom module may show a different menu.

• Loadable Modules
• User Documentation
• User Editor (sysop-side equivalent)
• SCFG -> System -> Loadable Modules