Synchronet v3.21e-Win32 (install) has been released (Mar-2026).

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config:message_areas [2025/07/10 23:41] – removed - external edit (Unknown date) 127.0.0.1config:message_areas [2025/07/10 23:55] (current) – Update title, remove "Main Window" reference digital man
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 +====== Message Areas Configuration ======
 +Message Areas are configured in [[util: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 [[network:fidonet|FidoNet]] message group that contains sub-boards that are echoed across FidoNet.
 +
 +Some [[access:sysop|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.
 +
 +<code>
 +╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
 +║  Message Groups                      Sub-boards ║
 +╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
 +║ │Local                                        4 ║
 +║ │DOVE-Net                                    22 ║
 +║ │                                               ║
 +╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
 +</code>
 +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 ====
 +<code>
 +╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
 +║                        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...                                   ║
 +╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
 +</code>
 +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|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 ====
 +<code>
 +╔═══════════════════════════════════════╗
 +║        Export Area File Format        ║
 +╠═══════════════════════════════════════╣
 +║ │subs.txt       Synchronet Sub-boards ║
 +║ │areas.bbs      SBBSecho Area File    ║
 +║ │backbone.na    FidoNet EchoList      ║
 +║ │newsgroup.lst  USENET Newsgroup List ║
 +╚═══════════════════════════════════════╝
 +</code>
 +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 ====
 +<code>
 +╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════╗
 +║            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        ║
 +╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════╝
 +</code>
 +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 ====
 +<code>
 +╔══════════════════════╗
 +║ Local Sub-boards (4) ║
 +╠══════════════════════╣
 +║ │Sysop Notices       ║
 +║ │General             ║
 +║ │Debate              ║
 +║ │Entertainment       ║
 +║ │                    ║
 +╚══════════════════════╝
 +</code>
 +
 +
 +===== See Also =====
 +  * [[util:scfg:|Synchronet Configuration Utility (SCFG)]]
 +
 +{{tag>utility scfg echomail fidonet ftn netmail email messaging}}
  

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