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, dumb terminal mode):

User Settings for Claudeai-Docs #1191:

[T] Terminal Mode                : Auto US-ASCII / DUMB (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.
• 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.
• 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 — Sub-menu to update your real name, location, gender, birthday, network e-mail, etc.

A few user-account preferences are not on the User Settings menu:

• Password — Synchronet has a separate Change Password command. In Classic, slash-W (/W).
• Avatar — Use /A from the Main prompt (Classic) to change your avatar.
• New-message scan list — The list of sub-boards included in your new-message scan is 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