Synchronet Classic Shell — User Guide

The Synchronet Classic command shell (default.js) is the default shell on most Synchronet BBSes. It emulates the original Synchronet v1 user interface and is what Synchronet “looks like” to most people who've never been told otherwise.

This guide describes the shell-specific parts of using a BBS that runs Classic — that is, the prompts, the menu layout, and the keys you press at each prompt. Many of the commands you'll press here actually invoke separate loadable modules (mail, message base, chat, user settings, etc.) and the page for each of those modules describes what happens after the key is pressed.

If your BBS uses a different shell, see Command Shells.

Classic has two primary command prompts plus a handful of context-specific prompts:

• Main prompt — the top-level command prompt, displayed once you've completed logon. From here you reach mail, message bases, chat, configuration, etc.
• File Transfer prompt — the prompt inside the File Transfer Section. From here you list, search, download, upload, and manage files. (The File Transfer Section is part of the Classic shell.)

When this manual says “from the Main prompt” or “from the File Transfer prompt”, those are the two prompts above.

Throughout this guide, command titles are followed by a quick key-sequence guide showing the exact keystrokes to enter the command without pausing at menus:

• Sequences inside [ ] (square brackets) are entered from the Main prompt.
  Example: Send E-mail [ES] means type E then S from the Main prompt.
• Sequences inside ( ) (parentheses) are entered from the File Transfer prompt.
  Example: Find File (F) means type F from the File Transfer prompt.
• Sequences inside { } (curly braces) work from either the Main or File Transfer prompt.
  Example: Join Multinode Chat {CJ} means type C then J from either prompt.

• Displaying menus
• Single-key command reference
• Slash (''/X'') commands
• File Transfer Section — Classic's file UI

The following are not part of Classic — Classic just calls them. See the linked pages:

• Logging on — handled by the login module before Classic starts
• User Settings menu — invoked by D from the Main prompt; loadable module user_settings
• Composing a message — handled by your BBS's message editor module
• Mail, Message bases, Chat — loadable modules invoked by Classic's mail/messages/chat keys
• Online listings — List Users, List Nodes, Who's Online (each a loadable module)
• QWK packet menu
• Control-key commands (Ctrl-S/Q/C/U/P/K/T) — work the same in any shell

• Command Shells
• User Documentation
• Command Shell — sysop perspective