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Language Editor - (Shift-F5)
ProBoard allows you to change the text and the color for every prompt in the system to create a custom “look and feel” for your BBS. ProBoard also allows you to display your system prompts to users in several different languages.
Language files end with the file extension “.PBL” and are stored in your ProBoard system directory (usually C:\PB). You can create and install up to 30 different language files at any one time.
To create a different language file, first you must select one to work with as a model. You then copy the model to a language file with a new name. Refer to the following example:
COPY ENGLISH.PBL STARTREK.PBL
This would create a new language file called “STARTREK.PBL” from the “ENGLISH.PBL” file (supplied with ProBoard). All of the system prompts in “STARTREK.PBL” would at this point be exactly the same as the ones in ENGLISH.PBL.
You should then start up PROCFG.EXE and select “Language Editor” (Shift+F5). A window will be displayed showing the currently installed languages. Position the highlight on STARTREK (notice that the name in the right column still says “English”) and press <ENTER> to begin working with it.
You will now see a full screen window with all of the prompts for your new STARTREK language file. Note on the top line the following options:
Alt-D
Restores the default prompt for the system prompt you are currently positioned on. So if you change the “Please enter your first
and last name" prompt to read "Enter your
name", and then decide you liked the
default prompt better, press Alt-D while
positioned on the "Enter your name" prompt
and the default prompt will be restored.
The default prompt is always displayed on
the bottom line of the Language Editor.
Alt-P ………………….. Opens the “Language Properties” dialog.
This is where you define the properties for
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this language file. You'll notice the
description for the STARTREK language file
still says ENGLISH in the description.
This needs to be changed to STARTREK so
your users can select the new language,
otherwise they will have two ENGLISH
languages to choose from.
Alt-S ………………….. Opens the “Search” dialog. Enter a text
string to search for in the language and
ProBoard will move to the first prompt in
the language file that matches. To repeat
the search, in the prompts for the next
occurrence of the text string you entered,
press <Alt-N>. This allows you to easily
search your entire language file for
specified text, making changes to the
prompts as the text is found.
A description of the fields in the “Language Properties” dialog is as follows:
Description …………….. This is the name your users will see when
choosing from language files they have
access to.
Available ………………. Whether this language is available to
callers with the proper security level.
Level ………………….. The minimum security level required to
select this language file.
Flags ………………….. The security flags needed in a users record
to be able to select this language file.
Menu Path ………………. The full path to your language specific
menus. If specified ProBoard will look for
language specific menus in this path when
users select this language. If left blank,
ProBoard will display the menus in the path
specified in PROCFG, Options, Paths, Menus.
Text Path ………………. The full path to your language specific
text files. If specified ProBoard will
display language specific versions of
your A?? text files if you create them.
RIP files need to be in one common
directory (in other words, ProBoard does
not support RIP language specific text
files at this time. If left blank,
ProBoard will display the textfiles in the
path specified in PROCFG, Options, Paths,
Textfiles.
Questionnaire Path ………. The full path to your language specific
questionnaire files. If specified ProBoard
will use language specific versions of your
questionnaires if you create them. If left
blank, ProBoard will look for questionnaire
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files (files with the .Q-A file extension)
in the ProBoard System Directory.
Once you are positioned on a prompt that you want to change, press <ENTER> to invoke the “Edit Language String” dialog. Each language string can be up to eight lines long. The color for each string is fully configurable (just like in the menu editor). You can insert the following control codes in your language string.
@a<file>@ ………………. Shows <file>.ANS/ASC/AVT (depending on the
user's terminal setting). You can put this
code anywhere in the prompt. (Example:
"@aP_ENTER@" displays P_ENTER.A??)
@p<file>@ ………………. Runs <file>.PEX when this prompt is
displayed. Parameters are allowed
(seperated by spaces). You can put this
control code anywhere in the prompt.
(Example: "@pTEST 2@" will run TEST.PEX
with the parameter 2)
…………………….. Single Backspace.
\^ …………………….. Generates a caret (the ^ character).
\<B><F> ……………….. Set background color to <B> and foreground
color to <F>. The color has to be entered
as one hex character (0-9,A-F).
The colors are: ───────────────
0 - Black 8 - Bright Black 1 - Blue 9 - Bright Blue 2 - Green A - Bright Green 3 - Cyan B - Bright Cyan 4 - Red C - Bright Red 5 - Magenta D - Bright Magenta 6 - Yellow E - Bright Yellow 7 - White (Grey) F - Bright White (Grey)
For the background color, bright colors are not available. When you use 8-F for the background color, the color will have the blinking attribute.
Other color codes you can use are: ──────────────────────────────────
\HR -> Bright red \LR -> Dark red \HG -> Bright green \LG -> Dark green \HY -> Bright yellow \LY -> Dark yellow \HB -> Bright blue \LB -> Dark blue \HP -> Bright purple \LP -> Dark purple \HC -> Bright cyan \LC -> Dark cyan \HW -> Bright white \LW -> Dark white
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Some examples: ──────────────
\0F Bright white on black \1B Bright cyan on blue \8E Bright yellow (blinking) \70 Reverse (black on grey) \LC Dark cyan on black
A description of the fields in the Language String dialog is as follows:
String #1 - String #8 …… The actual text that will be displayed to
your users. Some prompts can be quite
simple to understand (refer to Prompt #7)
and some can seem quite difficult at first
(refer to Prompt #207) with many options
needing to be passed to the prompt, as well
as hotkey values. A careful study of the
default prompts, and how they display will
help you to gain a better idea of how they
work.
Hotkeys ………………… The hotkeys needed for the prompt. If you
study Prompt #207 you will see the hotkeys
defined are "SCRDILAE". If you look at the
text strings for this same prompt, you will
see why these hotkeys are needed. Be sure
to specify the correct number and order of
hotkeys for each prompt (if applicable).
Any prompt which does not use hotkeys will
have "n/a" displayed in the hotkey field
and you will not be able to enter anything
into the hotkey field.
Color ………………….. Allows you to define a color for the prompt
text displayed to your users. Press
<ENTER> to select the color you want to use
for your prompt text.
Highlight ………………. Allows you to define a color for the
highlight. Remember, highlight is toggled
on/off with the ^ character.
Prompt Color ……………. Allows you to select a color for the users
reply to this prompt. For example, if
your prompt reads "Enter your first AND
last name" and this color is set to cyan,
when a user types their name, what they
type will be displayed in cyan (or whatever
color you select here).
The Language Editor will allow you to see what your prompts will look like when a user sees them without showing you the control codes. Move the highlight thru the language editor until you are close to, but not on, Prompt #191. You will notice it displays ”(DUPLICATE- DELETED“) and the word “DELETED” is flashing. Now move the highlight selector to prompt #191 and press <ENTER>. You will now see the prompt with the control codes that make it flash, etc.
language_editor_shift-f5.1651373024.txt.gz · Last modified: 2022/05/01 10:43 by admin
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