Text Macros

You can enter text macros in any user-definable string. Text macros are defined as “@<NAME:n>@”, and are replaced by internal ProBoard variables at runtime. You can insert these macros in the following strings:

1. Textlines in menu items
2. Data fields in menu items
3. Menu prompts
4. Modem initialization string

'NAME' is the name of the macro. A list of available macros will follow.

You can also specify the field width for the resulting string. This is done by appending the macro name with a ':' and a number. A positive number will result in a left aligned string, while a negative number will result in a right aligned string.

For example:

@<NAME:30>@ will display the user's name in a left aligned field of 30 characters wide.

Note that the field width specifier is optional.

Here is a list of the available macros:

BAUD              Current baud rate
CITY              The city of the current user
COUNTRY           User's country/state
CURFILEAREA       Current file area name
CURFILEAREA#      Current file area number
CURFILEAREADIR    Current file area path
CURFILEGROUP      Current file group name
CURFILEGROUP#     Current file group number
CURMENU           Current menu name
CURMSGAREA        Current message area name
CURMSGAREA#       Current message area number
CURMSGGROUP       Current message group name
CURMSGGROUP#      Current message group number
DATAPHONE         User's data phone number
DATE              Current date (xx-xxx-xx)
FIRSTNAME         The first name of the current user
HANDLE            The user's handle (fixed alias)
HIGHMSG           Highest message number in message base
ID                The user level ID for this user
LANGUAGE          The language of the user (base file name)
LASTDATE          Date of user's last call
LASTTIME          Time of user's last call
LEVEL             The level of the current user
LOWMSG            Lowest message number in message base (Hudson)
MNUDIR            Menu directory
MSGDIR            Message base directory
NAME              The name of the current user
NLDIR             Nodelist directory
NODE              Current node number
NUMMSG            Number of messages in current area
NUMUSERS          Total number of users in userfile
NUMYELLS          The number of times the user yelled
PASSWORD          The user's password
PEXDIR            PEX-files directory
PORT              Current com-port nr (1-8)
PVTDIR            Private uploads directory
STARTDIR          Startup-directory
SYSDIR            ProBoard system directory
SYSOPNAME         Name of the SysOp
TIME              Current time (xx:xx)
TMLEFT            Number of minutes left
TMONLINE          Number of minutes online
TOTALCALLS        Total # of calls to the system
TOTALMSG          Total # of messages in message base (Hudson)
TXTDIR            Textfiles directory
UPDIR             Upload directory
USERREC           Record number of this user's user record
VERSION           ProBoard version number (eg. 2.20)
VOICEPHONE        User's voice phone number
%NAME             Will be replaced by the contents of DOS
                  environment variable 'NAME'.
                  Example: in DOS or a .BAT file you would put SET
                           INITSTR=ATDT5551212.  Then when you use a
                           text macro like this: @<%INITSTR>@ it would
                           be replaced with "ATDT5551212".  Note the
                           "%" symbol in the macro.

Other special characters are:

#1 - #7           Change color (only valid for displayable strings).
#B1 - #B7         If a 'B' is in front of the color number, the "blink"
                  attribute will be turned on.

                          1 = Red
                          2 = Green
                          3 = Yellow
                          4 = Blue
                          5 = Magenta
                          6 = Cyan
                          7 = White

Example:

Hi @<#3>@@<FIRSTNAME>@@<#7>@, how is the weather in @<CITY>@?──

Other single examples:   @<NAME:35>@
                         @<TMONLINE:-5>@
                         @<CITY>@