Rog's Emoticons System

How to get more out of Akiva's WebBoard version 4.x, 5.x, and 6.x with Rog's Emoticons Software (version 1.1)

This describes freeware that I wrote which allows any virtual board manager (or WebBoard administrator) set up a board with "emoticons."

Suppose you have a software board (such as Akiva's support board).

You have a section for bug reports on that board.

You could save time for all your users by having each post subject annotated with an image (to the left) in the topics frame. For example, a "stone tablet" image could indicate that the poster is saying that this is a "known bug" (helps avoid "me too"s). A "screwdriver" image could suggest that the poster is suggesting a work-around.. An image of a clown could suggest "duh!" (i.e. it's not really a bug, or something just dawned on someone.)

When posters post, they can select the emoticon that they wish to use. If a poster is posting via e-mail or their news reader, they simply put the emoticon name in parentheses in the subject, e.g.: "(workaround)", or "(known bug)".

(The images you see are in the install zip, and are courtesy of Mark Dombeck.)

This system will also automatically scroll the topics frame (or the entire frame, for "no frames" users) to the last conference or post that was "expanded" or "collapsed." However, the positioning will be lost if the user hits "refresh."

Finally, it lets you change the default indentation increment for thread display from 3 pixels to whatever you desire. (The default of 3 pixels is how much indentation is used for replies to a post.)

If you're a "hardcore" technical person like me, you may feel that this is a rather frivolous feature which fundamentally undercuts the elegance and simplicity of WebBoard. I won't argue with that, except to say that even intelligent people can find images and symbols to be a timesaving device.

(Ever wondered what would happen if traffic lights were replaced by the words "stop", "wait" and "go", in monochrome text?)

If you run a board that's frequented by "non technical" users, you may also be surprised by how much they enjoy this feature. It lets them personally feel that they're adding a bit of visual dynamism to the board, and may actually increase the level of participation. Both customers and employees may appreciate the time it saves them when selecting which threads and posts to read.

This code is freeware. You use it at your own risk. No warrany of fitness for use or any other form of guarantee inheres.

You may use it and/or the source code in whole or in part for any otherwise legal purpose that you deem fit; however you may not claim ownership of same for legal purposes against anyone who's obtained it from an "independent source" (such as this web page).

1: Install (1): Complete Install Zips

2: Install (2): Standard Install

3: Install (3): Rebuilding the source files, and/or making modifications

4: Install: (4) configuring Vars.Txt

5: Install: (5) multiple boards for WebBoard 6, and possibly WebBoard 5

6: Maintenance: Changing the "smiley codes" or GIFs

7: Bug reports, comments, and change requests, etc.

8: Other freeware products

9: Version history information

10: Acknowledgements

1: Install (1): Complete Install Zips

If you want this documentation, as well as all the included zip files, WebBoard 4 and 5 users can download emo4.zip instead. WebBoard 6 users should download emo6.zip.

Once you download the complete zip file, you'll still have to follow the rest of the install instructions.

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2: Install (2): Standard Install

For WebBoard 4 and 5 users, the install file is: emo_rel4.zip.

WebBoard 5 users should move the file postmsg5.html to postmsg.html, and postmsg-f5.html to postmsg.html. That's because this release zip is designed to serve both WebBoard 4 and 5, and only these two files differ.

For WebBoard 6, use: emo_rel6.zip.

I haven't supported the "modern" layout for WebBoard 6. If you need support for this, please contact me.

These files should be placed on the folder of the board that you designate for the Emoticons system. If you wish to use multiple boards, please be sure to read section 5.

If you've customized any of the WebBoard pages that are in my install, you'll have to either propagate your customizations to my pages, or propagate my alterations to your customized pages.

Here's a list of each file, along with the role it plays in the various operations:

WebBoard name or name on server:	Purpose:
Emo_Ims.Zip	This is set of emoticon GIFs that Mark Dombeck has generously dedicated to the public domain. (See section 10.
PostMsg.html	Posting page for "no frames" users. This lets them choose an "emoticon" from the list of allowed choices configured in Vars.Txt (see below).
PostMsg5.html	Posting page for "no frames" WebBoard 5 users. This lets them choose an "emoticon" from the list of allowed choices configured in Vars.Txt (see below). This file only exists in the combined WebBoard 4 and 5 release zip.
PostMsg-f.html	Same as above, but for "frames" users.
PostMsg-f5.html	Same as above, but for WebBoard 5 frames users. This file only exists in the combined WebBoard 4 and 5 release zip.
Vars.Txt	This is the configuration file. If you click on the link, you may see nothing, because it's JavaScript. Use your view source option on the browser if so.
Topics.html	This is Topics.html. It contains the code needed to reformat the <wb-topics> so as to augment the thread subjects with the GIFs. It will also automatically scroll the topics frame (or the entire frame, for "no frames" users) to the last conference or post that was "expanded" or "collapsed." However, the positioning will be lost if the user hits "refresh."

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3: Install (3): Rebuilding the source files, and/or making modifications

If you want to modify the system, you'll need to download the source code. For WebBoard 4 and 5 users, this is in: emo_src4.zip. For WebBoard 6 users, this is in emo_src6.zip.

Note that these zip files are contained within the "complete" install download, as described in section 1.

You'll need to unzip these files into a new folder on your hard drive.

After you do so, you'll have to install my "JavaScript MakeFile" system onto that same folder: http://www.rs-freeware.org/jsm.

Within the JavaScript MakeFile system, I offer specific instructions for WebBoard users, at: http://www.rs-freeware.org/jsm/jsmdoc.htm#WebBoard_Regenerate.

In a nutshell: after installing the "JavaScript MakeFile" system, you'll have to modify the "make" file: emo.mak.

This is the line that you'll have to change:


DEST=f:\\w\\html\\emo

DEST should have the folder name of the board from which you wish to run the Emoticons system. If you wish to use multiple boards, please be sure to read section 5.

Note that double backslashes are required to separate folder names.

For more information about folder names, please see my DOS primer.

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4: Install: (4) configuring Vars.Txt

Vars.Txt contains most, but not all of the information needed to establish the list of allowable emoticons and the other configuration options that you're most likely to desire.

Although there are comments in front of each value that has to be modified, I recommend that you keep a backup copy of my versions of these files, so you can see what worked for me (just in case there's any doubt about what the variable value truly represents).

If you aren't a programmer, please be very careful when modifying these files.

Double quotes should not be part of any value.

These files should be edited with a standard text editor, such as Windows Notepad. If you use anything else, you need to save the file as "MS-DOS Text."

If you're a Macintosh user or on a Unix machine, what's required here is often known as an ASCII plain text format.

G_Sm_Cos and G_Sm_Ims

G_Sm_Cos are the "smiley codes", i.e. the array of text descriptions. For example, if the string "smile" appears in the list of codes, then putting "(smile)" in the message subject will yield the expected result. These codes are also displayed in the drop-down box in the posting page.

Note that users who are posting via newsreader or e-mail can use the codes (just wrap them in parentheses, with no excess spaces, and put them in the subject).

The code names are processed case-INsensitively, so posters are free to use any mix of capital and lowercase letters when they post via e-mail or news reader.

G_Sm_Ims are the "smiley images", i.e. the GIF files that corresond to each code (without the ".GIF" extension). While one might ideally prefer the two arrays to be identical, this is certainly not required (and is actually helpful, if a virtual board manager wishes to upload the GIFs to the /upload folder as file attachments).

G_Sm_None

G_Sm_None is the name of the default GIF, i.e. what gets used if there's no parenthesized "smiley code" (i.e. emoticon label) in the post subject. Again, the file extension "GIF" is presumed.

G_Sm_Dim

G_Sm_Dim is the rest of the "IMG SRC" tag. It specfies the dimensions of the image. A typical setting might be:


var G_Sm_Dim = "width=15 height=15 hspace=3>";

G_Sm_Fo

G_Sm_Fo is the name of the folder where the images go. The default setting is "/upload/", however if you can't load GIFs from the upload folder, then you could use the wbimages folder or load them from another site (in the latter case, you'd need the "http://" part.

Don't forget to include a trailing slash.

G_Sm_SubMLen

G_Sm_SubMLen is the maximum length of the subject. Whenever a poster selects an emoticon from the drop-down box on the posting page, all recognized emoticons are removed from the subject line first, and then we check to see if there's enough space to add the poster's selected emoticon to the post subject (without exceeding G_Sm_SubMLen). If not, the poster is asked to shorten their subject. Note that this won't affect posts done via news reader or e-mail.

G_Sm_SpHalfWid

G_Sm_SpHalfWid is the default pixel width which controls indentation of replies. For example, a reply to the first post in a thread is indented by 3 pixels, whereas a reply to that post would be indented by 6. If G_Sm_SpHalfWid is greater than 3 (O'Reilly's default), then the necessary massaging will occur. This will slow down processing to a negligible extent on a modern machine (e.g. a P166+), but may do so to a much greater extent for older versions of WebTV.

G_Sm_SeeLabel

G_Sm_SeeLabel is set to 1 by default: under this mode, the emoticon labels (e.g. "(note)") will show up in the links to posts within the left (topics) frame.

If you feel that these labels are superfluous, and/or that they vitiate the "graphical/visual feel" of the emoticons system, you can set G_Sm_SeeLabel to 0. This variable must have a numeric value.

Unfortunately, WebBoard's WB-SCRIPT and WB-INCLUDE tags aren't interpreted when posts are edited.

(IMO, this bug is a substantial blow to the value of open scripting).

As a result, the G_Sm_Cos ("smiley codes") array and G_Sm_SubMLen (the maximum post subject length) are "hard coded" in the posting pages: postmsg.html and postmsg-f.html.

The JavaScript in both posting pages will check to see that the number of "smiley codes" in vars.txt is identical to what's "hard coded" in the posting page.

If there are a different number of smiley codes, the drop-down box for emoticons won't be built, and a warning alert will pop up. This alert will recommend that the system administrator maintain postmsg.html/postmsg-f.html.

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5: Install: (5) multiple boards for WebBoard 6, and possibly WebBoard 5

For WebBoard 6, it's impossible to reference a file on the upload folder from a given board, unless the file was uploaded from the same board.

For example, if you upload a ".jpg" file on one board, you may code the following in a message on that board:


<img src="upload/FILENAME.jpg">

But if you use the same HTML tag in a message that's posted to another board, WebBoard 6 will refuse to load it.

This restriction also applies to the standard WebBoard HTML files.

In a nutshell, what that means is that if you want to have more than one emoticons board, you'll have to upload the images to each board. Furthermore, you'll have to use a different version of vars.txt for each board, because each uploaded file can only have one name on the upload folder. If you upload a file twice, it will receive a different name.

There's a way around this problem: if you upload your emoticons images to the images folder (that's probably c:\WebBoard\images), you can refer to them with this syntax:


<img src="wbimages\FILENAME.jpg">

This will allow you to have multiple boards that share the same emoticon images. So, as long as you can put your images in WebBoard's images folder, you need only change:


var G_Sm_Fo = "/upload/";

to:


var G_Sm_Fo = "wbimages\"

Note that there are many subfolders of the WebBoard images folder, each of which corresponds to different "appearance schemes". If you wish to follow this strategy, your images should be in the main images folder - as opposed to any subfolders.

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6: Maintenance: Changing the "smiley codes" or GIFs

Once posters have begun to post with a set of smiley codes, you can only remove one if you're prepared to see the default code used (for the removed one).

Of course, you can change the GIF associated with a code at any time, merely by modifying vars.txt.

If you want to add a new code, you need to add the code to G_Sm_Cos, and the corresponding GIF name to G_Sm_Ims in vars.txt.

Warning: you must also modify G_Sm_Cos in both postmsg.html, postmsg-f.html.

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7: Bug reports, comments, and change requests, etc.

You can e-mail me at rog@NOSPAM_rs-freeware.org if you encounter problems, or think that you've found a bug.

I can also be reached by telephone in the U.S. from about 9 AM U.S. central time to 5 PM U.S. central time at: 765-742-6705. If you don't get an answer, you can use my numeric pager at: 765-417-0664 ... I'll try to call you back, if you're in the U.S, Canada, or Mexico.

Please supply me with as much information as you can about your server, your version of WebBoard, any browser or Operating System that was involved, including the WebBoard Server's Operating System (9x, NT, 2K, XP?). Also, please provide any configuration files, or customized WebBoard files that you were using. Keep in mind that I might actually have to have the opportunity to try what you were doing, in order to diagnose the problem.

BTW, I don't gaurantee to answer all e-mail or fix all bugs, etc. Please remember that this is freeware, and that my time and resources are limited.

That said, I've put a lot of work into designing, coding, testing, and documenting this product, and I'm probably going to be fairly interested in any comments anyone has, fixing any bugs, and/or extending the scope to applications that strike me as being potentially valuable to a large number of users.

Naturally, if you're willing to hire me to make changes for your special-purpose application, I'm certainly willing to consider your offer. My standard rate is $75/hr., but I may charge less if the work is to be done for a small business (less than 25 employees), or a nonprofit organization (in the latter case, I might even do it on a gratis basis :-) I may also consider charging you nothing if you're suggesting an improvement that I feel is of value to a large number of other users.

You can find out more about me, including references, and a list of clients/projects at: http://www.rs-freeware.org/rog.

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8: Other freeware products

WebBoard users will find lots of WebBoard freeware at: http://www.rs-freeware.org/freeware.htm.

Anyone who writes JavaScript (regardless of whether this is written on the client or server side), deals with SQL, or who happens to be interested in obtaining the full power available from DOS may wish to check out http://www.rs-freeware.org/free2.htm

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9: Version history information

This is version 1.1, released on Nov. 1, 2002.

The "reply width indentation" enhancement was added on Sept 11, 2000.

The option to control the display of emoticon labels on the left frame was added on Nov 4, 2000. Also fixed a bug that caused a superfluous blank line whenever the first topic in a conference was expanded.

Nov 14, 2000: added the model ("fast") install.

Nov 1, 2002: upgraded the system for WebBoard 6.

This documentation was generated by Rog's FAQHack: a DOS/Windows-based freeware program that handles simple macro preprocessing with special support for FAQs and other structured HTML documents.

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10: Acknowledgements

I'd like to thank Mark Dombeck, Ph.D, the Director of Mental Health Network in Columbus, OH, for his cooperation in helping me test and develop this system.

Mark graciously permitted me to make his images available to users of this system (in Emoticon.Zip). His images were also used for the screen caputure in the introduction.

Mark also came up with the specifications: I was particularly impressed (awed, in fact) with the elegance of including the "smiley codes" in parenthises in the post subject. This allows new readers of the board to instantly recognize the purpose of the images, as well as facilitating e-mail and news reader access.

Robert Lee of Geomancy.net alerted me to the bug that was fixed on Nov. 4, 2000, and recommended the addition of the option that allows one to suppress the display of the emoticon labels on the left (topics) frame.

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