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*(ALL FILES CAN AND SHOULD BE OPENED IN MS NOTEPAD OR A SIMILAR PROGRAM)  *
*(EXCEPT THE DATA BASE (bulletin.mdb) BUT YOU NEED ACCESS 2000 TO OPEN IT)*
*I have added an Old version Data Base, located in the folder "OldVersion"*
*The Old version works with Access 97 etc., whereas the new version works *
*with Access 2000, and is located in the folder called "Bulletin". You may* 
*replace the new version with the old version if you don't have Access2000*
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Please do not use WYSIWYG HTML editors like FrontPage to work on these 
pages as I have found out the hard way that these programs may change your 
code on you and then it will not work. FrontPage is bad about doing this
with JavaScripts and anything it does not quite understand!

First, you MUST put the pictures folder in your root directory.
The reason I say MUST is the way I have the links set already!
This will put the pictures folder along side your cgi-bin and 
you MUST put the bulletin folder inside of your cgi-bin, 
but just the cgi-bin, not cgi-bin/whatever/bulletin so you will 
have it appear from the root (main) directory:
./cgi-bin/bulletin/
./pictures/
This is assuming that your cgi-bin has execute permissions
and your root directory has read permissions.

Now if you want the reader to be sent to an information page the first
time they go to the forum so you can give them some ground rules
etc., take the comment off the first line in the function.asp page.
The line with the redirect in the function.asp is:
'If Request.Cookies("Bulletin")("Name") = "" Then Response.Redirect "newuser.asp"
Change it to this (all on one line):
If Request.Cookies("Bulletin")("Name") = "" Then Response.Redirect "newuser.asp"

A comment is this: ' Or REM

Yep just a single quote mark and this tells the computer to ignore 
anything after it, as long is it is on the same line. This is how 
I can give you directions in the code and the computer does 
not confuse this as code to execute. Also, REM works just like the 
single quote and is a hold over from the "good old days". And no
it does not refer to the rock group or to that period of sleep when 
you dream :o).

So if you direct the user to the newuser.asp page there is a link 
on that page about cookies. This page is included and should 
remain in the bulletin folder along with the newuser.asp page. 
In fact-the only thing that needs to be outside the bulletin folder 
is the pictures folder and the graphics in it. BTW, while I am on it, 
the path to the forum should be like this:
http://yourURL.com(.net)/cgi-bin/bulletin/ and then you will be sent 
the page called default.asp . (funny, the default page is called the 
default.asp page, very original!)
And the path to the Picture folder is:
http://yourURL.com(.net)/Pictures

I have to assume you at least know HTML a little if you plan to install 
this forum on your site. So you know how to change the color of the 
background, and the text color and the link color etc. It is safe for 
you to do so. Just be careful when you are changing anything within these 
tags: <% and %>. If you want to receive notification of message posts via 
email, you will need to write the code to send mail in put.asp and 
reply.asp and put your email address etc. etc.. Just read the directions 
in the pages and if you still get confused you may email me at 
President@WhyteHouse.com 
However My web server does NOT use CDonts. So I do not know how to set 
that up. They use something called Bamboo to smtp.

I understand all too well how confusing new stuff can be, and how the 
directions assume you know this and you know that, so all you need to do 
is read and do what it says and it will be up and running in a 5 minutes 
(Yea, right!).

Look for the commented lines and then you will change the code
below the comment (if desired to send email). 

Let's start with the function.asp page. This page is included in the 
default.asp when you call the default page, and it is pasted in the 
reply.asp, and it is also included in the put.asp. It has some common 
code needed by each of the three pages mentioned. I can only see that 
you may need to adjust the img tags for the images found in the pictures 
folder. This part: ../../pictures/ is to access the images correctly 
IF you have the folders in the right place. So if you want to make new 
images and have a different size or for whatever reason go into the 
"Sub ReMessage(Layer,ID,VarPage)" in the function.asp page and change 
the references (name, size of the image etc.).

Next, let's go to default.asp
You change the page layout here in the body tag. Also, you can change the 
(message count) page size (see the default.asp page for info on this) 
it is iPageSize that you set. Also, there are some images referenced in 
this page, if you need to change the image name, size, etc.. 
Again see that page for comments.

Now, take a look at the newuser page(newuser.asp) Basically set it up 
however you like. It is html and a little css thrown in. When you fill 
in the form and hit the submit button the code on the bottom of the page 
gets executed and then re directs you to the main page (default.asp) and 
you then get your cookies :o).

OK, let's look at reply.asp page. It has the include file "function.asp".
Reply.asp uses the function fFormat to change a single: ' to a double: ''
from the name, email, title, or body fields etc., as a single quote will 
get interpeted as code by the scripting engine and will just screw up the 
code! This will trip up the computer, if you try to insert it in the 
selected fields within the data base using the asp code. The other part of 
function.asp is the sub ReMessage and it is used to display all messages 
below the message being displayed. It will only show those messages that 
are connected to the message that was first clicked on from the default.asp 
page. This is the heart of the forum and is what makes the forum work with 
only a few pages. I just have mine so I am notified of new (main) 
message posts, and the originator of a message is notified by email when 
someone posts a reply to his(her) post. But you may want to be notified of 
replies to other replies.

Now there is one last page and this is the one you don't put any links to.
It is the delete records page. If someone put something not appropriate to 
the forum, you can just call up the master.asp page, find the message 
listed, click on the radio button next to the message you want deleted, 
enter the password delete (delete is the password and is not case sensitive) and
hit, press, push etc. the submit button and it will delete that message 
from the data base. You can change the password, please feel free to do, in 
fact I recommend it. See master.asp for the comment line on how and where 
to do this! You can even rename the master.asp to something else as there 
are no links to or from the page.

Oh, and about deleting, you should do this right away if the message is 
unappropriate. If you wait then all the responses to the main message
will not show either!

OK So There it is, but if you get stuck or I missed something please feel 
free to email me:

Christopher J. Whyte
President@WhyteHouse.com
www.WhyteHouse.com
AKA DimNull