Hey All,

I'm looking to change the behaviour
around selecting a message board,
currently I have changed J (Jump to
area) to M (Message Boards). The user
selected the board from the board menu
and then the sub board from the sub
board menu...from here it takes the
user back to the main menu where they
would select (N)ew messages, (L)ist
messages etc. I'd like after the user
has selected the sub board for them to
be taken to a menu that just displays
the message board options (new, post,
read, list etc.

I've had a look inside default.js but
haven't been able to workout how to
adapt select_message_area() ... if
indeed that is how to achieve this.

As always any guidance most welcome,
Cheers,
Ed

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þ Synchronet þ My Brand-New BBS

Re: Message Area Menu
By: Vela025 to All on Mon Mar 03 2025 03:35 pm

Hey All,

I'm looking to change the behaviour around selecting a message board, currently I have changed J (Jump to area) to M (Message Boards). The user selected the board from the board menu and then the sub board from the sub board menu...from here it takes the user back to the main menu where they would select (N)ew messages, (L)ist messages etc. I'd like after the user has selected the sub board for them to be taken to a menu that just displays the message board options (new, post, read, list etc.

I've had a look inside default.js but haven't been able to workout how to adapt select_message_area() ... if indeed that is how to achieve this.

As always any guidance most welcome, Cheers,

Take a look at the other shells available which have a separate "Message Menu" (e.g. the Renegade shell), that might be more similar to what you want to do than default.js. Now those other shells are all currently written in Baja (not JS), but are on the list to be converted to JS.

Others have taken default.js and split it into 3 menus, perhaps they'll chime in and offer up their code for you to copy or learn from.
--
digital man (rob)

Rush quote #38:
See how it sings like a sad heart, then joyously screams out its pain
Norco, CA WX: 55.3øF, 51.0% humidity, 4 mph WSW wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs ---
þ Synchronet þ Vertrauen þ Home of Synchronet þ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net

Re: Message Area Menu
By: Vela025 to All on Mon Mar 03 2025 03:35 pm

I'm looking to change the behaviour
around selecting a message board,
currently I have changed J (Jump to
area) to M (Message Boards). The user
selected the board from the board menu
and then the sub board from the sub
board menu...from here it takes the
user back to the main menu where they
would select (N)ew messages, (L)ist
messages etc. I'd like after the user
has selected the sub board for them to
be taken to a menu that just displays
the message board options (new, post,
read, list etc.

I've had a look inside default.js but
haven't been able to workout how to
adapt select_message_area() ... if
indeed that is how to achieve this.

If you want to modify default.js to do this, it looks to me like you'd want to add a new menu object, similar to how main_menu, file_menu, etc. are structured (look for "const main_menu" and "const file_menu"). You'd probably want to make another menu object similar to those, maybe called msg_menu. Then in your command to change sub-boards (which you said you changed from J to M?), I think you could modify that in default.js to change the menu, like this:

M': { eval: 'shell.select_msg_area()'; menu = msg_menu },

That would assume the new menu object you made is called msg_menu.

Nightfox

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Re: Message Area Menu
By: Nightfox to Vela025 on Mon Mar 03 2025 11:10:22

Thanks both, it took me a while to figure out exactly how I wanted it but your input has been incredibly helpful. I decided to go for the adding an extra section to default.js and as suggested used the existing const main_menu= { section to help model the new const msg_menu = { section. It seems to be working great, however for node_action: in the msg_menu section I have left this as NODE_MAIN, but notice in file it is NODE_XFER. Is it ok to leave this as NODE_MAIN or should I look in to how to create a NODE_MSG (or similar).

Thanks again!
Ed

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þ Synchronet þ My Brand-New BBS

Re: Message Area Menu
By: Vela025 to Nightfox on Wed Mar 05 2025 08:09 pm

Re: Message Area Menu
By: Nightfox to Vela025 on Mon Mar 03 2025 11:10:22

Thanks both, it took me a while to figure out exactly how I wanted it but your input has been incredibly helpful. I decided to go for the adding an extra section to default.js and as suggested used the existing const main_menu= { section to help model the new const msg_menu = { section. It seems to be working great, however for node_action: in the msg_menu section I have left this as NODE_MAIN, but notice in file it is NODE_XFER. Is it ok to leave this as NODE_MAIN or should I look in to how to create a NODE_MSG (or similar).

I suggest using NODE_RMSG ("Reading messages") for your shell's message section node action.
--
digital man (rob)

Steven Wright quote #14:
If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something. Norco, CA WX: 50.1øF, 82.0% humidity, 0 mph WNW wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs ---
þ Synchronet þ Vertrauen þ Home of Synchronet þ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net

Re: Message Area Menu
By: Digital Man to Vela025 on Wed Mar 05 2025 18:43:16

I suggest using NODE_RMSG ("Reading messages") for your shell's message sect > node action.

Great, thank you!

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þ Synchronet þ My Brand-New BBS

Re: Message Area Menu
By: Vela025 to Nightfox on Wed Mar 05 2025 08:09 pm

Thanks both, it took me a while to figure out exactly how I wanted it but your input has been incredibly helpful. I decided to go for the adding an extra section to default.js and as suggested used the existing const main_menu= { section to help model the new const msg_menu = { section. It seems to be working great, however for node_action: in the msg_menu section I have left this as NODE_MAIN, but notice in file it is NODE_XFER. Is it ok to leave this as NODE_MAIN or should I look in to how to create a NODE_MSG (or similar).

I think the node_action helps mainly with logging, as it would point out what the user is doing (I don't remember offhand if there are other ways it helps). In my command shell, I set node_action to NODE_RMSG (reading messages) in my message menu, but you could keep it as NODE_MAIN if you wanted to, I suppose.

Nightfox

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þ Synchronet þ Digital Distortion: digitaldistortionbbs.com

Re: Message Area Menu
By: Nightfox to Vela025 on Thu Mar 06 2025 02:09 pm

Re: Message Area Menu
By: Vela025 to Nightfox on Wed Mar 05 2025 08:09 pm

Thanks both, it took me a while to figure out exactly how I wanted it but your input has been incredibly helpful. I decided to go for the adding an extra section to default.js and as suggested used the existing const main_menu= { section to help model the new const msg_menu = { section. It seems to be working great, however for node_action: in the msg_menu section I have left this as NODE_MAIN, but notice in file it is NODE_XFER. Is it ok to leave this as NODE_MAIN or should I look in to how to create a NODE_MSG (or similar).

I think the node_action helps mainly with logging, as it would point out what the user is doing (I don't remember offhand if there are other ways it helps). In my command shell, I set node_action to NODE_RMSG (reading messages) in my message menu, but you could keep it as NODE_MAIN if you wanted to, I suppose.

The node action is used for node status displays (e.g. by other users, MQTT clients, monitoring programs like sbbsctrl):
https://wiki.synchro.net/ref:node_status
--
digital man (rob)

Steven Wright quote #15:
Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
Norco, CA WX: 42.9øF, 91.0% humidity, 2 mph WNW wind, 0.17 inches rain/24hrs ---
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