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  • Synchronet RIP Troubles

    From Booch@1:103/705 to All on Tue Apr 27 11:19:37 2021
    Hello everyone! I'm working with getting RIP setup on Synchronet and an running into a problem early in the process that appears to be a bug.

    I have ANSWER.RIP set and rendering when I call with a RIP capable client. After I login, I see a problem: the RIP screen never goes away, making navigating the BBS impossible. The RIP screen remains 'sticky' throughout the logon process and even into the menus.

    I did some further testing by also providing LOGON.RIP. As expected, ANSWER.RIP rendered when calling the BBS. Then, after logon, LOGON.RIP rendered, but then it became stuck on the screen just like ANSWER.RIP did.

    Is there a command of some kind I need to include in the Javascript to clear the screen? I'm having trouble locating any documentation with RIPterm for Synchronet.

    I'd love to make more progress with getting the BBS set up with RIP graphics and menus and really want to do it with Synchronet since it's great software and the BBS has been on it for at least 15 years. Any help would be welcome!
    Thanks,
    - Booch
    --- SBBSecho 3.14-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
  • From Digital Man@1:103/705 to Booch on Tue Apr 27 12:22:58 2021
    Re: Synchronet RIP Troubles
    By: Booch to All on Tue Apr 27 2021 11:19 am

    Hello everyone! I'm working with getting RIP setup on Synchronet and an running into a problem early in the process that appears to be a bug.

    I have ANSWER.RIP set and rendering when I call with a RIP capable client. After I login, I see a problem: the RIP screen never goes away, making navigating the BBS impossible.

    Doesn't the main menu (main.rip) display with clickable buttons?

    The RIP screen remains 'sticky' throughout
    the logon process and even into the menus.

    It's just how RIP works: the text and the graphics are split and you need your RIP files to reset the display (e.g. after a pause) to a single text window if that's what you want.

    I did some further testing by also providing LOGON.RIP. As expected, ANSWER.RIP rendered when calling the BBS. Then, after logon, LOGON.RIP rendered, but then it became stuck on the screen just like ANSWER.RIP did.

    Is there a command of some kind I need to include in the Javascript to clear the screen? I'm having trouble locating any documentation with RIPterm for Synchronet.

    It's something you need to add to your RIP file. You likely *could* send the correct RIP sequence using a JavaScript function, but you shouldn't *have* to.

    I'd love to make more progress with getting the BBS set up with RIP graphics and menus and really want to do it with Synchronet since it's great software and the BBS has been on it for at least 15 years. Any help would be welcome!

    Do you have a copy of the RIP spec? When version are you targetting?
    --
    digital man

    This Is Spinal Tap quote #18:
    Sustain, listen to it. Don't hear anything. You would though were it playing. Norco, CA WX: 61.6øF, 51.0% humidity, 4 mph NE wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs
    --- SBBSecho 3.14-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
  • From Booch@1:103/705 to Digital Man on Tue Apr 27 15:55:00 2021
    Re: Synchronet RIP Troubles
    By: Digital Man to Booch on Tue Apr 27 2021 12:22 pm

    Doesn't the main menu (main.rip) display with clickable buttons?

    Yeah, I'll get to the main menu eventually, but I was targetting just the answer screen and logon process first.

    The RIP screen remains 'sticky' throughout
    the logon process and even into the menus.

    It's just how RIP works: the text and the graphics are split and you need your RIP files to reset the display (e.g. after a pause) to a single text window if that's what you want.

    Ok, I'll see if I can learn how to do that. Perhaps hotkey detection or something.

    It's something you need to add to your RIP file. You likely *could* send the correct RIP sequence using a JavaScript function, but you shouldn't *have* to.
    Do you have a copy of the RIP spec? When version are you targetting?

    I don't have a copy of the RIP spec. I suppose I am early in this process and have a couple of screens drawn up in RIPaint. I'd like to target the latest version that Synchronet supports, which doesn't seem to be the latest version of RIP. That's fine, I'll work with what is available. The main issue I am seeing is most polygone fills don't work. Any more advice you can provide would be appreciated. Thanks alot!
    - Booch
    --- SBBSecho 3.14-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
  • From Digital Man@1:103/705 to Booch on Tue Apr 27 16:46:02 2021
    Re: Synchronet RIP Troubles
    By: Booch to Digital Man on Tue Apr 27 2021 03:55 pm

    Re: Synchronet RIP Troubles
    By: Digital Man to Booch on Tue Apr 27 2021 12:22 pm

    Doesn't the main menu (main.rip) display with clickable buttons?

    Yeah, I'll get to the main menu eventually, but I was targetting just the answer screen and logon process first.

    Synchronet comes with a RIP menu set: https://gitlab.synchro.net/main/sbbs/-/blob/master/text/menu/main.rip

    and other menus, preinstalled for the default command shell.

    The RIP screen remains 'sticky' throughout
    the logon process and even into the menus.

    It's just how RIP works: the text and the graphics are split and you need your RIP files to reset the display (e.g. after a pause) to a single text window if that's what you want.

    Ok, I'll see if I can learn how to do that. Perhaps hotkey detection or something.

    It's something you need to add to your RIP file. You likely *could* send the correct RIP sequence using a JavaScript function, but you shouldn't *have* to.
    Do you have a copy of the RIP spec? When version are you targetting?

    I don't have a copy of the RIP spec.

    Get it here:
    http://www.bbsdocumentary.com/library/PROGRAMS/GRAPHICS/RIPSCRIPT/

    I suppose I am early in this process
    and have a couple of screens drawn up in RIPaint. I'd like to target the latest version that Synchronet supports, which doesn't seem to be the latest version of RIP.

    Synchronet will detect *any* version of RIPSCRIP. It's not limited to supporting a specific version or versions.

    That's fine, I'll work with what is available. The main
    issue I am seeing is most polygone fills don't work. Any more advice you can provide would be appreciated. Thanks alot!

    I think that's a known issue with RIP. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Imaging_Protocol

    I think the only 100% compatible combination was RIPterm (not RIPtel) and RIPaint. Maybe QModem was 100% compatible with RIPaint screens too, I don't know.
    --
    digital man

    Synchronet/BBS Terminology Definition #71:
    SMB = Synchronet Message Base (e.g. smblib)
    Norco, CA WX: 65.2øF, 47.0% humidity, 13 mph NNE wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs --- SBBSecho 3.14-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
  • From Booch@1:103/705 to Digital Man on Tue Apr 27 18:31:53 2021
    Re: Synchronet RIP Troubles
    By: Digital Man to Booch on Tue Apr 27 2021 04:46 pm

    Get it here: http://www.bbsdocumentary.com/library/PROGRAMS/GRAPHICS/RIPSCRIPT/

    Woohoo! I'll check that out.

    Synchronet will detect *any* version of RIPSCRIP. It's not limited to supporting a specific version or versions.
    That's fine, I'll work with what is available. The main
    issue I am seeing is most polygone fills don't work. Any more advice you can provide would be appreciated. Thanks alot!

    I think that's a known issue with RIP. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Imaging_Protocol

    I think the only 100% compatible combination was RIPterm (not RIPtel) and RIPaint. Maybe QModem was 100% compatible with RIPaint screens too, I don't know.

    Well, that's great news! I was worried that only early versions of RIP were supported. Thanks!
    - Booch
    --- SBBSecho 3.14-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
  • From Tracker1@1:103/705 to Booch on Tue May 4 17:09:28 2021
    On 4/27/2021 11:19 AM, Booch wrote:
    I see a problem: the RIP screen never goes away, making navigating
    the BBS impossible. The RIP screen remains 'sticky' throughout the
    logon process and even into the menus.

    RIP has what is thought of as an ANSI viewport, in addition to multiple
    font sizes for ANSI text. You should probably reset to 80x24 mode (full screen), and even clear the screen when leaving a RIP area.

    It might be worth making a request to do this at a few key points in Synchronet, such as going from answer/login/login/shell and when
    entering and leaving an external program.

    Would be nice if the clear codes (\1n) and the clear command in the JS
    API would do this as well for RIP enabled users.
    --
    Michael J. Ryan - tracker1@roughneckbbs.com
    ---
    ï¿­ Synchronet ï¿­ Roughneck BBS - roughneckbbs.com
    --- SBBSecho 3.14-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
  • From Tracker1@1:103/705 to Booch on Tue May 4 17:20:03 2021
    On 4/27/2021 3:55 PM, Booch wrote:

    I don't have a copy of the RIP spec. I suppose I am early in this process and
    have a couple of screens drawn up in RIPaint. I'd like to target the latest version that Synchronet supports, which doesn't seem to be the latest version
    of RIP. That's fine, I'll work with what is available. The main issue I am seeing is most polygone fills don't work. Any more advice you can provide would be appreciated. Thanks alot!

    Synchronet doesn't really differentiate between RIP versions, not even
    sure if it reports the RIP version reported in the JS API, which might
    be cool.

    RIP 2.x removed flood/fill support, also the format for icons changed to
    use 16-color bitmap iirc. There are conversion tools. If you're
    supporting RIP 2.x (RIPTel 3.x), then it takes some work to convert
    older files.

    I used to know RIP very well, but been a long time... What you can do is
    edit the RIP file itself with a good programmer text editor.

    Copy/paste chunks of the RIP out, and find the flood commands... what
    you then can do, is put some text in the render, so you can create
    shapes OVER the top of where you would have filled with the filled
    polygon tool... then you can hand edit to move those polygons below the
    shapes they would have been filling.

    There's a couple RIP sequences that can reset your ANSI area and font
    size to your desired setting. Make this something like clear.rip, then
    you can add that sequence, or show that file when moving from an area
    covered by RIP to one that isn't. There are places to be careful of
    regarding screen size detection for pause prompts etc. as you play with
    this.

    Since you're using RIPaint, you can actually, iirc do your region
    setting and wipes in RIPaint, and save it that way. Again, been a very
    long while for me.
    --
    Michael J. Ryan - tracker1@roughneckbbs.com
    ---
    ï¿­ Synchronet ï¿­ Roughneck BBS - roughneckbbs.com
    --- SBBSecho 3.14-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:103/705 to Tracker1 on Wed May 5 17:36:00 2021
    RIP has what is thought of as an ANSI viewport, in addition to multiple font sizes for ANSI text. You should probably reset to 80x24 mode
    (full screen), and even clear the screen when leaving a RIP area.

    A former area Sysop thought RIP was what you did to a f@r+. <G>

    Daryl

    ... Ham Radio QRP: When you care the most to send the very least.
    --- MultiMail/Win v0.52
    þ Synchronet þ The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)