The Thought BBS engine stores menus in a flexible XML format. Each menu item has a verb, which is a command that performs some operation (such as displaying a file or disconnecting from the BBS). Several verbs are included in the BBS but you can also create your own.
RemoteAccess stores menus in a binary format. Each menu item has a type number that determines the action to take when the menu item is selected. Type numbers are hard-coded into the software and cannot be extended without modification of the source code. The behavior of each menu type is largely hard-coded although most can be customized with parameters and language prompts.
The Thought BBS engine does not support the RemoteAccess menu format. The time necessary to support the binary menu format is better spent elsewhere in the programming efforts. Therefore unless a 3rd-party author implements support, you will need to translate each menu item by hand.
| Type | Description | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goto another menu | Use the Link Menu option. The XML menu format allows you to directly link a menu item to another menu. The menu system will unload the current menu and execute the specified menu. This effectively imitates the behavior of RemoteAccess menu type #1. |
| 2 | Gosub another menu | Use the RunMenu verb. The RunMenu verb allows you to execute another menu. The original menu will resume once the verb finishes executing (meaning, the menu is exited by the user). This somewhat imitates the behavior of RemoteAccess although you cannot access the stack of menu items directly. |
| 3 | Return from Gosub | Exit the menu. There is no built-in "return from gosub" functionality in the Thought BBS engine. Instead if you exit a menu that was initiated from a RunMenu verb, the original menu will resume (as it would with any other verb). |
| 4 | Goto menu after clearing menu static | Not supported. There is no concept of a menu stack in the Thought BBS engine. |
| 5 | Display a .A?? text file | Use the DisplayFile verb. This verb allows you to display an external file with many of the same options supported by RemoteAccess (e.g. automatic selection of the file based on emulation type, etc). |
| 6 | Bulletin Menu | Use the RunScript verb to execute the Bulletins script. The Thought BBS engine does not have hard-coded knowledge of bulletin files. However, the bulletins script provides much of the functionality for managing text bulletins. |
| 7 | Run an external program in a shell (Doors) | Use the RunDoor verb. |
| 8 | Product information | Use the DisplayFile verb to display a text file containing the system information you want to display. |
| 9 | Terminate the session | Use the RunScript verb to execute the Logoff script. |
| 10 | System usage graph | Not supported. |
| 11 | Page System Operator for chat | Use the RunScript verb to execute the SysopPager script. |
| 12 | Questionaire | Not supported. |
| 13 | User listing | Use the RunScript verb to execute the ListUsers script. |
| 14 | Time | This RemoteAccess command displays the current date, current time, the user's daily time limit, the amount of time used, and the amount of time remaining. You can replicate this feature by creating a text file with the necessary macros and then using the DisplayFile command to display the file. |
| 15 | Exit to DOS with errorlevel | Execute the Shutdown script. |
| 16 | Alter location | |
| 17 | Alter password | |
| 18 | Alter screen length | |
| 19 | Alter screen clearing | |
| 20 | Toggle page pausing | |
| 21 | Toggle ANSI graphics | |
| 22 | Check mailbox for unread mail | |
| 23 | Read messages | |
| 24 | Scan messages | |
| 25 | QuickScan messages | |
| 26 | Delete message | |
| 27 | Post message | |
| 28 | Select combined areas | Not supported |
| 29 | Move a file | |
| 30 | Directory | |
| 31 | List files | |
| 32 | Download a file from area | |
| 33 | Upload file | |
| 34 | View archive | Not supported |
| 35 | File search by keyword | |
| 36 | File search by filename | |
| 37 | Show new files | |
| 38 | Type (view) a text file | |
| 39 | Display a fully named text file | |
| 40 | Display .A?? file with hot-keys | Set the displayFile property of the menu. This command was used by RemoteAccess sysops to display a text file in place of the built-in menu viewer. The menu item was typically set to automatically execute. |
| 41 | Toggle full-screen editor | Not supported |
| 42 | Toggle hotkeys | Not supported |
| 43 | New mail | |
| 44 | Reset combined areas setting | Not supported |
| 45 | Display text file and wait | Execute DisplayFile while passing the /PAUSE parameter to force a pause. |
| 46 | Display direct text with CR | |
| 47 | Create a lot entry | Execute the WriteLog verb. Macros are not supported. |
| 48 | Download a specific file | Execute the SendFile verb. |
| 49 | Select message area | |
| 50 | Select file area | |
| 51 | List today's callers | Execute the WhoCalled script. |
| 52 | Show all users on-line | |
| 53 | Toggle "Do not disturb" | |
| 54 | Send an on-line message | |
| 55 | Download any file | |
| 56 | Browse the nodelist | |
| 57 | Change home/voice number | |
| 58 | Change business/data number | |
| 59 | Global download | |
| 60 | Change handle | |
| 61 | Toggle AVATAR | |
| 62 | Toggle full-screen message viewer | |
| 63 | Select a new language | |
| 64 | Select a new date format | |
| 65 | Change user flags | |
| 66 | Toggle shells | |
| 67 | Toggle auto message forwarding | |
| 68 | Toggle RTC | |
| 69 | Join RTC | |
| 70 | Delete RTC | |
| 71 | Edit tag list | |
| 72 | Select default protocol | |
| 73 | Toggle EchoMail in mail-box scan | |
| 74 | Change mailing address | |
| 75 | - reserved - | |
| 76 | Display RIP icon |