    






			A SysOp's Guide to Using TABS

				Version 1.20
















				Distributed By



				True Media Inc.

			     1270 Clearmont St. NE

			       Palm Bay, Fl 32905

			      

			     Voice  (407) 722-3150

			     BBS    (407) 722-3406







		Copyright (c) 1993  True Media Inc.  

1.0 Introduction
================

In  order to use True Media's Telephone Access Billing System
you should become familiar with the material in this manual. It
contains valuable information concerning the TABS software and
procedures for continued use of the service. Included in this
release are various billing programs for the Sysop, as well as a 
step by step guide to installing the system. These programs and 
procedures will allow you to add 900 billing to your board very 
easily. 



2.0 Getting Started 
===================

One of the first things to remember is to complete and return
the TABS contract to activate your account. Until the contract
is received by mail or fax to True Media, your users will receive an
"account on hold" message from the 900 call. 




For purposes of this description, we are assuming you will begin
from your C:\ root directory.


	1. create your TABS directory 

		MD TABS<cr>



	2. Copy all the TABS files to this directory

		COPY A:\*.*  
		
		(This example assumes you received TABS system
		from the mail and they were placed on a floppy for you, 
		otherwise you must have downloaded them from our BBS in 
		which case you can copy them directly from your download 
		directory) If you are working from TABS-UTL.ZIP, then
		use PKUNZIP to simply unzip this file from within the
		Tabs subdirectory.




3.0 About TABS programs
=======================

In order to use the TABS service you must first become familiar
with the programs and data files used by it. There are several
data files that are always required in order to operate. When
you first start using TABS, only one data file will be available,
this is your list of new subscription ID's. You received this
file as a special download from the TABS support BBS or on a
disk that was sent to you. The file called SID#####.TAB (where
##### is a five digit number) is a text file. (Usually containing 100
subscription codes)

Once you have added your new ID's by using the third option from 
the TMENU program there will be an additional file created. This file 
reflects all the activated code available and is called ACT_SID.DAT. It 
is this file that contains the actual ID's available to your users.  After 
a subscription ID is redeemed the number will be added to another TABS data 
file. This file contains all the used ID's and is called USED_SID.DAT. 

Because of the critical nature of these data files it is important to 
make an occasional backup of both the active and used files.  During 
the TABS door program you may notice that the system creates .BAK 
files.  This will allow you to recreate your active list in case a 
mistake was made. Also, for your convenience all the data files 
created and used by the TABS system are in an ascii format which will 
make it easier for you to write your own applications or doors. 



3.1 Using the TMANW program


The most basic of all the TABS programs is the TMANW program. It
provides a simple DOS prompt interface for verifying a single
Subscription ID, inquiring about the available ID's, or activating a
new list of Subscription ID's. To use this program just type TMANW 
from the tabs directory followed by the seven digit ID as shown below:


	c:\tabs> tmanw 1634593

	[VALIDATED] The ID 1634593 has been updated to the system.

	c:\tabs> tmanw 1999964

	[NOT VALID] The code 1999964 is an ILLEGAL Subscription ID.


To inquire about the number of available codes you may use the
INQUIRE option. It will display the number of codes not yet redeemed.
However, it is important to remember that the number displayed does not 
reflect the users that have paid but not yet redeemed. To use this option
type:

	c:\tabs> tmanw INQUIRE

	There are 258 Subscription IDs still available.

You may also choose to activate your new SID list manually. The system 
will read in the list of new codes from the SID#####.TAB file and add it
to the ACT_SID.DAT file. To perform this function you can type:

	c:\tabs> tmanw ADD-SID


Notes:
Though, you can use TMANW as described above, the TABS program TMENU
will make all the appropriate calls. So it is not necessary to use
this program from the DOS prompt.

To see how you can incorporate this program into your own, you
can examine the other TABS programs source code available on the TABS
support BBS. (just ask the SysOp) 



3.3 Using  the TMENU Program

The TMENU program is a simple menu based program for performing all the
functions of the TABS system. It is designed to work with dos, OS/2 or 
Windows 3.1 systems. It perfroms the following operations:

1. Verify a Subscription ID.
  This option will ask you to enter in the 7 digit SID, it will then
  verify the code and update all the nessesary files.It operates by using 
  the TMAN program to verify the number, if the number is legal it will add 
  the number to the file USED_SID.DAT.  

2. Monitor the number of available subscription IDs.
  Selecting this option will display the total number of available codes. 
  It should be used occasionally to monitor how many IDs are still available.

3. Add additional subscription IDs to the active list.
  It allows you to activate a new code list. You may get a new code list 
  whenever your current list starts to run low. In order to get these codes 
  you may simply use the TABS support board and choose the option under
  the TABS Customer Support menu. The BBS will then send you a new series
  of subscription IDs. The reason these codes must be activated is because
  the current list and new list must be merged together, such as the case where
  a person uses the 900 number but does not redeem there code for several 
  months.

Finally, if an error occurs, a message will be displayed informing you of a 
system error.  The following is a list of errors with associated values:

	SUCCESS                10    ( SID number validated )

	ILLEGAL_CODE           11    ( Illegal SID )

	TRACKING_ERROR         12   ( Could not write to tracking file )

	NO_CODES_ERROR         13   ( ACT_SID.DAT file not found )

	MISSING_PARM_ERROR     14   ( Parameter NOT passed to program )

	NO_SID_ERROR           15   ( Invalid SID passed to TMAN program )



4.0 Steps for the First Time User
=================================

There are several steps important to getting TABS to work for
you, they are described as follows:


	1. Follow the installation process as described in section 2.
		Copy all files to the TABS path.


	2. Download your personal list of Subscription ID's. (Or we can
	   send them to you)                                  
		
		Copy this file (SID#####.TAB) to your C:\TABS directory

							      

	3. Execute the TABS TMENU door. (as described in section 3 above)
	   
		Choose the hidden add option (3) first from the menu.
		You must perform this first in order to active the SIDs
		you have downloaded.
		If you then select option (2) it should display the number
		of available SIDs (for a normal new system this is 100)


5.0 Problems and Concerns
=========================

Q:  How do we inform you when your Subscription ID list is
getting low?

A:  You may inquire on our BBS as to the number of codes remaining.
Or, if you think your getting low on codes, just download another packet.



Q: What if my system crashes and I lose my SIDs?

A: The first rule (that all of us love to disregard) is to make
back-up's of your ACT_SID.TAB file. If you only lose a few days
worth of codes then restoring the old list would have little
effect on the BBS. If the 'used' file was not destroyed, then you have a 
list of used codes that you can verify against a new active list.



Q: What happens if my BBS goes down?

A: Simply give us a call and we can place your account on hold.
This will keep your account ready until you tell us you are able to
start up again. During this downtime the users that call TABS
will receive an "account on hold" message and no ID or charge
will be given.  



Q: Can BBSes not on IBM computers use TABS?

A: Yes, because all TABS files are straight ascii files you can
use them the same as anyone else. The only difference is you
might have to write your own utilities. This is one of the
reasons why True Media Inc. has decided to freely release all of
it's source code. If you are not on a IBM machine you can make
your own utilities from ours. All that we ask is that if you
design something useful, please share with other TABS users and
place it on our board.



