Maximus BBS

Documentation for Maximus BBS — Next Generation

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Display Customization

Hidden configuration points in display_files.toml for area listings, headers, footers, and formats

Beyond the obvious display files (login screens, menus, help pages), Maximus has a number of less-visible configuration points that control how area listings, headers, footers, date and time formats, and file listings are rendered. These live in config/general/display_files.toml and are easy to overlook — but they’re some of the most impactful theming knobs.

Area List Format Strings

When a caller browses file or message areas, Maximus renders each area using a configurable format string. These support display codes and special area-specific tokens.

Message Area Listing

# config/general/display_files.toml

msg_header = "%x16%x01%x0fMessage Areas %x16%x01%x0d%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%x0a%x0a"
msg_format = "|pr%*|sy%-20#|tx ... |fi%n%x0a"
msg_footer = "%x0a|prLocation: |hi%b|07%x0a"
msg_area_list = ""

File Area Listing

file_header = "%x16%x01%x0fFile Areas %x16%x01%x0d%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%xc4%x0a%x0a"
file_format = "|tx[|hd%-4t|tx]|pr %-20a |tx... %-n%x0a"
file_footer = "%x0a|prLocation: |hi%b|07%x0a"
file_area_list = ""

Customizing the Look

These format strings accept full display codes including theme colors. A quick retheme:

# Modern themed look
msg_format = "|br[|hk%-4*|br]|tx %-24#|dm ... |fi%n|cd%x0a"
file_format = "|br[|hk%-4t|br]|tx %-20a|dm ... |fi%-n|cd%x0a"

Display File Screens

display_files.toml maps logical screen names to file paths. Each entry points to a compiled .bbs display file (or leave empty to skip):

Login & Session Screens

Key When Shown
logo BBS logo / splash screen
welcome Shown to returning callers at login
rookie Shown to new callers (falls back to welcome)
application New user application screen
new_user1 First new-user information screen
new_user2 Second new-user information screen
bye_bye Logoff / goodbye screen
bad_logon Shown after a failed login attempt
day_limit Shown when daily time limit is reached
time_warn Time remaining warning
too_slow Shown when connection is too slow
barricade Access denied / barricade screen

Help Screens

Key When Shown
contents Help table of contents
locate Locate/search help
oped_help Full-screen editor help
line_ed_help Line editor help
replace_help Search-and-replace help
scan_help Message scan/reader help
header_help Message header entry help
entry_help Message entry help
xfer_baud File transfer baud rate information

System Screens

Key When Shown
quote Random quotes file
no_space Disk space warning
no_mail No new mail notification
shell_to_dos Shown before shell-to-OS
back_from_dos Shown after return from shell
not_found Generic “not found” screen
not_configured Feature not configured
protocol_dump Protocol listing screen
tune Tune/music file

Example: Custom Login Flow

logo = "display/screens/my_logo"
welcome = "display/screens/my_welcome"
rookie = "display/screens/my_newuser_welcome"
bye_bye = "display/screens/my_goodbye"
quote = "display/screens/my_quotes"

Date and Time Formats

These control how dates and times appear throughout the BBS:

time_format = "%H:%M:%S"
date_format = "%C-%D-%Y"

Format tokens follow C strftime conventions:

Token Meaning
%H Hour (00–23)
%M Minute (00–59)
%S Second (00–59)
%C Month (01–12)
%D Day (01–31)
%Y Year (2-digit)

File Name Format

The fname_format key points to a display file that controls how file listings (in file areas) are rendered:

fname_format = "display/screens/fformat"

This display file defines the column layout for filename, size, date, and description in file area listings.

Quick Wins for Theming

Here are some high-impact changes you can make entirely in display_files.toml:

  1. Retheme area listings — change msg_format and file_format to use theme colors (|pr, |hd, |fi, |br) instead of hard-coded numerics.

  2. Add area list headers — set msg_header and file_header to display a decorative banner with box-drawing characters and theme colors.

  3. Custom footers with breadcrumbs — use %b in footers to show the caller’s current position in the division hierarchy.

  4. Replace the login flow — swap logo, welcome, rookie, and bye_bye with custom ANSI art screens.

  5. Fix the time format — change date_format from the default %C-%D-%Y (US) to %D-%C-%Y (international) or any other layout.

See Also