I have a login baja module I use to show users a local message base sub called new if a new message is present since the last time they logged in, and if there is nothing new, it does nothing. This works fine, and have been using it for years:

!include sbbsdefs.inc
!include file_io.inc
!include dir_attr.inc

SETSTR "LOCAL"
MSG_SET_GROUP
SETSTR "NEWS"
MSG_SET_AREA
MSG_NEW_SCAN_SUB

Now, I want to improve on this since this script won't show a guest anything or a new user anything, so I improved it. Now it works as intended for guests and new users, and takes them directly to the new message base where they can read the news, or exit themselves by hitting enter.

But the way I have it, it also takes the other users to the news message base even if there are no new messages, so I'm sure I have my logic screwed up. It's acting like it's not getting to the secont part. Below is the new file, can someone let me know where I went wrong. Thanks in advance.

!include sbbsdefs.inc
!include file_io.inc
!include dir_attr.inc

compare_ars LASTON EQUALS 0 OR REST G
if_true
# If New User or Guest, go to Local News Message Base and Read News...
SETSTR "LOCAL"
MSG_SET_GROUP
SETSTR "NEWS"
MSG_SET_AREA
MSG_READ
if_false
# All other users, go to Local message Base, check for new messages In News,
# and show New Messages and if no New Messages exist, do nothing, and exit.
SETSTR "LOCAL"
MSG_SET_GROUP
SETSTR "NEWS"
MSG_SET_AREA
MSG_NEW_SCAN_SUB
end_if

SysOp: C.G. Learn, AKA: DesotoFireflite
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--- Don't eat the yellow snow!
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Re: Baja argument help
By: DesotoFireflite to All on Sun Feb 13 2022 01:47 pm

But the way I have it, it also takes the other users to the news message base even if there are no new messages, so I'm sure I have my logic screwed up. It's acting like it's not getting to the secont part. Below is the new file, can someone let me know where I went wrong. Thanks in advance.

!include sbbsdefs.inc
!include file_io.inc
!include dir_attr.inc

compare_ars LASTON EQUALS 0 OR REST G
if_true
# If New User or Guest, go to Local News Message Base and Read News...
SETSTR "LOCAL"
MSG_SET_GROUP
SETSTR "NEWS"
MSG_SET_AREA
MSG_READ
if_false
# All other users, go to Local message Base, check for new messages In News, # and show New Messages and if no New Messages exist, do nothing, and exit.
SETSTR "LOCAL"
MSG_SET_GROUP
SETSTR "NEWS"
MSG_SET_AREA
MSG_NEW_SCAN_SUB
end_if

Replace that "if_false" with "else".
--
digital man (rob)

Breaking Bad quote #41:
Academy hire you right out of the womb? You guys get younger every year!
Norco, CA WX: 84.1øF, 9.0% humidity, 6 mph ENE wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs
---
þ Synchronet þ Vertrauen þ Home of Synchronet þ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net

Re: Baja argument help
By: Digital Man to DesotoFireflite on Sun Feb 13 2022 12:11 pm

Re: Baja argument help
By: DesotoFireflite to All on Sun Feb 13 2022 01:47 pm

But the way I have it, it also takes the other users to the news
message base even if there are no new messages, so I'm sure I have my
logic screwed up. It's acting like it's not getting to the secont
part. Below is the new file, can someone let me know where I went
wrong. Thanks in advance.

!include sbbsdefs.inc
!include file_io.inc
!include dir_attr.inc

compare_ars LASTON EQUALS 0 OR REST G
if_true
# If New User or Guest, go to Local News Message Base and Read News...
SETSTR "LOCAL"
MSG_SET_GROUP
SETSTR "NEWS"
MSG_SET_AREA
MSG_READ
if_false
# All other users, go to Local message Base, check for new messages In
News, # and show New Messages and if no New Messages exist, do
nothing, and exit. SETSTR "LOCAL"
MSG_SET_GROUP
SETSTR "NEWS"
MSG_SET_AREA
MSG_NEW_SCAN_SUB
end_if

Replace that "if_false" with "else".

Still not working for the regular users, takes them right to the message base. It's like it's not seeing the second part, and giving everyone the first part.
see below, I changed it as you suggested.

!include sbbsdefs.inc
!include file_io.inc
!include dir_attr.inc

compare_ars LASTON EQUALS 0 OR REST G
if_true
# If New User or Guest, go to Local Message Base and Read News...
SETSTR "LOCAL"
MSG_SET_GROUP
SETSTR "NEWS"
MSG_SET_AREA
MSG_READ
else
# All other users, go to Local message Base, check for new messages In News, # and show New Messages and if no New Messages exist, do nothing, and exit.
SETSTR "LOCAL"
MSG_SET_GROUP
SETSTR "NEWS"
MSG_SET_AREA
MSG_NEW_SCAN_SUB
end_if

I can't understand it, I've worked with Baja before, and I thought I undersood it. I'm figuring with a new user, the last on would be 0(zero), and the Guest would be a restriction of "G", hence "compare_ars LASTON EQUALS 0 OR REST G", so as a regular user with no restrictions, and laston field populated with a date, it should be false, and go to else, the second half, but it's acting like it never sees the second half with regular users, but treats them like a new user or guest. I also tried "compare_ars LASTON=0 OR REST G" and got the same results. My logic must be flawed. It may be the LASTON causing the issue, but I don't know another way of determining a new user with ars or any other method.




SysOp: C.G. Learn, AKA: DesotoFireflite
Valhalla Home Services! - (Synchronet) - bbs.valhallabbs.com
Valhalla II! - (GAP) - bbs.valhallabbs.com:24
Valhalla III! - (RemoteAccess) - bbs.valhallabbs.com:5023
Valhalla IIII! - (Dungeons & Dragons BBS) - bbs.valhallabbs.com:26
Valhalla Home Services Web! - http://bbs.valhallabbs.com
A Gamers Paradise - Over 150 Registered Online Game Doors!
Home Of Odin's Maze Game Server!

--- CAT (n.), Furry keyboard cover.
þ Synchronet þ Valhalla Home Services þ USA þ http://valhalla.synchro.net

Re: Baja argument help
By: DesotoFireflite to Digital Man on Sun Feb 13 2022 04:43 pm

Re: Baja argument help
By: Digital Man to DesotoFireflite on Sun Feb 13 2022 12:11 pm

Re: Baja argument help
By: DesotoFireflite to All on Sun Feb 13 2022 01:47 pm

But the way I have it, it also takes the other users to the news
message base even if there are no new messages, so I'm sure I have my
logic screwed up. It's acting like it's not getting to the secont
part. Below is the new file, can someone let me know where I went
wrong. Thanks in advance.

!include sbbsdefs.inc
!include file_io.inc
!include dir_attr.inc

compare_ars LASTON EQUALS 0 OR REST G
if_true
# If New User or Guest, go to Local News Message Base and Read News...
SETSTR "LOCAL"
MSG_SET_GROUP
SETSTR "NEWS"
MSG_SET_AREA
MSG_READ
if_false
# All other users, go to Local message Base, check for new messages In
News, # and show New Messages and if no New Messages exist, do
nothing, and exit. SETSTR "LOCAL"
MSG_SET_GROUP
SETSTR "NEWS"
MSG_SET_AREA
MSG_NEW_SCAN_SUB
end_if

Replace that "if_false" with "else".

Still not working for the regular users, takes them right to the message base. It's like it's not seeing the second part, and giving everyone the first part. see below, I changed it as you suggested.

!include sbbsdefs.inc
!include file_io.inc
!include dir_attr.inc

compare_ars LASTON EQUALS 0 OR REST G
if_true
# If New User or Guest, go to Local Message Base and Read News...
SETSTR "LOCAL"
MSG_SET_GROUP
SETSTR "NEWS"
MSG_SET_AREA
MSG_READ
else
# All other users, go to Local message Base, check for new messages In News, # and show New Messages and if no New Messages exist, do nothing, and exit.
SETSTR "LOCAL"
MSG_SET_GROUP
SETSTR "NEWS"
MSG_SET_AREA
MSG_NEW_SCAN_SUB
end_if

I can't understand it, I've worked with Baja before, and I thought I undersood it. I'm figuring with a new user, the last on would be 0(zero), and the Guest would be a restriction of "G", hence "compare_ars LASTON EQUALS 0 OR REST G", so as a regular user with no restrictions, and laston field populated with a date, it should be false, and go to else, the second half, but it's acting like it never sees the second half with regular users, but treats them like a new user or guest. I also tried "compare_ars LASTON=0 OR REST G" and got the same results. My logic must be flawed. It may be the LASTON causing the issue, but I don't know another way of determining a new user with ars or any other method.

LASTON is initialized to the current date/time when a new user account is created. "LOGONS" is probably the value you want to be checking. It should be equal to 1 for a user's first logon.

By what you're describing, the second "else" section should *always* be executing and it's the first ("if_true") section that isn't being executed. In that case, fixing the ARS should solve that.
--
digital man (rob)

Synchronet "Real Fact" #30:
The COM I/O routines for Synchronet for DOS were written in ASM by Steve Deppe Norco, CA WX: 86.6øF, 9.0% humidity, 1 mph SW wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs
---
þ Synchronet þ Vertrauen þ Home of Synchronet þ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net

Re: Baja argument help
By: Digital Man to DesotoFireflite on Sun Feb 13 2022 02:26 pm

I can't understand it, I've worked with Baja before, and I thought I
undersood it. I'm figuring with a new user, the last on would be
0(zero), and the Guest would be a restriction of "G", hence
"compare_ars LASTON EQUALS 0 OR REST G", so as a regular user with no
restrictions, and laston field populated with a date, it should be
false, and go to else, the second half, but it's acting like it never
sees the second half with regular users, but treats them like a new
user or guest. I also tried "compare_ars LASTON=0 OR REST G" and got
the same results. My logic must be flawed. It may be the LASTON
causing the issue, but I don't know another way of determining a new
user with ars or any other method.

LASTON is initialized to the current date/time when a new user account is created. "LOGONS" is probably the value you want to be checking. It should be equal to 1 for a user's first logon.

By what you're describing, the second "else" section should *always* be executing and it's the first ("if_true") section that isn't being executed. In that case, fixing the ARS should solve that.

"LOGONS" was the key, it's working like I want it to now. I cleaned up the code a bit, so it doesn't look as klunky, see below. Thanks for the help.

!include sbbsdefs.inc
!include file_io.inc
!include dir_attr.inc

SETSTR "LOCAL"
MSG_SET_GROUP
SETSTR "NEWS"
MSG_SET_AREA

compare_ars LOGONS=1 OR REST G
if_true
# If New User or Guest, go to Local Message Base and Read News...
MSG_READ
else
# All other users, go to Local message Base, check for new messages In News, and
# show New Messages and if no New Messages exist, do nothing, and exit.
MSG_NEW_SCAN_SUB
end_if

SysOp: C.G. Learn, AKA: DesotoFireflite
Valhalla Home Services! - (Synchronet) - bbs.valhallabbs.com
Valhalla II! - (GAP) - bbs.valhallabbs.com:24
Valhalla III! - (RemoteAccess) - bbs.valhallabbs.com:5023
Valhalla IIII! - (Dungeons & Dragons BBS) - bbs.valhallabbs.com:26
Valhalla Home Services Web! - http://bbs.valhallabbs.com
A Gamers Paradise - Over 150 Registered Online Game Doors!
Home Of Odin's Maze Game Server!

--- Don't eat the yellow snow!
þ Synchronet þ Valhalla Home Services þ USA þ http://valhalla.synchro.net