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The help menu can be accessed from the short prompt or the read prompt. It allows the user to access help files, a collection of rarely-updated text files which contain information about the system (or whatever the operators like, really).

Regular Interface

Type the name of the help topic you wish to view.

Help Topics:

colors             mostusers          pony               quickref
roomguide

Enter help topic ->

The user is presented an autogenerated, alphabetized menu of help topics. The menu is four columns wide, 16-character columns with 3 spaces in between.

The user can read any topic by typing the topic name and pressing enter. The topic will then be displayed the same way as a message is displayed, with pagination, etc. After the user completes reading the topic she selected, she will be returned to the help menu prompt. After a topic has been displayed, the prompt changes to:

Enter help topic (? for list) ->

Pressing <?> and return at any point in the help menu brings up the list of topics. Consequently, a topic named "?" cannot exist.

Pressing return at the prompt will drop the user back to where they came from (the short or long prompt).

Entering a nonexistent topic at any point displays an error message:

Enter help topic -> dsklfjdsf
No topic "dsklfjdsf".

Sysop Interface

If the user is a sysop or programmer, pressing <^E> enters the back-end interface for managing help files.

Enter help topic -> Manage

Help Topics:

colors             mostusers          pony               quickref
roomguide

<C>reate, <D>elete, or <E>dit a topic? ->

Hitting space or return at this prompt will drop the user back to the regular help topic prompt:

<C>reate, <D>elete, or <E>dit a topic? -> Quit

Enter help topic (? for list) ->

Creating a topic

The user can create a new help topic. Topic names are case-insensitive and are limited to 16 characters in length. They may not contain leading or trailing whitespace. After the name is chosen, the user can select whether or not to upload the topic, and then the topic is entered as a message is entered.

If the user attempts to enter leading whitespace, it is eaten. If trailing whitespace is entered, it is chopped.

<C>reate, <D>elete, or <E>dit a topic? -> Create

Enter a name for the new topic -> help stuff
Hit Y to upload the topic or N to enter it normally (Y/N) -> Yes

Enter a new topic... (Use control-D to end!)

<C>reate, <D>elete, or <E>dit a topic? -> Create

Enter a name for the new topic -> pony
That topic already exists!

Editing a topic

The user may edit an existing help topic. This essentially consists of displaying it and then overwriting it with whatever the user pastes in, much like "editing" of roominfo from Conspire Requirements Specification/Aide commands.

<C>reate, <D>elete, or <E>dit a topic? -> Edit

Enter the name of the topic to delete -> pony

The topic is then displayed the same as if it were being displayed from the regular help system, with pagination etc.

After display of the chosen topic:

Hit Y to upload the topic or N to enter it normally (Y/N) -> Yes

Enter a new topic... (Use control-D to end!)

Deleting a topic

The user may delete a help topic. This is irreversible. A note is made to the admin log. (See Conspire Requirements Specification/Admin log.)

<C>reate, <D>elete, or <E>dit a topic? -> Delete

Enter the name of the topic to delete -> pony

WARNING:  This will delete the chosen help topic.  THERE IS NO UNDO.

Type 'DELETE' to zap this topic ->

If the user types anything other than DELETE in all caps:

Topic NOT deleted.

If the user successfully deletes the topic, they are dropped back to the sysop prompt of the help system.

Topic DELETED.  Returning you to the help system.

<C>reate, <D>elete, or <E>dit a topic? ->