BBS Telnet Terminal

A retro Telnet terminal application for connecting to BBS systems, with features like chat logging, message filtering, and live URL previews.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Requirements
• Setup Instructions
  • Prerequisites
  • Installation Steps
• Running the Application
• Usage
• File Structure
• Troubleshooting
• License

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Features

• Telnet Connectivity: Connect to BBS servers using Telnet.
• Chat Logging: Automatically save and review chat messages.
• Automation Triggers: Add up to 10 trigger/response pairs to automate responses.
• Favorites Management: Save favorite BBS addresses for quick access.
• Live Chatroom Members Panel: View active users in the chatroom.
• Desktop and Web UI: Interact via a Tkinter desktop app or a web-based interface.
• Hyperlink Detection and Preview: (Web UI) Detect URLs and display a thumbnail preview when hovered.

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Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• Tkinter (usually included with Python)
• telnetlib3
• Pillow (for image preview in the desktop app)
• requests

A sample requirements.txt is provided:

telnetlib3>=1.0.2
Pillow
requests

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Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Python 3.7 or higher
• Windows OS (for sound features)
• Internet connection
• Administrative privileges to install Python packages

Installation Steps

1. Install Python:

   • Download Python from python.org
   • Run installer and check "Add Python to PATH"
   • Verify installation by opening Command Prompt and typing:

     python --version
     

2. Download the Project:

   • Download this project as ZIP or clone it
   • Extract to a folder of your choice
   • Remember the path (example: C:\Users\YourName\Documents\TT)

3. Set Up Virtual Environment:

   # Open PowerShell and navigate to project folder
   cd C:\Users\YourName\Documents\TT
   
   # Create virtual environment
   python -m venv venv
   
   # Activate virtual environment
   .\venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
   
   # If you get a security error, run:
   Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser RemoteSigned
   # Then try activating again

4. Install Dependencies:

   # Make sure venv is activated (you see "(venv)" in prompt)
   pip install -r requirements.txt

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Running the Application

1. Start the Program:

   # Make sure you're in the project directory with venv activated
   python main.py

2. Initial Configuration:

   • Click "Settings" to configure font and colors
   • Set up any triggers you want in the "Triggers" window
   • Add favorite BBS addresses in the "Favorites" window

3. Connect to a BBS:

   • Enter BBS host address and port
   • Click "Connect"
   • Enter username/password when prompted
   • Check "Remember" to save credentials

Optional Features

MajorLink Mode

• Filters out system messages and banners
• Toggle with checkbox in main window
• Recommended for cleaner chat experience

Keep Alive

• Prevents timeout disconnects
• Sends periodic signals to server
• Enable via checkbox in main window

Sound Notifications

• Plays sound on private messages
• Requires Windows OS
• Always enabled by default

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Usage

• Connecting:

  • Enter the BBS host and port in the connection settings, then click Connect. The Connect button will change to Disconnect when connected.

• Username/Password:

  • Use the Username and Password fields to send your credentials. You can enable “Remember” to store these locally.

• Sending Messages:

  • Type a message into the input field at the bottom. Press Enter to send. If the input is empty, an ENTER (newline) keystroke will be sent.

• Triggers:

  • Click the Triggers button to open a small window with 10 rows (2 columns: Trigger and Response). Fill in your automation pairs and click Save. When a message received in the terminal matches any trigger (case‑insensitive), the associated response is automatically sent.

• Chatlog:

  • Click the Chatlog button to view a chatlog window. The left pane lists users who have sent messages, and clicking a username displays their messages in the right pane. Use the Clear button to clear the log for the selected user.

• Favorites:

  • Use the Favorites button to manage and quickly select favorite BBS addresses.

• Additional Controls:

  • Options like MUD Mode, Keep Alive, and action buttons (Wave, Smile, Dance, Bow) are available to customize your experience.

• Chatroom Members:

  • The chat members panel (on the right side of the desktop app) shows active members.

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File Structure

.
├── main.py            # Main Tkinter desktop application for BBS Telnet
├── ui.html            # Web-based UI for the BBS Terminal
├── ui.js              # JavaScript for the web UI (triggers, favorites, chatlog, etc.)
├── requirements.txt   # Python dependencies
├── favorites.json     # (Auto-generated) Stores favorite BBS addresses
├── triggers.json      # (Auto-generated) Stores trigger/response pairs
├── chatlog.json       # (Auto-generated) Stores chat log messages
├── chat_members.json  # (Auto-generated) Stores current chatroom members
└── last_seen.json     # (Auto-generated) Stores last seen timestamps for members

Files Created

The program creates several JSON files in its directory:

favorites.json      - Saved BBS addresses
triggers.json       - Automation triggers
chatlog.json       - Saved chat messages
chat_members.json   - Current chat participants
last_seen.json     - User activity timestamps
font_settings.json  - UI customization settings
username.json      - Saved username (if enabled)
password.json      - Saved password (if enabled)

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Troubleshooting

• No Chat Messages Displayed:

  • Ensure that your regex filters (in process_data_chunk) match the format of incoming messages. For public messages, the expected format is From <username>: <message> (or similar). Adjust the regex if needed.

• Triggers Not Firing:

  • Verify that your trigger strings exactly match parts of the incoming message (case-insensitive). You can test by manually injecting sample messages into the terminal.

• UI Elements Not Visible:

  • Do a hard refresh in your browser or restart the desktop app to ensure that the latest HTML/CSS/JS changes are loaded.

• Connection Issues:

  • Check that the BBS host and port are correct. Use debugging messages (printed to the console) to see connection status.

• Sound Not Working:

  • Verify Windows sound is enabled
  • Check system volume
  • Ensure no other app is blocking sounds

• Font Issues:

  • Try default "Courier New" if custom font fails
  • Install missing fonts if needed
  • Use Settings to select available fonts

• Performance Issues:

  • Clear chat logs if file gets too large
  • Reduce font size for faster rendering
  • Disable MajorLink mode if CPU usage is high

Support Files

If you need to reset settings, delete these files:

font_settings.json
triggers.json
favorites.json

The program will recreate them with defaults on next start.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.