Creating and editing shortcut files

Pueblo supports the ability to create desktop shortcuts for worlds. These appear as icons, either in the Start menu (on Windows 95) or in the Program Manager (on Windows 3.1 and Windows NT.) You can then run these icons, and Pueblo will automatically connect you to the world.

You create a shortcut file through the Shortcut Wizard. You can use the Shortcut Wizard when you’re viewing the Pueblo world lists and when you’re connected to a world. If you create a shortcut when you’re viewing the world lists, then you’ll need to know information about the world. The Shortcut Wizard will need to know the world’s host name, port number, and server type. For some world types, you’ll also need to know whether the world expects you to log in using ‘connect username password’ or whether the username and password should be entered on separate lines.

If you’re connected to a world and create a shortcut, then you’ll have the option of creating a shortcut for the world you’re currently using. If you do this, then the process is much simpler. You can optionally enter your username and password, and the process is complete.

When you’re finished entering information about the world, the Shortcut Wizard will ask you to select a folder for the shortcut file. You can select either an existing name or enter a new name. The shortcut file will be created in the selected folder. (On Windows 95, the folder will be filed under ‘Programs’ in the Start menu.)

Once the shortcut file is created, select it from the Start menu (on Windows 95) or double click on the icon (in the Program Manager). The shortcut file will attempt to log you into the world using the following rules:

Shortcuts are created for the current Pueblo user. If the current Pueblo account has a saved password, the user is automatically logged into Pueblo using that account. Otherwise, the user is asked to enter their Pueblo password.

The user is connected to the world specified in the shortcut.

If the shortcut includes a username and password, the user is logged into the world using that username and password. If only a username is specified and the world expects the username and password on separate lines, then the username is sent to the world.

Editing Shortcut files

Shortcut files are simply text files that may be edited using a standard text editor like Notepad. Normally you don’t need to edit shortcut files… Pueblo will create them for you automatically. If you wish to change a file, however, you need to edit it ‘by hand’.

Shortcut files are stored in a sub-directory called ‘Shortcut’ under the directory where Pueblo is installed. The file name is derived from the name you gave the shortcut, and ends in the extension ‘pbl’.

The file consists of label/value pairs, with one pair per line. Each line is of the following form:

label = value

The label may be any of the following strings:

label:
Example value:
Description:
worldname
PuebloMUSH II
This is the name of the world.
worldserver
zuni.chaco.com
This is the host name for the world server.
worldport
4203
This is the port for the world server.
worldtype
tinymush
This is the server type for the world. Current legal values are Aber, Circle, DGD, Diku, LPMud, Merc, Moo, Muck, Muse, Mux, Talker, TinyMush, and Other. Types are case-insensitive.
If you don’t know the server type, use ‘Other’, and specify the ‘logintype’ label if the world uses a connect-style login.
worldusername
Trickster
This is the username you use to log into the world. This field is only filled in automatically if you entered this information in the Shortcut Wizard.
worldpassword
boyfriendsname
This is the password you use to log into the world. This field is only filled in automatically if you entered this information in the Shortcut Wizard.
logintype
connect
If this field is specified, it may only contain the value ‘connect’. This field is used for worlds types that use both a connect-style and username/password-style login.
For example, LPMud worlds always require the user to enter the username, press return, and then enter the password. TinyMush servers always require that the user type ‘connect username password’. But Moo servers can be set up to allow login to work either way. For Moos that expect the connect-style login, this label must be specified for automatic login to work correctly.
Note: Passwords are encrypted if the shortcut file is created by the Shortcut Wizard. There is currently no way to encrypt passwords when editing the file directly. Pueblo will automatically recognize if a password is encrypted.

label:	Example value:	Description:
worldname	PuebloMUSH II	This is the name of the world.
worldserver	zuni.chaco.com	This is the host name for the world server.
worldport	4203	This is the port for the world server.
worldtype	tinymush	This is the server type for the world. Current legal values are Aber, Circle, DGD, Diku, LPMud, Merc, Moo, Muck, Muse, Mux, Talker, TinyMush, and Other. Types are case-insensitive. If you don’t know the server type, use ‘Other’, and specify the ‘logintype’ label if the world uses a connect-style login.
worldusername	Trickster	This is the username you use to log into the world. This field is only filled in automatically if you entered this information in the Shortcut Wizard.
worldpassword	boyfriendsname	This is the password you use to log into the world. This field is only filled in automatically if you entered this information in the Shortcut Wizard.
logintype	connect	If this field is specified, it may only contain the value ‘connect’. This field is used for worlds types that use both a connect-style and username/password-style login. For example, LPMud worlds always require the user to enter the username, press return, and then enter the password. TinyMush servers always require that the user type ‘connect username password’. But Moo servers can be set up to allow login to work either way. For Moos that expect the connect-style login, this label must be specified for automatic login to work correctly.