Upgrading to 1.8.7

?? Make sure you've made a backup of your database and files before upgrading.

? This upgrade rebuilds trigram indexes on the message tables. On large message databases the migration step may take several minutes or more. The upgrade will appear to pause ? this is normal. Do not interrupt it.

Table of Contents

• Summary of Changes
• Messaging & Message Reader - Message Reader Improvements - Message Content Rendering - Enhanced Message Search - Echomail Reader Navigation - Echomail Info Bar - Page Position Memory - Node Address Links - Echo Area Management Improvements - Comment Echo Area Dropdown Grouping - QWK/QWKE Offline Mail - Echomail Digest
• File Areas & Preview - File Area Subfolder Navigation - File Preview - File Area Rules Visual Editor - ISO-Backed File Areas - File Area Comments - Global File Search - File Upload Filename Sanitization - Public File Areas - Gemini File Areas - Shared File Preview for Unauthenticated Visitors
• Netmail & Attachments - Netmail Attachment Improvements - Netmail Forwarding to Email
• FTN Networking - FREQ Enhancements - Outbound FREQ (File Request) - Crashmail Logging and Packet Preservation - BinkP Inbound File Collision Handling - BinkP Status Page Improvements - LovlyNet Subscriptions - Echo List Network Filter
• Nodelist - Nodelist Map - Nodelist Enhancements
• Credits & Economy - Credits System Updates
• Admin & System - Database Statistics Page - Database Performance Improvements - Admin Menu Reorganization - In-App Documentation Browser - Telnet and SSH File Area Fixes - Advertising System - Campaign Quick Setup Wizard - Dynamic Ads
• Premium Features and Registration - Footer Registration Display - Registration Badge on Admin Dashboard - Branding Controls - Message Templates - Economy Viewer Now Requires Registration - Referral Analytics - Custom Login and Registration Splash Pages - How to Register
• Bug Fixes - Crashmail AKA Selection - Crashmail FILE_ATTACH Filename - Message Reader Header Transparency - Maximized Message Reader Gap - TIC Replace Existing Blocked by Duplicate Hash - Subscription Toggle in Echomail Reader - BinkP Filenames with Spaces - File Comment Tearline Trimming - Service Worker PWA Deadlock (Microsoft Edge)
• Upgrade Instructions - From Git - Using the Installer - After Upgrading: Clear Browser Cache

Summary of Changes

Message Reader - Kludge lines are now hidden by default and toggled via a small icon button in the modal header toolbar. - A print button opens the message in a clean popup window for printing. - FTN node addresses in From:/To: fields are now clickable links to the nodelist node view page. - Echomail reader now transparently loads the next page when reaching the end of a page. When the last message in an echo is reached, a prompt offers to continue to the next subscribed echo with unread messages. - Fixed: sticky message reader header was transparent in the default theme, allowing message body text to bleed through. - Fixed: maximized message reader had a visible gap on the left and top edges due to Bootstrap's scrollbar-compensation padding. The modal now fills the full viewport when maximized. - Fixed: end-of-echo "next unread" prompt always showed "no more unread messages" due to a tag comparison bug with @domain suffixes. - Fixed: "Go to next echo" navigated to the wrong area (no messages shown) because the bare tag was passed instead of TAG@domain. - Message list pagination now shows first page, context window around the current page, and last page with ellipsis gaps, so the total page count is always visible.

Echomail / Netmail - Last-visited page is remembered per echo area (including All Messages) and for the netmail inbox, and restored automatically on return. - New QWK/QWKE offline mail feature: download a QWK packet of all new netmail and echomail, read and reply offline, then upload the resulting REP packet to post replies. Supports both standard QWK (MultiMail, OLX, etc.) and QWKE extended format with full FidoNet metadata.

Echomail - An info bar now appears above the message list when an echo area is selected, showing the area tag, domain, and description alongside Subscribe/Unsubscribe and Post Message buttons. - The echomail page title header has been replaced by the info bar. - Advanced message search with per-field filtering (poster name, subject, body) and date range support. - Search performance significantly improved via trigram GIN indexes. - Rich message content rendering: RIPscrip, Sixel graphics, and PCBoard @X colour codes are now detected and rendered inline in the message reader.

Netmail - Fixed: crashmail FILE_ATTACH netmails sent the staged path as the attachment filename instead of the actual filename from the subject line.

File Areas - File area browser shows Gemini and FREQ capability badges next to each area name, along with the area description. - Users now have a My Files entry in the sidebar giving direct access to their private file area. - Virtual subfolder navigation within file areas, with named folders for netmail attachments and FREQ responses. - Clicking a filename in the file browser now opens an inline preview: images display in a lightbox-style modal, video and audio play directly in the browser, text and NFO files (including CP437-encoded ANSI art) render in a scrollable panel. Unknown file types prompt a download. Navigation arrows and keyboard shortcuts cycle through files without closing the modal. - .mod tracker music files now play inline in the preview modal with play/pause, stop, and volume controls. MOD files inside ZIP archives can be previewed the same way. - .ans files render inline in the preview modal using the ANSI decoder. - .six and .sixel files render inline as pixel-accurate canvas images using the built-in sixel decoder. Sixel sequences embedded directly in echomail and netmail message bodies are also detected and rendered inline. - .prg files and ZIP bundles containing .prg files render using the C64 screen RAM decoder with the exact C64 16-colour palette. Multi-file bundles show a gallery with previous/next navigation arrows. - Shared file link pages (/shared/file/?) now display the same inline preview as the file browser, so recipients can view images, read text/NFO files, and see ANSI or PETSCII art without logging in. - Netmail attachment delivery now stores a copy in the sender's private area as well as the recipient's. - Fixed: TIC file import with Replace Existing Files enabled was blocked by the duplicate content hash check when the incoming file had the same content as the file it was meant to replace. - File areas can now be published to the Gemini capsule server. Gemini clients can browse area listings and download files directly over the Gemini protocol. - ISO-backed file areas ? a file area can now be backed by a CD/DVD ISO image, a physical CD/DVD drive, or any readable directory. The sysop enters the mount point path in the file area properties. Files are imported from the ISO's directory tree using FILES.BBS, DESCRIPT.ION, 00INDEX.TXT, 00_INDEX.TXT (Simtel block format), or INDEX.TXT catalogues. ISO areas are read-only ? uploads, renames, and moves are blocked; only descriptive information (short/long description, subfolder labels) can be edited, and those edits are stored in the database. The directory tree is exposed as browsable subfolders with editable labels. A preview modal lets sysops review and customise the import before committing. ZIP files inside the ISO show FILE_ID.DIZ in the preview modal. Partial imports (selecting child directories without their parent) are supported; ancestor directories are created automatically so navigation remains intact. - Global file search ? a search box in the file browser sidebar searches filename and description across all accessible file areas. Results include file size, upload date, a file-info button, and a direct link to the area containing each result. - Spaces in uploaded filenames are now replaced with underscores at upload time so filenames are always compatible with FTN file transfer protocols. - .d64 Commodore 64 floppy disk images now render a PRG gallery in the preview modal, showing all closed PRG files found on the disk with the disk name displayed as a header. - A Run on C64 button appears on every C64 content preview ? rendered PRGs (as an icon in the nav bar), machine-code PRGs (as a fallback button that launches the emulator inline), and PETSCII stream (.seq) files (in a bar below the rendered art). Clicking it loads a jsc64-based C64 emulator directly inside the preview panel without leaving the page. - File area comments ? each file area can now be linked to an echomail echo area that serves as a comment thread for its files. Users can leave threaded comments on individual files directly from the file detail panel and the file preview modal. Comments are stored as standard FTN echomail messages with a ^AFILEREF kludge line, so they are visible to other FTN nodes that carry the same echo. A back-reference banner appears in the echomail reader when viewing a comment, linking back to the file it refers to. LovlyNet sysops should link their file areas to the LVLY_FILECHAT echo area. - RIPscrip file preview ? .rip files now render inline in the preview modal using the server-side RipScriptRenderer. RIP files inside ZIP archives are also supported and shown as a gallery. - ZIP file browser ? opening a ZIP file in the preview modal now shows a browsable listing of all entries. Previewable entries (images, video, audio, MOD tracker music, text/NFO, ANSI, RIPscrip, PETSCII/PRG) open inline; all entries have a download button. Entries using legacy DOS compression methods (implode, shrink) are flagged with a legacy badge and extracted via external archive tools on the server, falling back to a graceful notice if extraction is unavailable. - Public file areas (registered feature) ? individual file areas can be flagged as public, allowing unauthenticated visitors to browse and download files without a BBS account. An optional index page (/public-files) lists all public areas and can be enabled from BBS Settings.

LovlyNet - New admin page LovlyNet Subscriptions (/admin/lovlynet) shows all available echo and file areas on LovlyNet with subscription status and one-click subscribe/unsubscribe toggles. Credentials are read from config/lovlynet.json.

Nodelist - New interactive map tab powered by Leaflet, with network colour coding and marker clustering. Nodes are geocoded from their location field. - Node view page shows an interactive dark map when the node has geocoded coordinates. - Nodelist search supports a multi-select flag filter to narrow results by nodelist flags (CM, IBN, INA, FREQ, etc.). - Flag badges and flag filter dropdown now show plain-English descriptions for all standard flags.

BinkP / Crashmail - BinkP now advertises the closest network AKA when connecting to a node that is not a configured uplink. - Crashmail delivery now writes structured logs to data/logs/crashmail.log and respects the preserve sent packets setting. - Experimental FREQ support (see FREQ Enhancements). - Fixed: filenames containing spaces were sent unquoted in M_FILE commands, causing remote binkd systems to misparse the command and reject the transfer. Spaces are now replaced with underscores on the wire.

User Interface - The "Registered to" line in the page footer is now displayed inline with the "Powered by BinktermPHP" line (e.g. *Powered by BinktermPHP 1.8.7 - Registered to My BBS*) and no longer shows a separate badge icon. - Notification sound selectors in Settings -> Notifications now support a Disabled option. New default sound assignments are chat = notify3, echomail = disabled, netmail = notify1, and new file = disabled.

Echo List - The /echolist page now includes a network filter dropdown. Select one or more networks (including Local) to limit the listing to those networks only. Selecting nothing shows all networks, matching the existing behaviour.

Admin - New Database Statistics page (/admin/database-stats) showing size and growth, activity metrics, query performance, replication status, maintenance health, and index health. - Configurable file upload and download credit costs/rewards in the Credits System Configuration page. - Database performance improvements: new indexes on mrc_outbound, users, shared_messages, and saved_messages. Chat notification polling rewritten to use the primary key index instead of a full table count. - Echo area management table now has sortable column headers and a Subs column showing the subscriber count per area. - The Comment Echo Area dropdown in the file area editor now lists echo areas from the same network first, with a divider separating them from the rest. - Admin menu reorganized: new Analytics and Community submenus; Auto Feed moved into Area Management. - New Sharing admin page (/admin/sharing) under Admin ? Analytics listing active shared messages and shared files sorted by view count, with separate tabs for each.

Advertising - Legacy bbs_ads/ ANSI ads are imported into a new database-backed ad library and enabled by default. - New Advertisements admin page for uploading, editing, previewing, tagging, and managing ANSI ads. - Dashboard advertising now uses the managed library with per-session rotation and keyboard/arrow navigation. - New Ad Campaigns admin page for schedule-based echomail ad posting with per-target subject templates, weighted ad assignment, and post history. - binkp_scheduler now processes due ad campaigns automatically.

Premium / Registration - Registration status row added to the admin dashboard. - Registered sysops can now set custom footer text and hide the "Powered by BinktermPHP" attribution line from the site footer. - Message Templates ? compose form now includes a Templates button for registered installations. Save and reuse subject/body templates, filterable by message type (netmail, echomail, or both). - Economy Viewer now requires a valid license. - Referral Analytics ? new premium admin page showing top referrers, recent signups, bonus credits earned, and summary totals. - Admin licensing page now shows a Why Register? panel explaining the value of registration, with a How to Register modal that renders REGISTER.md. - Custom splash pages ? registered sysops can configure custom Markdown content that appears above the login and registration forms. - Netmail forwarding to email ? users can opt in to have incoming netmail forwarded to their email address, including file attachments.

Admin - New Documentation Browser (/admin/docs) renders the docs/ Markdown files directly in the admin panel, with a curated index and inter-document navigation. - The File Area Rules editor now has a full visual interface (add/edit/delete rules via a form modal, clone rules, toggle enabled/disabled) while keeping the raw JSON editor as a second tab. An inline pattern tester shows which filenames from the actual area match the rule's regex, and accepts free-text input for quick manual testing.

Service Worker - Fixed a PWA white-screen deadlock in Microsoft Edge that occurred when a PWA window and a regular browser window were open simultaneously. caches.open() now times out after 3 seconds and falls back to direct network requests so the page loads even when the Cache Storage lock is held by another process.

Telnet / SSH - Telnet file area browser now supports virtual subfolders. - Telnet file area listing now shows all areas (pagination was previously capped at one page). - ISO-backed file areas can now be downloaded via ZMODEM over telnet. - SSH server now correctly associates sessions with the authenticated user's account.

Shared Files - File preview on shared file pages now works for visitors who are not logged in, including PETSCII/PRG rendering and the Run on C64 emulator button.

Messaging & Message Reader

Message Reader Improvements

The kludge lines panel in the echomail and netmail message readers is now hidden by default. A small </> icon button in the modal header toolbar toggles it open and closed ? the button highlights when the panel is visible.

The previous "Show Kludge Lines" button that appeared inside the message body has been removed.

A print button (printer icon) is also in the toolbar. Clicking it opens the message in a minimal popup window and triggers the browser print dialog. The popup closes automatically after printing or cancelling.

Message Content Rendering

The echomail and netmail message readers now support multiple rich content formats beyond ANSI art and plain text. Format detection is automatic ? no configuration is required, and existing messages are rendered correctly the first time they are viewed after upgrading.

RIPscrip in Messages

The echomail reader detects RIPscrip content automatically and renders it inline using the built-in RIP renderer instead of showing the raw command stream. Detection is based on RIP command lines beginning with !| plus recognised drawing and text opcodes. Messages that do not match continue through the normal ANSI/plain text rendering path.

Sixel Graphics in Messages

DEC sixel sequences (ESC P ? q ? ESC \) embedded in echomail or netmail message bodies are detected, extracted, and rendered as inline <canvas> elements between the surrounding text segments. Sixel images in file attachments and ZIP archives are also supported ? see Sixel Graphics under File Preview.

PCBoard @X Colour Codes in Messages

Messages containing PCBoard @X colour codes are detected and rendered with the correct foreground and background colours, matching the display style of PCBoard BBS-era posts. Files with .bbs extensions in the file browser are also rendered this way.

For a full list of file types that can be previewed in the file browser ? including ANSI art, MOD tracker music, PETSCII/PRG, D64 disk images, Sixel, RIPscrip, and multi-format archive browsing ? see the File Preview section below.

Enhanced Message Search

The search sidebar now includes an Advanced Search button (sliders icon) that opens a modal with individual fields for poster name, subject, message body, and a date range picker. Fields are combined with AND logic ? fill in only the ones you need.

The simple search bar continues to work as before (searches across all fields at once).

Search Reindexing

This release adds trigram GIN indexes (pg_trgm) on the subject and message_text columns of both echomail and netmail. These indexes make ILIKE '%term%' searches fast regardless of table size.

setup.php will build these indexes automatically, but on large message databases the process may take a few minutes. The upgrade will appear to pause at the migration step ? this is normal. Do not interrupt it.

A date range index on echomail(date_received) is also added in this release.

Echomail Reader Navigation

Transparent Pagination

When reading messages in an echo and reaching the last message on the current page, clicking Next automatically loads the next page and opens its first message ? no manual page flipping required.

End-of-Echo Prompt

When the last message in an echo is reached (all pages exhausted), clicking Next now shows a confirmation panel inside the message reader:

• "End of [ECHONAME]" with a prompt to continue to the next subscribed echo that has unread messages.
• Go to [NEXT ECHO] and Close buttons.
• If there are no more unread echoes, the panel says so and offers only Close.

The next/previous navigation buttons in the modal header now always display descriptive tooltips ("Next message", "Previous message", "Load next page", "End of echo").

Echomail Info Bar

An info bar now appears above the message list when an echo area is selected, showing the area tag, domain, and description alongside Subscribe/Unsubscribe and Post Message buttons. The echomail page title header has been replaced by the info bar.

Page Position Memory

The echomail and netmail readers now remember the last page you were viewing and restore it automatically when you return.

• Echomail ? the last-visited page is remembered per echo area, including the All Messages view. Navigating to a different echo area and back restores the correct page for each.
• Netmail ? the last-visited page of your inbox is remembered.

This behaviour is opt-in and disabled by default. Users can enable it in Settings under the new Remember last page in echomail and netmail toggle. Existing users will have the setting off after upgrading.

Positions are stored per-user in the database and persist across browser sessions and devices. Migration v1.11.0.28 adds the remember_page_position column to user_settings (default FALSE) and is applied automatically by setup.php.

Node Address Links

FTN node addresses displayed in message headers are now clickable links to the nodelist node view page:

• Echomail ? From: address
• Netmail ? From: and To: addresses (both in the message reader and in the folder list rows)

Echo Area Management Improvements

The echo area management table (Admin ? Echo Areas) has been updated with two quality-of-life improvements:

Sortable columns ? clicking any column header sorts the table by that column. Clicking the same header again reverses the sort direction. An arrow indicator shows the active sort column and direction. Numeric columns (ID, Messages, Subs) sort numerically; all other columns sort alphabetically. The default sort is by ID ascending.

Subscriber count (Subs) ? a new Subs column shows how many users are actively subscribed to each echo area, making it easy to see which areas are most popular at a glance.

No database migration is required; subscriber counts are derived from the existing user_echoarea_subscriptions table.

Comment Echo Area Dropdown Grouping

The Comment Echo Area dropdown in the file area editor now groups echo areas intelligently based on the network of the file area being edited.

• Echo areas whose `domain` matches the file area's own domain are listed first, making it easy to pick the correct echo for the same network.
• A visual divider (`????????`) separates the same-network group from the remaining echo areas.
• If the file area has no domain set, or no echo areas share the same domain, the full list is shown without a divider.

No configuration or migration is required.

QWK/QWKE Offline Mail

BinktermPHP now supports QWK offline mail ? the classic BBS offline mail exchange format popular since 1987. Users can download a QWK packet containing all new messages from their personal mail (netmail) and every subscribed echo area, take it offline to read and reply in a local mail reader, then upload the resulting REP reply packet to post their replies.

Supported Formats

| Format | Description | |--------|-------------| | QWK | Standard QWK format; compatible with most offline readers (MultiMail, OLX, Yarn, etc.) | | QWKE | QWK Extended; backward-compatible with QWK readers, adds full FidoNet metadata (MSGID, REPLY, address kludges) for readers that support threading and netmail addressing (MultiMail, NeoQWK, Synchronet, etc.) |

How to Use

1. Navigate to QWK Offline Mail in the web interface sidebar.
2. Select your preferred format (QWK or QWKE).
3. Click Download .QWK ? the packet is built on demand and downloads immediately. The conference list on the right refreshes after each download to show how many new messages remain.
4. Open the packet in your offline reader, read messages, and compose replies.
5. Export the reply packet (`.REP` or `.ZIP`) from your reader.
6. Return to the QWK Offline Mail page and upload the REP packet. Replies are posted to the appropriate echo areas and your outbound netmail queue automatically.

Database Migration

Migration v1.11.0.34_qwk_support.sql creates two new tables:

• qwk_conference_state ? tracks the highest message ID seen per user per conference so successive downloads include only new messages.
• qwk_download_log ? records every download with a conference-number map used to reverse-map conference numbers when a REP upload arrives.

This migration is applied automatically by php scripts/setup.php.

Recommended Readers

• MultiMail (cross-platform, Windows/Linux/macOS) ? full QWK and QWKE support
• OLX / Yarn ? good QWK compatibility
• NeoQWK / Synchronet ? recommended for QWKE extended format

Echomail Digest

Users can now opt in to a periodic echomail digest email that summarises new messages across their subscribed echo areas. The digest is available in two frequencies ? Daily and Weekly ? and is configured in Settings ? Notifications. The option is disabled (Off) by default.

The same Notifications panel also now allows per-event sound selection to be set to Disabled. Default sound assignments for users without saved preferences are:

• Chat: `notify3`
• New echomail: `disabled`
• New netmail: `notify1`
• New file: `disabled`

This is a registered feature requiring a valid license.

Each digest email lists, per echo area, the number of new messages along with subject lines and author names since the last digest was sent. Full message bodies are not included to keep the email concise.

Cron setup ? Run the new script periodically to deliver digests. Once per hour is recommended; the script enforces the per-user frequency internally:

# Hourly via crontab
0   php /path/to/binkterm-php/scripts/send_echomail_digest.php

Test a specific user without sending:

php scripts/send_echomail_digest.php --dry-run --verbose --user=1

A database migration (v1.11.0.31) adds echomail_digest and echomail_digest_last_sent to user_settings and is applied automatically by setup.php.

File Areas & Preview

File Area Subfolder Navigation

The file browser now supports virtual subfolders within file areas. Subfolders appear as folder icons in the file listing and are navigable by clicking. A breadcrumb trail shows the current location and lets you return to the area root.

My Files sidebar entry:

Each user with a private file area now sees a My Files entry pinned at the top of the file area sidebar. Clicking it opens their own private area directly, without navigating the full area list.

Built-in subfolders:

• attachments ? displayed as Netmail Attachments. Netmail file attachments delivered to a user's private area are stored here automatically.
• incoming ? displayed as FREQ Responses. Files received in response to outbound FREQ requests (`freq_getfile.php`) land here.

The subfolder column on the files table stores the virtual path for each file record.

A new database migration (v1.11.0.22) adds the subfolder column. This is applied automatically by setup.php.

File Preview

Clicking a filename in the file browser now opens a preview modal instead of going straight to a download.

Supported types:

| Type | Extensions | Behaviour | |------|-----------|-----------| | Image | jpg, jpeg, png, gif, webp, svg, bmp, ico, tiff, avif | Displayed inline; click to open full size in a new tab | | Video | mp4, webm, mov, ogv, m4v | Plays in a <video> element with full controls and seek support | | Audio | mp3, wav, ogg, flac, aac, m4a, opus | Plays in an <audio> element | | MOD Tracker | mod | Plays inline in a tracker player with play/pause, stop, and volume controls | | Text / NFO | txt, log, nfo, diz, md, cfg, ini, json, xml, ? | Rendered in a scrollable panel; NFO and DIZ files are automatically converted from CP437 to UTF-8 so ANSI art displays correctly | | ANSI Art | ans | Rendered inline using the ANSI decoder with the full 16-colour ANSI palette | | PETSCII / PRG | prg | Rendered using the C64 screen RAM decoder with the exact C64 16-colour palette; Run on C64 button in nav bar | | PETSCII Stream | seq | Rendered using the PETSCII decoder; Run on C64 button loads the emulator inline | | D64 Disk Image | d64 | Parsed as a C64 floppy image; PRG files extracted and shown as a gallery | | RIPscrip | rip | Rendered server-side to SVG by RipScriptRenderer and displayed on a dark background | | Sixel Graphics | six, sixel | Decoded and rendered to canvas pixel-accurately on a black background | | ZIP Archive | zip | Browsable file listing; previewable entries open inline; all entries have a download button | | Unknown | everything else | Download prompt with a Download button |

The modal header includes: - ? ? navigation arrows to move through the current file list without closing the modal. Left/right arrow keys work too. - ? (File Info) button to switch to the full file-details view for the current file. - ? (Download) button to download the file at any time. - ? (Maximize) button to toggle the modal between its normal size and fullscreen. The preference is remembered in localStorage and restored automatically on the next file open.

No configuration or migration is required for this feature.

ANSI Art Rendering

Files with the .ans extension are fetched as text (the backend converts them from CP437 to UTF-8 automatically) and passed to the ANSI decoder. The result is displayed in the preview modal with the standard ANSI colour palette on a dark background, identically to how ANSI art in message bodies is rendered.

MOD Tracker Preview

Files with the .mod extension now open in an inline tracker player in the preview modal.

The player:

1. Fetches the module as raw bytes for browser-side playback.
2. Parses 4-channel ProTracker-style modules in the browser.
3. Provides Play/Pause, Stop, and Volume controls directly in the preview modal.

.mod files inside ZIP archives are also supported. Legacy ZIP compression methods such as implode are handled via the same ZIP-entry extraction path used for other previewable files.

No configuration or migration is required.

PETSCII / PRG Rendering

Files with the .prg extension, and ZIP archives that contain .prg files, are rendered using the C64 screen RAM decoder.

The renderer:

1. Strips the 2-byte PRG load-address header.
2. If the load address is `$0400` (the C64's screen RAM base address), the data is decoded directly as 40×25 screen codes with optional color RAM.
3. Otherwise a heuristic scans the executable body for an embedded 1000-byte screen RAM + color RAM block (the standard C64 art pack layout) and decodes that.
4. Color RAM values (0?15) are mapped to the exact C64 16-colour palette via CSS classes (`c64-fg-N` / `c64-bg-N`).

ZIP bundles with multiple PRGs show a gallery view with previous/next navigation arrows and a "N / total" counter. FILE_ID.DIZ (if present in the ZIP) is shown below the gallery.

A ? Run on C64 icon button appears in the nav bar for all rendered PRGs, allowing the file to be run interactively in the built-in C64 emulator.

PRGs where no screen RAM block is detectable (machine-code programs) show a "Preview unavailable" notice with a Run on C64 button. Clicking it loads the emulator inline in the preview panel and auto-executes the program.

A new API endpoint powers PRG extraction:

GET /api/files/{id}/prgs

Returns a JSON array of PRG entries, each with name, load_address, and base64-encoded data_b64. Works for both standalone .prg files and ZIP archives.

D64 Disk Image Preview

.d64 Commodore 64 floppy disk image files now open in the preview modal as a PRG gallery.

The backend parses the standard D64 directory (track 18) and extracts all closed PRG files by following the track/sector chain links. Both 35-track (174,848-byte) and extended 40-track images are supported.

The preview shows:

• The disk name (from the BAM sector) as a header bar above the gallery, when present.
• Each PRG file rendered using the same C64 screen RAM decoder used for standalone `.prg` files and ZIP bundles ? with previous/next navigation and a file counter.
• Machine-code PRGs (load address ? `$0400` and no detectable screen RAM block) show a "preview unavailable" notice instead of garbage output.

The same /api/files/{id}/prgs endpoint is extended to handle D64 files; the response includes an additional disk_name field.

No configuration or migration is required.

C64 Emulator

A Run on C64 button is available on every C64 content type in the preview modal, powered by jsc64 ? a JavaScript port of the fc64 Commodore 64 emulator.

Where the button appears:

| Content type | Button location | Behaviour on click | |---|---|---| | Rendered PRG (screen art) | Icon (?) on the right of the nav bar | Hides the art; loads emulator inline in the preview panel | | Machine-code PRG | Below the "Preview unavailable" notice | Hides the notice; loads emulator inline in the preview panel | | PETSCII stream (.seq) | Bar below the rendered art | Hides the art; loads emulator inline in the preview panel |

The emulator boots the C64, waits approximately 2 seconds for BASIC to initialise, then fetches the PRG bytes from the /api/files/{id}/prgs API endpoint, writes them into emulated memory, and executes the program. A RST button resets the CPU; a ?? button pauses and resumes execution.

SEQ files ? .seq PETSCII stream files do not have a native PRG on disk. When the emulator is requested for a SEQ file, the API generates a machine-code PRG on the fly: a small 6502 stub (load address $2000) streams every byte of the SEQ data through the C64 CHROUT kernal routine ($FFD2), reproducing the file exactly as a C64 would display it.

ROM files ? jsc64 requires the original Commodore 64 Kernal, BASIC, and Character ROM binaries. These are included in the vendor directory (public_html/vendor/jsc64/js/assets/).

No configuration or migration is required.

RIPscrip File Preview

Files with the .rip extension now render inline in the preview modal. The server-side RipScriptRenderer class converts the RIPscrip data to an SVG image, which is returned by the /api/files/{id}/preview endpoint as text/html and displayed on a dark background.

RIP files inside ZIP archives are also supported:

• Opening a ZIP in the preview modal now detects all `.rip` entries.
• If one or more RIP files are found, a gallery view is shown with previous/next navigation (accessible via the `/api/files/{id}/rips` endpoint).
• Individual `.rip` entries can also be opened from the ZIP file browser.

No configuration or migration is required.

Sixel Graphics

DEC sixel images are now decoded and rendered natively in the browser with no server-side processing and no external libraries.

Supported everywhere sixel images can appear:

• Echomail and netmail message bodies ? DCS sixel sequences (`ESC P ? q ? ESC \`) embedded directly in message text are detected, extracted, and rendered as inline `<canvas>` elements between the surrounding text segments.
• File area preview modal ? `.six` and `.sixel` files open in the preview modal with pixel-accurate canvas rendering on a black background.
• ZIP file browser ? `.six` and `.sixel` entries inside ZIP archives are previewable the same way.

Decoder features:

• HLS and RGB colour register definitions (`#n;1;h;l;s` and `#n;2;r;g;b`)
• RLE repeat sequences (`!count char`)
• Raster attributes (`"Pan;Pad;Ph;Pv`) for pre-allocated image dimensions
• VT340-compatible default 16-colour palette for images that do not define their own colours
• Dynamic pixel buffer that grows as the image is decoded

No configuration or database migration is required.

ZIP File Browser

Opening a ZIP file in the preview modal now shows a browsable file listing instead of only displaying FILE_ID.DIZ.

How it works:

• The `/api/files/{id}/zip-contents` endpoint lists up to 500 non-directory entries, sorted by path, each with filename, size, and compression method.
• Clicking a previewable entry opens it inline via `/api/files/{id}/zip-entry?path=?`, applying the same type detection used by the main file preview (images, video, audio, MOD tracker, text/NFO, ANSI, RIPscrip, PETSCII/PRG).
• All entries show a Download button regardless of whether they can be previewed.
• Unsupported or unknown file types show a download-only panel.

Legacy DOS compression (implode, shrink, etc.):

Old BBS-era ZIP files often use compression methods not supported by PHP's built-in ZipArchive (libzip). For these entries:

1. The server first attempts extraction via `ZipArchive`.
2. If that fails, it falls back to external archive tools such as `unzip` or `7z`, extracting the requested member to a temporary location first so binary files are not truncated on Windows.
3. If no supported extractor is available or the method is still unsupported, the server returns HTTP 415 and the browser shows a graceful notice with a "Download full ZIP" button.

Entries with non-standard compression are marked with a legacy badge in the ZIP browser listing.

No configuration or migration is required. For legacy ZIP support, install at least one supported extractor such as unzip or 7z.

Shared File Preview

The shared file link page (/shared/file/{area}/{filename}) now renders the same inline preview as the file browser. All supported types work ? images, video, audio, text/NFO, ANSI art, and PETSCII/PRG ? without requiring the visitor to be logged in.

No configuration or migration is required.

File Preview Maximize Button

The file preview modal now has a maximize toggle button in the header (expand/compress icon), matching the existing maximize behaviour in the echomail and netmail message readers.

Clicking the button switches the modal between its default modal-xl size and fullscreen. The preference is saved to localStorage as previewModalFullscreen and restored automatically the next time any file is opened. This preference is independent of the message reader fullscreen setting.

No configuration or migration is required.

File Area Rules Visual Editor

The file area rules editor (/admin/file-area-rules) has been redesigned with a full graphical interface while keeping the raw JSON editor as a second tab.

Visual Editor Tab

• Rules table lists each rule with its name, filename pattern, domain scope, success/fail actions, and an enabled toggle.
• Add Rule / Edit Rule modal provides labelled form fields for every rule property: name, filename pattern (PHP-style regex or plain glob), script, success action, fail action, timeout, domain, and enabled flag.
• Clone Rule button on each row duplicates the rule (with " (copy)" appended to the name) and inserts it immediately below the original ? useful for building variations of an existing rule.
• Delete removes a rule after confirmation.

Pattern Tester

Each rule row has a flask icon that expands an inline pattern tester panel:

• Load files from area ? enters the tag and domain from the rule's scope, then fetches the actual filenames from that file area via API. Each filename is shown with a ? / ? badge indicating whether the pattern matches.
• Free-text input ? type any filename to test it against the current pattern live, without needing files in the area.
• Supports PHP-style delimited regex (e.g. `/\.zip$/i`) as well as plain substrings.

JSON Editor Tab

The raw JSON textarea is still available as the second tab for bulk edits or copy/paste. Switching between tabs syncs the state: Visual ? JSON serializes guiState; JSON ? Visual parses the textarea and re-renders the table.

ISO-Backed File Areas

A file area can now be backed by a CD/DVD ISO image on the server, allowing sysops to expose large shareware CD collections (Simtel, Walnut Creek, etc.) without copying files to local storage. Physical CD/DVD drives also work ? anything the OS can mount and expose as a directory path is supported. Plain directories work too ? the system only requires a readable path in the Mount Point field.

> Note: CD/DVD jukeboxes and changers are not supported. The mount point > must be a single, consistently accessible path. Media that changes or goes > offline will cause file requests to return 503 until the path is accessible > again.

Behaviour

• ISO areas are read-only ? uploads, renames, and moves are blocked. Admin file deletion removes the database record only; no disk change is made.
• Descriptive information (short/long description, subfolder labels) can always be edited and is stored in the database.
• If the mount point is not accessible when a file is requested, the server returns 503.
• ZIP files inside the ISO display `FILE_ID.DIZ` in the preview modal.

Creating an ISO area

1. Mount the ISO using any suitable method and note the resulting path. On Linux: `sudo mount -o loop,ro /srv/isos/simtel.iso /srv/iso_mounts/simtel` On Windows: right-click the `.iso` ? Mount, note the drive letter.
2. In Admin ? Area Management ? File Areas, click Add File Area.
3. Set Area Type to ISO-backed.
4. Enter the mount point path in Mount Point (e.g. `/srv/iso_mounts/simtel` or `D:\`).
5. Save. The status badge shows Accessible when the path is reachable.
6. Click Re-index ISO to open the import preview.

Import preview

Clicking Re-index ISO opens a preview modal before writing anything to the database. Each directory in the ISO is shown as a row with:

• Include/exclude checkbox ? uncheck to skip that directory.
• Description ? pre-filled from the catalogue or existing database entry; editable before committing.
• File count ? how many files would be imported from that directory.
• Status badge ? New or Existing.

Click Apply Import to commit. Import options in the modal header:

| Option | Effect | |---|---| | Flat import | All files imported to the area root, directory structure ignored. | | Catalogue only | Only import files listed in FILES.BBS / DESCRIPT.ION. Unlisted files are skipped. If no catalogue exists in a directory, all files there are imported. |

Catalogue formats

The importer recognises the following description files, tried in priority order. If a higher-priority file is found but yields no entries, the next format is tried automatically.

| File | Format | |---|---| | FILES.BBS | One filename per line followed by two or more spaces and a description. Continuation lines are indented. | | DESCRIPT.ION | filename "description" per line (JPSOFT 4DOS / Midnight Commander format). | | FILE_LIST.BBS | Same parser as FILES.BBS. | | 00INDEX.TXT | Same parser as FILES.BBS. | | 00_INDEX.TXT | Simtel block format: Directory: headers group entries; each File: block is followed by an indented multi-line description. | | INDEX.TXT | Same parser as FILES.BBS. |

Comparisons are case-insensitive so files.bbs, FILES.BBS, and Files.Bbs are all recognised.

Subfolder navigation

The ISO directory tree is exposed as browsable subfolders in the file browser. Each subdirectory is stored as an iso_subdir record in the files table ? a virtual row with no physical file that carries a human-readable label and description for the folder.

• Labels ? sysops can set a short description (folder label) and long description on any subfolder by clicking the pencil icon on the folder row. Labels are preserved across re-indexes.
• Deletion ? admins can delete an entire subfolder (and all its nested content) from the folder row's trash icon. Only database records are removed; ISO files are not touched.

Importing files (CLI)

The importer is also available from the command line:

php scripts/import_iso.php --area=<id> [--update] [--dry-run] [--verbose]

Files are imported from FILES.BBS / DESCRIPT.ION catalogues found in each directory. If no catalogue is present, the filename is used as the description.

Migration

This feature requires database migrations. Run php scripts/setup.php as part of the standard upgrade procedure.

File Area Comments

Each file area can now be linked to an echomail echo area that acts as a comment thread for all files in that area.

How it works

• When a user opens the file detail panel or the file preview modal, a Comments section appears below the file information (or below the preview content).
• Logged-in users can leave top-level comments or reply to existing ones (threaded up to three levels deep).
• Each comment is posted as a standard FTN echomail message in the linked echo area with a `^AFILEREF` kludge line identifying the file area tag, filename, and SHA-256 hash. This means the comments propagate to other nodes that carry the echo, and other FTN software can see them.
• When a comment message is opened in the echomail reader, a banner appears at the top linking back to the file it refers to.
• A comment count badge is displayed next to filenames that have comments in the file listing.

Setup ? linking an echo area

1. In the admin panel, open File Areas and edit the file area you want to enable comments for.
2. In the Comments Echo Area dropdown at the bottom of the form, choose an existing echo area or select ? Create new echo area? and enter a tag. The setting is saved together with the rest of the file area when you click Save.
3. For LovlyNet file areas the dropdown automatically pre-selects `LVLY_FILECHAT` if that echo area already exists. If it does not exist yet, select ? Create new echo area? ? the tag `LVLY_FILECHAT` will be pre-filled and the area will be created with the correct LovlyNet domain and description on save.
4. To disable comments, choose ? None (Disabled) ? from the dropdown and save.

Database migration

The migration v1.11.0.32_file_area_comments.sql adds:

• `comment_echoarea_id` column on `file_areas` (nullable FK to `echoareas`)
• `comment_count` column on `files` (integer, default 0)

This migration runs automatically as part of php scripts/setup.php.

Global File Search

A Search Files card now appears in the file browser sidebar, between the File Areas list and the Status panel. Typing two or more characters triggers a server-side search across filename and short description for all accessible file areas.

Results table columns: Filename (opens preview), Area (click to navigate to that area), Description, Size, Uploaded date, Info button, Download button.

Results are limited to 100 entries ordered by area tag then filename. Private areas belonging to other users are excluded.

Search indexes

Migration v1.11.0.27 enables the pg_trgm PostgreSQL extension and creates GIN trigram indexes on files.filename and files.short_description. These indexes make ILIKE '%term%' queries fast regardless of how many files are in the database.

File Upload Filename Sanitization

Spaces in filenames are now replaced with underscores (_) when a file is uploaded to a file area, both through the web interface and via the post_file.php CLI script.

This ensures filenames stored on disk and in the database are always compatible with FTN file transfer protocols (binkp and TIC), which treat spaces as field delimiters in their wire formats.

Existing files with spaces in their names are not renamed automatically. Use the Rename action in the file browser to update them if needed before they are distributed to uplinks.

Public File Areas

Individual file areas can now be flagged as public, allowing unauthenticated visitors to browse the file listing and download files without a BBS account. This is a registered (premium) feature.

What guests can do on a public area

• Browse the file listing (filename, description, size, date)
• Download files
• Open the file preview modal (images, text/NFO, ANSI, ZIP browser, etc.)

What guests cannot do

• Post or view file comments
• Upload files
• Access any area that is not flagged public

Enabling public access on an area

In Admin ? Area Management ? File Areas, edit the area and check the Public checkbox. The checkbox is only shown on registered installations; on unregistered installations a lock notice appears in its place.

Public file area index page

A new BBS setting Enable Public Files Index (Admin ? BBS Settings ? BBS Features) controls whether an index page at /public-files is available. When enabled, the index lists all public areas in a card grid and a Public Files link appears in the navigation bar for guests.

When disabled (the default), public areas are still accessible via their direct URL (/files/AREATAG) ? they simply are not listed on a discovery page.

Database migration

Migration v1.11.0.33_public_file_areas.sql adds an is_public boolean column to the file_areas table. Run php scripts/setup.php to apply it.

Gemini File Areas

File areas can now be exposed via the Gemini capsule server. When a file area has Gemini Public enabled, Gemini clients can browse the area and download files directly over the Gemini protocol ? including binary files such as ZIP archives, executables, and images.

To enable a file area for Gemini access:

1. Go to Admin ? Area Management ? File Areas
2. Edit the file area
3. Check Gemini Public
4. Save

Once enabled, the area appears in the Gemini capsule under:

gemini://your-host/files/AREA_TAG/

and on the Gemini home page under a new File Areas section. Individual files are served at:

gemini://your-host/files/AREA_TAG/filename.zip

Only files with an approved status are served. Private file areas are never exposed regardless of this setting.

A new database migration (v1.11.0.20) adds the gemini_public column to the file_areas table. This is applied automatically by setup.php.

Shared File Preview for Unauthenticated Visitors

Shared file links (/shared/file/{area}/{filename}) previously displayed file metadata but required the visitor to be logged in to see any preview. The inline preview (images, video, audio, text/NFO, ANSI art, PETSCII/PRG) now works for unauthenticated visitors who arrive via a valid, non-expired share link.

This covers all preview types, including:

• PETSCII / PRG rendering ? the `/api/files/{id}/prgs` endpoint now accepts `share_area` and `share_filename` query parameters. When the share is valid and the file ID matches, the request is served without requiring a session.
• Run on C64 emulator ? the C64 emulator iframe (`c64emu/index.html`) reads the share parameters from its own URL and forwards them to the `/prgs` fetch, so the emulator loads correctly for unauthenticated visitors too.

No configuration or migration is required.

Netmail & Attachments

Netmail Attachment Improvements

Sender Copy

When a local netmail with a file attachment is delivered between two users on the same system, the sender now receives a copy of the attachment in their own private file area (under the attachments subfolder), tagged as source_type = netmail_sent. The recipient's copy is unchanged.

Previously only the recipient received the file; the sender had no local copy.

Attachment Viewer Filtering

When viewing a netmail that has attachments, each viewer now sees only the copy stored in an area they can access:

• The recipient sees the file in their private area.
• The sender sees their own sent copy.
• If only one copy exists (e.g. historical messages from before this release), the single copy is shown to both parties as before.

Duplicate Hash Constraint Removed

The UNIQUE(file_area_id, file_hash) constraint on the files table has been replaced with a plain index. The unique constraint was causing INSERT failures when the same file was attached to more than one netmail in the same area (for example, a recurring attachment sent to the same recipient). The constraint provided no meaningful integrity guarantee in private areas and has been removed.

A new database migration (v1.11.0.23) performs this change automatically via setup.php.

Netmail Forwarding to Email

Users can now opt in to have incoming netmail automatically forwarded to their registered email address. This is a registered-only feature and requires SMTP to be configured on the system.

Enabling forwarding:

1. Set a valid email address in your user profile.
2. Go to Settings and enable Forward netmail to email under the Notifications section. The toggle is visible to all users but only active on registered installations.

What is forwarded:

• The sender's name and FTN address (e.g. `Matthew Asham (1:123/456)`)
• The original subject and message body
• File attachments, when present

The forwarded email includes a notice that replies will not reach the netmail sender and that the user should log in to the BBS to reply.

Behaviour notes:

• Opt-in, disabled by default for all users after upgrading.
• File attachments are included in the forwarded email for both locally composed netmail and inbound FTN netmail arriving via BinkP.

A database migration (v1.11.0.30) adds the forward_netmail_email column to user_settings and is applied automatically by setup.php.

FTN Networking

FREQ Enhancements

> Note: FREQ support in this release is experimental and sysop-only. > Compatibility with third-party BinkP implementations varies.

Response Delivery

FREQ responses are now delivered as FILE_ATTACH netmail via two paths:

1. Crashmail (direct) ? if the requesting node has a hostname in the nodelist (IBN/INA flag), BinktermPHP connects directly and delivers the attachment immediately. No action required from the requesting node.
2. Hold directory (reverse crash) ? if the node cannot be reached directly, the FILE_ATTACH packet and attachment are written to `data/outbound/hold/<address>/`. They are delivered during the next binkp session with that node, whichever side initiates. A notification netmail is also sent to the requesting node via hub routing to let them know files are ready.

The previous approach of queuing raw files in freq_outbound for hub-routed delivery has been removed. Hubs typically strip file attachments from forwarded netmail, making that approach unreliable.

setup.php creates the data/outbound/hold/ directory automatically.

Outbound FREQ Response Routing

When freq_getfile.php sends a file request, the request is now persisted to a new freq_requests_outbound database table. When the remote node fulfils the request ? whether in the same session or a later one ? the received files are automatically matched against pending requests by node address and filename and routed to the requesting user's private file area.

This means FREQ responses are handled correctly across all session types: inbound sessions (remote connects to deliver), outbound polls, and same-session delivery. Only files whose names exactly match a requested filename are routed; all other received files (netmail attachments, packets, etc.) are left in data/inbound/ untouched.

A new database migration (v1.11.0.24) creates the freq_requests_outbound table. This is applied automatically by setup.php.

BinkP AKA Selection Fix

When connecting to a node that is not a configured uplink, BinktermPHP now selects the uplink whose network covers the destination address and advertises that uplink's me address in M_ADR. This ensures the remote system identifies you by the correct AKA rather than your primary zone address.

This fix now applies to crashmail delivery as well. Previously, crashmail sessions created a raw BinkP session without an uplink context, causing the primary AKA to be advertised to all remote hosts regardless of network. This resulted in "Bad password" rejections when delivering to nodes that are uplinks for one network but not for the zone associated with your primary address.

Outbound FREQ (File Request)

freq_getfile.php

A new CLI script allows you to request files from a remote binkp system:

php scripts/freq_getfile.php 1:123/456 ALLFILES
php scripts/freq_getfile.php 1:123/456 ALLFILES FILES --password=secret
php scripts/freq_getfile.php 1:123/456 ALLFILES --hostname=bbs.example.com --port=24554

The script resolves the hostname automatically from the nodelist or binkp zone DNS. Received files are stored in your private file area and are visible in the file browser under My Files ? FREQ Responses. See CLI.md for the full option reference.

Nodelist File Request Dialog

The file request dialog on the nodelist node view page now includes AllFix as a selectable addressee alongside FileFix, FileMgr, FileReq, and Sysop. AllFix is a file area manager robot name, not a magic filename.

ALLFILES.TXT Formatting

The dynamically generated ALLFILES.TXT file listing now uses plain ASCII (no UTF-8 em dashes) and formats columns dynamically based on the longest filename in each area. Long descriptions wrap at 80 characters with continuation lines aligned to the description column.

Crashmail Logging and Packet Preservation

Structured Log File

Crashmail delivery now writes to data/logs/crashmail.log using the same structured logger as the binkp server (timestamp, PID, level, message). Previously all output went only to the PHP error log.

Preserve Sent Packets

When Preserve Sent Packets is enabled in the binkp configuration, crashmail packets are now moved to the preserved sent packets directory on successful delivery instead of always being deleted. The preserved file is named crashmail_<id>_<timestamp>.pkt.

BinkP Inbound File Collision Handling

When an inbound BinkP session delivers a file whose filename already exists in the data/inbound/ directory, the new file is now saved with a numeric suffix (filename_1.ext, filename_2.ext, ?) instead of silently overwriting the existing file. The M_GOT acknowledgement still uses the original remote filename as required by the BinkP protocol.

Previously a collision would clobber the existing inbound file with no warning.

BinkP Status Page Improvements

Log Search

The Logs tab now has an inline search box. Type any term to filter the currently-loaded log lines in real time. Non-matching lines are hidden; matching lines remain visible with the search term highlighted. A match count (N / M lines) is shown while a filter is active. Click the × button or clear the box to restore the full view.

Advanced Log Search

A new Advanced Search panel (toggle button below the log view) searches the entire log across all BinkP-related log files ? binkp_poll.log, binkp_server.log, binkp_scheduler.log, admin_daemon.log, mrc_daemon.log, and packets.log ? regardless of the line-count selector.

When a match is found, the search automatically expands the results to include all lines from the same PID (i.e. the full session that produced the match). Direct matches are shown at full brightness; session-context lines are dimmed. The header shows a summary such as 4 matches across 2 session(s).

Kept Packets Viewer

> Registered feature ? requires a valid license.

A new Kept Packets tab appears in the BinkP status page for registered installations. It lets you browse preserved packets in data/inbound/keep/ and data/outbound/keep/ without needing shell access.

Packets are grouped by date directory (newest first). Each packet row shows:

| Column | Description | |--------|-------------| | Filename | Clickable ? opens the packet inspector | | From | Originating FTN address (from packet header) | | To | Destination FTN address (from packet header) | | Messages | Number of messages parsed from the packet | | Size | File size | | Date | Last-modified timestamp |

Packet Inspector ? clicking a filename opens a modal with:

• Full packet header: from/to FTN addresses (with zone and point), creation timestamp, packet version, product code, and whether a password is set
• A table of every message header in the packet: from/to names, net:node addresses, subject, date string, and decoded attribute flags (Pvt, Crash, Att, Local, etc.)

Message body text is never shown or transmitted to the browser.

Faster Poll Session Termination

BinkP poll sessions now terminate immediately once both sides have exchanged M_EOB and no file transfer is active. Previously the mailer waited up to 30 seconds for a same-session response file that never materialises in practice ? response packets (e.g. areafix replies) always arrive in a subsequent poll. This change removes the unnecessary wait from every outbound poll.

LovlyNet Subscriptions

A new admin page at Admin ? Area Management ? LovlyNet Areas (/admin/lovlynet) provides a central view of all echo and file areas available on the LovlyNet hub, with one-click subscribe and unsubscribe controls.

Features

• Echo Areas and File Areas tabs, each listing every area published by the LovlyNet hub.
• Each row shows the area tag, description, current subscription status (Subscribed / Not subscribed), and a toggle button.
• A summary card at the top shows how many areas you are currently subscribed to.
• The page reads credentials from `config/lovlynet.json`, which is written automatically when your node is registered with LovlyNet.

Requirements

config/lovlynet.json must exist and contain valid credentials:

{
    "api_key": "...",
    "ftn_address": "227:1/N",
    "hub_hostname": "lovlynet.lovelybits.org"
}

These values are provided when your node registers with LovlyNet. If the file is missing or incomplete, the page shows a configuration notice instead of the area list.

No database migration is required for this feature.

Sync Files

Subscribed file areas now have a Sync Files button that opens a modal for reconciling your local file area against what LovlyNet has available.

The modal has two sections:

• Local Files (not in LovlyNet) ? files present in your local area that have not been hatched to LovlyNet. Each file has a Hatch button that immediately re-hatches it via the admin daemon so LovlyNet receives it.
• LovlyNet Files ? the full file list from the LovlyNet hub for that area, fetched from `files.bbs`. Files are shown 25 per page with cross-page checkbox selection. Selecting files and clicking Send %RESEND sends a `%RESEND <file> <area>` FileFix request to the hub for each selected file, causing the hub to re-send those files to your node.

AREAFIX Rescan Requests

The LovlyNet admin page can now send %RESCAN AREAFIX requests to the hub. This is useful after subscribing to a new echo area to request that the hub forward recent messages you missed before subscribing.

Request Tracking

Outbound FileFix and AREAFIX requests sent through the LovlyNet admin page are tracked and displayed in a Requests tab, showing the request text, the area it was sent for, and the timestamp. This gives you a history of what was requested and when, useful when diagnosing missing files or messages.

Area Sync Integration

When subscribing or unsubscribing to echo and file areas through the LovlyNet page, the local area configuration is now updated immediately ? echo areas are linked or unlinked from the uplink, and file areas are created or deactivated as appropriate. Previously, area syncing required a separate manual step.

TIC File Password Field

TIC password handling now uses this precedence when generating outbound TIC files:

1. file area TIC password
2. uplink TIC password
3. blank `Pw` value if neither is configured

For LovlyNet systems, this upgrade also backfills the uplink TIC password from the configured Areafix password by taking the first 8 characters and converting them to uppercase. The derived value is written to both config/lovlynet.json and the LovlyNet uplink entry in config/binkp.json.

Echo List Network Filter

The /echolist page now includes a network filter dropdown in the Filter card alongside the existing subscribed-only, unread-only, and text search controls.

Clicking the dropdown shows a checkbox list of all networks present in your echo area list, including Local areas. Check one or more networks to restrict the listing to those networks. Unchecking everything (the default) shows all networks.

The filter composes with the other controls ? for example, you can show only unread messages in FidoNet areas simultaneously.

No configuration or migration is required.

Nodelist

Nodelist Map

The nodelist page now includes a Map tab alongside the existing list view. Nodes are plotted on an interactive Leaflet map with marker clustering to keep dense areas readable.

Key features:

• Nodes with the same system name (across multiple networks) are grouped into a single marker. The popup shows all networks the system belongs to, including the FTN address and a "Send Netmail" link.
• Markers are colour coded by the network the node belongs to. Systems on multiple networks use a distinct colour. A legend is displayed in the bottom-right corner of the map.
• Map data loads lazily ? only fetched when the Map tab is first opened.

Geocoding:

Coordinates are populated by a new CLI script:

php scripts/geocode_nodelist.php

Options: - --limit=N ? process at most N nodes (default: all pending) - --force ? re-geocode nodes that already have coordinates - --dry-run ? show what would be geocoded without making any changes

The script calls the Nominatim geocoding API (rate-limited to one request per second) and caches results permanently in the geocode_cache table so the same location string is never looked up twice.

Run it once after upgrading to seed initial coordinates, then add it to cron to pick up newly imported nodes:

0 1  6 php /path/to/scripts/geocode_nodelist.php

Geocoding requires the BBS_DIRECTORY_GEOCODING_ENABLED environment variable to be true (the default). See .env.example for optional tuning variables (BBS_DIRECTORY_GEOCODER_EMAIL, BBS_DIRECTORY_GEOCODER_URL, BBS_DIRECTORY_GEOCODER_USER_AGENT).

A new database migration (v1.11.0.18) adds latitude and longitude columns to the nodelist table. This is applied automatically by setup.php.

Nodelist Enhancements

Flag Filter

The nodelist search page now includes a multi-select flag filter. Select one or more flags (CM, IBN, INA, FREQ, MO, etc.) to narrow the results to nodes that carry all of the chosen flags.

Node View Map

The nodelist node detail page now includes a dark interactive map below the info panels when the node has geocoded coordinates. If coordinates are missing, a notice is shown with instructions to run scripts/geocode_nodelist.php.

Credits & Economy

Credits System Updates

This release adds four new optional credits settings:

• `file_upload_cost`
• `file_upload_reward`
• `file_download_cost`
• `file_download_reward`

These settings are available in Admin -> BBS Settings -> Credits System Configuration.

No database migration is required for these options. They are configuration-only settings and default to 0 if not present in an older config/bbs.json.

If you manage config/bbs.json manually, you can add them under the credits section:

"file_upload_cost": 0,
"file_upload_reward": 0,
"file_download_cost": 0,
"file_download_reward": 0

Admin & System

Database Statistics Page

A new admin page at /admin/database-stats provides a comprehensive view of PostgreSQL internals, organized into six tabs:

• Size & Growth ? total database size, top tables and indexes by size, dead tuple bloat estimates.
• Activity ? active connections vs. maximum, cache hit ratio (warns if below 99%), transaction counts, and tuple insert/update/delete totals.
• Query Performance ? long-running queries, slowest and most-called queries via `pg_stat_statements` (if installed), current lock waits, and cumulative deadlock count.
• Replication ? replication sender status with lag bytes, WAL receiver info for replicas.
• Maintenance ? per-table vacuum and analyze timestamps, dead tuple counts, and a warning banner for tables that may need attention.
• Index Health ? unused indexes, potentially redundant indexes (same column set), and index vs. sequential scan ratios per table.

A database size summary and link to this page appear on the admin dashboard.

For query performance data, install the pg_stat_statements extension:

CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS pg_stat_statements;

Then add it to shared_preload_libraries in postgresql.conf and restart PostgreSQL. The statistics page works without it but the slow/frequent query tabs will be empty.

Database Performance Improvements

Several tables that were generating excessive sequential scans have been addressed with new indexes and one query change. These are applied automatically by setup.php via five new migrations (v1.11.0.13 ? v1.11.0.17).

Index changes:

• `mrc_outbound` ? replaced `(sent_at, priority)` with a partial index `(priority DESC, created_at ASC) WHERE sent_at IS NULL`. The MRC daemon polls this table every 100 ms; the old index did not match the query's `ORDER BY` so the planner seq-scanned a near-empty table millions of times.
• `users` ? added `UNIQUE INDEX ON users(LOWER(username))`. Login queries and name-matching in mail delivery used `LOWER(username)` comparisons with no supporting index, causing a seq scan on every authentication request.
• `shared_messages` ? replaced `(message_id, message_type)` with a partial composite index `(message_id, message_type, shared_by_user_id) WHERE is_active = TRUE`, matching the LEFT JOIN condition used in every echomail listing page load.
• `saved_messages` ? replaced `(message_id, message_type)` with `(message_id, message_type, user_id)`. The previous index had the wrong column order for joins driven from the echomail side.

Query change ? chat notification polling:

The /api/dashboard/stats endpoint previously counted all chat messages on every 30-second poll using a query with an un-indexable OR condition across three columns. It now queries only messages newer than the last seen message ID (WHERE m.id > ?), using the primary key index. The last seen position is stored as last_chat_max_id in user meta. Existing users will have this initialized silently on first poll with no false notification badge.

Admin Menu Reorganization

The admin navigation dropdown has been reorganized to reduce clutter and group related items into logical submenus.

Analytics Submenu

A new Analytics submenu consolidates reporting pages:

| Page | Requires License | |---|---| | Activity Statistics | No | | Sharing | No | | Economy Viewer | Yes | | Referral Analytics | Yes |

License-gated items remain visible in both the nav menu and the admin dashboard but are non-functional ? they link to #, show a lock icon, and carry a title attribute reading Registered Feature.

Community Submenu

A new Community submenu groups interactive community features:

• BBS Directory
• Chat (sub-submenu: Chat Rooms, MRC Settings)
• Polls
• Shoutbox

Ads Top-Level Menu

Advertising management now lives under a separate Ads top-level admin menu:

• Advertisements
• Ad Campaigns

Area Management Submenu Changes

Auto Feed has been moved inside the Area Management submenu (below a divider), since it is directly related to echo area configuration. It was previously a top-level item in the Admin dropdown.

Chat Submenu Renamed

The admin submenu previously labelled Local Chat has been renamed to Chat, since it contains configuration for both local chat rooms and remote MRC (Multi Relay Chat) settings.

In-App Documentation Browser

A new documentation browser is available at Admin ? Help ? Documentation (/admin/docs). It renders the Markdown files in docs/ directly in the admin panel using the existing MarkdownRenderer ? no external library required.

• The landing page is `docs/index.md`, a curated operational index organized by priority (setup ? networking ? access ? features ? deployment ? developer reference).
• Click any link to read the full document; a ? Back to Index button returns to the index.
• Relative `.md` links between documents are automatically rewritten so navigation works correctly.
• Proposal documents (`docs/proposals/`) are excluded from the browser for clarity; they remain accessible on disk.
• Path traversal is blocked server-side; only files inside `docs/` with safe filenames are served.

Telnet and SSH File Area Fixes

Virtual Subfolder Navigation

The Telnet file area browser now supports the same virtual subfolder structure as the web interface. Users navigating the file area over Telnet can enter subfolders (e.g. Netmail Attachments, FREQ Responses, ISO subdirectories) and return to the parent level, matching the web experience.

Pagination Fix

The Telnet file area listing was previously capped at a single page of results, meaning only the first N files in an area were shown. The listing now iterates all pages and displays every file in the area.

ISO File Download via ZMODEM

Files stored in ISO-backed file areas can now be downloaded over Telnet using ZMODEM. Previously ZMODEM transfers from ISO areas were blocked because the Telnet server did not resolve the physical path for ISO-backed files. The transfer path is now resolved correctly before initiating the ZMODEM session.

SSH User Identification

The SSH server now correctly associates the session with the authenticated user's account. This fixes a regression where SSH sessions appeared as anonymous in session logs despite the user having logged in successfully.

Advertising System

The old flat-file bbs_ads/ ad store has been replaced by a database-backed advertising library.

Migration

Running php scripts/setup.php applies the advertising migrations and imports existing ANSI ads from bbs_ads/. Imported ads are marked enabled by default so current dashboard inventory remains available after upgrade.

Existing flat-file ads from the legacy bbs_ads/ directory are migrated into the database automatically on upgrade, so you don't lose content switching from the old system.

Advertisements

A new admin page at Admin -> Ads -> Advertisements lets the sysop:

• upload ANSI ads into the library
• edit ANSI content and metadata in the browser
• preview ads in a modal
• tag ads with freeform labels
• choose whether an ad is eligible for dashboard display and/or campaign posting

Campaigns

A new admin page at Admin -> Ads -> Ad Campaigns manages scheduled ad posting.

Campaigns support:

• multiple targets (`echoarea@domain`)
• separate subject templates per target
• multiple schedules by day, time, and timezone
• weighted ad assignment
• post history for both manual and automatic runs
• optional expiry date ? campaign is automatically deactivated when the date passes

Campaign Quick Setup Wizard

A Quick Setup button opens a three-step wizard that creates a pre-configured campaign for one of nine common use cases (weekly BBS ad, event announcement, door game promotion, file echo update, and more). The wizard sets sensible defaults for schedule, interval, and subject template, then lets the sysop supply the name, posting user, and echoarea targets before reviewing and creating in one step.

The File Echo Update type automatically creates a dynamic ad (see below) linked to scripts/report_newfiles.php ? no static ANSI file is needed.

Dynamic Ads

An ad can now carry a Content Command ? a path to an executable on the server ? instead of static ANSI content. At post time the command is run and its stdout becomes the message body. The post is skipped (and logged) if the command exits non-zero or produces no output. This enables fully dynamic content such as weekly file area reports or system statistics.

To create a dynamic ad, leave the file picker empty in the upload form and fill in the Content Command field instead.

Scheduler

scripts/binkp_scheduler.php now processes due advertising campaigns automatically. For testing or manual execution, use:

php scripts/run_ad_campaigns.php
php scripts/run_ad_campaigns.php --campaign-id=3
php scripts/run_ad_campaigns.php --dry-run

For full operational details, see docs/Advertising.md.

Premium Features and Registration

This release introduces Registration as a way for sysops to support the continued development of BinktermPHP. BinktermPHP remains fully functional without registration ? it is never required to run a BBS. Registered installations unlock a small set of extras as a thank-you for contributing.

For registration options and instructions, see REGISTER.md.

Footer Registration Display

The "Registered to" line in the page footer has been simplified. Previously it appeared as a separate line with a badge icon below the "Powered by BinktermPHP" line. It is now displayed inline:

> Powered by BinktermPHP 1.8.7 - Registered to System Name | ?

The change applies when a valid licence is present; unlicensed installations are unaffected.

Registration Badge on Admin Dashboard

The admin dashboard (/admin) now includes a Registration Status row in the system information section. It shows either an Unregistered badge with a link to the licensing page, or a Registered badge with the licensed system name and licensee when a valid license is present. No action is required to enable this display.

Branding Controls

Registered installations can now customise the site footer from the Admin ? Settings ? Branding panel:

• Custom footer text ? replace or supplement the default footer with any text you choose (plain text; rendered beneath the powered-by line).
• Hide "Powered by BinktermPHP" attribution ? optionally remove the attribution line entirely for a fully branded experience.

These options are stored in data/bbs.json and take effect immediately on save.

Message Templates

A Templates button (bookmark icon) now appears in the compose form toolbar for registered installations. Templates are reusable subject/body pairs that can be saved, named, and filtered by message type (netmail, echomail, or both).

To create a template: compose a message, click Templates ? Save as Template, give it a name and choose its type. To use a template: click Templates and select one from the list to pre-fill the subject and body fields.

Templates are stored per-user in the database. No migration is required for existing users ? the table was added in a prior release.

Economy Viewer Now Requires Registration

The Economy Viewer admin page (/admin/economy) now requires a valid license. Unlicensed installations receive a 403 response. The Economy Viewer displays credit transaction volume, top earners and spenders, richest accounts, recent transactions, and overall economy health metrics (credits in circulation, average and median balances).

Referral Analytics

A new Referral Analytics admin page (/admin/referral-analytics) is available to registered installations. It shows:

• Top referrers (users who have brought in the most sign-ups)
• Recent referred sign-ups with join dates
• Bonus credits earned through referrals
• Summary totals (total referrals, total bonus credits awarded)

This page requires a valid license and is accessible via Admin ? Analytics ? Referral Analytics.

Custom Login and Registration Splash Pages

Registered installations can configure custom Markdown content that appears above the login and registration forms. This is useful for system announcements, welcome messages, or instructions specific to your BBS.

Configure both pages from Admin ? Appearance ? Splash Pages. Each page has its own editor ? leave either blank to show nothing. Content is rendered as Markdown and displayed in a card above the respective form.

Legacy config/welcome.txt ? the old plain-text welcome file is still supported as a fallback for unlicensed installations. If a registered installation has a login splash configured, the splash takes precedence and welcome.txt is ignored. config/welcome.txt.example has been removed from the repository as it is superseded by the splash pages feature.

No configuration or migration is required.

How to Register

Visit the Admin ? Licensing page and click How to Register to open the registration modal, which displays the REGISTER.md document with current registration options and contact information.

The Why Register? panel on the licensing page summarises the benefits: sustaining the project, custom branding controls, access to premium features, and a perpetual license for the current version line.

Bug Fixes

Crashmail AKA Selection

Crashmail delivery was presenting the primary (zone 1) AKA to all remote hosts, even when the destination node is only an uplink for a different network. The remote system would reject the session with "Bad password" because it had no password configured for that address. Fixed ? crashmail sessions now select the correct AKA for the destination's network, matching the behaviour already in place for other outbound BinkP connections.

Crashmail FILE_ATTACH Filename

Crashmail delivery of FILE_ATTACH netmails was sending the attachment using the internal staged file path as the filename on the wire (e.g. freq_abc123_ALLFILES.TXT) instead of the actual filename stored in the subject line (ALLFILES.TXT). The remote system received the file with the wrong name. Fixed to use the subject line as the filename for all FILE_ATTACH deliveries, matching the FTN convention.

Message Reader Header Transparency

The sticky message header in the scrollable message reader was transparent in the default (light) theme, allowing the message body text to show through as the user scrolled. Fixed by adding an explicit white background to the sticky header rule in style.css.

Maximized Message Reader Gap

The maximized message reader modal had a visible gap along the left and top edges. Bootstrap JS adds an inline padding-right to the modal container to compensate for the scrollbar when a modal opens; in fullscreen mode this padding is unnecessary and pushed the dialog away from the viewport edges. Fixed by overriding the padding to zero when the modal-fullscreen class is active.

TIC Replace Existing Blocked by Duplicate Hash

When a file area had Replace Existing Files enabled and Allow Duplicate Content disabled, TIC imports of updated files with the same content as the existing file were rejected by the duplicate hash check before the replacement logic could run. Fixed ? when replacing a file by name, a hash match for that same filename is now allowed through so the replacement proceeds.

Subscription Toggle in Echomail Reader

The subscribe/unsubscribe button in the echomail info bar was not updating after being clicked. SubscriptionController was not setting a `Content-Type: application/json` response header, causing jQuery to treat the response body as plain text rather than JSON. As a result data.success was always undefined and the success branch never ran. Fixed by adding the missing header in SubscriptionController::handleUserSubscriptions() and adding dataType: 'json' to the $.ajax call in echomail.js.

BinkP Filenames with Spaces

When sending a file whose name contained spaces, the M_FILE command was emitted without any quoting ? for example `FILE compufreak - sb - hf.prg 1035 ?`. The binkp protocol has no quoting mechanism; remote binkd systems split on spaces and treated the first token as the filename and the remaining tokens as unknown options, rejecting the transfer.

Fixed by replacing spaces with underscores in the filename advertised over the wire. The original file on disk is not renamed ? the mapping is tracked internally so the file is correctly deleted or preserved after the remote acknowledges receipt with M_GOT.

The inbound M_FILE parser has also been made more defensive and will handle quoted filenames sent by other implementations that do use quoting.

File Comment Tearline Trimming

File area comments displayed in the file detail and preview modals were sometimes showing FTN tearlines (--- BinktermPHP vX.Y.Z) appended to the comment body. Comments are now trimmed at the last tearline before display, matching the behaviour of the echomail and netmail message readers.

Service Worker PWA Deadlock (Microsoft Edge)

Affected configuration: Microsoft Edge when BinktermPHP is installed as a PWA (pinned to the taskbar) and a regular Edge browser window is open at the same time.

Symptom: Launching the PWA showed a blank white page. The browser appeared frozen ? right-click was unresponsive and the network inspector showed no traffic. Closing other Edge processes sometimes resolved it.

Root cause: Edge uses separate browser processes for PWA instances and regular browser windows. Both processes share the same Cache Storage, and Edge can hold a write lock on the cache from one process while the other is waiting to open it. The service worker's caches.open() call would hang indefinitely waiting for the lock, blocking all fetch handlers and leaving the page permanently blank.

Fix: The service worker now wraps every caches.open() call in a Promise.race() with a 3-second timeout. If the lock isn't acquired in time, fetch handlers fall back to direct network requests so the page loads normally rather than hanging indefinitely.

Upgrade Instructions

From Git

git pull
php scripts/setup.php
scripts/restart_daemons.sh

Using the Installer

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/awehttam/binkterm-php-installer/main/binkterm-installer.phar
php binkterm-installer.phar
scripts/restart_daemons.sh

After Upgrading: Clear Browser Cache

After deploying this update, users upgrading from 1.8.5 or earlier may see a blank loading page, loading indicators that don't clear, or other malfunctions on their first page load. This happens because the browser's service worker is still serving an older cached copy of app.js that pre-dates the i18n system.

What users should do:

• Press Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac) to perform a hard refresh, bypassing the service worker cache.
• On mobile or if a hard refresh doesn't help, see FAQ: The page looks broken after an upgrade for full browser-by-browser instructions including mobile.

After the first hard refresh the service worker will update automatically and subsequent loads will work normally without any manual intervention.