Subj : Lua scripting patch for Syncterm(send/expect,recorder)
To   : All
From : Heisenberg
Date : Mon Oct 19 2026 02:01 pm

Hi everyone
I wanted to script some of my BBS logins and routine visits(log in, page past
the bulletins, check mail, log off), so i added a small Lua scripting layer to
SyncTERM 1.9. Its working well for me and i thought others might find it
usefull.

What it does:
 send/expect scripting in Lua 5.4:expect("Login:, sendln(bbs/user),
 with timeouts and if/then on whichever prompt showed up
 
 background triggers, e.g. answer every "--More--" automaticly

 plain text, Lua pattern, or PCRE regex matching

 a recorder: Alt-R, use the BBS, Alt-R again and you get a script you can
replay (passwords are not saved to the file)

 run a script with -x on the command line, from a new "Script" field on a
directory  entry, or with Alt-S while connected

The script runs inside the terminal's main loop, so the screen and keyboard
stay live while its waiting and you can take over any time. Without a script,
nothing changes.

Source patches and a Linux build are here:
https://github.com/Heisenberg61/syncterm-lua

The first commit is the stock 1.9 source tarball, so the diff against it shows
the whole change. Its mostly one new file (script.c) plus small hooks in
term.c, bbslist.c, menu.c and the makefiles, and it builds without Lua via
WITHOUT_LUA=1.

I tested it with a script that can play through a full game of Lord 4.6  hands
off.. but its a little buggy so far

Its only been tested on Linux, but it _SHOULD_ compile and run on windows.

To be clear, this is an unofficial fork. Please send any problems with it to
me not to Deuce

Thanks

---
 þ Synchronet þ Kalgoorlie Retro BBS, Kalgoolrie, WA
 * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)

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