Instructions for creating your e-mag
------------------------------------

1] Compile G-ARTC.PAS (bpc/tpc -B g-artc.pas).

2] Make necessary modifications to gutter source code (see end for info).

3] Compile gutter.

4] Compile your own ARTICLES.DAT file (see below for info).


Compiling an article file
-------------------------

The ARTICLES.DAT file stores all the articles/ansis/whatever for the entire
e-mag.  It's a binary file with its own format.  To create an article file,
you must use G-ARTC.EXE, the compiler.  G-ARTC.EXE will compile all articles
in the CURRENT DIRECTORY and generate an ARTICLES.DAT file.

The article compiler is VERY STRICT on the format of individual article
files.  A gutter 'article' file meets the following specifications:

 - Article filenames are ###.GUT, where ### is the article number
   (ie, 2.GUT)
 - Consists of BINARY SCREEN IMAGE DATA of the article text.  Write your
   articles in your favorite ansi editor and save as a .BIN, with the .GUT
   extension (or just rename it to ###.dat later).
 - The FIRST line of the article *MUST* meet this format:

   <article title>;<Author>

   example: Zoob rips;Filth

   You can simply insert this line before the article in AcidDraw/TheDraw.
   It, too, is in binary to make it consistent.  The compiler will strip
   off this first line after it gets what it needs.

Create all your *.GUT files, and run g-artc in the directory with them, and
it should create your article file.  If not, something is wrong.


Notes (read!)
-------------

 - There are special types of articles, the kind that aren't real 'articles'. 
   The news in gutter is an article with title "NEWS".  The closing
   article is an article with title "LEAVING".  The About Reviews article is,
   well, "ABOUT REVIEWS" so make *SURE* you put these as the titles of the
   articles for the respective .gut files.

 - Review articles follow this format for the 1st line: Review: Title;author
    ex, Review: ACiD;filth

 - Top 10 ansis follow this method for the first line :   #<number>;author
    ex, #1;lord jazz

 - Top 5 logos follow this method for the first line : #<number> logo;author
    ex, #6 Logo;kers



Quick instructions for compiling emag monthly
---------------------------------------------

1]  Save all your articles (format binary) with proper top line info
    as .gut files.

2]  Save the news file (binary format) with article title "NEWS" as 
    a .gut file.

3]  Save the closing article (binary format) with article title "LEAVING"
    as a .gut file.

4]  Save the about reviews articles (binary format) with the article title
    "ABOUT REVIEWS" as a .gut file.

5]  Save all your review articles with "Review: " before the title name
    on the first name.  These are, of course, .gut files as well.
   
6]  Choose the top 10 ansis, and open them in aciddraw.  Make the top
    line follow this format: #<number>;author,  save as a binary file
    with a .gut extension for all 10 choices.

7]  Do the same for the top 5 logos, except use #<number> Logo;author
    on the top line.

8]  Now that you have all your .GUT files ready, run g-artc.exe.  This will
    compile all your gut files into ARTICLES.DAT - this is what gutter.exe
    uses for everything.

9]  Save as the ansi menus in Pascal format under the appropriate file names,
    see gutter.pas for the list of names... (I_*.PAS).

10] Make any changes you need to for the I_*.PAS include files.  You will 
    need to alter lightbar positions and colors for each menu.

11] Make any other changes you want to make to the source.

12] Compile gutter.pas


- natedogg/jack phlash