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1992-08-10
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WWIV Transfer Area Manager, v1.21
Copyright (C) 1992 by Jon R. Rickher
All Rights Reserved
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
System Requirements:
════════════════════
TAM requires about 307K of free RAM to operate, more if you are doing any
sorting. TAM works best on machines with some expanded memory, since it will
swap itself out of memory to EMS if any is available rather than to the hard
drive.
TAM requires an IBM or compatible and though a color monitor is not required,
it is suggested. The extended 43- and 50-line modes of EGA and VGA adapters
are supported. TAM is configurable as to what video mode it uses; when you run
TAMCFG you can specify whether TAM will use the current video mode, 25-line
mode or 43-/50-line mode.
Sorting is the most memory-hungry function. To be able to sort an area, you
need to have about 1K free memory per 7 files, while TAM is running. So if
you have 512K free RAM when you run TAM, that would leave about 205k of
free RAM for TAM to use when sorting, thus allowing you to sort an area
containing up to about 1400 file records. With DOS 5.0 and 600K free,
you'd have roughly 293K free to sort after TAM loads, thus allowing you to
sort an area containg up to about 2000 file records (about 4 times as many
as the normal WWIV limit).
Also note that if you run TAM in the extended video modes on an EGA or VGA
adapter then TAM takes up more runtime memory, thus decreasing the maximum
number of file records that TAM could sort in a directory. Also note that
this maximum is *per dir*, not total. The total number of files doesn't
really matter, since the sorting is done one directory at a time. With TAM's
support of up to 256 different file areas, a practical maximum of the total
number of *files* you could have on your board at a (conservative) estimate
of 4000 files per area is about one million files. Two million files would
be pushing it to the limit. If you have more than a million files on your
board, TAM will probably not be adequate as a file manager (but then again,
I don't think anything would). If you wanted to give up sorting, then you
could conceivably use TAM with up to about 2.5 million files. Anyone who
has more than a million files - send me your BBS number. I want an account.
If you run TAM using WWIV's shrink or as a standalone, then this shouldn't
ever be a problem. This information is provided just for the halibut, in case
anyone was curious.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Description:
════════════
TAM is a transfer area manager for WWIV BBS systems. It allows complete
editing of the directory and file record structures used by WWIV as well
as peeking into archives, moving, deleting, inserting, sorting, updating
WWIV's records to match true file sizes, and more. The registered version
allows many of these commands to be done in batch mode, so that you can
perform the same action on a set of tagged files (ideal for moving, for
example).
The registered version also does not require a keypress to exit, thus making
the commandline options (see below) more useful for external events, when you
want to keep your file areas sorted hassle-free.
TAM is user-friendly and attractive in display, making the most use of a
windowed environment. TAM is also ShareWare. This means that you get a chance
to see if it suits your needs *before* you pay for it. It does also mean,
however, that if you use it beyond a trial period (30 days) that you *do* pay
for it. TAM required an embarassingly large amount of hours to develop and
it is only fair that if you use it, that you register. I have to pay for all
the aspirin I need for the headaches I get writing this stuff, after all.
TAM deals with the .DIR and .EXT files in subtly different ways than WWIV
itself does. WWIV keeps "junk" records at the end of a file when you remove
files; TAM does not. Whenever you "A"dd or "D"elete a file record with TAM,
the entire .DIR file (and .EXT file if applicable) is rewritten with all
unused records being deleted. This is slightly slower than the way WWIV does
things, but cleaner and more space-efficient.
Perhaps an example would be useful here. Let's say you have a file area that
contains 99 file records. The size of the .DIR file would be 14400 bytes (144
for each record plus 144 for the marker record at the beginning of the .DIR
file). You then use WWIV to "R"emove all but one of these files. One would
think that the .DIR file would then be 288 bytes (144 for the marker and 144
for the remaining record). Right? Wrong. The file would *still* be 14400
bytes in size. The other 98 records would be these junk records. On the other
hand, if you use TAM to "D"elete the 98 records, the file size of the .DIR
file *will* be 288 bytes, as you would expect.
There are reasons for doing it either way. With the default WWIV method, if
you have some junk records in a .DIR file, these are used first when adding
records (or uploading files) to that area. This means that WWIV does not
have to write another 144 bytes onto the end of the file, but rather edit
144 bytes that are already there. This is slightly quicker. It's much
quicker to delete files by using these junk records when removing records
though, since the entire .DIR file need not be rewritten, and in the days
when WWIV was commonly run on XT-class machines with 65 millisecond hard
drives, this was important. These days, however, with cheap AT's and average
drive speeds of 28 milliseconds or better, the cleaner approach used by TAM
makes more sense.
Registration gets you access to a registered version with the nag disabled
and the batch features enabled. TAM is in no way crippleware, though. You
can move, delete, and everything else with the unregistered version. You just
can't do it on a set of files all at the same time (hey, there's gotta be
*some* incentive, right?). Registration is lifetime. This means no additional
upgrade costs ever. It doesn't mean that the price won't ever go up - it
might. It means that *you* won't ever have to pay any more. Price changes, if
any, will never affect those who have already registered.
If you forget a command, just hit F1 from anywhere and you'll get a menu
of available commands to help you out.
If you like TAM and continue to use it beyond the 30-day trial period then
you may send a check or money order for $20 registration to the following
address:
Jon R. Rickher
c/o The Fellowship
7035 Ethel
St. Louis, MO 63117
The Shareware version of TAM may be freely distributed, provided that no
fee is charged for such distribution except for nominal shipping and
handling fees for disk, copying, etc (not to exceed $5), and provided that
no part of the package is left out.
TAM was written with Turbo Pascal 6.0, using the Turbo Professional and
Async Professional libraries by TurboPower Software. The source code is nearly
200K total (not counting the Turbo Professional libraries), so obviously this
has been no trivial undertaking. 200K is about 40,000 words, the size of a
small book.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Installation:
═════════════
If you have a previous version of TAM then you should always run the new
TAMCFG program, to make sure if there are new configuration options that they
are set as you would want.
If you have not modified your WWIV userrec struct, then simply copy TAM.EXE,
TAMCFG.EXE, and UTS.EXE into your main WWIV directory and run it. If you're
using the GOLDSYS modification then rename TAMGOLD.EXE to TAM.EXE and put
*that* in your main WWIV directory. Thanks to Dawg for making me more aware
of this modification and for providing me with the necessary data files so
that I could create a copy of TAM compatible with that modification.
If you have altered your userrec struct then you will need to compile UTS.C
into UTS.EXE using your own VARDEC.H (included with the WWIV source code).
This will allow TAM to remove upload credit when you delete files, if you
wish.
For ease of use you might wish to run TAM as a chain, using shrink. It's
also possible that you could use it by making it a callable command using
the WWIV 4.20+ MACROS.TXT file, if you have enough memory. If you try this
and the windows look weird or out of place then you don't have enough memory
to do this. This will likely not work; you will probably need to shrink to
use TAM.
Note that TAM will not run remotely unless you use something like DOORWAY to
intercept direct screen writes. TAM is intended for local use, for sysops
who wish to manage their file area(s) more effectively.
If this is your first installation *or* if this is an upgrade installation,
then you should delete TAM.CFG and run TAMCFG.EXE in your main WWIV dir to
create a new configuration file. When specifying program names in TAMCFG
it's safer to spell out complete paths, but TAM will search your DOS PATH
for executables when executing other programs so if you are *sure* a
specific program is in your path, then you need only specify the program
name, not the complete path to it.
TAMCFG.EXE is fairly self-explanatory in use. Cursor keys or the TAB key
move you from field to field. Control-Enter saves changes, ESC aborts
them.
I recommend downloading the latest version of AVIEWCOM and installing that in
your main WWIV directory. TAM will look in the current dir for AVIEWCOM.EXE so
if it is in the WWIV main dir and you run TAM from there, then you will be able
to use the File Level "L"ook command to view documents inside of archives,
without unzipping them.
If you wish to use the auto-shelling to UEDIT ability, then you need to have
UEDIT.EXE in your WWIV dir (or your PATH, at least) as well (and your userrec,
obviously, must be compatible with whichever copy you use). Get UEDIT123.ZIP
for this ability.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Directory Level Commands:
═════════════════════════
F1 : Help screen, showing available commands.
F2-F9: User-definable. Use TAMCFG to set what programs (if any) these keys
will call.
When defining the key assignments with TAMCFG, you can use the
following replaceable parameters:
%1 = FILENAME.EXT
This is the complete pathname of the file which the cursor is
on.
%2 = User number who uploaded the current file.
%3 = System number of who uploaded the current file.
%4 = Directory name of current file area, with trailing backslash.
%5 = Directory name of current file area, without trailing
backslash.
So, to define VPIC to execute and show whatever file the cursor is
on could be done with:
C:\UTIL\VPIC.EXE %1
UEDIT could be defined with:
C:\WWIV\UEDIT.EXE %2
LIST could be invoked (for text files) with:
C:\UTIL\LIST.COM %1
It's all customizable and up to you. Only the latter two (%4 and
%5) function at the Directory Level. All of them are usable at
the file level. The above demo line for UEDIT, if pressed at the
Directory Level, would simply load UEDIT with its default setting
on user #1.
All of these key assignments are shown on the System Information
screen.
F10 : System Information. Shows some info about your system.
<CR> : Hitten <CR> (the ENTER key) puts you into TAM's File Level (see
below).
A: Add a new file area. The actual directory itself, if it does not exist,
will be created *if* you give it a valid directory pathname and if
you specify the complete patname (for instance, "C:\AAA\BBB\CCC\"). The
created file area will be added *after* the one that the cursor is
on. (Thus, you cannot create one *before* the first file area, which
is usually the sysop dir anyway.)
D: Delete a transfer area. You cannot delete *all* of them. There must be
at least one left. TAM will not allow you to delete all of them. The
associated *.DIR and *.EXT file(s) (if any) will also be deleted.
E: This command throws you into edit mode. Here you will be able to
edit all the fields of a directory record, including type, max files,
etc. The max file limit with TAM is 9999 (WWIV's built-in limit is
499). This could be made higher, but then WWIV's built-in sorting
routines would likely have problems - if anyone actually threw more
files than that in one area. To save a record after you have altered
it, hit Control-Enter, or Esc to abort the changes.
F: This key puts you into TAM's File Level (see below).
L: Generate file listing for the area that the cursor is on. This listing
is called FILES.TXT and will be in the current directory. If a file
by that name already exists (say, if you've generated a listing before),
then it will be appended to.
O: This function will allow you to sort all file areas, either by date
uploaded, alphabetically or alphabetically by extension. Registered
version only. Unregistered version, must sort each file area individu-
ally. If you have too many files in a file area TAM will error out. The
allowed maximum is 9999 files, but in terms of practicality it would be
wiser to stay below 1500 or even 1000 (which is still double the
standard WWIV limit). The lower your free memory the fewer files TAM
can handle in a sort, so it's definitely best to run TAM under WWIV's
shrink or as a standalone executable. See TAM.MOD on how to easily
implement it as a command from within WWIV, using shrink.
S: This allows you to enter a search specification, all in uppercase, since
the searches are not case-sensitive.
T: This will tag an untagged directory or untag a tagged directory. Unlike
File Level tags, Directory Level tags are preserved when moving to and
from the File and Directory Levels.
U: This function does the equivalent of a WWIV //UPLOAD on the directory
that the cursor is on.
Z: This command will allow you to update the file sizes of all file
records in all file areas to match the actual file size in DOS. Files
that don't actually exist in DOS are left untouched. Registered
version only. Unregistered version must size-update one at a time.
]: This searches upward, starting with the current file area. A match is
found if the search specification is a substring of a filename *or* a
file description. The cursor is placed on the directory containing the
match. If you have not yet entered a search spec, you will be told so.
[: Searches downward. In all other respects, the same as the ']' key.
Alt-M: Allows you to move the location of one file area in the list order.
If you are moving the area farther down the list then it will be
placed after the directory you select. If you are moving the area
farther up the list (ie, to a lower number) then it will be placed
before the directory you select. Experiment with it; you won't hurt
anything.
Alt-S: Shell to DOS. Just what it says; drops you to a temporary DOS
shell.
Alt-X: Quick quit, no verification prompt.
The following global commands only work in the registered version:
O (sort all areas) Z (update file sizes in all areas)
You can still achieve the same effect with the unregistered version by sorting
each file area individually and by hitting "Z" on each file record in each
directory; it just isn't as easy.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Directory Level Batch Commands:
═══════════════════════════════
Alt-L: Generates file listings for all tagged directories. The file that
contains the list is called FILES.TXT and will be in the current
directory. If such a file already existed then it will be appended
to when you execute this command.
Alt-T: Tag all untagged directories and untag all tagged directories.
Alt-U: Perform an "U"pload sequence on all tagged directories. If all dirs
are tagged then this is the equivalent of a WWIV //UPLOADALL but,
since you don't have to tag them all, it's more flexible. This is
abortable by laying on the spacebar.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
File Level Commands:
════════════════════
F1 : Help screen, showing available commands.
F2-F9: User-definable. Use TAMCFG to set what programs (if any) these keys
will call.
When defining the key assignments with TAMCFG, you can use the
following replaceable parameters:
%1 = FILENAME.EXT
This is the complete pathname of the file which the cursor is
on.
%2 = User number who uploaded the current file.
%3 = System number of who uploaded the current file.
%4 = Directory name of current file area, with trailing backslash.
%5 = Directory name of current file area, without trailing
backslash.
So, to define VPIC to execute and show whatever file the cursor is
on could be done with:
C:\UTIL\VPIC.EXE %1
UEDIT could be defined with:
C:\WWIV\UEDIT.EXE %2
LIST could be invoked (for text files) with:
C:\UTIL\LIST.COM %1
It's all customizable and up to you. Only the latter two (%4 and
%5) function at the Directory Level. All of them are usable at
the file level. The above demo line for UEDIT, if pressed at the
Directory Level, would simply load UEDIT with its default setting
on user #1.
All of these key assignments are shown on the System Information
screen.
F10 : System Information. Shows some info about your system.
A: Add a new file entry. This does not mean that the actual file that is
represented by the entry actually exists on the hard drive - it may or
may not. This does allow you to add an entry then later on just copy
the actual file to the appropriate directory and it will then show
as existing on the board. Or you can add an entry for a file that you
know does exist (changing the name from "NEW" to whatever the real
filename is), then hit "Z" to update the size to match the true file
size.
C: Un/Comment. Will uncomment a zipfile if there is no TAMZIP.CMT file
in the current directory. If there is a file called TAMZIP.CMT in the
current directory then this will be added as the zip comment.
D: Delete a file record. If the file actually exists in DOS, you will
be asked if you wish it to be deleted as well. If the file has an
extended description then this will be deleted too.
E: As with file *areas*, <Enter> will also achieve the same effect and
put you in editing mode. At the file level particularly, this is
a fairly powerful tool; you can change the date of the file record
to, say, 10/10/99 and the WWIV seconds-since-1970 record will be
adjusted accordingly, meaning that that file will show as new until
that date. You can insert color codes into the description if you
so desire as well, by hitting ^P^C and then a number. (Handy for
making specific files stand out.) You can change the size that WWIV
thinks the file actually is (thus lowering the ratio effects if you
lower it, if you use a ratio). Basically any field can be edited.
Note that if you change the name of the file, that the actual file
in DOS *is* changed accordingly. As above, Control-Enter saves
changes, and Esc aborts them. Note that if you edit the extended
description (or create one) that this is saved regardless of you
ESCaping out of the rest of the edit.
G: View GIF file. This option will autoload VPIC and let you view the
file, if it is a GIF file. Handy for those with large GIF collections
(like we have on The Fellowship). Note that it's entirely possible
to use a viewer other than VPIC by specifying a different program in
that field with TAMCFG. The only stipulation must be that the program
accepts a filename to load and view on the commandline
M: Move a file. Allows you to move a file from one file area to
another. If the file actually exists in DOS, and if the file area
to which you wish to move it has a valid path, then the file will
also be physically moved in DOS.
O: Will sort the directory, either alphabetically, by date uploaded, or
alphabetically by extension.
P: Will let you peek into a supported archive type (like the "V"iew
archive contents of WWIV, except that the viewing takes place in
a window).
R: Inserts a GIF file's resolution into the file description automatically
if the file is actually present on the hard drive. It does so in the
format "WWWxHHHxCCC ... Description here". If the width is greater than
three digits you will get one less period (dot) separating the
resolution from the description (to keep it lined up properly).
S: Allows you to enter a search specification, same as in the Directory
Level commands. A search spec must be entered before you can use the
[ and ] (search down/search up) commands.
T: Tags an untagged file or untags a tagged file. Note that File Level
tags are not preserved once you exit to the Directory Level.
U: Allows you to do the equivalent of a //UPLOAD, except that as the
files are uploaded, you may edit them more completely with TAM's
file record editor.
V: Virus Check the file the cursor is on, using MacAfee's Scan. If a virus
is found you will be notified. TAM's audit log (TAM.LOG) will be
updated regardless of the result.
W: If UEDIT.EXE is in the current directory, and the file record the cursor
is on shows that the file was uploaded by a user on your system then
this command will shell to UEDIT (to allow you to see the stats for
that user, for example, before deciding whether to remove upload
credit). Note that it's not necessary to use *my* UEDIT.EXE. Any file
with that name will work as long as it accepts a user number to load
on the commandline.
X: Edit extended description without entering the edit window. A sort of
bypass-function to do this single function more efficiently. Note that
this command is not listed on the available commands at the bottom of
the screen (I ran out of space for all the options!). This also allows
you to create an extended description (you will be asked if you wish
to do so, if there currently is none).
Z: Makes the WWIV record file size match the actual size of the file in
DOS, if the file exists. Handy for times when the file size might have
changed (such as running GifLite on a bunch of Gifs, or adding zip
comments to a bunch of files, or uncommenting all your files, whatever).
Alt-K: Copy file description to clipboard.
Alt-P: Paste file description on clipboard onto current file record.
Alt-S: Shell to DOS. Just what it says; drops you to a temporary DOS
shell.
Alt-X: Quick quit, no verification prompt.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
File Level Batch Commands:
══════════════════════════
Alt-C: Uncomments or comments all tagged files in the current file area.
Registered version only. TAMZIP.CMT is the file that should
contain the zip comment that you wish to use. If there is no such
file then the zipfile will be UNcommented.
Alt-D: Deletes all tagged files in the current file area. This batch command
does *not* ask you whether you wish the files to be physically
deleted in DOS - it will delete them if they exist. If you wish to
leave a file in DOS but remove the record from WWIV's knowledge then
do so with the "D" File Level command and answer "no" to whether
you wish the file to be physically deleted. Registered version
only.
Alt-M: Batch moves files to another file area, both the WWIV records, and
the actual DOS files (if they exist, of course). Registered version
only. Extended descriptions are also moved accordingly, if there are
any.
Alt-S: Shell to DOS.
Alt-R: Will insert the GIF resolution for all tagged files that are
physically present on the drive. See "R" command above. Registered
version only.
Alt-T: Tags all untagged files and untags all tagged files. Note that File
Level tags are not preserved once you exit to the Directory Level.
Alt-V: Batch checks tagged files of supported archive types for viruses.
Registered version only.
Alt-Z: Batch updates record file sizes, so that they match their DOS
physical counterparts. Registered version only.
The following batch commands only work in the registered version:
Alt-C (un/comment)
Alt-D (delete)
Alt-M (move)
Alt-R (insert GIF resolution)
Alt-V (virus-scan)
Alt-Z (size-update)
(Thus Alt-T is rather meaningless, but if ya wanna play, why not?)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
CommandLine Options (Registered Version Only):
══════════════════════════════════════════════
/SA: Sort all file areas alphabetically.
/SD: Sort all file areas by date uploaded.
/SE: Sort all file areas alphabetically by extension.
/Z : Update file sizes of all files in all file areas to match true DOS
filesize (for those files that actually do exist in DOS).
/X : Exit TAM after processing one or more of the above commandline
options.
/L : This commandline switch should be followed immediately by the name
of an ASCII file which contains file area numbers, one per line,
with 0 being the first file area (usually the Sysop dir). If this
file exists then TAM will generate a file listing based upon the
numbers found within that ASCII file.
It sends this list to a file called FILES.TXT in the current dir.
If this file exists then it is appended to. The best way to do
these lists (which are generally done to allow callers to D/L them)
is to use TAM this way as part of your external event. Here's a
sample batch file:
@Echo Off
C:
Cd\WWIV
DEL FILES.TXT
TAM /LBADFILE.TXT
PKZIP -U -M C:\DLOADS\STUFF\LIST.ZIP C:\WWIV\FILES.TXT
TAM /LGOODFILE.TXT
PKZIP -U -M C:\DLOADS\GOODSTUF\LIST.ZIP C:\WWIV\FILES.TXT
This batch file will look first for FILES.TXT and delete it if it
is found (so that it will not be appended to), then generate a file
listing using the area numbers located in the ASCII file called
BADFILE.TXT. It will move/update with PKZIP the resulting FILES.TXT
to the archibe LIST.ZIP in the C:\DLOADS\STUFF directory. Then
it repeats the process, but this time uses an area list contained
in the ASCII file GOODFILE.TXT and PKZIP update/moves that to
a different directory (like if you have one dir for good callers,
and one for generic anybody callers, for example).
Note that if the /L switch is the *only* commandline parameter,
then TAM will never initialize and load its windows, but will
simply operate on the commandline. The /X is *not* required when
using the /L switch if generating a file list is all you wish to
do (as part of the external event, presumably).
Also note that only one /L switch per call to TAM is allowed at
this time. Do not try and use two /L switches on the same call to
TAM. If you wish to generate multiple listings then use the above
sample batch file as an example of how to do so.
Example external event commandlines :
TAM /SA /Z /X { Sort all dirs alphabetically, size update }
{ all dirs, then exit. }
TAM /LALLFILES.TXT { Generate a file listing based on the area }
{ numbers contained in the file ALLFILES.TXT }
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This program is dedicated to those who have registered various programs with
me: ESM and UEDIT mainly. Those people are the ones that make the Shareware
concept work, and it is very much appreciated.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Revision History:
v1.00 ■ First release other than as a prototype.
v1.01 ■ Bug fixes.
■ Enhanced display.
■ Easier extended description editing.
■ Added help screen (F1).
v1.02 ■ Minor bug fix: if you moved a file to an area which had a 0-byte
extended description file, the file handle would not be released
and TAM would eventually crash.
v1.03 ■ Minor speed increase.
■ Added configuration program for specifying paths to PKZIP and
turning on or off exploding windows and squeaky windows.
■ Slightly lower memory requirements.
v1.04 ■ Overlays working properly now, so memory requirement reduced by
a significant amount.
■ Kernel when executing external programs (including the DOS shell)
reduced to about 7.5k.
■ Added /NOMEM option to virus-scanning.
■ Added visual bar-graph display when moving files.
■ Fixed date-related bug in the file-record editor.
■ Added ability to view GIFs (with VPIC) by hitting "G".
■ Made TAMCFG default to C:\UTIL\PROGNAME.EXT when run, so typing
in all the complete paths to the external programs is not necessary
if they exist in that directory.
v1.05 ■ Auto-inserts GIF resolution into file description if the GIF file.
actually exists on the hard drive.
■ Fixed commandline bug when virus-scanning LZH or ARJ files.
■ Made the "M"ove files command easier to use.
■ Added "U"pload command at File Level, for doing the equivalent of
a //UPLOAD.
■ Fixed another slight date-handling bug related to "N"-scanning the
file areas.
■ Included a small WWIV 'C' modification to make it easy to run TAM
from within WWIV.
v1.06 ■ When "A"dding new file records, the date will now default to the
current date.
■ The Sysop's name (if specified in INIT) is used by default when
"U"ploading files or "A"dding files, else a generic "Sysop" is used.
■ Fixed the price when exiting on the unregistered version so it is
accurate (twenty dollars = $20.00, not twenty five dollars = $20.00).
■ TAM used to crash if you tried to rename a file that actually existed
in DOS to the same filename as that of another file in that dir. This
will no longer happen.
v1.07 ■ Due to WWIV's keeping "junk" records in .DIR files, the "U"pload
feature could produce erratic results. This should be fixed.
■ Shows a status window when "U"ploading, so if it takes a while, at
least you know it's working. (And in dirs containing *lots* of
records, it can take a while.)
■ Installed a better runtime error handler, so if you get a runtime
error, TAM should exit gracefully after telling you what the error
is (and to contact me), rather than simply crashing. If you get
such an error, please let me know the circumstances and send me
the relevant .DIR and .EXT file(s), if any, so I can find and fix.
■ Similar to renaming files, if you tried to name or rename a dir
area's .DIR file to the same name as an existing one, TAM would
crash. This has been fixed.
v1.08 ■ Extended descriptions are now properly deleted when deleting files.
They were not before, though this was not harmful.
■ When copying files from dir to dir, the bar graph was enhanced.
■ The runtime error handler was enhanced.
■ TAM now keeps a fairly complete audit log. This file will be called
TAM.LOG and will be in the WWIV GFILES directory if you start TAM
in a dir containing CONFIG.DAT, else it will be in the current dir.
Be *sure* to spell out the *complete* path to your GFILES and DATA
dirs with WWIV's INIT program.
■ Some of the windowing was inefficient, resulting in a window being
closed then immediately opened again with another prompt. This has
been improved.
■ There may have been a bug with the extended descriptions when
moving files. If there was, it's gone now.
v1.09 ■ Audit file (TAM.LOG) improved - more informative and specific.
■ The "M"ove file command should be faster now (increased size of
disk buffer).
■ When TAM was run with no CONFIG.DAT present, it was reporting the
version number incorrectly. This has been fixed.
■ Made the "U"pload sequence abortable.
■ Added "U"pload command to Directory Level (so you can "U"pload to
newly created file areas without first moving a temp file into that
area).
■ Changed TAMCFG so you can now specify the background character for
the "desktop" window.
■ If you had two different areas that had the same path and you tried
to "M"ove one record to the other area, the net result was the
record *would* be moved but the file would be deleted. Now the file
will not be deleted if you do this and the record will be moved
properly.
■ Extended descriptions may now be up to 18 lines long, for those
files that need a *lot* of extra describing. Note that WWIV's default
unmodified settings range from 0 to 10 lines for extended file
descriptions, so if you use more than 10 you will have to modify your
code to allow viewing of the additional lines.
■ If you have file attributes set (hidden, read-only, whatever) then
these are preserved when moving files.
■ Deleting files with hidden, read-only or other attributes is now
possible.
■ The datestamp on files that are moved is now preserved.
■ TAM will no longer load at all if there isn't enough memory to
initialize the various windows. If it can be *mostly* loaded then
you will at least be told how much RAM TAM needs (which depends on
the currently active video mode, normal 25-line mode requiring the
least memory).
■ When "U"ploading, you may now upload files with the hidden, read-
only, and/or system attributes set. (So yes, you could define
C:\ as a file area's directory and put your DOS files themselves
up for download!)
■ Added key command (F10) to tell you how much heap memory is
available, for informational purposes.
■ You are now returned to the directory that TAM was first executed
from when returning from a DOS shell.
■ Added ability to tag/untag directories.
■ Added ability to "U"pload on tagged directories (this basically
provides the equivalent of a WWIV //UPLOADALL, but with some
added flexibility).
■ TAM would not previously "U"pload properly to a directory whose
path was a root directory of a drive. This has been fixed.
■ TAM can now generate a file listing for a single file area or on
a set of tagged file areas ("L" and "AltL" are the commands,
respectively).
v1.10 ■ Fixed another problem with moving file records for files that do
not actually exist in DOS.
■ TAM now allows you to generate file listings from the command
line. See commandline documentation above.
v1.11 ■ Improved output of file listings.
■ Fixed minor annoyance related to duplicate filenames when saving
file records.
■ Fixed slight windowing-related bug where a window was removed
when it shouldn't have been.
■ Upload problems? Probably fixed now. If TAM detects WWIV junk
records it will automatically clean them out now.
■ Should now work with incomplete paths spelled out in INIT for
the DATA dir and such, though the path must still actually exist.
If the path does not exist, TAM will let you know.
■ No more overlaying. TAM now needs about 285K to run. I suggest
running it in 25-line mode if you have more than about 800 files
in any one dir. No overalying should also boost performance some.
v1.12 ■ Fixed bug in TAM logfile, where it would repeat a statement when
moving tagged files, unnecessarily.
■ Added ability to specify the default video mode TAM will use,
so that it doesn't necessarily use the current video mode. For
example, we run our board in 50-line mode, but I like to run
TAM in 25-line mode. This ability saves the trouble of having
to use Norton's or something to switch to 25-line mode and then
back. Make sure to run the new TAMCFG!
■ TAM now displays the number of kilobytes free on the drive which
it is executed from, rather than the date.
■ System Information (F10) now displays a bit more information. This
was added primarily for debugging, but I left it in for the release
since the information is potentially useful to anyone.
■ Heightened DesqView awareness. Should run more smoothly under
DesqView. The System Info screen will show you what version (if
any) of DesqView is loaded.
■ When at the File Level, if a file does not exist on the drive (ie,
it is offline), then the filename will be displayed in red on
lightgray rather than (normal) black on lightgray. Much easier to
spot offline files.
■ The modification to easily interface TAM and WWIV has been revised
and improved.
v1.13 ■ If you tried to "U"pload to an area that contained no WWIV records
*and* contained no files in the directory, you'd get some garbled
junk. This has been fixed.
■ A little more stuff was added to the System Info screen.
■ The time display is updated a bit more consistently when waiting
for a keypress (at prompts).
■ If you run out of memory during a sort, the error message is now
more understandable. (I run out of memory with between 2100 and
2200 records in one file area, about four times WWIV's default.)
■ Memory requirements actually reduced somewhat. Not much, but by
about 8k. Hey, ever 1k counts.
v1.14 ■ "U"pload on tagged directories is now much more abortable (with
the spacebar).
■ Now shells to UEDIT.EXE (with "w" command at File Level) if
UEDIT.EXE exists in the default dir. Auto-loads that user's
record for editing/viewing.
■ There was a bug in relation to adding the GIF resolution where if
the description became too long, unapproved memory locations would
be written over, causing system instability. This has been fixed.
v1.15 ■ User-definable function keys. You can now specify programs that
will be shelled to when you hit the F2-F9 keys (F1 is reserved for
help and F10 is reserved for System Info). The key assignments
are shown on the System Info screen. See above documentation. This
is a *very* nice addition (and a big one on my part).
v1.16 ■ There was a stack overflow problem when editing extended descrip-
tions from the file editing window. This should be fixed.
■ Extended descriptions, if WWIV has them toggled on but no such
description exists, will now be toggled off properly.
v1.17 ■ Vastly improved the configuration program. I recommend deleting
TAM.CFG and running TAMCFG.EXE again. You don't have to keep
re-entering the same stuff each time you run TAMCFG anymore - it
saves the old config info. TAMCFG looks 1000% better too, and has
smarter default settings.
■ TAM now searches your DOS path when executing externals, so if
you do not specify the full path to PKZIP (or LHA or whatever) in
TAMCFG, it will still work if the program *name* you specify does
exist in your path. Likewise UEDIT.EXE and AVIEWCOM.EXE need not be
in the WWIV dir, as long as they're in your path.
■ You can now rename a file record's filename to that of a file that
does exist if the file by the name of the original record does
*not* exist. In other words, if you drop to DOS (or use a function
key call) to convert FILENAME.ZIP to FILENAME.ARJ, so that the
former no longer exists except in WWIV's .DIR file, then you can
rename it properly in WWIV's .DIR record to FILENAME.ARJ.
■ Alt-X now exits without a verification prompt from basically
anywhere, for you efficiency nuts.
■ Since there's an "unlimited number of file areas" modification
floating around, the number of file areas that TAM will now
directly support has been raised to 256, which should be enough
for anyone, even if you have several gigabytes of storage space.
■ If you did a tag-upload on several dirs, the desktop window could
be erased, revealing DOS (or whatever) behind it. This should be
fixed (though it was a cosmetic thing anyway and didn't really
affect functionality).
■ There was an obscure DesqView-related bug that came into effect
when moving files. This should be fixed.
v1.18 ■ Argh. Fix one bug and create another. There was a *major* bug in
sorting in 1.17 which I somehow created when hunting down the
DV/moving files bug. It's fixed.
v1.19 ■ TAM.LOG deleted. Since you're there when you use TAM, you know what
you're doing and what you did.
■ TAMCFG reads current configuration for exploding windows. In other
words, if you have exploding windows turned off then TAMCFG will
not use exploding windows itself when you run it.
■ Zip commenting is now supported, as well as uncommenting.
■ Function keys can now access replaceable parameters referring to
the file area directories at the Directory or File Level, rather
than just the filename, user who uploaded, and system uploaded
from. See function keys above. All replaceable parameters are
available at the File Level.
■ EMS status, if you had EMS, was being reported inaccurately. It
should now be accurate.
■ For expedience, hitting the enter key at the Directory Level now
moves you to the File Level. You can still edit the directory
record with the "E"dit command at the Directory Level.
■ Internal format of TAM.CFG changed, so make sure to delete your old
one and re-run TAMCFG. I know, I know, a pain - I had a hard drive
crash and had to do a bit of reconstruction and my memory wasn't
good enough to reconstruct the configuration record structure
exactly, so it's different internally now. Another episode in the
"Backup-or-scream" series.
■ You can now "A"dd a file to an area that you know exists in that
DOS directory, without receiving an error message.
■ At the File Level, the space bar now toggles a file as tagged or
untagged then automatically cursors to the next record. The "t"
command toggles the tag status of a file but does not go to the
next record automatically. Use whichever is easiest for you. The
same commands work at the Directory Level but toggle the tag
status of file areas, rather than file records.
■ Can now sort areas alphabetically by extension. The extension
takes precedence using this sort method. In other words, all EXE
files and GIF files would be listed before all ZIP files. All
EXE files would be together, sorted alphabetically. Ditto for the
other extensions, if any.
v1.20 ■ You can now move the location of a file area in the list with
Alt-M at the Directory Level. Handy for rearranging the order of
your file areas.
■ When you "A"dd a new file area, the directory will be created if
it is possible to do so. For this to work, however, the complete
path to the directory *must* be spelled out when editing the
file area's record. For instance if you "A"dd a new area and
specify the path to the directory as "C:\AAA\BBB\CCC\DDD\" then
those directories, or as much of them as hadn't already been
created, *would* be created. Saves you the time of shelling out
and creating the directory structures manually. If you simply
edit an existing file area and change the directory path, the
directory will *not* be created for you automatically. Moving
files (if any) and creating that directory is up to you.
■ The number of files in each area is now shown on the Directory
Level display window in a separate column. Easier to see how
many files are in each area than entering File Level when you
want this information.
■ Added two File Level commands: Alt-K copies the current file
record's file description to a virtual clipboard and Alt-P pastes
the description on the clipboard onto the current file record's
description. Handy for files with similar descriptions, such as
"QModem, version 4.5, disk 1 of 3", etc.
■ When returning from a shell to an external program, occasionally
there would be something left in the keyboard buffer. This should
now be fixed.
■ If you run TAMCFG.EXE in a shell (or via an F-key call) then the
settings are re-read when you re-enter TAM. However, the "squeaky
windows", exploding windows settings etc are only implemented
once. What *is* re-read that's important are the F-key settings;
it's now easy to run TAMCFG and have the changes take immediate
effect on the F-key settings.
■ There was a bug related to using 'O' as a DAR for a file area when
editing directory records. This is fixed.
v1.21 ■ There was a minor bug that would show a huge number of files in an
area at the Directory Level if you removed *all* of the file records.
TAM now reports 0 files when you do this, as it should.
■ Another minor bug: if you moved a 0-byte file, you'd get a runtime
error. This is fixed - no error and the file and record are moved
as normal.
■ TAM now comes with TAMPOP, a small swapping TSR that allows a shell
to TAM from within basically any application, using almost all
free memory, using a hotkey (Alt-T is the default for TAMPOP).
TAMPOP also allows Alt-D for a high-memory DOS shell from within
pretty much any application and because of this, its use is
greatly increased. It gives an extra 250K or so for a DOS
shell under Telix, for example, over Telix's own DOS shell.
■ TAM will now use XMS memory for some (most) of its shells to
external programs, if any is available. When swapping out, TAM
tries to use EMS first, then XMS, then disk.
■ If you shelled to DOS and were in a different directory than the
one you originally started in, a TAM.CFG would be created in that
dir when you exited from the shell. You are now returned to the
original directory first, so a TAM.CFG will only be written if
you deleted the one there when in the shell.
■ There was some erratic bug when virus-scanning. This should be
fixed.
■ There was a problem with some commandlines to external programs
being too long for DOS to handle. This is now trapped and an
error message generated (so you know to shorten some paths).
■ For CGA users, the colors shouldn't be as bad as they must've
been before. The display is checked first to see if it's EGA/VGA
before assigning high-intensity background colors to anything.
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Special Thanks:
The following people have been helpful in one way or another and are due some
sincere thanks:
Alter-Ego - For finding the extended description/stack overflow bug.
Dawg - For convincing me to add the GoldSys support.
Dr. Spine - For pointing out bugs, lots of them.
Frank Reid - For >invaluable< suggestions for improvements.
Ken Carpenter - For locating the DV/moving files problem and other stuff.
Luke Nihart - For finding a couple of bugs and being informative about
the details.
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Hints and tips:
1) If you run TAM from DOS, use SHROOM.COM to load it. Then when it shells to
external programs, it leaves only an 8K kernel in memory. If you don't
use SHROOM, TAM still removes most of itself from memory, but SHROOM is
more efficient if you're memory-constrained.
2) Since batch files will work as user-definable settings for the function
keys, if you wish to comment a file (rather than uncomment), then you
can create a program that calls any program of your choice for commenting.
This isn't necessary for ZIP files since commenting and uncommenting are
already functional for ZIP files.
3) If you wish to convert a file to another archive type, there is (so far)
no simple way to do this. The best way at the moment is to create a batch
file that does the work and takes a filename as a parameter, then define
one of the definable function keys to call that batch file. Then simply
edit the record's filename to reflect the new archive extension.
4) The letter commands are case-sensitive. If you have your CAPS LOCK on,
then many of the commands will not work. The simple solution, obviously,
is to not leave your CAPS LOCK on. There were practical reasons for doing
it this way, believe it or not, and it's not a problem or a bug, just
the way it is.
5) If you wish to change the path of a file area, the best way to do this is
to "A"dd a new file area with the path you desire, then "M"ove all the
files from one dir to the new one - then "D"elete the original dir. This
will allow you to have the complete path created for you automatically.
If you have other potentially valuable hints and tips, or useful batch files
to use as F-key settings, please mail me and I will include them here for
others.
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