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============================= ============================= =============================
= CRR - CP/M offline reader = = CRR - CP/M offline reader = = CRR - CP/M offline reader =
============================= ============================= =============================
Documentation for version 1.30 Documentation for version 1.30
____________ ____________ ____________ Introduction Introduction Introduction
CRR CRR works with Fidonet bulletin boards allowing you to read your
messages offline (which is supposed to save you money). You download
the messages in a batch, view them at leisure, and upload your replies
in another batch.
CRR CRR works in conjunction with Mike Ratledge's XRSDoor which can be
found on QBBS, RemoteAccess, and SuperBBS bulletin boards bulletin
boards, and is the CP/M equivalent of XRS. XRSDoor used to be called
variously: QMX, RAX, RAQMX, and RQSeX. CRR will work with Opus,
Maximus, and XBBS boards when the interface software for these is
written. CRR also works with Rudi Kuster's XCS (PKT2XRS) 0.47 and
later.
To be able to use CRR you will need ARK.COM or ARC.COM, UNARC.COM or
UNZIP.COM, and a text editor which can take a filename as a command
line argument. For a long time I have used VDE. I now use ZDE, the
descendent of CP/M VDE. I recommend it.
If you're not using CRR on an Amstrad CPC/PCW or Sinclair Spectrum +3
in CP/M Plus, you'll need to install it for your terminal. This is
done by using the supplied program CRRINST.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CRR is copyright (C) 1990,1991 Paul Martin. CRR is copyright (C) 1990,1991 Paul Martin.
CRR is shareware. You are allowed to use it for evaluation purposes
for a month. After that time you should register it. CRR is not
crippled if you don't register -- I leave the persuasion to your
conscience and peer pressure. Please see the file REGISTER.CRR for
further details.
No charge must be made for CRR's propagation other than that of the
cost price of the media on which it is distributed. In particular,
not this program may not be distributed by shareware or public domain
express written permission libraries without the author's express written permission.
No responsibility whatsoever can be taken for any effects of using
as is this software. This software is supplied as is, and no warranty,
express or implied, is given for this software.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Martin, 85 Hollin Lane, Middleton, Manchester, GB M24 3FE
Fidonet: Paul Martin 2:250/107 Internet: pm.nowster@tharr.uucp
(c) 1990,1991 Paul Martin
Page [2] CRR 1.30 Documentation
_______ __ _______ __ _______ __ Setting up Setting up Setting up
Create a file called DEFAULTS.CRR. This file is not necessary for CRR
to function, but it allows you to configure your copy. The file should
contain pairs of lines of the form
PROPERTY
value
You do not have to specify everything. The properties are:
SCREEN The length of your screen in lines. (Defaults to 20)
DRIVE The drive on which the message packet files can be found.
(eg. B:) (Defaults to current drive)
FASTDRIVE The drive on which temporary files should be put (eg. a
RAMdisc) (Defaults to current drive)
| PACKER This tells CRR what to call to start your archive program.
| CRR substitutes $1 with the name of the archive, and $2 with
| the intermediate file to be packed. To include a $ in the
| line use $$.
| (Defaults to "ARK $1 $2")
| EDITOR This tells CRR what to call to run your editor. CRR
| substitutes $1 with the name of the file to be edited. To
| include a $ in the line use $$.
| (Defaults to "VDE $1")
SIGN A one line "signature" that will be put on the bottom of
every message you write. You can specify up to nine different
signatures. After the last one you should leave a blank line.
SOFTCR This property, which has no accompanying value, tells CRR
that you are using VDE in Ascii mode, and so it can leave
paragraph formatting to the bulletin board.
KLUDGES This property, which has no accompanying value, allows CRR to
display the Fidonet "kludge" lines starting with CTRL-A in
messages. (Advanced feature)
USEPID This property, which has no accompanying value, forces CRR to
use the ^aPID: kludge instead of putting its name on the
"---" tear line. (Advanced feature)
| PADNULL If your sysop complains that your messages are producing "bad
| packet" errors, you can try including this option. (It
| switches from padding the end of your reply PKT file with end
| of file characters to padding with nulls).
| SUMMSKIP Setting this makes the summary display skip all the preamble
| and just display the "Messages that you selected to read".
(c) 1990,1991 Paul Martin
Page [3] CRR 1.30 Documentation
ORIGIN The name put in the origin line of messages. More than one
bulletin board can be specified. There should be a blank line
after the last entry. The lines contain the node number of
the bulletin board, a space, and the origin text.
(eg. 250/107 Aspects, Manchester UK [061-792 0260])
Please note that origin lines are a contentious issue. If the bulletin
board provides an XORIGIN.XRS file in the message packet, that will be
used by CRR in preference to the one in your defaults file. Put any
personal "marks" in the signature line -- that's what it's there for.
It may be that the bulletin board allows you to use your own origin
line for some message areas, but not others.
An example file might be:
ORIGIN
250/107 ASPECTS, Manchester UK [+44 617920260]
250/102 /\/\erkinstead, Manchester [+44 614347059]
SIGN
CP/M systems never die, they just get more BIOSed with age.
There's life in CP/M yet.
SCREEN
21
SOFTCR
SUMMSKIP
DRIVE
B:
EDITOR
ZDE16 $1 /A
PACKER
B:ARK $1 $2
Having set up the defaults file, put your editor and packer in the
places that CRR can find them.
You should then configure CRR for your screen using CRRINST.
(Currently the screen is set up to clear the screen on the sequence
"ESC-E ESC-H", turn on inverse video with "ESC-p", and turn it off
with "ESC-q". This is for a Heath H19, Zenith or VT52 terminal
emulator.)
Configure your editor to word wrap. This will make things simpler when
people quote your messages.
The next step is to log on to the bulletin board, enter its XRSDoor
section, configure it to read the message areas you want, and select
the PKZIP or PKARC packing method. This can seem daunting, but it only
needs to be done once. Then get XRSDoor to pack the messages. You will
then be asked to download the file BAT1MAIL.ZIP or BAT1MAIL.ARC (this
is your message packet). Log off the bulletin board. Later versions of
XRSDoor support named mail packets (such as ASPECTS1.ZXR or
(c) 1990,1991 Paul Martin
Page [4] CRR 1.30 Documentation
ASPECTS1.AXR). These have the same structure.
The program UNZIP099.COM truncates certain files, and so should not be
used. If you want to use ZIP compression, use the UNZIP program by
Dave Goodenough -- not only does it work properly, but it is also
about eight times smaller. It is supplied with CRR.
Unpack the message packet by typing
UNARC A:BAT1MAIL B:
or
UNARC A:ASPECTS1.AXR B:
or
UNZIP A:ASPECTS1.ZXR
or whatever necessary to put the messages where CRR has been told to
expect them.
Out of the packet should come
AREAS1.XRS
BAT1MAIL.XRS
MAIL1IDX.XRS
SUMMARY1.XRS
USER1.XRS
and possibly a few other files with the XRS extension.
You now have enough to start using CRR.
UNZIP.COM UNZIP.COM UNZIP.COM
This program, which is included in the CRR archive, is the latest
version of an archive extractor program for ZIP-type archives. The
original author is Dave Goodenough (dg@pallio.uucp). Several
modifications have been made to the original.
The syntax of UNZIP is:
UNZIP filename [C]
UNZIP extracts to the current drive. The file must be a PKZIP-
compatible archive. The optional argument C prevents extraction.
The program cannot extract just part of an archive -- it extracts it
in its entirety. Error detection is minimal.
However the program is small, and works.
Please note that it will only work with files produced by PKZip 1.10| Please note that it will only work with files produced by PKZip 1.10
| and earlier.| and earlier.
(c) 1990,1991 Paul Martin
Page [5] CRR 1.30 Documentation
_____ ___ _____ ___ _____ ___ Using CRR Using CRR Using CRR
Assuming that you have an unpacked packet, enter the program CRR. (It
is important that you run CRR on the current drive, and that the file
CRR.000 CRR.000 is on the current drive too).
After about 15-30 seconds of disc drive whirring you should get a
copyright message from the XRSDoor package. You will be asked to press
a key. If you have a correct origin line set it will also be displayed
at this time.
You will be then shown the main menu which gives you the following
options:
(R)ead messages [all]
(M)y mail only
(O)ne area only
(S)elect message from summary
(E)nter new message
(N)etmail enter
(V)iew replies
(P)ack the responses
| (X)ternal command
(Q)uit
You will not get the netmail option if you have not been allowed to
send netmail by the sysop of the board you are using.
Packing messages should be the last thing done before you next log on
to the bulletin board. If there are no replies at the moment, the (V)
and (P) options do not appear.
Reading messages Reading messages Reading messages
(R)ead messages [all]
(M)y mail only
(O)ne area only
(S)elect message from summary
These options allow you to read the messages you have downloaded.
R Option R shows all the messages in the order they were downloaded.
M Option M shows you all the mail addressed to you.
O Option O shows you a menu of available message areas, allowing you to
read the messages in only one area. You enter the number which is
Q associated with the area name or Q to quit.
S Option S shows the summary file a screen at a time, allowing you to
+ - browse it using + and -. You can also type in the number of the
| message at which you wish to start reading. If the SUMMSKIP option is
| set then there will be a delay of a few seconds while the summary file
(c) 1990,1991 Paul Martin
Page [6] CRR 1.30 Documentation
| preamble is skipped. If you press any key whilst it is "skipping" or
| displaying the summary file, it will stop and allow you to enter your
| choice.
While you are reading a message, CRR will pause after every screen.
SPACE ENTER RETURN| Press SPACE to see the next screenful, ENTER or RETURN to show the
| next line. Any other key will be taken as a menu selection. You can
also press a menu selection key while the message is displaying -- it
will be acted upon immediately. (This is similar to "hotkeys" on
bulletin boards).
At the end of a message you will be shown a menu:
[1456-3243] (R)eply (-+) (N)ext (P)rev Hardcop(y) e(X)port (S)ave (Q)uit:
R Option R allows you to reply to a message. Upon selecting this option,
you will be asked whether you want to quote the current message in
Y N G G your reply. The responses are Y, N and G. Response G allows the tear
lines "--- CRR 1.30", origin lines " * Origin: Aspects...", and
signature lines "... Paul" to be quoted.
N P Options N and P move you forwards and backwards through the messages.
- + Options - and +, when shown, allow you to follow a "thread" of
- + messages. If the message that - or + would take you to is not
available, nothing will happen. (This function will only work properly
with XRS-Door/RAQMX 1.40 and later).
Y If there is no Option Y prints out the current message on the printer. If there is no
printer attached your computer may crash if you select this option. printer attached your computer may crash if you select this option.
X Option X prints out the current message to a file. You will be asked
for the file name. If the file exists the message will be tagged on to
the end of existing file.
S Option S saves your position and exits CRR. When you subsequently
restart CRR it will resume at that same point.
V Option V [not listed] shows the current message again (useful if it's
very long).
Entering new messages Entering new messages Entering new messages
(E)nter new message
(N)etmail enter
E Option E allows you to enter a new message in a particular area. You
will be shown a menu of area names. Enter the number associated with
Q the area name or Q to quit. You will then asked who the message is to,
and what subject the message should have.
N Option N, if present, allows you to enter a netmail message. You will
be asked who the message is to, the netmail address to which this
message should be sent, and the subject of the message.
(c) 1990,1991 Paul Martin
Page [7] CRR 1.30 Documentation
To send a netmail message, you will need the FidoNet address of the
recipient. This should be typed in the normal format. Acceptable
address types are:
250/107
250/107.3
2:250/107
2:250/107.3
Message editing Message editing Message editing
When editing a message, do not touch the top four lines:
To: Xxxxx Yyyyyy
Subject: Test message
Area: General
Rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb
rhubarb rhubarb custard
You can edit the name following the To:, and the Subject, but if you
change the order of the To:, Subject: or Area: lines your message will
| be ignored. You may also edit the Area: line. CRR will try to match
| the area you give firstly with the sysop's name for that area (eg.
| Local Chatter), then with the area's tag (eg. CHATTERBOX), and finally
| interpret it as an area's number (eg. 25). The area name can be
| entered in any case (eg. cHaTTerBoX would match with CHATTERBOX).
There should be a blank line after the Area: line.
If the bulletin board is using a new version of XRSDoor, you will see
a line with REPLY and a series of numbers at the start of the reply.
Write beneath it and don't touch it -- it's used by some bulletin
boards to link together message threads.
When you've finished editing, use the "Save and Exit" function of your
editor. In VDE/ZDE this is CTRL-K X. You will be automatically be
returned to CRR.
(c) 1990,1991 Paul Martin
Page [8] CRR 1.30 Documentation
Viewing and Packing up Viewing and Packing up Viewing and Packing up
(V)iew replies
(P)ack the responses
| (X)ternal Command
(Q)uit
V Option V shows you what messages you have written, and allows you to
edit them again, or delete them.
P Option P packs up the outgoing messages into an archive to be sent to
the bulletin board. While it is doing this it displays a summary of
what it is doing. When the packing has completed you will be left in
CP/M.
X| Option X allows you to execute a CP/M command and return to CRR.
Q Option Q quits CRR and returns to CP/M.
(c) 1990,1991 Paul Martin
Page [9] CRR 1.30 Documentation
____ ________ ____ ________ ____ ________ User Requests User Requests User Requests
All versions of XRS-Door from 1.44 onwards support "user requests".
A user request is a message you send to XRS-Door to turn on/off
message areas and request files.
To send a request you put a message addressed to XRS in the LOCAL area
(area 0). The subject is irrelevant. You then put your requests in the
body of the message.
To turn on a message area put that area's tag (eg. CPM), the sysop's
name for it (eg. CPM Echo), or the area number (as shown by the "One
message area only" option) on one line. If the area name has a dot in
it, you should "escape" the name by putting a "`" in front of the
name. The case is not significant.
To turn off a message area you do the same as to turn it on, except
that you put a minus (-) in front of the name.
To request a file (which will be sent with your mailbag) just put its
name on a line. The sysop may have turned off the file request
feature. Please note that any requests containing any of "*?\:" will
be ignored.
For example:
To: XRS
Subject: Irrelevant
Area: LOCAL
CPM
amstrad
-IBM
`ENET.SYSOP
34
-56
`-comp.os.cpm
CRR0130.ZIP
ZDE16.LBR
would request that areas CPM, AMSTRAD, ENET.SYSOP, and number 36 are
turned on, and that areas IBM, number 56 and comp.os.cpm are turned
off. The files CRR0130.ZIP and ZDE16.LBR are requested.
(c) 1990,1991 Paul Martin
Page [10] CRR 1.30 Documentation
____ _________ ____ _________ ____ _________ Fido Etiquette Fido Etiquette Fido Etiquette
When using quoting, only quote the minimum necessary for people to
follow the thread of the conversation. In general, there should be
more message than quote.
Keep your messages as short as you can. If a message is more than two
screens in length it's probably too long.
Leave a blank line between your message and any quote line.
Leave a blank line between paragraphs.
Separate your message into paragraphs. It makes it easier for the eye
to follow.
Large amounts of blank lines in a message look untidy, especially at
the end of a message.
Don't feel obliged to reply to every message.
Don't leave private messages in public areas. CRR now only allows
public messages unless told otherwise by the ACCESSx.XRS file. Private
messages are always allowed in the LOCAL area. If you want to send a
private message to someone on another board use netmail.
Don't use echo areas for local chatter.
Don't leave offensive messages. Don't leave messages that would bring
FidoNet into ill-repute.
Some message areas do not allow the use of signatures. In these areas
don't include a signature line.
Pedantry for its own sake does not engender good feelings.
Don't use netmail without getting the sysop's consent.
Don't send international netmail without getting the sysop's blessing.
Grovelling may help. You may be asked to pay. An air-mail letter will
almost certainly take less time, and may in the long term be cheaper.
Remember that FidoNet is run by enthusiasts who give up their own time
and money to provide the service.
In short, show due consideration to others.
(c) 1990,1991 Paul Martin
Page [11] CRR 1.30 Documentation
_____ ____ __ ___ _____ ____ __ ___ _____ ____ __ ___ Files used by CRR Files used by CRR Files used by CRR
Temporary files: Temporary files:
EDIT .CRR Response currently being edited.
M???????.CRR Outgoing messages.
M00?????.CRR Outgoing message index.
$$$ .SUB This is a special record-type submit file, which does
not need SUBMIT.COM.
Permanent files: Permanent files:
CRR .COM CRR itself.
CRR .000 CRR's overlays.
CRRSTATE.CRR Various internal pointers.
User provided files: User provided files:
DEFAULTS.CRR Setup file
Message packet files: Message packet files:
ACCESS1 .XRS (used if present)
AREAS1 .XRS
BAT1MAIL.XRS
MAIL1IDX.XRS
SUMMARY1.XRS
USER1 .XRS
XORIGIN .XRS (used if present)
Response packets: Response packets: (to be uploaded)
????????.XXY ???????? is an 8 digit hex number, unique to you
XX is the first two letters of the current day name
Y is the number of the packet
eg. 7452FF9B.MO1
The response packet and the .CRR files should be on the same drive as
the CRR program itself.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
XRS, XRS-Door, QMX, RAX, and RAQMX are trademarks of Mike Ratledge and
Smokin' Software.
(c) 1990,1991 Paul Martin