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Text File | 1991-07-26 | 30KB | 833 lines

▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ █ ▄▄▄▄▄ █ █ █ █▄▄█ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ █ █▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ █ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ █ █ ▄▄▄▄ █ █ ▄▄▄▄█ █▄▄ ▄▄█ █ ▄▄▄▄█ █ ▄▄▄▄ █ █▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █▄▄█ █ █ █▄▄▄▄ █ █ █ █▄▄ █ █▄▄█ █ ▄▄▄▄ █ █ █ █ █▄█ █ █ █ ▄▄▄▄ █ █▄▄▄▄ █ █ █ █ ▄▄█ █ ▄▄▄ ▄█ █ █▄▄▄█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ▄▄▄▄█ █ █ █ █ █▄▄▄▄ █ █ █ █▄ █▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄█ █▄█ █▄█ █▄█ █▄█ █▄▄▄▄▄█ █▄█ █▄▄▄▄▄█ █▄█ █▄▄█ V E R S I O N 3 . 0 0 "Deluxe Files Lister" Written by Yossi Gottlieb, 1990-91. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │░░░ DISCLAIMER ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ SMaster is being distributed on the Shareware basis. It may be freely distributed in any media, as long as a few terms are kept: - All files included in original package, including both XT and AT executables, additional files and documentation files are distributed, in their original unmodified form. If you modify any of the files (for any reason), do not distribute them as a part of the SMaster 3.00 Package. - You must charge no money for the program. A minimal amount of money may be charged for the floppy (or for other media you distribute SMaster). Also, please note that SMaster was tested for more than a year in several locations, and on many different configurations. SMaster 3.00 itself was tested in ten beta-versions, and performs very well. Another thing you have to know before using SMaster is that you're the only one who can be held responsible for damage or loss caused directly or indirectly by SMaster. Although it has no destructive operation, nor sensitive or critical code, I do not know under what environment SMaster will work, and who will take care of it. ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │░░░ INTRODUCTION ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 1.0 ░░│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Unlike the name (Bulletin Board System, BBS), most of the BBSes today are running around files. The best BBS has the newest files, or the biggest files library, or the biggest area of files for a specific subject. This is why listing files, and choosing the files to be downloaded is that hard. A very common file is a text file (or a compressed text file), which holds the list of all the system's files. Another, less common file, is the file with all new files on the board. In order to create these files, all you need is one of dozens of programs available for this kind of job. The way to select the program to use is easy. You're looking for a program which will work on your BBS program, fast, with the smallest number of crippled options (if author requires registration), and the look of the ready list. SMaster is "one of these files", plus a lot of features. a list of all SMaster's features is included below. If you don't know yet whether you will use it or not, browse in the list, and make up your mind. ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │░░░ FEATURES ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 1.1 ░░│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ∙■∙ Support for a wide range of BBS software, and BBS enhancers. QuickBBS, RemoteAccess and SuperBBS are fully supported. A very good utility for "filling gaps" in the above programs is the QFV package, which is (obviously) supported. ∙■∙ SMaster is capable of creating All-Files list (which contains files from all BBS areas), New-Files list (which contains only files which were added in the last days - you select how many days exactly). Two other lists can be created, which are mainly for file-base maintenance. The Missing-Files list, which is a list of all files which cannot be found on the disk (but listed on FILES.BBS), and Orphans-list, which is a list contains files found on area, but not listed in FILES.BBS. ∙■∙ Sophisticated selection of areas to process. Instead of working on ALL file-areas when creating any of the above lists, SMaster can process only selected areas. Since every area has a security level, the selection is done by defining a security range, and only areas which belong to that range are processed. ∙■∙ Addition of text files as banners on top of the all-files and new-files list (may be a separate banner for each list). ∙■∙ Optional addition of statistical information about every area BEFORE the area itself, and statistical information about all the listed areas together at end (both are optional). ∙■∙ Easy set-up process (using windowed, menued program). ∙■∙ Sophisticated word-wrapping routines. These routines DO support the SuperBBS and QFF extended description lines. ∙■∙ Multi-Line BBSs compatibility: Screen-writes are fully DESQview aware (and still lightning-fast). The main executable also SHARE files (Uses File-Sharing routines to prevent accidental corruption of files when several tasks access the same file). ∙■∙ The main executable (SMASTER) comes in two versions: One is for 8088/8086 (XT) machines, and one is built to work under 80286 (AT) or better. The 286 version will work on 286 or better machines only and is smaller and faster. ∙■∙ Compatibility with both text-file areas-definition file (FLSEARCH.CTL - QuickBBS), and the binary RemoteAccess's file (FILES.RA). ∙■∙ Sort option to sort the all-files list (only). Fully supports long-lines (QFF/SBBS). Sort is done in ascending order, using the file's name as an sort-element. ∙■∙ Download-counters handling (Stripping, Forcing, Ignoring). The change will be seen in the lists only, and will not be written to the FILES.BBS itself. ∙■∙ ANSI Colors sequences may be added in list, to make it colorful. The colors to use can be set by the SysOp. ∙■∙ Creation of Ready-To-Print lists: All-Files and New-Files lists may be cut to pages (in a desired size), and headers may be put on top of every page. ∙■∙ Creation of several lists, in different profiles, using more than one configuration files (discussed later). ∙■∙ Ofsetting of the extended description lines, for making the list looking better in case download-counters are displayed. ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │░░░ INSTALLATION ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 2.0 ░░│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ The installation process is quite short and easy, but if done wrong might cause some unwanted results. First, copy all files which were in SMaster's package into the directory there it will run from. You may assign a special directory for SMaster, but it is not required. If you're using a XT machine (8088 or 8086 based machine), you should use the SMASTER.EXE file only. 80286/80386/80486 machines would rather like to use the SMASTER2.EXE, which is the same as SMASTER.EXE, but makes use of the special AT (286 or better) features, saving time and size. The next step in the installation procedure is to create a config file. In this section we will discuss normal installation. Installation with several config files, and updating from earlier versions will be discussed later. The configuration file is built and changed using the SMCFG.EXE, supplied with SMaster. Run this file. On the screen, on the left side, you have a panel for choosing fields to be changed, and on the right side a panel with the current settings. When choosing a field to change, general description about it will be displayed. Some options will cause a secondary menu to appear, instead of directly prompting for new value. You will have to select the exact topic you would like to change (i.e. For changing the all-files list name, you should choose from main menu the "MasterList", then from the sub-menu "MasterList Name"). A detailed explanation about every field is included below. ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │░░░ SMCFG FIELDS ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 2.1 ░░│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ - Minimum Security This parameter specifies the minimum security level which an area should be set to, in order to be processed by SMaster. Usually set this to 0. - Maximum Security This parameter specifies the maximum security level which an area should be set to, in order to be processed by SMaster. Using this parameters, you can cause some specific areas to be excluded from all lists (Set their security level to higher than the "Maximum Security" field). - MasterList Name This parameter is the name (may be, and strongly recommended, a full path-name) of the all-files list. You can create it directly inside one of your file areas, and disable the need to move the file into the file-base after it is done. - MasterList Banner The name (may include full-path) of the text file to put as a banner on top of the all-files list. If none is wanted, keep this field empty. - Extended Offset When using download-counters at the beginning of the description, you may want to put all extended description (beginning with line 2) in an offset, instead of under the download-counter. If you do, enter the number of characters offset. 0 specifies no offset. - NewList Name This parameter is the name (may be, and strongly recommended, a full path-name) of the new-files list. You can create it directly inside one of your file areas, and disable the need to move the file into the file-base after it is done. - NewList Days The number of days to list back in new-files list. If SMaster finds files which have a date "in the future", it will include them too (since many SysOps mark some files with a future date, so the file will be listed as "new file" for many days). - NewList Banner The name (may include full-path) of the text file to put as a banner on top of the new-files list. If none is wanted, keep this field empty. - Toggle Statistics Toggles the global (full list) statistical information. When ON, file-base statistics will be added on the bottom of the new-files and all-files list. - Sort MasterList Toggles the sort for the all-files list. The sort element is the file-names, and in ascending direction. When sorting, no extra memory is needed (actually additional 32Kb is needed, but SMaster allocates it anyway), since 2 disk files are being used as virtual memory. - DownLoad Counter You can command SMaster to handle download counters in any one of the following manners (The change will be seen in the list itself only, the FILES.BBS will not be changed): No Change -- SMaster won't touch the download-counters. Force -- SMaster will add them if they are missing. Strip -- SMaster will strip any download counter. - ANSI Colors Toggles the usage of ANSI Color sequences in the lists. If you set it to ON, you will have to select what color will be used in every part of the list (Default ones are set for best convenience). ANSI sequences will enlarge your lists, but compression programs (such as PKZIP, LHa, ARJ) can compress ANSI with great success. - Area Status This option, when selected, will add a built-in banner on top of every area in the lists, and will write the amount of available (not OFFLINE) files in the area, the total size (in KB/MB), and the average size of file. Area-Name will also be included (double-spaced, capitalized). - No Description Text Sometime, for any reason, no description is available for a file (in FILES.BBS the file appears, but with no description). Some people don't like those gaps in the list, and prefer that "Not yet commented" or any other text will replace the blank description. If you are in this club, put in that field the text you wish to put if no description is available. If you do not want such thing to appear, keep this field empty. - MissingFiles This is the name of an optional file which will have the list of all missing files on the BBS. Missing files are the files which are listed in FILES.BBS, but does not exist on the DOS directory (often called OFFLINE files). Empty name will indicate no file should be created. If you specify a name for the MissingFiles list, and there are no missing files on your board (lucky you!), no such list will be created. - Page Size The length (in lines) of a printer page, in case the list should be cut to pages for better print-out. If no control characters should be used, set this parameter to 0. - Header If printer control characters are used (i.e. Page Size is different than 0), SMaster can put on top of each printed page a header. If you wish such header to be added, edit it in that field. If none should be used - keep the field empty. Note that the header length is not a full 80 characters length, but the line will be centered. - Area-Def. Type SMaster can read two types of area definition files: Text-File (FLSEARCH.CTL), or binary (FILES.RA). Choose the type you wish to use. T stands for TEXT, B stands for Binary. - Area-Def FileName You must specify the exact name (and path) of the area-definition file. Do it in this field. - Orphans List This option allows you to create an orphans list. This list contains the files (in all areas), which exist on the area's path, but not mentioned in the FILES.BBS. If you do not want such list to be created, keep this field blank. SMaster will NOT accept the following files as orphans: FILES.BBS, SMASTER.TMP, FILES.BAK, PFILES.BBS, [All-Files Name], [New-Files Name], [Missing-Files Name], [Orphans-Name], 4DOSSWAP.*, NDOSSWAP.*, DESCRIPT.ION and all the independent files (read next paragraph). - Independent Files When creating orphans list, you might want SMaster to have a few file names which will never be displayed as orphans, even if they are not listed in the FILES.BBS (i.e. independent files). You may specify here up to 20 independent files. You may NOT use wildcards, but a partial file name can be used. For example, an independent file entry "ABC" is masking "ABC", "ABCDEF", "ABC.DEF". Another example is when using a door to extract/view/manipulate archives like DISP's MTS or Zipster, both doors create temp. files which should be inserted in the Independent Files list. In MTS (for example) it should be "DOWNLOA" (so it will mask DOWNLOA*.* files), and in Zipster is should be "EXTRACT.ZIP". ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │░░░ MISSING FILES HANDLING ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 2.2 ░░│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ I think I should expand my explanations about the operation of SMaster in case of missing file in both FILES.BBS and DOS's directories: ┌────────────┬────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────┐ │File exist │File Exist │ What will happen │ │On FILES.BBS│On directory│ │ ├────────────┼────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Yes │ Yes │ Normal operation. Nothing special. │ ├────────────┼────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ No │ Yes │ File will NOT BE LISTED in All-Files │ │ │ │ or New-Files list, but on the │ │ │ │ orphans-list, if created │ ├────────────┼────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ No │ No │ File will not be listed (no file!) │ ├────────────┼────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Yes │ No │ File will be listed, but instead of │ │ │ │ size/date, "OFFLINE" will be │ │ │ │ written, as file is not available for │ │ │ │ download. If missing-files list is │ │ │ │ created, file will be listed there. │ └────────────┴────────────┴────────────────────────────────────────┘ And there is one more case: File exist on both FILES.BBS and DOS directory, but no description is assigned to it in the FILES.BBS. In this case, SMaster will put the text you specified in the SMCFG as "No description text" field. ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │░░░ UPGRADING ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 2.3 ░░│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Upgrading from earlier versions of SMaster is very simple. Complete all operations as explained on section 2.0. Then, you will have to upgrade the config file to the current version. Run CFGUP (no command line), and in a few milliseconds you will have your configuration file ready to be used. Since new versions have fields which do not exist on earlier versions, use SMCFG to change the new fields to your own needs (since CFGUP uses default information for a field not supported in the early version). ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │░░░ REQUIREMENTS ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 3.0 ░░│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ SMaster's requires: At LEAST 386Kb of free base memory. MS-DOS 3.00 or higher. SMaster (and all utility files around) are using direct-screen writes, for lightning-fast performance, yet do NOT cause snow on old CGA screens, and do NOT "bleed" under DESQview. SMaster was tested on 8088/6, V20, 80286, 386 and 486 machines. It was tested under QEMM-386 5.00 to 5.13, DESQview 2.26 to 2.34, 4DOS 3.03, NDOS 1.00 and MS-DOS 3.30 to 5.00. It has no fatal errors, so DESQview operation will go as usual even if there are unexpected errors. ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │░░░ MULTI-LINE SYSTEMS ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 4.0 ░░│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ When running under MultiLine BBSs, things are tend to be complicated. Starting with version 3.00, SMaster is "officially" MultiLine aware. When running a MultiLine BBS, there is the continuous danger of 2 (or more) tasks accessing the same file simultaneously. The solution for this is using SHARE.EXE (a part of the MS-DOS utilities), and using only software which "knows" how to treat sharing and MultiLine BBSs. When SMaster opens files, it locks them, and does not let other tasks to use these files. In that way, the files are safe, and you can be sure that users will not take part of the list (if it is in the middle of being created, and user is downloading it). This is the case when dealing with all files, except FILES.BBS. When SMaster opens FILES.BBS, it allows other tasks to read it, but not to write to it. In that way, a user who is OnLine can view the file list, but the BBS software will not be able to update FILES.BBS, not while SMaster reads it. When SMaster opens FILES.BBS for reading it, and find the other task is using the file right now, and does not allow any other tasks to open it, it will retry to open the file up to 15 times, with one second delay between each try. If it fails after 15 times, it will skip to the next part (next area if listing, abort sort if was in sort, will not display area-status if tried to browse area etc). ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │░░░ TIPS AND TRICKS ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 5.0 ░░│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ - I strongly recommend to run SMaster manually, to check that everything is going smoothly, and then include it in your system-event (if you intend to create the lists on a daily basis). Do not ever change anything without testing! - If you have over 2000 Files, or you're using ANSI, the All-Files List may be huge. Compressing the list makes it much smaller, making the idea of downloading all-files list more handy. If you do compress the list, a non-compressed file (in addition to the compressed one) can be useful. - If you enter description directly into FILES.BBS, don't worry about word-wrapping. BUT if the description should stay AS-IS (like when you draw boxes or any other ASCII shapes), keep its length up to 45 Characters. Description that is longer than 45 Characters will be wrapped (and if wrapping isn't possible - SMaster will cut it off). ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │░░░ MULTIPLE LISTS ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 5.0 ░░│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ If you wish to create multiple different lists, for example, one All-Files list with ANSI codes, and one without, you can use the new feature added in SMaster v2.58 - multiple config. files. You should edit 2 DIFFERENT configuration files using SMCFG (for example "SMCFG BBS1.CFG" for first config. file, and "SMCFG BBS2.CFG" for second config file). Then you should run SMaster twice, with the "/C" command line (for example, "SMASTER /CBBS1.CFG" for creating first list, and "SMASTER /CBBS2.CFG" for creating second list). You must make sure that there are no identical file-names in the different config. files. If you call the MasterList in the first config file "ALLFILES.LST", and use the same name in the second config. file, SMaster will REWRITE the previous-created file. ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │░░░ REGISTERING ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 6.0 ░░│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ SMaster is not free. You may use it for 31 days introduction period, and to decide if you want to continue using it. If you do, you have to register it, by filling the registration form (REGISTER.FRM, supplied with the package), and send it along with check or cash. The amount requested is small, compared to the time and efforts we wasted on writing, debugging and testing SMaster for over an year. After sending the form, you will receive a registration key, which matches your BBS name, as written in the form. You then install it using SMREG (Self-explanatory, very user friendly). If you followed all instructions correctly, SMREG will create a file called SMASTER.REG. This file contains registration information, and will cause SMaster to know you're registered, and what is your BBS name. This also makes sure you will stay registered on all future versions. ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │░░░ T R A D E M A R K S ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 7.0 ░░│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ The following names are trademarks, registered trademarks, copyrights and/or efforts of their authors (listed in an alphabetical order): 4DOS J.P Software. ANSI American National Standards Institute. ARJ Robert K. Jung. DESQview, QEMM-386 Quarterdeck Systems. LHA Haruyasu Yoshizaki. MS-DOS Microsoft Corp. MTS, QFF, QFV Robert W. Van Hoeven. NDOS Symantec Corporation PKZIP Phil Katz, PKWare. QuickBBS The QuickBBS Group. RemoteAccess Andrew Milner, Continental Software. SuperBBS Risto Virkkala & Aki Antman ZipSter Bill Hay ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │░░░ LAST NOTES ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 8.0 ░░│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Before ending, I would like to thank to all the people who were involved in some way or another in developing SMaster. Special thanks go to the beta-testers, for testing, suggesting, reading and and and... So thanks, Saar Blitz and Roy Udassin! You can reach the beta-testers at: Saar Blitz - The Black Universe BBS, +972-3-9665202/9665257, 24 Hours, 2400 MNP5, FidoNet 2:403/139. Roy Udassin - Triple D BBS, +972-8-476549, 24 Hours, 2400 MNP5, FidoNet 2:403/123. This is also the place to file-request the latest version of SMaster, using the magic name SMASTER. Last note, which applies to all users, no matter if they're registered or not. Bug Reports, Comments (MANY COMMENTS!), Suggestions and other stuff should go to the author: SnailMail Yossi Gottlieb, 11 Armonim St., Ramat-Gan 52587, Israel. FidoNet 2:403/122.3 (or 2:403/122 should work either) Voice Phone +972-3-7519649 And thanks for using SMaster ...