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M a k e L i s t Version 1.0 Add-on Command For The Liberator v2.3 Copyright (C) 1990 Liberation Enterprises All rights reserved. ~~~ DESCRIPTION: MakeList (MAKELIST.SLC) is a compiled Telix SALT script that will send user-defined commmands to a BBS, then capture the results of the commands to any file. Its purpose is to allow you to capture the results of a Locate, New Files, or Zippy Scan command from either PCBoard or ProDoor. The resulting text is then automatically formatted for use as a Liberator Download List and can be used for downloading in the same session. If desired, you may also manually edit the list prior to downloading. You define the BBS command(s) to send, and File List name in one of the Custom Command(s) options of a Liberator v2.3 Command File (preferably Custom Command 2). MakeList will not work with earlier versions of The Liberator. Standard conventions are used in this document to help illustrate syntax: - Text inside two angle brackets <label> is used as a reference to a certain items. Do not type in the <label> itself, but instead substitute it with actual text as defined below. - Square brackets [] surround optional items. You can leave these items out if desired, but do not include the brackets if used. - A vertical bar | means OR, when more than one option is available. The actual options to use will be on either side of the bar. Do not specify the actual |. - n1, n2, etc., signifies a number (1,2,10,50, etc). - Three periods ... means that more items of the same form may follow. Now, hopefully this line below will make some sense, and not look like secret code: USAGE: @MakeList <list> <command> [/d|/e][/#n1[,n2]...][/Edit] Each item is explained below. Note that <list> MUST be the first item specified, but following items may appear in any order. <command> must be separated from other options by either a space or a foward slash (/). If you precede <command> with a switch, make sure you leave a space between the two. If you follow <command> with a switch, no space is necessary since MakeList will recognize the / as a switch. Note that with some program's command line switches, you may substitute the slash (/) with a hyphen (-), but this was not implemented in MakeList. @MakeList = The '@' character, when used in a Liberator Custom Command, means to run a script. @MakeList (or @makelist @MAKELIST) The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 MAKELIST.DOC - Page 2 tells The Liberator to run the script MAKELIST.SLC, which should have accompanied this document. The script must be located in the current directory, or in the directory defined with the Telix <Alt-O> command as your 'Script Directory'. If you don't have a script directory defined in Telix, it is highly recommended that you do so immediately, then copy MAKELIST.SLC (and The Liberator) into the defined directory. <list> = Name of file to capture results of <command> to. The filename can be specified in two forms: [d:][\path\]LISTNAME[.ext] -- An actual filename (drive, path and extension optional) or: %D (or %d) -- Causes The Liberator to use the file named in the "Download List" option of the currently executing Command File. If you specify %D without defining a filename in the Download List option of the same Command File, The Liberator will construct a filename, comprised of the name of the current Command File, plus the extension .DL (for Download List). <command> = PCBoard/ProDoor command(s) to send to the BBS (F)ile Directories, N)ew Files, L)ocate, Z)ippy Scan, etc.) If you define the @MakeList command line in Custom Command 1, then <command> will be sent to PCBoard (unless you are already in ProDoor for some reason). If you define the command in Custom Command 2, and a ProDoor is defined in the CFG file, ProDoor will be opened and the script will execute there, allowing you to take advantage of ProDoor commands, and batch transfers (this is a function of The Liberator, and occurs with all Custom Commands). It is recommended that you use Custom Command 2 whenever possible with MakeList. To specify a Ctrl (control) character within <command> (such as Carriage Return which is Ctrl-M), precede the character with a caret (^). A vertical bar (|) in <command> causes a ^M (<Enter>), then waits for one of the eight Liberator 'key' prompts defined in each Configuration. Use either the | or ^M to specify more than one command if desired. A tilde (~) may also be used to specify a half-second pause. See the examples below for uses of these characters in <command>. ^M is always sent after the final character of <command>, so you need not specify the final carriage return. If you do specify a trailing ^M, then two carriage returns will be sent. The "More" (PCBoard) and "ProDoor More" prompts (defined in each Liberator Configuration) are automatically handled by MakeList by sending NS (Non-Stop) when found. The "Pause" prompt is also handled as usual by sending a carriage return. Most times you will add an NS (non-stop) to the end The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 MAKELIST.DOC - Page 3 of <command> to avoid the 'More' prompt, but if you forget, MakeList will handle these prompts for you. If MakeList hangs at either of these prompts due to a different prompt format, you may reconfigure both directly in the board's Liberator CFG File, since MakeList gets the prompts directly from the Configuration. /d|/e All text resulting from <command> is captured and inserted at the BEGINNING of <list> if it already exists. (This is to allow quick editing, and so newly listed files will be downloaded first.) To change this, use the /d or /e switch (or /E /D if you prefer). /d causes <list> to be Deleted if it is found, /e causes captured text to be appended to the End of <list>, if it already exists. /#n1[,n2] = Specifies conference(s) to execute <command> in. This option, if used, must start with the '/#' characters, and NO SPACES are permitted until all conferences are specified. You may use as many conference numbers as will fit in the Custom Commmand (64 character maximum), each separated by a comma, or omit this option entirely to execute <command> only in the current conference. If more than one conference is specified, <command> will be sent to the BBS in each of the conferences. Commas are only necessary when more than one number is specified, and remember not to use a space before or after the comma. Note that sometimes the "Scan message base" question is asked after joining a conference. MakeList is designed to handle this prompt, and it gets the prompt's format directly from the Liberator CFG file currently being used ('Scan Message Base' is defined on the PCBoard Prompts screen). The correct conference numbers will be maintained in <list> so The Liberator will obtain files from the correct con- ference when <list> is used for downloading. Note that if the @MakeList command is defined in Custom Command 2, AND if a ProDoor is defined (or if your PCBoard supports conference names) then you may also use the conference names as well. (E.g. /#IBM,5,TELIX) /Edit = Run your Text Editor when complete to manually remove or rearrage text in <list>. MakeList automatically filters out most extranneous text, other than file descriptions, but if you want to look over the list before MakeList returns control to The Liberator, use this switch. You must use the The LibTools Configure option to define your editor before using this option. Case isn't important (/EDIT or /edit will work fine as well), but the '/' is necessary. Your editor will be called in the form <editor_name> <list>, so if it accepts a filename on the command line, <list> will be automatically loaded. If your editor doesn't accept a filename on the command line, you will have to load the file manually, but MakeList will change to the proper directory The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 MAKELIST.DOC - Page 4 before running the editor so you can locate the file easily. Before actually running the editor, MakeList will prompt you to press a key, and if you are not present will sound a pager every ten seconds until you arrive. If you don't arrive within two minutes, manual editing will be aborted and MakeList will return to The Liberator, where the Command File will continue as defined. EXAMPLES: Please note that the examples below are for use in Custom Command 1 or 2 of a Liberator v2.3 Command File, and the leading @ is necessary in each example (specifies to run a script). It is recommended that you use Custom Command 2 whenever possible. @MakeList If you don't give any parameters at all, then MakeList will construct a default <list> named <cmd_fname>.DL (<cmd_fname> is the current Command File), and its default <command> of N S A NS (New files, Since last time on, All areas, Non stop). The commmand will execute in the current conference only, and text will be inserted at the beginning of <cmd_fname>.DL if it already exists. Your editor will not be called for manual editing. @MakeList N S A NS The Liberator will separate this into "N" and "S A NS" before passing it to MakeList... the result is that MakeList opens a <list> called "N", then sends the command S A NS (which means nothing). In other words, you cannot leave <list> out and just specify <command>, due to the way The Liberator sends parameters to MakeList. @MakeList C:\TELIX\PCBOARD.DL Opens the file C:\TELIX\PCBOARD.DL, then sends the default <command> of N S A NS to the BBS, in the current conference. If C:\TELIX\PCBOARD.DL already exists, then the captured lines are inserted at the BEGINNING of the file so they will be downloaded first. See the next example to change this. @MakeList %D L *.GIF A /e /#1,10,0 /Edit Joins conference 1 (note the conference '/#' option used above), then sends the command L *.GIF A to the BBS (Locate GIF files, All areas), then conference 10 is joined (note the comma, and no space) and the L *.GIF command is resent... then conference 0 is joined (the MAIN conference) and the command is sent once again. Text resulting from all three commands is captured to the currently defined Download List (note %D used as <list> above), and is placed at the END of the file if it already exists (due to the /e switch... /E has the same effect). The defined Editor is then run to allow you to edit the list before The L i b e r a t o r v2.31 MAKELIST.DOC - Page 5 files are downloaded, to remove unwanted files, etc. When downloading commences, the correct conferences will be re-joined as necessary. Since no NS (non-stop) was given in <command>, MakeList would enter NS (Non Stop) if a 'More' prompt did appear while the BBS was displaying the located files. @MakeList TMPLIST /d /#2 Z^M~~Liberator^M1 2 U NS This command is a little complicated, so let's break it down: TMPLIST /d means capture to the file TMPLIST (note how / switches can appear anywhere after <list>), but delete the file first, if it already exists (due to the /d switch... /D has the same effect). Since no drive or path is given before TMPLIST, the file will be created in the current directory, wherever that happens to be. This is why it is preferable to specify the path when possible. Next, we have /#2 which will cause conference 2 to be joined. Then we have the command to execute: Z^M~~Liberator^M1 2 U NS This is the actual <command> to send to the BBS, and it needn't be this complicated, but ^ ~ are illustrated here. First the "Z" would be sent to the BBS (Zippy scan), followed by a carriage return (the <Enter> key) because ^M signifies Ctrl-M or Carriage Return (CR). Next, a 1 second pause will take place due to the two ~~ characters (each ~ causes a half-second pause). This gives PCBoard a chance to come up with the next prompt, which asks what text you want to scan for. "Liberator" would then be sent, along with another CR. Then PCBoard asks what areas to scan, and the final "1 2 U NS" are sent, which means to scan file areas 1, 2, and the recent Uploads area. NS is stacked on the end to avoid the 'More' prompt. A ^M is always appended to the end of <command>, so you need not specify the final CR. Of course, this whole command can (and should) be specified without any CR's. @MakeList %d Z Liberator U NS|N S A NS|L Telix A NS /#1,2 The above would be sent as three complete commands: Z Liberator U NS N S A NS L Telix A NS ...since the vertical bar (|) causes a ^M (<Enter>), then waits for one of the eight Liberator 'key' prompts before sending any more of <com- mand>. Since more than one conference was specified, all three commands would be sent in each of the defined conferences.