Monster Media 1994 #2/Monster Media No. 2 (Monster Media)(1994).ISO/modem/dlrk301.zip/DLRK301.DOC

Text File | 1994-07-23 | 22KB | 447 lines

DOWNLOAD RECORDKEEPER version 3.01
Written by Allen Brown
Compatible with Telemate 4.12 and other versions with the same usage log format


CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT:
--------------------------
WELCOME
ZIP FILE CONTENTS
DATA FILE AND SETUP FILE CONTENTS
PROGRAM OPERATION
* OPTION ONE:   UPDATE DATA WITH TELEMATE USAGE LOG
* OPTION TWO:   DISPLAYING THE DATA
* OPTION THREE: CONFIGURATION SETUP
* OPTION FOUR:  MANUAL DATA ENTRY
* OPTION FIVE:  FILENAME SEARCH
* OPTION SIX:   PRINTING THE DATA
HELPFUL HINTS
IF DOWNLOAD RECORDKEEPER WON'T WORK
THE ORIGIN OF DOWNLOAD RECORDKEEPER
HOW TO REGISTER YOUR COPY OR CONTACT THE AUTHOR
DLRK FOR MODEM PROGRAMS OTHER THAN TELEMATE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THE END


WELCOME to Download Recordkeeper version 3.01.  If you use Telemate
as your modem program, DLRK is about to make keeping track of your
downloads a very simple and convenient matter.  If you'd like a
version of DLRK that's compatible with some other modem program,
see near the end of this document for the section called DLRK FOR
MODEM PROGRAMS OTHER THAN TELEMATE.

DLRK reads the Telemate Usage Log, pulls out the names of files you've
downloaded, and stores them on disk in alphabetical order and extension
order, if you choose.  The list(s) can easily be displayed or printed,
making for easy reference while you're on-line.  And, DLRK will not alter
your Telemate Usage Log in any way.

DLRK 3.01 is different from the 2.x series in that v3.01 is compatible
with Telemate whereas the 2.x versions are compatible with Telix.  DLRK
3.01 has all the features found in the 2.x series, at least up through
version 2.51, and DLRK 3.01 is compatible with the data files from all
2.x versions, at least up through 2.51.

DLRK 3.01 is operationally no different from v3.0.  However, unknown
to me, v3.0 had an upper limit on the number of filenames you could
add to your data files, due to a memory allocation function of the
program.  Version 3.0 would allow no more than 5461 filenames.  I
rewrote the code to increase the memory allocation to its maximum
for a 12-byte variable, which is 10922 elements.  But since DLRK's
display and print features will only handle numbers up to four digits
long, I again rewrote the code to keep the data file capacity from
being set higher than 9999.  If anyone ever records that many, I'd
like to know about it.

This program is shareware.  See the end of this file for information
on how to register.  By the way, your unregistered copy of DLRK is not
crippled or diminished in any way.  I prefer to use the honor system
as opposed to the coercion system.


ZIP FILE CONTENTS
The archive DLRK301.ZIP should contain the following seven files:

DLRK.EXE       <-- the program
ALPHA.DNL      <-- alphabetical-sort data file
EXTEN.DNL      <-- extension-sort data file
ALPHAPRN.DNL   <-- a sample file produced by the print feature
EXTENPRN.DNL   <-- another sample file from the print feature
SETUP.DNL      <-- program's default configuration
DLRK301.DOC    <-- the file you're now reading


DATA FILE AND SETUP FILE CONTENTS
The data files ALPHA.DNL and EXTEN.DNL should both contain only
the following five records when you first receive them (not
including the arrows and what follows the arrows):

Download Recordkeeper v3.01   <-- program and version identifier
0                             <-- date of last record
0                             <-- time of last record
1                             <-- number of downloads on record
DLRK301.ZIP                   <-- download(s) on record


And, SETUP.DNL should initially contain the following eight records:

TM.USE       <-- name of your Telemate Usage Log
C:\TELEMATE  <-- directory containing Telemate Usage Log
700          <-- current maximum records per data file
0            <-- code for filename display format
ENABLED      <-- status of sort-by-extension feature
YES          <-- back-up data files before update?
no           <-- ask for new back-up name everytime?
3            <-- number of characters to match during file search


PROGRAM OPERATION
Running the program is very easy.  You might decide to create a sub-
directory for DLRK and all its data files.  The program does not *have*
to have its own directory, but DLRK'S DATA FILES MUST BE IN THE CURRENT
DIRECTORY WHEN YOU RUN THE PROGRAM.  When you first run DLRK, choose
Option 3 from the Main Menu to configure the setup for your system, or
the program will use the default configuration in SETUP.DNL, which might
or might not be right for you.

The Main Menu presents seven options.

* MAIN MENU OPTION ONE: UPDATE DATA WITH TELEMATE USAGE LOG
With this option, DLRK extracts the filenames of your downloads from
the Telemate Usage Log, adds them to ALPHA.DNL, and sorts the whole list
alphabetically.  Then the program updates the sorted-by-extension list
contained in EXTEN.DNL, provided this feature is enabled.  The old data
file(s) will be backed-up if you choose the back-up feature.

DLRK also allows you to update your data with the Telemate Usage Log by
way of a command line switch, as well as from the main menu.  If you
execute the program by entering DLRK /U from the DOS prompt, DLRK
will perform the data update and exit the program automatically, with
no other input necessary from the user.  This function is valuable if
you wish to eliminate keystrokes by setting up a batch file to run
Telemate and DLRK's automatic update consecutively.


* MAIN MENU OPTION TWO: DISPLAYING THE DATA
This option reads ALPHA.DNL from disk and displays it to your screen,
80 filenames at a time.  It will also display EXTEN.DNL if you have it
enabled.  You can print small sections of your data by displaying them
on the screen and using the <Print Screen> key.  To print the entire
file(s), see MAIN MENU OPTION SIX below.


* MAIN MENU OPTION THREE: CONFIGURATION SETUP
This option presents a menu of seven choices.

   (1) This choice asks for the name and location of your Telemate
Usage Log.  TM.USE is the default name for both Download Recordkeeper
and for Telemate itself.

   IMPORTANT: You should make sure that your copy of Telemate is actually
maintaining a usage log.  See the Telemate documentation or help menu for
information on how to configure Telemate to maintain a usage log.

   (2) This choice lets you change the capacity of your data file(s).
When I first began writing DLRK, this feature was valuable since the
filename variable array would use up more RAM than my system could
allocate if the capacity were set too high.  So, I decided to let
users set the capacity themselves based on how much they needed and
how much their own computers could handle.  However, DLRK manages
memory much better now than it did back then, so unless you're using
an ancient computer, you're not going to run out of memory.  As far
as I can tell, the most RAM Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.5 will allocate to
a variable array is 128 kilobytes, which translates to 10922 elements
in an array dimensioned at a length of 12 characters per element, so
10922 is the absolute capacity, to the extent of my knowledge.  But,
I've programmed DLRK to accept a capacity of no more than 9999, since
the display and print features won't handle numbers of more than four
digits anyway.  If you run out of room in your data file(s), you'll
need to go through and delete unnecessary entries with an ASCII text
editor, or write your own program using a language which will allocate
more memory to string variable arrays.

   (3) With this choice you either enable or disable the sort-by-
extension feature.

   (4) This choice will toggle between backing-up or not backing-up
your old data file(s) as you update the data.

   (5) You use this to choose whether to display the filenames with
dots, such as FILE.ZIP, or in 12-column format, such as the way the
filenames appear when you display a directory in DOS.

   (6) This choice lets you specify up to ten filename restrictions
you want DLRK to observe when it updates the data.  For instance, you
might not want to record your mail packet downloads, so you could tell
DLRK to ignore all filenames with the QWK extension.  Or if you want
the program to record certain extensions only, you can specify which
those should be.

   (7) Save configuration.  This choice will write a new SETUP.DNL
file and return you to the main menu.


* MAIN MENU OPTION FOUR: MANUAL DATA ENTRY
This option will allow you to input filenames into the data file(s)
that may not be in the Telemate Usage Log.  You might want to use this
option at some point if you've downloaded files in the past that are
not denoted in any usage log you still have.


* MAIN MENU OPTION FIVE: FILENAME SEARCH
This option allows the user to search ALPHA.DNL for specified filenames.
When you input a filename, the program will look for that specific name,
plus any other filenames that begin with the same characters, up to a
range which you dictate.  Or, you can use the asterisk for a wildcard
character.


* MAIN MENU OPTION SIX: PRINT DATA
Choose this option and you'll be asked which of your data files to
print, and whether to send the output to both the printer and to disk,
or to disk only.  Output will be sent to disk in either case.  This is
done in case you wish to print the file later from DOS after you finish
with the program.

The output file will be named either ALPHAPRN.DNL or EXTENPRN.DNL.  Any
pre-existing file of the same name will be backed-up with the BAK exten-
sion if you choose the back-up feature.

In case you're operating in a LAN or have access only to a PostScript
printer, and are thus unable to send ASCII text directly to LPT1, then
you have two options for printing your data files.  (1) The first is
to use the print function and output to disk only.  Now read the output
file into your word processor.  If you try this, be sure to use Courier
or some other monospaced font at a maximum of 10 characters per inch,
or else your printout will look screwy.  Also, set your margins at 0 or
near 0.  You'll have to experiment with the number of blank lines between
each page to find what's right for your system.  (2) Your other option
is to read one of the data files (ALPHA.DNL or EXTEN.DNL) into your word
processor and use the word processor's column function to arrange the
filenames on the page as you wish them to appear.  Each of these options
has advantages and disadvantages which you'll discover if you try them.


* OPTION SEVEN: QUIT THE PROGRAM
Actually, you don't have to hit the 7 key to exit.  Any character other
than 1 through 6 will exit DLRK.


HELPFUL HINTS
Telemate usage logs can become large in a short amount of time.  To
keep from having to sort through every download in the log everytime
you update the data, Download Recordkeeper keeps track of the date
and time of the most recent addition to its data file(s), and will
only analyze log entries made after that point.  So, an internal clock
or accurate date and time entries at start-up are necessary for the
program to operate properly.

It's a good idea to either delete or rename your Telemate Usage Log when
it becomes sizable.  I start a new usage log at the beginning of each
month.  If you want to keep your old usage logs, just rename the active
log periodically and let Telemate start a new usage log.  The smaller the
usage log, the less searching the program must do before it begins the
actual work.

Remember that DLRK will only register downloads which were acquired
*after* your most recent update.  So, if you plan to update your data
file(s) from old usage logs you've kept from the past, you should start
with the oldest usage log and work your way forward chronologically.  If
you've already updated from your current usage log and now you want to go
back and pull filenames from old usage logs, use an ASCII text editor
to change the second and third records in ALPHA.DNL and EXTEN.DNL to 0.

If you use a version of Telemate other than v4.12, its usage log will be
compatible with DLRK only if it uses the same format as Telemate 4.12.
See IF DOWNLOAD RECORDKEEPER WON'T WORK below for the proper format.

You might want to keep a hard copy of one of the data files at your
computer so you can refer to it when you decide to download new files.
The list(s) should make it easy to find a filename.  Or, you can always
drop to the DOS shell from Telemate, and then run DLRK's Filename Search
feature while you're on-line.

There may come a time when you want to delete certain filenames from
your data file(s).  If so, just use a standard ASCII text editor and
delete the filenames in question.  Just don't delete or edit any data
in the first three lines.  The list of filenames begins on line five.
Also, you don't have to worry about editing the fourth line, which
contains the number of filenames in the data file(s).  DLRK will always
count how many filenames there actually are, no matter what the fourth
line indicates.  Finally, be sure to save your data file(s) in ASCII
text format.

ONE FINAL HINT: No matter how you use it, DLRK will not do you much good
unless you keep your data file(s) updated.


IF DOWNLOAD RECORDKEEPER WON'T WORK
> First, make sure that the data files (ALPHA.DNL, EXTEN.DNL, SETUP.DNL,
  ALPHAPRN.DNL, and EXTENPRN.DNL) are all in the current directory when
  you run DLRK.

> Next, make sure that your copy of Telemate is actually maintaining a
  usage log.  See your Telemate manual or help menu for information on
  configuring Telemate to maintain a usage log.

> Next, make sure you have configured the program setup to match your
  system setup (Option 3 from the Main Menu), especially with regard to
  the name and path for the Telemate Usage Log.  See MAIN MENU OPTION
  THREE (1) above for more information.

> Make sure that the version of Telemate you're using keeps a usage log
  in the format of the following example:

17:36:20 10-13-92  Begin session
17:36:20 10-13-92  Online
17:36:20 10-13-92  Connect to BOB'S BBS
17:41:46 10-13-92  Receive-Z FILE1.ZIP (93K) success, transfer time 00:00:51
17:44:10 10-13-92  Receive-Z FILE2.ZIP (270K) success, transfer time 00:02:29
17:49:55 10-13-92  Send-Z DLRK301.ZIP (74K) success, transfer time 00:00:45
17:55:33 10-13-92  Offline
17:55:39 10-13-92  End session

  Your Telemate Usage Log should be in the above format.  Note the HH:MM:SS
  (military) arrangement of the time and the MM-DD-YY arrangement of the
  date.  Also note one space between the time and the date, and two spaces
  between the date and the log notation.  The usage log MUST be in this
  format for Download Recordkeeper to extract data from it properly.

> If DLRK won't pull new download filenames from your usage log, even
  though you know new filenames are there, check the 2nd and 3rd records
  of your data file(s) against the most recent download dates in the usage
  log.  These 2nd and 3rd records contain the date and time, respectively,
  of the most recent download DLRK has recorded.  They should contain
  something like 920818 and 131026, which translate to 92-08-18 (the date)
  and 13:10:26 (the time).  (The 3rd record could contain something like
  62015, which would translate to 6:20:15 a.m.  Any time notation before
  10:00 a.m. will have fewer than the normal six digits in its record
  length.)  Now, the program will only extract downloads from the usage
  log with a date/time that's LATER than the date/time of your most
  recent update.  DLRK will ignore any log entry dated before the date/
  time of your most recent update

  So, if you need DLRK to pull downloads dated before the date/time
  of your most recent update, use an ASCII text editor to change the
  2nd and 3rd records in your data file(s) to a date/time that's before
  the date/time of the log entries in question.  Be sure to keep the
  2nd and 3rd records in the YYMMDD and HHMMSS form (no hyphens or
  colons).  Or, simply set both the 2nd and 3rd records to 0 in order
  to start at the very beginning.  To avoid this trouble, keep your
  internal clock accurate, or be sure to input accurate dates and times
  at start-up.  Or if you're trying to pull downloads from several dif-
  ferent usage logs, always update from the oldest log first.

> If you're reading this on or after January 1, 2000, and you were using
  DLRK before the turn of the century, then use an ASCII text editor
  to change both the 2nd and 3rd records of your data files to 0 for
  your first update *after* 2000 starts.  Otherwise, DLRK won't pull
  any filenames from your Telemate Usage Log which were acquired after
  the year 2000 started.  If you read the previous paragraph, you can
  figure out the reason.  (However, I kind of doubt that anyone will
  still be using the same hardware, operating system, and software in
  the year 2000 that we're now using in 1993.  I'm just trying to cover
  all the bases.)

> If you've taken care of all the above conditions, and the program
  still won't work, you might have found a bug that escaped my scrutiny.
  Make note of the circumstances surrounding the failure, and the error
  code displayed at the failure, and contact me using my CIS account, my
  Internet account, my Prodigy account, or my mailing address, all denoted
  near the end of this document.  Please include as many details about the
  problem as possible.


THE ORIGIN OF DOWNLOAD RECORDKEEPER
I decided to write the program after I began to download files from
CompuServe and various bulletin board systems.  After I had downloaded
a certain number of files (some of which I kept, and some of which I
discarded), it became more and more difficult to remember right off
the top of my head which files I had already downloaded.  Specifically,
I would be looking through a BBS's list of downloadable files, while
on-line, thinking something like, "Hmmm, that file sounds pretty good.
I think I'll download it," only to discover later that I had already
downloaded the file previously.  Naturally this was pretty frustrating,
especially if I wasted long-distance time or added a debit to my
upload/download ratio by needlessly downloading the same file twice.
Surely I'm not the only one to suffer from such an experience.

Of course, many communication programs will allow users to display
a directory of their own files while on-line, and many times I used
this option to try to keep from performing repeat downloads.  However,
this course of action can quickly become tiresome if you have to search
through multiple directories.  Furthermore, it is of no use at all if
you have already deleted the first download from your hard drive.

So, after a number of wasteful repeat downloads, I decided to write
Download Recordkeeper.  I think it's comprehensive, effective, and
easy to use.

If you have trouble with the program you can't fix, drop me some e-mail
or send me a letter as denoted below.  I've built in some error-trapping
routines to handle the most likely errors you might encounter, but I
realize that some could fall through the cracks.  If an error pops up
that Download Recordkeeper isn't programmed to handle, it'll be called
a "fatal error."  Make note of the circumstances in as much detail as
you can, let me know about the problem, and I'll fix it.


HOW TO REGISTER YOUR COPY OR CONTACT THE AUTHOR
Download Recordkeeper was written by Allen Brown.
CIS 72760,667
Internet [e-mail]
Prodigy MMMJ81A
All rights reserved.

This modest program is SHAREWARE.  If you keep it and use it, you are
obligated to send $5.00 (quite a reasonable price, I believe), or what-
ever you think the program is worth, to:

Allen Brown
P.O. Box 681
Gulf Shores, Alabama  36547
USA

On the other hand, if you have not registered the program, you can
still contact me about it.  I'm willing to discuss DLRK with you,
whether you've paid for the program or not.

This program is presented "as is."  The author will not assume
responsibility for any data mishaps (not that any disasters could
happen anyway).  Feel free to send comments, suggestions, or bug
reports.  Registered users who donate at least $5.00 will receive
notice of program updates by providing me with their CompuServe,
Internet, and/or Prodigy user ID's.

Upload DLRK301.ZIP to any BBS you like, as long as you include all
the original files.


DOWNLOAD RECORDKEEPER FOR MODEM PROGRAMS OTHER THAN TELEMATE
If you would like a version of DLRK for some other modem program,
drop me a line and I'll see what I can do.  Include a sample usage
log (computer file, not hard copy) of the modem program in question,
containing various examples of download notation.  As of this writing,
I already have another version of DLRK for Telix.  Theoretically, DLRK
could be modified for any program which records downloads in a usage log.


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many thanks to Bob O'Lary for his specific advice and for his general
words of wisdom.  (Call Bob's BBS at 904-656-6178, 8-N-1.)

Telemate Copyright (C) 1988-94 White River Software

Download Recordkeeper was written with MS QuickBASIC 4.50 on a 386/33
machine operating under DR DOS 6.0.  I hope the program proves useful
to you.  It works great for me.

Thanks for supporting the shareware concept!  Only you can make
shareware work.  If you use DLRK and Telemate, please give serious
consideration to registering them.  Upgrades and advances are made
possible only by users who honor their shareware obligations.


THE END