Copyright: Copyright 1998 Howard Swinehart


Contents

What Is Binary Boy?

Getting Started

Searching Overview

Search Dialog

Global Search Strings Dialog

Group Lists

Group List Editor

Newsgroup Refresh

History File Dialog

Wildmat

Scheduling Overview

Schedule Editor

Shortcut Keys

Sleep Until Event

Files Dialog


What Is Binary Boy?

Binary Boy searches internet newsgroups for pictures, sounds and other files matching your search criteria.  Most internet service providers run a news server.  Check your documention for the news server address.  Usually it's something like news.yourisp.com

Features

 Easy Searching and Filtering using AND, OR and NOT.  Example: ".jpg" AND (car OR cycle)

 Find missing parts or files from other Binary Boy users who are online.

 Unattended scheduled searches so you can download while you sleep.

 Searching and filtering globally, within a list of newsgroups, and specific to a single newsgroup.

 Filter based on any header line

 Reassembles UUencoded files split across several articles or even across multiple servers.

 Decodes MIME Base-64 and Quoted-Printable articles


Getting Started

1. Adjust Settings

Click the Settings toolbar button and make sure the information under the Server and Dialer tabs is correct.  Binary Boy won't work without knowing the server address.

2. Optionally Update the Newsgroup File

A list of newsgroups is included in the distribution, but it is incomplete.  You can refresh the newsgroup file by clicking on the Newsgroups toolbar button.

3. Group Lists

Binary Boy requires a group list to search.  A sample list named sample.lst is included but you will probably want to create several of your own.

You can create a group list by clicking on the Group Lists toolbar button.

4. Start Searching

Click the Search toolbar button and fill out the search dialog to start searching.  Try searching for .jpg OR .gif to find pictures.  Check the Auto option for an automated search or uncheck it to browse manually.


Searching Overview

Binary Boy uses simple expressions based on the keywords AND, OR and NOT to search for and filter file attachments.

For example, the search string Beavis OR Butthead would download any article whose subject contained either the word "Beavis" or the word "Butthead".

The text matches even if it appears within another word.  For example, a search for "truck" matches the subject "My cool firetruck.jpg".

.jpg AND baseball would download the article only if both ".jpg" and "baseball" appeared in the subject.

Text within quotes is treated as a single word: .wav AND "bugs bunny"  If you need to search for a special keyword such as AND, OR or NOT, you must put them in quotes.

You can create more complex expressions with parentheses: ".jpg" AND (skiing OR "speed skating") AND NOT luge would find jpeg pictures of both skiing and speed skating but would discard subjects containing "luge".

The comma works similar to OR.  You can use it to separate several expressions in a single search string.  For example, gif OR .jpg, .mpg, .mp3 AND "Pink FLoyd" will match if the subject contains .gif or .jpg or if it contains .mpg or if it contains both .mp3 and Pink Floyd.

You can replace AND, OR and NOT with the symbols &, | and !.  So the above expression is equivalent to: ".jpg" & (skiing | "speed skating") & !luge

You can use the * and ? wildcards in both quoted and unquoted text.  * matches any string of characters and ? matches a single character.  The string *.jpg finds all jpg files.  The string  *.?pg finds both jpg and mpg files.

A string will match even if it appears in the middle of a word: ell matches the subject Hello

Search and filter strings are case-insensitive.  olyMPICS matches Olympics.

You can reduce a lot of wasted download time by preceding your search string with the file extensions you're looking for: (.jpg | .gif) & baseball

Click the Search toolbar button on the main window to start a search.

Filtering

Filter strings have exactly the same syntax as search strings.  However, any subject matching a filter string is discarded even if the subject matches the search string.  Use filter strings to avoid downloading spam and other unwanted articles.


Search Dialog

The Search For string is compared to the subjects in the next search.  If this search field is blank, Binary Boy will still search for the global, list and newsgroup strings.

The Filter string is compared to the subjects in the next search.  If this search field is blank, Binary Boy will still filter using the the global, list and newsgroup filter strings.

Group List To Search is the list of newsgroups to search during this run.  sample.lst is provided to get you started.

Search New Articles

Starts searching from each group's "next article" pointer and updates the pointer when finished.

Search Last nnn

Searches the nnn most recently posted articles.  If the highest article number is 2000 and your starting point is "Last 300", the search will begin at article 1700

Search Last nnn New

The same as Search Last nnnexcept it does not search articles you've already scanned. If the available articles range from 1000 to 2000 and you've searched up to 1800, both "Last 300" and "Last 200" will start at 1800. "Last 100" will start at 1900.

Search All

Searches from the first available article in the newsgroup to the last.  If the lowest article number is 1000 and the highest is 2000, the search will start from 1000 and end at 2000.

Hang Up When Finished - If you have filled in the dialing information during installation or in the Settings | Unattended Dialing dialog, Binary Boy can hang up after the search is finished.

Auto - Automatically advances through all newsgroups in the list and downloads matching files.

Loop - Starts over after it searches the last newsgroup.

Auto Next - Automatically advances through the newsgroups until the search string is found.  This option does not automatically download the files unless the Auto option is also checked.


Progress Tab

The progress tab displays subject and progress for each download connection.  You can change the number of connections from the Server tab in the settings.

Right-click menu and buttons

Stop - Stop all downloads without removing the articles from the queue.

Go - Start downloading articles again.

Skip All - Stop all downloads and clear the queue.

Skip - Cancel this download and remove the article from the queue.  All other downloads will continue.

Skip File - Cancel all downloads for the same file.  This is an easy way to skip a file that's split across several articles.

Skip Similar - Cancel this download and any others with similar subjects.  When comparing subjects, Binary Boy first strips common prefixes such as "Re:" and "REPOST", then makes two comparisons. If the subjects are the same except for digits or if the first third of the subject matches exactly, they are considered similar and are skipped.


Log Tab

This tab shows which articles have been downloaded and any server errors.


Queue Tab

Type a search string and click Remove to remove any matching items you don't want before they're downloaded.

Right-Click menu

Move Up - Moves the selected subjects up one line.  Articles will be downloaded sooner.

Move To Top - Moves the selected subjects to the top of the list.  Articles will be downloaded first.

Move Down - Moves the selected subjects down one line.  Articles will be downloaded later.

Move To Bottom - Moves the selected subjects to the bottom.  Articles will be downloaded last.

Move Similar To Top - Moves subjects that are similar to the selected subjects to the top of the list.

Move Similar To Bottom - Moves subjects that are similar to the selected subjects to the bottom of the list.

Reverse Order - Reverses the whole queue.  Files at the bottom are moved to the top and files at the top will become last.

Download Order - No Preference downloads the files in order from top to bottom.  Oldest First downloads the lowest article numbers first regardless of order.

High priority articles such as those marked by the Download Now command download first regardless of order.

Remove - Removes the selected articles from the queue.

Remove Similar - Removes articles from the queue that are similar to any of the selected items.

Remove does not stop active downloads.  Use the Progress tab.

Save Queue - Pro version only Saves the current list of articles to a .bbq file so you can shut down and continue the downloads later.  The .bbq file has the same name as the list.  For example, the queue for pictures.lst would save to pictures.bbq.

Load Queue - Pro version only Loads a previously saved queue.

Remove All - Removes all articles that aren't already downloading.


Search Tab

Click here for search string help.

Filter - Hide subjects matching this string.

Search - Show subjects matching this string.  The search and filter strings are applied the next time the newsgroup is refreshed or when you press the Search button.

Starting Point

New - Download new subjects only.

Last nnn  - Download the nnn most recent subjects.  If the highest article number is 2000 and your starting point is "Last 300" the search will begin at article 1700

Last nnn New - Same as "Last nnn" except it ignores subjects you've already scanned.  If the available articles range from 1000 to 2000 and you've searched up to 1800, both "Last 300" and "Last 200" will start at 1800. "Last 100" will start at 1900.

All - Download all available subjects.  If the lowest article number is 1000 and the highest is 2000, the search will start from 1000 and end at 2000.

Auto - Automatically downloads matching articles in all newsgroups.

Auto Next - Automatically advances through the newsgroups until the search string is found.  This option does not automatically download the files unless the Auto option is also checked.

Loop - Starts over after it searches the last newsgroup.

Buttons

Search - Apply the search and filter strings to the downloaded subjects.

Refresh - Download the subjects again.  The Starting Point option determines the range of subjects to retrieve.

Right-click the Refresh button to load subjects from the cache without going online.

Download - Download the selected articles.

Download All - Download all articles listed even if they aren't selected.

Prev Group - Move to the previous newsgroup and refresh the subject list.

Next Group - Move to the next newsgroup and refresh the subject list.

Close - Close the search session.

Right-Click Menu

Download All Parts Of - Download all parts of the selected file.  This is much more convenient than selecting each part.

Search without refresh - Same as the search button.

Download Now - Add the article to the top of the queue and download as soon as a connection becomes available.

Download All - Download all of the subjects that matched the search.

Queue For Later - Add selected files to the queue.  Start downloading when the Go button is clicked.

Force Download - Force an article to download even if it's been downloaded already.  This can overwrite an existing file with the same name.

Manual Download - If you know the article number, you can download it with this command.

Refresh - Download subjects using the Starting Point values.

Previous Group - Move to the previous newsgroup and refresh the subject list.

Next Group - Move to the next newsgroup and refresh the subject list.

Close - Close the search session.

Sort By - Sorts the subjects in many different ways.

Remember - Starts the next search after the highest scanned, the highest article actually downloaded or does not change the starting point.

The other commands are the same as the buttons.

List Options

Send text articles to text.txt - By default Binary Boy discards text articles.  This option stores the articles in text.txt for offline reading.  Use it to search job listings and other text.

Show only first part of files - Displays one subject per file instead of displaying all the parts.

Large/Small Subject List - Switches between a large and small subject list.  Also use Alt+R.

Disable History - A shortcut to quickly disable the history file instead of going through the Fiel menu.do the icons mean?

Full Green Disk - The file is completely available on the server.

Broken Green Disk - At least one part is missing, but part 1 is available so Dr. Binary might be able to assemble a playable file anyway.

Broken Red Disk - Part 1 is missing.  Dr. Binary probably won't be able to fix the file.


Newsgroup Refresh

There are three ways to download a new list of newsgroups from your news server.

Download All Newsgroups

This option can take several minutes.  It retrieves the complete list of newsgroups available from your news server.

Match with Search & Filter strings

Downloads the complete list but keeps only the newsgroups matching the search string and not matching the filter.  The newsgroup list can be much smaller if your search string is specific.

Wildmat search

If your server supports this feature, it will send only the groups matching the wildmat string.  This is the fastest option because the news server filters the list locally instead of sending the whole list across the connection.  A useful application of this feature is to do a quick download of just the binary groups like this: *binaries*

Cache subjects on disk - Stores subjects on disk so the next refresh needs to download less information.


Update

Do not retrieve any information

Disables all contact with the Binary Boy web site, including upgrade notifications, news and title information.

Do not notify me of new news

Does not display the "News" button in the status window when an unread news item is available from the Binary Boy web site.

Do not update the title of the main window.

Leaves the default title on the main window even if a new title is available from the web.

Upgrade Notifications

Never - Never displays the upgrade button.

Major rewrites only - Displays major upgrades only: 2.0, 3.0, etc...

Minor upgrades - Displays upgrade button when a new point release is available: 1.2, 1.3, etc...

Every beta build - Notifies you of every change in the beta.

See the Privacy section for more information.

Binary Boy Mailing List

Subscribe - Subscribe to the mailing list. Click and send the email it creates.

Unsubscribe - Unsubscribe from the mailing list. Click and send the email it creates.


Proxy

Connect through SOCKS server.

When this option is checked, Binary Boy connects to the news server through a SOCKS 5 server.  Normally this option should be off.

Address

Address of the SOCKS server.  This is not the address of your news server.

Port

Port of the SOCKS server.  This is usually 1080.

Username

Username used to connect to the SOCKS server.  If you don't need a username, leave this field blank.

Password

Password used to connect to the SOCKS server.  If you don't need a password, leave this field blank.

Use HTTP proxy.

Binary Boy retrieves news and upgrade notfications by contacting the web site.  Enable this option if you need to go through a proxy to reach the web.  Do not enable this if your upgrade notifications are already working.

Address

Address of the HTTP proxy server.  This is not the address of your news server.

Port

Port of the HTTP proxy server.  This is usually 1080.


Log

All options except the log window write to log.txt in the Binary Boy folder.

Enable Log Windows.

Writes download activity to the Log tab when a search session is open.  Also displays activity when downloading newsgroups.

Main log.

This is the main log option.  It shows each subject along with the search or filter string that matched, any header filter options that matched and general debugging information.  Use this if you want to know why Binary Boy refuses to download an article.

Log decoding activity.

Logs information concerning the assembling and decoding of articles after each download.

Log startup and shutdown info.

Logs several checkpoints during startup and shutdown.  If Binary Boy fails to run or hangs on exit, this will show what it tried to do just before the crash.

Log low level internet activity.

Logs the amount of data available for reading on each socket and how much of it Binary Boy attempts to read.

Log search/filter result for every subject.

Fo each subject, log which filter eliminated the subject from the results or, if no filters matched, log the search string that matched.


Wildmat Pattern Matching

Wildmat

Wildmat patterns are used by this program only when refreshing the newsgroup list.  All other searches use a boolean AND, OR, NOT search.

The Wildmat Format

A wildmat pattern is anchored at the beginning and end of the line unless it is preceded or appended with a wildcard character.

* (asterisk) matches 0 or more characters.  alt.binaries* matches all newsgroups that start with "alt.binaries".

? (question mark) matches a single character.

A list or range of characters can be grouped in square brackets: [abcj-m] will match a, b, c, j, k, l, or m.  The dash may be included in the set if it is the first or last character.  The closing bracket ] can be included if it is the first character.

^ (caret) is used as a logical not with a set of characters by including it just after the opening bracket.  [^a-c] will match any character other than a, b and c.

Each of the special characters [, *, \, ? can be interpreted as a normal character by preceding it with a \ (backslash). Two backslashes together \\ are treated as a single backslash with no special meaning.


Shortcut Keys

Alt-A Open Attachments folder.

Alt-D Doctor Binary.  Assemble incomplete uuencoded sets.

Alt-J Join Master Splitter files. (Files with a 3-digit extension.)

Alt-M Decode a MIME file left behind in the attachments folder.

Alt-R Resize the subject list.

Alt-S Open a new search session.

Alt-T Binary Boy settings.

Alt-X Exit


Group Lists

A group list is a list of newsgroups selected from the master list.  Each group list can have its own search and filter strings.  It also maintains information for each newsgroup in the list, including a next pointer and search and filter strings.

It is convenient to create a group list for each kind of file you want to find.  For example, you might create a list named 'sports' containing sports newsgroups, another list for computer generated graphics, and another for sounds.

At least one group list must exist before you can start a search.

Edit or create a group list by clicking on the Group Lists toolbar button or by clicking on the Edit Group List or Create Group List button from the Search dialog.


Doctor Binary

Dr. Binary

Dr. Binary attempts to decode imcomplete sets and files containing errors.  Press Alt-D to start and select a part from the set to decode.  Binary Boy should fill in most or all of the necessary information about the file.  Click "Decode" to assemble and decode the parts.  Dr. Binary does not delete parts after it decodes them in case it fails to create a viewable file.

Set Name

The is the first part of the article file name that you want to decode.

Total Parts

The total number of parts that the complete set should have.  You don't necessarily need to actually have all these parts to produce a viewable file.

Destination Folder

The folder to store the decoded file.

Destination File

The filename of the file to create from the parts.

When you're downloading files, look at the icons on the subject list.  A complete green disk means the file is totally available on the server.  A broken green disk means some parts may be missing but at least part 1 exists.  Binary can usually decode these files.  If a subject has a broken red disk, the file is missing part 1 and probably can't be repaired.


Group List Editor

The group list editor allows you to create a new group list or modify an existing one.  Each search operates on a group list.

Server, Port, Username & Password

Change these settings to use a different server than the default.  Blank fields use the default values in the global settings.

List Search & Filter

Articles whose subject matches the search string and does not match the filter string will be downloaded.

These strings are used every time the group list is searched.  They apply to every group in the list.

Folder

If there is no folder assigned to the current newsgroup, downloaded files are stored here. If this field is blank, the main attachments folder (specified in the settings under the Files tab) is used.

Create Subfolders for Newsgroups

When selected, Binary Boy will create a subfolder for each newsgroup that contains files.  The folder will have the same name as the newsgroup.  You can use this option without having to enter a group folder or list folder name.

Group Search & Filter

Articles whose subject matches the search string and does not match the filter string will be downloaded.

These strings apply only to the selected group.

Next Article #

The next article to search in the newsgroup.  This number is not global.  The same newsgroup in a different list can have a different "next" article number.

Group Folder

When a file is downloaded from this newsgroup, the file is stored in this folder.  If this field is empty, the Group List Folder is used.

Chain To

The next list to run after this one finishes.

Save Group

Saves the newsgroup information to the list, but does not save the list to disk.

Cancel

Cancels the changes to the selected group if it hasn't been saved yet.

Remove Group

Removes the newsgroup form the group list, but does not save the list to disk.

Selected Groups

The groups in the list.  Click on a group name to edit its settings.  Right-click on the subject list to add a newsgroup manually.

Master List

The complete list of newsgroups.  Select the newsgroups you want to search and click on the Add button.

You can update this list by clicking on the Newsgroups button on the main window's toolbar.

<- Add --

Click this button to add the selected newsgroups to your group list.

Save List

Saves changes to the selected group and writes the group list to disk.

Save List As

Saves changes to the selected group and writes the group list to disk with a different name.

Set All To 0

Sets the message pointer in each group to 0.  The next search will start from the first article in each newsgroup.

Open List

Opens a different group list for editing.

New List

Creates an empty group list.

Delete List

Clears the group list and erases the group list's file.

Exit

Exit the editor and save if necessary.


Sleep

Reduces the program to an icon in the system tray and waits until it is time to perform an unattended search.  Binary Boy will start a scheduled search only when it is sleeping.

Double-click the newspaper icon in the system tray to wake from sleep mode.  Once a scheduled event is underway, you can wake Binary Boy without disrupting the download.

You can create an event in the schedule editor by clicking on the Schedule toolbar button.


Header Filter Dialog

Header Filter String

A filter string that is compared to each line of the header.

As the article is downloaded, Binary Boy compares each header line to the filter.  If any lines match, it cancels the download.

This is useful for filtering out articles based on header fields other than Subject, such as From, Organization and Keywords.  For example: ("From:" & "twit@somewhere.net")

Article is longer than...

Filters articles longer than the specified number of lines.

Article is shorter than...

Filters articles shorter than the specified number of lines.

File is larger than...

Filters articles containing files with an estimated size larger than this.

File is smaller than...

Filters articles containing files with an estimated size smaller than this.

Article is not part 1 of 1

Filters files that have been split into several articles.

File is incomplete

Filters files that aren't completely available from the server.

Part 1 is missing

Some files can be decoded even if some parts are mising, but part 1 is usually essential.  This option filters files that are missing the first part.

More than nnn parts

Filters files that are broken into too many parts.

Posted to more than

Filters articles that are posted to too many newsgroups.  Spam is often posted to several groups.


Header Filter String

As an article is downloaded, Binary Boy compares each header line to this filter.  If any lines match, it cancels the download.

This is useful for filtering out articles based on header fields other than Subject, such as From, Organization and Keywords.  For example: ("From:" & "twit@somewhere.net")


News Server Dialog

Address

The internet address of the news server.  Example: news.myisp.com

Port

The news port is usually 119.

Username  and Password

Your news server may not require a name and password.  If it doesn't, you can leave these fields blank.

Create n connections

Binary Boy can download up to 4 articles at once.  If your server doesn't support this, you can reduce the number of connections.

Timeout after nnn seconds

Give up and reconnect if the server takes too long to respond.

Bandwidth Throttle

Limit the average amount of data transferred per second.  This is useful if you don't want to slow other users on a LAN or other shared connection.

Delay after error

The time to wait before reconnecting after an error.

Delay after server rejection.

The server may reject a connection if you already have too many connections open or if the server is busy.  This delay gives the server time to close other connections or finish with other jobs.

Remember IP address.

After Binary Boy successfully looks up the server's address the first time, it can remember it until you close the program instead of looking it up before every connection attempt.


Dialing Dialog

Unattended Dialing Dialog

Permanent internet connection and Don't dial

Binary Boy will not try to dial the modem if either of these options are selected.

Dial using phone book entry

When this option is selected, Binary Boy will dial the selected phone book entry when starting a scheduled download.

Username and Password

The username and password needed to connect to the internet.  These are usually required and should be found in the documentation supplied by your internet service provider.

Delay before hanging up

When the delay is 1 second or longer, Binary Boy will give you a chance to stay connected instead of hanging up.  If you don't respond within the delay period, it will hang up automatically.  Set to 0 to always hang up immediately.

Hang up on connect error

Hang up and redial after a failure to connect to the server.  Normally this should be disabled.


Search Strings Dialog

Gloobal Search

The search string is compared to each subject retrieved from the news server.  If it matches, the complete article will be downloaded unless one of the filters are matched.

Global Filter

The filter string is compared to each subject retrieved from the news server.  If it matches, the article is not downloaded.  If there is no match, the header is compared to the header filter.

Use the check boxes to enable/disable any type of search rule.

Apply search/filters during subject download - Lowers memory requirements by eliminating unwanted subjects immediately rather than caching the entire list in memory.

Never - Keep all subjects in memory.  This enables you to search repeatedly without refreshing.

Always - Always filter subjects immediately.  With this option enabled, you will have to refresh the subject list to expand your search beyond the current results.

If more than - Automatically apply search/filters immediately only when retrieving a large number of subjects.  Cache all subjects only when refreshing a small number of subjects.


Files Dialog

Options for deleting old files.

Main Attachments Folder

If there is no folder assigned to the current group and current list, the downloaded files will be stored in this folder.  If this field is blank, the Attachments folder in the Binary Boy folder is used.

Main Parts Folder

Folder to store articles before Binary Boy assembles and decodes them.

Use separate parts folder for each newsgroup

Creates a subfolder in the Parts folder for each newsgroup.

Delete attachments older than xx days

Deletes downloaded files in the Attachments folder if the file is older than the number of days specified.

Delete unassmbled parts older than xx days

Deletes any file part in the Parts folder older than the number of days specified.  Parts are also deleted automatically after the complete set has been reassembled.

If a downloaded filename already exists

Rename New File - Appends the new filename with a number to make it unique.

Replace Existing - Overwrites the existing file with the new file.

Discard New File - Keeps the original file and deletes the new file..

Save subject to description file

Saves the article's subject to an ACDSee description file.  If a Content-Description field is available in a MIME article, it will be saved instead of the subject.

Don't delete BBT files

Normally Binary Boy deletes the parts (.BBT files) after a successful decode.  This option preserves the parts.  The auto delete option still applies even when this option is enabled.

Stop if disk space drop below nnn MB

Stops downloads when free disk space runs low.  Enter the number of megabytes that must be available.


GUI Tab

Minimize to system tray. - Shows only the tray icon when minimized rather than an icon on the taskbar.

Enable Sound. - Enable sound notifications.  Disable for quiet operation.

Display a single row of tabs in the settings. - Uses a single line of tabs rather than showing all in multiple rows.  This is applied after you close the settings window.

Use Explorer when viewing folders. - Opens WIndows Explorer when opening Attachments and Binary Boy folder.

Show bandwidth speed in KB per second rather than K bits per second. - Modems speed is generally given as kilobits per second such as 56.6 for example.  This option allows you to see the speed in kilobytes per second instead.

Disable splash screen. - Don't display an image during startup.

Display the downloaded picture. - Pro version only Displays a picture window after each jpg is downloaded.  Stretch/Shrink the image by resizing the window.

Hide picture window when sleeping. - Hides the picture window while Binary Boy is in sleep mode.


Sound Tab

Binary Boy Open. - Sound played when Binary Boy starts up.

Binary Boy Close. - Sound played when Binary Boy shuts down.

Blank fields play a default sound.  Disable sounds from the GUI tab in the settings.


Folders Dialog

In addition to searching the history file for already downloaded files, Binary Boy can also scan a list of folders.  Enter one folder name per line in the edit box:

D:\Pictures

C:\Program Files\Binary Boy\Attachments

The destination folder is scanned automatically so you don't need to add it to the list.


Twits Dialog

Twit Filter

The twit filter allows you to ignore posts by spammers and other annoying posters.  If the "From" line in an article matches any of the rules in twits.txt, the article is ignored.

The filter rules have the same format as search and filter strings.  Each can be as simple as an email address or it can contain logical operators AND, OR and NOT as well as wildcards.

Add or remove twit rules on the Twits tab in the settings or edit twits.txt directly with a text editor while Binary Boy is closed.

Example rules:

*@spamco.com - filters all articles from the spamco.com domain.

(tom or steve) and "@spampalace.net" - filters articles from either steve or tom at the spampalace.net domain.

"ispamalot@spamcentral.com" - filters articles from the user ispamalot@spamcentral.com


Scheduled Events

Binary Boy can dial the modem at a scheduled time, execute a search, then hang up.

To enable this feature, make sure the dialing settings are set properly by clicking on the Settings toolbar button from the main window and selecting the Dialing tab.  If the settings are not correct, Binary boy will be unable to dial.

Next, schedule an event using the schedule editor by clicking on the Schedule toolbar button.

Finally, click Sleep until event under the File menu on the main window to tell Binary Boy to wait for a scheduled event.


History

The history file optionally records the name of each file and the id of each article that is successfully downloaded and decoded so you don't waste time downloading the same thing twice.

Remember filenames for xxx days.

Records each downloaded filename so the same file isn't downloaded again.  It holds each filename for the number of days specified before deleting the entry.

Do not remember numeric filenames

Allows filenames containing nothing but digits and an extension (such as 1234.jpg) to be downloaded even if the same filename has already been downloaded.

Auto save every nnn minutes

Automatically saves the history file every few minutes instead of only at shutdown.

Remember Message Ids for xxx days.

Every article has a unique id.  Binary Boy can remember each downloaded id so you don't download the same article again.

Delete

If the list contains filenames that you want to download, you will have to remove them from the list or temporarily disable the filename history.  Select the filenames you want to delete and click the delete button.

Close

Closes the history file window.

Import

Load filenames from a text file, folder or disk/CD and optionally search subfolders.  Text files should contain one filename per line.

The file list

These files have already been downloaded.  Binary Boy will not attempt to download any of the files listed.  To remove filenames from the list, select the names and click the delete button.


Schedule Editor

Click on an event in the list to edit, or click the Add New Event button to create a new event.

Event Type - An event can trigger every day at the same time or just once on a specified date.

Date - The date or time to trigger the unattended download.

Group List - The group list to search.  This is the same as on the Search dialog.

Search & Filter - The text to search for and filter.  All of the search and filter strings in the list as well as the global search & filter strings will also be active during the search.

Search New Articles - Starts searching from each group's "next message" pointer and updates the pointer when finished.

Search Last nnn Articles - Starts searching at the specified number of articles below the highest in the newsgroup.  This is generally faster than Search All.

Search ALL Articles - Searches from the first available article in the newsgroup to the last.

Search Last nnn New - Similar to Search Last nnn but does not search old articles.  This updates the "next message" pointer.

Time Limit - The amount of time in hours and minutes that the event can run before closing.  Set to 0 for no limit.

Loop - Repeatedly searches the group list either forever or until the time limit expires.

Hang Up - Hang up after the search.  Normally this should be enabled.  This option is ignored when the Continuous option is enabled.  You can force events to hang up even if this option is off by using the global "Hang Up When Finished" option under the Connections menu.

Cancel Changes - Cancels changes to the event if it hasn't been saved.

Save Changes - Saves changes to the event.  The event is also automatically saved when you click on a different event or exit with the Save button.

Save - Saves all events and exits.

Cancel - Cancels changes to the schedule and exits.

Add New Event - Create a new event.

Delete Event - Removes the event from the schedule.

Continuous - Ignores the start times and continuously runs one event after another.


Privacy

Privacy Information

Newsgroup searches - Binary Boy never sends your group lists or newsgroup search strings to anyone regardless of which options are selected.  All searches except the "wildmat" newsgroup name search (Settings | Newsgroups) take place on your own computer.  The search strings never leave your own computer.  Only you and your news server ever see which newsgroups you read.

BBNet - BBNet is a peer-to-peer network of Binary Boy users who search and share one anothers files.  It works similar to Gnutella.  Search strings entered in the BBNet window are broadcast to many other computers.  When you search for a file in the BBNet window, other computers running BBNet receive the search string, search their own attachments folders for matching files, and then send the results back to you.  If you have the BBNet window open, others may search your attachments folder just as you can search theirs.  Consider all of your BBNet searches and downloads to be publicly viewable.  To disable BBNet, close the window and disable it on the GUI tab in the settings.

Upgrade Notifcations - Binary Boy sends the following information to the web in order to retrieve the correct upgrade and news information.

Version - Your version number, edition (Pro, Softdisk or Ad) and a beta/non-beta flag are sent to retrieve the correct upgrade information and an appropriate window title.

News Item - The id of the latest news item you've read on the Binary Boy site is sent so the news page can suppress news you've already read and notify of new news.

Email - binaryboy.com never sells or gives away your email address.  You will not receive unsolicited email from binaryboy.com unless there is a problem with your order.


BBNet

BBNet is a live network of Binary Boy users who chat and share file attachments with one another.  If your news server has an incomplete post or if it doesn't have what you want, try searching BBNet.

Quick Start

To get started, go online and click Connect To BBNet on the Connection menu.  BBNet will take a few moments to find other users.  When you're connected, you can chat by typing a message and pressing Enter.

Searching and downloading is simple.  Search for a file by typing a search rule and clicking Search just as you would search newsgroups.  For example, *.jpg finds jpg picture files.  You'll receive a maximum of 10 results per server.

If anyone has matching files, a result window will open and display the filenames.  Double-click to download the file or select the files you want and click the down arrow on the toolbar.

Buttons

Say - Send a chat message to other Binary Boy users.

Search - Send a search string to other computers on the network.  Any matching filenames will display in a separate window.  Double-click a filename to download.

Reconnect - Download a list of servers and try to connect.  Binary Boy will automatically try to reconnect if necessary.  This usually isn't needed.

Text Commands

Each command is preceded by a slash.  Enter the command and click Say.

/DOWNLOAD # - Download a file listed in /RESULTS.

/ERASE - Forget file list.

/GET setting - Show the value of a setting.  (See list of settings below.)

/HELP or /? - Show commands

/LOAD folder - Load filenames from folder and subfolders.  Example: /load "c:\pictures\*.*"

/ME action - Emote or perform an action in chat.  Example: b /me sits down would display John sits down in the chat window.

/RELOAD - Reload the file list that other users search.

/RESULTS - Lists all filenames found so far in the current search.

/S filename - Search for filename.  Use wildcards and AND, OR and NOT just like newsgroup search strings.  Example: /s Martina OR Hingis

/SE filename - Search your own file list.

/SET setting value - Change a setting to "value".  Omit the value to delete a setting.  Any value containing spaces must be wrapped in quotes.  For example, /set bbnetname "Space Cadet"

BBNet Settings

BBNet has several settings you can adjust.  To change a setting, type /set followed by the setting name, a space and the value you want to set it to.  For example, /set minout 2 changes the minout setting to 2.

To view a setting, type /get followed by the setting name.

The following settings are available:

autoreload - Number of minutes to wait before automatically refreshing the shared file list.  This makes new files available to other users automatically.

bbnetdebug - Set to 1 to display connect/disconnect messages.

bbnetname - Your chat name.  You can also change this with the edit box on the BBNet window.

httpport - The port downloaders will connect to.  Change this if another program is already using port 8080.  This will take effect the next time you start BBNet.

httpservertimeout - Seconds of idle time to wait before disconnecting from a downloader. Example: /set httpservertimeout 180

maxin - The maximum number of users who are allowed to connect to you.  Setting this too high will slow your connection.  Normally this should remain unchanged.

minout - The minimum number of outgoing connections to make.  Making more than three or four provides no benefits and only slows down your connection.  Normally this should be unchanged.

minspeed - When searching for files, don't accept results from systems slower than this.  The speed is measured in KB per second.  A dial-up modem is about 5 and a cable modem can be 50 or higher.

port - The port that BBNet uses to accept incoming network connections.  Change this if you have several servers at a single IP address.  You must restart BBNet for the change to take effect.

sharefolders - A comma separated list of folders to share with other users.  BBNet will load these automatically when it starts up.  Example: /set sharefolders "c:\Files\*.jpg, d:\movies\*.*"

showsearches - Set to 1 to display incoming searches or 0 to disable.  Example: /set showsearches 0

speed - Your connection speed in KB per second.  A 56k modem is typically 5, ISDN is about 12 and a cable modem could be 50 or more.  The speed will show up in other users' search results.

If you don't want BBNet to auto connect, disable it from the GUI tab in the settings.


Commandline
To use a command-line option, run Binary Boy from the Start | Run window.

You can also add command-line options to a shortcut.  Right-click the shortcut, click Properties, click the Shortcut tab and add the command-line options to the end of the Target field outside of any quotes surrounding the filename.

Example: binboy.exe -Close -Quiet

Command-Line Arguments

-Close - Close Binary Boy when the search is stopped or completed.

-ExitWindows - Shutdown the computer after closing.

-LTP - Runs Binary Boy as a low priority process.  It will run slower but use less CPU time.

-Multi - Run Binary Boy even if another instance is already running.

-NoFont - Binary Boy uses a larger font on large monitors.  -NoFont forces it to use the standard font instead.

-NoTray - Does not display the newspaper icon in the tray.

-Quiet - Does not play the startup and shutdown sounds.

-Sleep - Starts Binary Boy in sleep mode.

-Text - Normally text articles are discarded.  This option will dump text articles to the file text.txt.  It's more convenient to enable this option for your list by right-clicking on the subject list and going to the List Options submenu.

-ThreadClose - Uses a separate thread to close connections.

filename.lst - Loads the group list file and performs a search.

Note: Because Binary Boy accepts long filenames containing spaces, the filename must come after the switches unless it is enclosed in quotes.

Debug switches for logging to log.txt

-Log - Log debugging info to log.txt during each search.  This is the main log.

-DLog - Startup/Shutdown logging.

-DecLog - Log decoding activity.

-ILog - Enable low-level internet logging.

-RLog - Log dialer activity.

-TLog - Timer log.

To use a command-line switch every time you run the program, put the switch in the binboy.xml file like this:

<Settings>

       <Switches>

          <threadclose>1</threadclose>

           <notray>1</notray>

           <quiet>1</quiet>

       </Switches>

</Settings>


Credits
Beta Testers

Thanks to the beta testers for surviving the bugs and making suggestions:

Miklós Angi-Lázár

Steven Wang

Njaal Stabell

Lasse Haavisto

Jo Kleivan

Ed Batutis

Roald Hovind

Anthony DeLuca

Mark Holden

Robert R. Richardson

David Hamilton

Graphics

Binary Boy logo and CD cover by Shane MacIntyre.  Visit www.macintyre.net and www.WeComeToPlay.com

Additional Code

JpegFile class by Chris Losinger

jpeg library by Independent Jpeg Group

zlib compression code by Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler


Can't Connect to the Server

Problem:  Can't Connect to the Server

Possible Cause:  Some news servers such as Microsoft Network use a proprietary authorization protocol.

Solution:   Find a public access news server by clicking on "Find News Server" under the Help menu.  Click on one of the lists, then copy and paste the server address to the Binary Boy Settings under the Server tab.

Possible Cause:  The news server is case sensitive and you typed your name or password in the wrong case.

Solution:   Click the Settings button, click the Server tab and enter your name and password in lowercase.

Possible Cause: You entered the correct password in the wrong place.

Solution: If you want Binary Boy to dial the modem, enter your internet user name and password under the Dialer tab in the settings. If your news server requires a name and password, enter them under the Server tab in the settings.

Note:  Look at the last few lines of errorlog.txt in the Binary Boy installation folder to see specific error messages.


Scheduler Doesn't Work

Problem:  Scheduler Doesn't Work

Possible Cause:  Binary Boy will not trigger an event unless it is in Sleep Mode.

Solution:  Click on "Sleep Until Event" in the File menu when you want the scheduler to wait for scheduled events.  You can exit Sleep Mode by clicking on the newspaper icon beside the system clock.

Possible Cause:  The event has no group list to search or the group list doesn't exist.

Solution:  Click the Scheduler button on the toolabr, click on the event and select a group list.  Click on Save Event, then click the Save button at the bottom of the dialog.

Possible Cause:  The event is a "one time only"' type but you want it to trigger every day.

Solution:  Click the Scheduler button, click on the event, then click on 'Daily' in the upper left corner of the dialog.  Save the event and exit with the Save button.

Possible Cause:  Two events were scheduled for the same time.

Solution:  Change the time of one of the events.

Possible Cause:  Line was busy, server was down or other server problem.

Solution:  If the event is a 'Daily' type, it will try again next time.  For one time only events, the event fails after an error.

Note:  Look at the last few lines of errorlog.txt in the Binary Boy installation folder to see specific error messages.


Too Few Attachments Found

Problem:  Too Few Attachments Found

Possible Cause:  One of the filters is eliminating all articles.

Solution:  Make your filters more specific.  If any filter matches, the article will be discarded even if it matches a search string.  Also try unchecking the size and length filters in the Settings under the Header Filter tab.  You can see which filter is matching the subject by using the "Main Log" under the Logging tab in the Settings.  Remeber to turn off the log when you're finished because it slows down searches a lot.

Possible Cause:  All of the articles in the group list have been searched already.

Solution:  Binary Boy starts searching in each newsgroup from where it left off in the previous search.  You can start the next search from the first message by loading the list into the Group List Editor and clicking on the "Reset All to 0" button.  Then save the list and search again.

Note:  Look at the last few lines of errorlog.txt in the Binary Boy installation folder to see specific error messages.


Too Many Attachments Found

Problem: Too Many Attachments Found

Possible Cause:  The search string is too general.

Solution:  Use AND to narrow the search

Possible Cause:  The unwanted articles' subjects still match the search string.

Solution:  Use one of the filter strings to eliminate subjects containing specific text.  Also use the header and size filters in the settings under the Header Filter

Note:  Look at the last few lines of errorlog.txt in the Binary Boy installation folder to see specific error messages.