05/24/92 You may now run QWK/REP in what is called LOCAL mode. Don't confuse this with logging onto the BBS system in local mode and invoking QWK. It is a completely different concept. LOCAL mode is for those that wish to run QWK/REP in an unattended environment (i.e., an Event batch file). It also supports several Networking features. When run in LOCAL mode, QWK/REP will not issue any prompts. In QWKEXPRT, the Menu will not appear, nor will you be given the opportunity to select any Forums. It is a completely automated system whereby QWKEXPRT will export any new messages and place the QWK packet into a directory that you specify on the command line. REPIMPRT will automatically import messages from a REP file that is contained in the directory that you specify on the command line. LOCAL mode does not use the Sysop's user record (or any other legitimate user's record). This keeps the message pointers of the "LOCAL person" separate from those of real users. When exporting messages, LOCAL mode will NOT export ANY Comments or any messages that are NOT flagged as echo mail messages. When importing messages, LOCAL mode will set the high message number of the "special user" to the highest number in each of the message bases. The first step in setting up LOCAL mode is to go into the User Editor and create a new user called QWK REP: First : QWK Last : REP Password : Something you can remember This user is basically your Master QWK/REP user and can be considered to be the same as the Sysop but with its own user record. It is not necessary to register this user in any Forums unless you intend to export messages from a Private Forum. If that is the case, just register the user in those private Forums. The reason you do not want to register the user in the Public Forums is because you will have to enter into QWKREP and select the Forums you want this user to be able to Export, so you will save yourself double work by not pre-registering the user in the public Forums (QWKEXPRT will allow the user to select any Forum that is public, whether the user is a member or not). After creating the QWK REP user, you will next need to log on locally as this user and invoke the QWK command. The reason you have to log on as this user this one time is because in LOCAL mode, you will not have an opportunity to select any Forums. At the QWKEXPRT Menu, choose the Select Forums option and select those Forums that you want this LOCAL user to be able to Export. You may set 'Last Read' pointers if you want or you may simply do an Export (after selecting all the Forums) and discard the QWK packet. If you have a lot of Forums with a lot of messages in each Forum, either option you choose will take some time. If you do an Export and discard the packet, you will end up with quite a large packet and it will take some time to create it. If you choose to set the high message pointer for each Forum, you will have to select each Forum individually and type in the high number. Since you have to select each Forum any way, you might want to spend the extra second typing in the high number. It is up to you on how you set the inital high message pointers, but they DO need to be set to the high message number to keep from exporting messages that have already been exported. Your QWK REP user is now configured, and you may run QWKEXPRT in LOCAL mode. To do so, you must pass 2 extra parameters on the command line to QWKEXPRT: QWKEXPRT CONFIG_FILE LOCAL QWK_DIRECTORY 1 - CONFIG_FILE is the name of the QWKEXPRT configuration file. 2 - LOCAL is the flag that tells QWKEXPRT to run in unattended mode. 3 - QWK_DIRECTORY is the directory you want QWKEXPRT to place the QWK packet in. Do NOT use the root directory or you will find that the QWK packet will end up in the directory that you invoked QWKEXPRT from. As an Example: QWKEXPRT QWKREP1.CNF LOCAL D:\QWK A QWK packet will be created automatically. The QWK ID will be the one that is contained in your QWK configuration file. Note that a QWK packet will be created even if there are NO MESSAGES. The MESSAGES.DAT in this situation will contain only the 128 byte header record. The packet is created so that automated systems will not "break" at the absence of a QWK packet. Any program that is used to read the QWK packet should be able to detect that there is only a single 128 byte header and no messages and work without failing. To import messages, you must pass 2 extra parameters on the command line to REPIMPRT: REPIMPRT CONFIG_FILE LOCAL REP_DIRECTORY 1 - CONFIG_FILE is the name of the REPIMPRT configuration file. 2 - LOCAL is the flag that tells REPIMPRT to run in unattended mode. 3 - REP_DIRECTORY is the directory you want REPIMPRT to look in to find the REP packet. Note that you do NOT append the name of the REP packet to this directory path since REPIMPRT will use your NODEID.REP as the name. As an Example: REPIMPRT QWKREP1.CNF LOCAL D:\REP An REP packet will be imported automatically. All incomming messages will be flagged as having come IN from a network. This prevents the same messages from being exported (which causes duplicates and cross-linking of networks). On Export, any messages that are TO SYSOP will be changed to use the Sysop's real name as specified on line 9 of the configuration file. On Import, any messages that are to the Sysop's real name will be changed to SYSOP. Note that the LOCAL mode is NOT the same as Networking Mode. It is very similar in many respects (only messages with the 'echo' flag set will be exported), but it continues to write a QWK packet and read a REP packet. Networking Mode is just the opposite in that it writes a REP packet and reads a QWK packet (a node in a QWK/REP network needs a QWK packet to send to its Hub). Note that a DOOR.SYS file is not utilized in LOCAL mode. LOCAL mode is for specialized uses such as interfacing to FIDO messages. CAUTION: Do not specify the QWKREP Work directory as the location for the QWK and REP packets as this directory is automatically cleared when either program is run.