NetCacheBack is a droplet AppleScript application, which analyses the Cache folder of Netscape Navigator and gives the real name and location to each cache file.
I love AppleScript. Let me try to talk about the NetCacheBack briefly in AppleScript-like language. :-)
Now, tell application "NetCacheBack" to move the cache files (* say "cache123000" *) in the cache folder of the application "Netscape Navigator" into the folder URL from the file "Cache log", and then rename it with the proper name of the URL (* say "index.html" *).
NetCacheBack is an AppleScript document, so it requires System 7.5 or later. Or, you need the relative scriptable Finder and other Scripting Additions.
*** IMPORTANT ***
For the Netscape Navigator 2.0beta users, please notice that my reverse-engineering on cache log database is not a perfect work. Maybe or not, I wonder the format of database will be changed in the future versions of beta or final release of 2.0. Even if so, I am catching up with the new frontier as possible. Please keep up on the future release of the helper program NetCacheResolver for a new cache log database.
• Changes since 0.9d4, October 22, 1995
Some rare case happens that cache file records are to be encountered with an exceptional field named “content-type”. Have you ever in the Web world met them? NetCacheResolver fails to resolve it properly. Fixed it.
• Changes since 0.9d3, October 15, 1995
NetCacheResolver returns the cache log records in the right order, sorted by Name, Date, Size, and others. Due to the sorting method, NetCacheBack can easily and rapidly search the database for the queried record. Typically it runs over 2 to 20 times faster than the previous version. Or, operating time on each query is kept constant, independently of the database size. This effect is made both with Netscape Navigator 1.1N and 2.0beta. For more information, please read the “Tips about running...” section of this readme document.
• Changes since 0.9d2, June 13, 1995
Now NetCacheBack works well for both versions of 1.1N and 2.0beta of Netscape Navigator. Among these versions, there comes about some changes in the record format of the cache log databases. If you are using the 2.0beta version, then NetCacheBack first tries to convert the 2.0beta’s cache log database to the new one in 1.1N format with a helper program NetCacheResolver.
• The Cache folder of Netscape Navigator is a treasury of WWW
During your netsurf on the Netscape Navigator, any HTML documents or image data you have read are stored temporarily in the Cache folder. Whereas the files are cached like below;
For 1.1N:
Cache log --- a database of cache files and actual URLs
cache123000-2 --- a HTML document or image file
For 2.0beta:
CCache log --- a database of cache files and actual URLs
cache123000.html --- a HTML document or image file
So, you can not find it out easily what they are.
• How NetCacheBack works?
For the 1.1N, suppose that a relation of files is described in the file Cache log;
When you drag and drop the cache file "cache123000-2" onto NetCacheBack icon, the file is renamed to "index.html" and then moved to the destination folder. If the folders do not exist, any new folder required is created automatically. Let me show the followings;
Beginning with the home page "index.html", you can netsurf to any documents hyper-linked to other HTML files or image data.
For the 2.0beta, NetCacheBack tries to get a Cache log data from the CCache log of 2.0beta with the help of NetCacheResolver. Or you can make a new Cache log file by hand to drag and drop the CCache log file onto the NetCacheResolver icon. If the Cache log file does exist and the modification date of Cache log is older than that date of CCache log, then this conversion will be proceeded automatically to renew the Cache log database. Once the Cache log file is created, NetCacheBack is not willing to discard the Cache log file even after the operation has finished.
• How to run NetCacheBack?
Just drag and drop cache files like "cache123000-2" (or "cache123000.html") in the Cache folder onto NetCacheBack icon. That’s all what to do. You can move the Cache folder anywhere. But, the file "Cache log" (or "CCache log") must be located in the same folder where the cache files are.
The attributes of the cache files are changed according to their document types. For instance, any HTML documents are changed to those of Netscape Navigator, and image files of GIF and JPEG are to those of JPEGView.
• Tips about running NetCacheBack
As to searching the database, it is a good idea to arrange the records in alphabetical or numerical order, such as sorted by “Name”, “Size”, “Modification Date”, and others. According to the viewing method of the Finder’s window, NetCacheBack tries to get the cache log database constructed in the corresponding order with the help of NetCacheResolver. Once disposed in the same order, the first item among the given cache files must come at the top position in the cache log database. The first comes first always, but not never last. In addition, after doing with the query, NetCacheBack removes the each record from the internal database to reduce the scale. Now, let me tell you what to do. You shall try to “Select All” cache files in the cache folder and drop them onto the NetCacheBack icon. Even though the large scale of database is, NetCacheBack will accomplish each query within 2 to 5 seconds.
• Known problems, and some wishes
1) It runs veeeeeery slowly. If the file size of Cache log (or "CCache log") is bigger, it runs much slower. Typically it takes about 5 seconds for each operation if the Cache folder contains about 100 files! Huum, there must be some room to optimize, I’m afraid. ;-)
2) When the many (how “many”?, maybe 100 or so) cache files are selected for the droplet application, NetCacheBack may accidentally abort the operation by the failure on manipulating the filename strings. Please try again with one file, then it will work well.
Or, please increase the application memory size from the “Get Info” dialog. Currently, it is set to “600KB”, which I think is adequate to everyone’s use, that is the Cache folder size is 5 MB or up to 500 cache files in it.
3) It is best for any HTML documents, whose HREF markup tags are written in a “relative pathname” style. If they are in “full pathname”, it is you who must pick up the parts and correct them. Some one says it is also the work for AppleScript, but isn’t it too hard? I am not sure, sorry. But I strongly believe that there is nothing impossible in the Web world. ;-)
• Files included are ...
1. NetCacheBack -- a droplet AppleScript application
2. NetCacheBack source -- a source code written in AppleScript
3. NetCacheBack readme -- just this file you are reading
4. NetCacheResolver -- an AppleScriptable helper application
5. NetCacheResolver readme
This is a freeware program. You can distribute it without any limitations.
• About the helper program NetCacheResolver ...
NetCacheResolver is a helper program that converts the 2.0beta’s CCache log datatabe to 1.1N’s Cache log one. It is an AppleScriptable application, such as responding and directly sending back the resolved records to NetCacheBack. For its source code, please find this companion program at the “info-mac” archive sites where I posted it separately.
