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1991-06-16
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PATHS
Show the path a message takes within an echo.
Release 1b - June 1991
Copyright (C) 1991 by Graham Stair
What is PATHS?
--------------
PATHS is a program that will go through an *.MSG base and create a
"database" of information about the path a message takes to go through
that echo. The information collected in the database can then be reported
to a file in a format that is easy to understand.
The information that can be reported on is ...
.. what nodes have had a message pass through their system
.. how many messages have originated from a particular node
.. how many messages have passed through a particular node
.. the last time a message passed through or originated from a
particular node
Table of Contents
-----------------
What is PATHS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
How to use PATHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
How PATHS does it! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Other Program Offerings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
How to use PATHS
----------------
PATHS usage is ...
PATHS command message_directory {options}
where 'command' is one of the following ...
PROCESS Process a message directory for new messages and add them to
the message directories database.
REPORT Read the message directory database and produce a paths
report
'message_directory' is a directory containing *.MSG echomail type
messages.
'options' is any combination of the following options...
-a<address> The full <address> of YOUR node. This is in the form
'zone:net/node.point'. The .point is optional. This is used
to place your node in its rightful spot, at the top of all
the other nodes. This is needed because most mail processors
don't put the address of their own system in the messages
that stay on their system. This option is only needed for
the PROCESS command, REPORT ignores it. If you address is a
point-net address, better results will be obtained using the
fake point-net address.
-p<file> Used for REPORTing, <file> is the location the PATHS report
will be written too. If no -p option is used when a REPORT
is being generated, a default filename of 'MSG-PATH.PTH'
will be generated in the message_directory. This option is
only used by the REPORT command, the PROCESS command ignores
it.
-q Quiet operation, do not display copyright and other work in
process information.
-s Shareware notice.
-t Use the text date contained in the message header for any
date type calculations. This is usually the date the message
was originally written.
-v Verbose operation, show extra information about the work in
process
-w Use the binary date a message was written as opposed to the
default of using the binary date the message was received on
the local system. This option is mutually exclusive with the
-t option. The -t option takes precedent if both are used.
-? Short help information.
Examples
--------
PATHS PROCESS m:\msg\os2 -a3:711/409.0
This will process all the new messages that are in the
directory m:\msg\os2, using the binary date they were
received on the system for any date calculations. The
address of 3:711/409.0 will be added to end of all message
paths, it it not already there.
PATHS PROCESS m:\msg\os2 -q -w
This will process all the new messages that are in the
directory m:\msg\os2, -q will not give the percentage
progress status and -w will use the date the message was
written rather than the default of when the message was
received on the system. No address will be added to the
message paths, this assumes the processing nodes address is
already in each message path.
PATHS -s
Display the shareware notice.
PATHS REPORT m:\msg\msg\os2 -pc:\temp\os2.pth
Create the paths report for the message directory
'm:\msg\os2' into a file called 'c:\temp\os2.pth'.
How PATHS does it!
------------------
PATHS first gathers up all the message numbers in the specified message
directory, sorts them in reverse numerical order, then starts processing
them from the highest message back to the lowest. PATHS keeps track of
the last message it read from a previous PROCESS and will only process
back to that one, thus saving a lot of processing. Of course, if that
message gets deleted, then the whole message base will be read again, and
duplicate information will be created.
For each new message PATHS processes, it finds both the origin line and
the path line(s). It extracts the zone and point numbers from the origin
line (if it can) and applies them to the paths information (again, if it
can). If the <address> option has been specified, PATHS adds it to the
end of the path information. This path information is then written to the
database with either the date the message was received onto the system,
or the date it was written by the author.
Finally the reporting section, reads the database, and works out the
paths and writes it to a file.
Future
------
The following is what I have planned for future versions of PATHS. These
are in no particular order.
* Allow the size of the PATHS database to be at the SYSOP's
discretion.
* Read *.PKT directly, thus making PATHS a bit more BBS software
independent.
* Report PATHS with "another" node as the top most.
* Read and act on AREAS.BBS
* Dig some info out of the seen-by list.
History
-------
17 Feb 91 - Originally released as a subset of MSG
- Released for limited testing.
10 Mar 91 - Release 0a
- Changed name to PATHS.
- Started work on creating a database of PATHS for each echo
- Fixed crashing when finding a non-numeric *.MSG. eg OLDONE.MSG.
- Fixed so PATHS will look for '\n^APATH: ', instead of '^APATH:'.
This should stop most of the "false" paths when a PATH: is quoted
without removing the <ctrl> A.
02 May 91 - Release 1a
- Getting Zone and Point information from within the origin line if
it's available.
- Database is in place, but at this stage there is no control on how
big it will get.
- First general release.
16 June 91 - Release 1b
- Maintenance release.
- Added the -a<address> option. This gets around the problem of the
reporting nodes address not being at the top of the report. This
was because most mail processors don't update messages that remain
on the node with the nodes address. This confused PATHS.
- Ignored any "dates" that are older than 2 years and in the future
by more than 1 year. This should help some people produce some
stats on their message base, although its probably going to be way
off base.
- Added the -t option to read the "date" information from the text
part of the header. This is for those mail processors/editors that
don't use the "binary" date fields that have been remove from the
current standards. The standard says the date format should look
like this... '03 JUN 91 12:13:20' ...but a LOT of mail
editors do not conform to this "standard". PATHS will read this
format and one other that seems to be common...
'03 JUN 91 12:13:20' <note one space between year and hour>.
- Fixed up a problem where PATHS was ignoring all but the first
^APATH: line in QMAIL processed messages.
- Made PATHS more robust when dealing with its temporary file during
PROCESSing.
Other Program Offerings
-----------------------
The following program offerings are other software developed by myself
and distributed as shareware. If you would like any of them please
contact me.
GOOSE On-line password checker/changer/enforcer for OPUS 1.0x, OPUS
1.1x and MAXIMUS 1.0x. (DOS, OS/2 version in the works)
LOG Split and/or Merge OPUS/BINK/MAXIMUS style log files. (DOS and
OS/2)
RECURR Schedule recurring events. (DOS)
LOGMSG Log messages (incl disk space) to an OPUS/BINK style log. (DOS
and OS/2, source available)
MSG Report on information about a message area. (DOS and OS/2)
DATES Enhanced replacement for DAYNBR. (DOS and OS/2, source
available)
FILESIZE Reports a files size via an ERRORLEVEL (DOS and OS/2, source
available)
VPURGE With statistics and logging. This is enhancement I've added to
Bill Andrus's VPurge. Included in VPurge V4.09d and up. (DOS
and OS/2, source available)
VPSTATS A companion program to VPurge with statistics and logging to
consolidate the stats put out by VPurge. (DOS and OS/2)
XDEL Extended deletion program. It combines VDEL and KILLDIR into
one program. (DOS and OS/2)
License Information
-------------------
No warranty is given. If it breaks, or breaks something, try gluing it
back together.
PATHS is SHAREWARE, if you like it, send me a couple of dollars; a
postcard; a thank you note via netmail or something YOU have written. I
*DO* expect you to send me something, what it is, is totally up to you,
surprise me!
So far I haven't been too impressed with the responses to my shareware
registration requests, it's doesn't really encourage me to do anything
else and distribute it via shareware.
All donations, postcards, supportive comments, bug reports (with details)
and suggestions should be directed to
Graham Stair
FidoNet - 3:711/409.0
- or -
Graham Stair
PO Box 99
Pymble, NSW, 2073
Australia