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1980-01-01
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The RemoteAccess Random Page Selector
V.01
(C)1990 Sylint Skreemerz' Sophtwear
What it is:
The RemoteAccess Random Page Selector is exactly what the name implies. It
randomly selects a page (from the directory your pagers are in), copies it over
to your RemoteAccess directory, giving it the name of PAGE.RA.
How it works:
The process by which it works is not very complicated. Matter of fact, I
don't know that much about what I was doing, so here is basically the way that
it works:
Opens the file PAGE.CTL
Reads each line into the same variable
--Just to count the number of pagers
Then it randomly selects a number between
1 and the number of pagers.
It then goes through the list again, this time
only to the line number of the random number.
Takes the line number plus one and pulls the text
out from that line (plus one is to exclude the path)
Shells with a statement like, 'SHELL "Copy "+PAGENUM$+" "+RAPATH$'
--Simple concept.
Why I wrote it:
I wrote this program because I saw so many people in the ECHO RA_SUPPORT
talking about how there program can do this and that, and that it handles so
many pagers, and all that great stuff. So I thought, if all you want to do
is randomly select a page, why not have a small program to do it? So I wrote
this to do that purpose.
What you need to do:
First you need to create a directory. This directory must have atleast the
PAGE.CTL in it. You can actually have the PAGE.CTL file in any directory.
Most people will prefer to make a special directory so that they can also put
their pagers and the program in it. You MUST be in the directory that has
PAGE.CTL in it when you run the program! You must have BRUN45 somewhere in
your path.
This is IMPORTANT!!!!
You absolutely MUST have the name of every page that you want to use in the
PAGE.CTL file! If you have all of your pagers in the directory with PAGE.CTL
then all that is required is the page name and the extension, usually .RA.
If you have your pagers in a directory other that the one that your PAGE.CTL
is in, you must also supply the COMPLETE path to each page. The first line of
the PAGE.CTL MUST be the complete path to your RemoteAccess directory. You
cannot put a trailing backslash on the path! The best way to get all of your
pagers into the file is to do the following:
DIR > PAGE.CTL
This will put a directory listing into the file PAGE.CTL. Just edit the file
with a text editor and take out everything that is not needed. The file should
look like this when completed
C:\RA
(page1.pg)
(page2.pg)
(page3.pg)
(page4.pg)
(page5.pg)
(page6.pg)
(page6.pg)
(page7.pg)
The (page?.pg) is the name of the pager, such as AMERICA.RA.
My PAGE.CTL currently has 41 pagers listed, you can have up to 65535. That
equals out to about a 700k textfile of every file took 12 bytes. God help you
if you even come close to that number.
A sample PAGE.CTL file IS included....
Speed of the program:
The speed of the prgram is amazingly fast. I run on a 4.77 Mhz machine with
256k RAM and 2 floppy drives and it selects 1 page out of the 40 in less than 2
seconds. It has also been tested on a AT 12Mhz with 200 Meg drive space.
It only took long enough for the program display it message and it was done.
Also done with 40 pagers.
Now the dreaded:
i gurantee this program to do nothing. It runs on my system, and that is all
I know of it doing. If it turns you 4.8 gig hard drive into a Quantum 8" Full
Height 5 Meg, it won't be my problem.
A Plug:
Nothing is asked for the use of this program. But, if you wish to send, don't
let me stop you. If you send anything send 3 360k floppy disks. 2 for contri-
bution purposes and 1 so that I can send you back a copy of the latest version
with your BBS name and number on the display. Please include YOUR name, YOUR
BBS name, BBS phone number, and your, if any, Net/Node number in the form of,
(zone:net/node). Send to:
Sylint Skreemerz' Sophtwear
90 Denise Drive
Jacksonville, North Carolina 28540
USA
C/O Adam Wood
The latest version can be Freq'd from either (1:3614/104) or (1:3614/107),
or be downloaded from The Alfheim BBS (919)577-8172, or The MINUS World
(919)324-1391. The file to Freq' or D/l is RA_RPS. Old versions can be
requested as RA_RPS01.* or whatever the version # is of it.
If the programmers of RemoteAccess happen to read this, it would be nice to
for them to drop a line to me: Adam Wood, letting me know how THEY like the
program... I can be reached at one of the following nets or phone numbers
above.