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1988-11-01
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4KB
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71 lines
Here's a preliminary version of the baremail utility. The name
is kind of a pun for me only; I formerly had a mail interface program
named BearMail. This one barely qualifies as a mailer, so...
It is designed to be used with a system running ConfMail. I tested it
with ConfMail v.3.31, but it should work with other versions as well.
The program periodically (and intentionally) erases the ConfMail
"high water mark" message, so do not be surprised.
Baremail uses the concept of marker messages, expanded to include
export messages, to serve as "high water marks". They are private
messages so cannot be seen by users.
The idea with baremail was this: directories would be created just
as if one were running an Opus or Fido system. ConfMail will toss
messages into this directory. These messages will be sucked into
rbbs via bm.exe; likewise new messages entered by callers would be
placed into the directory. Specifically, it is automated in my
batch files in this manner:
(1) bm export
(2) confmail import
(3) confmail maint
(4) bm import
The first step exports messages from RBBS conference files, placing them
into ConfMail directories (as if entered by a user on an Opus or Fido
system). The second and third steps do normal ConfMail processing,
pulling new messages into the conference directories, and scanning
conference directories for new messages to be sent to systems with
which you exchange echoes. Step four then takes those messages and
imports them into RBBS files. Messages entered on the BBS by users
will have ConfMail origin lines in the RBBS conference files after
this step. Messages in ConfMail directories are individually deleted
as they are successfully transferred to RBBS conference files.
Several things are interesting about this setup. First, it allows the
sysop to use ConfMail for all tossing and scanning, at least as far
as the interface to the external network mail world is concerned.
Also this means that the sysop can rely on ConfMail (or other compatible
utilities) to track volatile network standards changes, while baremail
remains merely a message importer and exporter. Second, mail to other
systems with which you exchange will not be affected by experiments with
or changes to baremail, since scanning takes place using ConfMail (some
messages that had been entered locally in RBBS conference files could
be affected in the event of a program malfunction, of course).
Here is the structure of the control file:
204/501 <----- Your net/node number, just like this, no zone please.
PC BEAR <----- The name you want substituted for "SYSOP" in the "from" field.
d:\rbbs\knowusm.def d:\mail\confs\knowus\ <--- the fully-qualified conference
file name followed by the fully
qualified ConfMail directory
name. Note the required trailing
backslash!
private=yes <--- if the private flag should be allowed on messages in
this conference file.
See the sample file included in the archive. The program is currently
written as a one-shot, so you need a control file for EACH RBBS conference
file you have. This does let you use different names to be substituted
for "sysop" in each conference, however.
Suggestions are welcome, flames to dev null.
Les
P.S. Please do your first experiments with this on COPIES of files
and directories until you feel comfortable.