BBS Toolkit/BBS Toolkit.iso/remote/race140.zip/USERFIX.DOC

Text File | 1991-05-15 | 6KB | 201 lines

                            UserFix Version 1.00

                                   USERFIX
              Copyright 1991 Michael F. Janke All Rights Reserved





      Running USERFIX               USERFIX                      Page 1






                                Using USERFIX






      1.1  General Information

      USERFIX can perform the following functions:

           1.  Create/Rewrite LASTREAD.BBS

           2.  Create/Rewrite USERSXI.BBS

           3.  Reconstruct a trashed USERSXI.BBS

      USERFIX is provided on an "as-is" basis.  Since it's main  purpose
      is to attempt to recover trashed user files, under no cirumstances
      will I accept any responsibility for anything that may  happen  to
      your user files by using USERFIX.

      Please be aware that USERFIX does NOT open the  user  files  in  a
      shareable  manner.   There is no point in doing so because USERFIX
      is not something one would want to use while the user base  is  in
      use by another task.

      The first two functions, Create/Rewrite LASTREAD and  USERSXI  can
      be  handled  quite well with the utils supplied with RemoteAccess.
      In fact, RemoteAccess itself will rewrite those files if it  feels
      they  are  invalid.  These functions were placed in USERFIX during
      beta testing when there was a need and I saw no reason  to  remove
      them now that RA has been released.

      The third function is something that RA or its utils can't do.

      USERFIX will NOT correct a trashed USERS.BBS.

      USERFIX finds your user  files  by  getting  the  path  info  from
      RACE.CFG.   Since  USERFIX  is  only  meant to be distributed with
      RACE, you should have the RACE.CFG file.  If you don't, you  can't
      run USERFIX.





      Running USERFIX               USERFIX                      Page 2


      1.2  - Create/Rewrite LASTREAD.BBS


      Selecting  this  option  will  allow  you   to   initialize   RA's
      LASTREAD.BBS  file.   This  file  contains  the  last read message
      pointers for each of your users.

      If your LASTREAD.BBS exists when this option is run,  it  WILL  BE
      ERASED!   This  option is only meant to be used if LASTREAD.BBS is
      trashed and unusable.

      USERFIX will go through your Users.bbs and get  the  high  message
      read  for each user and use this figure to initialize the LASTREAD
      record for that user.




      1.3  - Create/Rewrite USERSXI.BBS


      Like the create/rewrite LASTREAD option, this will ERASE this file
      and create it anew.

      When USERFIX creates this file it fills the COMBINED  read  marker
      storage  portion  of  it with hex FF.  What this means is that all
      your users will have all combined board settings initially set  to
      ON.

      USERFIX will also go through your Users.bbs  file  and  reset  all
      users  pointers  to  the  USERSXI.BBS file.  Each user record will
      point to a valid, though empty, USERSXI.BBS record when done.





      1.4  - Reconstruct USERSXI.BBS


      This option will allow you to recover as  much  data  as  possible
      from  a trashed USERSXI.BBS file.  You may never need this option,
      but if you do you will find that it may  save  data  you  consider
      important.

      Here's how it works.  USERFIX  starts  at  the  beginning  of  the
      USERS.BBS  file  and  reads each user record one at a time.  As it
      reads a user record, USERFIX  attempts  to  read  the  USERSXI.BBS
      record to which the USERS.BBS record points.




      Running USERFIX               USERFIX                      Page 3


      If USERFIX is able to read the user's USERSXI.BBS  record  without
      error,  the  USERSXI.BBS record is copied to a temporary file.  If
      an error is generated while trying to read the USERSXI.BBS record,
      as  it  might  be  if  the user's pointer is invalid, USERFIX then
      creates an initialized USERSXI record for that user and places  it
      in the temporary file.

      Please  note  that  USERFIX  does   not   incorporate   artificial
      intelligence.   There is no way to know if the USERSXI data that a
      user record points to really belongs to that user.   USERFIX  only
      knows whether or not it finds a valid, readable record.

      Once USERFIX has gone through all users, the  old  USERSXI.BBS  is
      deleted  and  the  temporary file is renamed to USERSXI.BBS.  Each
      user record now points to a valid record in USERSXI and except for
      those  users  that  had trashed USERSXI pointers, you should still
      have all the data you had before your problems began.



      1.5  Status Line


      USERFIX displays some useful information on the bottom line of the
      screen.   This  is  updated  any time USERFIX performs any type of
      record rebuilding or initialization.

      Assuming you have 100 users  and  all  files  are  of  the  proper
      length, the status line would look like this:

      Records(0..99) USERS = 100 / LASTREAD = 100 / USERSXI = 100

      If you were to fire up USERFIX and all three user  files  did  not
      have the same number next to them, you have a problem that USERFIX
      may be able to correct.

      Although an equal number of records in each file  is  not  a  100%
      assurance that all is ok, in most cases it is a good indication.



      1.6  In Closing


      USERFIX has been tested  on  trashed  and  incomplete  files  with
      excellent  success.   This does not mean that USERFIX can cure all
      the problems that may occur.

      Here's hoping you never have to use USERFIX!