BBS Toolkit/BBS Toolkit.iso/tag_bbs/tnite31.zip/TAGNITE.DOC

Text File | 1992-05-25 | 14KB | 365 lines

                          TAGNITE UTILITY V3.1

Note: See history.doc for updates in 3.1.

TAGNITE is a nightly utility program written for TAG 2.6.  To
date, TAGNITE will delete inactive users, delete EMail to deleted
users, delete any macros belonging to deleted users, modify up to
12 files (ASCII or ANSI) with names and amounts or
uploads/downloads/publicposts, and rebuild NAMES.LST if needed.
Included in this zip file should be 8 files:

       TAGNITE.EXE - main program
       TAGNITE.CFG - configuration file
       TAGNITE.DOC - documentation
       TAGNITE.CLR - sample color ansi output template
       TAGNITE.MSG - sample ascii output template
       SLTIMES.EXE - modifies the SL times on TAG
       HISTORY.DOC - listing of the modifications to TAGNITE
       SLTIMES.EXE - Sets up security levels and times
       REMOVE.EXE  - Remove '`' marks from USER.LST.

                       THE CONFIGURATION FILE

The sample configuration file that you now have is called
TAGNITE.CFG, but can be called anything you like.  The name of
the configuration file is passed to TAGNITE through a command
line parameter (this will be explained later).  The best way to
explain the configuration file commands will be by showing you
the TAGNITE.CFG file and explaining the options used and telling
you about the variations on each command. So, print out a copy of
the .CFG file or pull it into an editor or word processor. After
each command is explained, take a minute to look at how it is
used in the sample .CFG file.  If the first character on a line
is a percent '%' sign, the line is ignored, or said to be
remarked out. If a double percent '%%' is encountered as the
first 2 characters of a line, all lines after are treated as a
remark, until another set of double percents are encountered as
the first 2 characters of a line.  The rest of this section will
list a command, followed by the explanation of it,followed by an.

GFILES PATH=<drive & path>
     Tells where to find the tag\gfiles directory. The path MUST
     be followed by a '\'.
GFILES PATH=C:\TAG\GFILES\

TAG PATH=<drive & path>
     Tells where to find the main tag directory. The path MUST be
     followed by a'\'.
TAG PATH=C:\TAG\

TAGNITE PATH=<drive & path>
     Tells where to find the path to TAGNITE.  The path MUST be
     followed by a'\'.
TAGNITE PATH=C:\TAG\TAGNITE\

DELETE DAYS=<0-32767>
     Tells how many days that a user must not have called before
     the user will be deleted. 0 days tells TAGNITE not to delete
     any users.
DELETE DAYS=90

DELETE SL=<security level>
     Tells TAGNITE to only delete users who's SL is equal to or
     less than the delete SL.
DELETE SL=199

DELETE TIMES CALLED=<0-32767>
     Tells TAGNITE to only count users who have called X number
     of times or less. (Since a user who has only called 1 or 2
     times total, then not called for 90 days is likely to be
     someone who will not call again, but a user who has called
     500 times then not called for 90 days most likely is just
     away) 0 in this field tells TAGNITE to not use this # in
     deciding if a user is to be deleted.
DELETE TIMES CALLED=0
* NOTE * - TAGNITE will not delete a user whos PROTECTION FROM
DELETION flag is set.

REPORT=<filename>
     This is the log file that info on the daily runs will be
     placed into.
REPORT=C:\TAG\TAGNITE.LOG

TOP DATE SYMBOL=<character>
     When this symbol is encountered in a template file, it is
     replaced with the current date (MM/DD/YY).
TOP DATE SYMBOL=`

TOP NAME LENGTH=<0-64>
     This is the size that the user name output in the output
     files will be. The field will be truncated or padded as
     needed.
TOP NAME LENGTH=25

TOP INPUT FILE=<filename>
     This is the name of a template file used in the creation of
     bulletin or logon files.
TOP INPUT FILE=C:\TAG\GFILES\LOGON3M.DAT

TOP OUTPUT FILE=<filename>
     This is the name of an outputfile that is created with the
     help of the main template.
TOP OUTPUT FILE=C:\TAG\GFILES\LOGON3.MSG
*NOTE* the top output and input must be paired off. THERE MUST ME
      AN EQUAL NUMBER OF EACH (up to 12 each!)


LEECH SYMBOL=<character>
     When this symbol is encountered in a template file followed
     by a number, it will be replaced with the leech of this
     orders name. If it is encountered followed by a number
     followed by the leech symbol again, it will be replaced with
     the leech amount.
LEECH SYMBOL=%

LEECH SL=<security level>
     Tells TAGNITE to only count users whos SL is equal to or
     less than the leech SL.
LEECH SL=199

LEECH CHECK BY=<R/C>
     Tells TAGNITE how to calculate leeching.'C' means per call
     leeching.'R' means ratio of downloads to uploads.
LEECH CHECK BY=R

LEECH BY=<K/D>
     Tells TAGNITE to calculate leech formulas with K-bytes or
     number of Downloads.
LEECH BY=K

UPLOAD SYMBOL=<character>
     When this symbol is encountered in a template file followed
     by a number, it will be replaced with the uploader of this
     orders name. If it is encountered followed by a number
     followed by the uploader symbol again, it will be replaced
     with the uploaders amount.
UPLOAD SYMBOL=^

UPLOAD SL=<security level>
     Tells TAGNITE to only count users whos SL is equal to or
     less than the uploader SL.
UPLOAD SL=199


UPLOAD CHECK BY=<R/C>
     Tells TAGNITE how to calculate uploading.'C' means per call
     uploads.'R' means ratio of uploads to downloads.
UPLOAD CHECK BY=R

UPLOAD BY=<K/D>
     Tells TAGNITE to calculate upload formulas with
     K-bytes or number of uploads.
UPLOAD BY=K

POST SYMBOL=<character> - when this symbol is encountered in a
      template file followed by a number, it will be replaced
     with the poster of this orders name. If it is
encountered followed by a number followed by the poster
symbol again, it will be replaced with the posters
amount.(POST IS ONLY CALC'D BY #POSTS PER CALL)
POST SYMBOL=@

POST SL=<security level>
     Tells TAGNITE to only count user whos SL is equal to or less
     than the post SL.
POST SL=199

MAX TIME SL=<security level>
     Tells TAGNITE what the upper SL limit is when calculating a
     new SL.
MAX TIME SL=180

MIN TIME SL=<security level>
     Tells TAGNITE what the lower SL limit is when calculating a
     new SL.
MIN TIME SL=5

LOGON SL CHANGE=<amount>
     Tells TAGNITE how much to add or subtract to the base SL
     based on how many times the user has logged on.
LOGON SL CHANGE=-2

POST SL CHANGE=<amount>
     Tells TAGNITE how much to add or subtract to the base SL
     based on how many times the user has made a public post.
POST SL CHANGE=3

UPLOAD SL CHANGE=<amount>
     Tells TAGNITE how much to add or subtract to the base SL
     based on how many files the user has uploaded.
UPLOAD SL CHANGE=5

DOWNLOAD SL CHANGE=<amount>
     Tells TAGNITE how much to add or subtract to the base SL
     based on how many files the user has downloaded.
DOWNLOAD SL CHANGE=-3

BASE TIME SL=<security level>
     Tells TAGNITE what security level to use as a starting point
     before adding and subtracting for
     posts/logons/uploads/downloads.
BASE TIME SL=45

REPORT LOGON ATTEMPTS=<number of illegal logon attempts>
     This tells TAGNITE to report illegal logon attempts on an
     account that exceeds this number when TAGNITE is run.
REPORT LOGON ATTEMPTS=5

SEND MESSAGES TO=<user number>
     All important messages that go in the report file can also
     be placed in a 1 line message to the specified user. If this
     user has his mail be forwarded, then the forwarded to user
     will get the messages. If set to 0 no messages will be sent.
SEND MESSAGES TO=1

CHECK STATE BY ZIPCODE
     If this line is present in the configuration file, TAGNITE
     will attempt to verify a user's zipcode against the state
     that the user is in.

NOTIFY USERS OF PROBLEMS
     If this line is present in the configuration file, TAGNITE
     will send "SHORT MESSAGES" telling him that there is a
     problem with his account. (i.e. bad zipcode/state
     combination).
                   WHAT IS A TEMPLATE FILE?

The template files are optional files that allow you to format
the 'top output' files. After TAGNITE calculates the amounts for
leeches, uploaders, and/or posters, it then sorts them from the
highest to lowest. It then reads in your template files and looks
for the symbols telling where to insert data. (TAGNITE INSERTS,
NOT OVERWRITES). Thus, if the template file line read as follows:

     TODAYS DATE IS `!<C/R>

if ` is the symbol for the current date, then the output files
version of the line will read as follows:

TODAYS DATE IS 05/09/91!<C/R>

The leech, upload, and post symbols all act in the same way, so
to save myself time, I shall explain it with only the post
example. Let us say that the post symbol is @, and the output
name length is set to 10. Giving the following template file:

     TOP 2 POSTERS AS OF `.<C/R>
     1) @1@ posts per call for @1.<C/R>
     2) @2@ posts per call for @2.<C/R>

The output file should read something like this:

     TOP 2 POSTERS AS OF 05/08/91.<C/R>
     1) 2.23 posts per call for King Arthu.<C/R>
     2) 2.21 posts per call for Fireman   .<C/R>

Note that the 2nd line was truncated on the name, and the 3rd
line was padded on the name.           WHAT IS THIS ABOUT RECALCULATION OF THE SL?

One of the features of TAGNITE lets you restrict people by time,
rather than by the ratios that TAG lets you use.  I use this
feature on my bbs, and the concept is simple.  TAGNITE will give
time or take time from a user each time they post a public
message, logon the system, upload a file, or download a file. You
set the limits on the time given, and who can be recalculated. If
the Ignore Ratio flag is set on a user, TAGNITE will not
recalculate the time. Also if the users SL is above the MAX TIME
SL or below the MIN TIME SL the time will not be recalculated. On
my bbs I take 2 minutes each time a user calls. This is because
if they call and do nothing positive for the bbs then I do not
feel that the call was worth it. I give 3 minutes for each public
post, take 3 minutes for each download, and give 5 minutes for
each upload.  The catch is that TAG does not keep track of the
users time, but time used. So what TAGNITE changes is the users
SL. Since the SL directly effects the users time. Just make sure
that you make the SL time between the MIN and MAX SL TIME levels
go in increments of 1 minute. To speed you up in modifying the SL
times, I have written a program called SLTIMES.EXE, this will
make the time equal the SL level. Just run it if you want to use
the time feature of TAGNITE, and only run it once (it only
changes the SL times for level 1 thru 254).                 WHAT ARE THE CONFIG DEFAULTS? Option
Default if option not in .CFG file.
-----------------------------------------
Delete days         90 days
Delete Report       No report
Delete Times Called 0 (do not use this field in deletion)
Delete SL           0 (no deletion of users)
Leech Symbol        No symbol set (no leech calcs done)
Leech SL            0 (no leech calcs done)
Leech Check         C (calculate by calls)
Leech Type          D (calculate by number of dls)
Upload Symbol       No symbol set (no upload calcs done)
Upload SL           0 (no upload calcs done)
Upload Check        C (calculate by calls)
Upload Type         D (calculate by number of uls)
Post Symbol         No Symbol set (no post calcs done)
Post SL             0 (no post calcs done)
Top Input Files     NUL (no template files or output files used)
Top Output Files    NUL (no template files or output files used)
Top Name Length     36
Max Time SL         0 (no SL calcs done)
Min Time SL         0 (no SL calcs done)
Logon SL Change     0 (no SL change for logons)
Post SL Change      0 (no SL change for posts)
Upload SL Change    0 (no SL change for uploads)
Download SL Change  0 (no SL change for downloads)
Base Time SL        0 (the only movement on the SL can be up)
Report Logon Attempts 0 (no reporting of them)
Report Messages To  1 (this should be the sysop)

NOTE: ANY OPTIONS NOT LISTED MUST BE DEFINED IN THE .CFG FILE!                     HOW DO I RUN TAGNITE?

Simple question, simple answer. at a DOS prompt or in an event
batch file enter the following:

TAGNITE <configuration filename>

<configuration filename> defaults to TAGNITE.CFG in the current
directory.

                   CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

Thanks must be given to the following people:

Robert Numerick and Victor Capton for the listing of the TAG 2.6
data structures.

John Haluska for his Quicksort routines for Pascal.
Peter Yao for pointing out slight oversights in TAGNITE.

Mike Depetris for helping test TAGNITE.

David de Gil and Ira Tessler for making TAGNITE.


                       ALMOST DONE

We have other features that we plan to put in the next versions
of TAGNITE, but I would like to hear from you on what new
features you would like to see in the future releases of TAGNITE.


                       DONATIONS

If you find this software useful, please send a donation of $20
to:


Ira Tessler
Starbase 30-A BBS
235 Paddington Ct. Manalapan, NJ 07726

Home BBS:
Fidonet 1:2605/609
Starbase 30-A
[phone]HST/V32bis
FREQ 'TAGNITE' for the latest version of TAGNITE.


                         T.A.G. NITE SUPPORT ECHO

The TAGNITE support echos is available via local distribution.
We'll try to get this on the backbone as soon as we have enough
nodes.  Please netmail me @ 1:2605/609 if you are interested in
receive this echo.