CD-ROM Magic 1995 #1

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Text File | 1993-08-31 | 27.0 KB | 460 lines

┌──────┐ ┌───────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌───────┐ ┌─┐ ┌─┐ │ ┌───┐└┐ └──┐ ┌──┘ │ ┌───┐└┐ └──┐ ┌──┘ │ │ │ │ │ │ ┌┘ │ │ │ │ │ ┌┘ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └──┘ ┌┘ │ │ │ └──┘ ┌┘ ┌────┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ┌──┐ └┐ │ │ │ ┌────┘ └────┘ │ │ │ └┐ ┌┘ │ │ │ └┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └┐ └─┘ ┌┘ │ │ │ │┌┐┌──┘ └──┐┌┐│ │┌┐ ┌──┘ └──┐┌┐ └┐ ┌┘┌┐ └─┘ └─┘└┘└───────┘└┘└─┘└┘ └───────┘└┘ └───┘ └┘ We've got your medicine! │ The RIP Icon Verifier v1.01 ┌─┐ ├─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬┐ │█├──────────┤ │ │▓│░░░│░░░│░░░│░░░│░░░│░░░│├─┐ │█│██████████│700│600░500░400░300░200░100░░0│█├────────────── │█├──────────┤ │▓│░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░├─┘ └─┘ ├───┴─┴────────────────────────┘ │ (c)1993, ArenaSoft, Inc. All rights reserved. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░ About RIP-IV ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ RIP-IV is written using MS QuickBasic Extended 7.1 Professional. It took about 3 cases of Programmer/Operator Petrol (POP) and cost about 4,000 individual hairs to finish. On a more serious note, I would really like to thank Mark over at TeleGrafix Communications for all the invaluable help he gave me. In all honesty, RIP-IV would have never made it past a stupid toy if he had not helped me debug the crucial RIP_FILE_QUERY and RIP_BLOCK_MODE sections of the code. I also want to tell you about the vacation I took in July. I had just finished with my last novel, and..... ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░ What's New In Version 2.00? ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ There have been quite a few changes since 1.01 which definitely does warrant some documentation. The \WORK and \OUTBOUND sub-directories are no longer necessary in order for RIP-IV to operate. The reason for the change was that I felt multi-node systems would encounter problems, due to all the file management that was going on. Although no one has complained about it happening, I was afraid that if a user on node 1 was missing file X.ICN and a user on node 2 was missing Y.ICN, RIP-IV would send both of the icons out to both users. And it really gets messy if one user is supposed to receive an archive, another has selected Automatic Installation, a third elected to abort the transfer, and a fourth really doesn't need any icons. The whole problem stems from the fact that RIP-IV only paid attention to the files in those two \WORK and \OUTBOUND sub-directories. Another problem with RIP-IV for a few sysops was that they wanted to use RIP-IV in a logon script. The intent being that each time a user would call, RIP-IV would make sure the user had all necessary icons, but in order for RIP-IV to know if they needed any icons or not it had to go through the detection process from scratch, which becomes a very time consuming process at 2400 baud, especially if your system has more than 100 icons on it. So to combat the first problem, I have re-coded RIP-IV so that it no longer requires those two sub-directories in order to function. RIP-IV now creates it's own work sub-directories, and names them depending on how many users are logged in to the door. RIP-IV should now successfully support up to 25 simultaneous users, and as each user exits the door, their respective sub-directories get removed, along with all the files inside them. The second problem was a little more complex to resolve. Eventually I came up with a suitable database which stores all the icon file names and the date of the last time the database was updated. This is accompanied by a user database, which stores each user name, and the date their icon files were last updated. IF REGISTERED, RIP-IV will compare the date in the icon database to the date in the user database, and will then inform the user of their status (either they're missing icons, or they aren't). The icon database will hold up to 1,000 entries plus the date. Due to memory considerations I have broken the user database up into 5 separate files, each containing 1,000 user names and dates, for a total of 5,000. I figured that a total database of 5,000 users would be sufficient, but if it isn't, the initialization function has been left open to accomodate more. And just to inform everybody, I have found that the new database for icons has made the detection process MUCH faster. Most users should notice a considerable increase in the host system speed. I have also added a log file facility to the program. It seems that a large number of sysops like to be able to tell exactly what their system, programs, and users have been doing. Both RIPIV.EXE and IVMAINT will write all major actions to the file RIPIV.LOG so that the sysop will know all. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░ Introduction ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Well, let's begin by saying that I don't much care for documentation that takes a day and a half to read. Unfortunately, a few sysops will find find that the concept of Icon Verification is slightly complex, so in order to eliminate future questions and confusions, I will try to keep these docs as brief as possible while helping everyone fully understand the concept as well as installation of RIP-IV. (Along with all the legal mumbo-jumbo.) ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░ Credits ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ (Oh look! Here's some of that legal junk now!) Just to keep everything in good order: - The RIP Icon Verifier is (c)1993 by ArenaSoft, Inc. Written by Randy Schad. The RIP-IV name and the hypodermic needle are trademarks of ArenaSoft, Inc. All documents and files included in the RIPIV110.ZIP archive are copyrighted by ArenaSoft, Inc. (Except DSZ.COM; see below) - DoorFrame is copyrighted by MicroNet. - RIPscrip, RIPaint, RIPdraw, and RIPterm are all trademarks of TeleGrafix Communications, Inc. - Qmodem Pro is a trademark of Mustang Software, Inc. - DSZ.COM is copyrighted by Owen Technology, Inc. - ZIP, PKZIP, PKUNZIP, etc. are trademarks of PKWare, Inc. - ARJ is copyrighted by Robert K. Jung. - PAK is copyrighted by NoGate Consulting. - ARC is copyrighted by System Enhancement Associates, Inc. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░ What does RIP-IV do? ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ RIP-IV is a utility for virtually ANY Bulletin Board System that has RIPscrip graphics available. Most RIP menus display a few bit-mapped icons on each screen. For speed, the guys at TeleGrafix decided it would be best if these icons were stored as files on the remote terminal end, and let the host call them up when they are needed. (Are you still with me?) The problem with this is that every time the Sysop changes a menu to include a new icon, each individual user must download that icon. And most Sysops don't want to take the time to set up each individual icon for down- loading, nor do users want to download an entire archive of icon files when they only need the few new ones. (See where this is going yet?) So RIP-IV was designed to fix all of that. It compares all the icon files on the host system with all those on the remote. When RIP-IV detects a missing file on the remote end, it queues that file up for download. After RIP-IV has checked through the entire host system, it lets the remote user decide how they want to receive the files. They can either: 1). Have all new icon files compressed and archived for downloading. Then, once the transfer is complete, they can jump to DOS and extract the new icons into their icon directory; OR, 2). Have RIP-IV AUTOMATICALLY INSTALL the new icons. The program transfers the files directly into the user's icon directory, one at a time, with- out the user doing anything at all... It's fully automated from here! So that's what RIP-IV does. Now we'll get into setting it all up. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░ Installation ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Make sure you have read this section COMPLETELY before attempting to set up RIP-IV. Failure to do may result in improper program execution. First, make sure all necessary files were included in the archive. A complete file listing can be found in the file: README.DOC Place RIP-IV and all its files into its own directory. This is not a necessary installation procedure, but it helps keep things from cluttering. It also helps when the program uses its work sub-directories. Run the RIP-IV installation program IVSETUP.EXE. If you are setting up RIP-IV for the first time, you MUST let IVSETUP create the icon and user databases, and you SHOULD let IVSETUP create your RIPIV.CFG file. And take notice that RIP-IV will NOT function without the existance of the following files: RIPIV.CFG, RIPIV.DAT, and RIPIVxxx.USR (xxx is replaced by 001-005). Once all of the above files have been created you may begin with the configuration. The following section goes into more detail on the commands and functions of IVSETUP. While it is possible to edit the RIPIV.CFG file with an ordinary ASCII text editor, I urge you to use IVSETUP. By using it you help eliminate the possibility of a silly mistake. The database files are also completely ASCII text based so that they may be read by any future utilities that make use of them, but I also urge you to stay away from them as well, since one wrong character can foul up the whole database. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░ Configuration ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ To configure RIP-IV, run the configuration program IVSETUP.EXE. Run through this checklist to make sure you've entered data for all fields: 1). The Path to your BBS Drop File (like: C:\BBS\DORINFO1.DEF) 2). The BBS Name (The name of your BBS...duh!) 3). Sysop's First Name (You should know this one by now!) 4). Sysop's Last Name (This one too!) 5). Path to RIP icon files (include trailing backslash, like: C:\BBS\RIP\) 6). Filename of icon files (use wildcards, like: *.ICN) 7). Command to invoke archiver [name] [switches] (like: PKZIP -a -o) 8). Name you want the archive to have (like: ASI_ICON.ZIP) 9). Registration number (see Registration section or REGISTER.DOC for info) The RIPIV.CFG file is totally ASCII based, which makes it accessible to any ordinary text editor. When editing, use the exact order above, with each item on a line by itself, beginning in the very first column. EXCEPT: When inserting your registration code, insert a SPACE before typing in your registration number. If you fail to do this, RIP-IV will not recognize the code as valid, and you'll be giving us a call wondering what's wrong. Once you're finished with the configuration, you MUST run IVMAINT at least once in order to import the filenames of your icons into the database file. After you've run IVMAINT once, you don't need to run it again unless you add a new icon file to your icons directory. So that you don't forget to run it, I suggest putting IVMAINT into your nightly events. I programmed IVMAINT so that it will NOT change the date in the database file UNLESS new icon filenames have been imported, which keeps the registered scan intact. PLEASE NOTE: IVMAINT MUST be run from the RIP-IV directory. And that basically does it for the configuration. Now for operation: ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░ Operation ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Most BBS systems run external doors out of a batch file. If so, set up your batch file so that you first change to the RIP-IV directory, before giving the command to start the program. After RIP-IV has finished up, you should change back to your system directory and exit the batch file. A sample batch file (mine) looks like this: CD \BBS\DOORS\RIPIV RIPIV.EXE RIPIV.CFG CD \BBS Note that the configuration file MUST BE SPECIFIED immediately after the filename. If you don't specify the configuration file RIP-IV will exit with the "No configuration file specified" error and return control to your system. All errors that occur (including this one) will be logged to a log file named DFRAME.ERR for troubleshooting purposes. MULTI-NODE SYSOPS: I have not tested this on a multi-node system, so I'm not real sure how well it will work out. All other doors from ArenaSoft never had any problems, so I'm not expecting any out of RIP-IV either. To run the program on a multi-node system, you may need to have more than one configuration file. If so, simply copy RIPIV.CFG to RIPIVxxx.CFG, replacing the xxx with the node number. Then, when you call the program on that node, have your batch file read: RIPIV.EXE RIPIVxxx.CFG. I have also been informed by some Sysops whose BBS software uses the DORINFOx.DEF drop file that once the configuration file has been copied, it should be edited (using a text editor) to reflect the DORINFOx node number. I would assume that you could set up RIPIV.CFG for one node, copy it to the RIPIVxxx.CFG name, then go back into IVSETUP and edit RIPIV.CFG for another node, repreating the process as necessary. (I dunno...) Also, a few WildCat! sysops have told me that RIP-IV doesn't seem to recognize variables such as %WCNODE% and the like, while others tell me the opposite...they have no problem at all. After discussing this problem with a few people, I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing I can do to remedy this. It seems to be a problem in DoorFrame's initialization, so I can't alter it at all. If your WildCat! system accepts the variables, I extend congratulations. If it doesn't, you will have to use an alternative multi-node configuration. Sorry folks! ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░ Troubleshooting ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ PROBLEM: The program aborts with an 'Error: Configuration file not found' SOLUTION: Be sure you have changed to the RIP-IV directory. Also, make sure that your RIPIV.CFG file exists, and is in the RIP-IV directory. PROBLEM: The program aborts with an 'Error reading configuration file' SOLUTION: Double check to make sure that all the lines in your configuration file are edited correctly. (If you encounter this error, I assume you edited the CFG file with a text editor and goofed it up.) <G> PROBLEM: I registered RIP-IV, but it doesn't recognize my registration #. SOLUTION: Make sure you entered your FIRST NAME, LAST NAME, and BBS SYSTEM'S NAME exactly the same in your RIPIV.CFG file and your registration form. This information is used directly to calculate your unique registration number. Also, make sure you entered the number as it appeared on the form you received from us. Another cause for this might be that the LEADING SPACE is missing from the number. PROBLEM: The program halts while searching for icons on the host system. SOLUTION: Check to make sure the icon file directory and filespec are valid, and be sure the pathname to your icons INCLUDES the TRAILING "\". PROBLEM: The program files to recognize my BBS drop file. SOLUTION: Be sure you have included the full pathname to the dropfile. Also make sure the dropfile exists in the directory you specified. PROBLEM: The door does not run in local mode. SOLUTION: None. The door was written for remote use only. There's no point in comparing icons on your own disk drive, not to mention the fact that programming a local mode would have been excess baggage. PROBLEM: RIP-IV does not recognize a certain RIPscrip compatible terminal. SOLUTION: At the time of this release, RIP-IV followed the RIPscrip protocol specifications as written by TeleGrafix Communications. In doing so, there were only three vendor codes that were mentioned. These are: 1). RIPterm; 2). Q-Modem Pro; and 3). a generic terminal. It is our understanding that future makers of RIP compatible terminal programs will either follow these specifications or will make some sort of appeal to TeleGrafix to include their software. While our staff will do its best to maintain an accurate decoding of all the vendor codes, we cannot make any promises. In the unlikely event that a RIP terminal program is released that we do not support, we urge you to call us at the Tech Support Line immediately. PROBLEM: The Icon Transfer portion of the door does not work. SOLUTION: Be sure that DSZ.COM resides in the RIP-IV directory. PROBLEM: Certain screens keep getting displayed over and over in a loop. SOLUTION: I really don't know. I've received one peculiar call of this type of problem, and our development team has narrowed it down to (what we believe are) Carriage Returns being either caught in the buffer or are somehow being induced by the configuration. If anyone else has seen this problem, PLEASE -- LET US KNOW! PROBLEM: I run IVMAINT every night, but whenever a user logs in the program tells them that their files are up to date. Why? SOLUTION: IVMAINT only changes the date in the icon database if the database itself was modified. This means that you can run IVMAINT as often as you like, and as long as the files in the icon directory remain the same, none of your users will have to go through the Verifier! PROBLEM: IVMAINT keeps giving me an 'Error reading/opening database file. SOLUTION: Either the file was not created by IVSETUP, or it is corrupt. Make a back-up of your user database files with a command like: REN RIPIV???.USR RIPIV???.BAK Then let IVSETUP create your database files over again. Once that has been finished, go back and copy your RIPIV???.BAK files to the original RIPIV???.USR filenames, that way, you still have the user database with all the names. Then run IVMAINT again. If you want to edit the RIPIV.DAT file's inside date, edit the top line taking special care to keep the following format: <LEADING SPACE> YYYYMMDD Where YYYY is the year, MM is the month, and DD is the day, and be sure to use zeroes where applicable (like 01 for January). By editing the date at the top, you eliminate the need for anybody to get re-scanned that doesn't need it. Just be sure you know the date of the last time the file was edited by IVMAINT! CAUTION!!! This is a tricky procedure, and I strongly advise that you not take part in it unless you really know what you're doing!! If things go sour the safe bet is to simply re-init all databases. PROBLEM: I tried to edit RIPIV.DAT, and now I keep getting errors. SOLUTION: Re-Init all the databases. (I wanrned you!) PROBLEM: I have a few RIP callers who sometimes call using ANSI. Are there any ways I can let them use RIP-IV? SOLUTION: Nope. The User Database files only hold the username and the last time their icons were verified. It would be possible to keep such a monstrosity on disk that would allow non-RIP callers into RIP-IV and let them download icons they haven't already been tagged with, but it defeats the purpose of the automatic detect and install. PROBLEM: I always top the ball when trying to hit with an Iron. Help? SOLUTION: You're probably standing with your left foot too close to the ball (right foot for southpaws). Make sure the ball lies at least five inches inside your left foot. Also, make sure your knees are bent and relaxed (kinda springy) throughout the entire swing. And pull your left knee in towards the right during the backswing. Pulling your knee in will help keep you from rotating at the waist, which, more often than not, will lead to a slice. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░ Liability ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ArenaSoft, Inc. provides this package "as-is" without any guarantees of any kind, expressed or implied. ArenaSoft shall not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting from the use (or misuse) of any portion of the RIP-IV software package. The use of this product constitutes acceptance of this liability agreement. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░ Shareware License Agreement ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ License is hereby granted for the use of this product for evaluation purposes only. If you wish to continue using this product after the thirty (30) day evaluation period, you must register or discontinue use. Failure to register after the evaluation period has expired constitutes a violation of this license agreement and the loss of rights to this license. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░ What Do I Get When I Register? ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Registering the RIP-IV package will allow you to use the fast method of Icon Verification which checks dates instead of going through the entire detection process each time. This makes the RIP-IV package ideal for setup in a logon script or logon batch file. When a user enters a registered copy of RIP-IV, they will be promted for a simple yes or no, asking them if they wish to exit the program. If yes, they return to the host without any long closing screen. If no, the program operates normally, continuing with the Icon Detection and Verification process. You also get the satisfaction in knowing that your registration is a highly regarded contribution to the diminishing concept of Shareware. Most Shareware packages neglect the portion of the concept that says, "...in the course of bringing you this software, we have been able to avoid the costly fees associated with packaging and advertising, and we feel it is our duty to pass the savings on to the consumer..." We at ArenaSoft are proud to be a part of the Shareware concept, and take it seriously. We refuse to claim that we are producing Shareware, then go on to charge you $50 or more for a simple game or utility, like so many others do. We simply want imbursement for the time we spent, nothing more. Notice that even the most complex and lengthly products only have a price tag of $15.00 on them. Why not register? It makes you all warm inside, plus you get access to features you normally wouldn't have if you didn't! ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░ Technical Support ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ You may obtain technical support by one of the following: The Arena BBS: 419-636-7197 ArenaSoft,Inc: 419-636-3265 C-Serve EMail: 71174,637 FidoNet EMail: 1:234/44 ArenaSoft's hours: Monday thru Friday - 9am to 5pm If no answer, please leave a message. The Arena BBS always has the latest releases. Address all E-Mail to Randy Schad. ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ░░░ History ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Version 1.00 -- The first Shareware release of RIP-IV. (08-14-93) Version 1.01 -- Fixed a bug in the registration variable that caused RIP-IV (08-19-93) to "hang" due to a variable overflow. The variable has now been declared as a LONG variable, and the bug was squashed. Also fixed a problem in IVSETUP which caused a couple lines to not be saved to the RIPIV.CFG file. (It was just a typo, I misspelled a couple variable names.) Version 2.00 -- Added user databases and icon database in order to speed up (08-31-93) the detection process. Included IVMAINT.EXE, the Icon Data- base Maintenance Utility. Removed the need for the premade working sub-directories. RIP-IV now creates its own. Also added log file. These additions now make RIP-IV multi-node aware (really!), and capable of supporting 25 simultaneous users, 1,000 icon files, and 5,000 total users, along with allowing registered users access to a Fast Detect function. END OF DOCUMENTATION