Aminet 15/Aminet 15 - Nov 1996.iso/Aminet/comm/cnet/cnet_who.lha/Who/WHO_HISTORY!

Text File | 1996-08-26 | 23KB | 400 lines

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                 CNet WHO's, v2.64 HISTORY! File by Dotoran
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-- v2.64 --
    - Release Date: August 26, 1996!
    - Ooops! I neglected to notice that the "Idle" timers were goofed up in
      the 2.63 version, so I had to fix that, in addition to also making the
      following changes and additions:
        - The Idle Time display has changed again. It now uses a format of:

                    2 h 37 m 22 s

          to show the time in hours, minutes and seconds. An additional
          toggle was also added to the CONFIG file which will also allow
          you to list a "days" value, like this:

                    1d3h 22m 8s

          The "days" value `hugs' the minutes value, so as not to word wrap
          the entire display, however colors are used in such a way as to
          make it more readable than appears above.
        - Two additional definable color values have been added to Config
          for the Idle Time Digits and the Idle Time d-h-m-s characters,
          instead of using colors defined for other things.
        - I made an addition to the screen displays in the config module,
          so that you'll know which module you're currently editing. (Look
          in the upper right corner of any screen to see which one).
        - I slightly expanded upon the "Fake Idle Minutes" value setting,
          where you now enter TWO values, a MINIMUM and MAXIMUM value. Now,
          if a user is online, but HIDDEN from other port(s), when one of
          those ports happens to use a WHO command, a random value BETWEEN
          these two designated values will be selected and ADDED to the
          total number of minutes the user USING the WHO command has been
          online. This should hopefully make it appear that that port really
          IS empty(and HAS been for a fair amount of time).
        - It is now possible to create BBSMENU entries that contain an
          argument for a WHO module. (Helpful with the LONG module) You can
          then create additional commands, like this one:

                WQ, Who Quick  `3-  | {#0<path>Who/Long Q}

          The "WQ" command can then be used to view the QUICK "long" Who
          display, without having to type "who q", etc.

        - Numerous instances of "transposed" characters which were caused by
          my faulty motherboard in the past were also located and fixed in
          the displays used for the LONG who module.

-- v2.63 --
    - Release Date: August 23, 1996!
    - Hooooo hummmmmmm.... hehe. Once again, v4.21 of CNet had changes made
      to it which affected the "power" getuser values used by this program,
      so yet AGAIN, it needed to be modified. This version will run on the
      3.xx versions and v4.21, but NOT v4.00 thru 4.13c. Hopefully, it'll
      last a few versions PAST v4.21, but we'll have to wait and see!

-- v2.62 --

    - Release Date: June 19, 1996!
    - Well, as Cnet changes, so do the pfiles that run on it! :-) When the
      4.12c version of Cnet was released, I discovered that some of the
      MainPort{} GetUser values(the 7-digit ones starting with a "2") no
      longer worked correctly. Namely the one that read your highest
      loaded port, and(more importantly), the one that read the hide/muffle
      statuses of the different ports. This version received a new routine
      to the end of each module that will set the right getuser values to
      use, regardless of the version of CNet being used. It's set to use
      the NEW values IF your version number is GREATER than 4.11, so this
      SHOULD make it compatible with whatever other new versions Ray puts
      out, unless of course we get even MORE changes! Don't you just LOVE
      change?!?!? hehe

-- v2.61 --

    - Release Date: May 8, 1996!
    - As stated in the note under the 2.60 revision, CNet, v4.11 has gone
      back to using the UUCP naming scheme for mail directories. This CNet
      Who version is compatible with 3.05c-3.99 & 4.11 (and beyond), but it
      will NOT work on a version of CNet between 4.00 and 4.10.
    - The PATH where you wish to store this file has been "automated". You
      can place the "Who/" directory ANYWHERE on your system, then start
      using the files with NO MORE WORK involved. NO VARIABLES have to be
      set for this to work correctly. As long as you leave ALL COMMAND FILES
      inside the "Who/" directory, it'll work like a charm.

-- v2.60 --

    - Release Date: April 22, 1996!
    - Updated for CNet, v4.10. Will NOT run on v3.xx CNet Systems.
    - All command files received updates of one form or another.
    - Fixed a bug in the Short & Normal modules that resulted in the CONFIG
      file not being able to be loaded when using the "C" argument.

NOTE: The new developers of CNet Amiga, Heavy Metal & Todd Knight have
      stated that, as of CNet, v4.11, the mail directories will go back to
      using the serial id number, instead of the oddball hexadecimal names,
      so this file will need updating AGAIN shortly. (That's ok, I found a
      bug anyways!)

-- v2.51 --

    - Release Date: October 15, 1995! (6 Hours Later!)
    - A fellow SysOp(Mugwump/Nate) pointed out an interesting error:
        - I'm using the OFFSET() function to tweak values out of memory, so
          I don't have to directly address each port(which freezes the ports
          ability to do anything else). Anyways, this OFFSET() function is
          a SUPPORT function, which requires the "rexxsupport.library" to
          be loaded, which I was forgetting to load within the files.
        - while looking for the above problem, I also ran across another
          problem dealing with using the arguments with the W, WH and WHO
          commands. If you used an argument that wasn't supported, you'd be
          given one error message, and if you used a numeric value outside
          the valid port range, you'd be given a different error message.
          each module will now revert to showing the help format text if an
          unknown argument(or out of range numeric value) is specified.
        - I also replaced the PARSER routine with a newer routine that I
          could specify a maximum value for, so if you only run 5 ports and
          a user specified something like WHO 10, they'd be given the Help
          Format text as well.

-- v2.50 --

    - Release Date: October 15, 1995!
    - An unexpected release, mainly due to the HD crash I had in April,
      where I lost all my CNet Who 3.0 coding, and since I'm not sure as
      to WHEN I'll get around to reconstructing what I lost of 3.0, I
      thought I'd spruce up the existing version in the interim.
    - Changes, etc:
        - User Banners, Glimpse & History files are now stored in their
          UUCP Directories, instead of within the "pfiles:who/" directory,
          so that if a user is ever deleted from your system, these files
          can then be deleted as well.
        - The glimpse and history files are no longer preloaded into RAM,
          as they aren't used enough to warrant this. The glimpses are only
          used when users choose to use the LONG WHO version, while the
          history files are only used if a user specifically requests to
          have one shown to them.
        - The above files were RENAMED as well, so each user can have the
          following files in their mail directories: _Banners, _Glimpse,
          and _History.
        - The CONFIG file was greatly modified:
            - Now uses the VDE scheme, instead of the DDE (Dotoran Data
              Editor). It's a 100% compatible VDE interface now.
            - A lockup error was removed if you happened to hit either the
              uP or DOWN arrow while sitting on the "Exit Without Saving"
              button.
            - The data input routines were updated, so as to EXACTLY mimic
              the way CNet's other VDE editors work.
            - The "Reload IdlePorts" option was moved to the Toggles screen,
              instead of the "Save before leaving" screen(which would only
              pop up if you had actually changed something).
            - The "yellow vs. cyan" method of showing you what had changed
              was removed from the scheme, as the internal VDE's don't show
              you any way of telling what changed, other than presenting you
              with the "want to save" screen if you DID happen to change a
              value or two.
            - Because the three BBSTEXT lines are read in automatically, I
              removed references to these three lines from the TOGGLES VDE
              screen.
            - Two NEW toggles were added this version dealing with MCI codes
              in the user created WHO banners. The first toggles whether or
              not you allow MCI's to be used in the banners, while the 2nd
              one is a toggle dealing with the SysOp Only MCI commands. The
              user is only allowed to use the MCI's they have access to now.
            - The "Create Who" options have been recoded to function again,
              which means you can once again give the WHO's your own color
              scheme(or choose one of the two built-in schemes).
            - you are now presented with "You want to do this?" types of
              prompts when choosing an alternate color scheme, or when
              choosing to make a who module using given values. This allows
              you to ABORT the operation if you wish to.
            - Proper checking for editor aborting while using the CNet's
              editor in the Glimpse and History sections was incorporated.
            - There are now default _Banners, _Glimpse and _History files
              stored in the "who/" directory. The _Banners file will be
              copied into the user's uucp mail directory if you have the
              multiple who banners toggle turned on, however the _Glimpse
              and _History files are NOT. If a uaser does not have either a
              Glimpse or History file stored in their uucp directory, the
              default one will be shown on screen when using the LONG WHO
              module, until such a time as the user creates ones of their
              own choosing.
            - The Preview Layout screen was updated to correctly show you a
              copy of the new layout(it was still showing v2.1 versions of
              the screen shots).
            - References to looking for who banners from other programs was
              rEMOVED from the present coding, as it was cluttering up the
              coding I wanted to use for other things(helped to slightly
              increase the execution speed of each module). You'll have to
              manually remove other WHO programs you may have been using in
              the past, as I will no longer be supporting "housecleaning"
              types of routines for OTHER's works. :-)
            - An ARexx Convert routine was included to create the _Banners,
              Glimpse and _History files in each user's directory, as well
              as adding the extra variables to the "Config.data" file.

-- v2.1d --

    - An "Only-If" Update. Not a COMPLETE archive. ONLY to be used by those
      who do not wish to adjust the COLOR SCHEME and/or Yes/No toggles any
      more than presently set to. Only released to those who requested the
      changes that were made:
    - The three lines in BBSTEXT that are used by the modules are now read
      in automatically, and if changes are found, the config is updated to
      suit. (This is why you can no longer edit those lines in the CONFIG!)
    - There's a new "Fake Idle Minutes" variable added to the toggles screen
      that allows you to specify an arbitrary value to be ADDED to the Idle
      time for any users HIDING from other ports, as it was found that if a
      user was HIDING from another user, when that other user did a WHO as
      soon as they logged on, it would show the port as being idle for only
      a minute or so, which gave the impresseion you logged off, because you
      didn't want to talk to that user. Setting this value to something like
      43 will make it look as if you haven't been around for awhile, while
      at the same time, slowing incrementing as the user's call progresses.
    - A problem where portions of a HIDDEN user's info was "seeping through"
      to other users has been fixed(I think). If you were hiding, it would
      sometimes show the user your handle or where you were, instead of just
      blanking out that port as being Idle.
    - Because CREATING custom Who Modules is not supported in this version,
      I added a little screen to that effect, just in case you DO happen to
      select one of the CREATE screens by mistake.
    - Each WHO Module was slightly changed at the beginning to make changing
      the TOGGLE variables a bit easier until the release of v3.0. I added
      little comments next to each of the variables so you know which one
      does what, as well as the proper values that can be used here.

-- v2.1c --

    - An "Only-If" Update. Not a COMPLETE archive. ONLY to be used by those
      who do not wish to adjust the COLOR SCHEME and/or Yes/No toggles any
      more than presently set to. Only released to those who requested the
      changes that were made:
        - All WHO displays (W/WH/WHO) now should correctly display Logon and
          JoinLink statuses, instead of specifying those ports as "Idle".
        - The LONG Who module received numerous Argument additions:
            - "I" to reload Idle Port Banners quickly. (Controllers ONLY!)
            - "E" to modify Idle Port Banners easily.  (Controllers ONLY!)
            - "Q" to get a Quick Listing(No Glimpses, ----'s, or Prompt).
            - "P" to display Idle Port Banner for CURRENT PORT.
            - The "?" help menu for the "Long" Module was also changed, so
              that only the Conference Controllers will be shown those extra
              arguments that they have access to. Regular users won't even
              know these arguments exist. (Don't worry, only CC's can USE
              the commands anyways. This was just a cosmetic update change!)
        - Each WHO now uses the three BBSTEXT lines that define your "Idle",
          "(no one)", and "skip" text phrases. Edit them in the CONFIG file.
    - A slight problem in the Idle Time display of the "Normal" module has
      been corrected, as was an incorrect variable initialization in the
      "Short" module.

-- v2.1 --

    - Update/Bug Fix Release Date: April 12, 1994!
    - Fixed the "no carrier" bug in the "Edit Who Banner" routine.
    - Disabled "More?" prompt in the CONFIG program.
    - The Idle times now look more appealing, in Hours or Minutes.
    - If multiple Who Banners are on file, the next one in the user's
      list will be made their current banner whenever they sign on, and the
      listing will be updated to reflect the change(and also to allow the
      next one to be used on their next logon, etc.)
    - Some custom coding errors(in the HELP menu of the Normal module) were
      fixed, as were some minor color changes.
    - LAST Release version until the release of the new v3.0!

-- v2.0 --

    - Release Date: March 4, 1994!
    - The new IDLE TIMER routine dealing with IDLE PORTS had an error in it
      that showed itself after Midnight rolled around. I was pulling my hair
      out trying to find the cause of this, until I discovered that the Idle
      timer used for USERS is also the SAME as that used for EMPTY PORTS. So,
      this bug has been SQUASHED!
    - The "IdlePorts" file now accepts a line entry of "D|Default Banner" to
      be displayed on any ports where Idle Banners may NOT have been set up.
      (You can simply LEAVE THIS OUT if you wish to see the Ports as they
       would normally look).
    - The user can now create an additional NINE Short Who Banners from the
      LONG version module. Each can contain MCI commands as well. There's
      even a quick option to select the NEXT Who Banner on their list to use
      as their CURRENT Who Banner(And which will be saved to their regular
      user account as well)! This option can also be DISABLED through the
      CONFIG file, in which case the user would have to resort to EP;14!
    - ALL THREE VERSIONS can now take OPTIONAL Port Arguments, so commands
      like: w 0-2, wh 0 3 8, and who 0-2, 5-8, 15   are now POSSIBLE. You
      can also specify "C"onfig, "B"anner, "G"limpse or "V"iew "H"istory as
      arguments, when using the WHO (Long) version.
    - It is now possible to also ABORT the Who listing BEFORE it has totally
      been displayed on the screen!
    - When viewing HISTORY files, it is now possible to select to View the
      History of a PORT a user is signed onto, or to specify the user's ID,
      Handle, or Real Name as before.
    - There is now an ability to SKIP the display of any ports that may be
      HIDING from the user, as these ports would normally be displayed as
      IDLE Ports to the user.
    - Something I'm calling a "Port Skip Block" has been added for those
      multi-line systems who may be running HIGH-NUMBERED Ports, like in the
      80's and 90's. In previous versions, the who just sat there reading
      through all the EMPTY port slots, until it came to the next USED Port.
      By specifying a "Port Skip Block", you can have it SKIP from one Port
      to another, like "Skip from Port 4 to Port 90", etc.
    - There is now a CONFIG file for CNet Who's! This unbelievable program
      allows you to select the CoLORS, TEXT, and VARIABLE settings to use
      for EACH Who, but it gets even better! There's no Config File that has
      to be read in each time, nor are there global variables used. The
      CONFIG file will actually REWRITE in HARD-CODE the changes you have
      made to your Who's. It's possible to generate them all looking the
      SAME, or you can create a different look for each version! Using what
      I am calling the "Dotoran Data Editor", you have a VDE-type of editor,
      complete with ghosted items for the SHORT and NORMAL versions! Now,
      THIS IS POWER!
    - The "IdleWhoT??" variables were REMOVED from this version, as they are
      no longer needed, and the above CONFIG file has a setting to RELOAD the
      "IdlePorts" file into the "IdleWhoB??" variables.
  *=* This is NOT the last version! There WILL be a v3.0, but won't be for
      awhile. I have already redrawn the look of the CONFIG file, so as to
      hopefully be a bit more powerful, while at the same time, a bit easier
      to use/see how a finished layout will look. I am playing around with
      the ability to allow you to specify WHICH info you wish to use, and in
      what ORDER you wish it to appear in. It will be awhile before I start
      work on v3.0, as I plan on diving into the H2H WOF module next, and
      will stick to it until it's first release! :-)  ENJOY EVERYONE!

-- v1.4 --

    - Release Date: February 12, 1994!
    - The Normal & Long versions now support IDLE PORT INFO BANNERS, so you
      can show the user such info as the phone number, baud rate, etc. that
      is used for that port, or tell them which ports are reserved for SysOp
      or Registered Use only, etc. etc...
    - All three versions now support DUAL Idle Time displays. Users will be
      shown the number of minutes EMPTY ports have been idle, as well as any
      occupied port that has been idle for longer than 5 minutes.
    - The Short & Normal versions received a "v1" variable, allowing SysOp's
      to specify whether or not they wish to use the new Idle Timers and
      Banners. The "CNet Standard" setting will also NOT show the HELP Menus
      nor the final row of ==='s, so as to look IDENTICAL to the internal
      CNet version!
    - Still trying to find where Ken is storing the ETA line used with file
      transfers that SHOULD be displayed, instead of the user's Who Banner.
    - Version Strings changed slightly, so as to make the DATES a bit easier
      to read and comprehend.
    - The NAME of this mod has finally been firmed up, and will from this
      point forward be called: "CNet Who's"   Enjoy Them!

-- v1.3 --

    - Release Date: February 4, 1994!
    - Last MAJOR Release! Yes, I found the HIDE Problem! Finally! Hehe!
    - While reading the new CNet Amiga Manual, I discovered that the WHO
      command supposedly issues "M" and "H", in addition to "m" and "h",
      although no matter how hard I tried, I could NOT get CNet's WHO to
      give me the "M" or "H", but MY versions DO do it! Yes!
    - Also added HELP LEVEL support. If the user is a "SuperUser", then only
      the final line of ='s are printed. If they're an "Expert", then they'll
      be shown the 1-line help menu, but if they're either a "Novice" or an
      "Intermediate" user, they'll be given a multi-line menu.
    - All three modules now include hard-coded VERSION strings! That's right,
      100% working VERSION Strings.

-- v1.2 --

    - Release Date: February 2, 1994
    - Third release still hasn't found a solution to the "Hide Problem".
    - This release introduces an enhanced version of the LONG WHO module. It
      allows the user to create/edit their existing WHO Banner, a 3-Line
      "Glimpse" file, and a 20-Line "History" file. These "Glimpses" and
      "Histories" are loaded into RAM when the user signs on, and are then
      deleted from RAM when they log off. (This is done for two reasons:
      Speed of Display, and less Wear & Tear on your Hard Drives!)
    - When editing a "Glimpse" file, this program will first see if the file
      "WHO" exists in their Mail directory. These "WHO" files are the 3-Line,
      38 Character banners used by Brad Majors' NewWho program. The user is
      then allowed to edit this "WHO" file, using the CNet Editor for a full
      3 80-Character lines. When the file is SAVED, it becomes a "Glimpse"
      file, while the "WHO" file is purged from the system. This should come
      in handy for any SysOps using Brad's earlier work that wish to upgrade
      to using this program.

-- v1.1 --

    - Release Date: January 21, 1994
    - My second attempt took care of ALL previous problems, EXCEPT the ability
      to truly HIDE ports that didn't wish to be seen. This problem has been
      a REAL pain, as it can't be done easily, because it could result in a
      lockup of the port doing the Who!

-- v1.0 --

    - My first attempt at duplicating CNet's WHO command to include a SHORT
      form, as well as a long form.
    - Things lacking included: Hide/Muffle/Conf status, Hidden Ports, Correct
      CPS Rates, Correct Logon Times, and Correct "Smartness" concerning if
      the SysOp wanted to display Idle Ports or Not!
    - Date was sometime in December of 1993. Can't recall exactly when.

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