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//// / / ///// //// //// //// //// ///// ////
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
///// / / / / / / / / ///// / /// / / Software
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
/ / //// / //// / / / / //// ///// /////
presents
AutoFile, the FidoNet Technology MultiTOS-compatible File Echo
Files distribution program for ST and Falcon computers
Contents
AutoMagic Licence Statement 2
Copyright (2), Licence for Use (2), Disclaimer (2).
1. Introduction 3
Make a backup! (3), Registration (3), The AF_HIST.ASC
History and Updates record (3), The Program in Operation
(3), How to use this manual (4).
2. Getting Started 5
Creating your AUTOFILE.CTL (5), Advanced commands (7).
3. AutoFile execution and Batch files 9
4. The Control File 11
Address (11), Advise (11), AutoSend (11), Area (11), Base36
(12), Bink (12), Debug (12), FilUpload (12), Fix (12),
FixName (13), Flea (13), Hold (13), Inbound (13), LogLevel
(13), Netmail (13), RenUsedTics (14), RepArea (14),
Replace-Del (14), StatusLog (14), StopDup (14), The-Box
(14), TicDir (15), TurboFIL (15), Use4D (15), Zone (15).
5. File echo information and format of Template files 16
File echo information following Area statement (16), Format
of Report Template files (16), Sample Report (18).
A1. Compatible Programs 20
FidoNet Technology Mailers (20), FidoNet Technology
QuickBBS-ST mail processors (20), QuickBBS-ST format mail
readers (21).
A2. The HATCH file standard 23
A3. Registration and Support for AutoMagic Utilities 24
AutoMagic Licence Statement AutoFile
AutoMagic Licence Statement
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copyright
~~~~~~~~~
This product, including its associated documentation and other files,
is the copyright of the author, David J. Thomas. The product may be
distributed for free, provided that all of the files in this
distribution are provided by the distributor, and that neither the
product, nor any of its associated files, are modified in any way
whatever. A fee for the physical act of transferring a copy may be
charged, but no more than is necessary to recover any costs incurred
during the transfer. Under no circumstances is this product to be
distributed in such a way as to be construed as "value added" in a
sales transaction, such as, but not limited to, software bundled with
a modem, commercial distribution of public domain software, or
inclusion in CD-ROM software collections. The source code is and
remains the property of the author.
Licence for Use
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This product can be used for non-commercial purposes without payment,
for a limited period, under the terms of this licence. To use this
product without payment, the user must register the software with the
author, which can be done by using the AutoMagic key requester. The
product will cease to function after an evaluation period, at which
time a new key must be obtained.
To use this product for non-commercial purposes for an unlimited time,
or commercial purposes for any period, it is necessary to purchase the
software. Details of how to do this can be found within this document.
Disclaimer
~~~~~~~~~~
The author specifically disclaims all warranties, expressed or
implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for any particular purpose with respect to
defects in the software and documentation. In no event shall the
author be liable for any loss of profit, or other commercial damage.
Page 2
AutoFile Chapter 1. Introduction
1. Introduction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Make a backup!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before using AutoFile, you should make a backup copy of the software
on a spare floppy disk, and put this in a safe place. Also, if you
have a copy of the encrypted key you require to use AutoFile, then
this should be copied to your backup disk along with the software.
Registration
~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you do not yet have a registration key, you can obtain a
demonstration key free of charge, with which you will be able to try
out every facility of AutoFile for 28 days. This key may be obtained
by running AMREQ.PRG, available by download or file request from the
international support BBS (The Dream Machine, +44-222-341713, 24
hours), or from various systems connected to the English ST network
(EST), in a ZIP archive named AMREQ.ZIP. Full keys are available for
10 pounds sterling (GBP). Details of how to purchase a full key can be
found at the end of this document.
The AF_HIST.ASC History and Updates record
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As is the case with all AutoMagic products, AutoFile is continually
being improved and updated, and the latest details that have not yet
made it to the manual are detailed in the document AF_HIST.ASC, which
also provides an overview of the development history of AutoFile. It
should be noted that the author does not usually have as much time for
writing manuals that he does for writing software, so the
documentation updates occur infrequently; however, it is hoped that
the user will appreciate that this means that the quality of the
software provided is better than it otherwise would be.
The Program in Operation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The purpose of AutoFile is to forward files through file echoes on
your system, using protocols described in the FidoNet Standards
Committee document FSC-0028 at time of writing, which will move any
files that are downloaded into different directories, depending on the
area (file echo) in which they are received, which usually designates
the category in which the file belongs. Also, these files come with
descriptions, which will be added to a FILES.BBS file in the same
directory, along with the filename, unless you are running a ///Turbo
Board and have indicated this in the control file, in which case files
with the extension FIL which are used by ///Turbo Board, will be
updated. The program uses the same standard as such programs as Tick
and Flea, which are both used by IBM PC compatibles, and consequently
most dialup bulletin boards and points which use FidoNet Technology.
The program can be executed whenever desired, but it is usually run
after every mail session where mail was imported (except during fixed
Page 3
Chapter 1. Introduction AutoFile
mail schedules such as zone mail hour), and takes very little time to
execute if there is nothing to do.
How to use this manual
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This manual describes the operation of AutoFile, and the configuration
of the program. It does not attempt to specify the format of the
administration files transferred with TIC or FLE extensions, which are
processed by the system; this information can be gleaned from the
aforementioned document FSC-0028. Neither does it attempt to explain
the operation of FidoNet Technology mailers or mail processors; it is
assumed that the reader will be familiar with these, which are either
essential or extremely useful for the operation of AutoFile. (In
theory, AutoFile can be used on its own, but no useful purpose would
be served by doing this.)
Chapter 2 explains how to run AutoFile, and carries you through the
basic setting up. Chapter 3 gives some example batch files. This also
explains the errorlevels used by AutoFile, and how you can use them to
speed up your system. Chapter 4 details the format of AUTOFILE.CTL,
the control file used by AutoFile. Chapter 5 details the extensive
echomail reporting options for processed files.
Page 4
AutoFile Chapter 2. Getting Started
2. Getting Started
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AutoFile is a very versatile program, but as is usually the case with
powerful packages, is rather hard to configure for the beginner. It is
hoped that the provision of this chapter will aid beginners setting
up.
Note that various shells have been created for AutoFile, viz.
AutoShell which is currently available, and Auto-MaSTer which will be
available later in the year. These may simplify the initial setup
phase, but they are not required, and this chapter assumes that you do
not have one of the shells. It does, however, assume that you possess
an ASCII Text editor, of which various examples are included in
Appendix 1.
To start with, you should place AutoFile wherever you put your network
related programs, and you should also place your AUTOMAGI.KEY that you
obtained during registration there. You have a choice of places where
you can put AUTOFILE.CTL, this can go in the same directory as your
AUTOMAGI.KEY, or in the directory specified by the MAILER environment
variable, if you have it set up.
Creating your AUTOFILE.CTL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Start editing the AUTOFILE.CTL then, in the place where you would like
to have it. First of all, define your addresses with the Address
command, with each address on a separate line. Note at this point that
each command is placed on a separate line, and attempting to put two
commands on the same line could cause problems. Use the usual syntax
<zone>:<net>/<node>, and you can append .<point> to that if desired
(unless you are operating a point system, in which case the parameter
should be specified). If you are the boss node of, or are part of a
point network, then your point net number can be specified after a
space after the address itself; this is optional, but it is
recommended.
Next, tell AutoFile where incoming files are placed by your mailer
with the Inbound command. This is followed by a relative or absolute
path. At least one is required; more may be specified, as required by
yourself and your system. For example, three inbound directories are
available to users of BinkleyTerm-ST, and you may wish to specify them
all, or for security reasons you may only wish files to be processed
that have come from a node that has a session password with yours, or
you may only have one inbound directory, in which case you would only
specify one path.
AutoFile now needs to know where to place output files, that are to be
delivered to or picked up by a node. First of all, it needs to know
what type of mailer you are using, because the type of output file it
writes is different for each one. AutoFile is compatible with
BinkleyTerm-ST and The-Box, and you specify the mailer that you are
using with the "Bink" and "The-Box" commands respectively. One of
these is required.
Page 5
Chapter 2. Getting Started AutoFile
Secondly, the outbound subdirectories are specified in a way that is
dependent on your system. If you use BinkleyTerm-ST, then you should
have a Hold command which has exactly the same syntax as that used in
BINKLEY.CFG, which is the path to the outbound directory for your
default zone and domain. If you also run domains, then for each domain
other than your default, specify its own outbound directory by using
the Zone command; its first parameter is the zone to which this
statement applies, and its second is the path to the outbound
directory for that zone, including any extension. For the default
domain, or for all networks if you do not use domains, AutoFile will
determine the name of the outbound directory for each zone from the
Hold command.
If you use The-Box, then your outbound is specified much more simply
by using the Hold command, which has exactly the same syntax as that
used in TB.CFG, i.e. the path to your (only) outbound directory.
Now to specify some more directories for AutoFile's data.
Incidentally, note that if you specify a directory that does not
exist, AutoFile will attempt to create one for you, with the name that
you give.
The first directory is that which will store *.TIC files that are
waiting for other nodes to collect. If you only send and receive files
with one node then you may not wish to define this directory, in which
case AutoFile will try to use the current directory. Otherwise specify
TicDir, followed by the usual relative or absolute path.
If you wish to employ duplicate prevention, use a StopDup command.
This will create a DUP file for each area you have, as files are
transferred through the area, and a record will be written consisting
of the filename and a checking code (a CCITT CRC-32 code of the file),
which will be compared with any other files hatched through an area.
If the two are the same, the file is considered to be a duplicate and
will not be processed. You can specify an optional path with the
StopDup command; if it is not specified, then AutoFile will use the
current directory.
The next job is to tell AutoFile where your netmail base resides.
Strictly speaking, this isn't really necessary, but is highly
recommended, and some features of AutoFile will not work unless this
is included. You might as well place this command in your control
file, even if you do not need it. Use the Netmail control, followed by
the path to, and file stub of, your netmail base. (The 'stub' does not
include the file extension, e.g. 0001 and NETMAIL are stubs.) Make
sure you do not specify .HDR or .MSG as part of the name. That's
rather important, as your netmail base will be corrupted if you
include either extension.
Now, tell AutoFile where to log its activities with the StatusLog
command. This is followed by the path and filename of the status log,
which is written using the BinkleyTerm format. Also specify the amount
of logging you want, with the LogLevel command followed by a number
from 1 to 5; 1 gives very sparse logging, and 5 gives extensive
logging.
Page 6
AutoFile Chapter 2. Getting Started
Let us now set up our first area! Use the Area keyword, which has two
parameters, these being the path in which incoming files are placed,
and the actual name of the area itself. (Note that the keyword can
include a third parameter which is not covered in this chapter; please
see Chapter 4 for details.)
The Area keyword is special, in that the scope of the information
provided extends to those lines that immediately follow the statement.
The main information included is the node number of each link,
followed by the password used in the administration files, followed by
the permissions for the node. The node number is expressed in the
usual syntax (see Address above, but note that no private net number
should be included; if this is required then the node number itself
should be formed from the private net number); the password is up to 8
characters long, and is case insensitive; and the flags include I
meaning that files can be input from the node (accepted); O indicates
that files are output to the node; H and C indicates that the files
are crashed or held respectively, except for The-Box systems where
files are put on hold by default. (Note that there are a few more
flags; please see Chapter 5 for details.)
Advanced commands
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You should now have a basic AUTOFILE.CTL, which should work well. From
here, you can expand it to include such features as file logging, file
echo maintenance capabilities and automatically sending files, to
mention a few. A short list of the available commands and their
meanings is provided here, and please refer to Chapter 4 for the exact
syntax and operation of each command (Chapter 5 for Local commands).
Here are the remaining commands not yet dealt with:
Advise A netmail accompanies each file, with information about the
file.
AutoSend Files are automatically sent into a file echo, with an
appropriate description.
Base36 BinkleyTerm version 3 files will be written instead of
version 2 files.
Debug Provides very extensive logging information, and if used
whilst reproducing a bug, the information produced will be
helpful with the author's efforts to track it down.
FilUpload If using ///Turbo Board and TurboFIL, you can specify the
name placed into the Uploader field of the record.
Fix Gives automated maintenance capability using FileFix and
Raid style messsages to a node.
FixName AutoFile will respond to messages written to the specified
name, and treat them as if they were written to AutoFile.
These will be processed using the usual parsing algorithm.
Flea AutoFile will process any *.FLE files received, as well as
*.TIC files. Normally only used if a connection is using the
PC Flea program.
Local Area
You can categorise your areas into specific restriction and
network boundaries, and control which nodes have access to
which echoes when using Fix.
Page 7
Chapter 2. Getting Started AutoFile
Local Desc
Nodes will see this description for the area in a report.
RenUsedTics
Once TIC files have been processed, they will be renamed to
*.TPR instead of being deleted.
RepArea Files processed will be reported in an echo that you
designate, with your format if desired.
Replace-Del
Sometimes a file may supersede an earlier version of the
file. If the earlier version exists on your board, then it
will be deleted if this control is used. The name of any
files to delete are included in the administration file.
TurboFIL Used by those using ///Turbo Board, this removes the
requirement for running a program to convert FILES.BBS files
into ///Turbo's proprietary format.
Use4D Use 4D addresses in TIC files.
Page 8
AutoFile Chapter 3. AutoFile Execution and Batch Files
3. AutoFile execution and Batch files
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A short summary of the instructions for use of AutoFile appear when
invoking AutoFile with the command line of "?". You would normally
invoke AutoFile from a command line interpreter (CLI) such as PCommand
or Tomshell, and it is assumed that the reader will be familiar with
such a utility. This document does not attempt to explain the
intricacies of CLI's, which should be explained in the documentation
accompanying the CLI of your choice.
Using AutoFile with the following commands will produce these effects:
? Displays a short list of available command line options.
AutoFile will pause for the user to press a key, and this
option cannot be used with any of the others.
auto[x] Search for files that meet the criteria of the AutoSend
lines; if x is specified then only look at AutoSend line x,
where x starts at 1 for the first AutoSend line defined.
Hatch any of these files.
filefix Search for FileFix messages. AutoFile will do this by
default if any files come through a file echo. It is
recommended that you use this parameter at least once per
day, to force AutoFile to check for any FileFix messages, as
some of your downlinks may want reports which are not
usually dealt with when the searching does not occur. This
searching does not occur if there is nothing to be done by
default because it takes a long time to perform.
hatch Look for a HATCH file, with the specifications given in
Appendix 2. Hatch any files specified.
report Send a report of connected and available file echoes to all
nodes that have a Filefix capability defined by a Fix
control.
search Look in all inbound directories for incoming files to be
processed.
send Hatch a file, with data input from the console. It is not
possible to redirect input or output.
AutoFile will, by default, operate as if called by "autofile auto
hatch search", or "autofile auto filefix hatch search" if anything was
done (such as a file being hatched, or an incoming file being
processed).
Once AutoFile has finished operating, it will exit with one of the
following errorlevels:
0 - AutoFile operation completed. No netmail or echomail written.
1 - AutoFile operation completed. Netmail was written.
2 - AutoFile operation completed. Echomail was written.
3 - AutoFile operation completed. Netmail and echomail were written.
99 - AutoFile was called with the '?' parameter.
This means that, if you wish, you can fine tune the operation of your
mail processor within your batch file. You don't want the mail
processor to check for mail ready to export every time, necessarily.
Especially scanning is quite a lengthy process with all current ST
Page 9
Chapter 3. AutoFile Execution and Batch Files AutoFile
mail processors, if you have a high number of areas.
I suggest that your import sequence looks something like this:
:import import label
mailproc toss import waiting netmail and echomail
autofile import files, create messages if needed
if errorlevel 3 then mailproc scan pack
export and pack waiting netmail and
echomail
if errorlevel 2 then mailproc scan
export and pack waiting echomail
if errorlevel 1 then mailproc pack
export and pack waiting netmail
goto runbbs return to mailer
Note that AutoFile supports a range of mail processors (see Appendix
1), and the actual command lines for these will differ from those
given.
Page 10
AutoFile Chapter 4. The Control File
4. The Control File
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As mentioned previously, the control file has a filename of
AUTOFILE.CTL. This file must exist in the current working directory
when AutoFile is executed, or in the directory specified by the MAILER
environment variable. It is a text file, and can be created by your
favourite text editor or various shells that are available (see
Appendix 1). Each statement in the control file is listed on a
separate line. Anything after a semicolon (;) is always ignored, so
these can be used for comments.
In the following list, any optional control or parameter is enclosed
in square brackets. The meaning of a parameter is specified in angled
brackets. Braces are used to denote choices, where one of a list may
be chosen; e.g. [{IO[{C|H}][{T|F}]}] indicates that I and/or O may be
specified, along with C or H, and T or F, and that all parameters are
optional, but if C is specified then H cannot be specified, and if T
is specified then F cannot be specified.
Address <zone>:<net>/<node>[.<point>] [<private_net_number>]
There must be at least one Address control. Any further controls
designate AKA's, and the address that is used for transfers within
each zone should be specified first, with any administration
numbers following. Note that you must include zone numbers, these
are NOT optional as part of an AutoFile control file. If you
operate a point net, or are part of a point net, that uses 3D
addressing techniques, then the private net number must be
specified. Please refer to FidoNet technical standards for
information on private net numbers.
[Advise]
To use this statement, the Netmail statement must also be defined,
and one of the mail processors listed in Appendix 1 must be in use.
If used, this will send out accompanying netmails with all files.
The netmails will have the same priority as the files that are
being attached, i.e. if the file is put on Hold for the destination
then the Hold flag for the netmail will be set. Other flags set for
each Advise netmail are Kill/Sent and Local.
[AutoSend [<drive>:][<path>]<filename> <area> [<desc>]
AutoFile will check for the existence of a file or files, and will
hatch any that have the same name as the filename (which may
include wildcards). The files will be hatched in the file echo
designated by <area>, and will be given the description <desc>.
Note that <desc> is case sensitive. The hatch occurs as if the file
was being hatched using the AutoFile Send option (see Chapter 2).
[Area <path> <primary_area> [<secondary_area>]]
This designates a file area. Files coming into the file echo named
<primary_area> will be copied to <path>, and a FILES.BBS will be
appended to, unless TurboFil has been specified in which case a
Page 11
Chapter 4. The Control File AutoFile
*.FIL file may be appended to (see TurboFil for further details).
If <secondary_area> is specified, the files are hatched into the
second echo, without making a new copy of the file if the path of
the new echo is different. All node receipt information (Seenby
lines) is carried over into the new TIC/FLE files for the new echo,
and if that has any secondary areas then the process will be
repeated unless an area has already seen the file. There is no
maximum length of either <primary_area> and <secondary_area>, but
only the first eight characters are significant.
Various statements usually follow this statement, giving
information about the file echo, connected nodes and security,
which are described in Chapter 4.
[Base36]
Only valid if in BinkleyTerm mode (the "Bink" parameter is used),
this causes AutoFile to write BinkleyTerm-ST version 3+ file attach
lists, which are four dimensional, and any private net numbers are
not required in Address statements provided any points are using 4D
capable software.
[Bink]
This flag specifies that the BinkleyTerm-ST mailer is being used.
If this statement is specified, then The-Box must not be specified.
[Debug]
This flag provides verbose logging information, and also opens to
the log, writes a line and closes it in one operation. It is
consequently possible to write a whole section of log up to any
problem occurrences. It is recommended that disk caches be turned
off before this statement is used, and this statement is not for
normal usage as it greatly increases the amount of logging done. As
a rule, this statement should only be used if reporting bugs in the
software.
[FilUpload <upload_field>]
Only valid if running ///Turbo Board and you must also use the
TurboFIL statement, q.v. The default specified for the uploader
field for each file record is "AutoFile Automated Upload"; this can
be replaced by whatever you wish in <upload_field>. Note that the
parameter is case sensitive.
[Fix <node> <password> <area_groups> [<flags>]]
The Netmail statement must also be specified, q.v. Also a mail
processor must be in use. Allows the node or point specified in
<node> to connect themselves to or disconnect themselves from areas
having an area group specified in the list <area_groups>, or no
area group at all. They must have an occurrence of <password> on
the subject line of their netmail to AutoFile, and the flags
specified have the same format as for the Area sub-statement. If
these are not included, then O is used as default, but it is
Page 12
AutoFile Chapter 4. The Control File
recommended that all parameters be included. <node> has the usual
[<zone>:]<net>/<node>[.<point>] format, with the default zone being
the zone specified in the first Address statement. Note that the
area group list is case sensitive.
[FixName <name>]
By default, AutoFile only recognises netmails written to AutoFile
as being intended for its own perusal, in processing as per the Fix
statement above. It may be desirable for AutoFile to recognise
netmails written to other names, such as Raid or FileFix. Note that
<name> is case insensitive. You could specify this statement
without using Fix, but this would achieve no useful purpose.
[Flea]
If this option is specified, any FLE files will be imported, along
with TIC files, from the inbound directories specified. Note that
it is not needed before AutoFile will write FLE files to connected
nodes.
[Hold <default_zone_mail_hold_path>]
Mail is held in the specified path for your mailer. If you operate
a multizone or multidomain BinkleyTerm system, then this must
specify the path to your default zone, which is the first address
specified. This is the directory without an extension. If using a
multizone or single zone system, then this is all you need, since
AutoFile will provide the necessary extension; if using a
multidomain system, then you will also need to specify Zone
statements for each extra zone, q.v. If using The-Box mailer, then
only one Hold statement is necessary, since all outbound attaches
are kept in the same directory. At least one of the Hold statements
or Zone statements must be present in the control file.
Inbound <path_to_inbound_area>
This is the path where incoming files are stored by your mailer.
You may wish to designate more than one, in which case AutoFile
will search through them in turn for *.TIC files (and *.FLE files
if the Flea statement is specified). At least one is necessary.
[LogLevel <1-5>]
Specifies the amount of information you wish to be written to your
status log file. 1 contains the smallest amount; 5 contains the
largest amount. The log is compatible with the BinkleyTerm format,
as is the log level itself. StatusLog must also be specified, q.v.
[Netmail <path_and_filename_stub_to_netmail_base>]
This indicates the location and filename stub of your Netmail
message base, and is required for a lot of the facilities provided
by AutoFile. This assumes the use of a QuickBBS-ST message base
format, which is used by almost all ST mail processing software.
The filename stub is the filename without extension, and of course
Page 13
Chapter 4. The Control File AutoFile
the extensions of the two files present are .HDR and .MSG.
[RenUsedTics]
Essentially a debugging option, used TIC files will be renamed to
*.TPR (for TIC processed) instead of being deleted.
[RepArea <path_to_echomail_base> <groups> [<template_file>]]
The <path_to_echomail_base> also contains its stub, as found in
AREAS.BBS. For reasons of speed, it is not possible to specify the
echo tag name required; it would slow things down a lot. An
extension is NOT specified, in keeping with the usual convention.
The list of groups is case sensitive, and if a file is processed
which is echoed through an area which belongs to any of the groups
specified, then the receipt of the file will be reported. If no
template file is specified, AutoFile will use its own default
reporting format, otherwise the template file will be read and
acted upon. For details of its format, see Chapter 4.
[Replace-Del]
If a TIC contains any Replaces lines, then any file matching the
singular file name specified will be deleted, as long as its name
is not FILES.BBS. If the file specification contains any wildcards,
then the request will be disregarded; however, multiple Replaces
lines will be processed, and any file specifications without
wildcards will be looked for. Records in FILES.BBS or *.FIL files
are NOT deleted or modified at present. Note also that at the
moment, it is not possible to hatch a file with AutoFile that
contains any Replaces statements. These will be provided in a
future release.
[StatusLog <log_path_and_filename>]
A BinkleyTerm-style log will be written if this command is
specified, and it will be appended to the file specified. LogLevel
must also be specified, q.v.
[StopDup [<storage_path>]]
With this statement, files going through an echo cause a file *.DUP
to be written or appended to. The name of the file is the first
eight characters of the area name. The line written consists of the
filename and a unique value for the file called the CRC-32 of the
file. When another file goes through the same echo, this file is
checked to see whether it contains a file name and CRC which are
the same as that of the original file. If they are, then it assumes
that the file is a duplicate, and will not process the file.
Because the CRC is checked, if a file to be hatched has the same
name as the previous one but different contents, then it will not
be stopped because the CRC will be different.
[The-Box]
Indicates that The-Box mailer is in use. If this statement is
Page 14
AutoFile Chapter 4. The Control File
specified, then Bink must not be specified.
[TicDir <storage_path>]
The TIC and FLE files written out by AutoFile will be created in
this path. If this statement is not specified, the default is the
curreent working directory of the current drive.
[TurboFIL <path_to_*.FIL_files> [<access_level>]]
Only required if you are running ///Turbo Board version 2. The path
to your *.FIL files must be specified, and AutoFile will update a
*.FIL if it exists, instead of appending to FILES.BBS. The optional
access level designates the minimum access level needed to download
the file, and defaults to zero.
[Use4D]
AutoFile will use full 4D addresses in TIC files if this is
specified. Usually, 3D addresses are used only, since these are
what most systems recognize. Normally you should leave this option
off. It is known that STick and Hatch, and at least one other
utility, have problems with 4D addresses in TIC files.
[Zone <zone_number> <zone_mail_hold_path>]
Bink must also be specified. Designates the path to the mail
holding area for the zone specified. This statement is required in
a multidomain setup, but in all other cases the Hold parameter
should suffice, q.v.
Page 15
Chapter 5. File echo info & format of Template files AutoFile
5. File echo information and format of Template files
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
File echo information following Area statement
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Area control file statement referred to in Chapter 4 is followed
by various parameters which control access to the echo and list the
connected nodes, as follows:
[<zone>:<net>/<node>[.<point>] <password> [{IO[{C|H}][{T|F}]}]]
Each of these designates an address, whose TIC or FLE files come
through or are sent out with the password <password> (which must be
the same on both systems). If I is specified, then files can be
input from the node into your system. If O is specified, then files
are output to the node from your system. If C is specified, then
files are crashed to the node. If H is specified, then files are
put on hold for the node. If T is specified, then no TIC file will
be sent to the node. If F is specified, then a FLE file will be
sent to the node in place of a TIC file, which should only be used
as a rule if somebody is using Flea (PC file forwarding software).
[Local group <group_letter>]
This indicates that the echo is part of a group which is specified.
Note that the group letter is case sensitive. This is useful for
controlling FileFix requests, and for reporting certain files into
certain echoes. Only one may be specified.
[Local desc <area_description>]
This indicates a description of the file echo, which will be
displayed to connected nodes on sending them a Report or upon their
request for one. Only one may be specified.
As soon as a statement is reached which does not fit any of the above
criteria, the information for that echo is considered terminated. This
includes comments and blank lines!
Format of Report Template files
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Template files specify the format of the report sent to an echomail
area with the RepArea statement. The default name of this file is
REPFILE.TPL, but a different file will be used if a name is specified.
The file is an ASCII file, similar to the control file, whose format
is as follows:
Footer <footer_field_line>
Indicates part of the footer. Any number of Footer lines may be
specified, but blank lines should be specified by leaving a single
full stop on the footer field line.
From <from_field>
Page 16
AutoFile Chapter 5. File echo info & format of Template files
Specifies the name to put in the From field of the message.
Header <header_field_line>
Indicates part of the header. Any number of Header lines may be
specified, but blank lines should be specified by leaving a single
full stop on the header field line.
Origin <origin_field_line>
This text will appear after Origin: in the echomail. It must
include the address in parantheses, after the line itself, and the
whole line must not exceed 68 characters in length.
Report <report_field_line>
Indicates part of the report of a file received. Any number of
Report lines may be specified, but blank lines should be specified
by leaving a single full stop on the report field line. The
following translations are performed:
%d -> the complete description
\d...\ -> as much description as will fit between the backslashes
%e -> file echo name in which file was processed
%f -> filename of file processed
%s -> size of file processed
If any line is completely blank after translations have been
performed, then it will not be included in the report.
Subj[ect] <subject_field>
Specifies the contents of the Subject field of the message.
To <to_field>
Specifies the name to put in the To field of the message.
The defaults for the above are as follows:
Footer:
(none)
From: All
Header:
The following files have been received:
.
Origin: (none)
Report:
%f (%e): %s bytes
\d <- 65 spaces -> \
\d <- 65 spaces -> \
Page 17
Chapter 5. File echo info & format of Template files AutoFile
.
Subject: New Files
To: All
Sample Report
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A sample report produced by the template shown, follows:
From The Dream Machine
To All File Freaks
Subj Things to whet your appetite!
Header The Dream Machine recently obtained the following files:
Header .
Report %f (%e): %s bytes
Report \d <- 65 spaces -> \
Report \d <- 65 spaces -> \
Report .
Footer These are available for download or file request from The Dream
Machine, 23 hours a day. (All times except ZMH.)
Origin The Dream Machine [DS] +44-222-341713 [24 hours] (2:253/600)
And the report:
Msg #4 / 1-6 Time: Sat 01 May 93 11:05
From: The Dream Machine
To : All File Freaks
Subj: Things to whet your appetite!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Dream Machine recently obtained the following files:
AMIG6418.LHA (SKYPROGS): 314583 bytes
Amiga-port of NN 6.4.18 - USENet mail editor
FBL31.LZH (SKYUTILS): 3055 bytes
fbl v3.1 - Speeds up blitter access and optimize some other
functions
MPEGDC10.LHA (SKYUTILS): 158560 bytes
MPeg2DCTV v1.0 - Display MPEG streams on DCTV
GUIARC11.LHA (SKYUTILS): 28991 bytes
GuiArc v1.10 [UPDATE] - Very nice GUI for archivers. A MUST!
[OS2.0]
LX100.LHA (SKYUTILS): 33595 bytes
LX and LV v1.00 - Very FAAAST LHA dearchiver/decompressor - 68000
and 68020 vers
DHRYST11.LHA (SKYUTILS): 15756 bytes
Dhrystone v1.1 - Dhrystone Benchmark, all Amigas
MIDNIGHT.LHA (SKYUTILS): 27807 bytes
Midnight v1.0 - Moduler Blanking System (Under Development)
Page 18
AutoFile Chapter 5. File echo info & format of Template files
PCRES233.LHA (SKYUTILS): 21970 bytes
PcRestore v2.33 - Restores PC BACKUP'ed files on Amiga
These are available for download or file request from The Dream
Machine, 23 hours a day. (All times except ZMH.)
--- AutoFile 0.24<beta>
* Origin: The Dream Machine [DS] +44-222-341713 [24 hours]
(2:253/600)
Page 19
Appendices AutoFile
A1. Compatible Programs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This appendix lists required programs and useful programs for the
operation of AutoFile.
FidoNet Technology Mailers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One of the following FidoNet Technology mailers is required:
BinkleyTerm-ST Freely usable for non-commercial purposes,
copyright of Bit Bucket Software, Inc. and
independent authors. AutoFile is compatible with
versions at least as early as 2.40, although some
features require version 3.00 or higher. AutoFile
uses either the *.FLO file 3D Opus format
outbound, or the 4D Base 36 ST specific convention
(version 3.00 or higher required for the latter).
"Bink" must be specified in the control file,
along with "Hold4D" if the 4D attach naming
convention is to be used.
The-Box Freely usable for non-commercial purposes,
copyright of Jac Kersing. AutoFile is probably
compatible with all versions, and will use the
*.HF and *.IF outbound file format. "The-Box" must
be specified in the control file.
FidoNet Technology QuickBBS-ST mail processors
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One of the following QuickBBS-ST format FidoNet technology mail
processors is recommended, all of which use the QuickBBS-ST message
base format, and one of these will be required for features such as
reporting of incoming files, and advising of outgoing ones:
ACS Shareware, contact Roland Bohn for details. ACS
has its own file echo processor that must be
disabled if AutoFile is to be used.
Bermuda Freely usable for non-commercial purposes,
copyright of Jac Kersing. It is assumed that
AutoFile is compatible with Bermuda, but tests
have not been carried out.
IOSmail Freely usable for non-commercial purposes,
copyright of Rinaldo Visscher.
Jetmail Commercial, contact Daniel Roesen or Joerg Spilker
for details. Special features may be incorporated
into AutoFile in the future, for which Jetmail
will be required.
MARSmail Distribution and usage restrictions unknown. I
believe that this program is only useful to nodes
Page 20
AutoFile Appendices
that do not distribute echomail, which have only
one uplink or downlink for each area. It is
assumed that AutoFile is compatible with MARSmail,
but tests have not been carried out.
Midas Freely usable for non-commercial purposes,
copyright of Keyop Troy. At the time of writing,
this product has not been released.
QuickBBS-ST format mail readers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mail readers are a virtually essential requirement; although AutoFile
does not need one to operate, one will be required to read any of the
echomail and netmail AutoFile produces.
LED Freely usable for non-commercial purposes,
copyright of Roland Bohn and Volkmar Wieners.
Later versions, at least, of this program are
MultiTOS-compatible.
Various shells are available which allow you to configure AutoFile
quickly and easily. It should be noted that these may not provide all
possible facilities that are available to AutoFile users. Any that are
not supported by the shell, should be inserted by your text editor.
AF-Hatch Freely usable for non-commercial purposes,
copyright of Mark Matts. This program makes use of
the HATCH file standard that is specified in
Appendix 2. At the time of writing, this product
is incompatible with the latest release of
AutoFile.
Auto-MaSTer Freely usable for non-commercial purposes,
copyright of Mark Matts. At the time of writing,
this product has not been released. This program
is MultiTOS-compatible.
AutoShell Freely usable for non-commercial purposes,
copyright of Ben Van Bokkem.
ASCII Text editors are useful for those that do not have space for, or
for some other reason do not wish to install one of the shells, and
they are sometimes essential for use of facilities provided by newer
versions of AutoFile whilst the shells are catching up. Since there is
such an overwhelming variety of text editors available, I have only
listed a short list here:
First Word This was provided for free with some ST's. It's a
slow GEM program, but it is user-friendly. Since
it doubles as a word processor, you must disable
WP mode before editing text files for use with
AutoFile. It isn't the best text editor to use
with AutoFile, but it's probably not the worst.
GNOME Freely usable, and believed to be public domain.
Page 21
Appendices AutoFile
Available in a desk accessory version as well as a
stand-alone TTP program, this is hardly feature
packed, but should be adequate for most editing
requirements for AutoFile's control files.
Micro-Emacs Freely usable, this is available in various
versions and on various platforms, and the later
versions include very sophisticated features such
as macros. This TTP should be more than adequate
for use with AutoFile, but make sure you get
documentation.
Protext Commercial, and arguably the most expensive
package listed here, but definitely worth
considering if you do a lot of word processing. It
is reasonably fast, but don't buy it just for use
with AutoFile. This documentation was written
using Protext. It doubles as a word processor; to
edit text, exit to command mode and type "PROG".
ST-Writer Freely usable, this also doubles as a word
processor, but make sure you get at least version
4 as earlier versions did not have the text editor
mode. This should be obtainable from most PD
libraries. It is reasonably fast, and should do
the job.
Tempus Commercial, and the distributor varies between
countries. Two versions are available, and this is
one of the highest speed editors you will come by,
though AutoFile's text files are normally rather
small and the speed is probably not required.
A lot of AutoFile users are using AutoFile in conjunction with
bulletin board software, so that files are automatically uploaded to
their BBS, along with descriptions. AutoFile is directly compatible
with the following BBS software:
ProBBS Commercial, contact John Carolin for details. At
the time of writing, this product has not been
released. It will support the QuickBBS-ST message
base format.
QuickBBS-ST Shareware, contact Theo Runia or Jon Webb for
details. FILES.BBS files are used by this
software, which consist of the filename and
description of each file. Reports can be used
directly by this software, which supports the
QuickBBS-ST message base format (well, it would!).
///Turbo Board Commercial, contact Bill Miller or John Miller for
details. This software uses its own proprietary
format. Version 1 of this software is not
supported. Version 2 uses *.FIL files which
contain a lot of information about each file.
Page 22
AutoFile Appendices
"TurboFIL" must be specified in the control file,
please refer to Chapter 4 for the syntax of this
statement. Reports need to be converted into
Turbo's own message base format.
If you are a hub, or higher coordinator, then you may be asked or
required to produce nodelist segments. These segments can be
distributed through file echoes, if desired. Nodelist creators can be
used for this purpose. At the moment there is one utility that will
produce nodelists for the ST, also from AutoMagic:
MakeDiff Shareware, see Appendix 3 for details. This
program makes use of the HATCH file standard that
is specified in Appendix 2. Nodelist segments, or
entire nodelists, can be automatically created and
forwarded into file echoes, which is especially
useful for region and zone coordinators.
A2. The HATCH file standard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AutoFile will usually look for a HATCH file in the current working
directory. If this is found, then files will be hatched into the
echoes specified, with the descriptions specified, as if they had been
locally hatched into the file echoes.
The HATCH file is a text file of any length. If the HATCH file already
exists, then it must be appended to, and any data already in the file
should not be overwritten. The HATCH file consists of any number of
records as follows:
First line: Full file path and name
Second line: File echo in which the file is to be hatched
Third line: Description of the file to be hatched
Last line: ---
After the third line, any following lines not with the --- terminator
are disregarded, but will be used in the future for extra facilities
such as automated Magic file naming, release dates etc. Any such
parameters will be optional, so the records can have the basic four
line length format if desired. Each record must be followed directly
after the previous record, and each program using a HATCH file should
write only the necessary lines to comply with the standard.
Page 23
Appendices AutoFile
A3. Registration and Support for AutoMagic Utilities
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Registration of AutoFile for unlimited non-commercial use currently
costs 10 pounds sterling (GBP) if ordered from the principle support
site in the UK, or 20 US dollars if ordered from the US distribution
agent. If ordered together, MakeDiff and AutoFile cost 15 GBP or 30 US
dollars. These prices are subject to revision, so please contact
AutoMagic before placing your order. Bulk purchases are subject to
discounts. The current distribution sites are:
AutoMagic Support BBS:
David J. Thomas The Dream Machine, a 24-hour system
56 Forrest Road using a HST Dual Standard modem, on
CARDIFF +44-222-341713 (or 0222-341713 if in UK)
CF5 1HQ Node numbers 2:442/600, 90:103/103,
UK 100:104/0
AutoMagic Support BBS:
Brian Watters The Atari ST Connection, a 24-hour
894 East Fallbrook system using a 16800 HST Dual Standard
Fresno modem, on +1-209-436-8156. Node numbers
CA 93720 1:205/24, 90:300/462, 100:290/1
USA
Page 24
AutoFile Index
///Turbo Board 3, 7-8, 12, 15, 22
ACS 20
Address 5, 11
Advise 7, 11
AF_HIST.ASC 3
AF-Hatch 21
Area 3, 7, 11
ASCII Text editors 5, 21
First Word 21
GNOME 21
Micro-Emacs 22
Protext 22
ST-Writer 22
Tempus 22
Auto[x] 9
AUTOFILE.CTL 5, 7, 11
AutoMagic Utilities 24
MakeDiff 23
AUTOMAGI.KEY 5
AutoSend 7, 9, 11
AutoShell 5, 21
Auto-MaSTer 5, 21
Backup 3
Base36 7, 12
BBS 22
Bermuda 20
Bink 12
BinkleyTerm-ST 5-6, 12, 20
Bulletin board software 22
///Turbo Board 22
ProBBS 22
QuickBBS-ST 22
Bulletin boards 3
CCITT CRC-32 6
CLI 9
Command line 9
Command line interpreter 9
Command line parameters 9
? 9
auto[x] 9
filefix 9
hatch 9
report 9
search 9
send 9
Compatible Programs 20
Debug 7, 12
Defaults
///Turbo user access level 15
flags in Fix line 12
mail holding path 13
Page 25
Index AutoFile
reporting options 17-18
StopDup storage path 14
template file in RepArea 14
TIC/FLE file storage path 15
uploader field in *.FIL files 12
Demonstration key 3
Descriptions 3
Environment variable
MAILER 5, 11
Errorlevels 9
FidoNet Standards Committee 3
FidoNet Technology 1, 3-4
mail processors 20
mailers 4, 20
FIL 3, 15
File echo 3
File echo information 16
Filefix 9
FILES.BBS 3, 8, 11, 15, 22
FilUpload 7, 12
First Word 21
Fix 7, 9, 12
Fixed mail schedules 4
FixName 7, 13
FLE 4
Flea 3, 7, 13
Footer 16-17
From 16-17
FSC-0028 3
GNOME 21
Hatch 9
HATCH file standard 21, 23
Header 17
History 3
Hold 6, 13
Inbound 5, 13
Incoming files 5
Introduction 3
IOSmail 20
Jetmail 20
Key 3
LED 21
Local Area 7
Local Desc 8
LogLevel 6, 13
Mail processors 4, 9-12, 20
ACS 20
Page 26
AutoFile Index
Bermuda 20
IOSmail 20
Jetmail 20
MARSmail 20
Midas 21
Mail readers 21
LED 21
Mail schedules
fixed 3
zone mail hour 3
Mail session 3
MAILER environment variable 5, 11
Mailers 4, 20
BinkleyTerm-ST 5, 12, 20
The-Box 5, 14, 20
MakeDiff 23
MARSmail 20
Micro-Emacs 22
Midas 21
MultiTOS-compatible 1, 21
Netmail 6, 13
Nodelist creators 23
MakeDiff 23
Operation 3
Origin 17
PCommand 9
Points 3
Private net number 7, 11-12
ProBBS 22
Protext 22
QuickBBS-ST 22
QuickBBS-ST message base format 13, 20, 22
mail processors 20
mail readers 21
Registration 3, 24
RenUsedTics 8, 14
RepArea 8, 14, 16
REPFILE.TPL 16
Replace-Del 8, 14
Report 9, 17
Reporting options 16
footer 16
from 16
header 17
origin 17
report 17
subject 17
to 17
Search 9
Send 9
Page 27
Index AutoFile
Session password 5
Shells 5, 21
AF-Hatch 21
AutoShell 5, 21
Auto-MaSTer 5, 21
StatusLog 6, 14
StopDup 6, 14
ST-Writer 22
Subj 17
Subject 17-18
Support 24
Support BBS 24
Template 14, 16
Tempus 22
The-Box 5-7, 14, 20
TIC 4
TicDir 6, 15
Tick 3
To 17-18
Tomshell 9
TurboFIL 8, 15
Use4D 8, 15
Zone 6, 15
Zone mail hour 4
Page 28
