Cream of the Crop 12/Cream of the Crop 12 (Part II)/Cream of the Crop 12 (Part II).iso/OS2/DUMPIT.ZIP/DUMPIT.HLP

OS/2 Help File | 1996-03-20 | 70.6 KB | 350 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. About DUMPIT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

                                     DUMPIT

                        An NNTP Binary Retrieval Program

                           Version 1.0, February 1996

                             Written by: M. Klakken
             Copyright C 1995,1996 M. Klakken, All Rights Reserved.

The program DUMPIT allows an unattended, selectable retrieval from a NNTP news
server.  Along with allowing various NNTP servers to be selected, the program
allows any newsgroup to be selected for download. The program downloads any
news item that meets the download criteria selected by the user.  Various types
of files are allowed to be downloaded including JPG, GIF, MPG, AVI, and BMP.
All files downloaded are recorded in a database so the same files will not be
downloaded from different newsgroups and/or servers.  The download status is
shown during download and the download can be stopped at any time without
losing the current download status.  Any sequential files (e.g. 1/3, 2/3, 3/3)
will be accordingly recorded up to a maximum of 32 files.  This limit will be
increased in the next revision.

Once the files have been downloaded, the user can then select to decode the
files.  The program can decode the three main formats:

   1. UUDECODE
   2. XXDECODE
   3. BASE64

 The decoding status is shown on the screen and can be stopped at any time.

 After the downloaded files have been decoded, the database must be "updated".
 This means that all the internal files used by the program for download file
 storage that have been properly decoded will be marked as decoded and then
 deleted from the hard drive.  This process will not delete the actual decoded
 files, though (don't worry).  Any file not decoded will be saved unless the
 number of times tried to decode or the number of days past download has
 exceeded some user defined limit.  At this time the internal file(s) will be
 deleted and removed from the database.  The user can also edit the database
 file to remove any unwanted files that have been found cluttering the hard
 drive.

 Program Requirements

     OS/2 Version 2.0 or greater
     TCP/IP Version 2.0 or greater
     Access to a NNTP News Server

 BUGS (those nasty varmits)

 Since you are using this program, I assume that you have access to the
 Internet.  So, if you find any bugs or something that would make the program
 more user friendly, please e-mail me your suggestions/bug list along the
 Internet to me at:

  [e-mail]


 I believe this program is free from all bugs! This does not imply no possible
 problems since every machine is different, but it does imply that I spent many
 hours trying to perfect this program.

 Now For The Lawyer Stuff

 Unless otherwise stated in writing the program DUMPIT is distributed "AS IS"
 without a warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but
 not limited to, the implied warranties of use for a particular function or
 usage.  You assume the entire risk for the use and installation of the program
 DUMPIT and all associate files.

 In no event will M. Klakken be responsible in any way for the behavior of
 DUMPIT. In no event will M. Klakken and or any other party who may
 redistribute DUMPIT, be liable to you for damages, including lost profits or
 other special, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or
 inability to use (including but not limited to loss of data or data being
 rendered inaccurate or losses sustained by third parties or a failure of the
 program to operate with any other programs) DUMPIT, even if M. Klakken has
 been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by another
 party.

 Wow, the things that you have to say to try to protect yourself.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Why Register ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This program is considered shareware, not freeware.  The main reason for this
requirement is to help cover programming costs such as having to purchase the
IBM C++ compiler and the help compiler.  It will also help justify to the wife
why I spent that many hours in front of the computer writing this program and
not spending that time with her.  This program has not been specially modified
for the shareware version compared to the registered version. I can not promise
any new releases but if one is released, it will have more options and will be
free only for the registered users.  Thanks for trying this program and I hope
that you will register.

As mentioned above, this program is considered shareware, not freeware.  I, as
the author give everyone the right to freely use this program for 30 days.
After that time a registration fee must be paid to the author if the program is
to be used anymore.  If after the 30 day trial period, the program is deemed
useless or unworthy, then all versions of the program should be removed from
their storage mediums. On the other hand, if the program has some redeeming
value, then send $20 dollars (payable to M. Klakken in US Funds only please)
to:

      M. Klakken
      P.O. Box 18415
      Kearns, UT  84118


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. File Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This is the main panel for the general setup and file configuration for the
program DUMPIT.  Within this section the NNTP server is defined, the newsgroups
for downloading is selected, the allowable file types to be downloaded is
selected, and files that save the above information is generated.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1. File Save As ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You will select the SAVEAS menu to save and name the NNTP server and newsgroups
file.  The file can be any name but the extension should be DMP since that
extension is the default used by the OPEN command.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.2. File Open ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The OPEN command is used to retrieve the NNTP server and selected newsgroups
from the disk.  There is only one file format that can be input into DUMPIT and
that is the special format created by the program.  No Ascii input is allowed
at this time.

When the OPEN command is selected, the following dialog box will be visible
waiting for input.

All files with the extension DMP will be shown in the FILE section with the
filename of "*.DMP" shown in the OPEN FILENAME section.  The current directory
and drive are shown DIRECTORY and DRIVE section, respectively, with all
sections changeable.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3. File Save ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

To use the NNTP server and selected newsgroups information, the information
must first be saved.  The File Save panel is similar to the File Open panel.
The file save format is automatically set to the DUMPIT specific format.  The
name shown in the Save Filename section is the name that the file was initially
saved as previously (unless this is the first time to save at which time the
file name will be "*.DMP" allowing the user to choose a file from the list or
type in a new name).


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4. Logging ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The LOGGING section allows the user to save most errors/warnings to a file
named "DUMPIT.LOG" (i.e. when the logging switch is checked) or will show the
errors/warnings in a messagebox on the screen.  The file is appended with the
errors/warnings that are considered as none system critical.  The default is
with the logging file checked.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5. Server Configuration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

In the Server Configuration section, the user is allowed to input the port
number used to communicate with the NNTP server and the server name to attach
with.  The dialog box seen on the screen is shown below.

The port is shown in the NNTP PORT window.  The default value is 119. The
server name is input in the SERVER NAME window.  Since everyone might have a
different server there is no default name.  To exit, just push the ENTER key or
click on DONE or CANCEL.  Done keeps all information entered while cancel exits
by resetting to previous settings.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.6. Newsgroup Configuration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Newsgroup Configuration section allows the user to select the newsgroups
that the binary files will be downloaded from.  Below is shown the dialog box
seen on the screen when Newsgroup Configuration is selected from the menu.

All entered newsgroups will be shown in the Newsgroup listbox.  Also in the
listbox is the index value of the last item downloaded.  If the user is unsure
or if in initial setup, the value input should be 0 (zero). When zero is
entered, DUMPIT will ask the NNTP server what the first item number that is
currently on the server and then use the previous index as the last item
downloaded.

The pushbuttons on the right complete different operations.  The DONE button
exits while keeping the entered information and CANCEL will exit and reset to
the previous information.  The DELETE pushbutton will remove the currently
selected newsgroup from the listbox.  If no newsgroup is selected, then an
error will occur and ask the user to select a newsgroup. The INSERT and EDIT
pushbuttons will create another dialog box to allow the user to insert after
the currently selected newsgroup or edit the currently selected newsgroup.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Input Newsgroup ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Once a newsgroup has been selected in the listbox and the INSERT or EDIT
pushbutton has been clicked, the Input Newsgroup dialog box is shown on the
screen.  This dialog box is shown below:

The newsgroup name is shown in the NEWSGROUP edit window.  If the edit key was
selected, the name of the newsgroup will be shown in the window while if input
was selected then the message "Subscribed Group Here" will be shown in the
window.  Just erase (using the backspace or delete key) the text to remove/edit
and enter the new newsgroup name.  The LAST  MESSAGE OBTAINED edit window will
show the last item that was downloaded from the NNTP server.  The default value
is 0 (i.e. will obtain from the server that first allowed item).  The DONE
pushbutton will exit the dialog box while keeping the information and the
CANCEL button will exit while resetting to the previous information.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.7. Allowable File Types ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This dialog box will be shown when the Allowable File Type is selected from the
menu.  The following dialog box will be shown on the screen waiting for the
user to select the file types to be downloaded from the NNTP server and the
selected newsgroups.

The file types that are checked will be downloaded from the NNTP server while
the unchecked types will be past by in the downloading decision. These are the
only file types that are allowed to be downloaded at the present time.  The
file type is found from the SUBJECT line in the newsgroup header.  For example,
assume that the subject line is:

This is a trial (junk.jpg [1/1])

Then, DUMPIT will decide that the file name is JUNK.JPG with an extension JPG.
If NO extension is on the subject line, then no download will occur on that
newsgroup item.  Also, if the JPG file type was checked and that the newsgroup
item was not previously downloaded, then that item will be downloaded.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.8. System exit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

There are two ways to exit the program DUMPIT.  The best way is to select the
menu item FILE and then select EXIT.  This will save all information by
completing an orderly shutdown.  The other way is to select the system button
on the top left of the window and then select close.  This will accomplish the
same type of shutdown as selecting EXIT from the FILE menu.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Downloading Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

When the Downloading choice from the menu is selected, a status dialog box is
placed on the screen as shown below:

This dialog box shows the status of the download in progress.  The scroll bar
shows the completed percentage of downloaded files in one newsgroup. The
subject section shows the subject line of the current file being downloaded.
This field will be blank if no file has currently meet the required selection
criteria.  The newsgroup currently being processed is shown in the Newsgroup
field.  Below the Subject field, the article number and the total number of
articles to be downloaded from the specific newsgroup are shown.  The download
can be stopped at any time by pushing the button ESCAPE.  When the button is
pressed, the download will be terminated at the next step and the current
status will be saved.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Translating the Database ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

When the Translating choice from the menu is selected, a status dialog box is
placed on the screen as shown below:

This dialog box shows the status of the translation in progress.  The scroll
bar shows the completed percentage of translated files in the whole database.
The current file section shows the current file being processed if one is being
processed.  The field will be blank if no file currently meets the required
selection criteria.  The translation process can be stopped at any time by
pushing the button ESCAPE.  When the button is pressed, the translation process
will be terminated at the next step and the current status will be saved.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Cleanup Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Cleanup section is used to remove all files from the DUMPIT database once
these files have been translated (otherwise known as decoded).  The database
file is used to hopefully eliminate the possibility of downloading the same
file twice (or more).


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.1. Setup For CleanUp ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

For the Cleanup to work properly, several items need to be known.  You do not
want to keep the files that have not correctly translated around forever so a
limit should be selected.  This dialog box (shown below) allows the user to set
the number of translate trials and the number of days from downloading to
translating before the files will be deleted from the database file and the
storage medium.

The number of days before the file is removed is entered in the top field. The
default value is 20 days.  This means that after 20 days after the file was
downloaded, the file will be removed from the database and disk. The next field
is the number of translation trials to pass before the file is removed in the
same manner as before.  The default number of trials is 10.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.2. Updating the Database ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

When the Updating choice from the menu is selected, a status dialog box is
placed on the screen as shown below:

This dialog box shows the status of the cleanup in progress.  The scroll bar
shows the completed percentage of cleanup files in the whole database. The
current file section shows the current file being processed if one is being
processed.  The field will be blank if no file currently meets the required
selection criteria.  The cleanup process can be stopped at any time by pushing
the button ESCAPE.  When the button is pressed, the cleanup process will be
terminated at the next step and the current status will be saved.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.3. Editing the Database ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The database file can be edited with the Edit Database menu choice. When the
menu choice is selected, a small dialog box is first shown to allow the user to
choose to edit Decoded or Non-Decoded files in the database.  This dialog box
is labeled CleanUp Choices.  Once the choice is checked and after several
seconds, the edit dialog box will appear. The dialog box will appear similar as
shown below:

Within the FileName listbox, all files that meet the previous choice criteria
will be shown.  Also shown will be the number that the file is saved on the
disk as (e.g. 00000001.002, where 1 would be the file number and 2 is the
sequence number), the number of translation trials and number of days after
downloading, and if the file has been decoded.

As the dialog box name implies, the database can be edited.  To delete a file
from the database just click on the file in the listbox and then select the
pushbutton DELETE.  A messagebox will then appear to verify the file deletion
and if deletion is affirmative, the file will be removed from the database and
the disk.  The DONE button will exit the dialog box while recording the changes
and CANCEL will exit without recording the changes.  IMPORTANT: IF A FILE HAS
BEEN DELETED AND THE CANCEL BUTTON IS PRESSED, THE FILE WILL REMAIN DELETED
SINCE IT HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE DISK.  The DECODE button presently just
marks a file as decoded so when the cleanup process is started, that file will
be removed from the disk but will remain in the database so that file will not
be downloaded again.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Choices for Database Editing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

There are three choices for the database editing listing, show DECODED files,
NON-DECODED files, or ALL FILES.  When the Edit Database choice is selected
from the menu, the Choices dialog box will appear.  This box is shown below:

To make your selection, just click on your choice and then the pushbutton DONE.
Or if the user wants to exit without editing, just push the button CANCEL.
After DONE is pressed, the Edit Database dialog box will appear.