Version 1.3 of File Search Engine is released as a fully functional ShareWare program. The ShareWare fee is only $12.50.
After 2 weeks evaluation, please send your ShareWare payment of $12.50 to:
Glen Stewart
The Association Mac BBS, 810-695-6955
1434 Rollins
Grand Blanc, MI 48439
Questions and comments are always welcome! Netmail to 1:2240/174 or via the
internet at glen.stewart@f174.n2240.z1.ieee.org
What File Search Engine does...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The search engine is a continuously-running application that runs right along with all your other
Telefinder programs. The engine checks 3 particular folders once every 5 seconds to see if a search
request is waiting - a special e-mail or netmail request from a user. If the request exists, File
Search Engine opens a). your BBS's files listing, created by Itsy SitC Citer, and scans for files
which match the search criteria or b). Webster's Bible, and scans for any verses that match the
search criteria or c). the current FidoNet nodelist for any entries that match the given search
strings. A reply is sent in less than one minute per 1Mb of text to the requesting user (25Mhz '030
cpu).
CPU load for file description searches is regulated by the length (number of files and length of
their descriptions) in each of your directory paths. For Bible and nodelist searches, the CPU load
is higher (hey, it's a big book!) and dependant on the size of each book. On multi-node BBS's, the
engine allows users to browse the BBS after submitting a request without dragging the whole BBS down.
Users on other nodes might see data coming in 'bursts' during a search, but file transfers are not
hampered.
The File Search Engine accepts and replies to incoming netmail search requests! At this time,
FidoConnect is the only supported import/export utility - the engine looks for "Originating node:
#:###/###@fidonet" in the incoming search request, and delivers an answer to a folder called
"netmail" which is in the same root path as the incoming request folder (called "search", "nodelist"
or "bible").
Replies to online and netmail-based search requests are limited to about 400 lines, to comply with
FidoNet restrictions. Users searching for words that get high hit-levels like the word 'the' will be
sent a message at the 400 line mark, asking them to be more specific in their next request.
New in version 1.3 of the Engine are two special commands available by sending a request to a user
you create, called "911". E-mail commands with a subject of "restart", "shutdown", "help" and "page"
are honored. Restart and shutdown execute the standard Mac shutdown sequence, while the help and
page commands simply play a sound with a resource name of "911" installed in the application. I use
the restart/shutdown commmand (my Mac II has the reset switch set to restart when it performs the
shutdown) to restart the BBS from remote, and the help/page command to get my wife's attention at
home if I want her to break in and chat if I come online <grin>. To block any user from using these
commands, just place a file called "File Search.911" in your Tabby folder, and place names of users
allowed to use the utility in it - one on a line. An example file is supplied.
When not processing a request, the engine simply gives up idle time to other applications.
How to Set the File Search Engine up...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I purposely named the utility •File Search Engine so that it will appear last in your system's
running application list. Outside of an About box, the engine has no online configurations and can
be quit from the File menu.
The engine looks for a file called "AllFiles.Header" (needed by Itsy SitC Citer as well) whose first
line is the path to your BBS's file and description listing. It also requires a file called "File
Search.Mail" which contains the path and name of the Mail folder which users will send search
requests to. If you want to provide online Bible searches to your users, a mail folder named "Bible"
must exist, as well as a file in your Tabby folder called "File Search.Bible" which contains a line
describing the full path & name of the Webster's Bible on one of your disks. The name of the file
description search folder is flexible - I use the user name "Search", but you can use anything.
Configure the search account just like the FidoConnect docs state for the "netmail" account - and
yes, File Search Engine requires the netmail account to be named exactly that. The engine
automatically looks for incoming search requests in the "nodelist" folder (if it exists) and will
search the current nodelist, which must be present in the same folder as the •File Search Engine.
The nodelist search does not require a setup file in the Tabby folder. The "netmail", "Bible",
"nodelist" and "search" mail folders MUST have the same root path. All of File Search Engine's
support files are located in the Tabby folder. I've included my setup files as examples.
The engine checks for incoming requests every 5 seconds. On my IIci, I have all the mail folders on
a hard disk and have never seen disk access due solely to this scan. If you notice a problem on your
system, you may consider a small RAM disk specifically for the "netmail", "Bible", "nodelist" and
"Search" accounts only. Depending on your user's love for netmail, a 100k RAM disk should be way
more than necessary. Incoming search requests should be less than 3k.
If an improperly formatted request arrives in the Search folder, the engine will delete it. The
engine will sequentially process as many requests as your users throw at it.
How Your Users Execute a Search...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To use it, send a message to "search" or "Bible" with two search words or phrases - one in the Subject field, and one in the first line of the message. Extra lines in the message are ignored (past the first).
Example
~~~~~~~
To: Search
Subject: research
_____________________________
researcher deluxe
The result of the search is sent to users via e-mail and looks like:
The following files matched the two key words (research,researcher deluxe) you submitted...
Directory: Educational...
File Name: K12_INFO.ZIP Size: 23253
Info on the K12 echo, which is an educator's echo
for research, and for young people to chat international
