TExport is a Second SIght 2.x/Tabby 2.0 utility designed to create a text file of pending NetMail messages for use by Tabby 2.0. TExport should be placed as an Event just prior to TabbyNet SendNews.
TExport scans your messages looking for locally-posted network messages -- in local or Echo sections. When it finds a qualifying message, it writes it to the Generic Export file for use by Tabby, sets a “processed” flag on the message so it won’t be processed again (no dupes!) and writes its message number to its own “highest message read” STR resource. The next time it is run, it begins reading messages after the “highest message read” number, making sure that it doesn’t process any messages with “processed” flags set.
To set up TExport, just put it at the same level as Second Sight and Tabby. Launch TExport while holding down the mouse button and configure it according to the following instructions. Then insert TExport in all Tabby events just before Tabby SendMail and SendNews.
Since it runs with with Tabby 2.0, TExport expects to find a file called “Generic” (no quotes) at the same level as Second Sight and TExport. Before you run TExport, make sure you have a text file called Generic with the path where you want TExport to write its resulting text file (which is called “Generic Export”). The Generic text file should contain a single line of text ending in a colon, followed by a carriage return, like so
Glass:Tabby:Generic:
This is the location in which Tabby 2.0 creates and processes its
“Generic” files: Generic Import, Generic Export and Generic Echoes.
(Generic Import is a text file of incoming messages created by Tabby for
TImport or a similar utility to process; Generic Export is a text file
of outgoing messages created by TExport or a similar message exporting
utility for Tabby to process; Generic Echoes is an interim text file
which Tabby uses to hold Echomail pending its distribution by Tabby to
other nodes in your Routing file.)
TExport writes a short report of its activity to the Tabby Log which,
with Tabby 2.0, is found inside a folder called “Tabby.”
To set up TExport, copy it to the same level as Second Sight and Tabby. Launch TExport while holding down the mouse button to tell TExport your preferences.
A dialog box with two edit fields and seven check boxes will appear:
Edit fields
-----------
Next Launch: [fill in the name of your BBS application]
TEXT Creator: [fill in the type of TEXT file you want created]
Check boxes (all should normally be enabled)
-----------
Delete Sent NetMail: [mark processed private mail for delete]
DeCapitalize Names: [change UPPERCASE NAMES to Caps And Lower Case]
Origin for Private Mail: [add origin line to private messages]
Normal Operation: [scan messages after last message processed]
ASCII Filter: [eliminates high bit characters like “ and ”]
Squelch Twits: [deletes messages posted by users with Bad Names]
Section Count: [writes section by section count to Tabby Log]
Next Launch
-----------
The first edit field is used in case TExport is launched on its own, without a
launch.next file. When it is finished, it launches this application, which is
normally Second Sight. The label for this field is actually a button -- click
it to find the next application to launch, then select the application and
TExport will insert its name in the edit field.
TEXT Creator
------------
TExport will set this creator on any text files it opens, including the Tabby Log. Some common TEXT creator types are as follows:
WDBN Microsoft Word
QED1 QUED
MACA MacWrite
McSk McSink
TABY Tabby
Delete Sent NetMail
-------------------
Normally, TExport deletes private NetMail after it is exported. If
you want to keep it around for some reason, check this box (but
you’ll have to delete your own mail).
DeCapitalize
------------
If you want to change all UPPER CASE names to Upper And Lower Case in
exported messages (PETE JOHNSON -> Pete Johnson), check this box.
Origin for Private Mail
-----------------------
If you want to add an Origin Line -- the same as on Echo messages -- to
your private mail, check this box.
Normal Operation
----------------
Scans messages after the last message processed. If this box is not checked,
TExports scans *all* messages, which is much slower.
ASCII Filter
------------
Translates high bit characters such as quote marks, ellipses, accented characters etc. into normal ASCII equivalents. TExport does the following conversions:
All other high bit characters are converted to periods (.).
Squelch Twits
-------------
You can create a file called 'Bad User Names' (no quotes) at your BBS/Tabby level to screen out messages from certain obvious bad characters. This text file holds up to 100 words of up to 15 characters per line in the following manner:
DEATH
HACKER
SWEARWORD
TERMINATOR
etc., with each line ending in a carriage return. With the preceding list, if a user logged on with the name DOCTOR DEATH and posted a message, TExport would delete the message without exporting it. TExport deletes any locally-posted message from a user whose first or last name contains any word in this file. Caps and lower case make no difference. Deleted messages are recorded in the Tabby Log. If no Bad User Names file exists, this feature is not active.
Section Count
-------------
Itemizes section counts in the Tabby Log as follows:
06/27/91 1:36:35 TExport - Program Starting (v 2.0)
06/27/91 1:36:37 TExport - 3 Messages from General #2
06/27/91 1:36:37 TExport - 2 Messages from Help #5
06/27/91 1:36:37 TExport - 5 Messages Total
06/27/91 1:36:37 TExport - Program Ending
Each entry indicates the count for that section and the message section number.
Once you have configured TExport, insert TExport in all Tabby events
just before TabbyNet SendNews and TabbyNet SendMail. Run Tabby Maint and
use its “Events” menu to insert TExport in each TabbyNet event just
before these two events. This enables TExport to create the Generic
Export file which TabbyNet SendNews and TabbyNet SendMail process. A
typical short TabbyNet event might look like this:
||||||| ------------------------------------- insert it here
(notice the lack of a leading zero on the hour, even though other numbers
are padded with leading zeroes)
and TImport and TExport were writing like so:
05/03/89 03:34:12 TImport - Program Starting
05/03/89 03:35:57 TImport - 140 Messages Imported
05/03/89 03:35:57 TImport - Program Ending
05/03/89 03:52:19 TExport - Program Starting
05/03/89 03:52:21 TExport - 0 Messages Exported
05/03/89 03:52:21 TExport - Program Ending
I modified TImport and TExport to not use leading zeroes on the hour, so
their reports blend better into the Tabby Log.
Version 1.3 of TExport is rewritten to make it smaller, faster and
“BBS-aware” -- if you follow Michael Connick’s instructions and end your
Events file with “BBS” and if TExport is the last event in the chain,
TExport will translate BBS into whatever name you’ve configured Tabby to
recognize as your BBS.
Version 1.31 fixes some bugs which crept into the version 1.3 overhaul.
Version 1.32 fixes more bugs which crept into the version 1.3 overhaul
and adds a feature: private NetMail messages are now tagged with the
system's Origin Line and Node Number.
Version 1.4 adds buttons to the configuration interface to eliminate
spelling errors. You can use the “highest message number” button to read
the high message number from your MESSAGES file.
Version 1.5 notices AreaFix messages and doesn’t append the system's
Origin Line and Node Number to private netmail sent to AreaFix. In
addition, it puts a line of three hyphens (---) at the end of private
netmail to inform Tabby and Fido programs which follow the convention of
AreaFix to disregard all text following the three hyphens. It also runs
correctly with other launch.next events under MultiFinder.
Version 1.6 handles ^A lines in messages for compatibility with point
software.
Version 1.7 allows you to turn off private message origin lines, since
at least one Fido Host was not amused by these (though they don't
violate any Fido specs).
Version 1.8 greatly simplifies the interface and operation by ignoring message
numbers. Instead, TExport simply looks for messages that have not been
previously processed, regardless of number. This allows TExport to work
seamlessly in conjunction with renumbering and the idiosyncrasies of other
message utilities.
Version 1.9 speeds up TExport's processing substantially after its first run
through the messages.
Version 1.91 adds Normal toggle in the Configure dialog to enable a complete
rescan of all messages (useful under unusual circumstances). TExport will
still not export any message that has its “processed” flag set.
Version 1.92 adds version number to running dialog and allows you to set the
type for any TEXT files processed by TExport.
Version 1.93 processes 'McNames' correctly if you have TExport set to
DeCapitalize.
Version 1.95 of June 19, 1991, adds an ASCII filter which can be set to remove high bits from messages, uses a file called “Bad User Names” at the BBS root level for a source of forbidden user names whose messages it automatically deletes and allows you to see the sections from which messages are posted with Tabby Log entries in the following style:
06/19/91 19:21:35 TExport - Program Starting
06/19/91 19:21:38 TExport - **Deleted** Message from Fearsome Fred
06/19/91 19:21:38 TExport - Sent 1 Message from General (Section 2)
06/19/91 19:21:38 TExport - Sent 2 Messages from So Cal Mac Sysop (Section 25)
06/19/91 19:21:38 TExport - Sent 1 Message from System 7 (Section 40)
06/19/91 19:21:38 TExport - Sent 4 Messages Total
06/19/91 19:21:38 TExport - Program Ending
The Bad User Names file is a text file consisting of one word -- 15 characters or less, please -- per line in the following form:
DEVIL
SATAN
CRASHER
CUSSWORD
FEARSOME
Each word is followed by a carriage return, including the last line. Messages posted by any user whose first name or last name matches any of these entries -- caps and lower case don’t matter -- are deleted by TExport, with a note to the Tabby Log, as above. You can have up to 100 names in this file. If you don't have a Bad User Names file, no messages are deleted.
Version 2.0 of June 27, 1991, adds color icons, refines the Tabby Log report a bit, has SIZE resource and more.
Three utilities are required to link Second SIght 2.x and Tabby 2.0: my versions are called TImport, TExport and TSet. Without these utilities, or similar utilities written by Mike Lininger or authors to come, Second Sight and Tabby cannot communicate with each other. Second Sight has no built-in method for talking to Tabby, and Tabby has no built-in method for communicating with Second Sight. Instead, Tabby author Michael Connick defined a text file format for “generic” messages which Tabby produces and reads.
There are three “flavors” of generic files: Generic Import, a text file
created by TabbyNet containing the text of inbound messages; Generic
Export, a text file created by a utility such as TExport containing the
text of outbound messages; and Generic Echoes, a text file which TabbyNet
uses to hold EchoMail pending its distribution to other nodes.
TImport reads the content of the Generic Import file and converts each text message into a valid Second Sight message. It then marks the processed text messages for deletion. TImport should be run just after TabbyNet DeliverMail, the TabbyNet component which creates the Generic Import file, and it should be run whenever TabbyNet DeliverMail is run -- whether in a NetMail Event or a CrashMail Event. TImport converts both Echoes and Private NetMail messages into proper Second Sight messages. In order to do its job, TImport initially must be told which section to use for Private NetMail. You can configure TImport by running it while holding down the mouse button and entering the Private NetMail section number, along with the name of your Second Sight application. Read the documentation on TImport for additional information.
TExport reads Second Sight messages, looking for network items. To
qualify for export, a message must be entered locally and must be in a
Private NetMail or Public Echo section. TExport keeps track of the
messages it processes: it sets a flag on processed messages so that they
will never be processed again, and it keeps track of the highest message
it’s looked at and starts each session with the next higher numbered
active message. TExport creates a text file called Generic Export, which
TabbyNet subsequently processes. TExport should be run just before the
TabbyNet “Send” duo: TabbyNet SendMail and TabbyNet SendNews, and it
should be run whenever they are run -- whether in a NetMail Event or a
CrashMail Event. They will take the Generic Export contents and turn the
text into outbound messages. TExport rarely has to deal with a high volume
of messages unless you are lucky enough to have a very active base of
message-posters. TExport does not touch Echo Mail which is being routed to
other boards -- TabbyNet keeps pending mail in the Generic Echoes file.
TExport needs to be configured when it is first run: hold down the mouse
button while launching it and tell it the “highest message read” (enter
the highest active message number on your board) and the name of your Second Sight application, in addition to some options. Read the specific
documentation on TExport for more information.
TSet is a simple utility which reads a TabbyNet-produced text file called “Next Event”. This file contains the time of the next Tabby Event. TSet reads this text file and uses its information to alter the Second Sight Config file so that Second Sight launches TabbyNet when it should (this is critical if you’re running more than one mail event per day). Configure TSet by launching it while holding down the mouse button and telling it the name of your Second Sight application -- that's its only option. TSet should be run as one of the last events in any NetMail Event. You should *not* include it in Tabby Robot or CrashMail strings -- doing so can cause Second Sight to skip event schedules (this can happen if someone CrashMails you a few minutes before a scheduled event and stays on the board until after the Event was supposed to start: if you include TSet in this situation, it will tell Second Sight to skip the event; if you don’t include TSet here, Second Sight will launch TabbyNet properly). Read the specific documentation on TSet for more information.
Appendix B
Copyright & Distribution Notice
TExport, TImport and TSet are free and may be freely distributed as long
as no money is charged for them and they are not altered in any way.
Though they are free, they are not Public Domain programs -- I retain
want to include them in a commercially-sold compilation, contact me for
permission. I will be reasonable if I’m consulted in advance.
Appendix C
A Sales Pitch
If TExport, TImport and TSet are examples of what I give away free, imagine how good my “send in $25” programs are! If you aren’t a registered user of Archie, you’re missing out on a slew of good utility programs, including mehitabel, QU, Tally and many other Second Sight and Tabby enhancements I’ve written. Here’s a partial list of what registered Archie users receive:
• A “full-strength” version of Archie, a Command 50 application which adds more than 30 commands to the Second Sight structure, including log backup, string searches in text files, searches for files by date uploaded, searches for files by matching strings in names and descriptions, UserLog searches and editing and too much more to describe here. All commands can be used locally *or* remotely.
• mehitabel, a clever utility to automatically back up your message
files, with selective deletes of old messages in whatever sections you
choose. Version 2.0 runs up to 24 times faster than mehitabel 1.2 and
offers many enhancements, including robust capability to recover damaged
message sections, delete by age, archiving deleted messages to text
files and more.
• Tally, an automatic message reporter which shows message activity for
the past 10 days, section by section.
• QU, an enhancement to the built-in Second SIght 2.x “Quote of the Day” function.
• A bucketful of other original utility programs, including Back UL,
Flip automatically forwards files to lists of destinations -- essential for routing NODEDIFFs, Fido News, etc. You can designate “Magic Folders” into which you can drop files for automatic routing.
These programs are sold "as is," but I hope to continue the free upgrade policy I've maintained for Archie and mehitabel. These are not part of the Archie & mehitabel registered users package, but as always I'm grateful to registered users for their support.
Registration Form
You can receive AreaTrix, Flip and ff by sending me a check for $25 (U.S. funds only), along with your name and address. Please include GEnie, CompuServe and/or other network addresses if you have them.
