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Text File | 1990-03-07 | 13.1 KB | 324 lines

FLO2MSG Documentation v1.50 Copyright (C) 1990, 1991 by Blue Wave Software All Rights Reserved. WHAT IS IT? ~~~~~~~~~~~ To be completely honest, FLO2MSG was never meant to be anything but a program for us and a few friends to use. Basically, the fastest echomail .MSG tosser/scanner/packer available was incompatible in it's file attach types with FrontDoor, the mailer which we wanted to run. So, basically, we wrote a program that read all of the possible .?LO combinations (.CLO, .DLO, .FLO, .HLO), and wrote them into a format that FrontDoor recognized [.MSG files]. There is nothing magic about FLO2MSG; it won't wash your windows, or make your coffee in the morning. However, it is quite a handy little program, not only to convert file attach types, but also to do a quick POLL, or a quick FILE ATTACH. It comes in handy in maintenance batch files to generate polls, or regularly attach files to mail feeds such as the weekly NODEDIFF and FIDONEWS. You can even make a FILE ATTACH message contain a form-letter text file, if you like. You can even make FILE REQUESTS with FLO2MSG. I use it regularly in my batch file to file request the latest NODEDIFF from our Region Coordinator. You can send "BOMBS", making it easy to send 1 file to more than 1 node at a time. I BOMB my nodes the NODEDIFF every week. There is no registration fee required to use FLO2MSG; you may use it forever and it will not blow up or leave nasty notes scattered on your hard drive. However, a small donation (even $2) would be greatly appreciated, and will encourage us to maintain and update the program with user requests. If you aren't the type to send cash, how about a postcard or a letter [or a six pack (Bud Light, please)]? You can send your overwhelming thoughtfulness to: Blue Wave Software PO Box 1057 Flint, MI 48503 You can address questions and comments via FidoNet netmail, if you like, to the following nodes: 1:2240/107 Fred Rappuhn 1:2240/176 George Hatchew All questions and comments will be replied to and placed on hold within 24 hours. They will be kept up to 7 days. If you are one who has shown your gratitude, we will, of course, send your Netmail reply on our dime. It's just that we would go broke, otherwise. HOW TO USE FLO2MSG ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Before we forget, you can get all of the following information, in condensed form, by typing: FLO2MSG ? at the DOS prompt. In order to know important things about your system, it is necessary for FLO2MSG to read some type of configuration file. FLO2MSG searches for 2 CFG_FILE_NAMEs by default; FLO2MSG.CFG, and QM.CFG. If the CFG_FILE_NAME lies somewhere on the DOS path, FLO2MSG will find it. No need to execute it from the directory that FLO2MSG takes up space in. Here is the order that FLO2MSG searches for a CFG_FILE, if none is specified on the command line: FLO2MSG.CFG on the current drive/path. FLO2MSG.CFG on the DOS PATH. QM.CFG on the current drive/path. QM.CFG on the DOS PATH. If you specify a CFG_FILE_NAME on the command line, FLO2MSG looks exactly where you tell it to look, then in the DOS PATH. The CFG_FILE should contain the following lines: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Primary_Zone 1 <== Your primary Zone Number. Address 2240/176 <== Your address in the form NET/NODE NetMail d:\fd\mail <== Your mailer's NetMail Directory OutBound d:\fd\out <== The place where the .?LO files are. SysOp Your Name <== If this line is found, FLO2MSG places Your Name in a SEND, rather than from "Sysop". Completely OPTIONAL! DBridge d:\db <== If this line is found, then FLO2MSG will create DBRIDGE.RSN in your D'Bridge directory causing D'Bridge to rescan for outgoing mail. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A sample file, called FLO2MSG.CFG, should have been included in your archive. A. File attach conversions: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To convert .?LO files into *.MSG type file attaches is really quite simple. After your normal mail processor has scanned and mashed your outgoing mail, and has built the .?LO files, simply run the command line: FLO2MSG <CFG_FILE_NAME> If *NO* CFG_FILE_NAME is specified, FLO2MSG will look for QM.CFG. The .?LO files in the OutBound directory will be erased, and a NetMail Message will be created, with the FILE ATTACH flag set, in your NetMail directory. If the file attach is marked as TRUNCATE SENT or DELETE SENT by your mail processor, FLO2MSG will use the same status when creating the .MSG file with the ^AFLAGS directive used by D'Bridge and FrontDoor. Rest easy... If the file has already has a corresponding FILE ATTACH message, a new one will *not* be created. FLO2MSG will also respect the CRASH, DIRECT, NORMAL, and HOLD status on the .?LO files, so if you like, you can do your routing with your mail processor, rather than FD or D'Bridge. !!!WARNING!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We have no idea how Other<tm> mail processors operate, but we had to LIE to QMail about where our NetMail directory was. When QMail does a PACK of the outgoing mail, it wanted to convert all of the *.MSG file attach messages BACK into *.?LO files. Can you say vicious circle? We thought you could :-). The fix? For QMail, tell it your correct NetMail directory in QM.CFG. However, in QM_ROUTE.CFG, under *each* schedule you may have defined, insert a line called: NETMAIL_SCAN drive:\somewhere\there\are\NO\*.MSG files This will prevent QMail from packing your netmail area for you. We suggest a directory that contains absolutely NO *.MSG files, as it will speed up QMail's scan of the "netmail" area. B. Generating POLLS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can generate a poll to a system, either from a batch file or from the command line by simply entering: FLO2MSG <CFG_FILE_NAME> POLL NET/NODE If you needed to generate a poll to 2240/107, you would simply use the command line: FLO2MSG FLO2MSG.CFG POLL 2240/107 Pretty simple, eh? C. Generating FILE ATTACH MESSAGES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can generate a file attach message to a system by using the command line: FLO2MSG <CFG_FILE_NAME> SEND NET/NODE DRIVE:\PATH\FILENAME.EXT If you needed to send a file to 2240/176, you would simply use the command line: FLO2MSG FLO2MSG.CFG SEND 2240/176 C:\BREWERY\BUD.LIT Do you regularly send the same files to the same people, and use some cheesy form letter in the message text of your attach message? If so, let FLO2MSG insert your cheesy form letter into the message it is about to create for your file attach. The command line is simple: FLO2MSG <cfg_file_name> SEND NET/NODE FILENAME.EXT with MSG.TXT To send the node 2240/176 a file called c:\brewery\bud.lit and include the cheesy message text contained within BEER.TXT, you would use: FLO2MSG flo2msg.cfg SEND 2240/176 c:\brewery\bud.lit with beer.txt By the way, full drive and path names are supported in both the WITH parameter, and the SENDfile parameter. Say you want to send a file to someone with a quick message, but you don't feel like creating a file to attach with FLO2MSG nor do you feel like booting up your favorite NetMail program to enter the message. Why not try this neat little trick!!! FLO2MSG <cfg_file_name> SEND 2240/107 <filename.ext> WITH CON The CON for the text file name at the end tells FLO2MSG that you want to enter a message on the fly. All you have to do is type your message making sure you hit a return at the end of every line and then when you are all done, hit CTRL-Z on a line by itself followed by a <ENTER>. Remember that you are not in a text editor, meaning you will not be able to edit a line once you hit <ENTER>. D. Sending BOMBS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FLO2MSG makes it simple to do routine sending of files to a list of nodes. When issued the command: FLO2MSG <CFG_FILE_NAME> BOMB MYNET C:\INBOUND\NODEDIFF.* {with MSG} FLO2MSG will look for a file called BOMB.LST; first in the current directory, and then in the DOS PATH. The format of BOMB.LST is: ------------------------------------------ BOMB_TAG MyNet Net/Node Sysop Name Priority Net/Node Sysop Name Priority BOMB_TAG OtherNet Net/Node Sysop Name Priority Net/Node Sysop Name Priority ------------------------------------------ You may have as many BOMB_TAGs as you please in BOMB.LST. You may also list as many net/nodes WITHIN the BOMB_TAG as you please. Net/Node is, of course, the standard Fido-Style Net/Node address of the person you are sending the file to; such as 2240/107. Sysop Name is the name of the Sysop who runs that particular node. Priority may be one of 4 keywords: IMMEDIATE <- As supported by FD and D'Bridge with ^AFLAGS kludge. CRASH NORMAL HOLD There should have been a sample BOMB.LST file in your FLO2MSG archive. You may also send BOMBS with text contained in the message, as outlined above under "C. Generating FILE ATTACH MSGS". E. Generating FILE REQUEST MESSAGES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Is your NC or RC one who doesn't file attach and send you the latest NODEDIFF every week? Do you always sit down and manually request NODEDIFF in a weekly ritual? Why not automate it, and do it from a scheduled event, and let your batch files and FLO2MSG take care of it? You can generate a FILE REQUEST message to a system by using the command line: FLO2MSG <CFG_FILE_NAME> GET NET/NODE FILENAME.EXT If you needed to file request NODEDIFF every week from 2240/107, you would simply use the command line: FLO2MSG FLO2MSG.CFG GET 2240/107 Nodediff If you like, you can include some TEXT in the file request message by using the "WITH" command, as described in (C) above [sending files with messages]. F. CLEANING THE OUTBOUND AREA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Is your mailer/BBS one who doesn't truncate or delete it's own EchoMail bundles, but rather relies on the mail processor to truncate them? You can perform a sweep-up of your outbound area by issuing the command: FLO2MSG <CFG_FILE_NAME> CLEANUP FLO2MSG will scan the outbound area for any ARCmail bundles lying around, and compare what it finds with the Netmail directory and it's *.MSG files. If the ARCmail bundle has *NO* corresponding *.MSG file attach message, *or* if there is a message sitting there, but it has been marked as SENT, the ARCmail bundle will be truncated to 0 bytes. Use this command with caution; we will not be responsible for an entire NET loosing their echomail bundle because of a goof-up! When used properly, the command works fine. If you accidentally delete the file attach message before the file is sent, and run a CLEANUP, the bundle is gone. For good. But, as you probably know if you need this command, it's the exact same thing mail processors such as CONFMAIL would do in this situation. THE STANDARD, BORING STUFF ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FLO2MSG has been run for several months on our systems, and a few of our friends without trouble. However, this does not mean that it will be compatible with your mail processor. If you have a special need that you would like added in a future version, just let us know. We'll try to incorporate it if we get a good enough response. CREDIT, WHERE CREDIT IS DUE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bruce Wilson, for spreading the word to SpitFire SysOps World-wide. Tim Pickett, for spreading the word to PCBoard SysOps World-wide. Dan Butterfield, for finding bug number one. Qmail is a copyrighted work of Greg Dawson. FrontDoor is a copyrighted work of Joaquim Homrighausen. D'Bridge is a copyrighted work of Chris Irwin. FLO2MSG is a copyrighted work of Blue Wave Software. Everything is a copyrighted work of Someone <does that cover everything?>