Black Box 4

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Black Box 4 / BlackBox.cdr / os2 / ptktdoc.arj / PARSELST.DOC < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1988-11-26 | 35.0 KB | 842 lines

+---+------------------------------- | o | | | Zone,1,Intl_FidoNet_Co,Phoeni | o | ,1,FidoNews,FidoNews_Editor,D ParseLst Version 1.30 | | ,2,Euro_Gate,Portland_OR,Rand | o | ,3,OZ_Gate,Portland_OR,Randy_ A Nodelist Processing | | ,10,Int'l_FNet_Assn,St_Louis_ Program by Bob Hartman | o | ,11,IFNA_Finance,Honolulu_HI, | | ,12,IFNA_Legal,Parsippany_NJ, Documentation Written | o | ,16,IFNA_Mem._Data,Clevland_O by Alan Applegate | | ,17,IFNA_Mem._Info,Clevland_O | o | ,20,Fido_Tech_Stand,Portland_ | | ,100,General_Help,Clifton_NJ, | o | ,102,BinkleyTERM_Help,Chattan | | ,113,OPUS_Info,Chico_CA,Doug_ | o | ,114,Quick_BBS_Help,Floral_Pa | | ,116,Dutchie_Help,CapeGirarde | o | ,117,Fido_Help,San_Jose_CA,Jo | | ,200,Nat'l_Echo_Coor,Concord_ | o | ,201,EchoList_Coord,Toms_Rive | | | /\ /\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\ /\ /\/ \/ \/ \/ \ / \/ \/ ParseLst - Page 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 NEW! Complete, Gated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 UseZone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 NEW! Version5, Version6, TBBSList, QuickBBSList, BinkList . . 5 Nodelist, NoNodelist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 UserList, InterList, NoUserList . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 FidoTxt, FidoPrn, NoFidoList . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Report, NoReport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Comments, NoComments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Dash, NoDash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Route, NoRoute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 MaxBaud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 MyList, PvtList . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Igate, Ogate, Gate, Hub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Baud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 CM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Dial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Include . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Nodelist Generation for Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Command Line Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Product Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 ParseLst - Page 2 INTRODUCTION ParseLst is a program for processing a FidoNet nodelist. ParseLst uses a control file to process the information contained in a raw, "St. Louis" nodelist, and turn the information into a form usable by several FidoNet compatible BBS and mailer packages, including BinkleyTerm, Opus-CBCS, TBBS and QuickBBS. ParseLst is capable of producing so-called "new Opus style" (Version 6) nodelist files for use with BinkleyTerm 1.21 and above, and Opus-CBCS 1.30 and above. ParseLst provides complete one-step processing of a FidoNet nodelist into a form usable by a given BBS or mailer package. This functionality includes updating the nodelist based on information provided by NODEDIFF update files, distributed weekly within FidoNet. ParseLst is capable of operating with an XlatList-style control file, and supports most of the functions available with XlatList. NOTICE ParseLst is not supplied with any sort of guarantee. You use ParseLst at your own risk. The following names are either trademarks or the work of the individuals and/or companies shown: FidoNet - Tom Jennings and Fido Software Opus-CBCS - Wynn Wagner RouteGen, XlatList, SEAdog - Thom Henderson and System Enhancement Associates, Inc. TBBS - Phil Becker, eSoft, Inc. QuickBBS - Adam Hudson ParseLst - Page 3 OPERATION ParseLst requires a configuration file, PARSELST.CFG, to be available to the program at run-time. This file has in it the various control parameters required to customize the output of ParseLst to your specifications. When invoked, ParseLst will search the current directory for NODEDIFF.nnn files whose julian date is one week later than the latest numbered NODELIST.nnn file. The "nnn" is three digits that correspond to the julian date when the NODELIST or NODEDIFF file was produced. If such a NODEDIFF exists, ParseLst will apply the changes to the NODELIST, and create a new NODELIST.nnn file with the same number as the NODEDIFF used for the update. ParseLst will produce various output as directed by the configuration file. Although ParseLst can produce the familiar NODELIST.BBS file of other nodelist processors, the user will usually desire finished, ready-to-use nodelist files. ParseLst can produce these compiled nodelist files: Opus Version 6 NODELIST.DAT, NODELIST.IDX Opus Version 5 NODELIST.SYS, NODELIST.IDX TBBS INDEX.DOG, NETLIST.DOG, NODELIST.DOG QuickBBS QNL_DAT.BBS, QNL_IDX.BBS ParseLst can also produce special supplemental nodelist data files to be used with BinkleyTerm when the master nodelist in use does not contain complete information (as is required when using the TBBS nodelist files with BinkleyTerm). ParseLst is different from some other nodelist processors, in that it will NEVER output an "unpublished" node. Instead, ParseLst substitutes the information for the unpublished node's host (phone number, baud rate, flags, etc.). If the unpublished number is for an independent, the node is omitted from the final list - no mail can be sent to an independent node without the proper phone number. This way, the mail will always go out (even crash mail on systems that support the nodelist flags) without problems. ParseLst - Page 4 CONFIGURATION FILE In this section, we describe the configuration file options available for ParseLst. In many local nets within FidoNet, XlatList control files are "shared" among Sysops. Since the control files can be rather complicated and lengthy, it might be wise to check with other Sysops in your area to see if they can supply you with a working XlatList control file. Since ParseLst can use the same file with minimal changes, all you'll need to do is customize the control file for your application, rename it PARSELST.CFG, and run the program. The options are explained here for reference. NOTE: ParseLst DOES NOT support the following parameters: Addr Index Sindex NoIndex CleanUp Ozone PubList Points Note also that the names of the various parameters are shown as they are for visual clarity. In practice, the configuration file is NOT case sensitive. Items in square brackets ([]) are optional. Node [<zone>:]<net>/<node> Example: Node 1:3000/45 This informs ParseLst where you're located. This is a full network address. In the example above, "1" is the zone, "3000" is the net, and "45" is the node. If the zone number is left out, the resulting nodelist will not have zones present. Instead, the appearances of the ZONE keyword will be converted to the REGION keyword. Country <country> Example: Country 1 This tells ParseLst what country you're in. In the various dialing and cost tables, this entry defines what would qualify as an "international" call. For the United States, "1" is the correct entry, and is the default value. ParseLst - Page 5 CONFIGURATION FILE (Continued) Complete <-- Default Gated This tells ParseLst how much zone information to include in its output files. 'Complete' will place node information from ALL zones in the raw nodelist into any ParseLst output. 'Gated' will place node information from YOUR ZONE ONLY in the raw nodelist into any ParseLst output. UseZone This tells ParseLst to keep the ZONE keyword as it appears in the raw nodelist in the proper place inside the NODELIST.BBS file, if generated. If NOT used, the ZONE keyword will be replaced with the keyword REGION in the resulting NODELIST.BBS file. If the 'NoNodelist' statement is used in PARSELST.CFG, this statement will have no effect. Version5 Version6 TBBSList QuickBBSList BinkList These options tell ParseLst to directly produce compiled nodelist output. 'Version5' will produce NODELIST.IDX and NODELIST.SYS files. These are compatible with Fido Version 11w, Opus 1.03a, and BinkleyTerm 1.30 and earlier. 'Version6' will produce NODELIST.IDX and NODELIST.DAT files. These are compatible with Opus 1.30 and later, and BinkleyTerm 1.21 and later. 'TBBSList' will produce INDEX.DOG, NETLIST.DOG and NODELIST.DOG as used by TBBS. 'QuickBBSList' will produce QNL_IDX.BBS and QNL_DAT.BBS as used by QuickBBS 2.01 and later. 'BinkList' will produce NODELIST.IDX and NODELIST.EXT, special supplemental nodelist data files for use with BinkleyTerm, when the main nodelist in use does not support complete information. For example, when using a TBBS style nodelist for use with BinkleyTerm 1.50 or later, you must use BOTH the 'BinkList' and 'TBBSList' options. ParseLst - Page 6 CONFIGURATION FILE (Continued) Note that one or more of these options can be used simultaneously to produce output of multiple types. The format of NODELIST.IDX is the same in all cases, and can used simultaneously. The default is not to generate any of these files. Nodelist <-- Default NoNodelist This tells ParseLst whether or not to output a NODELIST.BBS file as the result of nodelist processing. If you're using the options explained above for processing to a compiled nodelist format you probably will not need the NODELIST.BBS file at all. UserList InterList NoUserList <-- Default These options inform ParseLst to create (or not to create) various listings of Sysops in the raw nodelist. 'UserList' will generate a file called FIDOUSER.LST that contains the names and node addresses of the Sysops in your zone. 'InterList' will generate a file called FIDOUSER.LST that contains the names and node addresses of ALL the Sysops in ALL zones. 'NoUserList' will generate no such listing at all. The default value is 'NoUserList.' Please note that QSORT, a program by Ben Baker, needs to be available to ParseLst in order to complete the processing of FIDOUSER.LST if you have one of the options enabled. FidoTxt FidoPrn NoFidoList <-- Default This tells ParseLst whether or not to produce a human readable nodelist report. 'FidoTxt' produces an 80-column version of the report, NODELIST.TXT. 'FidoPrn' produces a 132-column version of the report NODELIST.PRN. 'NoFidoList' is the default value, and tells ParseLst not to produce any such report. Report <-- Default NoReport This tells ParseLst whether or not to display a report outlining the number of nets, nodes and other information that the program has processed. Output can be redirected at the ParseLst command line to a printer or file. ParseLst - Page 7 CONFIGURATION FILE (Continued) Comments NoComments <-- Default This tells ParseLst whether or not to display the comments in the raw nodelist (comments frequently contain timely information from the Zone Coordinator). Output can be redirected at the ParseLst command line to a printer or file. Dash <-- Default NoDash This tells ParseLst whether or not to retain the hyphens found in nodelist telephone number entries. Leaving them out saves some space in the output file(s) that ParseLst may produce. Some modems also have limitations on the length of the dial string which may necessitate the use of the 'NoDash' option. Route NoRoute <-- Default This tells ParseLst whether or not to output a data file for use by System Enhancement Associates' RouteGen program. The name of the data file will be NODELIST.FON if this option is enabled. MaxBaud <baud> Example: MaxBaud 2400 This tells ParseLst the maximum baud rate you're capable of supporting. Baud rates in the nodelist that are higher than this value are changed to it in ParseLst's output. MyList <filename> PvtList <filename> Example: PvtList mylist.lst These options tell ParseLst the names of raw nodelist files that are to be processed with the primary nodelist. The designated nodelists must be in the same format as the primary list (following FidoNet specifications). You may use multiple 'MyList' and 'PvtList' entries in the configuration file if desired. The two options work the same way, except: When 'MyList' is used, information about the list is included in the reports generated by ParseLst. When 'PvtList' is used, information about the list is NOT included in the reports generated by ParseLst. ParseLst - Page 8 CONFIGURATION FILE (Continued) ParseLst will not search for a "latest" listing if these options are used, therefore, include a file extension when using either of these options. Igate [<zone>:]<net>/<node> Ogate [<zone>:]<net>/<node> Gate [<zone>:]<net>/<node> Hub [<zone>:]<net>/<node> These options are for use in conjunction with SEAdog. They effect the output of NODELIST.BBS and NODELIST.FON, if generated. They have no effect unless the 'Gated' keyword is used, as is required when generating a nodelist for use by SEAdog. Password [<zone>:]<net>/<node> <password> Example: Password 1:3000/45 mypass Used in conjunction with the 'Version5,' 'Version6,' 'QuickBBSList' and 'BinkList' options, this allows the insertion of a password in the nodelist entry for a given node. The password is used by Opus-CBCS and BinkleyTerm to password protect a network session. This option has no effect on the NODELIST.BBS file, if one is being produced by ParseLst. You must specify a node address and the password to be associated with that node. The remote system must also have implemented the password feature, and the passwords must match in order for the session to be successful. Refer to the documentation for your respective mailer or BBS for more information. Phone [<zone>:]<net>/<node> <number> Example: Phone 1:3000/45 1-303-555-9876 This tells ParseLst to substitute the phone number given in lieu of the one in the nodelist, for the node address given. You must give the replacement telephone number in its full form to allow other ParseLst configuration options to work correctly. In the example above, regardless of the phone number listed for 3000/45 in the nodelist, 1-303-555-9876 will be the phone number included for this node in any ParseLst output files. This is handy for use with "unlisted" private nodes (when you know their phone number). ParseLst - Page 9 CONFIGURATION FILE (Continued) Baud [<zone>:]<net>/<node> <baud_rate> Example: Baud 1:3000/45 2400 This tell ParseLst to substitute the baud rate given in lieu of the one in the nodelist, for the node address given. In the example above, regardless of the baud rate listed for 3000/45 in the nodelist, 2400 will be the baud rate included for this node in any ParseLst output files. CM [<zone>:]<net>/<node> Example: CM 2:500/1 This tells ParseLst to mark a node as #CM (continuous-mail capable, or "crashable"), even though it may not be listed as such in the raw nodelist. This statement only applies when the 'Version6,' 'BinkList' or 'QuickBBSList' statements are used. This option is primarily intended for temporary use where a node may not be listed correctly in the raw nodelist. Use it carefully...trying to send mail during non-mail hours to systems that may not be able to accept it is inviting trouble. Dial [<domestic>][<international>] Example: Dial 10777- 011- 1-303-989- 989- ; Local Dialing Area 1-303- 1- ; In-State, Non-Local 1-913- /-010 ; Special Case End The 'Dial' statement begins a dial table, which is ended by an 'End' statement. The 'Dial' statement itself can take two parameters, the first of which is what is to be prepended to domestic telephone numbers, the second what is to be prepended to international telephone numbers. These parameters are defaults, and are used when none of the dial table entries match a given telephone number. Subsequent entries after the 'Dial' statement (but before the 'End' statement) are used to change telephone number entries in the nodelist during processing. The parameter on the left is the entry in the nodelist to match and replace, the one on the right is the parameter to change the matched to. ParseLst - Page 10 CONFIGURATION FILE (Continued) The table entries (as well as the 'Dial' statement parameters) take the form: <prefix> <prefix/suffix> /<suffix> / Prefix entries deal with the beginning of the phone number, suffix entries refer to the end of the phone number. If a given phone number does not match any item in the dial table, then the default items in the DIAL statement are applied. In the example above, "10777-" would be added to the beginning of any domestic telephone number that does not match a dial table entry; "011-" would be added to international numbers that do not match an entry. Note that since no forward slash was used (/), it is assumed that the entry will be a prefix, and is added to the beginning of the number. In the dial table, the left argument is used to find a match, the right argument REPLACES that match. In other words, the first argument means "match this and strip it from matching entries." The second argument means "add this to matching entries." Any combination of prefix, suffix, or both can be used. Above, the first dial table entry (labeled "Local Dialing Area") looks for any telephone numbers that begin with "1-303-989-" and changes the entry to begin with just "989-" instead. In the third entry, telephone numbers that begin with "1-913-" will have that prefix stripped, and the telephone number will have "-010" appended to the end. Some examples: 1-213-555-1234 This number does not match any dial table entries, and would be changed to 10777-1-213-555-1234. The default (on the 'Dial' line) says to add "10777-" to any domestic telephone number that doesn't match a dial table entry. An entry like this might be used as it is here, to add a carrier access code to long distance numbers. Had this number been international number, "011-" would have been added to the beginning by default. ParseLst - Page 11 CONFIGURATION FILE (Continued) 1-303-989-0000 This number would be changed to 989-0000. The first portion of this phone number, 1-303-989-, matches a dial table entry. The entry says to change matching prefixes to the second parameter, in this case, simply 989-. An entry like this is typically used for other local nodes, since you don't need to dial "1" or the area code for local numbers. You'd need an entry like this for EACH prefix in your local calling area. Note that the dial table entries are processed in order. This telephone number also matches the second dial table entry in the example list, but since it already matched a previous entry, subsequent matches are ignored. 1-303-245-0000 This number would be changed to 1-245-0000. The first portion of this phone number, 1-303-, matches a dial table entry. The entry says to change the prefix shown to simply 1-. Typically, an entry like this would follow the local calling area entries described above. 1-913-555-9876 This number would be changed to 555-9876-010. The prefix of this number matches a dial table entry. The entry says to replace the prefix with the given suffix (the "/" character indicates a suffix). This particular entry has no practical use, but it demonstrates that the first portion of a dial table entry means to "strip" that from matching entries, and replace it with the information shown in the last portion of the dial table entry. Any combination of prefix, suffix or both can be used. Cost [<domestic>][<international>] Example: Cost 25 325 1-203- 17 ;Connecticut 1-204- 100 ;Manitoba Canada 1-214- 17 ;Texas 1-303-230- 0 ;Local, Lakewood 1-303-279- 0 ;Local, Golden 1-303-340- 0 ;Local, Aurora 1-303- 80 ;Colorado, Non-Local 1-602- 20 ;Arizona 33-56- 133 ;Bordeaux, France 852- 238 ;Hong Kong 354- 238 ;Iceland End ParseLst - Page 12 CONFIGURATION FILE (Continued) This statement marks the beginning of a cost table, which is ended with the 'End' statement. The cost table is used to set the cost of dialing out to various areas that might be found in the nodelist. The 'Cost' statement itself can take up to two arguments, the first being a default domestic cost, and the second being a default international cost. These are used if no matches are found within the cost table for a given nodelist entry. The entries between the 'Cost' statement and the 'End' statement make up the cost table, and define the amount in the lowest denomination of money in your area (in the United States and Canada, this would be cents, for example). Like the dial table, the first entry is used to find matches in the nodelist. The second entry is assigned as the cost for matching entries. The cost table entries are used in the order that they appear in the table. Once a match is found, no further matches are attempted. Typically, the dial table lists domestic prefixes first, including a section devoted to your local calling area. The latter portion is devoted to international prefixes, if applicable. The sample table above is for a node in Denver, Colorado. The sample, as well as your own cost table, will probably be much, much bigger. Some examples: 1-213-555-1234 This entry, a domestic call, does not match any of the cost table entries. The cost assigned to this entry is 25, the default domestic cost. 33-60-122331 This entry, an international call, does not match any of the cost table entries. The cost assigned to this entry is 325, the default international cost. 1-303-228-1111 This entry is in the same state as the node using the cost table, but it is not one of the entries shown as being listed in the local calling area. It is assigned a cost of 80. ParseLst - Page 13 CONFIGURATION FILE (Continued) 1-303-279-0000 This number matches one of the entries listed as being local, and is assigned a 0 cost. Include <filename> Example: Include altcmnds.txt This tells ParseLst to stop reading commands from the current file, and start reading them from the beginning of the named files. Once the end of the file is reached, ParseLst will begin reading commands from the initial file again, starting at the command following the 'Include' statement that caused it to branch. NODELIST GENERATION FOR YOUR SYSTEM The following table illustrates the statements that should be used to generate nodelist data files for listed systems. Note that in most cases, ParseLst can create nodelist data files for more than one system simultaneously. System Statements to Use ------------------ --------------------------------------------- BinkleyTerm 1.30- NoNodelist Version5 Complete BinkleyTerm 1.30+ NoNodelist Version6 Complete UseZone Fido 11w NoNodelist Version5 Complete Fido 12 Complete UseZone Opus 1.0x NoNodelist Version5 Complete Opus 1.1x NoNodelist Version6 Complete UseZone QuickBBS NoNodelist QuickBBSList Complete UseZone SEAdog NoNodelist TBBSList Gated TBBS NoNodelist TBBSList Gated TBBS w/BinkleyTerm NoNodelist TBBSList BinkList Complete UseZone NOTE! The 'Gated' keyword may be used by ANY system to create a smaller finished nodelist that features only those nodes in your zone (and some administrative nodes in other zones). ParseLst - Page 14 COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS ParseLst offers a selection of command line options. Note that the items in angle brackets below, <baud> excepted, represent a complete drive, path and filename designation. -e Let EditNL do the updating of the nodelist. EditNL must be available in the current directory. -n<nodelist> Use <nodelist> as the nodelist to be processed. -c<config> Use <config> as the ParseLst configuration file. -m<mylist> Use <mylist> as an additional nodelist. This works the same as the 'MyList' configuration file statement. -p<pvtlist> Use <pvtlist> as an additional private nodelist. This works the same as the 'PvtList' configuration file statement. -b<baud> Use <baud> in place of the rate shown with the 'Baud' configuration file statement. PRODUCT SUPPORT Since ParseLst is "freely available," direct product support, per se, is not available. If you have problems or questions with ParseLst, you are welcome to send an inquiry to: Alan Applegate, FidoNet 1:104/36 The Short Line Opus, Denver, Colorado, USA (303)-969-9510 You may also call directly (pre-registration via NetMail required; send name, mailing address, telephone and desired password). A product support message area has been created to field questions regarding ParseLst. Inquiries will be answered on a time-available basis only. Flames are never dignified with a response. Thanks for using ParseLst! Enjoy!