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Archie ’89 A Command 50/51 Red Ryder Host 2.0 Enhancement *** It’s Shareware *** Written by Pete Johnson (PETERJ on GEnie) Glassell Park BBS Los Angeles, CA 213-258-7649 Archie ’89 is a Host Command 50 application which greatly extends the powers of Host for the sysop and for the callers through additional menu commands. Archie ’89 is designed to be launched by Host, and will only function under that circumstance. Archie ’89 has evolved from its origins as a file archiving utility (hence its name, also inspired by Nero Wolfe’s Archie Goodwin) into a set of more than 30 extensions to the Host command set, all accessible from Host 2.0 menus you create with the Red Ryder Host Menu Editor or TMH. Archie works remotely or locally and displays remote activity on the Host computer screen. Its abilities include backing up log files, displaying text files, searching text files for strings, analyzing the CallerLog, various UserLog displays, searches and backup, file section displays and searches, displaying the directories of all disks on line, killing selected files, quitting to the Desktop, resetting the Host computer and launching another application. To the caller, Archie looks just like Host -- the same prompts appear with the same options you’ve chosen in the Config file. And, keeping up with Host, Archie ’89 supports menus — Desk Accessories and commands enabling you to return to Host, to transfer to another application or to Quit. To register Archie ’89, fill out the form included in Appendix B and send it to me with $25. In return, I’ll send you a disk containing the latest version of Archie with at least three additional commands implemented, Laserprinted and indexed documentation and some Host 2.0 utilities which I will not otherwise release. See Appendix B for details. Archie ’89 reads Host 2.0 file formats. If you are running Host 1.4 use Archie 1.39, which is a free program available from the GEnie FreeSoft Roundtable. If you cannot find Archie 1.39, call the Glassell Park BBS and leave me a message: I’ll make it available to you. The first release of Archie ’89 (then called Archie ’88) was version 1.52, which is a continuation of version numbers I used for the original Archie. _______________________________________________________________ If you’re using an earlier version of Archie and want to set it up quickly without reading the documentation, just copy Archie onto your BBS disk, double-click Archie and answer two questions. You’ll also have to convert your menus from Host 1.4 format to Host 2.0 format — Archie only reads the new menus. Also, because Host 2.0 doesn’t tolerate pathnames for external applications, make sure your Command 50/51 menu item just says Archie (no path) in its Option field. You don’t have to do anything else. But if you want to take advantage of the new commands, read on… _______________________________________________________________ Archie in Action ________________ Archie Saws Logs… I use Archie to archive my CallerLog and Validation Request files, which are named CallerLog (of course) and Val.res, respectively. Archie enables me to append either file to a pair of files called CallerLog.Arch and Val.res.Arch (Archie adds the suffix .Arch to whatever files it backs up). Archie also lets me read any text file for a selectable amount of time calculated from the end of the file. If I call remotely at 1200 baud and ask to see 1.5 minutes of the CallerLog.Arch file, Archie calculates bps * secs->mins * how long = bytes to show 120 * 60 * 1.5 = 10800 and shows me the last 10,800 characters of the archived CallerLog. Additionally, Archie can insert a time/date stamp in a newly-reset file. I use this feature to date my ongoing Validation Request file. Archie also lets me search any text file for selected text strings, which is useful for reading the CallerLog to track uploads, to check downloads of particular files or to see what a particular caller has been doing. Archie also analyzes the CallerLog to show board activity with various calculations. This report is composed when you ask for it, based on the contents of the CallerLog. It’s directly available to the sysop and/or the users of a BBS at any time, with up-to-the-last-call information. This is what that report looks like: BBS Activity First caller: 12/13/88 at 11:20:33 Calls: 8 Average: 7 minutes Use: 1:01 (48%) Public messages: 10 Private messages: 7 Uploads: 0 Downloads: 4 300: 0 (0%) 1200: 3 (38%) 2400: 5 (63%) 9600: 0 (0%) 19200: 0 (0%) Local connects: 0 File transfers cancelled: 0 uploads and 0 downloads External program launches: 2 Text file reads: 2 Exits: 6 normal, 0 time expired, 2 carrier lost and 1 inactivity Connect, no log: 1 Host errors: 0 Other errors: 0 Network mail events: 0 4,203K available on disk Most recent callers (old to new): ROBERT STOKES from El Segundo on 12/13/88 at 11:20:33 DAN ACREE from South Gate on 12/13/88 at 11:32:34 STEVE BREISH from Temple City on 12/13/88 at 11:47:10 ROBERT STOKES from El Segundo on 12/13/88 at 11:57:07 MICHAEL SCOTT from Manhattan Beach, CA on 12/13/88 at 12:06:19 LARRY PRINCE from 2138252145 on 12/13/88 at 13:00:53 BRUCE RYNDFLEISZ from LONG BEACH on 12/13/88 at 13:19:54 This is a good on-the-run indication of board activity, and the file transfers cancelled and carrier lost data may give you an early indication of line noise or modem problems. …And Reads and Edits the UserLog… Archie offers extensive UserLog utilities. You can search for downloaders on the basis of how many files they’ve downloaded, unless they’ve uploaded a certain number of files or sent a certain number of messages. Archie’s defaults are 25 downloads, 1 public message and 1 upload. So anyone who’s downloaded 25 or more files without posting one message or uploading one file is shown. You can change these defaults to whatever you want from an Archie menu command. You can also look at the Givers and Takers on your board. Archie’s default assumption (changeable by menu) is that 1 upload allows 10 downloads and that 5 messages are equivalent to 1 upload. Using this measure (or whatever other you choose), you can look at people under or over any percentage you specify. Want to see people contributing 500%? 0%? 100%? You name it, Archie will display it. This and many other UserLog commands allows editing callers when they are displayed. You can change access level, time limit and/or delete a user from within Archie. Archie also lets you look for and selectively delete inactive users. You can look for one-time callers who haven’t called for a while (you set the time period) or *anyone* who hasn’t called in whatever length of time you specify. I suspected that I was carrying a number of elderly “one night stands” in my UserLog, and Archie showed me that I was right. The first time I used this feature, I was able to trim my UserLog by about 15%. Archie can search the UserLog and display users by time limit, by access level, by string search for name or by string search for “Calling From.” When you’re done editing, Archie allows you to backup your UserLog to compress it. You can choose to erase the old UserLog or, if you want redundancy, you can keep it intact. It will be called UserLog.bak. Archie treats your UserLog very carefully: at no time in the backup process is there a chance that you could lose your master UserLog. _______________________________________________________________ WARNING: Don’t backup your UserLog if you have deleted users who precede you in the UserLog order, because Archie and Host will no longer know who you are! Host maintains a file which shows your position in the UserLog when you’re working remotely. If you are user number 50 and you delete user number 15, you will become user number 49 after the backup, and Host and Archie will think that you are now whoever was user number 51 before the backup. This shouldn’t be a problem on most systems, since this command should be used only by the sysop, who is usually the first entry in the UserLog. _______________________________________________________________ Several of the UserLog searches have “public” forms which show limited information about the CallerLog, so if you want to let your callers use Archie to find other callers from a particular city, for instance, you can do so with only the Caller’s first name, last name, where from and date of last call displayed. If you need more sophisticated UserLog editing features you can find them in other Host utility applications such as Ralph Yount’s excellent TUE. …And Searches for Files… Archie ’89 can search filenames *and* descriptions for matching characters, so you can offer your callers very sophisticated file access. And Archie displays file sections with more information than Host offers. Here is a sample Archie file display: Title: HyperTerm 3 Size: 15K Version: 3.0 Uploaded: 07/27/88 Downloads: 4 Last Download: 08/02/88 Uploader: Pete Johnson Fully capable telecommunications terminal program in a HyperCard stack. Includes baud rate & parameter selection, some macros and MacBinary Xmodem file transfers (using XCMDs). Very nicely done. Version 3.0. Stuffit file. As you can see, this listing includes the name of the uploader (good for motivating your callers to upload), the last access and version number in addition to all the information Host shows in its standard file display. …And Many Other Things Archie can do all manner of other things: kill files, show directory listings, print files on an ImageWriter, alter its own defaults, pre validate users, back up the UserLog and so forth. We’ll itemize Archie’s menu commands in a few more paragraphs, but first a few more words on basic Archie topics. Menu Commands Archie has its own command set, à la Host: you can set up your own menus to access whatever Archie attributes you want to implement, complete with security levels and optional information. The command set is, of course, different from Host’s, with the exception of five commands: Command 0 displays a line of menu information, Command 2 transfers to another menu and Commands 12-14 display text files just as in Host. I arbitrarily numbered Archie’s commands starting at 90 and tried to group them by function (not very successfully as Archie has evolved — I’ve also had to dip into the 80s for command numbers). Inner Resources When you first launch Archie, you will be asked the path and name of your Host program and the path and name of the primary Archie menu. Archie stores these as internal resources. All other necessary details are gleaned by Archie from the LaunchRRH file, from the Config file, from the UserLog file and from commands and options in menus. If you have problems getting Archie set up, check your pathnames carefully. Error Reporting If Archie has problems, it writes error messages to a file called Archie Errorlog, so check the contents of this file if you can’t get Archie to run. Environmental Impact Archie ’89 is a workhorse utility which should be copied to the same disk and folder as your Red Ryder Host program. It will look for its Archie Menu wherever you’ve told it. Archie is not a stand-alone utility: it is designed to be launched by a Red Ryder Host Command 50 or 51, and will work only under that condition. Since Host 2.0 doesn’t accept pathnames for Command 50/51 applications, make sure the Option field for any Command 50s contains only the application name — Archie — and that Archie is at the same folder level as Host. The only problematic command in Archie’s repertoire is Command 127 — the directory command. The directory command can do strange things to the system default path, and may produce odd side-effects. I’ve tried to alter it so that it restores the default path when it’s done, but I’m not convinced I succeeded. If you want to use this command, experiment with it first in local mode to be sure it works with your setup. If it works locally, it will work remotely. Because it’s compiled in ZBasic, Archie expects to see a printer driver in the System folder (“Stupid ZBasic Tricks”), though it normally uses no printing resources. Archie also requires at least one menu file. You can call this menu anything and put it anywhere, as long as you tell Archie what it’s called and where it is. What Archie Can Do (numerical command summary) Command Type Description 0 This is a dummy command. Its text is displayed but its selection key isn’t active. It’s for formatting the menu. OPTIONAL DATA: None 2 Branch to another menu. OPTIONAL DATA: Path:MenuName 12 Display textfile with paging, interrupt with C (break) or S (pause). Like Host Command 12. OPTIONAL DATA: Path:FileName 13 Display textfile with paging, no interrupt. Like Host Command 13. OPTIONAL DATA: Path:FileName 14 Display textfile without paging, interrupt with C or S. Like Host Command 14. OPTIONAL DATA: Path:FileName 87 <This command available only to registered users> Global New File Display. Searches all file sections listed in a script for uploads within a caller-specified time limit and displays qualifying entries with location. This is an ultra-fast version of Command 88, but it depends on file sections being organized in the “normal” Host way—oldest files at the start, newest files at the end. If your file sections are organized differently—alphabetically sorted, for instance, use Command 88, which searches every entry in a file section to see if it matches the time limit. To achieve its speed, Command 87 starts at the end of the file section to look for a match. If it finds one, it shows the entry and moves backwards until it fails to find a match. When there is not match, it moves to the next file section in the script. The script file consists of a pair of lines for each file section. The first line is the path:filesection and the second is a short description of the section, like so: Glass:BBS:Files:DAs:*DAs Desk Accessories Appendix E contains the script I use on the Glassell Park BBS as an example. The first line tells Archie where to go. Archie uses the second line to describe the whereabouts of the file. OPTIONAL DATA: Path:Script FileName 88 <This command available only to registered users> Global New File Display. Searches all file sections listed in a script for uploads within a caller-specified time limit and displays qualifying entries with location. This is a slower version of Command 87, but it looks at every entry in a file section, starting at the beginning of the file, for a match. The script file consists of a pair of lines for each file section. The first line is the path:filesection and the second is a short description of the section, like so: Glass:BBS:Files:DAs:*DAs Desk Accessories Appendix E contains the script I use on the Glassell Park BBS as an example. The first line tells Archie where to go. Archie uses the second line to describe the whereabouts of the file. OPTIONAL DATA: Path:Script FileName 89 <This command available only to registered users> Global File Match. Searches all file sections listed in a script for uploads which contain a caller-specified string of characters in the filename or description fields and displays qualifying entries with location. The script file is identical in format to the preceding description. In fact, both commands can use the same script file. OPTIONAL DATA: Path:Script FileName 90 Display callers in the UserLog who have only called the board once and who haven’t called since [you choose the number of days]. This command allows you to delete users as they are shown. It’s a useful “scavenging” command to get rid of one-time callers who will probably never call back. I used it recently to weed out one-time callers who hadn’t called in at least 90 days and was able to trim my UserLog by 10%. If Optional Data contains a string, it’s used as a password for this command. OPTIONAL DATA: Password (or none) 91 Same as 90, but shows all callers who haven’t called since [you name it], with optional delete. Another tool to clean the weeds out of your UserLog. OPTIONAL DATA: Password (or none) 92 Search textfile for string. Just like Command 126 (sorry about the numerical disorganization — the old commands used up all the high numbers and forced newer commands into this space), but allows the user to specify a percentage of the file to search, calculated from the end of the file. If the user enters 10, the last 10% of the file is searched. OPTIONAL DATA: Path:FileName 93 Analyze CallerLog. Shows number of connections, numbers and percentages at various modem speeds, total use and percentage of use, statistics on file transfers, messages and logoffs. Can be used on *any* CallerLog — current or archived. OPTIONAL DATA: Path:CallerLogName 94 Print File. Prints a textfile such as the CallerLog on an ImageWriter-compatible printer. Not for LaserWriters, AppleTalk ImageWriters or other variants. Make sure you have enough paper! OPTIONAL DATA: None 96 File Search. Searches file section for matching keyword in either file name or description, displays file with additional information. OPTIONAL DATA: Path:FileSectionName 97 Search String. Reads text file looking for a caller-entered string, displays one line if there’s a match. OPTIONAL DATA: Path:TextfileName 98 Backup UserLog. Backs up your UserLog. Names the original “UserLog.bak” and makes a clean, free-of-deleted-users copy called, naturally, “UserLog.” You may elect to delete the backup copy. DON’T USE THIS COMMAND UNLESS YOU HAVE A HIGH POSITION IN THE USERLOG! Otherwise, deleted users above you will shift your position in the UserLog, confusing Host. OPTIONAL DATA: Password (or none) 99 Return to Host, using a specified menu. This allows you to re-enter Host, using a different menu than the one you left from (Host automatically returns to the last-used menu after a Command 50/51). OPTIONAL DATA: Path:Menu 100 Return to Host. OPTIONAL DATA: None 101 Return to Host and disconnect without updating your UserLog stats (it kills the LaunchRRH file). Useful if you want to check on the board but don’t have time to answer messages, since it won’t reset your statistics when you leave. OPTIONAL DATA: None 102 Resets the Host system. This wipes out the LaunchRRH file, so your call won’t be recorded in the UserLog stats. This command is useful for resetting Host — it works locally and remotely — and is included for those times when you notice that the BBS is not working properly (I have to periodically reset Glassell Park to refresh file section displays and [occasionally] to fix garbled menu displays [most of my menus run from a RamDisk]). Since my board automatically launches Host after a reset, this is an easy way to “refresh” the BBS. OPTIONAL DATA: None 103 Launch another program. OPTIONAL DATA: Path:ProgramName 104 Kill a file. Caller is asked for Path:FileName. This is an obviously dangerous command, but don’t worry: if you don’t want to implement it, don’t put it in a menu, and if you do want to implement it, give it a high clearance requirement. OPTIONAL DATA: None 105 Reset log file with datestamp. Writes a datestamp (a line of date/time info followed by a line of ‘-----’) then appends the file named in the Optional Data to the end of a file with the same name plus the suffix ‘.Arch’ (BBS:Val.res becomes BBS:Val.res.Arch). Useful for dating archived survey files, such as a validation survey. After appending onto the archive file, it opens an empty copy of the file specified in the Optional data. OPTIONAL DATA: Path:FileName 106 Same as 105, without the datestamp. OPTIONAL DATA: Path:FileName 107 View logfile. Archie asks you how much time you want to spend reading the file, calculates the correct number of characters to show you, and displays them, counting from the end of the file, since that’s the most recent information. You can pause the display by typing S or cancel it with a C. OPTIONAL DATA: Path:FileName 108 Brief Name List. Lists UserLog entries sequentially with Name and From information (just like Host). OPTIONAL DATA: None 109 Name/Last Call List. Lists UserLog entries sequentially with Name, From and Last Call information. OPTIONAL DATA: None 110 Count entries in the UserLog. Quickly tells you how many individual callers you’re entertaining. OPTIONAL DATA: None 111 Search the UserLog for a name (all or part). If the name is found, show the caller’s name, where from, password (this is the only command in the series of UserLog display commands which shows the password: be very careful how you use it), # of calls, last call, time limit, clearance, uploads, downloads, private and public message postings. Allows optional editing of caller’s clearance, time and delete status. If there is a word in the Optional Data, Archie asks for this password for access to this command. If Optional Data is empty, no password is required. As protection, Archie will not allow you to set a user clearance higher than your own, or higher than 250 (this is true for all UserLog editing commands) OPTIONAL DATA: Password (or none) 112 Same as 111, but UserLog password is not shown and editing is not possible. As with 111, you may optionally require the caller to enter a password to use this command. OPTIONAL DATA: Password (or none) 113 Like 112, but shows only the caller’s name, where from, number of calls and last call. No editing. OPTIONAL DATA: Password (or none) 114 Pre Validate User. Lets you remotely create a user name and password and set access level and time limit. You cannot set a user access level higher than your own, and in no case can you set an access level higher than 250. OPTIONAL DATA: Password (or none) 115 Shows the entire UserLog with the information of command 112. The display scrolls, but can be frozen or cancelled by typing S or C. No editing. OPTIONAL DATA: Password (or none) 116 Lists UserLog on the basis of caller’s clearance. Display is the same as Command 112. Editing allowed. OPTIONAL DATA: Password (or none) 117 Lists UserLog on the basis of caller’s time limit. Display is the same as Command 112. Editing allowed. OPTIONAL DATA: Password (or none) 118 Lists UserLog on the basis of caller’s location. Display is the same as Command 112 (full, but no password). No editing. OPTIONAL DATA: Password (or none) 119 Lists UserLog on the basis of caller’s location. Display is the same as Command 113 (brief). No editing. OPTIONAL DATA: Password (or none) 120 List downloaders. This command uses three values contained in Archie’s resources: Number of downloads to qualify a user for display Number of uploads to eliminate a user from display Number of public messages to eliminate display. Archie’s default settings are 25, 1 and 1, which will show all users who have: • Downloaded 25 or more files -and- • Uploaded no files -and- • Posted no messages. If you want to set different values, no problem: see Command 123. You’ll be shown the same user info as in command 112. Allows optional editing of caller’s clearance, time and delete status. Responds to S/Stop and C/Cancel. OPTIONAL DATA: Password (or none) 121 Analyze the UserLog for Givers (callers who upload and/or post messages) and Takers (callers who aren’t as diligent in contributing). This command uses numbers in Archie’s resources to compute “figures of merit” for the UserLog, and shows callers who exceed (or equal) the percentage of your choice (in the case of Givers) or who are under (or equal) the percentage of your choice (in the case of Takers). Archie starts life assuming: 1 upload = 10 downloads 5 messages = 1 upload If you want to, you can easily change these values with Command 123. These are the variables used by this command: • Upload = how many downloads • How many messages = an upload • “Newcomers” figure — callers are not processed unless they have called more times than this number. • “Privileged” level — callers at or above this level are not shown in the analysis. Allows optional editing of caller’s clearance, time and delete status. Incidentally, there is no real difference in the analysis performed for Givers or Takers — the selection changes from “better than” to “worse than.” OPTIONAL DATA: Password (or none) 122 Search text file from back to front for string. Same as command 126, but starts at the end of the file. It displays 21 lines of information with the target string in the middle. OPTIONAL DATA: Path:FileName 123 Resets Archie’s default values for Commands 120 and 121. You will be asked for seven criteria to use in analyzing the UserLog: <1> Downloads per upload? <2> Messages equal to one upload? <3> Minimum number of calls to qualify? <4> Privilege level? <5> Number of downloads to list? <6> Number of uploads to exempt? <7> Number of public messages to exempt? Numbers 1-4 are for the Givers/Takers analysis performed by Command 121. The first figure assigns an “ideal” ratio between downloads and uploads. The second assigns a ratio between messages and uploads. The third figure sets a threshold to ignore new users. The fourth sets an access level at or above which downloaders are ignored. The fifth figure sets Downloads to qualify for the list downloaders downloaders command 120. The sixth sets the Uploads figure to eliminate listing. The seventh sets the Public Messages figure to exempt. OPTIONAL DATA: None 124 Exit to DeskTop. This will work remotely, but it’s not advisable. Meanwhile, it’s handy for the local Sysop to jump down to the DeskTop for file maintenance or whatever, and eliminates the need for an external program to do the same thing. OPTIONAL DATA: None 125 Display information about Archie — version number etc. OPTIONAL DATA: None 126 Search text file for string. Want to see if Scott Watson called during the night? Just put Path:CallerLog in the optional data and tell it to look for Mr. Watson. This is very useful, and can be applied to all your text files. It displays 21 lines of information with the target string in the middle, so you can see if Scott downloaded anything while he was on the board. OPTIONAL DATA: Path:FileName 127 Show directory of all mounted disks or a selected folder. Another dangerous command, particularly in conjunction with Archie’s Command 104 to kill a file or Host’s Command 26 which allows uploading a file to replace any file on the board. But useful for an absent-minded remote Sysop who wants to remotely upload over an obsolete text file. Command responds to S/Stop and C/Cancel. This command has an unfortunate side-effect if Archie and Host are not together in the topmost (root) folder of a volume — it resets the default path, which can mess Host and Archie up. Don’t use unless Archie and Host are in the root directory. OPTIONAL DATA: None 128 Clear SYSTEMx.MSG read flags in UserLog. Gives you the ability to clear all read flags for SYSTEM1.MSG, SYSTEM2.MSG or SYSTEM3.MSG, so you can show new system messages to all your callers. OPTIONAL DATA: Password (or none) 129 Set/Clear restriction flags in UserLog. Gives you the ability to set or clear all restriction flags. OPTIONAL DATA: Password (or none) 130 Zero textfile. Overwrites a textfile with a zero-length textfile. Useful to get rid of cluttering information. OPTIONAL DATA: Textfile path:name 131 Clear textfile. Scans a textfile and eliminates all lines which do not contain the current date. Use to trim Tabby log files down to today-only entries. OPTIONAL DATA: Textfile path:name 132 Clear/archive textfile. Scans a textfile and appends all lines which do not contain the current date to an .arch textfile. Use to trim Tabby log files down to today-only entries, while preserving an archive of past activity. OPTIONAL DATA: Textfile path:name 133 Clear combined message sections. Clears all combined message section entries in the UserLog. Use this command to force everyone to re-select “combined reads” after you’ve added (or deleted) message sections. OPTIONAL DATA: Password (or none) * * * These commands obey the standard rules of menu entries, so you can set clearance levels and have multiple versions of commands shown depending on the caller’s clearance level. Archie has an arbitrary limit of 75 commands per menu. Archie returns to Host if more time than is specified in the Host Config file elapses between commands. It also monitors the Carrier Detect status of the modem and jumps back to Host if there’s a disconnect on a remote call. Archie has its own screen, which much resembles the Host screen, with current caller information displayed in a small bar at the top of the screen. I was inspired to add this by Robert Thurman’s excellent Wrestling program. I believe he also was the first to suggest that Command 50 applications be driven by Host menus and that Command 50s support menus, also good ideas which I’ve implemented. Compatibility Archie has been tested on a Mac Plus and a Mac II and it works just fine with System/Finders from June 1986 forward. I don’t know if it will operate on a Mac 512K with the 64K ROMs. On the Glassell Park BBS, it runs on a Mac Plus with a 150K RamDisk and Apple’s May ’87 System Software. It runs under MultiFinder with 256K of memory allocated and has no problems as far as I can tell, though I don’t use MultiFinder on the Glassell Park BBS so I don’t have extensive battlefield experience. Advanced Techniques ___________________ Blind Menus Blind menus enable Archie to become an invisible extension to Host’s command set. You can call Archie from a Host menu and have it execute any of its command extensions without the caller having to use yet another menu. Here’s how it works: Create a menu with the word “Execute” (no quotes; caps and lower case don’t matter) as the first word of the first line of the menu title. The other two lines don’t matter. The command section should consist of any one Archie command, together with any necessary optional information. It should be selected by an asterisk (*). Now, if you add a Command 50/51 to any Host menu launching Archie, Archie will execute whatever command you set it for — find a user by location, search a textfile for a string, read from the end of a textfile, whatever — with no additional menu, then will return to the Host menu which launched it. When Archie is launched, it looks for whatever default menu you’ve defined initially. If you want Archie to use additional menus on startup, read the next section. Multiple Default Menus Archie has the flexibility to use different “default” menus. When Archie is started, it checks the LaunchRRH file to see if it was launched from a menu whose name includes another name enclosed in {} curly brackets. If so, Archie uses the curly bracketed name as its menu when it starts. This menu can be either an invisible extension to Host’s command set, as described in the previous paragraph, or a full-blown Host-like menu for Archie to run. Here’s a step-by-step description of how to set this up: Find a menu to which you’d like to add a special Archie command (it can be any menu except the Main Menu, since Host insists on running a menu named simply “Main Menu”). For this example, assume that it’s a menu called “User Info”. If you wanted Archie to instantly execute Command 119 — brief listing of users by location — prepare a menu with the word “Execute” as its first title line and the single command 119, selected by an asterisk (*). Name the menu “{Find User}” (no quotes, but include the curly brackets). Now rename the “User Info” menu “User Info {Find User}” (be sure to change its name on any menus which branch to it!). That’s it. Whenever Archie is launched from the User Info {Find User} menu, it starts up with the {Find User} menu as its default. You can do the same trick with other menus, all using the same copy of Archie. Important Note: The new default menu — {Find User} in this example — must be located at the same folder level as Archie. Beyond the Sysop As I mentioned at the beginning of this document, Archie was conceived as a file archiving utility, but it has grown well beyond my original aims. I first thought that Archie was of use only to the sysop(s) of a board, but Robert Lanza and others have been using Archie as an extension to Host’s command set. Since Archie can search text files for strings, it’s not hard to harness it with a Host survey file to let your callers search for relevant information. You could, for instance, ask your callers to complete a “biography” survey of their interests and areas of knowledge, and let other callers search their responses to make contact. Your Host system can become a database for your callers. Archie’s abilities to function with blind menus and multiple default menus increase its flexibility as a Host extension. And since Archie faithfully reflects the look of your Host system, the caller is not distracted by a new environment when Archie is launched. If you’d like to see Archie in action, I invite you to call the Glassell Park BBS. I have implemented Archie in the following ways: • As a U>ser information command from my Main Menu. This menu lets callers o search the UserLog for other callers, and shows when they last called o see a BBS activity report through Archie’s Analyze CallerLog Command o use the About Archie… command • As a S>earch filenames and descriptions for a keyword command from *every* filesection menu. • As a global file search command which reads all my filesections and shows o new files added to every filesection o files whose names or descriptions match an entered string • As a sysop set of commands accessible only to a remote sysop and me. If you’re a registered Archie user, I’ll validate you for access to a special Host sysops section on Glassell Park where I intend to make Archie updates and — possibly — other Host utilities available. ResEdit If you’re handy with ResEdit, you can customize Archie’s defaults easily. The default settings are contained in STR resources, all labelled neatly according to function. What Next? I have more plans for Archie, and I’m open to suggestions. However, future enhancements to Archie will be available only to registered users. I am working with Ralph Yount on implementing additional remote UserLog functions — I hope to make Archie a full-featured remote UserLog Editor, and Ralph is giving me some great ideas. In addition, I want to add editing functions to Archie’s FileSection repertoire. And I have some other ideas for how Archie can become an even more useful extension to Host. The Big Finish _______________ Thanks to John Alcock, who designed Archie’s handsome icon. Additional bows to Robert Lanza, Patricia O’Connor, Ray Terry, Ed Edell, Otis Eversole, Greg Hulbert, Dennis Cosio, Steve Riggins, Reed Hutchinson and Jon Haferman, who have been most enthusiastic Archie users and sometimes beta testers. Thanks also to those nice people — including many people in this small list — who sent me postcards in return for using previous editions of Archie. And thanks especially to Scott Watson for creating Host and for giving it the ability to launch external applications. Pete Johnson January, 1989 Glassell Park BBS Post Office Box 65074 Los Angeles, CA 90065 (213) 258-7649 (300/1200/2400/9600 HST baud, 24 hours) Appendix A List of Archie Commands by Function (see earlier command listing for fuller explanations) (*) Optional information required (&) Optional information can be used Cmd Name Definition UserLog 90 — Scavenge 1 Find inactive one-time callers (&) 91 — Scavenge all Find inactive callers (&) 98 — Back UserLog Back up UserLog (&) 108 — Name List List Name, From only 109 — Name List List Name, From, Last Call 110 — Count Users Count UserLog entries 111 — Name Search Full UserLog display (&) 112 — Name Search Like 111, password not shown (&) 113 — Name Search Name/From/Call stats only (&) 114 - Pre Validate Create a validated user (&) 115 — Find User Non-stop UserLog display (&) 116 — List Level List users by access (&) 117 — List Time List users by time (&) 118 — Location List users by location/full (&) 119 — Location List users by location/brief (&) 120 — List DL List downloaders (&) 121 — Credit Check Analyze user contributions (&) 123 — Alter Default Change user analysis values 128 - Clear Msg Read Clear SYSTEMx.MSG read flags (&) 129 - Restrict flags Set/clear restriction flags 133 - Clear Msg Combos Clear combined msg sections (&) Files & Logs 93 — Analyze CLog Analyze CallerLog (*) 94 - Print File Prints text file on ImageWriter (*) 104 — Kill File Delete a file 105 — Reset Reset file with datestamp (*) 106 — Reset Reset file no datestamp (*) 107 — View Read a log file from end (*) 130 - Zero textfile Rewrite a textfile to zero length (*) 131 - Clear textfile Clear a textfile to today’s entries (*) 132 - Clear/arc text Like 131, but append old data to archive (*) Display Text Files 12 — Display Text C cancel, paged (*) 13 — Display Text No cancel, paged (*) 14 — Display Text C cancel, no page (*) 92 — Search Log Look for string in last part of file (*) 97 - Search String Search text file, show one line if match (*) 122 - Search Log Look for string in file, end to beginning (*) 126 — Search Log Look for string in file (*) File Sections {Commands 88 & 89 for registered users only} 87 - Global New File Read file sections script, show matches (*) 88 - Global New File Read file sections script, show matches (*) 89 - Global Find File Read file sections script, show matches (*) 96 - Find File Show filename and description matches (*) Miscellaneous 2 — Change Menus Change menus (*) 99 — Change Menu Exit & run another menu (*) 125 — Archie Info About Archie… 127 — Directory Show directory of volumes Exits 100 — Exit Normal exit 101 — No Update Wipe out LaunchRRH 102 — Exit Shutdown 103 — Launch App Run another program (*) 124 — Desktop Exit Archie to Desktop Appendix B Registration Information You can register your copy of Archie ’89 by sending me a check for $25 (U.S. funds only), along with your name and address. I would appreciate it if you would include GEnie and/or CompuServe addresses if you have them — I will use this information to notify you of major updates (or I’ll send you a card, if you’d rather). Name: __________________________________________________________________ BBS: ___________________________________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________________________ City: __________________________________________________________________ State: _________________________________________________________________ Voice Phone: ______________________ BBS Phone: ________________________ GEnie or CompuServe ID #: _____________________________________________ Send to: Pete Johnson Glassell Park BBS P.O. Box 65074 Los Angeles, CA 90065 In return, he said, sounding like a Ronco commercial, this is what you get: • The latest release of Archie, all commands enabled, on an 800K disk • A handsome LaserWriter-printed Archie manual with an index • mehitabel, the sophisticated automatic Host 2.0 message pruning and back up utility. • QU, a program I’ve written in LS Pascal which gives you an automated Quote of the Day function with Host 2.0. • FSec Cleaner, a utility to check and maintain file section listings and back them up. • RePath 2.0, a utility to quickly modify the paths of your file section listings. • ReSize 2.5, a utility to recalculate file sizes of your file section listings (useful after Stuffing uploads) and more. [ This list of software is subject to change as Host evolves and I get more good and bad ideas. ] Appendix C Archie Revision History This account is presented for whatever interest it holds and as an indication of my ongoing commitment to Archie. Some of the changes implemented in earlier versions have been undone in later versions, some because they were work-arounds for Host bugs which were later fixed, some because Host changed and Archie, by virtue of its symbiotic relationship, had to change too. The earlier listings of Archie’s command set are authoritative — any other commands mentioned in this section have gone by the wayside. >>> Changes from Version 0.84 to 1.01 <<< • Addition of nine new commands: branch to another menu on return to Host, alter Archie’s default settings from within Archie and seven new UserLog viewing commands, many including UserLog editing functions. • Numerous bug repairs, including fixing the UserLog password function (it didn’t work) and the local terminal mode (if your terminal settings were non-Mac, local terminal sessions could be hopelessly strange). • Improved error reporting, including writing error messages to an “Archie Errorlog” file for later study. • Archie no longer requires an “Archie.inf” file — all necessary information is contained within Archie. These resources identify the Host path:filename and the path:name of Archie’s main menu. Specifying a particular menu name allows multiple versions of Archie to be used in a Host system. Archie also contains data for UserLog analysis. • Archie now gets its “inactivity” value from the Host Config file, so you have the same grace period as Host. • Additional setup flexibility: this version of Archie knows whether you’re using the modem or printer port, and will work properly with either. • Some code cleanup, which was offset by creating additional functions, which messed the code back up. >>> Changes from Version 1.01 to 1.07 <<< • This version features Hot Menus and much better response to keyboard interrupts (Command-C, Command-S etc.). Prior versions checked the keyboard only at the end of every text line displayed. Now the keyboard is checked for interrupts after each character is printed on the screen and while Archie is searching log files for matches. • I also borrowed an idea from Eric “Dungeons” Johnson: Archie now sets the three Systemx.msg flags so that people using Archie don’t have to see the same “one-time” system messages over and over. • And, inevitably, bug fixes. Previous versions did not correctly read the HotMenus flag in the UserLog. Archie now does. And thanks to Chris Hutcheson (C.HUTCHESON) of Club Mac Toronto for pointing out that Archie’s “kill a file” command didn’t work. It does now. >>> Changes from Version 1.07 to 1.23 <<< • Archie uses the access level from the LaunchRRH file rather than from the UserLog, so Archie correctly reflects and responds to access level changes which have occurred during the current session. • Archie shows remaining time and menu options, if they’re specified in the Config file. • Archie omits pathnames when it shows the name of a file. This makes for a neater and more readable display. Rather than “Searching MyDisk:BBS:Files:ReadMe:Val.res,” it says, “Searching Val.res.” • Another idea swiped from Eric Johnson: if Host is maintaining a CallerLog, Archie writes the line External program Archie accessed. into the CallerLog whenever it’s launched. The line is indented four spaces, so Tom Konantz’ very useful CallerLog Analyzer program ignores it. You can disable this feature by changing a resource — Archie’s Command 123 lets you change Archie’s STR resource 138 from “Y” to “N” to disable it (or you could use ResEdit). • I fixed some bugs, reported by Ray Terry, which afflicted the Directory command, and while I was at it I added an option to look at one specific directory rather than all the volumes on line (Ray Terry’s suggestion). • I added an option to make Archie an invisible extension to Host’s command set. You can now call Archie from a Host menu and have it execute any of its command extensions without the caller having to use yet another menu. Here’s how it works: Create a menu with the word “Execute” (no quotes; caps and lower case don’t matter) as the first word of the first line of the menu title. The other two lines don’t matter. The command section should consist of any one Archie command, together with any necessary optional information. It should be selected by an asterisk (*). Now, if you add a Command 50/51 to any Host menu launching Archie, the program will execute whatever command you set it for — find a user by location, search a textfile for a string, read from the end of a textfile, whatever — with no additional menu, then will return to the Host menu which launched it. Ah, you say, but Archie always opens a menu called “Archie Menu.” That means I’ll have to have more than one copy of Archie if I want to use more than one invisible command or if I also want to use Archie in its normal mode. Not with this version of Archie. When Archie is started, it checks the LaunchRRH file to see if it was launched from a menu whose name includes another name enclosed in curly brackets. If so, Archie uses the curly bracketed name as its menu when it starts. This menu can be either an invisible extension to Host’s command set, as described in the previous paragraph, or a full-blown Host-like menu for Archie to run. Here’s a step-by-step description of how to set this up: Find a menu to which you’d like to add a special Archie command (it can be any menu except the Main Menu, since Host insists on running a menu named simply “Main Menu”). For this example, assume that it’s a menu called “User Info”. If you wanted Archie to instantly execute Command 119 — brief listing of users by location — prepare a menu with the word “Execute” as its first title line and the single command 119, selected by an asterisk (*). Name the menu “{Find User}” (no quotes, but include the curly brackets). Now rename the “User Info” menu “User Info {Find User}” (be sure to change its name on any menus which branch to it!). That’s it. You can do the same with other menus, all using the same copy of Archie. New Archie commands in Version 1.23 • Commands 12, 13 & 14 are similar to the Host equivalents. They display text files. • Command 92 is a modification of Command 126. It searches a textfile for a string, as 126 does, but it allows the user to specify a percentage from the end of the file to search. If the user enters 25, Command 92 will search only the last 25% of the file. • Command 93 analyzes the CallerLog, showing connections, baud rates, file and message activity, percentage of board activity, Command 50 applications launched and disconnect statistics. It can just as easily analyze the CallerLog archive or anything in the CallerLog format. • Command 98 backs up the UserLog, so you can eliminate deleted callers. It deletes the backup (the original file) only if you say so. As with all Archie UserLog actions, this treats the UserLog quite carefully. >>> Changes from Archie 1.23 to 1.29 <<< The biggest change is that Archie now updates the UserLog with the current caller’s activity as recorded in the CallerLog. So, if you’re keeping a CallerLog on your disk, the UserLog will *no longer* lose data due to Host’s absent-mindedness regarding user statistics. If you’re running a Host Command 50 game program, you might want to launch it with Archie’s command 103 (using a special menu as described above) so you don’t lose caller data. I’ve added a command — 122 — to search a textfile from back to front and to display 21 lines in proper sequence if the target string is found (this is a command I’ve wanted to implement for a long time: Command 92 was a cheap shot at it). Additionally, I fixed a small backspacing problem in the local Archie display. And I reorganized the Analyze CallerLog display. >>> Changes from Archie 1.29 to 1.31 <<< A new command, 97, searches a textfile for a string and shows a line of the textfile if the string is found. I use this with a text listing of the files on the Glassell Park BBS, produced by Tom Konantz’ excellent FSP program. It enables a caller to search for a key (such as FKey or Mac II or VideoWorks) and will show a filename, its length and a description if a match for the key is found. Handy for those times you’d like to search for a file description. >>> Changes from Archie 1.31 to 1.39 <<< Command 94 prints a textfile, such as the CallerLog, to an ImageWriter. Tom Fitzsimmons asked me to implement this feature. WARNING: This routine simply pumps ASCII characters out the printer port (or the modem port in the unlikely event that your modem is hooked to your printer port and vice versa — it checks the Config file). It doesn’t use proper printer dialog handles and there is no error trapping. It won’t recognize a LaserWriter or an AppleTalk ImageWriter, and I don’t know what it will do if the ImageWriter is off line or runs out of paper -- probably lock, waiting for the ImageWriter to come back to life. Command 95 allows a caller to get more time in return for uploading files. It checks the CallerLog for uploads by the current caller, adds up their size and adjusts the caller’s temporary access upward accordingly. Baud rate and file size are factored into the adjustment. In no case can the caller’s adjusted time be more than twice the caller’s original time, and no one can get more than 255 minutes of access, regardless of uploads. Thanks to Greg Hulbert for suggesting this — I’ve used many of his ideas. Upload information is gleaned from the CallerLog. Archie reads the CallerLog from end to beginning until it encounters a logon or the launch of an external application. Every upload is recorded (up to 25 uploads). Then each upload entry is checked for size (Archie opens each file to check its length) and is added to a cumulative total of bytes. This total is divided by 67% of the caller’s 1-minute data rate to approximate XMODEM transfer rates. Additionally, I’ve added a new resource to Archie (STR 140, UL Credit)to allow the Sysop to establish an upload credit factor. This is originally set to 1, but can be adjusted via ResEdit or the Archie change defaults dialog. Changing this to 2 would give uploaders a 100% time bonus; changing it to 0.5 would give :30 credit for each minute of uploading. The caller’s *temporary* time limit is adjusted accordingly. When the person next calls, the time limit remains as it was originally set in the UserLog -- no permanent change has been made. But for the session in which the caller requested additional time in return for uploading, the caller can get as much as twice his or her original time. Command 96 searches a filesection for a string and displays the filename, size and description if there is a match between the user-entered keyword and the filename or its description. This is functionally equivalent to command 97 — search a text file listing for a keyword and show a line if a match is found — in the previous version, but it works directly on Host filesections. You need to put the path:filename of the target filesection in the optional field of the menu. Command 114 prevalidates a user who hasn’t yet called. Aside from the new commands, there are a number of improvements over previously released versions. The local keyboard is now active when a remote caller is on line, Archie has learned to hang up the phone when he needs to, some problems with Archie’s resources have been cured, Archie is more selective in writing its own accesses to the CallerLog (it doesn’t write an Archie access if Archie is used to launch another application, but does write the application access), CallerLog entries follow the new suggested format for Tom Konantz’ CallerLog Analyzer, Archie no longer credits cancelled downloads and uploads to the UserLog, someone prevalidating a user or editing another user cannot raise give that user a higher access level than the editor’s, etc. Although I announced that an earlier version of Archie cured Host’s “MSGHDR” bug, it didn’t work. I haven’t been able to implement this fix using ZBasic (though I’m still thinking about it). For now, I recommend that you launch Archie and any other external application using Eric Johnson’s excellent Flags program, which does fix this bug. Version 1.39a of Archie fixes a bug which prevented Archie from properly handling callers who hang up. Version 1.39b of Archie fixes a problem which appeared when users tried to modify Archie’s default settings — some pesky resources got scrambled, leading to weird results such as Archie reading the UserLog when it meant to read a menu. It also alters a “feature” which some judged a bug: Archie now asks for a password every time a caller uses a password-protected command. Version 1.39c fixes a dumb string length problem. Version 1.39d checks to see if a user’s input is too long. Thanks to Reed Hutchinson and Steve Riggins for pointing this one out. >>> Changes from Archie 1.39 to Archie ’89 <<< • Biggest changes: getting Archie to read Host 2.0 file formats — UserLog, FileSections, LaunchRRH file, Config et al. • Deleted features which had become redundant or unnecessary: no upload credit (Command 95), don’t update the UserLog any more, don’t write Archie accesses to CallerLog, don’t reset Systemx.msg read flags in UserLog. • Added menu support and menu items! • Added commands 87, 88 and 89 to read a text file script containing a pair of lines for each filesection. The first line lists the path:filesection name and the second is a short description of the file area for your users. Each command requires the path:name of this script in its option field. Each command prompts the caller for input. Commands 87 and 88 ask how many days to search and show all files uploaded to the board within that time period. Command 89 asks for a string to look for and shows all files whose names or descriptions contain the string. All of these commands show files marked with an asterisk (*) in the first character of their description only to level 255 callers. Nifty. Available only to registered users. • Revamped CallerLog analysis function to reflect calls at 9600 and 19200 baud. • Archie now writes all text reads and application launches to the CallerLog, if CallerLog writes are specified in the Config file. Appendix D In Case of Trouble If Archie won’t launch properly or misbehaves in some way, before you send me a desperate note on GEnie, please check the following: • Is Archie being launched from a Host 2.0 menu which contains pathname:Archie as optional information? If so, remove the pathname from the menu (and make sure that Archie is at the same folder level as Host). • Is Archie’s menu where it’s supposed to be? • Is Archie’s menu in Host 2.0 format? (It should be.) • Read the Host CallerLog and see if it contains any error messages. • Look for a file called Archie Errorlog in the same folder as Archie. If it exists, read it. This is a file Archie writes to when it gets into most kinds of trouble, and it may contain a clue as to what’s going wrong. • The Archie SIZE resource is set to 512K. Try adjusting this number up or down to see if it helps the problem. Appendix E The following is a sample Command 88/89 script from the Glassell Park BBS. As you can see, it consists of paired sets of lines. The first contains the path and FileSection name. The second contains the area name to show the caller. This script is used by Commands 87, 88 and 89 from an “All Files” directory on Glassell Park. The area name is used to direct the caller to the specific download directory where the file can be found. Incidentally, you can use these Archie commands for more than one thing. Glassell Park uploads go to temporary holding files, where they stay until I check them out and move them to the downloads. I have a special Archie sysop script which allows me to quickly scan all of these holding sections for new uploads. Glass:BBS:Files:Business:*Business Business Glass:BBS:Files:Comm:*Comm Communications Glass:BBS:Files:DeskAcc:*DeskAcc Desk Accessories Glass:BBS:Files:Fonts:*Fonts Fonts Glass:BBS:Files:Fx:*Fx Sound Effects Glass:BBS:Files:Games:*Games Games Glass:BBS:Files:Graph:*Graph Graphics Glass:BBS:Files:Hyper:*Hyper HyperCard Glass:BBS:Files:Illus:*Illus Illustrations Glass:BBS:Files:Mac2:*Mac2 Macintosh II Glass:BBS:Files:Music:*Music Music Glass:BBS:Files:Program:*Program Programming Glass:BBS:Files:Songs:*Songs Songs Glass:BBS:Files:Text:*Text Text Glass:BBS:Files:TN:*TN Technical Notes Glass:BBS:Files:Utility:*Utility Utilities Appendix F The following files are included in the Shareware distribution package: Archie ’89 the application Archie ’89 Doc text the plain text documentation Archie Menu a sample Archie User Menu {Archie Sysop} a sample Archie Sysop menu Archie Log Utils more sysop functions Archie User Utils yet more sysop functions !HyperxMenu {Key Search HC} a sample Host file menu {Key Search HC} a “blind” menu launched by the previous menu The menus will require editing before they will work with your system. They are provided as samples of what Archie can do and how to set up the menus. To use menu items which require passwords, type “Pass” (no quotes).