* Optional message and UserLog backup Stuffing. If you select Stuff as a
backup option, mehit allows you to choose a StuffIt compression mode which it
uses to compress backups of the three messages files and the userlog. You must
have StuffIt Deluxe to use this feature. mehit checks for the existence of the
StuffIt Engine when you select this option and will not continue if you don’t
have it installed.
* Optional message renumbering. Just click the box in the first configuration
screen and mehitabel will renumber every time she runs.
* Optional undelete of public messages. Don’t you hate it when a user deletes
an informative public message? mehitabel allows you to recover these messages.
If you check this option, mehit undeletes public messages *unless* the first
word of the subject of the message contains the string "delete" (no quotes,
case doesn’t matter). This enables you to eliminate obnoxious public messages
with a message editor such as TMM -- just mark it deleted and change the first
word of the subject to "delete." You can also toggle this option off for one
run of mehitabel if you want to delete some public messages without bothering
to change the subject line. This feature does not affect private messages.
* Default settings for new message sections. Michael Bean suggested this: the
"new sections..." button on the first configuration screen opens into a dialog
box which allows you to choose default settings for new sections. When you
suddenly start picking up the PICKLES echo, mehit will use these defaults to
maintain the section.
* Incorporates all features of Log-O-Matic, with improvements. The second
configuration screen is much like that of Log-O-Matic, with all its options.
As documented for Log-O-Matic, in addition to these options, you can create a
text file called “Bad User Names” (no quotes) at the same level as Second
Sight. Format for this file is from 1 to 100 names up to 15 characters in
length, one name per line. Caps and lower case are insignificant — the UserLog
stores names as all caps so the names in this list are automatically
capitalized for comparison. A sample file follows (minus some obvious
obscenities):
BOMBER
CRASHER
DEATH
GOD
HACKER
MANIAC
SATAN
TERMINATOR
If a user signs on with one of these as either first name or last name,
the user will be purged during backup. If you don’t create such a list, no
one will be checked.
I created the Change level command and the scan for bad user names to
allow me to implement automatic overnight validation for those who
complete the survey. In addition to unpleasant names, you can also include
names of any twits who recurrently plague your board.
* Allows setting or clearing user flag after [optional] calls. This useful
feature lets you identify "veteran" callers -- perhaps you want to limit parts
of the board until you are certain that a caller knows how to use your BBS.
This enables you to do it via a flag-sensitive menu.
* Maintains Tabby Log and CallerLog for [optional] days, with archive for
[optional] days and optional monthly backup, Stuffed if you wish. These are
expanded versions of the options available in Log-O-Matic. If you choose
monthly backup, the archive file is left alone until the end of the month,
then is archived (and optionally stuffed) with a name like "CL 03/91.sit." The
actual day the archive is made depends on how many days you elect to maintain
the primary log. If it’s one, the archive is made on the first day of the
month. Two happens on the second, and so forth. You can select StuffIt modes
for both the CallerLog and the Tabby Log. These files are stored with,
respectively, the Tabby Log and CallerLog.
* User-configurable TEXT type. Now you can choose whichever signature you
prefer for text files -- MSWD for Microsoft Word, QED1 for QUED, MACA for
MacWrite etc. Be sure to enter only four characters.
Notes
-----
Although you can select StuffIt modes, Fast is the best choice for Second
Sight files and TEXT files -- it compresses smaller than most of the other
options and it’s one of the fastest.
If Bill Goodman creates an externally accessible engine for Compactor Pro, I intend to add Compactor Pro as a compression option.
Version Notes
-------------
Version 3.0ß0 went into limited beta test at the beginning of April.
3.0ß1 has the following fixes:
Sorts UserLog *after* backing it up, so level changes are reflected
in the sort.
“Normal” Backup configure button was broken. It’s now fixed.
[no notes on interving versions, but somewhere along the way mehit’s configuration resources were moved to a file in the System Folder (Preferences if you’re running System 7) so that installation of new versions is a snap. Also, a SIZE resource was added, set for 512K.]
3.0ß10 is the current version as of June 27, 1991. It has the following fixes:
Repairs how mehitabel was dealing with working directories -- some naive
code was causing mehit’s quit to the Finder.
Manipulates UserLog and backup so that System 7 continues to recognize the
UserLog in case you’ve set an alias to it.
Fixes StuffIt switches in Text files config dialog.
Checked “Bad User Names” feature -- it definitely works now.
3.0ß11 of July 7, 1991, fixes problem with ß10 on Mac Plus and tries to fix
John Gillett’s bug of “it doesn’t delete my users!”
3.0ß12 wasn’t generally released.
3.0ß13 of July 14,1991, *does* fix the “undeleted deleted users” bug, fixes a
resource problem, cleans up a few other things and adds a debugger which
can help trace problems. If mehit crashes, create an empty text file called
“mehit debug” (no quotes) at the same level as mehit and run mehit again. A
small dialog will appear in the lower right corner of the screen with
various items of information:
The first line is a label identifying the current place in the program
The second line isn’t used.
The third line contains a checkpoint number for more precise place
identification.
The fourth line contains three boxes showing, respectively, free memory,
last resource error and last memory error.
You will need to click in the debug box to step through the program.
Depending on your options, this will require about 20 clicks. Please
keep notes of what you see just before the crash -- they’ll help me fix
problems.
When you’re done deugging, delete the “mehit debug” file and operation will
