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Text File | 1990-05-10 | 24KB | 548 lines

About AreaTrix… AreaTrix is an automatic Echo tender. It allows Tabby-based boards to process requests from remote boards and points turning on and off Echoes they receive. Remotes can also get lists of available Echoes. In addition, AreaTrix allows file forwarding. AreaTrix is compatible with Host (Second Sight), Mansion and any other Mac BBS program which uses TabbyNet. It works only on TabbyNet files and thus is not dependent on various BBS file formats. It is modeled after an MSDOS program called AreaFix. For the sake of compatibility, it answers messages addressed to AreaFix. This document is organized as follows: Basic Setup Sysop guide to install From the User’s Point of View Users guide to AreaFix File Forwarding Users guide to sending files Keyword Protection Sysop instructions to set up keys How AreaTrix Works Described for the curious Miscellany Notes and loose thoughts Please read this whole document, even if you think you know all about AreaFix. For those who have run early versions of AreaFix, note that some file names have changed, as has the way AreaFix works. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Basic Setup Copy AreaTrix to the same level as TabbyNet. Open AreaTrix while holding down the mouse button to configure it. Supply the following seven items of information: • Default application to launch. This is normally the name of your BBS program. It is used only when AreaTrix can’t find a valid entry in the launch.next file. • Forward Name. This is a “magic” message address name which handles file forwarding. If you want to limit file forwarding to a few select users, change the name to something other than “File Forward” and let your select users know what this name is. • Message to Sysop. If this is enabled, AreaTrix will send you a message anytime it makes a change to the Areas.BBS file. If you don’t select this option, AreaTrix will do its work quietly. • No password for list. If this is enabled, AreaTrix will send a list of message sections to any inquirer, with or without a password. • Write to Tabby Log. If this is enabled, AreaTrix writes a summary of its session to the Tabby Log. • Write to File Forward Log. If this is enabled, AreaTrix will maintain a log of all file forward requests. If enabled, Forward Log, located in the Tabby folder, date/time stamps every transaction with the name of the file, the name of the sender and the node number of the recipient. • Delete Forwarded Files. If this is enabled, AreaTrix will delete files from the Generic folder after they are forwarded. Insert AreaTrix in *all* event chains just after TabbyNet Deliver Mail. Change TabbyNet events with Tabby Maint and use ResEdit to modify TabbyNet (STR 305) and Tabby Robot (STR# 301). *** Note that this is different than how earlier versions worked. *** (TabbyNet will choke if your event lists get too long, so you might want to abbreviate AreaTrix to Ax -- remember to change the application name if you do!) Copy the text file “AreaTrix Help” to your Tabby folder. This is used for any AreaFix requests which have a ? in the Subject field. Create passwords for nodes and points. Passwords for AreaTrix can be created in two ways: <1> You can use Tabby Maint to set up passwords for any nodes which you will allow to use AreaTrix. Tabby 2.0 limits these passwords to 6 characters or less in length. If you use Tabby Maint, then the password file, which is called Password, is operative on all communications with that other board. <2> You can use a text editor to create a passwords list. The format for a password file is identical to the Tabby Password format: NodeID <tab> Password <return> NodeID <tab> Password <return> and so on (no spaces, just tabs separating the NodeID from the password, and a carriage return after every line). An actual file looks like this: 107/563 KingEdward 102/823 DaddyGee 7500/3 MrMister If you want to use passwords longer than 6 characters, set up a text file as indicated in Technique <2> and save it in the Tabby folder under the name AreaPass (or you can save a copy of your Password file as AreaPass, then lengthen the actual passwords). AreaTrix looks for this file *before* it tries to use the Password file, and uses the contents of AreaPass in preference to the Tabby Password file. If you use Tabby Maint to set up passwords for any nodes which you will allow to use AreaTrix, both you and the other node agree on a password, and both of you enter the password to use in all communications with the other node. AreaTrix uses the Tabby Password file to get this information (unless there is a AreaPass file, as described in the previous paragraph). If an AreaTrix message is sent by a board without a password, AreaTrix will notify the board sysop to get a password. As mentioned earlier, if you get a request discontinuing an Echo from the source for that Echo (the first listing in the Areas.bbs file), the request will be ignored. That’s something that should be handled by humans, not automatons. AreaTrix has many options, including File Forwarding and keyword protection for areas, but this is all you *have* to do to get it running. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From the User’s Point of View Its operation is quite simple. You create a private NetMail message addressed to AreaFix at a valid node address. You can type AreaFix any way you want, as long as you don’t embed spaces or tabs or random letters in the name -- AreaFix, AreafiX, AREAfix and areafix all work. Just spell it right. Send this message to an AreaFix-equipped board with which you share Echoes (it will work with Red Ryder Host, Mansion and MSDOS). You and the node addressed must agree on a password. Put this password in the “Subject” field of the message, along with (optionally) one or two switches: -L requests a text file listing and documenting Echo areas. This text file is prepared by the sysop, and offers illuminating descriptions of mysteries such as COMP.BINARIES.MAC. If the sysop is lazy and hasn’t written this text file, you’ll get nothing. -Q requests a list of currently available Echoes. This list includes all entries in the Tabby Areas.BBS file, except for the UNKNOWN section (not too much demand for Unidentified Echo Objects). If an Echo is already received by eight nodes -- Tabby’s maximum -- it will not be shown in this listing. (You can also get a listing of available Echoes by putting an asterisk [*] on a single line in the body of the message). The body of the message consists of names of Echo areas. If a name appears by itself, AreaFix presumes it’s to be added to your distribution. If it’s preceded by a minus sign, AreaFix removes it from your distribution. If you absentmindedly put a plus in front of the Echo name, no problem -- AreaFix ignores the plus sign and adds the area anyway. Here is the format of a sample message, along with some notes: Msg #31514 in *Net Private* Created on 07/04/89 at 07:44:51 To: AREAFIX [Private], From: ERIK SELBERG Via address: 15/31 Subject: MooHaHa -Q -L -SPACE MACNOV RRH The only entry in this message which is critical in terms of caps and lower case is the password -- it must exactly match the password you and the addressee agree on. MOOHAHA won’t be recognized. The rest -- switches, area names and the name AreaFix can be any case -- AreaFix will treat them all as if they were capitalized. With this message, Erik is requesting a text listing explaining available Echo sections [-L] and a listing of all active and available sections [-Q]. In addition, he wants to “turn on” the MACNOV and RRH Echoes, and “turn off” the SPACE Echo. AreaFix will send him back three messages. The first one, caused by the -L switch, lists and explains the Echo sections. The second, caused by the -Q switch, lists of all Echoes carried by the board. The third summarizes changes in echo feeds. If you send a message to AreaFix with a ? by itself in the Subject field and if the sysop has installed a file called “AreaTrix Help” in the Tabby folder, you will receive the text of the help file in a return message. You do not need to use both, or either of the two Subject switches. Your password is fine all by itself. If you request discontinuing an Echo for which you are the source (first listing in a set of nodes in the Areas.bbs file), the request will be ignored -- take it up directly with the sysop. If you want to get a list of Echoes which you are now receiving from a remote BBS, just request that it add an Echo which you are already getting. This will leave your status unchanged, but will send you a message summarizing your current feeds. AreaTrix is a bit loose in its report format. If you request adding an Echo which you already receive, AreaFix will dutifully claim to have added the Echo in its message back to you. In fact, it doesn’t really change the Areas.bbs distribution if you ask for something you’re already getting. I’ve tried to make AreaTrix fairly flexible in terms of reading message text. If it can’t match a line against an existing section, it ignores the line. In comparing the lines of the message against entries in the Areas.BBS and PointGroups files, every message line is stripped of leading and following spaces and tabs, and leading plus and minus signs. This gives AreaTrix compatibility with other AreaFix schemes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ File Forwarding To forward a file, address the message to “File Forward” (or whatever you’ve set as the default name). Enter your password as the first item in the Subject field, then type a space, then a “>” character, a space and the node address (with or without the net address). Sample Subject lines might look like MyPassword > 7500/1 - or - MyPassword > 1 The File Forward function can be used to send files to any address -- it is not limited to points. If the subject of the message (the address to which the file is directed) contains no slash, AreaFix prepends your local net number with a slash. Otherwise it uses the address as entered. Files to be forwarded should be listed one per line in the body of the message -- no paths, just the file names. Caps and lower case are not significant. In forwarding files, AreaTrix will first verify that the file forwarding request comes from a node with a legit password, then will try to open each file in the Generic Folder (where files are automatically sent by TabbyNet) -- if it doesn’t exist, AreaTrix won’t try to forward it. AreaTrix sends confirming messages for forwarding requests, noting whether it was able to set up the file to forward. And AreaTrix deletes files after they've been sent (it does this by checking whether the file is still an entry in the SendfilesXXX/YYY.bbs file -- if not, it's deleted). If you’re a sysop and you want to snag a copy of a file that was sent to the board, just get its name from the Tabby Log and send a message to File Forward with your point ID in the Subject line and the name of the file in the body of the message. The name AreaTrix uses for file forwarding can be reconfigured any time by holding down the mouse button while launching AreaTrix. It’s set for a default of “File Forward,” but you can change it to another name to prevent it from being automatically available to all points. If you don't want the file to be deleted before the sysop sees it, use File Forward to send an extra copy to the sysop at either point 0 or point 1 in addition to the copy you're sending someone else. AreaTrix will not delete a file if there is *any* pending File Forward request. Alternatively, you can configure AreaTrix never to delete forwarded files. Here is a sample File Forward message: Msg #31515 in *Net Private* Created on 07/04/89 at 07:45:43 To: File Forward [Private], From: ERIK SELBERG Via address: 15/31 Subject: MooHaHa > 7500/3 Dungeons Doc Stuffit 1.51 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Keyword Protection AreaTrix implements a simple but flexible keyword scheme to limit access to one, some or all areas. Each area you want to protect is assigned a short key. Each user you want to allow access to that section is given that key as a component of a longer keyword. For instance, you might assign the following keys: Section Key -------- ----- SOCALPT PtOK SOCALMAC MacBB SMUT Trash If you want Point 1 to have access to all three sections, give that point a keyword of PtOKMacBBTrash (you can build the string in any order -- TrashPtOKMacBB would work as well -- but caps and lower case are significant). If you don’t want Point 2 to know about the SMUT Echo, give it a keyword of MacBBPtOK. If Point 3 had a keyword of PtOK, it would see only SOCALPT. Areas without keywords are available to all. AreaTrix allows two sources of input for keywords to give the sysop a maximum amount of flexibility. If you’re willing to set up and maintain an “AreaUserKeys” file, your callers need never know the syntax for entering a keyword in a message. If you don’t want to be bothered, you can send those who poll you private mail with the keywords for the sections they’re interested in. If you don’t set up any of these files, AreaTrix will work as it always has. If you’ve set up a file in your Tabby folder called “AreaUserKeys” AreaTrix uses it to determine the caller’s keyword; if that file doesn’t exist or it doesn’t have an entry for the caller, the caller can enter the phrase Key: PtOKMacBBTrash as the first line of the AreaTrix message to establish access to protected areas. Here are the details of how to set this up: AreaTrix looks for a text file called “AreaKeys” in your Tabby folder with keywords for each section. Format for the file is AreaName <tab> Keyword <cr> with as many entries as you wish. A keyword can be as short as one letter or as long as a line of text. I would suggest that you keep them fairly short. Caps and lower case are significant. You can use any printable character you want except for spaces and tabs (I don’t know if Tabby or Fido would freak out with Mac Option-key characters, but AreaTrix shouldn’t mind). If you don’t assign a keyword to a section, it can be listed or modified by anyone. If it has a keyword, the caller must match the keyword to list or alter it. If there is no AreaKeys file, all file sections can be changed and listed. The caller’s keyword can come from two places. If you have a file in your Tabby folder called “AreaUserKeys” with the caller’s address and a keyword, this keyword will be used for the session. Format of the file is NodeID <tab> Keyword <cr> with as many entries as you wish. The NodeID should be an address with a slash, as in 102/823 or 7500/2. If you do not have such a file, the caller can enter a keyword as the first line of the message in this form: Key: <space> Keyword <cr> If the caller enters a keyword in the message and you also have a keyword for the caller in the AreaUserKeys file, the AreaUserKeys keyword takes precedence. This allows you to override someone who may be creating a problem. The keyword scheme works like this. Let us say that your AreaKeys file looks like: HOTSEX <tab> X-Rated REPTILES <tab> Snakes POINTS <tab> ^ ... and this is your AreaUserKeys file: 102/113 <tab> X-RatedSnakes 102/114 <tab> Snakes^ 102/115 <tab> Gleep This is equivalent to, for instance, 102/113 entering on the first line of a message Key: X-RatedSnakes With this setup, AreaTrix will let 102/113 list or change all areas except for points. 102/114 can list or change all areas except for HOTSEX. 102/115 can list or change all areas except for HOTSEX, REPTILES or POINTS. If you go nuts with this, you can create a requirement for long keywords from callers, which is why I recommend that you keep them fairly short. You can also play around with keywords contained in other keywords (for instance: Mellow is the keyword for KITARO and MarshMellow is the keyword for NEWAGE; users with the keyword MarshMellow could alter and list either section, while those with just Mellow could only mess with KITARO) and other interesting combinations. Incidentally, AreaTrix is quite sophisticated in limiting access. If you have an AreaTrix.List file which AreaTrix shows with an -L request, AreaTrix will skip lines beginning with an area name for which the caller does not have a password. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ How AreaTrix Works AreaTrix scans the Generic Import file, looking for net private messages addressed to AreaFix, AreaTrix or your File Forward name. If it finds such a message, it appends it to a file called AreaTrix.req, located at the same level as AreaTrix, and marks it for deletion in the Generic Import file so it won’t be processed further. When it is finished with its scan, it tries to open the AreaTrix.req file. If it's empty, AreaTrix launches the next event. Otherwise... AreaTrix reads the AreaTrix file a message at a time, marking each message for deletion when it’s been read. It uses the address line (AreaFix or the File Forward name) to determine its behavior, checks the password and the flags and parses the body of the message. AreaTrix will expand PointGroups listings as necessary to accommodate requests. When a point requests a feed from an area which already has eight slots filled, AreaTrix creates a new area line. The maximum number of area lines it can handle is 255 -- multiply that by eight feeds per area to get the maximum capacity of AreaTrix: 2,040 feeds. If a request for a new area feed comes from a point, AreaTrix will feed the point from the PointGroups file if the requested area is processed as group mail. If the requested area is not processed as group mail, AreaTrix will try to handle the request from the Areas.BBS file. It will also use Areas.BBS if the request originates from a source not within the local point network. AreaTrix determines whether an area can be fed to points as group mail by checking to see whether you’ve assigned a message area to an address of nnn/0. If not, AreaTrix will try to handle any requests for that area from the Areas.bbs file. AreaTrix maintains an AreaTrix Workfile in the Tabby Folder. This tracks file forward requests and is used to delete files after they've been sent. AreaTrix answers messages directed to *either* AreaFix or AreaTrix. If a message uses the -L switch, AreaTrix will try to answer it as before from a text file called AreaTrix.List. If this file is not found, AreaTrix will try to use a file called AreaFix.List. If you’ve enabled the Messages to Sysop option, AreaTrix appends sysop messages to the Generic Import file. Messages to users are appended to the Generic Export file. When AreaTrix is finished processing the AreaTrix.req file, it sorts the Areas.bbs and PointGroups files by section numbers -- this makes the files easier to read, especially PointGroups, which can grow messy over time. Duplicated entries are eliminated and “0/x” point feeds in the Areas.bbs file are placed as the last entry. It saves the old files as backups and writes new versions of Areas.bbs and PointGroups. It then deletes the AreaTrix.Req file and launches the next event. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Miscellany Points running Copernicus 1.0d1 should use AreaFix only if the areas they receive have no PointGroup routing status (defined as an entry in the Areas.BBS file with a zero, a slash and the section number). Copernicus 1.0d1 is not compatible with Tabby 2.2 PointGroups, but AreaTrix handles point requests via PointGroups whenever possible. Copernicus 1.0 is fully compatible with PointGroups. AreaTrix determines whether or not a request comes from a point by reading the Point Net file in the Tabby folder. If AreaTrix spots the Point Net ID followed by a slash in the From field of a request, it assumes this is to be handled as a point request if possible. If you want to be a good, industrious sysop, create a text file called AreaTrix.List in your Tabby folder. In it, describe the Echo areas on your board. This is the information which will be sent when someone uses the -L option in AreaTrix. If you don’t have such a file, no list will be sent. If you change the areas.bbs or pointgroups files with a text editor instead of using Tabby Maint *** be careful ***. The format for an entry in these files is as follows (NNN is a section number): NNN <tab> AREANAME <tab> Feed1 <sp> Feed2 <sp> Feed3 <cr> If there are no feeds from an area, the line looks like this: NNN <tab> AREANAME <tab> <cr> If you forget that second tab, AreaTrix will ignore the line. Versions prior to 1.04 choked on lines which omitted the second tab, leading to corrupt areas.bbs and pointgroups files. Play safe -- use Tabby Maint to change these files. If you *must* use a text editor, check the changed file with Tabby Maint to make sure it’s in the proper format. (And to really play it safe, keep backups of your areas.bbs files and pointgroups files in a safe place in case AreaTrix or some other well-intentioned program which modifies these files goes berserk.) Here is a summary of AreaTrix-related text files, all of which live in the Tabby folder: AreaTrix.list <optional> defines echo sections, sent for -L switch AreaKeys <optional> keys for areas AreaPass <optional> passwords for nodes areas.bbs Tabby nodes file, maintained with backup AreaTrix Help <optional> help file for AreaTrix AreaTrix WorkFile maintained by AreaTrix AreaUserKeys <optional> keys for users Forward Log <optional> transcript of file forwarding activity PointGroups Tabby points file, maintained with backup ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Version History 1.0 3/29/90 First version released. 1.01 4/16/90 Fixed problem installing AreaTrix -- it froze when it couldn’t find the AreaTrix Workfile. 1.02 4/23/90 Added configuration option to not delete forwarded files. 1.03 4/29/90 Changed code so feed is deleted only if '-' is first character in line (previous versions deleted feed if '-' was anywhere in line, leading to problems with area names containing '-'). 1.04 5/10/90 Fixed bug which caused AreaTrix to trash areas.bbs and pointgroups files if sysop forgot to put a tab after an area name in the file (possible only with a text editor). AreaTrix now purges files of such bad lines. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The latest version of AreaTrix can be obtained in two ways: 1> Send me a blank disk and a self-addressed stamped envelope and I'll send you a copy of the newest AreaTrix. 2> File request "AreaTrix" from either 102/823 or 107/563 with a password of "NewNew". In addition to that password, you'll need to use the password "TrixKit" to unstuff the file. (Note -- the quotes on the passwords are not part of the passwords.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Pete Johnson PETERJ on GEnie Glassell Park BBS Post Office Box 65074 Los Angeles, CA 90065 May 10, 1990