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Overview:
ZZWoof version 1.0 is a supplemental mailer utility for version 1.5.3 of the MacWoof point program. It provides several advantages over the existing mailer code. Specifically, ZZWoof features ZedZap mail session capability, the ability to unZip as well as unARC mail bundles. While it still requires the presence of the Communications Toolbox, it no longer requires the Serial Tool and directly supports additional serial ports and drivers beyond the standard modem and serial ports. This means that if you have, for example, a QuadLink board from Applied Engineering or a Hurdler board from Creative Solutions, MacWoof can directly access ports on those cards.
Setting up ZZWoof
First, copy ZZWoof into the same folder that your MacWoof program is in. Then double click on it to launch it.
Note: For ZZWoof to run, it must be in the same folder as your MacWoof program and the name of the MacWoof program must be MacWoof!
When you first run ZZWoof, you will be asked to fill in information in a series of dialogs. This is the same as in MacWoof. The first of these is shown below:
This first dialog is the Node Information dialog which is used to specify the addressing information about your point. The origin and name fields are used to identify you in the Fidonet log on your boss system along with your address info.
Field Information needed
Your Name: Your “real” name. FidoNet generally doesn’t allow aliases
to be used.
Origin: FidoNet expects an " * Origin: " line on all Echomail. This
usually is in some way "descriptive" of the system that
the message originates from. For example, I use "ZZWoof
Test Site". The important thing is to keep it short enough
so that the whole line with the " * Origin: "and the text
and the system address is < 79 characters. The program
will "trim" the Origin text as necessary to meet this
limit when it generates the full "origin" line.
Network Address: The full FidoNet address for your BBS except for the
domain
PointNet: If your boss uses a “pointnet” or “fakenet” enter it here
otherwise set it to 0.
Domain: If your boss requests you to use a domain name, enter it
here otherwise leave it blank.
Session Password: If your boss requires the use of a session password enter
it here otherwise leave it blank.
Next, you will be asked to provide the information for you Boss node using this dialog:
The following chart details the information required for each field:
Field Information needed
Phone Number: The phone number of your boss node. If you need to use
pulse dialing instead of Touch-Tone™, add ATDP to the
beginning of the phone number.
Session Password: If your boss requires the use of a session password enter
it here otherwise leave it blank.
Modem Initialization: Modems have features that can be configured prior
to making a call. ZZWoof prefers that the modem not
echo back characters sent to it in command mode and
that the modem return extended command results. The
initialization string above, ATE0X4, is used with “Hayes”
command set modems to do this. If your modem uses
some other set of commands to set these options,
replace this string with one appropriate for your modem.
Lock Baud Rate: High speed modems, particularly with compression and
error correcting protocols built in, often work better if
the speed between them and the computer is faster than
the speed of the connection. To have ZZWoof operate at
this higher speed instead of the speed reported when the
connection is made, check this checkbox. You should also,
normally, check the “Use Hardware Handshake” checkbox
as well.
Use Hardware
Handshake: This enables hardware flow control between your Mac-
intosh and your modem. For this to work properly, make
sure you have a hardware handshaking cable and have
your modem configured to use it as well.
Retry:
No. of Times: If ZZWoof fails to make a connection, it will attempt to
make the connection again for the number of times spec-
ified in this field.
Interval: This field sets how long ZZWoof will pause between
connection attempts.
Serial Port: This pop-up menu let’s you select which serial port for
ZZWoof to use when connecting to your modem.
Baud Rate: The maximum baud rate for the connection attempt is
set using this pop-up menu. Note that unless the “Lock
Baud Rate” checkbox is set, ZZWoof will adjust the
speed of the serial port to the speed reported back by
the modem when the connection is made which may be
lower than the speed specified here.
The next setup dialog, shown below, is used to set up certain processing options:
The first set of buttons is used to select which type of compression the Boss system is using to “bundle” mail packets. Choose the one that your Boss system operator has specified. If he hasn’t specified one, select ARC as that is the “default” standard in FidoNet.
The first of the remaining check boxes, when selected, tells ZZTop to automatically do a mail session when it is launched. ZZWoof will then, the next time it is launched, go directly into mail mode and will attempt to call your boss node. Once the session concludes, successfully or otherwise, ZZWoof will quit.
If you have selected this mode of operation, you can override this automatic action by starting ZZWoof and pressing Command-Period when the Session Dialog window appears. ZZWoof will then return to normal operation, but, unless you change this check box setting, will again run automatically when you next start it up.
The next two check boxes control what information, if any, you want logged during a mail session. The first check box controls whether you want to have information the communications portion of the mail session written to a file. The second box controls whether you want a record of the messages imported written to a file. In both cases, the log files only pertain to the last session performed.
The final dialog, shown on the next page, asks you to specify the folder that you keep your MacWoof message file in for this point. This, incidentally, allows you to set up multiple copies of ZZWoof to call more than one boss if you have them. Simply setup a separate message file in its own folder for each boss and then, in the folder with your MacWoof program, create separate copies of ZZWoof for each boss and configure each one appropriately.
This is what the “Select Message Folder” dialog looks like:
ZZWoof Operation
Version 1.0 of ZZWoof requires a few manual steps to get messages transferred and processed:
Step 1:
When you are ready to do a boss session, launch MacWoof and select “Export Msgs” from the File menu. Once this is completed, quit MacWoof and launch ZZWoof
Step 2:
If you haven’t launched ZZWoof before, you will be asked to fill in a series of dialogs with your point and boss information as described in the section on setting up.
Once you have set up the information, or if you have previously done so, select “Connect to Boss” from the file menu.
Step 3:
ZZWoof will now attempt to connect to the "boss" node. If the line is busy or there is no answer, ZZWoof will retry the connection. Once ZZWoof connects to the boss it will conduct a FidoNet mail session.
Step 3:
After the mail session is complete, if there is any incoming FidoNet traffic for your system, ZZWoof will decompress the messages into .PKT files into the folder containing your MacWoof message file.
Step 4:
Now quit ZZWoof and launch MacWoof and open your message file. Select “Import Msgs” from the File menu. MacWoof will now process the .PKT files and import the messages into the appropriate areas.
ZZWoof Menus
Apple Menu
About ZZWoof… Displays the version and other information about ZZWoof
File Menu
(See the section on Setting up ZZWoof for details on most of these.)
Connect to Boss… Attempts to connect to your Boss system.
Boss Node… Information required to connect to your Boss Node.
Point Info… Addressing, and other information about your point.
Preferences… Sets up mail file formats and compression options.
Msgs Folder… Sets up where the message file for this point kept.
Utilities… Accesses the Utilities submenu
Quit Exits ZZWoof
Utilities Menu
UnArc File… This will let you uncompress an ARC format file archive. Note
that this does no file format conversion on any of the contained
files. Use a file utility like DiskTop to change the type and
creator of the file if you use this for other than unARCing packet
files.
UnZip File… This will let you uncompress a ZIP format file archive. Note
that this does no file format conversion on any of the contained
files. Use a file utility like DiskTop to change the type and cre
ator of the file if you use this for other than unZipping packet
files.
Edit Menu This is the “standard” Apple edit menu
Questions/Bug Reports:
ZZWoof like MacWoof is supported in the MacWoof echo which is available on the Fidonet zone 1 backbone and should be available from your Boss node if he is part of Fidonet.
If you have any questions and don’t have access to the MacWoof echo, give my board a call at (703) 241-5492. You can also send me bug reports via E-Mail to:
