BlitzList (C) Anthony Brice, June 1996 -------------------------------------- BlitzList is a fast file listing program which uses the file comments of the files in the directories configured with the config file specified, and is probably about as fast as a filelister can actually get. It also has options to use file_id.diz extraction routines for file descriptions. It's been designed to ideally run from a script calling it with different configuration files as that's how other listers work, and it's a lot quicker to develop and use working in this manner. There are several default config examples within the archive which are basically clones of what I use here to generate my file lists. Newfile lists can be configured within one config file which is handy if you don't generate multiple lists for different areas on your bbs. It will work for any BBS software, as the program uses either DOS file comments from the files (most bbs programs such as Zeus store comments in this field as well as internally for viewing with a directory lister such as Opus) or extract file_id.diz, or .readme text files from the archive if they exist. I hope to put in routines for getting comments from BBS programs internally at a later date for the more popular bbs software such as Zeus, DLG and Xenolink. BlitzList also generates filelists using the main fido (or equivalent) address of your bulletin board. You can just specify NOBBS or similar in the config file if you don't use any mail networks address but normally you would use something similar to :- SYSTEMADDRESS 2.250.194.0 within the config. This is used because amigaguide filelists generated by the program can generate .REQ files in the outbound drawer of the reader enabling easy file requesting from the bulletin board the filelist came from. If you are using Zeus BBS, then I strongly recommend you keep the paths as per the original archive as extraction of future updates can be done direct to the Zeus: assign without overwriting any other files. If you are running a different BBS program then you may put the files wherever appropriate, but pathing the binary is a good idea for script purposes. There are no tricky assigns, or additions to your user-startup required. There is an install script within this archive to do the work for you if you wish. Using BlitzList --------------- Zeus:Bin/BlitzList Calling BlitzList with no args will use BBS:Config/BlitzList/Blitzlist.cfg as a default configuration if it exists, or else prompt you that it can't find a config file. Specifying CONFIG will output key information from the config file so you can test that the configuration is okay before running it properly. There is a lot of information in this output deliberately to enable quick error checking, so be sure to have a large output window to read it properly if you need to use the feature, or redirect it to a file for reading with a text viewer using something like :- BlitzList >Ram:log blitzlist.cfg CONFIG Configuration ------------- Note: using a ; as the first character on a line is equivalent to a comment. Most of the config options are optional, so can be deleted if you have no use for the option. The obvious ones are output paths and directory lines, or there would be nothing for the program to do. I've left these all in the example config so you can see what can be used, and remove what you don't need. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ; Text Config ; Path to the output text filelist SAVETEXT BBS:Filelists/Files.txt ; Path to the archived list ARCHIVETEXT BBS:Filelists/Files.Lzx ; Delete the text file after archiving? ;DELETETEXT ; Ansi colour in the generated list. Looks nice :) ANSIFILES ; Path to Text header file TEXTHEADER BBS:Config/BlitzList/All.Header ; Path to Text footer file TEXTFOOTER BBS:Config/BlitzList/Default.footer ; This will put a blank line between each file in the list. BLANKTEXT ; Guide Config SAVEGUIDE BBS:Filelists/Files.guide ARCHIVEGUIDE BBS:Filelists/FilesGuide.lzx ;DELETEGUIDE GUIDEHEADER BBS:Config/BlitzList/All.Header GUIDEFOOTER BBS:Config/BlitzList/Default.footer BLANKGUIDE ; New Config NEWTEXTFILE BBS:FileLists/NewFiles.txt ARCNEWTEXT BBS:FileLists/NewFiles.lzx ;DELETENEW ;ANSINEWFILES NEWHEADER BBS:Config/BlitzList/New.Header NEWFOOTER BBS:Config/BlitzList/Default.footer NEWGUIDEFILE BBS:FileLists/NewFiles.guide ARCNEWGUIDE BBS:FileLists/NewGuide.lzx ;DELNEWGUIDE ; Number of days to scan for new files. NEWFILEDAYS 7 ; BlankLines in newfiles text list. BLANKNTEXT ; BlankLines in newfiles guide list. BLANKNGUIDE ; General Config Stuff ; Your archiver command. For lha use ( LHA a ) ARCHIVECOMMAND LZX -X0 a ; Enables File_ID.diz extraction for file comments if one exists. The program ; will auto-detect if the file is lha or lzx and extract accordingly. Note that ; BlitzList is significantly slower in this mode of operation, but it's worth ; the extra time if a lot of your files have File_Id.diz banners within them. FILEIDDIZ ; After lists are generated Command. ;AFTERLIST BBS:ZScripts/FileList.Spot NEWFILES ; Choose one of these for argument you wish to pass to the afterlist command. ; Note: You don't have to specify one if you don't need to. ;TEXTARGUMENT ;GUIDEARGUMENT ;NEWTEXTARGUMENT ;NEWGUIDEARGUMENT ;ARCTEXTARGUMENT ;ARCGUIDEARGUMENT ;ARCNEWTARGUMENT ;ARCNEWGARGUMENT ; Directory List ; These are the directories BlitzList should scan. You may have up to 25 if ; unregistered, and as many as you like if you've registered BlitzList. Directory Files:Programming-Oberon/ Directory Files:Virus-Killers/ Directory Files:Datatypes/ Directory Files:CU-Pd_Utils/ Directory Files:CU-Pd_Scene/ Directory Files:Film-Portraits/ Directory Files:Arexx-Scripts/ Directory Files:Music-Players/ Directory Files:BBS-Doors/ Directory Files:BBS-Games/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Registration ------------ In an unregistered state, BlitzList will work significantly slower than it is capable of doing when generating lists. Support for after archive commands, file_id extraction, .readme extraction and Ansi listings are not available. The program will also only let you use up to 25 directories listed within a config file. To Register BlitzList and get your own personal keyfile which will unlock the main program as well as personalise it and generated data files with your name, keyfile number etc, then the shareware price will be 5 uk pounds. Not a lot I'm sure you'd agree, and a bargain considering the time and effort I've put into creating this program. You also get my undying gratitude, and an open ear when it comes to new features, and suggestions for improving the program in future versions. Future updates to BlitzList will never require re-registration, unlike certain other shareware programs, so your one-of price will let you use the program for as long as you so wish. Support the Amiga and shareware, and keep me in beer please :-) Updates to BlitzList will include a cli executable to create a config file after prompting you with several questions, and file requestors, until I have finished adding any extra features that are suggested, after which I will create a gui for making them. When you purchase a keyfile from me, place it into your S: directory for BlitzList to find and use it. Usage of the archive functions currently require both Lzx and lha to be pathed from your user-startup script, or in your C: directory. You may of course path them within the archive config line with an option such as "ARCHIVECOMMAND Sys:Archivers/Lzx -X0 a" if you wish. Contact Addresses ----------------- My Bulletin Board is now closed as of 1st July 1996, so you may address any comments, bug reports, registration requests to me via the following methods. Email: anthony@backyard.demon.co.uk - IRC: #frostfree with the handle Xerra Fido: 2:250/194.0 - Demon Fears BBS 2:254/260.0 - The Machine BBS Barnet: 959:200/0.55 - I go by the alias of Xerra Anthony Brice 50a Herga Court, Harrow on the hill, Middlesex HA1 3RT This program is dedicated to the memory of The BackYard BBS, and James Black. About the Author ---------------- Yes, that's me. The humble genius behind this peice of work, and general loud mouth on the comms scene. I'm a former sysop who learnt to program many years back, and let it take a back shelf behind this new communications lark, and tried to run before I could walk, starting up the bbs which drained all my time and practically killed my coding urge stone-dead. I'm back now, with the BBS practically dead and burried, and this program is a kind of leaving present for the sysop community as I move on to newer things, and back behind the relative safety of a compiler again. 28 years old, and with the bald patch growing, I'm a catering manager by trade, and a PlayStation developer in ambition. An Amiga owner for nearly 10 years now, I've no plans to move on to some kind of M$crosoft machine, and have a permanently empty wallet, as I'm the original Amiga advocate and I have a passion for the machine you probably would never understand. I'm also the weird freelancer-type-bloke for CU-Amiga magazine I don't earn enough money, but everyone else thinks I do, and I'm a PlayStation junkie, who paradoxically takes great pleasure (read pain) to spend six hours at a time in front of a keyboard, trying to work out why this 20 deep loop of If,End If branches, won't parse correctly. A Net-Head at heart as well these days, as the three-digits-to-the-left-of the-decimal-point phone bills will confirm, I'm often to be found on IRC masquerading as a misfit called Xerra, and wearing a flame proof jacket while checking email for anthony@backyard.demon.co.uk. Often leeching all of aminet, just for the sake of it, you can find me on IRC being a prat usually in the awesome #frostfree channel with the other misfits of society. Thanks Guys ----------- Without the following people, BlitzList probably wouldn't exist, so in no particular order, thanks to :- Damian McEnna - who's name I've probably spelt wrong yet again You can thank this guy for BlitzList finally arriving as I stopped working on it for months after shutting down BackYard BBS and not needing the tool. A dodgy library didn't help either :) Damian's come up with more suggestions for this program than I have! Mike Handley - faithfull beta tester, even if he does have ginger hair :) Dave Naylor - for being Dave Naylor. Sam Morgan - for very early testing, and a great bbs. Alex May & Nick Loman - for Zeus Bulletin board. Mat Bettinson - for the PlayStation sessions :) Paul Juhasz - for getting me into Blitz in the first place, and being a structured programmer of the highest order, as well as my best critic, who I have learned so much from. Leslie Olding - quite possibly the nicest guy in comms, and a major source of inspiration. Paul Lathwell - a fellow blitzer, with much needed encouragment. Michael Lysons - who taught me that coding the way I used to always led to problems. He was right. And to my good buddies in #frostfree :- Kiequoo,ASW,Psycloud,Termie,Farside,Chelt,Rauper,Fingers,Vaugi,Strepsil, JonnyMac,Knocker and everyone else I've forgotten. I hate you all, you slags. I'm never coming back, ever. Well, until tommorow night anyway :) Development Notes ----------------- BlitzList was developed on a humble A1200 with 10 megs of ram, using BlitzBasic and tested with my bulletin board, The BackYard. Over 40k of pure source code, excluding comments, and 2 months work, on and off, have gone into it, and the amount of testing you would not believe :-) Essential programs that have helped me create this program, are CED, Dopus, Multiview, Zeus Bulletin Board, PowerSnap, Master Control Program, Term, Blitz 2 and the bodgy Ted editor, Cyclone and ye-olde faithfull arexx.