**************************************************************************** CNet Tool Kit, v2.0 by PMK & DOTORAN - For CNet v3.05c & Beyond! A Collection of Useful ARexx & MCI SubRoutines & Procedures! Please use ANY of these in your OWN ARexx/Text Creations! $VER: CNet Tool Kit, v2.0 (16-Dec-94) by Dotoran & PMK! **************************************************************************** GENERAL INTRODUCTION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These routines have all been tested thoroughly under CNet Amiga, v3.05c! As the majority of the user's should already be using a version of CNet in the v3.x series, we will no longer be supporting v2.63. UPGRADE or REGISTER! Full descriptions of the Usage and Returned Values are given for each routine, which will hopefully make you 100% aware as to EXACTLY how to use each routine. Some of the routines state they need to use the "rexxsupport.library" for their operations. I've found that all you really need to do to insure that this library is in place is to include this line somewhere near the beginning of your program: a="rexxsupport.library";if ~show("l",a) then if ~addlib(a,0,-30) then exit The above command line will check to make sure the needed library EXISTS, and will add it to the list of available libraries. If the library does NOT exist in your LIBS: directory(or within your valid PATH assignment), then your program will terminate. I have found it especially useful to create an "Empty" ARexx file, which is similar to the "empty.c" framework file that the C programmers can use. It simply includes some of the things you'll find yourself typing over and over again every time you start a new ARexx project. Below is a copy of the "NewPFile" file that I use. (I have it assigned to a dock button, so a NEW pfile is only a click away at any given time!): --- Program Starts Here --- /**************************************************************************\ $VER: \**************************************************************************/ options results ; signal on SYNTAX ; signal on ERROR ; signal on IOERR tr=transmit ; se=sendstring ; gc=getchar ; gu=getuser ; gs=getscratch a="rexxsupport.library";if ~show("l",a) then if ~addlib(a,0,-30) then exit /* Insert Your ARexx Code Here! */ exit SYNTAX:;ERROR:;IOERR: e1=' Error: 'rc' ('errortext(rc)')';e2=' Line: 'left(sigl,4)'File:' gu 1311992;a=result;gu 1311960;b=result;c='"'a||b'"';e2=e2' 'c;tr e1 tr e2;logentry e1;logentry e2;e=sourceline(sigl);do while e~='' e3='Source: 'left(e,37);tr e3;logentry e3;e=substr(e,38);end;bufferflush /** Last Edited: DD-MMM-YY ************************************************\ \****************************************** BBS NAME (AAA)/PPP-SSSS *******/ --- Program Ends Here --- All the routines included in this file were written so that they could simply be copied(or pasted) into the above "empty" ARexx program. They will then work exactly as stated in the documentation. I'd like to point out the fifth line in the above program: tr=transmit ; se=sendstring ; gc=getchar ; gu=getuser ; gs=getscratch This has been a HUGE time saver for some of the larger programs I've written. By assigning some of the more commonly used ARexx commands to short variables, I can then USE that variable as the actual command. See how I'm using "gu" on the second line, and "tr" on the 2nd & 3rd lines of the SYNTAX: routine in the Empty file above? These are the shortcut commands I came up with for the GETUSER and TRANSMIT commands. When a project is finished, you should delete any of the abbreviations you may NOT have used in THAT program to save a couple more bytes! (Use the FIND function of your text editor to see which commands WEREN'T used in your programs!) It should be noted, however, that none of the actual routines included in the ToolKit use these "abbreviations", just in case YOUR program uses some different abbreviations or none at all. You'll also find the file "NewPFile" within this archive as well. This is the empty starter file shown above, but within a file of it's own to save you that much more time! I've also included an ARexx version of the RUN command, which you can use to test out your ARexx creations, without having to manually add(or adopt) them into the system. THANK YOUS & OTHER ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I'd like to take this space to thank a few people for their efforts on making the newest version of the ToolKit possible: PMK, alias Peter M. Klein. Once again, it would have been near impossible for me to complete this project if it weren't for the help of Pete. In fact, most of the routines in BOTH ToolKits are written by Peter himself. He has truly been a helpful guide and an inspiration to me in the 2 years that I've known him. I wish the span of space between us(me in New York, USA and he in Copenhagen, Denmark) was not so great, as I would sure like to shake this man's hand! ALL CONTRIBUTORS to the ToolKits: Aunt Bea, Thomas, Bill Beogelein, Lord of Flies, and mUB. Some of the BEST new additions to the ToolKits were made by these individuals! Thanks for sharing guys! BILL BEOGELEIN, alias Bill Allen. Although I came no where NEAR tapping the reserves this man had concerning CNet, I did use some of his routines I thought REALLY made a difference. I'd like to plug one of his packages in this file. If you can, please try and get ahold of a file titled "CNet_Mods". You can find this on Frontiers, Future World, or FREQ it from Bill's BBS using the magic name CNET_MODS. Included are MANY, MANY examples of how you can modify your BBSTEXT and BBSMENU files. He even includes a few ARexx Scripts you might find useful as additions to YOUR bbs. Call Bill's place: Amiga SWHQ at 1/(810)/473-2020. AUNT BEA, alias Henry "Hank" Priebe. Here's another guy I was able to tap into for some great ideas. I wish we could pull him back to Earth long enough for him to release some of his larger works, as he really DOES have some good stuff out there that's WORTH sharing! HINT! HINT! mUB & THOMAS, two of PMK's connections. Each of these contributers wrote mods that I use constantly(The Mail Header and the Joystick Routine). I'm sure PMK would also like to Thank these two guys as well! Keep up the good work guys! LORD OF FLIES, who was the original author of the 2-column layout for use in the G/P/News areas. I believe it was this routine we were asked about the MOST! Either by people asking me out of the blue if it were possible(if they happened to see me on Future World) or if they saw the mod in use on MY board, then it was more like, "Hey Dotoran! Way Cool! How'd you get the 2 columns in your PFILES?!?" Again, thanks LF for a GREAT mod! ANYONE ELSE I MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN. I'm sure there may have been one or two people I may have forgotten, or a few that Peter might have wanted to Thank, but was unable to as this portion was written right before the release date, so let me take this last second to thank ANYONE ELSE that may have had an impact on the completion of this project. PLEASE LET ME KNOW I FORGOT YOU, so you can be OFFICIALLY ACKNOWLEDGED in the next version we release! WHAT ELSE DO WE NEED? / WHAT CAN YOU DO? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you have a routine that you have found to be quite useful in many of the files that you've written, then please send us a copy. We'll look at it, optimize it(if possible), and include it in the next version of the ToolKit! Of course, we'll give YOU credit for coming up with the idea too! Alright, enough talk! It's the ROUTINES you're interested in if you're reading this file right now, so I won't hold you up any longer! Hehe - Dotoran (Dave) & PMK (Pete) ****************************************************************************