asjoDLdesc
                                  1.3

              The DLG description downloader for the Amiga

                            By Adam Sjøgren
                          Copyright (C) 1994.
                          All Rights Reserved.



Short: asjoDLdesc 1.3 - Download descriptions along with the files. For
~~~~~  DLG.


Abstract:
~~~~~~~~
Since downloading the descriptions along with the files is very popular
and very handy, and since DLG development isn't real fast, I decided to
make a little program to make DLG's file module do it. Output is now in
MagicFile DLD, FILES.BBS, DLG or CNet format.


Notes: o asjoDLdesc is v37+ only.
~~~~~
       o New and changed parts of this document is marked with a '!' in
         the left margin.


Installation:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copy asjoDLdesc and asjoDLdesc.cfg to where ever you want it to be;
DLG:utils/ for instance. Make a menuscript like this:

 EXE DLG:Utils/asjoDLdesc %PORT %UNAME "Interstellar Navigation" DLG:Utils/asjoDLdesc.cfg
 BUILTIN File_Download

Save it where you want it; DLGConfig:MenuScripts/Download.ms for
instance. The string after the %PORT %UNAME is the name of your BBS -
remember the quotes if you have spaces in your BBS name. The last
argument is the name of the optional configuration file.

You can change the configuration file to suit your needs.

Then change your Download entry in the file-menu to:

 [ 1] Letter:                   D
 [ 2] Menu script: (path/name)  dlgconfig:menuscripts/download.ms
 [ 3] Edit file:
 [ 4] Description:              Download
 [ 5] Type:                     Menu script
 [ 6] Help File:                FILE_MAIN/D
 [ 7] Lower level:              1
 [ 8] Upper level:              255
 [ 9] Hidden:                   NO
 [10] Load type:                OVERLAY
 [11] Ask user if sure:         NO
 [12] Pend messages:            YES
 [13] Cli mode:                 NO
 [14] Pause on completion:      NO
 [15] Log value:                None
 [16] Activity string:          Downloading files...
 [17] Priority:                 DEFAULT
 [18] Edit help file

Or make an extra one, so the user can choose.

The description-files have extensions according to the format that the
users choose. Currently these are available:

  .DLD - The DLD format as used by Erno Tuomainens MagicFile.
  .BBS - Files.BBS, popular among PC's and CNet users.
  .DES - CNet standard format.
  .DLG - DLG look-a-like format.


To your logout batchfile (or a cron), you might want to add a line
similar to this one:

c:Delete >NIL: <NIL: t:????????.(DLD|BBS|DES|DLG)
 
If you don't want your temporary directory cluttered with
description-files (this is not a good idea for multi-line systems,
though - you might want to check if someone is logged in, and the clean
up instead). Perhaps ZoneMailHour would be a good time to do it :-)

If you install over a previous asjoDLdesc, you should note the change
in arguments (added %PORT and optional CFG). If you use CompileMenu
(by Wim Rumping), you should re-compile your filemenu to force DLG to
re-read the menuscript, if you don't use CompileMenu you have to
reboot. You can also change the menuscript from within DLG, that
should work too (even thought I don't know how to do that).


Inner (and arcane? :-) workings:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
asjoDLdesc read the USER:<username>/Batch.File and gets the descriptions
(if possible) from the .fd-files corresponding to the files listed in
the batch.file. A temporary file called <Unique-8-digit-number>.DLD
containing the descriptions is created in t: and then added to the
Batch.File.

I haven't added logic to prevent the user from having multiple
description-files in his Batch.File. They can be removed as other tagged
files can, so I don't think it is a problem.

[Rant mode ON]
The Batch.File needs to be sorted in alphabetic order, otherwise DLG
loops. I think it's silly (why would anyone want to sort by name? I
could understand if the smallest files were sent first, so you could
unpack them while the rest was downloading - similar logic would be that
you wanted to check out files starting with A in the filename before
those with B?! Weird). All the same, asjoDLdesc inserts the temporary
file "correct" (that is alphabetically).
[Rant mode OFF]


Bugs:
~~~~
If you discover any, or think of something that should be added, please
email me!

asjoDLdesc is _not_ crippled, it is fully functional.


So, what does it cost?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This program is "share-shareware". If you have written a shareware
program, and use this program, you have to send me a registered version
of your shareware program. 

That way we all get more (hopefully good) programs, and no checks need
be sent across the world (and no <capitalist> banks make a lot of money
on the cashing-fees >:-)).

If you haven't written any shareware, the fee for using this program is
to send me a postcard or just an email saying that you use it.


Author:
~~~~~~
This program was written and partially percieved (:-)) by:

  Adam Sjøgren
  Falkonergårdsvej 13
  DK-1959 Frederiksberg C
  Denmark
  
  email:    asjo@inav.ping.dk or asjo@diku.dk
  amiganet: 39:141/109


History:
~~~~~~~
 1.0 - First version released. 2160b.
 1.1 - Actually 1.0 was 39+ only, as it used utility.library/GetUniqueID() :-(.
       I consider that a bug in the documentation (.man) not in the program :-)
       Now FindTask() will be used for utility.library versions less
       than 39. (Morten Holm)
     - Added question whether the .DLD should be generated.
     - Added FILES.BBS, DLG and CNet formats.
     - Added one minute timeout, to catch NO CARRIER's.
     - Fixed a bug that would mean overwriting of .DLD files and display
       zero-size .DLD files in the .DLD file, under v37. (Maurizio Fabiani).
     - Fixed a really nasty bug that would crash the machine if the
       description ended in a \n (ohh, that just took about a weekend to
       find :-()). 4940b.
 1.2 - Optimized a little bit.
     - Now truly pure (even WShell wouldn't puke on it now!).
     - Handles command stacks (Erno Tuomainen).
     - Has configurable text-strings (Maurizio Fabiani).
     - Different descriptions filetypes (DLD, Files.BBS, CNet, DLG) now get
       different extensions (.DLD, .BBS, .DES, .DLG) so that asjoUpload
       can recognize them.
     - Added an extra error-message when the arguments are wrong (Erno
       again :-)).
     - Added TYPE_0-3, for even more text-configurability (Erno Tuomainen).
     - Now the description file gets a file-comment containing the
       downloaders name (Martin Andersen). [It's my birthday, and the sun is
       shining (of course!)]. 7324b.
     - 1.2 released (Sun Jul 10 21:24:30 1994) to a small audience.
 1.3 - Fixed bug in user-stack handling, when the stack had 2 chars only.
     - Fixed user-stack handling (it didn't work before, did it?)
     - Next version will probably use my newstarted project:
       dlgsupport.library [It 30 degrees, and I am melting!]
     - 1.3 released (Sun Jul 17 22:27:42 1994) 7384b. [It's only 25
       degrees by the computer at 10.30 PM!]


Legalese:
~~~~~~~~
I won't pay for any havock this program may wreck, but I can say that I
use it on my BBS, and I've tested it to some extent. I won't write all
that legal mumbo-jumbo other authors write, y'all know the drill.


Thanks to:
~~~~~~~~~
  * Maurizio Fabiani for telling me about fishes mouths, and for good
    suggestions.

  * Erno Tuomainen for calling from Finland to get asjoDLdesc (well, I
    crashed him before he could look through my filelist, but anyway :-)).

  * Lasse Østerild for asking if DLG had this feature. Well, now it has!

  * Morten Holm for discovering the "documentation" bug.

  * Thomas Beck for having a cool BBS, running CNet and asking how many
    formats my program could handle (it does more than yours now :-)).


List of registered users (both shareware and postcard/emailware payers):
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  * None yet.



  Enjoy! Thats what Amiga also is all about,

    /asjo (Sun Jul 17 22:28:34 1994)