=========================================================================== EXAMPLE FILE for SWAP PROGRAM 12 October 92 =========================================================================== This file contains examples of tricks & traps while planning your configuration file and lists. CONFIGURATION FILE ================== The .CFG file may have comments: ie. C:\WC3O\ROTATE\HELLO\ this is a legal comment for line 1. this is a legal comment in place of line 2. Note the leading space! this is NOT a legal comment for line 3. Note the LACK of a leading space! C:\WC3O\ROTATE\GOODBYE\ 4 this is a legal comment C:\WC3O\ROTATE\HOLIDAY\5 this is NOT a legal comment This is legal for line 7. Note a blank line is legal for line 6. C:\WC3O\ROTATE\HOLIDAY\ 8 -INPUT Path: VARIABLE HOLIDAY SCR files etc. Lines 9 to 20 skipped for brevity. COPYIT.BAT 21-BATch file you must execute. Line 21 is the ONLY line which is REQUIRED (although if the remainder are not used, why run the program?). It MUST be a legal dos BATch filename! Very little error checking here. If the program DOES find an error in the batch filename, it will HALT with an error. The program does NOT check for proper PATHS and FILENAMES. It will HALT if a bad filename is specified for COPYIT.BAT or if the first 8 lines do NOT contain "\" -- as will the example line 5 above. HOLIDAY LISTS ============= below: The Variable Holiday list may have comments. ie. 09293,TEST1.BBS,TEST1.SCR This is a comment. above: The file(s) TEST1.BBS and TEST1.SCR will copied to the files specified in the .CFG file on 29 September "IF" it is a Tuesday (day 3). 09292,TEST1.BBS, This is a comment. above: The file TEST1.BBS will be copied to files specified in the .CFG file on 29 September "IF" it is a Monday (day 2). The .SCR file will be skipped. =========================================================================== 1/6 =========================================================================== =========================================================================== EXAMPLE FILE for SWAP PROGRAM 12 October 92 =========================================================================== 12017,,TEST1.SCR This is a comment. above: The file TEST1.SCR will be copied to files specified in the .CFG file on 1 December "IF" it is a Saturday (day 7). The .BBS file will be skipped. below: The following examples will produce errors: 017,TEST1.BBS,TEST1.SCR This will be ignored 12017TEST1.BBS,TEST1.SCR Program will HALT with an error 12017,TEST1.SCR,TEST1.BBS NON-ANSI callers will get it anyway. 12017,, Nothing will be copied. No error. HOLY COW Nothing will be copied. No error. Most of what was covered in the Variable Holiday list applies to the Fixed Holiday list. The fixed holiday list has only FOUR numbers, representing MMDD, ie.: 0101,1993.BBS,1993.SCR 'For New Years DAY only This means that 1993.BBS and 1993.SCR will be copied to files specified in the .CFG file on 1 January. HELLO AND GOODBYE LISTS ======================= The HELLO and GOODBYE lists are functionally identical. HELLO screens generally get rotated to screen(s) which the user reads when he/she logs into the BBS. GOODBYE screens are shown when the user logs off. Both may have comments as shown below. GIRLFACE.BBS, 'Adult Conf advert in WC3 format Only the BBS (ASCII) file will be rotated. This line will be purged. ,WCLOGO.SCR 'WC Logo (old) Only the SCR (ANSI) file will be rotated. This line will be purged. ,, No files. No error. Line will be purged. , No error. Legal comment not purged. This line will be purged. WELCMBNR.BBS,WELCMBNR.SCR 'And this is o.k. WELCOME.SCR,WELCOME.BBS 'Your non-ANSI callers will not be happy. =========================================================================== 2/6 =========================================================================== =========================================================================== EXAMPLE FILE for SWAP PROGRAM 12 October 92 =========================================================================== Purging: HELLO and GOODBYE lists only. ======= If you have any EXTRA lines or lines in the HELLO or GOODBYE list which the program does NOT recognize, that line will be removed from your list (purged) as detailed above. A line starting with ONE COMMA and a COMMENT is NOT purged. Lines such as this will NOT produce a screen for that day. Call them "dummy" entries for lack of a better word. ie: , this is o.k. , this will be purged This could prove handy if you want a particular screen to remain in place for two or more days. Example from a HELLO list: ONE.BBS,ONE.SCR My Favourite screens!!! , Hold it for one more day. THREE.BBS,THREE.SCR normal screens (whatever) Bearing in mind the TOP file in the list is the NEXT file to be rotated, given the above example, the files ONE.xxx will be rotated the next time SWAP was run and your HELLO LIST would reflect the following: , Hold it for one more day. (nothing changes) THREE.BBS,THREE.SCR normal screens (whatever) ONE.BBS,ONE.SCR My Favourite screens!!! The next day, when SWAP is again run, your favourite files (ONE.xxx) will NOT be replaced as there is a "dummy". Your LIST will then reflect that shown below. Note that THREE.xxx WILL be swapped the following night. THREE.BBS,THREE.SCR normal screens (whatever) ONE.BBS,ONE.SCR My Favourite screens!!! , Hold it for one more day. You could put two or more "dummy" entries in your HELLO or GOODBYE lists to hold a special file for any two or more days... one for each dummy entry. =========================================================================== 3/6 =========================================================================== =========================================================================== EXAMPLE FILE for SWAP PROGRAM 12 October 92 =========================================================================== QUESTIONS and ANSWERS ===================== Q. Can I combine HELLO and GOODBYE lists? A: Yes. Just specify the same .LST file in the .CFG file. However, you would not have much control over which file went where, when. (get that?) Q. Can I combine FIXED HOLIDAY and VARIABLE DATE holiday lists? A: NO!. The algorithm for the fixed holiday is such that it looks at the first four numbers and then gets the filenames separated by commas. You can imagine what your users would say if a screen were produced for a non-holiday. Q. Can I combine a HELLO or GOODBYE list with a FIXED HOLIDAY or VARIABLE DATE HOLIDAY list? A: NO!. Again, the algorithms for each section is slightly different. I apply the KISS technique [Keep It Simple Stupid!]. Q. Using an environment specified log, can I log to, say, an ACTIVITY.002 log while someone is online on that node? A: It should be o.k. File locking is used, but I am not sure what WC would do if it tried to write to the log at the EXACT same time as SWAP is logging to it. SWAP is meant to be run during an event. If node 1 is running the event, then you should log to ACTIVITY.001 to avoid potential problems. Same goes for postcall. If you use SWAP in a POSTCALL.BAT, you should log to the activity log for that node, or don't log after POSTCALL at all. An alternative is to log to your LOCAL node log. That is what I do and it works well. Or log to ANY file for that matter. For example, you might log to a file in file area which only you can access. Then, all you have to do is read the file while online. Use your imagination (and your head). =========================================================================== 4/6 =========================================================================== =========================================================================== EXAMPLE FILE for SWAP PROGRAM 12 October 92 =========================================================================== Q. How can I swap several HELLO screens. For example, I want a HELLO1, HELLO2, HELLO3, HELLO4 and HELLO5. A. I personally would not recommend so many screens. It bores the users when they have to wade through all that material to get to the BBS. However, since you asked.... 1. Create a SWAP.CFG for HELLO1 and GOODBYE.BBS and your holidays (as per normal). 2. Create a 2nd .CFG (ie. SWAP2.CFG for HELLO2 and HELLO3), with the HELLO3 replacing GOODBYE input/output paths and filenames and the GOODBYE list cited as the HELLO list. Don't use holidays. 3. Create a 3rd .CFG (ie. SWAP3.CFG for HELLO4 and HELLO5), with the HELLO5 replacing the GOODBYE input/output paths and filenames and the GOODBYE list cited as the HELLO list. Don't use holidays. Your EVENT batch file should show something similar to: @ECHO OFF REM DO SOME WORK AND THEN DO THE SWAP PROGRAM SET SWAPLOG=YOURFILE.TXT 'set an environment variable for logging. SWAP 'run the normal swap CALL COPYIT.BAT 'switch the files SWAP SWAP2.CFG 'produce BAT for only HELLO2/3 CALL COPYIT.BAT 'switch the files SWAP SWAP3.CFG 'produce BAT for only HELLO4/5 CALL COPYIT.BAT 'switch the files SET SWAPLOG= 'get rid of environment string REM DO A MORE WORK NODE1 'run Wildcat (node whatever) Let your imagination run wild! Q. I have set an environment log but it doesn't seem to work. What could be wrong? A: Chances are that when the BBS shells out to run SWAP, the computer is out of environment space. If you can't "temporarily" remove something BEFORE "setting" SWAPLOG=, then use the log in the config file. You may also specify a log in your configuration file (line 22). If so, make sure you are not setting it in the environment otherwise the environment log is still functional, and the one specified in the config file is redundant. =========================================================================== 5/6 =========================================================================== =========================================================================== EXAMPLE FILE for SWAP PROGRAM 12 October 92 =========================================================================== Q. Can a PATH to the list files be used? I mean, can I have my GOODBYE list in one directory and the HELLO list in another? A. Yes. IMHO, this complicates things, but if you want to do it go right ahead. For all that matters, you may put paths to all of your LISTS, BATch file and LOGFILE, ie.: C:\WC30\ROTATE\HELLO1.LST 17-Listing of HELLO screens. B:\GOODBYE.LST 18-Listing of GOODBYE screens. C:\WC30\HOLIDAYF.LST 19-Listing of FIXED HOLIDAY screens. Z:\HOLIDAYV.LST 20-Listing of VARIABLE HOLIDAY screens. D:\THISDIR\COPYIT.BAT 21-BATch file you must execute. C:\ARC\ACTIVITY.003 22-LOG file for TERSE logging. Q. Can I send you some money for using this program? A: Yes! Check the SWAP.DOC file for details. =========================================================================== 6/6 ===========================================================================