IMPORT.TXT
                              Short Text File
                        Written by Michael MacDonald
                                 01/01/91

IMPORT is a compiled Clipper PRG program. It is 'freeware'. No fee is expected
or will be accepted. It's purpose is to import a list of files into RoboComm's
UPLOADS.DBF (the database that keeps track of downloaded files on the BBS's
you call). It works exactly the same as the Import function in the NEWFILES
database. However it should be run from the DOS prompt and not from within
RoboComm. When you type 'import' from the DOS command line, the program will
prompt you first for a filename, and then for a BBS ID. At the filename prompt
type the complete path and filename of the text file you want to IMPORT. At
the BBS ID prompt, type the name you want displayed under the 'Downloaded
From' field. IMPORT will put the system date in the date field, and the
filename, length, BBS date, and description will be supplied by the text file.
All files will be marked as offline, so you can have Robo move them to your
uploads directory, if you wish. It is presumed that if the files were online,
you'd probably already have them listed in the database.

The text file that IMPORT reads from must be in standard PCBoard format. Here
is an example of that:

PCB145UM.ZIP    26354  12-01-90  User manual for PCBoard 14.5. This is a great
                                 help to those users new to PCBoard.
                                 Uploaded by: Jim Rooney

ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ  ÀÄÄÄÄÄÙ  ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ  ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
   1-12        15-21     24-31                   34-78
 filename      length   filedate            file description

Notice that there are two spaces between each field, the length has room for
seven digits and is right justified, and the description can be on more than
one line. IMPORT has no limit to the number of lines of description it will
read, but RoboComm version 2.x will only display five. Future versions will
probably display more than that, and IMPORT should work fine with them. I
realize that some BBS's have their file lists in non-PCBoard standard formats.
For those lists, you'll have to reformat them, just as you would to 'Import'
them into the NEWFILES database. Some lists also have the pipe '|' character
marking the beginning of each line of the 'extended' description. IMPORT will
handle those fine, there is no need to remove them.

IMPORT.EXE can reside anywhere, but you AND the file IMPORT.DBF must be in the
directory where you keep your RoboComm files when you invoke it. IMPORT.DBF is
a 258 byte empty database. It contains just the structure when you first
invoke IMPORT and when you're done. IMPORT uses it as a temporary place to put
the data, and removes it as soon as it is put in UPLOADS.DBF. It primary
purpose is to 'eat' up the spaces between the fields, and more importantly, to
determine if a file has more than one line of description. IMPORT won't work
without it, so don't lose it. The source code has been included for any
Clipper users that wish to play with it.

                      Michael MacDonald - Seattle, 1991