Category : BBS Programs+Doors
Archive   : AUTODESC.ZIP
Filename : AUTODESC.DOC

AUTODESC (c) 1991-92 Karl Schneider
S & H Engineering
8505 Woodwick Ct.
For Wildcat! 3.0x+ ONLY! Tampa, FL 33615
813-884-9661 voice day/eve
bbs midnite-0600 EST

REVISION HISTORY

**********************************************************************
2-15-92: OOPS fix from 2-9 version. I forgot to update the
AUTODESC.EXE file in the .zip archive! Sorry!!
**********************************************************************
2-9-92 UPDATE: NOW SUPPORTS .ARJ AND .LZH ARCHIVES TOO!
**********************************************************************
12-07-91. BUG FIX. Previous version could hang up on some uploads
if WC put the record in a 'deleted' record's location in ALLFILES.DAT.
Please replace any earlier versions with the one dated today, 12-7-91!
***********************************************************************

11/30/91. This date's version now searches the ALLFILES.DAT from
the end rather than the beginning which will usually speed up its
operation greatly. Note, however, that if files have recently been
DELETED by Wildcat (or a PRO utility) the new upload may be put in
the 'hole' left by the deletion which could be near the BEGINNING
of the database...in that case, AUTODESC will be slow on very large
ALLFILES.DATs. I'm still looking for a compatible BTree toolbox for
C that will permit better performance on this and some other WC util-
ities. You may want to run WCREPAIR on your Files to get rid of
any unused records occasionally, this will speed up AUTODESC con-
siderably.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
11/24/91. MAJOR CHANGE! Added code to make Desqview Aware, CHANGED
DESCRIPTION FILE NAME. WC3DESC is NOT now supported! AUTODESC now
looks for either DESC.SDI or FILE_ID.DIZ for its description! This
has been requested by several people. Please erase any versions
of AUTODESC or PUTDESC dated before 11/24/91.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
11/15/91 update: Added PUTDESC.EXE and PUTDESC.DOC to this archive.
You may wish to create a separate .ZIP with these 2 files in it for
your users to download. See PUTDESC.DOC file for details.
=====================================================================
=====================================================================

About The Program

AUTODESC is a utility program I wrote to hopefully simplify adding
file descriptions when uploading to Wildcat 3.0 systems. It
works in your SCANFILE.BAT along with other utilities you may have
which verify ZIP files like ZIPLAB (c), CATSCAN (c), etc.

What AUTODESC does is check uploaded .ZIP files for the existence
of DESC.SDI or FILE_ID.DIZ. If EITHER has been included in the .ZIP
upload, it reads it and inserts its contents into the Wildcat 3.0
File Database DESCRIPTION.

You can tell your users that they can add one of these to any .ZIP, .ARJ
or .LZH file they wish to upload, then when asked by Wildcat for its
description, just press Enter (or type anything else...AUTODESC will
over-write it anyway). I believe this may appeal to some
users, avoiding having to type descriptions online after uploading.

Uploads other than those with any of these 3 extensions are ignored.

To use AUTODESC:

1. You must have PKUNZIP.EXE on your system so that it can be run
from your WC Home directory...(in your PATH or WC dir)
If you allow .ARJ and/or .LZH uploads, you must ALSO have ARJ.EXE
and LHARC.EXE pathed. If you have a later LHA program called
LHA.EXE, you must either re-name it or COPY it to LHARC.EXE.

2. Put AUTODESC.EXE anywhere in your PATH.

3. Create or add to your SCANFILE.BAT (in your Wildcat Home directory)
the following command:

autodesc %1

That's all there is to it! Please note that if you are doing OTHER

things in SCANFILE that require you to change directory, like maybe
to the wcwork\node%NODEID% , you will need to CD back to the WCat
HOME dir before calling AUTODESC.

Remember to tell your users that ONLY 60 characters are allowed for
the description! If they make it longer, or more than one
line, AUTODESC will just chop it off at the 60th char! If they
use PUTDESC, it will be taken care of automatically.

Note that AUTODESC will also work with LOCAL uploads; so that is a
way you can add descriptions to your WC files without having to
type them in while you're logged in locally...

Try to let your users know that AUTODESC is installed...maybe a
bulletin, a short note in your PREUP.BBS display file, or both...

AUTODESC is successfully operating on many Wildcat 3.x+ systems and I
have not had any reports of problems, but as with any software, wide
variations in system configurations can sometimes cause unexpected or
unforseeable results. For this reason, I make no warranties with
respect to this program as to its usability, safety to data, or any
results deriving from its use, and accept no responsibility for any
loss or damages directly or indirectly caused by using it.

If the program is useful to you, a modest registration is in order. If
you contribute $30 or more, you will be entitled to support on ALL
my WC3 utilities. Any bug reports, comments or suggestion are
solicited and welcome! Thanks.
-eof-