FileList v1.0

Copyright (C) 1989 by Brian McDaniel
Documentation by Eric Golden









FileList is a WWIV utility which creates a master listing of your
directories. This listing may then be archived and put up for downloads.
This is very handy and your users will appreciate the convenience of
downloading a master listing. FileList has the ability to count files, use
extended descriptions, create different lists of different directories, and
more. FileList is very configurable and flexible.



Files Included With FileList v1.0:
----------------------------------


FILELIST.DOC - Documentation File
FILELIST.EXE - Executable Program



How to Use FileList:
--------------------


To use FileList, it must be placed in the WWIV directory. This is
necessary because FileList must read the CONFIG.DAT file to determine where
the data directory is.

When FileList is run, it outputs a list directly to the screen. In order
to capture this listing to a file, the DOS redirect switch (>) must be
used. For example, the following command would create a listing of all your
files, and save it to the file "MASTER.LST":

FILELIST > MASTER.LST

After the file has been saved, it may be copied to a directory or
archived for download. Some examples on how to do that are discussed near
the end of the documentation.





Running FileList In Default Mode:
---------------------------------


If Filelist is run without parameters, it will create a master list
using the following rules:


1) It will not use Extended Descriptions.

2) It will not count files.

3) If the file "FILELIST.DAT" is found in the current directory,
FileList will use it as a configuration file.

4) If "FILELIST.DAT" is not found in the current directory, FileList
will list all directories except Sysop, assuming the filename used
for the Sysop directory is "SYSOP.DIR".

5) If "HEADER.DAT" is found in the current directory, FileList will use
it for a header file. The header text will be displayed at the top of
the list. Note that FileList will attempt to read "HEADER.DAT"
regardless of parameters.



Using Parameters With FileList:
-------------------------------


The following parameters may be used with FileList:

FILELIST {FILENAME.EXT} {/CEN}

Examples:

C> FILELIST IBM.DAT /CE
C> FILELIST /N
C> FILELIST AMIGA.DAT /C


FILENAME.EXT is the name of your configuration file. If a configuration
file is not specified, FileList will look for one called "FILELIST.DAT" in
the current directory. If "FILELIST.DAT" is not found, FileList will run in
DEFAULT mode.

The "/C" switch will count the total files per directory and the total
files listed in all of the directories.

The "/E" switch will include extended descriptions.

The "/N" switch will NOT use "FILELIST.DAT" if it is found, FileList
will run in DEFAULT mode. Note that if a filename is used for the
configuration file (even if it IS called "FILELIST.DAT"), FileList will use
that configuration file, regardless of the "/N" switch.

These switches may be used in any order, preceded by a "/".





How To Use A HEADER.DAT File:
-----------------------------


HEADER.DAT is a simple ASCII text file. There are several operatives
which may be used within this file to display text in various formats.

{*DAY*} - Display day of week (i.e. Saturday, Sunday, Monday)
{*DATE*} - Display date (i.e. May 10, 1989)
{*TIME*} - Display current time (i.e. 8:30pm)
{*L*} - Left-justify text on following lines
{*R*} - Right-justify text on following lines
{*C*} - Center text on following lines (default)

Note that the day, date, and time operatives may be used as many times
as necessary within the text file, however they may not be duplicated on
the same line. If they are, the first one will be used and the second one
will not be interpreted. For example, {*DAY*}, {*DAY*} would print out
Thursday, {*DAY*}.

The text formatting operatives will only affect text on every FOLLOWING
line until it reaches either the end of the file or a contradicting text
formatting operative. Any text immediately following a text formatting
operative will be ignored. Such operatives may also not be duplicated on
the same line. If they are, they will both be ignored. Remember, it is not
necessary to use a text formatting operative, it will default to centered
text.

Following is a sample HEADER.DAT file followed by the text it will
create:

The nth Dimension
618-277-8502
{*L*}
WWIV Node @6851
{*R*}
Sysop: Brian McDaniel
{*C*}

Listing of Downloadable Files
{*DAY*}, {*DATE*} at {*TIME*}.


-- The output would look like:



The nth Dimension
618-277-8502
WWIV Node @6851
Sysop: Brian McDaniel

Listing of Downloadable Files
Wednesday, November 22, 1989 at 11:00pm.






How To Use A Configuration File:
--------------------------------


FILELIST.DAT (or whatever you name your config file) is another ASCII
file. It is used to tell FileList what to print as directory titles, which
directories to use, and in what order.

The first line in FILELIST.DAT is name of the directory you would like
to print first. The following line is the filename of that directory. Do
not use extensions on this filename. This goes on in pairs until you are
finished listing directories.

For example:

Miscellaneous #1
MISC
Utilities #2
UTIL


-- The output would look like:


Farpoint Station
(618) 746-2703
Listing of Downloadable Files
Tuesday, November 14, 1989


Miscellaneous #1

AQUARIUM.ZIP: 38k :Watch the fish swim about on your screen
BACKTALK.ZIP: 10k :Your computer talks back to you.
BUGS .ZIP: 3k :Crazy, bizarre, weird, screen-eating BUGS!
.
. (continued...)
.
SQUAWK .ZIP: 31k :This is hilarious! Makes stupid video-game noises.
TRIVOICE.ZIP: 1k :Use three "voices" at once
WILDCLS .ZIP: 1k :Clears the screen in a different sort of way.

Utilities #2

2ZIP11 .ZIP: 33k :Convert ARC, PAK, and ZOO to "ZIP" format! Excellent!
4DOS22 .ZIP: 222k :4DOS! Replaces COMMAND.COM, versatile, AWESOME!
704K .ZIP: 2k :Get 704K RAM in your PC
.
. (continued...)
.
TED .ZIP: 23k :PC Magazine's "Tiny Editor" - Brian loves it
THEFAST .ZIP: 3k :Speeds up ANSI screen writes on EGA systems!
Z-NOTE .ZIP: 10k :Add ANSI comments/logos to your .ZIP files






How To Integrate FileList With WWIV:
------------------------------------


Once you have experimented with various formats and are satisfied with
the final results, you may then integrate the list into WWIV. This is easy
to do. To use FileList as a daily event, it is best to create a small batch
file. This batch file may be called when it is time for daily maintenence.
Run INIT to set the name and time for daily maintenence.

A batch file might look like this:

FILELIST > MASTER.LST
PKZIP FILES.ZIP MASTER.LST
COPY FILES.ZIP \BBS\DLOADS\TEXT
DEL MASTER.LST
DEL FILES.ZIP

Or to simplify the batch file:

FILELIST /CE > MASTER.LST
PKZIP -M DLOADS\TEXT\FILES MASTER.LST

What you want your list to look like, how you want it archived, and
where you put the finished list is up to you. For example, one Sysop may
use FileList twice to create two different lists. One for IBM files, and
one for Amiga files. Because of FileList's flexibility, the possibilities
are endless.



Registering FileList v1.0:
--------------------------


FileList v1.0 was written by Brian McDaniel using Turbo Pascal 4.0.
FileList was originally inspired from LISTF, by Doug Fields. Documentation
for FileList was written by Eric Golden.

If you use FileList on a regular basis, please send a donation of $5 to
the author. Any comments, criticisms, or suggestions are welcome. Donations
will encourage future versions.

Send donations or inquiries to:


Brian McDaniel The nth Dimension
201C Carlyle East (618) 277-8502
Belleville, IL 62221 WWIV Node @6851