Archive Identifier 1.06 - A utility for
automatically identifying ARC ARJ HYP LZH PAK
SQZ ZIP ZOO GIF and now *JPG* files by
SIGNATURE, not extension, including
self-extracting archives! Tiny and incredibly
fast. Other files can be filtered based on
file extensions. For use in customized BBS
upload batch files and similar archive
testing applications. Excellent for
PCBTEST.BAT or SLOWDRV.BAT applications.

Archive Identifier

Version 1.06

(c) Copyright 1992-1994 - Stacy Smith



Courtesy of:

The Bloom Beacon-Picayune BBS
Node 1: (919) 557-3845 (USRobotics Courier Dual Standard HST/V.34)
FidoNet 1:151/106
ILink
Intelec

Stacy Smith
305 Cottonwood Lane
Holly Springs, NC 27540



1. Introduction:


Archive Identifier (ARCID) is a derivative of the UpLoadProcessor (ULP) system;
users of ULP do not require this program, as each of the ULP programs have
ARCID's abilities built into it.

ARCID is intended for use by people who wish to be able to accurately detect a
archive's format without relying on the file extension, but do not wish to use
ULP. These people may be sysops using EXZTEST, ZIPLAB, ZDCS, FWKCS, etc., or
may be using their own homemade batch files for testing archives, or even other
purposes I haven't thought of.

Regardless, ARCID is an extremely simple and fast tool for people who deal with
compressed files on a regular basis.



2. Features of Archive Identifier:


Identifies ARC, ARJ, HYP, LZH, PAK, SQZ, ZIP, ZOO, GIF and JPG files,
regardless of their file extensions (ideal for software distribution
networks, like .SDN files).
Identifies ARJ, LZH, SQZ and ZIP self-extracting (SFX) archives.
Can filter other file types based solely upon file extension.
A total of 97 archive formats and files extensions can be defined for
conditional branching of batch files.
Fully network-aware using DOS SHARE-compatible locks.
Written in C for optimal speed, using Borland C++ 3.1.



3. Files Included in the ARCID Distribution Archive


ARCID.COM Archive Identifier processing program.
PCBTEST.BAT Sample PCBTEST.BAT file for using ARCID.
SLOWDRV.BAT Sample SLOWDRV.BAT file for using ARCID.
ARCID.DOC This file.
SUPPORT.DOC List of authorized support sites for my shareware.
HISTORY.DOC ARCID revision history in reverse order.
REGISTER.FRM Registration form for ARCID.
FILE_ID.DIZ Internal description file.

When you unzip the distribution archive, you should see my PKZIP authenticity
verification stamp, and a '-AV' after every file in the archive:

# SSU301 The Bloom Beacon-Picayune BBS

If there are any files missing or added, or the -AV stamp is missing, the
archive has been tampered with. It would be advisable to call my BBS (listed at
the top of this document) for the latest version of ARCID.



4. Program Requirements


To the best of my knowledge, this program will run on most any machine capable
of running the popular archivers in use today. My BBS setup is DESQview on a
LANtastic network, but other sysops that I have been in contact with have
successfully implemented ULP on setups with CD-ROMs and other varying hardware.

ARCID has been developed and tested using archives created by the following
archiving packages:

ARJ 2.10 and higher (by Robert Jung)
HYPER 2.5 (by P. Sawatzki and K. P. Nischke)
LHA 2.12 and higher (by Haruyasu Yoshizaki)
LHarc 1.13c (by Haruyasu Yoshizaki)
PAK 2.51 (by NoGate Consulting)
PKPAK 3.61 (by PKWare)
PKZIP 1.10 and higher (by PKWare)
SQZ 1.08.2 (by Jonas Hammarberg)
ZOO 2.01 and higher (by Rahul Deshi)

The ARCID system requires DOS 3.x or later, as it uses DOS SHARE-compatible
file reads and writes.

ARCID's memory requirements are extremely small (less than 64K). For the batch
file operations, however, it would be a good idea to have as much free
conventional memory as possible (ARCID itself cannot use EMS or XMS memory, and
really couldn't use it if I wanted it to), since the archivers may require a
significant amount of memory.



5. Registration


The ARCID system is not free; nor is ARCID is crippled to force registration.
ARCID is fully functional, and will always remain so. The only variation with
the registered copies is no beg message and time delay.

Why register? Besides a clean conscience, you will get a registration code that
will work for all future versions of ARCID, and will remove the message and
time delay at the end of execution of ARCID.

The registration fee for your unique code is $8 for non-commercial BBSes. The
registration fee for commercial BBSes, defined if you run your BBS in the
course of a commercial business, or your if BBS turns a profit, is $15. Other
variations are available; refer to the file REGISTER.FRM for all registration
options. Please print the file REGISTER.FRM and fill it out. You can print out
the form by issuing the following command from the DOS prompt:

TYPE REGISTER.FRM > PRN



6. License, Warranty and Disclaimer


I'll keep this part short and sweet, and dispense with the legal-ese:

License: You are allowed to use ARCID for 30 days, after which you must
either register ARCID or stop using it completely. ARCID registration
is a license for your use of ARCID; I retain ownership of the software.
A single registration applies to a single BBS system, regardless of the
number of computers used in the system. If you run two or more distinct
BBS systems on the same computer (with different names), you require
two or more ARCID registrations. Refer to the registration form for the
currect pricing structure.

Warranty: There isn't one. The only thing I'll guarantee is that ARCID will
take up disk space, and will disappear when deleted.

Disclaimer: I'm not responsible for anything bad that happens. ARCID works
here, but I cannot be held responsible for it not working on your
computer or doing any damage to hardware or software.

If these aren't agreeable with you, then the best thing to do is delete ARCID
right now. I'll do my best to help any user (registered or not) that wants to
use ARCID, and I'll act on bug reports quickly, but I simply cannot and will
not be responsible for anything bad, like lost data, disk crashes, or whatever
else you can think of.



7. Installation


GENERAL:

Copy the file ARCID.COM into a subdirectory that is included in the DOS path,
so that ARCID may be executed from anywhere. I would suggest your PCB home
directory, usually 'C:\PCB\'.

If you are running PCBoard under a network or a multitasking operating system,
you should already have DOS's SHARE.EXE loaded. You must have SHARE loaded in
order to take advantage of the file sharing and locking methods used by the
ARCID program to prevent data loss. (If you are running a single-node system
without a multitasker, SHARE is not needed).

Note that for the ARCID program, you can obtain a limited program syntax screen
simply by executing the program with no arguments.

FOR UPLOAD TESTING USING 'PCBTEST.BAT':

NOTE: If you are unfamiliar with the operation of PCBTEST.BAT, you will need
to refer to the PCBoard 14.5 manual on pages 200-202 for an explanation of
PCBTEST.BAT and TESTFILE.EXE.

As necessary, refer to the sample PCBTEST.BAT file included in this
archive. This simple batch file will test archive integrity and check for
viruses for any of the detectable formats of ARCID. This batch file can
easily be expanded to perform more tests.

ARCID.COM is a drop-in replacement of PCBoard's TESTFILE.EXE. If you are
already using TESTFILE.EXE, then simply replace the TESTFILE command in your
batch file with ARCID. For example, if your current PCBTEST.BAT has the
following line:

TESTFILE %1 ZIP ARJ LZH GIF

simply change it to:

ARCID %1 ZIP ARJ LZH GIF

ARCID will return a DOS errorlevel corresponding to the archive's position in
the extension list. ARCID is capable of automatically detecting the formats
identified by the following extensions, regardless of the file's true
extension:

ARC for ARC/PKPAK archives
ARJ for ARJ and ARJ self-extracting archives
GIF for GIF picture files
HYP for HYPER archives
JPG for JPEG/JFIF picture files
LZH for LHA/LHARC and LHA/LHARC self-extracting archives
PAK for PAK and PAK self-extracting archives
SQZ for SQZ and SQZ self-extracting archives
ZIP for PKZIP and PKZIP self-extracting archives
ZOO for ZOO version 2.x archives

Do not add 'EXE' to the extension list; ARCID will automatically return to
corresponding errorlevel for an identified self-extracting archive.



8. Branding with Your Registration Code


To brand the ARCID executable with your registration code, type the following
command from the DOS prompt:

ARCID BRAND

ARCID will then ask you for your registration information (sysop name, BBS
name and registration code). All of this information is case sensitive; you
must enter it exactly as provided to you. After completion, ARCID will insert
the codes inside of the executable, and the beg message will go away.

* NOTE: Do not attempt the brand an ARCID.COM executable that has been
compressed with PKLITE! This will corrupt the file, and may cause
ARCID to not function properly. If you want to compress ARCID.COM
*after* branding, that is will work just fine.



9. The Future of ARCID


ARCID will be supported as long as I'm in the BBSing business (which will be
quite a while...once it's in your blood, you can never shake it ). The
ARCID system will be rapidly expanding it's features; some current plans:

Install code to detect archives containing explicit paths.
Install code to detect defective or hacked archives.

If you have any other suggestions, or want other archivers supported, please
contact me by U.S. snail-mail or on my BBS at the number at the top of this
document.

Thanks for giving ARCID a try!



Appendix A: DOS Errorlevels


The errorlevels returned to DOS by the ARCID system programs are consistent
among all of the programs (primarily with the error conditions); the following
is a list of the errorlevels than can be returned by the ARCID programs, along
with which programs return the codes:

0 Successful brand of the ARCID executable
1-97 Successful execution, archive identified
98 Successful execution, archive NOT identified
99 Unsuccessful execution, no arguments passed (help screen
displayed)
101 Unsuccessful brand of the ARCID executable
110 Unable to allocate heap memory
112 Invalid registration code
115 Invalid filename provided by user on command-line