/*HELP.TXT*/››Since this is the final version of QWK8 I will be posting, unless some revisions and corrections are due,  I feel compelled to compose some sort of help file.  First off, get a copy of the docs to QWKSilver.  There are complete descriptions of the QWK format contained within.››(Maybe I shall include them with this file...)(Done).››From the QWK file which you download from some nameless BBS, you need the control.dat and messages.dat files.  You can edit the control.dat file to change the spelling of your name from complete uppercase into something which matches what you are likely to be addressed as on that board. That way you can find personal messages right away as you work with QWK8.››After scanning a control.dat file, you may then post a message to one of the conferences listed in the control.dat file.  If you choose to go on and scan the messages.dat file,  save the results in QWK8.DAT.  All of the sector data can be saved this way. This data indicates where on the disk each message resides.  By saving it, you won't need to do a lengthly scan of messages.dat again.  At least on that particular disk.  (Pab Sugenisis raves about the superiority of SpartaDos relative byte counts in this regard.  But since many still use MyDos and ataridos, this program is adapted to their needs.)››If at this point you exit the menu, you are returned to menu 1 where the control.dat file must be scanned again.››Go on to read messages.  By viewing the conference data you can see which conferences contain messages, and also the names and code numbers of each conference.  Choosing a conference involves entering its code number.  One may print a current message to the printer or to a disk file, or go back or forward in reading each message, or jump to a particular message number.  Or reply to a message.  The option to quote a message is available to you.  However, if you use MyDos, don't expect to quote a 145 line message and then have much space left to type in another 100 lines.››By choosing to edit your file, you may then view it, or insert or delete lines.  The tagline option allows the loading or saving of atascii text files.  These files use chr$(155) as end-of-line.  You may save the current editor contents (minus whatever header info was given).  Or load what was previously saved.››(Now to find that QWKSILVR file).››Good luck and happy reading.››Bob Stout›rstout@legend.akron.oh.us››References to QWKsilver in the following excerpt may be applied to QWK8 also.››QWKsilver 0.2 beta! by Bobby Clark.››... delete stuff››What is an offline reader?›--------------------------››An offline reader is a program which will enable you to read your BBS mail,›bulletins, etc., while offline, reply to your mail, then save your replies to›a file which may then be uploaded to the BBS the next time you log on.  This›can be especially useful in that you will spend less time online reading and›replying to huge volumes of mail ... and it becomes a money saver when›you're calling long-distance!›››---›››What is .QWK?›-------------››.QWK is a message format originally developed by Sparkware in 1987.  Under›this format, your message file and other DATA files are automatically›ARChived into a .QWK file before you download.  The compression rate with›.QWK compares favorably with other message formats, and has become the›most popular format in the IBM world. Many mail doors support .QWK, including›Tomcat (for the Wildcat BBS), Q-mail (for PCBoard), Blue Wave (for›Telegard), and many others.››---›››Structure of a .QWK file:›-------------------------››The .QWK file itself is an archive file which in actuality contains a bunch of›files.  Though usually .ZIPped, .QWK files may also be packed using other›compression techniques.  On the Atari XL/XE, ARC is the only compressor›currently supported (PKPAK is, to a certain degree, ARC compatible, but ›requires at least 128K to unarc)››These are the important files:  CONTROL.DAT, MESSAGES.DAT, and *.NDX››CONTROL.DAT:  Control Data which the offline reader is supposed to›interpret.  This is, of course, an ASCII text file.  Here's the structure:››                Line 1:  Reality Relief BBS ›                         (BBS where packet was made)››                         Line 2:  Knoxville, TN›                         (Location of the BBS)››                Line 3:  615-690-2227›                         (BBS Phone Number)››                Line 4:  Pat Carter›                         (The BBS Sysop's name)››                Line 5:  00000,REALITY›                         (The QWK door's serial #,›                         followed by the BBSID,›                         1-8 characters.  REMEMBER›                         the BBSID, it will come into›                         play later on!)››                Line 6:  11-06-1992, 12:30:34›                         (Time and date of packet)››                Line 7:  Bobby Clark›                         (User for whom packet was›                         prepared.  Your name will›                         appear here!)››                Line 8:  (Menu file for Q-mail door.›                         Usually left blank.)››                Line 9:  0›                Line 10: 0›                         (For some reason, these lines›                         always contain a zero)››                Line 11: 254›                         (Maximum # of conferences on›                         this BBS, MINUS one.)››                Line 12: 0›                         (First conference number)››                Line 13: MAINCONF›                         (First conference name.›                         One to ten characters.)››                         ... (conference numbers and names are›                         alternately listed until ...)››                Line xx: 254›                         (Last conference number)››                Line xx: LASTCONF›                         (Last conference name)››                         The next three lines of›                         CONTROL.DAT may or may not›                         be present:››                Line xx: WELCOME›                         (Filename containing your BBS›                         logon screen)››                Line xx: NEWS›                         (Filename containing your BBS›                         bulletins or news)››                Line xx: GOODBYE›                         (Filename containing your BBS›                         logoff screen)››››Next, we have the MESSAGES.DAT file which contains your downloaded›messages.  This is the largest file in the packet.››MESSAGES.DAT is organized into 128-byte rrecords.  The first record is always›the Sparkware copyright notice, and is included to ensure compatibility with›Sparky's Q-mail door.  All .QWK doors will reproduce this copyright notice.››After the copyright notice come the actual messages.  Each message consists›of a 128-byte header record, followed by a group of 128-byte records which›comprise the message text.  If any room is left in the last message record›then the record is padded out with spaces.››Here's how the header data is structured:››Byte #:  Length:  Description:›-------  -------  ------------›    1       1     Message type.›                  " " = public, unread›                  "-" = public, read›                  "*" = private›                  CHR$(126) = sysop comment, unread.›                  "`" = sysop comment, read›                  "%" = Password protected, unread›                  "^" = Password protected, read›                  "!" = Group password, unread›                  "#" = Group password, read›                  "$" = Group password, addressed to "ALL"››    2       7     Message #, coded in  ASCII››    9       8     Date, coded in ASCII››   17       5     Time, coded in ASCII››   22      25     Whom this message is addressed TO:››   47      25     Whom this message is FROM:››   72      25     Subject of this message››   97      12     Message password (can be left blank)››  109       8     Message reference # (reply to #) in ASCII››  117       6     Number of 128-byte records in this message (includes›                  header file!)››  123       1     Alive or Killed byte›                  "á" = alive›                  "â" = killed›                  (90% of the time, you won't see a "â" message)››  124       1     Least Significant Byte of conference # where the message›                  originated.››  125       1     Most Significant byte of conference #››  126       3     Filler bytes (blank)››Next is the body of the message, grouped into 128-byte records.  "ã" is›used for a carriage return.  If the message isn't long enough to fill the›last 128-byte record, then that last record is padded out with spaces.››The *.NDX files consist of 5 bytes: The first four bytes are the record›number of the current message from the beginning of MESSAGES.DAT (17.NDX is›for Message #17, etc.).  This number is encoded in MSBIN 4-byte format.›The next byte should be ignored. A PERSONAL.NDX file is included if you have›any messages addressed to you.QWKsilver has no use for the .NDX files, since it›generates its own pointer data for the packet the first time you read it.›Therefore, to save space, these files›need not be extracted from the .ARC›file.››The .REP file is a compressed file whichcontains a BBSID.MSG file (replacing›BBSID with the 1-8 character BBSID obtained from line 5 of CONTROL.DAT).  The›structure of the .MSG file is identical to the MESSAGES.DAT file with these›exceptions:››1.  The first record consists of the BBSID plus spaces.››2.  The msg # field (at position 2) should be filled in with the conference›    number coded in ASCII››3.  The conference bytes at positions 124 and 125 should be filled with CHR$(0)›    characters.››This file is usually .ZIPped, but is .ARCed on the Atari XL/XE.››››---›Things that can go wrong:››1. Corruption of files.  Arcing & unarcing, uploading, downloading, and copying files lead to occasional mistakes where bytes are gained or lost.  When you get an error message using QWK8, check first for file corruption.  One lost byte in a MESSAGES.DAT file means that everything after is out of register.››2.  Wrong type of file.  CONTROL.DAT files are ascii; they contain IBM style end-of-line characters.  QWK8 expects those characters to be there.  If the file has been modified to atascii, it will not load.  On the other hand, when QWK8 loads and saves text files, it needs the atari carraige return at the end of each line of text.››3. Wrong Dos.  The current version uses the atari dos standard note and point.  Spartados 2.x and earlier do also.  If I can get a spartados later version to work, I will distribute it.››4. Memory overflow.  QWK8 allocates memory dynamically, and a Dos with a high lomem combined with the reading of a large message and the attempt to quote it, can lead to memory overflow.  Try quoting the message, followed by the entry of a short line of text.  Then delete the lines you don't need.  This will free up more memory for further text entry when in the editor.››Those are the major problem areas I have become familiar with.›