AreaFix v1.10 User's Guide
Jeffrey J. Nonken
5 January 1989
This document is Copyright 1989 by Jeffrey J. Nonken. I hereby
give permission to Greg Dawson to modify this document as he sees
fit and distribute it with any or all versions of his AreaFix
program. I further give permission to everybody to distribute
this document as desired.
ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT
===================
This is a user's guide to AreaFix. If your echo feed has
installed AreaFix on his system and given you a password, this
tells you how to take advantage of his AreaFix installation
remotely. This does not describe how to install AreaFix. I
created this document to allow echomail hubs with AreaFix to pass
simple instructions around to their nodes.
In order to keep things simple, I will refer the guy you're
getting echomail from who just installed AreaFix, whomever he
happens to be, as your Hub.
WHAT IS AREAFIX?
================
AreaFix is a slick program that allows sysops to remotely alter
their echomail hubs' distribution files without bothering the
hubs' sysops. In other words, if I want to pick up a certain echo
from my host, and he has AreaFix installed, I just send a special
message and the linking is handled automatically. My host does
nothing once he is set up.
SETUP
=====
This is mostly your Hub's responsibility. He has to install
AreaFix on his system and install your password. You should pick
a password to use in your AreaFix messages. Remember this
password! It may be from 1 to 30 characters long and may contain
any printable characters except spaces.
TALKING TO AREAFIX
==================
To invoke AreaFix you must send a netmail message to your Hub.
The message will be private, addressed to AreaFix, and the
subject will be your password. Case is not important.
To: Areafix
Subj: Gronk
AreaFix will also allow psuedonyms. Your Hub may have a special
name he wants you to send to instead of "AreaFix". If so, he will
tell you. For my examples I will use "AreaFix".
AreaFix v1.10 User's Guide page 1
AREAFIX TALKING TO YOU
======================
Any time it replies AreaFix will send you a message explaining
what action it took (if any) and giving you a list of echos you
are currently receiving. If you are first on your hub's list for
a particular area, AreaFix will put an asterisk next to the echo
name with a note that says you are your hub's feed for that echo.
TURNING ON ECHOS
================
Turning on an echo is easy. Send a message to AreaFix with a list
of echos you want. Case does not matter. The names may start in
any column, and you may string them out on a line (separated by
spaces) or put them on separate lines.
TO: Areafix
FROM: Tom Slick
SUBJECT: Gronk
Sysop
FDECHO
mtask
---
Notice Tom put a tear line at the end of his message. That's the
three dashes on the line after "mtask". This tells Areafix that
there is no more information for it in this message. If he wants,
Tom may now write comments to his Hub Sysop, or just notes for
himself. It's a good idea to add this tear line even if you have
nothing more to say, in case some garbage gets tacked on to the
message during processing.
AreaFix replies:
TO: Tom Slick
FROM: Areafix on 103/522
SUBJECT: Re: Node change requests
Additions/Deletions
AREA: STATUS:
------------------------------- -------------------------------
SYSOP ......................... Added area.
FDECHO ........................ Added area.
MTASK ......................... Added area.
Active areas on 103/522
USERS
C_ECHO
ORANGE_CO
ASIAN-AMERICAN
FDECHO
SYSOP
MTASK
Total found: 7
Note, a '*' indicates you're the feed on the echo.
--- Areafix v1.10
AreaFix v1.10 User's Guide page 2
TURNING OFF ECHOS
=================
Removing an area is just as easy; just preceed the area name with
a minus sign (-) when you send the message.
TO: Areafix
FROM: Tom Slick
SUBJECT: Gronk
-sysop
---
AreaFix replies:
TO: Tom Slick
FROM: Areafix on 103/522
SUBJECT: Re: Node change requests
Additions/Deletions
AREA: STATUS:
------------------------------- -------------------------------
-SYSOP ........................ Deleted.
Active areas on 103/522
USERS
C_ECHO
ORANGE_CO
ASIAN-AMERICAN
FDECHO
MTASK
Total found: 6
Note, a '*' indicates you're the feed on the echo.
--- Areafix v1.10
Now Tom is no longer receiving the Sysop echo.
OPTIONS
=======
There are several useful options available. Each of these is
invoked by adding a command to your subject line after the
password. Note that any of these options can be disabled at your
Hub Sysop's discretion.
-R is a rescan command. This causes AreaFix to force a rescan of
the echo area by removing the high-water mark. The next time the
area is scanned, any messages in that area that you did not
receive will be packaged up and sent to you.
-L sends you a list of echo areas. The Hub Sysop may make a list
of available areas in a file; if he has done this, the -L command
will cause AreaFix to send it to you.
AreaFix v1.10 User's Guide page 3
-Q also sends you a list of echo areas. However, unlike the -L
command, it will scan through the Area Control files to see what
areas are available and send a list back in a message. AreaFix
will put an asterisk (*) next to each area that you are
receiving.
There is one thing to remember when using these switches: they
may not work unless there is some text in your message. For
example, the -Q option will not send back a list if you send a
blank message. However, just having the tear line will be enough.
TO: Areafix
FROM: Tom Slick
SUBJECT: Gronk -r -q
Sysop
FDECHO
mtask
---
AreaFix replies:
TO: Tom Slick
FROM: Areafix on 103/522
SUBJECT: Re: Node change requests
Additions/Deletions
AREA: STATUS:
------------------------------- -------------------------------
SYSOP ......................... Added area and rescanned.
FDECHO ........................ Added area and rescanned.
MTASK ......................... Added area and rescanned.
Active areas on 103/522
USERS
C_ECHO
ORANGE_CO
ASIAN-AMERICAN
FDECHO
SYSOP
MTASK
Total found: 7
Note, a '*' indicates you're the feed on the echo.
--- Areafix v1.10
AreaFix v1.10 User's Guide page 4
Areafix also replies:
TO: Tom Slick
FROM: Areafix on 103/522
SUBJECT: Query request on 103/522
Areas available to 103/328 on 103/522:
* USERS
* MTASK
* C_ECHO
NEWOPUS
MEADOW
* ORANGE_CO
* SYSOP
HST
80XXX
* ASIAN-AMERICAN
BIBLE
CHATTER
* FDECHO
FLAME
* FOR-SALE
LAN
LASERPUB
STTNG
Total found: 18
Note: a '*' indicates you're already active for the echo.
--- Areafix v1.10
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
================
Thanks to Greg Dawson for all the work he put into making the
AreaFix utility, and for listening to suggestions from the users.
He is still developing AreaFix, and it has grown from a simple
utility into a powerful tool that nobody should be without.
Jeffrey J. Nonken
Ophiophile Opus 1:103/522
(714)997-8958
AreaFix v1.10 User's Guide page 5