.-------------------------. | Mystic BBS AreaFix Help |--------------------------------------------------- `-------------------------' What is AreaFix? ---------------- AreaFix is a automated response system which provides echomail nodes the ability to "self-service" their configuration. Generally speaking, you will use AreaFix to link and unlink echomail areas for export to you. AreaFix also provides additional utility functions such as changing password, archive type/raw PKT selection, and the ability to rescan one or more echo areas to send you the last X messages or all messages posted in the last X days. How to use AreaFix ------------------ Simply address the message "To" field to "AreaFix" and then supply your AreaFix password on the subject line for authentication. Each line of the message content should consist of a single command which instructs AreaFix to do something. Each command will be processed and a result of that command will be included within a return Netmail response message which is automatically generated by AreaFix after your request. AreaFix Commands ---------------- %ALL [search] The ALL command will either subscribe or remove all %-ALL [search] available areas. If the optional [search] parameter is used, only bases that match the search text in the echotag or message base name will be actioned upon. The search text can be a single piece of text, or it can contain complex boolean searches. See below for more information on complex boolean searching. %COMPRESS Sets the archive type used to bundle mail to , such as ZIP, RAR, etc. The type can also be omitted which tells AreaFix to send raw PKT files instead of bundled mail. %HELP Return this help message %PWD Changes your AreaFix password to %LIST [search] List all available echomail areas from this uplink. If the optional [search] is used Mystic will list areas that match the search text either in the echotag or Message base name. The search text can be a single piece of text, or it can contain complex boolean searches. See below for more information on complex boolean searching. %LINKED List all linked areas (areas being exported to you) %UNLINKED List of all unlinked areas (areas not exported to you) %RESCAN [R=# or D=#] Rescans all linked echomail areas and export the last 250 messages in each area, unless the optional R or D command is also specified. See below for more info on R/D options. -ECHOTAG Remove (unlink) ECHOTAG from your list of export areas +ECHOTAG [R=# or D=#] Add (link) ECHOTAG to the list of export areas. The plus symbol can also be omitted here, meaing that if a line contains ONLY an echotag, it is assumed that the request is to link the area. The optional R or D command can be included to instruct AreaFix to also send the latest messages for the newly linked area. If no option is specified for rescan, then AreaFix will only start sending new messages posted after this command has been received. See below for R and D options. =ECHOTAG Rescan an existing linked message base. This will send the most recent 250 messages for ECHOTAG, unless the R or D command is also specified to change this option. Changing Rescan Options ----------------------- Several AreaFix commands support the optional R or D commands. These commands must be separated from its associated command by a comma or a space and follow the format COMMAND=NUMBER. For example: +ECHOTAG,R=100 The R command instructs AreaFix to export the most recent number of messages specified by #. In other words, R=100 will send you the most recent 100 messages. The D command instructs AreaFix to export all messages posted with the last number of days, specified by #. In other words, D=365 will send you all messages posted within the last 365 days (1 year). AreaFix Examples ---------------- -> Example 1: Base: Netmail From: Me To: AreaFix Subj: MyPassword ------------------- %COMPRESS ZIP %PWD MyNewPassword +MYSTIC FIDONEWS WINDOWS D=90 =BBS_CARNIVAL R=500 The above example will change your archive type to ZIP, change your AreaFix password to MyNewPassword, request that the MYSTIC and FIDONEWS echoareas are added to your list of exported areas. It then requests that the WINDOWS area is added to the exported list, but it also asks to send all messages posted with the last 90 days. Finally, it asks that the most recent 500 messages are sent for the already connected BBS_CARNIVAL area -> Example 2: Base: Netmail From: Me To: AreaFix Subj: MyPassword ------------------- %LINKED %UNLINKED %RESCAN D=180 The above example will list all areas you have linked to for export, and all available areas to have NOT linked to for export. Then it will ask AreaFix to bundle up all messages posted to all of your linked areas within the last 180 days (~6 months). -> Example 3: Base: Netmail From: Me To: AreaFix Subj: MyPassword ------------------- %ALL The above example will subscribe to all available areas. Optionally a text search could have also been supplied for example: %ALL BBS!(renegade|telegard) This example would subscribe to all areas that have the word BBS in the echotag or base name but ONLY if it didn't also have "Renegade" or "Telegard" AreaFix Results --------------- AreaFix will respond to all requests made, even if a blank message is sent or a message is sent with a wrong password. A typical automated response from AreaFix might look like this: Base: Netmail From: AreaFix To: Me Subj: MyPassword ------------------- Your AREAFIX request has been processed. Command: +MYSTIC Result: MYSTIC has been linked for export Command: %LINKED Result: List of all linked echomail areas: MYSTIC Mystic BBS Discussion and Support FIDONEWS FidoNet Current News Discussion Command: %COMPRESS ASDF Result: Unknown archive type. If you do not receive a response, then you have not been configured as a downlink yet, or some other error has occured. Complex Boolean Searching ------------------------- The %LIST and %ALL commands have the optional ability to apply searching elements to limit the results to targeting a subset of "all". This can be done with a simple text search such as "%ALL Mystic BBS" but it can also use boolean evaluation to perform complex searches by using AND, OR, NOT and parenthesis (where &=AND, |=OR, and !=NOT). For example: %LIST BBS %LIST BBS!(Telegard|Renegade) %LIST ((Linux|Unix|BSD)!Windows)|(BBS!(Telegard|Renegade)) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------