












                                 WildCat File Tools
                                    Version 4.00

























                         Copyright (C) 1994 Daniel A. Gulkis
                                 The Data Center BBS
                              (305-436-5070), 1:369/121
                                 All Rights Reserved

            INTRODUCTION

            Thank you for evaluating  the WildCat File  Tools, a set  of
            utilities designed to help  WildCat system operators  manage
            their file database.   Presently, this  package consists  of
            seven tools.    The  first four  tools  are  distributed  as
            shareware;  the  remaining  three  are  included  with  your
            registration.  The shareware tools are:

            FILEDESC: A fast  and  flexible ALLFILES  report  generator.
                      Very easy to use.  Handles an unlimited number  of
                      files.

            FILESUM:  Creates a  bulletin  which  shows  the  number  of
                      files, the total size, and the number of downloads
                      for each file category.

            CDUSAGE:  For each  CDROM, show  the  number of  files, the
                      total size, and the number of downloads.   Quickly
                      reveals which disks are  contributing the most  to
                      your system.

            WCTOUCH:  Freshens files in the  database by updating  their
                      date, time, and size.

            With your  registration, you  receive printed  documentation
            and the following three tools:

            MASSDEL:  Deletes files from the database.  Can use a filter
                      or an explicit list of files.  Optionally  deletes
                      the actual files from disk.

            MASSMV:   Moves all  matching  files  to  a  specified  file
                      category.

            CDL:      Changes  a  CDROM's  drive  letter  in  the  file
                      database.


            REQUIREMENTS

            Each utility will be fully described in the following pages.
            You must  use  WildCat  version 4.0  or  later  for  correct
            operation.   In  addition,  if  you  have  the  single  line
            version, then you must take  your board down before  running
            any of these  tools.  For  the multiline  version, you  must
            assign a unique node  number using the WCNODEID  environment
            variable.  Failure to heed  these cautions may cause  damage
            to WildCat's databases.

            Each tool finds MAKEWILD.DAT using the following steps.   If
            an environment variable named WCHOME exists, it should point
            to the directory  containing MAKEWILD.DAT.   Otherwise,  the
            tools search the current directory and then every  directory
            on your  PATH.   Several of  the utilities  use the  current
            directory for temporary files, so don't run them when logged
            onto a CDROM or a write protected disk.

                                          2


            FILEDESC

            FILEDESC creates a list of  files available for download  on
            your BBS; this list is  commonly called an ALLFILES  report.
            Your users  can download  the list  and peruse  it at  their
            leisure, rather than  tying up  your phone  line while  they
            look for a certain  file.  Among  the programs which  create
            ALLFILES reports, you  will find  FILEDESC to  be the  best!
            Why?  Well, glad you asked:

               Ease of Use:
               You create  a configuration  file using  a full  screen
               form.   Simply choose  the filtering,  formatting,  and
               output options you want.  No more cryptic command  line
               switches or tempermental ASCII configuration files.  If
               you desire, FILEDESC will compress your report, move it
               to a download directory,  and update the  corresponding
               database entry to reflect the new date and size.

               Flexibility:
               You have many  filtering options that  let you  specify
               which files should appear in a report.  You can include
               files based on file category, the CDROM they reside on,
               their age, the number of accesses, and more.

               You also have  control over the  format of the  report.
               Choose a  single line,  double line,  or  single/double
               line report.  Sort alphabetically or by age within each
               area.  Turn subtotals  and the grand  total on or  off.
               Include your  own  report header,  report  footer,  and
               section headers.

               Speed:
               FILEDESC makes  use of  the  file database's  index  to
               process only the file areas you have chosen to include.
               The  final   report  is   directly  generated   without
               intermediate passes.   You will  typically see  several
               hundred files processed per second.

               Few Limits:
               Your reports can contain  a virtually unlimited  number
               of files, instead of only the number of files which fit
               in memory.  The file  size grand total will  accumulate
               up to 100 gigabytes without overflowing.

            Using FILEDESC

            FILEDESC is actually  two programs in  one.   It contains  a
            configuration file  editor  and  a report  generator.    You
            create a configuration  file detailing  exactly which  files
            you want to appear in the  report and how the report  should
            look.   You only  need to  do this  step once,  even if  you
            generate the report every day.  If you want to print several


                                          3


            different reports, then you will create a configuration file
            for each one.  Next, you actually generate the report.   The
            report generation  is fully  automatic, and  can be  started
            from your nightly processing batch file if desired.

            To edit a configuration file, type:

                 FILEDESC [filename.cfg]

            If the file  you specified exists,  then it  will be  loaded
            into the configuration editor.   Otherwise, the editor  will
            be initialized with suggested values.  If you don't  specify
            the  configuration  filename,   then  a   default  name   of
            FILEDESC.CFG is used.

            When editing a configuration file, simply enter values  into
            each field.   A short description  of the  current field  is
            displayed on the bottom line.   To move between fields,  use
            the Enter key  or the arrow  keys.  When  you have  finished
            making changes, press  the Return key  to accept changes  in
            the current field and the Escape key to exit.  You will then
            be asked if you want to save your changes.

            To run reports, type:

                 FILEDESC /R [report1.cfg] [report2.cfg] ...

            You may include  one or several  configuration files on  the
            command line.  Each  report will be generated  in turn.   If
            you  don't  list  any   configuration  files,  the   default
            FILEDESC.CFG file will be used.

            As  each  report  is  generated,  the  file  category  being
            processed is displayed in the top  window on the screen  and
            the actual  report  being  generated  shows  in  the  bottom
            window.  You may press the Pause key to temporarily  suspend
            output.  If you do this,  the bottom window may pause  while
            it is scrolling.  This causes a line to appear twice.  Don't
            be alarmed; the report won't contain the duplicate line.  To
            resume report generation, press any key.

            If you want to halt report generation, press the Escape key.
            The current report will be terminate immediately.  Any other
            reports specified on the command line will be skipped.

            Configuration File Editor

            The configuration file  editor is divided  into three  major
            sections.  The first section, Filters, allows you to  select
            which files  will be  included on  the  report.   Next,  the
            Formatting Options section  lets you fine  tune the look  of
            your report.   Finally, in the  Output Options section,  you
            choose the name for  your report, and  whether you want  the


                                          4



            report freshened  in the  database.   Below, each  field  is
            described:

               Filters:

               Include Areas:  Enter the file categories that you want
               to  appear  in  the  report.    You  may  list   single
               categories or ranges, separated  by spaces.  Or,  leave
               this field blank to include all categories.

               Example:  1-25 31 36 50-104 45

               Exclude Areas:  The  file categories that  you want to
               omit from the report.  Sometimes it is more  convenient
               to choose a  large range of  categories to include  and
               then just specify  a few  to exclude.   The  categories
               listed here are removed from the list of included  file
               categories.

               Example:  17 11-14

               Drive Letters:  This option lets  you select the files
               from any CDROM or  the files which  are stored on  your
               hard drive.  The drive letter of a file can be found by
               looking at  its stored  path.   If the  stored path  is
               empty, then the  file is considered  to be  on drive  0
               (zero).  If left blank, all drive letters are included.
               Enter individual drive letters or ranges, separated  by
               spaces.

               Example:  0 (Selects files without a stored path)
               Example:  S-U    (Selects files on drives S, T, or U)

               Date, From and To:  Enter the minimum  and maximum age
               (in days) of files  to include.   This option lets  you
               include only new files or only old files.

               Example:    0 to 30   (Select files up to 30 days old)
               Example:  365 to 9999 (Select files at least  one year
                                      old)

               Accesses, From and To:  Enter the  minimum and maximum
               access count for files to include.  These fields can be
               used to show your most popular or least popular files.

               Example:  0 to 0      (Select files  which have  never
                                      been accessed)
               Example:  10 to 9999  (Select files accessed  at least
                                      10 times)




                                          5






               Normal Files:  Choose Y to include typical files--those
               which have  not failed  the virus  scan, don't  have  a
               password, and aren't offline.   Most of the time,  this
               option will be Y.   But if you  want to see just  files
               which failed the  virus scan, for  example, then put  N
               here.

               Failed Scan Files:  Enter Y to include files which have
               failed the virus scan.

               Password Files:  Select Y to include password protected
               files in the listing.

               Offline Files:  Pick Y to include any offline files in
               the report.

               Formatting Options:

               Sort Order:  Enter 1 to sort alphabetically within each
               area or 2 to sort by date within each area.

               Show Subtotals:  If  you want  a subtotal  showing the
               number of  files  and  bytes printed  after  each  file
               category, enter Y.

               Report Type:  Three report types are available.  Type 1
               is  a  combined  single/dual  line  report.    If   the
               description doesn't fit on a single line, then it wraps
               to the next line and is  indented.  Type 2 is a  single
               line report similar  to Wildcat's  single line  format.
               Type 3 produces  a double line  report which  resembles
               the Wildcat double line format.

               Show Total: Entering Y displays a grand total of files
               and bytes at the bottom of the report.

               Use Headers:  This  simple yes/no question  is perhaps
               the most complex  configuration item.   If you pick  N,
               then the standard file  category headers will be  used.
               But if you choose Y, then  you can use your own  report
               header, report footer, and file category headers.

               These headers are  entered into ASCII  files which  are
               located in the directory where FILEDESC is run.   There
               are two basic  strategies:  you  can create  individual


                                          6






               files for each specific area or you can create a single
               file which contains the headers  for each area.   These
               methods can be combined.

               When processing custom headers, FILEDESC first tries to
               get a header from the single,  combined file.  If  that
               fails, then it will attempt to get a header from a file
               which matches the  current area.   If that also  fails,
               then the standard header will  be used.  This  approach
               allows you to define custom headers for just a few file
               categories, instead of requiring every category to have
               one.

               The filenames used by the header files consists of  the
               name  of  your  configuration   file  with  a   special
               extension.  The filename  of the combined header  file,
               which  can   contain  a   header  for   each  area   is
               cfgfile.HDR.  The format of cfgfile.HDR follows:

                 [HEADER]
                 This is the report header.  Use as many lines as you
                 need in any section.   A section is  terminated by a
                 line which begins with a left bracket.
                 [1]
                 This is the header for file category 1.  It is
                 important that each section begins with a left bracket,
                 the section name, and then a right bracket on a line by
                 itself.
                 []
                 This is ignored, since the line above terminates
                 category 1, but the footer doesn't start until after
                 the line below.
                 [FOOTER]
                 Finally, this footer will be printed at the bottom
                 of the report.  This example shows the sections in order,
                 with the header first and the footer last, but that isn't
                 important.  You can list sections in any order you want.
                 This last section will be terminated by the end of the file.

               For individual header file, the filenames are:

               cfgfile.TOR --   Report Header (Top of Report)
               cfgfile.nnn --   Individual file category, nnn is 000,
               001, ... , 999.
                         The 000 extension indicates category 1000.
                         Note: This  method only  works for  category
                               numbers up to 1000.  Otherwise, use the
                               cfgfile.HDR method.
               cfgfile.BOR --   Report Footer (Bottom of Report)

                                          7






               Output Options:

               Text Filename:   Enter the  name of  the output  file.
               This field  must  be  entered.    The  report  will  be
               generated in the current directory.

               Freshen Text  File:   If you  select Y,  then the  text
               filename  will  be  freshened   in  the  Wildcat   file
               database.   For  freshening  to  work,  the  file  must
               already exist in the database.   The text file will  be
               moved from the  current directory to  the primary  area
               defined by the file category.  Then the database  date,
               time, and file size will be updated.

               Compressed Filename:  Enter the name of the compressed
               output file.   This field is  used in conjunction  with
               the next field  to freshen the  ALLFILES report in  the
               Wildcat database.

               Freshen Compressed  File:   If  you  enter Y  and  the
               compressed filename already exists in the WildCat  file
               database, then when  the report has  been generated  it
               will be  moved  to  the  file  area  specified  in  the
               database.  The database date, time, and file size  will
               be updated.

               Compression Command:   Enter  the  command  needed  to
               create the  compressed  report from  the  text  report.
               Leave this field blank if  you don't want a  compressed
               report.  To  keep the text  report, use the  archiver's
               add option.   Use the move  option to  delete the  text
               report after it has been compressed.

               Example:  pkzip -m allfiles.zip allfiles.txt
                             (Deletes allfiles.txt)
               Example:  pkzip -a allfiles.zip allfiles.txt
                             (Keeps allfiles.txt)














                                          8


            FILESUM

            The FILESUM utility produces a summary report from the  file
            database.  For each file category, the number of files,  the
            total size of the files, and the total downloads are listed.
            A grand total of files, size,  and downloads appears at  the
            bottom of  the  summary.   You  don't need  to  worry  about
            overflowing the  capacity of  the total  size.   Up  to  100
            gigabytes can be accurately reported.

            You can use this information in  several ways.  It can  tell
            you which file categories should  be split because they  are
            too  cluttered.    It  also  shows  you  the  most   popular
            categories.  Your callers  can see what  type of files  your
            board specializes in and  can also see  just how many  files
            you have.

            FILESUM is  an  easy  utility  to  run;  no  parameters  are
            required.  Before  generating the reports,  the entire  file
            database must  be  scanned.   While  hundreds of  files  are
            scanned per second,  it takes a  few minutes if  you have  a
            large file database.  A  bar graph and numerical  percentage
            count keep  you informed  on the  progress.   You may  press
            Escape to cancel the scan at any time.

            When the scan completes (or is cancelled), the program  will
            create two reports in the  current directory: a plain  ASCII
            text version which is named  FILESUM.TXT and a version  with
            WildCat color codes which is named FILESUM.BBS.

            You might  want to  run FILESUM  from a  nightly  processing
            batch file.   After it completes,  the batch  file can  copy
            FILESUM.BBS to a bulletin for viewing by your users.























                                          9


            CDUSAGE

            CDUSAGE  is  an  interactive   tool  used  to  analyze   the
            contributions each CDROM makes to  your file database.   You
            can see the number of files, the total size, and the  number
            of downloads for each CDROM in your system.  You can  easily
            tell the most popular CDROMs from the least popular.

            CDUSAGE does not require any  command line parameters.   You
            simply run  the program  and it  will begin  generating  the
            analysis.  Since this  program has to  scan every record  in
            your file database, it may take  a few minutes if your  file
            database is large.   You  can press  Escape at  any time  to
            abort the scan and exit the program.

            When you exit the program, either  by pressing Escape or  by
            waiting until the scan finishes, a report called CDUSAGE.TXT
            is created in the current  directory.  This report  contains
            the same information found in the on-screen display.

            Each file is classified as belonging to a specific CDROM  by
            looking at the  Path field in  the file database.   If  this
            field is empty, then the file is assumed to be on your  hard
            drive.  Otherwise, the first character of the Path is  taken
            to be the drive letter of the CDROM that holds the file.































                                         10


            WCTOUCH

            WCTOUCH is  used  to "freshen"  files  in the  WildCat  file
            database.  The term freshen means to update a file entry  in
            the database to reflect  the current date  and time and  the
            file's current size.  WCTOUCH will not add a new file  entry
            to the database; it only updates  a pre-existing entry.   If
            you have  allowed  duplicate filenames,  WCTOUCH  will  only
            update the first matching filename it finds.

            To run  WCTOUCH,  enter the  program  name followed  by  the
            filenames that you want to freshen.  If you have many  files
            to freshen, a response file can be used.  A response file is
            just a  plain ASCII  file which  contains the  filenames  to
            freshen, one per line.  To  use a response file, list it  on
            the command line preceded  by the @  symbol.  Wildcards  can
            not be used either on the command line or in response files.

            To update the files A1.ZIP, ALLFILES.ZIP, and  REGISTER.TXT,
            use the following:

                 WCTOUCH A1.ZIP ALLFILES.ZIP REGISTER.TXT

            Or,  assume   that   NIGHTLY.WCT  contains   the   filenames
            WELCOME.ZIP, EMAIL.ZIP,  FILES.ZIP, and  DOORS.TXT (one  per
            line).     You  also   want  to   update  REGISTER.TXT   and
            ALLFILES.ZIP:

                 WCTOUCH @NIGHTLY.WCT REGISTER.TXT ALLFILES.ZIP



























                                         11


            MASSDEL

            With MASSDEL, you can rapidly delete numerous files from the
            WildCat file  database.   You  can  specify which  files  to
            delete using one of two methods.  Filtering similar to  that
            provided with FILEDESC can be used.  Or, an explicit list of
            files to be deleted may be specified on the command line  or
            in response files.

            MASSDEL has  many uses.   For  example, you  can delete  all
            files on hard drive (but not CDROM) that are older than  180
            days and  haven't had  any downloads.   Or  if you  want  to
            replace a CDROM, you can delete all files on that drive.  If
            you are changing the focus of your BBS, you can delete whole
            file areas with ease.

            There are three different ways to invoke MASSDEL.  The first
            two are exactly like FILEDESC.  To edit a filter, use:

                 MASSDEL [filter.cfg]

            To delete  files matching  a  filter (or  several  filters),
            enter:

                 MASSDEL /R [filter1.cfg] [filter2.cfg] ...

            If no file is specified, the default MASSDEL.CFG is used.

            Finally, you may delete a list of files, including those  in
            response files, by typing:

                 MASSDEL /[I | D] [file | @rspfile] [file | @rspfile] ...

            If you use the /I option, then MASSDEL will only delete  the
            files from WildCat's file database.  The actual files on the
            disk will be untouched.  The /D option deletes the specified
            files from the database and the disk.

            At any time during the deletions,  you may stop the  process
            by pressing the Escape  key.  This will  not restore any  of
            the files which have already been deleted.














                                         12


            MASSMV

            MASSMV serves two purposes.  First, it lets you transfer all
            the  files  matching  a  specified  filter  to  a  new  file
            category.  Files on CDROM will just have their file category
            updated.  Files on your hard disk will be moved to the  path
            appropriate for the new category.

            Second, you can  transfer files  which match  a filter  from
            CDROM to your hard drive.  Each matching file will be copied
            to the appropriate directory.  Then the stored path will  be
            erased and the On_CDROM flag will be turned off.

            These two features can be used separately or combined.  That
            is, you can use MASSMV to move a group of files to a  single
            category or use  it to move  CDROM files to  the hard  drive
            without changing the category.  Or,  you can do both at  the
            same time.

            Before you  can move  any files,  you  must first  create  a
            configuration file.   The procedure is  exactly the same  as
            FILEDESC for  the  filter section.    To edit  or  create  a
            configuration file, enter:

                 MASSMV [cfgfile.cfg]

            The bottom  section  of the  configuration  editor  contains
            three questions.    If you  want  to  move files  to  a  new
            category, answer  Y  to  that question  and  enter  the  new
            category number.   To  move files  from CDROM  to your  hard
            drive, just answer Y to the last question.

            After you have created a configuration file, move the  files
            by typing:

                 MASSMV /R [cfgfile1.cfg] [cfgfile2.cfg] ...

            If  no  configuration   file  is   specified,  the   default
            MASSMV.CFG will be used.

            You can stop moving files at any time by pressing the Escape
            key.   However,  this  will not  replace  files  which  have
            already been moved.













                                         13


            CDL

            CDL stands  for  "Change Drive  Letter."   It  searches  the
            entire WildCat file database,  changing the drive letter  in
            the file path from a source drive to a target drive that you
            specify.  It ignores files with  paths that don't match  the
            source drive letter.

            You will find  two major  uses for  CDL.   First, the  drive
            letter for your  CDROM may change  due to hardware  updates,
            such as adding a new disk drive.  Now your CDROM is drive E,
            but all the files in the database refer to drive D!

            CDL will let you fix this  problem by changing all the  file
            database entries  to  reflect the  new  drive letter.    For
            future reference,  you  can  specify a  more  distant  drive
            letter (such as drive  M) for the CDROM.   Just add /L:d  to
            MSCDEX, where d is  the drive letter to  use for the  CDROM.
            This will  make your  system  less sensitive  to  subsequent
            hardware changes.

            The second major use is if you want to move a CDROM from one
            drive to another.   For  example, you  may have  a six  disk
            CDROM changer and three  single disk players.   You like  to
            keep the most popular  disks in the  single disk players  to
            minimize disk  switching  in the  changer.   You  just  used
            CDUSAGE to find which  disks are most  popular and now  will
            use CDL to move the disks around.

            WARNING:   If you  want to  swap the  files from  two  CDROM
            drives, you must do the following.  First, use CDL to change
            the first drive letter to a temporary, unused drive  letter.
            Then change  the  second drive  letter  to the  first  drive
            letter.  Finally, change the temporary drive letter back  to
            the second drive letter.

            If you  had simply  changed the  first drive  letter to  the
            second  drive  letter,  then  CDL  would  not  be  able   to
            differentiate between the files  that belonged to the  first
            CDROM and those on the second  CDROM.  You would have a  big
            mess!

            Invoking CDL  is straightforward.   The  two parameters  are
            source and destination drives, in that order.  For  example,
            to change D: to E:, type:

                 CDL D: E:

            You may press  Escape to halt  the conversion  at any  time.
            However, the files  which have already  been converted  will
            not be changed back.





                                         14


            REGISTRATION

            The WildCat File  Tools are distributed  as shareware.   You
            are granted a 30 day trial period to evaluate this  package.
            If you find it  useful, then you  are obligated to  register
            it, at a cost of $15 plus $3 shipping and handling.  Florida
            residents add $0.90 for  tax.  When  you register, you  will
            receive  three  additional  tools  --  MASSDEL,  MASSMV, and
            CDL -- which have already been discussed.

            You may register the WildCat File Tools using a check, money
            order, Visa, or MasterCard.  For credit card orders,  please
            include the expiration date.  Send payment to:

                 Daniel A. Gulkis
                 PO Box 820695
                 South Florida, FL 33082-0695

            If you have any comments on the WildCat File Tools, I can be
            reached at the address above, at  The Data Center BBS  (305-
            436-5070), or as Dan Gulkis at 1:369/121.



            WARRANTY

            The WildCat File  Tools are provided  without any  warranty,
            expressed or  implied.   In no  event  shall the  author  be
            liable for damages arising out of the use of this program.

            While these  utilities have  been thoroughly  tested, it  is
            impossible  to  try  every   combination  of  hardware   and
            software.  Therefore, it is highly recommended that you back
            up your system before using this package.



            LICENSE

            The shareware WildCat File Tools package may be  distributed
            to others under  the following  two conditions.   First,  no
            fee, other than a nominal distribution fee, may be  charged.
            Second,  all  related  files  must  be  distributed  without
            modification.     The   additional   tools   provided   with
            registration are not shareware and may not be distributed to
            others.










                                         15

