=== RemoteAccess - Shareware and RA/Pro === === What's New === This text file describes ALL the changes made in RemoteAccess since Version 2.50 & 2.52. Many of the items listed apply to "Registered Only" features and, hopefully, are identified as such. All features and updates also apply to RA/Pro. Some are bug fixes and some are Suggestions from various Sysops. - When expecting long uploads and the "Freeze System Timer" ( *! ) has been selected for use with the External Upload protocols: The time for crediting of the uploads is taken as the difference between the creation time of the EXITINFO1.DEF file and the current time when returning from the External Upload function. - REMINDER! When running RACONFIG after upgrading to version 2.60Bxx, you will need to edit _ALL_ the language files you have (or add later) to add the DEFAULT prompts for the following: #673 (added during the 2.53 beta cycle) and 681 - 684 (added for y2k compliance). (Hint: look for blank prompts on the screen where the default prompt is NOT blank.) - Added "maximum value" information to the screen prompt for entering download LIMITS by sysop. - Removed extra spaces at end of displayed dates (found display of "^FF" too long during the 2.60 beta cycle). So now all date formats (there are now 8) will display properly. - Made some slight modifications to the upgrade program. If you have double Y's and N's at the end of some of the prompts in your language files, the upgrade utility should make those disappear. - Modified the 2.60 UPGRADE program to allow editing of the subscription dates. The User Name, Handle, All 3 address lines, comment line and old subscription date are displayed on the screen to allow you immediately identify each user - and use any comment you may have left for yourself for their new "subscription date". For those who have selected this option in error, or who have completed all corrections, the key may be used to abort the subscription date editing but continue to update the users' files. - Checked and updated the "Search for New files" routine to include not only the date of the last login but also the time. When selecting another date for "new files" the search routine will still use the user's LAST TIME LOGGED ON. If requested, I will change that to use the time of "00:00" as was previously used for file searches. - Since I have been unable to determine where the "last time run" field in the EVENTS.BBS file is even used in RA, that file structure will NOT be changed by any RA program. However, should I finally locate where it IS used, a 25 year rolling window will be used until the structure is updated. Also, if IS used, the date structure will automatically be changed from "MM-DD-YY" to "MMKDDCYY" as previously announced. - Fixed Logic in presenting various dates in "user selected" date formats. - Fixed logic in "String to Unix" date/time routine. - Now that an separate variable has been defined for each of the former 4 separate date fields, User's First Date, User's Last Date, User's Birth Date and User's Subscription Date. The internal format is MM-DD-KCYY as is used on ALL internal date formats. - Contrary to other usages of the y2k date, the Event record Last run date keeps the same field size (as well as record size) and uses the format of MMKDDCYY - where MM is 2-digit month, K is the digit corresponding to the 1000 year place, DD is the 2-digit day and CYY is the last three digits of the year. Example for January 2, 1998: MM = 01, K = 1, DD = 02 and CYY = 998 -- in its formatted form 01102998. - Had a Network Failure in the BBS/development system that put the y2k program task "on hold" until it was resolved. It turned out to be a defective network card on the primary server. - EXITINFO.BBS file structure changed for y2k compatible programs. Original file structure maintained for programs not yet made compatible. The effected date formats that have not already been addressed are split using the MM-DD-KCYY technique - that is, the MM-DD-YY are stored as before and the 'KC' data is stored elsewhere in that record and is documented in the Structures File. - Added Flag for Y2K compatibility for menu type 7 and type 15 exits. Current default value is "false" - which will continue displaying the DOOR.SYS drop file dates in MM-DD-YY. The Option for changing the default will be presented in the menu editor - to be implemented at some future time. - Repositioned the Date information in the Sysop Information Bar at the bottom of the screen for proper display of the Y2k formatted dates. - Added the ability to select default areas and groups for new Users. In particular "New Users' Default File area, New Users' Default File Group and New Users' Default Message Area. - Added code to not only check for files since the date of the user's last logon, but from the TIME of their last logon as well. - Investigated, without success, the possible source of "private" Netmail messages being improperly available to other users. It looks more of a 3rd party problem than one with RA. However, I will keep my eyes open for anything I might have missed. That is, it looks like a problem with the "off-line reader" not coding the message correctly as "private." - Updated internal handling of all date functions to MM-DD-YYYY effective this release. Users still have the option of choosing and displaying dates with a two digit year, as in the previous versions. - The ShareWare version will start at 4 (four) lines plus a "local" line starting with this version - a new key will be required to enable this feature. If an old key is used, the old default (2 callers + 1 local) will prevail. - Located the source of the error 100 problem. Have also added debug information in the RA LOG file as well as increased the resolution of the Time parameter (to HH:MM:SS.ss) for the beta versions. If you should have the error 100 or 104 errors, send me the appropriate sections of your RA Log and ERRORS.LOG files. - Added code to set the new user's last log-in date to "today" and force them, regardless of the RACONFIG setting, to ask them for the date to check for files. The default is now "today" instead of 1-1-1980. - Now when you enter chat mode the system will blindly set "snoop" mode to "true" regardless as to what the previous status was. Then upon exit, "snoop" mode will be returned to the status it was before entering. - Added feature for REGISTERED systems to display additional welcome screens after WELCOME2. Their names would be WELCOME2, WELCOME3, WELCOME4 & WELCOME5 (ASCII OR ANS) and would be displayed in that sequence. - Modified the code to refresh the User status (menu item 52) to "browsing" anytime a menu item #1 (GOTO menu) is executed. I will continue to try to locate the actual source of the problem. But in the mean time that should solve the problem of browsing/downloading mystery. KEEP IN MIND that this will create additional updates to the USERON file - used in multiline operation. - Added code so if a new user enters the same name as an existing (but different) user they can enter "NEW" as their password. The system would again ask them for their name and if not a duplicate, the system would then process the remainder of the logon sequence as if they were a new user. Language prompt number 60 may need to be edited to reflect that change -AND- then number of password attempts should be set higher than three. - Found the source of the problem for the double user entry when using the NEWUSER.Q-A. Please check out all other Questionnaire functions and make sure I haven't broken something else. - There were reports of some of the Questionnaire functions not working correctly. Researched that problem and applied some fixes to that problem. - Did some research on errors 2 and 103 - If no Message Group has been defined, it will cause those errors. For the time being, keep that in mind when you set up your BBS system and define at least one message group - even if is the "default" group and there are not expected to be any others. - Added ability to create a "canned" message to sysop when user uploads a file using the slash character in the first location of the description. Message is addressed to "sysop" and is from the user who made the upload and uses same message board as the Failed Password Attempt message. Text is as created (will look into adding the file name later) in a *NEW* SYSFILE.MSG text file. REGISTERED ONLY feature and the file "SYSFILE.MSG" must exist for this feature to work. - Double Checked coding for *.Q-A files to execute Menu Commands Correct usage should be "MenuCmnd " - notice the spelling of the abbreviation for "MenuCommand" - it is unusual and tricky. - Added test in JAM message search routines to skip deleted messages. - Added code to check for known problem of deleting files in root directory. Should now exit from the deletion procedure after entering a configuration message in the log file without deleting any files in either the c:\ or d:\ directories. Bruce Morse RemoteAccess Central