















                                         XRobot

                                       User Guide









         XROBOT

         The FrontDoor Mail Robot

         User Guide

         Copyright 1998 Definite Solutions HB; All rights reserved.



         All Definite Solutions products and trademarks are trademarks or
         registered trademarks of Definite Solutions HB; with the exception
         of FrontDoor, which is a registered trademark of Joaquim
         Homrighausen. Other brands and product names are trademarks or
         registered trademarks of their respective holders.



          This publication is protected by international copyright laws and
              treaty provisions. It may only be distributed and used in
                  accordance with those laws and treaty provisions.



         DEF-E-XROBOT-Z-980100-EP

         Produced in Sweden.


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       TABLE OF CONTENTS


         Table of contents                                   3


         1. Introduction                                     4

           1.1 Legal notice                                  4
           1.2 What is XRobot?                               4
           1.3 Requirements                                  4
           1.4 Operating system versions                     5
           1.5 Update information                            5

         2. Usage                                            6

           2.1 Basics                                        6
           2.2 Running the program                           6

         3. Commands                                         9

           3.1 Primary commands                              9
           3.2 Utility commands                             14
           3.3 Query commands                               18
           3.4 MSGBITS                                      19

         4. Miscellaneous notes                             20

           4.1 NAMES.FD                                     20
           4.2 Internet recipients                          20
           4.3 FDOPT settings                               21
           4.4 Other environment variables                  21

         5. Response files                                  23

           5.1 Simple response files                        23
           5.2 Reponse file labels                          23
           5.3 Global response files                        24

         Appendix A: Glossary                               25


         Appendix B: Version history                        27

           B.1 4.00                                         27
           B.2 Versions prior to 4.00                       27

         Appendix C: Contact information                    28


         Index                                              29






















     Table of contents                                             Page 3


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       1. INTRODUCTION

         It is likely that you will encounter a number of unfamiliar terms.
         They will not be described in detail unless they are critical to
         complete the function described in a section. A small glossary is
         located at the end of this document.


       1.1 LEGAL NOTICE

         XRobot is provided to you "as is", without warranties of any kind.
         In no event shall Definite Solutions HB be liable to you or anyone
         else for any damages or costs arising from the use or inability to
         use this program.

         XRobot is protected by copyright laws, and may not be modified,
         reversed engineered, sold or distributed in any way that would
         involve some sort of trade, without written permission from Definite
         Solutions HB.

         XRobot may be used without charge by anyone that is running a
         registered copy of the shareware version of FrontDoor, or the
         commercial version of FrontDoor.

         XRobot may also be used during the 30-day trial/evaluation period of
         the shareware version of FrontDoor. After this period, FrontDoor
         must be registered if you want to continue using this program (or
         FrontDoor).


       1.2 WHAT IS XROBOT?

         XRobot is what the name implies, an easy to control "robot" utility
         designed to aid you in your daily "SysOp chores". It will simplify
         tasks like sending and requesting one or more files to and from one
         or more systems.

         It is assumed that you know enough about your FrontDoor e-mail
         environment and terms involved with it to understand some technical
         descriptions. This is not a beginner's utility; it is easy to use,
         but it does require some knowledge about operating an e-mail system
         in general.

         The history of this program is quite long and credits are due to
         several people who contributed ideas and hints (and complaints). It
         would occupy too much space to list all of them here. One individual
         in particular should, however, be named here: Mats Knuts; without
         whom XRobot would not have taken off the ground back in 1986.

         XRobot was first released in early 1986.


       1.3 REQUIREMENTS

         XRobot requires the following to run:



















     Introduction                                                  Page 4


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


         o FrontDoor version 2.25 or later.

         o The environment variable FD pointing to the directory where
           SETUP.FD is located, or SETUP.FD in the current directory.

         o For multiline users, the environment variable TASK containing the
           task number.

         o The DOS version of XRobot requires that file sharing support is
           present (SHARE is not required).


       1.4 OPERATING SYSTEM VERSIONS

         XRobot comes in three different versions: DOS, OS/2 2.x and OS/2
         Warp, and Win32 (Windows 9x, and Windows NT - console mode). This
         document uses the name "XRobot" to refer to all of these versions;
         the actual filenames are:



          DOS     XRDOS.EXE
          OS/2    XROS2.EXE
          Win32   XRW32.EXE
       * There is no functional difference between the various platform-
         specific versions.


       1.5 UPDATE INFORMATION

         Please refer to the last section of this document for information
         about corrections and update information.






































     Introduction                                                  Page 5


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       2. USAGE


       2.1 BASICS

         The basic functions of XRobot are, as previously mentioned, to send
         and request files. You can do this with several options and
         different type of addressing methods.

         Most of the data is taken from a file referred to as the FrontDoor
         system file, SETUP.FD hereafter. To make changes to SETUP.FD, use
         the FDSETUP program included in the FrontDoor package.

         XRobot will search for SETUP.FD in the directory pointed to by the
         FD environment variable. If the FD environment variable is not
         defined, XRobot will attempt to open SETUP.FD in the current
         directory.

         XRobot treats uppercase and lowercase characters the same as far as
         command-line parameters are concerned; e.g. "SEND" is treated
         identically to "Send". The order of the command-line parameters is
         irrelevant unless otherwise noted.


       2.2 RUNNING THE PROGRAM

         XROBOT <command> [<parameters>]

         Running XRobot without any command-line parameters will display a
         brief help message.

         For a list of primary commands, run: XROBOT COMMANDS.
         For a list of utility commands, run: XROBOT UTIL.
         For a list of query commands, run: XROBOT QUERY.


       2.2.1 Primary commands

         QSEND        Send files to a remote system (a file transmit entry is
                      added to the STQ).
         QGET         Fetch files from a remote system (a file request entry
                      is added to the STQ).
         QPOLL        Poll a remote system to pick-up mail (a poll entry is
                      added to the STQ).
         QSPOOLMAKE   Create a spool directory in the STQ for a remote
                      system.
         SEND         Send files to a remote system (a NetMail attachment is
                      created in the System NetMail Folder).
         GET          Fetch files from a remote system (a NetMail file
                      request is created in the System NetMail Folder).
         POLL         Poll a remote system to pick-up mail (an empty poll
                      message is created in the System NetMail Folder).
         TEXT         Create a message using preconfigured input files to one
                      or more recipients (messages are created in the System
                      NetMail Folder).
         MSGBITS      Displays allowed values for the /M (message status)
                      parameter.

















     Usage                                                         Page 6


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       2.2.2 Utility commands

         CHECKFREQ   Verify list of requestable directories and alias
                     definitions.
         FSTAMP      Modify timestamp of matching/specified files.
         KILLOLD     Remove "old" files until specified number of files
                     remain.
         LCIN        Write entry to inbound "lastcall" and mail history
                     databases.
         LCOUT       Write entry to outbound "lastcall" and mail history
                     databases.
         LOG         Add log entry.
         MKBUSYSEM   Unconditionally create FrontDoor "busy" semaphores.
         RMBUSYSEM   Unconditionally remove FrontDoor "busy" semaphores.
         TOUCH       Update timestamp of matching/specified semaphores.
         WAIT        Pause for the specified amount of time.
         WAITSEM     Pause until specified files have been updated, removed,
                     or specified amount of time has elapsed.
         WIPE        Remove (recursively) files matching specified filemask.

       2.2.3 Query commands

         MONTHDAY    Exit with errorlevel of day of month.
         QINFO       Display brief information about FrontDoor Static Queue
                     (STQ).
         SIZEOF      Check total size of files matching specified filemask.
         WEEKDAY     Exit with errorlevel of day of week (1=Monday).
         YEARMONTH   Exit with errorlevel of month of year (1=January).

       2.2.4 Command-line parameters

         Most commands require one or more parameters to be specified on the
         command-line. All command-line parameters (i.e. not the commands
         listed above) with the exception of ? (help) must be prefixed with a
         / (slash) or - (dash). To display a list of parameters applicable
         for a specific command, type:


         XROBOT <command> ?


       2.2.5 Logging

         XRobot defaults to using the FrontDoor log file to log its
         activities. If another program (such as FrontDoor) is using the log
         file when XRobot is invoked, access to the log file will be denied
         and no logging can be performed.

         A separate log file can be specified for XRobot by using the XRLOG
         environment variable:


         SET XRLOG=C:\FD\XROBOT.LOG

         The above would force XRobot to log its activities to the specified
         file (C:\FD\XROBOT.LOG).


















     Usage                                                         Page 7


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       2.2.6 Static Queue vs. System NetMail Folder

         Previous versions of XRobot would always create its file attachment
         messages and file request messages in the System NetMail Folder.
         Starting with XRobot version 4.00, file attachments and file
         requests can be added to the FrontDoor Static Queue (STQ).

         The STQ was introduced in version 2.25 of FrontDoor and greatly
         increases both capacity and performance in regards to the number of
         outbound file attachments and outbound file requests that can be
         handled by FrontDoor. Use of the STQ allows for other performance
         enhancements as well: timed-delivery, spool directories, and more.

       * It should be noted that FrontDoor will never route file attachment
         entries in the STQ. If routing of file attachments is a requirement,
         the SEND command should be used rather than the QSEND command.




















































     Usage                                                         Page 8


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       3. COMMANDS

         XRobot features three sets of commands: primary commands, utility
         commands, and query commands. There is no difference in how the
         various commands are used. Each set of commands will now be
         described.


       3.1 PRIMARY COMMANDS

         Primary commands are those that involve sending or requesting of
         files to and from a remote system. For a list of primary commands,
         type:


         XROBOT COMMANDS

         Many of the primary commands share certain command-line parameters
         (i.e. the same command-line parameter can be used with more than one
         command). When using primary commands (except the MSGBITS command,
         for which no command-line parameters exists), XROBOT requires that
         at least one recipient and one file item is specified.

         Please note that the QSPOOLMAKE command is described in the "Spool
         directories" section, below.


       3.1.1 Command-line parameters

         A list of command-line parameters applicable to primary commands
         follows.

         A<path>             Specifies an alternate attach path (instead of
                             where files actually reside).
                             XRobot will process all file statements (/F) for
                             matching files, but when creating STQ entries or
                             file attachment messages, the specified path
                             will be used.
                             This parameter is only supported by the
                             QSEND/SEND commands.
         D<days>             Specifies the maximum age, in days, for XRobot
                             to consider a file for sending.
                             XRobot will by default consider all files
                             matching the file statements as qualified for
                             sending. This parameter allows a maximum age to
                             be specified, forcing XRobot to ignore any
                             matching files that are older than the specified
                             number of days.
                             This parameter is only supported by the
                             QSEND/SEND/TEXT commands.
         F<filemask>         For all primary commands except the TEXT
                             command, the /F parameter specifies a filemask
                             to send or fetch. For the TEXT command, the
                             parameter specifies a filemask of files to
                             create as messages (the contents of the matching
                             files are used for message text).
                             To specify a password for the QGET/GET commands,
                             place it after a comma when specifying the
                             filemask; e.g.
















     Commands                                                      Page 9


     XRobot                                                    User Guide



                               /Fbetafile.*,secretpwd

                             This parameter is not supported by the
                             QPOLL/POLL commands.
         J<size>[k]          Specifies that XRobot should ignore matching
                             files with a size less than the specified size
                             (in bytes).
                             The optional k specifies that <size> is in
                             multiples of 1024 bytes (i.e. kilobytes).
                             This parameter is only supported by the
                             QSEND/SEND/TEXT commands.
         G<address[,name]>   Specifies the address (and optionally name) of
                             the Internet gateway.
                             If XRobot detects an Internet recipient in the
                             list of recipients (see /R), it will address the
                             messages created in the System NetMail Folder to
                             the Internet gateway and write the name of the
                             Internet recipient on the first line of the
                             message text.
                             If support for Internet recipients is desired
                             without using the /G parameter, the XROBOTGATE
                             macro must be defined in the NAMES.FD file. See
                             "Miscellaneous notes" below for more information
                             on Internet gateway handling.
                             This parameter is not supported by the
                             QSEND/QGET/QPOLL commands.
         M<bit><+->         Specifies send/fetch priority and other status
                             flags.
                             See below for a list of supported <bit> values.
                             The trailing + (plus) or - (dash) is required.
                             The most commonly used <bit> values are: C
                             (Crash), I (Immediate), H (Hold), and D
                             (Direct).
                             The B, J, M, N, O, P, S, V, X, and Y values have
                             no function for the QSEND/QGET/QPOLL commands..
         N<1-10>             Specifies that XRobot should use the specified
                             username from SETUP.FD as the sender of messages
                             it creates.
                             This parameter is not supported by the
                             QSEND/QGET/QPOLL commands.
         NL                  Prevents XRobot from performing activity
                             logging.
         NR                  Prevents XRobot from updating the FrontDoor
                             rescan semaphores.
                             Use of this parameter is not recommended unless
                             the purpose is to delay a rescan because XRobot
                             is being invoked multiple times.
         NI                  Specifies that XRobot should include files with
                             Hidden and/or System attributes when searching
                             for files matching the file statements (/F).
                             XRobot will by default skip files with these
                             attributes.
                             This parameter is not supported by the QGET/GET
                             commands.
         NX                  Specifies that XRobot should not translate
                             visible message text contents from the Windows
                             character set to the DOS character set.
                             This parameter is ignored by the DOS and OS/2
                             versions of XRobot.















     Commands                                                     Page 10


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


                             This parameter is not supported by the
                             QSEND/QGET/QPOLL commands.
                             See "Character set considerations" for more
                             information about character sets.
         O<0-30>             Specifies that XRobot should use the specified
                             AKA (network address) from SETUP.FD.
                             This disables the automatic AKA matching
                             otherwise used by XRobot.
                             This parameter is not supported by the
                             QSEND/QGET/QPOLL commands.
         QA                  Specifies that the created STQ entries should be
                             active after specified time (see /S).
                             This parameter is only supported by the
                             QSEND/QGET/QPOLL commands.
         QU                  Specifies that the created STQ entries should be
                             active until specified time (see /S).
                             This parameter is only supported by the
                             QSEND/QGET/QPOLL commands.
         R<address[,name]>   Specifies a recipient for the recipient list.
                             The optional name must be specified as
                             Firstname_Lastname; if no name is specified,
                             XRobot will address the message to SysOp on the
                             specified address. To specify multiple
                             recipients, the /R parameter must be used once
                             for each recipient.
                             For notes regarding Internet recipients, see the
                             /G parameter above.
                             The QSEND/QGET/QPOLL commands will ignore the
                             optional name since the STQ does not maintain
                             recipient names.
         S<date>@<time>      Specifies optional delivery date and time
                             parameters.
                             Use of the /S parameter must be combined with
                             either /QA or /QU (see above). Date is specified
                             as yyyymmdd and time is specified as hhmmss. It
                             is possible to specify only a date (/Syyyymmdd)
                             or only a time (/S@hhmmss).
                             This is only supported by the QSEND/QGET/QPOLL
                             commands.
                             See "Timed delivery" for more information about
                             timed delivery.
         T<file>/<subject>   For the TEXT command, the /T parameter is used
                             to specify the contents of the Re: (Subject)
                             field of created message.
                             For the SEND/GET/POLL commands, the /T parameter
                             is used to specify a file to be used as the
                             contents of the message body.
                             This parameter is not supported by the
                             QSEND/QGET/QPOLL commands.
         U                   Specifies that XRobot should create an update
                             file request rather than a file request.
                             This parameter is only supported by the QGET/GET
                             commands.
         WU                  Specifies that XRobot should UUencode the
                             visible contents of the message body.
                             This parameter is not supported by the
                             QSEND/QGET/QPOLL commands.
                             See "UUencoding" below for more information
                             about UUencoding.
         X                   Specifies that XRobot should translate visible















     Commands                                                     Page 11


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


                             message text contents from the Windows character
                             set to the DOS character set.
                             This parameter is ignored by the Win32 version
                             of XRobot.
                             This parameter is not supported by the
                             QSEND/QGET/QPOLL commands.
                             See "Character set considerations" for more
                             information about character sets.
         Y<alias>            Specifies that files matching the file
                             statements (/F) should be transmitted using the
                             name <alias>.
                             This is typically only used for single files
                             since it is rather pointless to send several
                             files with the same name to a remote system. No
                             translation or other processing of the specified
                             name is performed by XRobot. If <alias> contains
                             spaces, the specified name must be enclosed in
                             double quotes:

                               /Y"This is a really long and weird filename"

                             This parameter is only supported by the
                             QSEND/SEND commands.
         ZN                  Specifies that XRobot should search the unsecure
                             list of requestable directories and alias
                             definitions for the files specified with the /F
                             parameter. Note that if the /ZN or /ZS (below)
                             parameters are used, files specified with the /F
                             parameter should not contain a path. Use of the
                             /ZN or /ZS parameter automatically disables the
                             /A parameter (see above).
                             This parameter is only supported by the
                             QSEND/SEND commands.
         ZS                  Identical to the /ZN parameter (above) with one
                             difference; the secure list of requestable
                             directories and alias definitions are used.

       3.1.2 Primary command examples

         Some examples of primary command usage follow:


         XROBOT QSEND /FC:\FD\FILES\*.RAR /R255:3046/0

         Send all files matching C:\FD\FILES\*.RAR to 255:3046/0, using the
         STQ (QSEND).


         XROBOT GET /FNEWFILES.RAR /FPRICELST.ASC /R255:3046/1 /MI+

         Fetch NEWFILES.RAR and PRICELST.ASC from 255:3046/1 with immediate
         priority, using the System NetMail Folder (GET).






















     Commands                                                     Page 12


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       3.1.3 Timed delivery

         The /S parameter in combination with either of the /QA or /QU
         parameters allows selective activation of STQ entries created by
         XRobot when the QSEND, QGET, and QPOLL commands are used. The /QA
         parameter specifies that the entry should only be active after a
         specific date and time. The /QU parameter specifies that the STQ
         entry should be active only until a specific date and time.

         To send a file (XR400.EXE) to a specific system (255:3046/100) after
         January 1st, 1999 the XRobot command-line could look something like
         (note the missing time data for /S):


         XROBOT QSEND /FC:\RELEASE\XR400.EXE /R255:3046/100 /S19990101 /QA

         To make the same file available for pick-up after the same date, the
         XRobot command-line could look something like (note the use of
         /MH+):


         XROBOT QSEND /FC:\RELEASE\XR400.EXE /R255:3046/100 /S19990101 /QA
         /MH+


       3.1.4 UUencoding

         Although the /WU parameter is also supported for the SEND, GET, and
         POLL commands, its primary purpose is to be used with the TEXT
         command to send UUencoded files as message text.

         The TEXT command will normally use the files specified with the /F
         parameter as input when creating (text) messages. This is useful for
         posting logs, standardized messages, etc. If the TEXT command is
         combined with the /WU parameter, it allows files to be sent as
         UUencoded images. This is particularly useful when Internet
         recipients (see /R above) are being used.

         Consider the following two examples:


         XROBOT TEXT /FC:\RELEASE\XR400.UUE /R255:3046/1


         XROBOT TEXT /FC:\RELEASE\XR400.EXE /R255:3046/1 /WU

         The first example will create a message to 255:3046/1 with the
         contents of C:\RELEASE\XR400.UUE as the message body.
         The second example will create a message with the contents of
         C:\RELEASE\XR400.EXE as the message body; the file contents are
         automatically UUencoded by XRobot before being placed into the
         message.

       * Use of the /WU parameter does not affect the contents of the
         input/source file; it only affects the contents of the resulting
         messages, created by XRobot.


















     Commands                                                     Page 13


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       3.1.5 Character set considerations

         It should be noted that the Win32 version of XRobot will by default
         convert text that it puts into the message body from the
         Windows/ANSI character set to the DOS/OEM character set; i.e. it is
         assumed that input text files are stored in the Windows character
         set. To prevent this character set translation, the /NX parameter
         must be specified.

         The DOS and OS/2 versions of XRobot are capable of using input text
         files that use the Windows/ANSI character set. The /X parameter
         must, however, be specified to force XRobot to convert input data to
         the DOS/OEM character set.


       3.1.6 Spool directories

         A spool directory or spool entry is a special entry in the STQ that
         allows a large number of files to be sent to (or picked up by) a
         remote system without the need for additional STQ entries. In its
         most basic form, a spool entry refers to a directory with the
         filemask "*.*" (all files); it is possible to create spool entries
         with a more discriminating filemask such as C:\SPOOL\SWEDEN*.RAR.

         A spool entry can be given special treatment status such as Hold,
         Crash, or Immediate, just like other STQ entries; spool entries can
         also be time limited (see "Timed delivery" above).

         To create a spool entry, the QSPOOLMAKE command is used; the
         QSPOOLMAKE command accepts the /F, /R, /M, /NL, /S, /QA, and /QU
         parameters. XRobot makes no attempt to verify or access the
         filemasks specified with the /F parameter when the QSPOOLMAKE
         command is used.

         Once a spool entry has been created in the STQ, all that is required
         for a file to be sent is to copy it to the specified spool directory
         (assuming that the name of the file matches the specified filemask).
         The next time FrontDoor rescans its System NetMail Folder and STQ,
         the file will be detected and the appropriate action taken.

         It should be noted that FrontDoor will remove all successfully
         transmitted files from a spool directory; if a file cannot be
         removed, FrontDoor will add the read-only attribute to the file to
         avoid it re-activating the spool entry.

       * Spool entries remain in the STQ until they are manually deleted or
         expire.


       3.2 UTILITY COMMANDS

         The utility commands are intended as tools to simplify system
         maintenance. For a list of utility commands, type:





















     Commands                                                     Page 14


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


         XROBOT UTIL

         Very few of the utility commands share command-line parameters. The
         format in which the utility commands and their parameters is
         described therefore differs somewhat from that of the primary
         commands, above.


       3.2.1 Command-line parameters and usage


       3.2.1.1 CHECKFREQ

         Verify list of requestable directories and alias definitions.

         NL   Prevents XRobot from performing activity logging.
         ZN   Specifies that XRobot should only verify the unsecure list of
              requestable directories and alias definitions.
         ZS   Specifies that XRobot should only verify the secure list of
              requestable directories and alias definitions.

         XRobot will exit with one of the following errorlevels:

         o 0 (No errors found)

         o 1 (One or more invalid definitions found)

         o 2 (Missing - list or alias - files, etc.)


       3.2.1.2 FSTAMP

         Modify timestamp of matching/specified files.

         F                Filemask to search for (multiple supported).
         NI               Specifies that XRobot should include files with
                          Hidden and/or System attributes when searching for
                          files matching the file statements (/F).
                          XRobot will by default skip files with these
                          attributes.
         NL               Prevents XRobot from performing activity logging.
         S<date>@<time>   Specifies optional timestamp as date (yyyymmdd) and
                          time (hhmmss). It is possible to specify only a
                          date (/Syyyymmdd) or only a time (/S@hhmmss). If
                          <date> is omitted, the current date of the file is
                          used; if <time> is omitted, the current time of the
                          file is used.


























     Commands                                                     Page 15


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       3.2.1.3 KILLOLD

         Remove "old" files until specified number of files remain; the files
         are removed starting with the oldest file.

         F                Filemask to search for (multiple supported).
         NI               Specifies that XRobot should include files with
                          Hidden and/or System attributes when searching for
                          files matching the file statements (/F).
                          XRobot will by default skip files with these
                          attributes.
         NL               Prevents XRobot from performing activity logging.
         P<num>           Specifies the number of files to keep.
                          If the total number of matching files is less than
                          <num>, no files will be removed.
         S<date>@<time>   Specifies optional maximum age as date (yyyymmdd)
                          and time (hhmmss) for matching files to be
                          considered for removal. It is possible to specify
                          only a date (/Syyyymmdd) or only a time
                          (/S@hhmmss). If <date> is omitted, the current date
                          is used; if <time> is omitted, 000000 (midnight) is
                          assumed.

       3.2.1.4 LCIN

         Write entry to inbound "lastcall" and mail history databases.

         See "LCOUT" for more information about parameters.


       3.2.1.5 LCOUT

         Write entry to outbound "lastcall" and mail history databases.

         NL                Prevents XRobot from performing activity logging.
         P<Name>[,<Loc>]   Specifies the system name and optionally the
                           system location.
                           Space characters should be specified as underscore
                           (_) characters.

       3.2.1.6 LOG

         Add log entry.

         P<Text>   Writes <Text> to FrontDoor log (see "Logging") using the
                   'X' log symbol.

       3.2.1.7 MKBUSYSEM

         Unconditionally create FrontDoor "busy" semaphores.

         This command creates the same "session" semaphores that FrontDoor
         would create when it has established a session with the given
         system(s).

         NL           Prevents XRobot from performing activity logging.
         R<address>   Remote system network address (multiple supported).

















     Commands                                                     Page 16


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       3.2.1.8 RMBUSYSEM

         Unconditionally remove FrontDoor "busy" semaphores.

         This command removes the same "session" semaphores that FrontDoor
         would create when it has established a session with the given
         system(s).

         NL           Prevents XRobot from performing activity logging.
         R<address>   Remote system network address (multiple supported).

       3.2.1.9 TOUCH

         Update timestamp of matching/specified semaphores.

         F    Filemask to search for (multiple supported).
              If no path is specified for a filemask, XRobot defaults to the
              FrontDoor semaphore directory.
              The timestamp of files matching the specified filemask will be
              updated to the current date and time.
              If no wildcard characters (* and ?) are used in the filemask,
              XRobot will create a zero-byte file if it does not exist.
         NI   Specifies that XRobot should include files with Hidden and/or
              System attributes when searching for files matching the file
              statements (/F).
              XRobot will by default skip files with these attributes.
         NL   Prevents XRobot from performing activity logging.

       3.2.1.10 WAIT

         Pause for the specified amount of time.

         XRobot will pause for the specified amount of time; while waiting,
         XRobot will release time to the CPU/OS to avoid "hogging" the CPU.

         P<Time>   Number of seconds (1-28800) XRobot should wait.
         NL        Prevents XRobot from performing activity logging.

       3.2.1.11 WAITSEM

         Pause until specified files exist or have been removed; or specified
         amount of time has elapsed.

         While waiting, XRobot will  release time to the CPU/OS to avoid
         "hogging" the CPU.

         EE        Wait until any file(s) matching the specified filemask
                   exist.
         EN        Wait until no file(s) matching the specified filemask
                   exist.
         F         Filemask to search for (multiple supported).
         NI        Specifies that XRobot should include files with Hidden
                   and/or System attributes when searching for files matching
                   the file statements (/F).
                   XRobot will by default skip files with these attributes.
         NL        Prevents XRobot from performing activity logging.
         P<Time>   Maximum number of seconds (1-28800) XRobot should wait.

















     Commands                                                     Page 17


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


         XRobot will exit with one of the following errorlevels:

         o 0 (No change detected)

         o 1 (Change in one or more of the specified files detected)


       3.2.1.12 WIPE

         Remove (recursively) files matching specified filemask.

         The WIPE command will not remove files with read-only attribute; nor
         will it remove directories.

         F    Filemask to search for (multiple supported).
         NI   Specifies that XRobot should include files with Hidden and/or
              System attributes when searching for files matching the file
              statements (/F).
              XRobot will by default skip files with these attributes.
         NL   Prevents XRobot from performing activity logging.
         P    Specifies that sub-directories should not be processed; i.e.
              perform only a non-recursive search for the specified filemask.

       3.3 QUERY COMMANDS

         The query commands are intended as tools to simplify system
         maintenance. For a list of query commands, type:


         XROBOT QUERY

         Very few of the query commands have significant command-line
         parameters.

         The WEEKDAY, MONTHDAY, and YEARMONTH commands only support the /NL
         (Prevent XRobot from performing activity logging) parameter.

         The QINFO command supports no command-line parameters.

         The command-line parameters for the SIZEOF command are listed below.
































     Commands                                                     Page 18


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       3.3.1.1 SIZEOF

         Check total size of files matching specified filemask.

         F            Filemask to search for (multiple supported).
         J<size>[k]   Specifies the total size (in bytes) of matching files
                      threshold.
                      The optional k specifies that <size> is in multiples of
                      1024 bytes (i.e. kilobytes).
         NI           Specifies that XRobot should include files with Hidden
                      and/or System attributes when searching for files
                      matching the file statements (/F).
                      XRobot will by default skip files with these
                      attributes.
         NL           Prevents XRobot from performing activity logging.

         XRobot will exit with one of the following errorlevels:

         o 0 (Files matching specified filemask do not exceed or equal
           specified threshold)

         o 1 (Files matching specified filemask exceed or equals specified
           threshold)


       3.4 MSGBITS

         The meaning of the various message bits is explained in the
         FrontDoor documentation.

         The /M parameter is used to set or reset specific message bits to
         alter the default behavior of XRobot. Certain defaults apply and
         some bits cannot be removed (reset) from messages being created.

         For all commands, the "Local" bit is always set.

         The "Kill/Sent" and "Private" bits are by default set.

         For the QGET/GET commands, the "File Request" bit is always set
         unless the /U parameter is also used, in which case the "File Update
         Request" bit is set instead.

         For the QSEND/SEND commands, the "File" bit is always set.

         For the QPOLL/POLL commands, the "Direct" bit is assumed.

         Some bits do not make any sense when combined. Such combinations
         include the "Immediate" (or "Crash") and "Hold" bits.

         For a list of available /M parameter combinations, type:


         XROBOT MSGBITS





















     Commands                                                     Page 19


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       4. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES


       4.1 NAMES.FD


       4.1.1 Recipients

         When specifying a recipient (/R), you may use name macros listed in
         NAMES.FD. This is indicated to XRobot by preceding the recipient
         with an asterisk (*):


         XROBOT QSEND /FMYFILE.RAR /R*Kalle

         would search for Kalle in NAMES.FD and use the address (and SysOp
         name, if defined and applicable) associated with that macro.

         If you do not want to use NAMES.FD, but want to specify a recipient
         name instead of the default SysOp, you may do so by putting a comma
         (,) followed by the recipient's name after the network address:


         XROBOT SEND /FMYFILE.RAR /R255:3046/1,Kalle_Karlsson

         would send the file MYFILE.RAR to Kalle Karlsson on 255:3046/1. Note
         the underscore character in the above example, it is used to
         indicate a space.


       4.1.2 Internet gateway

         When recipients are specified for primary commands (see "Primary
         commands") with the /R parameter, XRobot supports Internet-style
         recipients in addition to numerical addresses and NAMES.FD macros.

         If XRobot detects an Internet recipient in the recipient list, it
         requires that the /G parameter is also specified, or that the
         XROBOTGATE macro has been defined in the NAMES.FD file. An example
         of such a definition follows:


         XRobotGate,Internet Gate,255:3046/800

         The above would configure the Internet gateway's name to Internet
         Gate and its address to 255:3046/800.


         /G255:3046/800,Internet_Gate


       4.2 INTERNET RECIPIENTS

         As with non-Internet recipients, XRobot supports two formats for
         specifying Internet recipients:


         /Rsales@defsol.se

         would specify the Internet recipient sales@defsol.se.















     Miscellaneous notes                                          Page 20


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


         /Rkalle@defsol.se,Kalle_Karlsson

         would specify the Internet recipient <kalle@defsol.se> "Kalle
         Karlsson".

         When XRobot creates messages for Internet recipients, it will
         address the actual message to the gateway (see "Internet gateway"
         above) and place the Internet recipient on the first line of the
         message body:


         TO: kalle@defsol.se "Kalle Karlsson"


       4.3 FDOPT SETTINGS

         XRobot will use/honor the following FDOPT environment variable
         settings:

         NOISCR      XRobot will by default remove SoftCR (ASCII 141)
                     characters from text files before importing them into
                     the body of a message. This may be inappropriate in some
                     environments. If this option is enabled, XRobot will not
                     remove SoftCR characters.
         NOSHAREIH   XRobot will by default write to the shared inbound mail
                     history database (see "LCIN") INBOUND.HIS. This option
                     specifies that a separate, task-specific, inbound mail
                     history database is used.
         NOSHAREOH   XRobot will by default write to the shared outbound mail
                     history database (see "LCOUT") OUTBOUND.HIS. This option
                     specifies that a separate, task-specific, inbound mail
                     history database is used.

       4.4 OTHER ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES


       4.4.1 TZUTC

         The purpose of this environment variable is to establish a specific
         system's geographical location relative to UTC (GMT) which is 0000.
         The format of the TZUTC data is as follows:


         [+|-]hhmm

         where '+' (plus) is optional and assumed if '-' (minus) is not
         present. For systems located east of UTC0000, a positive value is
         expected, for systems located west of UTC0000 a negative value is
         expected. E.g.


         SET TZUTC=0200

         is the correct setting for Central Europe during summer time. The
         information specified in the TZUTC environment variable is added to
         messages created by XRobot.


















     Miscellaneous notes                                          Page 21


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       4.4.2 TASK

         The TASK environment variable is used by XRobot (and FrontDoor,
         multi-line version) to properly support multi-line operations
         including avoiding filename collisions, separate configurations,
         etc.

         The minimum value for TASK is zero (0) and the maximum is 255.


























































     Miscellaneous notes                                          Page 22


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       5. RESPONSE FILES

         XRobot is capable of using response files for input to the /F and /R
         parameters, as well as a global response file for all commands and
         actions that should be executed.

         To indicate that you want to use a response file, XRobot requires
         that you precede them with an @ character, e.g. @<RESPONSE.FIL>.
         This instructs XRobot to read the file RESPONSE.FIL and take its
         input from the file as opposed to from the command-line. This allows
         you to create pre-defined "sets" of recipients and files to send or
         request and then reuse them.

         The format of a response file is that of a plain vanilla ASCII file
         with each line terminated by a <CR><LF> combination (although XRobot
         can handle a single <CR> or <LF> as the line terminator).

         Text following a semi-colon (;) is ignored and can be used as
         comments to make response files more readable. The maximum line
         length is 255 characters.


       5.1 SIMPLE RESPONSE FILES

         Here is an example of a simple response file specified for the /F
         parameter. In the example, the file is called RESPONSE.FIL:

                ;This is a comment
                C:\UPD.DOC C:\INV.DOC      ;This too
                C:\FD\NEWS\FIDO*.NWS       ;And this..
                C:\FD\FRODO\FDNEWS.RAR     ;You get the picture..
         The command-line


         XR QSEND /F@response.fil /R255:3046/1

         would instruct XRobot to send all files listed in RESPONSE.FIL to
         255:3046/1.

         Another example, for use with the /R switch follows, again, it is
         assumed that the response file is called RESPONSE.FIL:

                ;This is another comment
                2:201/330 1:170/400 255:3000/0 *Kalle
         The command-line


         XR SEND /FMYFILE.RAR /R@response.fil

         would instruct XRobot to send MYFILE.RAR to all recipients listed in
         RESPONSE.FIL. Note the use of *Kalle which forces XRobot to scan the
         NAMES.FD file for the macro "Kalle".


       5.2 REPONSE FILE LABELS

         One other very powerful concept of response files as implemented in
         XRobot is the use of labels. This allows you to put several
         different sets of pre-defined files and recipients in one physical
         file and instruct XRobot which set to use.















     Response files                                               Page 23


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


         A label is specified in a response file by preceding the first word
         on a line by a colon (:). The length of the label may not exceed 255
         characters and must not contain any spaces. To specify a label in
         conjunction with a response file, use the format
         @response.fil@label. An example follows (again, the response file is
         called RESPONSE.FIL):

                 ;A XRobot response file with labels
                :MYNET
                2:201/330 2:201/329 2:201/300
                :USNET
                1:170/400 1:360/1 1:135/990
         The command-line


         XR QSEND /FMYFILE.RAR /R@response.fil@mynet

         would instruct XRobot to send MYFILE.RAR to all recipients  starting
         at the "MYNET" label.

         When a label is specified, XRobot will first search for the label,
         and if found, read all input until the next label is found, or the
         end of the file is encountered. If a label is not specified, the
         entire response file is read (and all labels are ignored).


       5.3 GLOBAL RESPONSE FILES

         One other use of response files is supported by XRobot, a global
         response file. This allows multiple actions to be taken by XRobot to
         be specified. Normally, this would require several calls from the
         operating system prompt (or .BAT/.CMD/.BTM file).

         If a global response file is used, no other parameters will be
         honored and all input is read from the response file. The global
         response file is specified as:


         XROBOT @response.fil

         An example follows (again, the file is called RESPONSE.FIL):

                 ;A comment
                SEND /FMYFILE.RAR /R2:201/330 /R2:201/329,Mats_Wallin
                QGET /FFILES /R255:3046/1
                ;Some more comments
                TEXT /FC:\TEXTS\NEWS.NOW /R2:201/300 /MC+
                SEND /F@many.fil /R@many.rcp
       * Note the use of response files in the last SEND command.
























     Response files                                               Page 24


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       APPENDIX A: GLOSSARY

        Address        The unique combination of Zone:Net/Node.Point,
                       identifying an individual site (system).

        AKA            Alternative address ("Also Known As").

        ASCII          American Standard Code for Information Interchange;
                       used to represent letters, numbers, and special
                       characters such as $, !, and /.

        BBS            See Bulletin Board System

        Bit rate       The number of binary digits or bits transmitted per
                       second (BPS). Communication channels using telephone
                       links are established at set bit rates, commonly 9600,
                       14400, 28800, and 33600 BPS.

        Bulletin       A Bulletin Board System, or BBS for short, is a system
        Board System   to which users can connect via a dial-up connection, a
                       Local Area Network or via the Internet. It often
                       consists of different areas, e.g. message groups, file
                       areas, on-line games, and chat rooms.

        CnfMail        See Conference Mail

        Conference     A conference is a discussion forum where a certain
                       topic is discussed, for instance Cooking, Computer
                       programming, Politics, Product support, etc. A
                       conference can either be open to everyone, or
                       restricted to a closed group of participants.
                       All messages in a conference are public, even if they
                       are addressed to a specific recipient. This means that
                       all participants of the conference are able to read
                       all messages. To send a private message, use the
                       NetMail folder.
                       All messages in a conference are stored together in a
                       folder.

        Conference     Mail that is sent from one person and then distributed
        Mail           by means of a conference with more than one
                       participant (see Conference).

        Conference     An external application used to process conference
        Mail           mail. It is responsible for placing conference
        Processor      messages received from remote systems into their
                       proper folders and for exporting messages written
                       locally in Conference-type folders. The Conference
                       Mail Processor creates file attachments, which are
                       delivered by FD to the appropriate remote systems.

        Confirmation   A confirmation receipt is an indication that the
        Receipt        recipient of a message has read it.
                        All systems do not support or allow confirmation
                       receipts, which means that the recipient may have read
                       the message, even if you have not received a
                       confirmation receipt.

        ConfMail
                       See Conference Mail
















     Response files                                               Page 25


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


        Crossposting   The process of saving ("posting") a message to more
                       than one folder.

        EchoMail       See Conference Mail

        E-Mail         Electronic mail.

        LAN            Local Area Network.
                       A LAN is often used to connect a number of computers
                       at an office with each other, to make it possible to
                       share resources such as disk drives, modems, and
                       printers.

        Mailer         A program responsible for sending, receiving, storing,
                       and forwarding of mail. FD is the mailer in the
                       FrontDoor package.

        NetMail        Mail that is sent from one person to another person,
                       i.e. person-to-person correspondence.

        Network        See Address
        Address
        Origin line    Messages in a Conference Folder normally have an
                       ending identification line, called Origin Line. An
                       example of an origin line:

                                 * Origin: Definite Solutions (255:3046/1)

                       The text in the origin line can contain any (or no)
                       text, but it must be followed by the address of the
                       system where the message originated. Some examples of
                       text in an origin line:

                                 Definite Solutions - Stockholm, Sweden
                                 XYZ Corporation - Green Valley, CA, USA
                                 XYZ Corporation - John Doe in the field

        Primary        The first address configured in FDSETUP
        Address        (Global.Address.Address.Main).

        Primary AKA
                       See Primary Address

        Static queue   A single-file database containing entries that specify
                       files to send and fetch, as well as systems to call.
                       By using external software, such as conference mail
                       processors, that supports the static queue, the speed
                       of mail processing can be improved considerably.

        STQ            See Static queue

        Tear line      The tear line is a line located at the end of the
                       messages, just before the origin line, and begins with
                       three dashes (---), sometimes followed by a short
                       program notice.
                       This line is added by most message editors, such as
                       FM, but is not required.

        XC             See Crossposting
















     Response files                                               Page 26


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       APPENDIX B: VERSION HISTORY


       B.1 4.00

         o Use of the INTL extended message information field is mandatory;
           i.e. messages created by XRobot will always contain INTL
           information as applicable. XRobot will furthermore insert proper
           CHRS, CODEPAGE, and FLAGS extended message information fields when
           creating messages.

         o The FMRESCAN.NOW semaphore is no longer supported/updated.

         o The TEXT command can now be used with any input files (/F); this
           will result in an empty message being created. The /T switch can
           be used to specify a subject for the empty message.

         o Support for Internet-style recipients and UUencoding of files has
           been added.

         o Support for the FrontDoor Static Queue (STQ) has been added.

         o Support for external and internal $[]-style macros has been
           added.

         o A number of commands has been added.

         o A Win32 (Windows 9x and Windows NT console mode) executable has
           been added.


       B.2 VERSIONS PRIOR TO 4.00

         o When using the /T parameter to place the contents of an ASCII
           file into a text message, the program would incorrectly leave a
           NUL character between the extended message information ("kludge
           lines") and the beginning of the message text.

         o The option to send a message via a zonegate has been removed.

         o The support for drive mappings has been removed.

         o XROBOT.CTL is no longer supported. All necessary configuration
           data is retrieved from FrontDoor's system files, specifically
           SETUP.FD and NAMES.FD.



























     Response files                                               Page 27


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       APPENDIX C: CONTACT INFORMATION

         Definite Solutions can be reached at:

          Postal address:   Definite Solutions HB
                            Forskottsvagen 11
                            S-129 32  Hagersten
                            SWEDEN

               Telephone:   +46 8 6456495       (0800-1800 CET, Mon-Fri)

                     Fax:   +46 8 55630102

                     BBS:   +46 8 55630102      (V.34 8N1, X.75 ISDN)
                            +46 8 55630103      (V.34 8N1, X.75 ISDN)

                 FidoNet:   2:201/329
                            2:201/330

                Internet:   sales@defsol.se
                            http://www.defsol.se/


        Please refer to our website (above) for additional information such
        as the FrontDoor Developers Kit (FDDEV), the FrontDoor Frequently
        Asked Questions (FDFAQ) document, and more.












































     Response files                                               Page 28


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


       INDEX


        A

         Acrobat Reader                                      4
         ANSI                               See Character sets

        C

         Character sets                                     14
         Command-line                                     6, 9
           Help                                              7
           Primary commands                               6, 9
           Query commands                                7, 18
           Utility commands                          7, 14, 15
         Conference
           Origin line                                      26
         Contact information                                28

        D

         Definite Solutions                                 28

        E

         Environment variables                           6, 21
           FD                                                6
           FDOPT                                            21
           TASK                                             22
           TZUTC                                            21
           XRLOG                                             7

        F

         FD                          See Environment variables
         FDOPT                       See Environment variables
         Filenames                                           5

        G

         Glossary                                           25

        I

         Internet
           Gateway                                      10, 20
           Recipients                               10, 11, 20

        L

         Legal notice                                        4
         Logging                                             7

        M

         MSGBITS                                            19

















     Index                                                        Page 29


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


        N

         NAMES.FD                                           20
           XROBOTGATE                                       10

        O

         OEM                                See Character sets
         Operating system versions                           5
         Origin line                                        26

        P

         Primary commands                                 6, 9

        Q

         Query commands                                  7, 18

        R

         Requirements                                        4
         Response files                                     23
           Global                                           24
           Labels                                           23
           Simple                                           23

        S

         Spool directories                               6, 14
         Static queue                                        8
           Spool directories             See Spool directories
           Timed delivery                                   13

        T

         TASK                        See Environment variables
         Timed delivery                                     13
         TZUTC                       See Environment variables

        U

         Utility
           CHECKFREQ                                        15
           FSTAMP                                           15
           KILLOLD                                          16
           LCIN                                             16
           LCOUT                                            16
           LOG                                              16
           MKBUSYSEM                                        16
           RMBUSYSEM                                        17
           TOUCH                                            17
           WAIT                                             17
           WAITSEM                                          17
           WIPE                                             18
         Utility commands                                7, 14
         UUencoding                                         13

















     Index                                                        Page 30


     XRobot                                                    User Guide


        V

         Version history                                    27






























































     Index                                                        Page 31

