Subj : Re: "On the Fly" Hex-numb conversion ... ??? To : Gerald.Miller@xspamp0.f512.n342.z1. From : Steve Date : Sun Mar 03 2002 04:46 pm From: "E. S. (Steve) Fabian" Sorry, I mistyped - sent incomplete reply. I'll snip the part already answered. Gerald.Miller@xspamp0.f512.n342.z1.fidonet.org wrote: > > I suppose I could create a list of file extensions that I wish to > EXCEPT and apply the except command before the: > > iff exist %INC%\0000????.* then > > command, but doing so could possibly create a very large list of > valid file extensions to exclude (and then, there is always a > possibility that some will be missed)... > > The other alternative (that I can think of) would be to create a > list of valid file extensions to include and replace the "*" with > a pointer to that file... ??? Remember: EXCEPT operates for a single command (it could be a batch program); its method is to set the HIDDEN attribute of files to be excluded from processing. In your environment you might be better off to do that explicitly, using ATTRIB, and reverse it at the end. Whether you want to create an INCLUDE or EXCLUDE list depends on a) ease of programming, b) complexity of each method, and c) expected performance differences (if significant). If you have a compleat INCLUDE list, you may be safer - after all, usually far more irrelevant entries are possible than those to be included. If you don't have an ironclad guarantee that either the INCLUDE or the EXCLUDE list is complete, you will have to complete the job manually, anyway. > > And, before I forget... Why append the INCOME.DAT file? The sole reason is that your original scheme did not permit the existence of more than one catagory (0000FE05.* OR 0000FFF4.* or 0000.*). If any 0000FE05's exist, all others were ignored. No 0000FE05 but 0000FFF4, only they are considered. Any other 0000???? would be reported only if neither of the specific ones existed. Clearing the report file before start and appending allows all categories to be included in a single file. Another alternative (if more than one category can exist at the same time) is to handle each category separately - the two specific ones first, and reporting them, and going back a 3rd time, using EXCEPT or ATTRIB to exclude the 0000FE05 and 0000FFF4 files. Another alternative is to use the DIR command to report all 0000????.* - this includes the first and second categories automatically. The reporting variables can then be set as now - report Cat. 1 if it is not empty; Cat. 2 if 1 is empty but 2 is not, and Cat. 3 if 1 and 2 are empty but there is at least one matching file. Note that your 00GLOBAL.ZIP would NOT match the 0000????.* pattern and would be excluded. You may need to fine tune your "include" list or just postprocess manually everything not handled by the automated procedure. You may need to "mark" files you found with the automatic procedure, and browse for the rest. The Ror A attributes, or even the H or S, could be used. Or you could just compare the catalog of processed files with the directory... > The > purpose was to do a (one-time) directory listing (sorted by > date/time) of any "hex" files because when Squish has completed > processing these files, they no longer exist - Squish deletes > them when all the *.PKT files have been extracted (Squish then > tosses the *.PKT files to their respective area_tag_name and then > deletes the *.PKT files). I am not familiar with Fidonet, never having used it. I know nothing about Squish or the purpose behind the whole program. -- E. S. "Steve" Fabian ESFabian@BellAtlantic.net POB 1540, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 Telephone: 856-354-1752 EMPIRE Consultants, Inc. Director, Software Development ------------------------------------------------------------------- --- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-2 * Origin: Mach2 Systems (1:342/3) .