            
            === 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 <esc> 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 <number>" - 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
