CSConv

=========================== CIS services file converter =========================== Description =========== This is a utility to convert services files, downloaded using Readcis, to a format which allows JBcis to recognise individual news items. This means it can display list of news items in the same way as mail and forum messages. You can also manipulate stories more easily: jumping quickly to stories you want to read, saving stories of interest, printing etc. Installation ============ Unzip the files and then: 1 Copy CSconv.opa to \App\Readcis\ 2 Copy all the opo files to \App\Readcis\filters\. If you don't want to use a particular filter you can just delete it. But if you use APFrance services then you must also have APO.opo. The main program, CSconv can be installed on the system screen and run independently of Readcis or JBcis, if memory is a problem. Mode of operation ================= The program can work in one of two ways. You choose which way it will work when the program is run. In Collect mode, all the news items are put into one file called All_news.cis. The original files are deleted. This saves memory and is convenient because all the stories are in one file. In separate mode, the service files are converted but not collected together. The original filenames are kept. This means all the news items from a particular service are kept together. I have put a check in to make sure that the size of converted data is at least 85% of the original. This stops a file being delete if the filter couldn't convert it. Automatic mode selection ======================== If you always use the same mode, you can create a switch to skip the options dialog appearing every time the program is run. Create a switch using Readcis called CS_SEP.ON for Separate mode or CS_COL.ON for Collect mode. Using with JBcis ================ Run CSconv from inside JBcis using Shift-psion-W. CSconv will run. When it is finished, control returns to JBcis and you will see a file selection dialog from which you choose the service file you want to read. If you chose Collect mode then you will probably want to look at All_news.cis since this will contain all of the converted news items. Notes on program operation ========================== Note, although the program asks you to press a key when it ends, this isn't necessary since the program will close by itself after 15 seconds. This gives you time to read any messages in the report windows. You can pause or exit the program by pressing "Help", "menu" or Diamond keys at any time. More filters? ============= I would like to do a filter for Spiegel services; I think its possible but this would be a lot of work mainly because I can't read German (Shameful I know, if it was Japanese...). I wont do anything unless people are interested. The same applies to ENS. I would be interested to hear how people use this service: what wires you use and how many different wires in each folder etc. Something for a limited number of wires would be fairly easy I think. The main program, csconv.opa, looks for files in the service directory and, for each one it finds, it looks for a filter with the same name. You can make some of the filters work with different user scripts eg the Pao filter will work with files downloaded with Steven Cooper's script (Paoscr.zip in Lib. 18) for news and sports stories. The APO filter also works in this way. In fact it will convert APFrance stories. To save memory I have made the APFrance and APfrIntl filters sort of short cuts to the APO filter. If you use them you must have the APO.OPO filter as well. The FA.OPO filter is a similar short cut for PAO which can be copied and renamed to work with any script which downloads PAO stories. Just copy and rename the file with the name of the service file you want it to work on. Writing filters =============== The filters are fairly easy to write. There are some common routines built in to make it easier. If you want info about writing them for a user script or whatever, let me know. Blurb at the end ================ I only wrote this program originally because it would be useful to me and to show it was possible. It works on my setup in the way I use it. I hope it's useful to you. I would be very interested to hear your comments and of course any bugs you find. The original idea for this came from a program called Paox by Sean Corfield. Thanks to John Boyce for putting the necessary code into JBcis. Thanks to Dennis Lefebrve for very useful feedback. Copyright Nick Whitehurt [106124,2103]