xylist, xyWrite, & EOFs

[OkAnnie@xxxxxxxx]

Some comm interfaces apparently neglect to strip control chars
from email before dispatch. Consequently, the EOF in every msg
posted to the xylist by subscribers using, e.g., @azimuth.com,
@unb.ca, and @physics.spa.umn.edu addresses unceremoniously
crashes the (non-Windows) AO software I use. If the
EOF remains, xyWrite files added as ascii files to the ccat list
server have the same effect (when I subscribed I didn't receive
the Welcome document because at that time it contained an EOF and
I was unaware of the problem).

When I capture xylist files with a PCBoard bbs, EOFs don't crash
a session, but the only way I can retrieve msgs that follow one
that contains an EOF is to be aware that the midfile eof is
present, load xyDos 4, and change df 1A to df 1A=1. This converts
the offending EOF to a benign 1 and lets xyWrite display msgs
that follow it. But I don't want to be restricted to df 1A=1
xyDos 4 for log processing even though I don't use Document Info
(which the manual says should be off when df 1A=1). v3 is faster
and less hassle for the purpose. In v3 or df 1A=0 xyDos 4, any
text that follows an EOF is undisplayed; unless a GAO crash or
something else has alerted you that a midfile EOF is present,
you're likely to lose the undisplayed text because saving
destroys it.

I'm uncomfortable asking other subscribers to change their habits
because of my commware probs (am I the only one who has them--or
is aware of them?) and uncommon preferences, but if those who use
the addresses I mentioned use xyWrite to prep msgs for the xylist
or ccat server they could do me and possibly others a very large
favor by stripping the EOF before posting.

EOFs in my own xyWrite files are such a cross-platform nuisance
that my file-close routine includes an option to strip the EOF
("do" a DOS eof-stripping utility: If I hit [Esc] ... [RC key] an
open file is aborted;
[Esc] ... [XC] stores it normally, with an EOF; [Esc] ... [-]
stores it with no EOF; [Esc] ... [CC] shells to the DOS
prompt--an expansion of old LEWP file-close sequences). Other
subscribers and I have asked TTG to write into xyWrite an option
to omit the EOF, and I hope the requests won't be forgotten. df
1A=1 is an advance, but no help when prepping to cross an
electronic frontier.  --annie

========================== annie fisher  nyc