Implement main_type_new_external

[wwiv]

If we bring this back, it'll make it easier to integrate with some intrabbs tools

Here's the text from the net38 tech docs:

 main_type 27 (0x001b) -- main_type_new_external

       This is the new type of external message,
       implemented with NET33.  Like main_type 6, it
       creates an external file with the message text for
       an external program to process.  Again, the
       minor_type is determined by the external program.

       There is a full explanation of how these messages
       are processed in Filo's NETXX Software Docs.  In
       short, similar to main_type 6, the local mail
       processor searches for the minor_type in a data file
       (EPROGS.NET for NETxx), and creates an external file
       if it is found.  When the local mail processor is
       finished with the local mail file, the program
       associated with that minor_type will execute, with
       the associated filename (with path) as a parameter.

and in the non-tech docs:

Appendix I - External Message Interface
======================================================

   Net33 (and later versions) will include a method whereby 
messages for external programs can be transferred through   
the network.  This does not describe how to read network    
data files, or how to write net packets, only how to        
integrate a program that does those things with the         
network.  (see the WWIV source code, or WWIVnet technical   
docs, for info on that.)                                    

    All received message packets that are destined for the  
local system are stored into "LOCAL.NET" in your network    
data directory.  The network2.exe program is then run to    
process the messages.  If any messages are of the "new      
external" type (main_type_new_extern, 0x001b), then they    
may be saved for processing by an external net program.     

    Each external network program requires a program (.exe  
or .com, NOT .bat), which will take as parameters a         
filename of a network file (p*.net format), and a network   
number identifier (.net_num).  Each external network        
program can take as input a contiguous range of             
minor_type's.                                               

    External network programs are described in the          
'EPROGS.NET' which (optionally) exists in the network data  
directory.  The eprogs.net file is a text file, and has a   
line describing one external net program per line.  Each    
line has three pieces of information: the program name      
(1-8 chars), the starting minor_type, and the stopping      
minor_type.  So, for example, if an external net program    
'netprog.exe' is to handle main_type 0x1b, minor types      
100-103, then the line in the eprogs.net file for that      
processor would be:                                         

netprog 100 103                                             

(If the program handles only one minor_type, then the       
starting and stopping minor_types should both be the same,  
and equal to the minor_type to be processed.)               

   As local.net is processed, any main_type_new_extern      
messages encountered cause network2 to search the           
eprogs.net file to see if any external net programs are     
set up to handle that minor_type.  If none are found, the   
net message is thrown away.  If there are two or more       
programs listed to process that minor_type, only the first  
receives the message.  Net messages accepted for an         
external net program are stored to a temporary file while   
local.net has been processed.  After local.net has been     
completely processed, and deleted, network2 runs the        
external net programs, in order, passing them the           
filename of the temporary net file for that program, and    
an indication of which network is being processed.  After   
the program exits, the temporary net file is deleted.       

   Note that it IS allowable for an external net program    
to create a p*.net file for outgoing messages, OR to put    
net messages to the local.net file which will be            
immediately re-processed by the BBS.                        

   Please do not blindly grab minor_types.  If you need a   
lot of separate message types, the message type can be      
stored in the text part of the message and a single         
minor_type used instead.                                    

   There are also local.net pre-processors allowed in       
net32.  The preprocessors are listed in the 'epreproc.net'  
file in the network data directory, one per line.  BEFORE   
network2 processes ANY of local.net, each preprocessor is   
run, in order, passing each the ".net_num" parameter to     
indicate which network is being processed.  The pre-        
processor may then scan through local.net, and mark as      
deleted (main_type=65535) any message processed by that     
preprocessor.  The preprocessor may even append additional  
messages to the local.net file, if that is desired. 

[BloodStoneBBS]

Sounds great! Can help with implementing bbs to e-mail integration for notifications etc…? Like what was in WINS/NEWS from the old PPP project days?

[ericpareja]

I started work on something that needed the EPROGS.NET before then saw that it wasn't implemented yet. This will be cool for a lot of stuff that we can make for WWIVnet.

[wwiv]

It doesn't seem to hard to implement I think, the temp files that are passed to the binary listed in eprogs.net are just wwivnet packet format files. The programs get called like

"program" tempXXXX.net .1 (assuming the network number is 1)

@ericpareja I guess a question is do we want it to work exactly the same now, is there something we could do to make it easier to use?

[wwiv]

https://github.com/wwiv/wwiv/commit/415a61975681a102bf6bfdd5ed74bebfb21c1e26 is what I think is likely 90% of eprogs support. I'll need to add some tests and cleanup a bit before merging. feedback welcome

[wwiv]

It's still not perfect, but I merged it in if you wanted to check it out

[wwiv]

This has been merged, old style eprogs.net support exists.

[wwiv]

This is in 5.8