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FILEID.TXT v1.8 by Richard Holler [CIS 73567,1547]
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Last Revision 05/05/94
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This text file was prepared at the request of the ASP (Association of
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Shareware Professionals), but the information contained in it may be of
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value to any shareware author.
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FILE_ID.DIZ INFORMATION
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-----------------------
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Basically, the FILE_ID.DIZ file is a straight ASCII text file, distributed
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inside your distribution archive file along with your program files, which
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contains a description of your program. This file will be used by most BBS
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(Bulletin Board System) softwares for the online file description of your
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file. We recommend that the FILE_ID.DIZ file be used in all of your
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distribution archives.
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This text file contains a description of the FILE_ID.DIZ file, as well as a
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description of the recommended distribution archive format.
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WHY SHOULD YOU USE FILE_ID.DIZ?
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-------------------------------
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The use of this file will insure that the online description of your
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program will be in your own words (and who better to describe your program
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than yourself?), and that it will remain the same no matter how many
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different people upload your file to various BBS systems.
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As more and more BBS software makes use of this file, you can be assured
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that your own description will replace such online descriptions as "Cool
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Program" or "OK utility, but needs better ..."
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Please note that the ASP Hub Network, the Author Direct FDN (File
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Distribution Network), and the majority of other electronic distribution
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services *REQUIRE* that a valid FILE_ID.DIZ file be contained in your
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submitted distribution archive. If your file doesn't contain a valid
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FILE_ID.DIZ file, then it simply won't be distributed by these services.
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Furthermore, most BBS sysops will not accept uploads of files which do not
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contain a valid FILE_ID.DIZ file, so you automatically lose out on that
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distribution as well.
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DESCRIPTION:
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------------
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FILE_ID.DIZ was created by Clark Development for use with their PCBDescribe
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utility, as a means for BBS callers to upload a file without having to
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manually type in a file description. It also ensures that the online
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description is always the same regardless of the number of different BBS
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systems the file is posted on. It has since been accepted by the BBS
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industry more-or-less as the "standard" file description source. (The
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extension of "DIZ" actually stands for "Description In Zip").
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NOTE: The FILE_ID.DIZ file *MUST* be named exactly that, and *NOT*
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something like <filename>.DIZ. It will *ONLY* be used if it is named
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FILE_ID.DIZ!
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The FILE_ID.DIZ file is nothing more than a straight ASCII text file which
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contains the full description of the archived file containing it. It is
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used by most popular BBS software to describe your program, rather than
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using the description supplied by the person that uploaded your file. It
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should be placed *INSIDE* your distribution archive file.
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The BBS software will "look" inside the archive file. If a FILE_ID.DIZ file
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is found, it will replace any existing online file description with the
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text contained in FILE_ID.DIZ. It is an excellent method for making sure
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that your program files are described the way that "you" want them
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described. Even sysops who's software can't automatically make use of the
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FILE_ID.DIZ file have found it to be an excellent source for their manually
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added file descriptions.
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STRUCTURE:
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----------
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The file consists of straight ASCII text, up to 10 lines of text, each line
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being no more than 45 characters long. It should *NOT* contain any blank
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lines, any form of centering or formatting, or any Hi-ASCII or ANSI
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characters. (i.e. it should ONLY contain alpha & numeric characters).
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We recommended that it consist of 5 basic parts:
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1. the proper name of your program
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2. the version number
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3. the "ASP" identifier (optional, for ASP members)
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4. the description separator
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4. the description
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All of the above parts should be separated by a single "space".
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PROGRAM NAME: To set it apart from the rest, it is recommended that you use
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ALL CAPS for the program name.
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VERSION NUMBER: The version number should be in the form of "v12.34".
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ASP IDENTIFIER: If you are an ASP author, we recommend that an "<ASP>"
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identifying mark be added after the version number, to identify your
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product as an ASP-authored product.
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DESCRIPTION SEPARATOR: To separate the actual description text, insert a
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simple "-" (dash/minus) character after the ASP identifier (or version
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number, if not using the ASP identifier), and in front of the description
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text.
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DESCRIPTION: You should attempt to FULLY describe your product, including
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its most important functions and features. Be sure to include anything
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which will separate your program from it's competition, and make the BBS
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user want to download your file. Also try to include any hardware or
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software requirements that your product may have.
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You should try to use the first 2 lines of the text to give a basic
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description of your program. This is helpful for sysops who's BBS software
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limits them to less than 10 lines, 45 characters. Sysops who are limited to
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using shorter descriptions can simply use the 1st two lines and truncate
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the rest. Thus, you can basically still supply your own description for BBS
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software which does not actually utilize the FILE_ID.DIZ feature.
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The remaining lines of text can be used to elaborate on the programs
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features, enhancements from the prior version, information concerning
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multi-file sets. Please note that older versions of some BBS software can
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only use 8 lines of text. It is advisable that you create your FILE_ID.DIZ
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file so that the file can be truncated to various line lengths without
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destroying it's usefulness.
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EXAMPLE
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-------
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MY PROGRAM v1.23 <ASP> - A program which will
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do anything for anybody. Will run in only 2k
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of memory. Can be run from the command line,
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or installed as a TSR. Completely menu-
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driven. Version 1.23 reduces the previous 4k
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memory requirements, and adds an enhanced
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graphical user interface. Also, MY PROGRAM
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now contains Windows and DESQview support.
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Coming soon - an OS/2 version.
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From Do-It-All Software, Inc. $15.00
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MULTIPLE DISK INFO
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------------------
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Please note that if your distribution archive requires multiple archive
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files, you should create a separate, specific FILE_ID.DIZ file for each
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archive. This can be utilized to describe the various contents of each
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archive, and to identify each disk in the set. For example, the FILE_ID.DIZ
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file for disk #1 could contain:
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"MY PROGRAM v1.23 <ASP> Program Executable
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Files - Disk 1 of 2"
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[followed by detailed description text]
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while the FILE_ID.DIZ file for disk #2 could contain:
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"MY PROGRAM v1.23 <ASP> Documentation Files -
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Disk 2 of 2"
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[followed by more detailed description text]
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Optionally, you could also create a "complete" FILE_ID.DIZ file for the
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first disk, which would fully describe the program in detail, and identify
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it as Disk 1 of x. Then, for each remaining file in the set, simply include
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the Program Name, version number, ASP identifier, and the disk number (i.e.
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"MY PROGRAM v1.23 <ASP> Disk 2 of x").
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ADDITIONAL INFO
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---------------
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Please don't be tempted to use fancy graphic or ANSI sequences in the
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FILE_ID.DIZ file, as most BBS software will not allow this, and will render
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your FILE_ID.DIZ file useless. Also, don't be tempted to simply copy your
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program description file to FILE_ID.DIZ. Attempting to "format" your
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FILE_ID.DIZ file (i.e line centering, right & left justification, etc) will
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also cause unexpected results, especially for BBS software which re-formats
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descriptions to other than 10line/45char.
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Fred Hill <ASP> has written a freeware utility which interactively creates
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a valid FILE_ID.DIZ file. The file is called DIZGEN.ZIP and can be found on
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CompuServe (GO IBMBBS, Library 2) as well as on many fine BBS systems. I
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highly recommend that you download a copy of this wonderful utility for
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creating your FILE_ID.DIZ files.
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==========================================================================
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The following is a recommendation for the structure and contents of
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distribution archives prepared for use on BBS systems.
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DISTRIBUTION DISK RECOMMENDATIONS
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---------------------------------
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The following are recommendations for preparing your program files for
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distribution to Bulletin Board Systems (BBSs) via the ASP's distribution
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services, as well as other methods.
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Two varieties of program files are defined here:
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1) Program files which utilize an "install" utility and self-extracting
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program archives (later referred to as "Author-Installed Programs").
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2) Programs files which do not use install utilities or self-extracting
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archives (later referred to as "User-Installed Programs").
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AUTHOR-INSTALLED PROGRAMS:
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--------------------------
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These programs require a bit more work from the author, but will eliminate
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many user mistakes, especially in programs which require complicated
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setups.
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Most "installation" utility programs will make use of program files which
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have been "archived" into Self-Extracting (SFX) archives. We will attempt
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to define which files should be contained in the Self-Extracting archives,
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and which files should not.
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1. Files which should be contained in the self-extracting program file
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archive:
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a. All program-specific executable files.
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b. Any required configuration and/or data files required by the
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program.
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c. Program documentation files. Optionally, these may be left
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outside of the self-extracting archive, in order to allow
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them to be viewed/read by the various archive viewing utlities.
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d. Any other program-specific files that are required for the
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operation of the program.
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2. The files described above should be compiled into a self-extracting
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archive file, which will then be extracted by the install utility.
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NOTE: the author is required to abide by any distribution requirements
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specified by the archive utility author, and to obtain any required
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distribution rights necessary. Please check to see if distribution rights
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are required for your archive utility choice.
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3. Files which should NOT be contained in the self-extracting program file
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archive:
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a. The install utility itself (obviously).
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b. The FILE_ID.DIZ file. (described in detail in the section
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preceding this one)
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c. Any distribution/information files, such as VENDOR.TXT,
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SYSOP.TXT, etc.
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d. Any description or information file, such as DESCRIBE.TXT.
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e. A user file (such as README.1ST), which should explain how
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to use the install utility, what the user should expect
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during the installation, and any preparation that the user
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should make prior to the installation. This file might also
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contain a brief description of your program, in case the user
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is able to read the documentation files in the distribution
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archive prior to downloading (many BBS systems offer this
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ability to the user).
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4. The actual distribution archive file (described below) should then
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contain the install utility, the self-extracting program archive, and the
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files described in #3 above.
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USER-INSTALLED PROGRAMS:
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------------------------
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This type of distribution archive is much simpler than the Author-Installed
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variety. It should simply be an archive file, containing all of the files
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for the program described above.
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Since this type of program requires the user to do all of the installation
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manually, it should contain very specific and detailed information
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regarding the installation requirements (such as INSTALL.TXT).
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THE DISTRIBUTION ARCHIVE FILE:
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------------------------------
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The actual distribution archive file should merely be an archive file
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containing the files described above. For BBS distribution, this archive
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should be of the standard archive format, and -NOT- a self-extracting
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archive. Many sysops will not allow self-extracting archives, and most BBS
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software will not allow self-extracting archives to be uploaded.
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There are many popular archive utilities available, such as PKZIP, LHA,
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LHARC, ARJ, etc. Most BBS systems are capable of handling archives in
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virtually any format. However, you should be aware that most BBS systems
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will convert your archive format to the format of choice by the sysop. By
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following the methods described above, this conversion process should not
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affect your program, or any self-extracting files which are contained
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within your distribution archive file.
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You should also retain the default archive file extension defined by the
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archive utility. For example, PKZIP uses a ".ZIP", LHARC uses "LZH", etc.
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Changing the file extension may cause the BBS software to delete your file
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because it doesn't recognize the format.
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For the actual filename for your distribution archive, it is recommended
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that the program filename be limited to 6 characters to represent the
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program's name (i.e. MYPROG could represent "My Program"). This should be
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followed by 2 numeric digits which will represent the version number of
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your release. Even if this is your initial release it should include the
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version number in the filename (i.e. MYPROG10.ZIP would indicate the
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program called "My Program" version 1.0).
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Please note that CompuServe limits filenames to only 6 characters. By
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limiting the file "name" to 6 characters, you will easily be able to rename
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the archive for CompuServe uploading by simply removing the 2-digit version
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identifier, to make the file compatible with CompuServe libraries.
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By including the 2-digit version number in the archive filename, it will be
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very easy for both the user and the sysop (and yourself) to identify older
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versions of your program.
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MULTIPLE DISTRIBUTION ARCHIVES
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------------------------------
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At one time, it was recommended that your final distribution archive not be
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larger than 350k, so that it would fit on a single 360k floppy disk and
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still leave room for any distribution files necessary for Disk Vendors.
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(i.e. Disk Vendors will often include their own GO.BAT file, or other
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various small files to help their customers install the software). This
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limitation is slowly falling by the wayside as more and more computer
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systems have 3.5" floppy disk drives as standard.
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If your program is large enough to require more than one distribution
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archive, it is recommended that your filename be limited to 5 characters
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rather than 6 as described above. Following the 5-character name should be
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the same 2-digit version number. Then, append a single "letter" to identify
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the disk (i.e. MYPGM10A.ZIP, MYPGM10B.ZIP, etc.). For uploading to
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CompuServe, these filenames may then be shortened to 6 characters by
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removing the version identifiers (i.e. MYPGMA.ZIP, MYPGMB.ZIP). However,
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for CompuServe it is recommended that you simply create a single
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distibution file, and eliminate the multi-part file set.
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If your program requires multiple distribution archives, -BE SURE- to
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create separate FILE_ID.DIZ files for each distribution archive. Also, each
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FILE_ID.DIZ file should contain disk number information pertaining to each
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individual archive (i.e. Disk 1 of 3, Disk 2 of 3, etc.).
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THE DISTRIBUTION DISK
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---------------------
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It is recommended that your distribution disk simply contain a ZIPd version
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of your product. However, If you choose to supply "unarchived" files on a
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distribution disk for Disk Vendor use, it is _VERY_ important that you
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specify in your documentation a suggested archive filename, so that BBS
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sysops can create archived files with the proper author-specified
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filenames. This information should be contained in your SYSOP.TXT (or
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VENDOR.TXT) file. If you don't supply a suggested archive file name, the
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sysops will be forced to create the name themselves, thus you may end up
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with thousands of versions of your products on BBS systems all over the
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world, but all with different filenames.
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Please note that the ASP Hub Network, and nearly every other electronic
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distribution service *REQUIRE* that your files be submitted as an archived
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file, using the ZIP format. Also note that many BBS sysops will not go to
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the trouble of ZIPing your unarchived files for you. If you don't supply
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them with an archived distribution version of your product, it might not
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get distributed by BBSs.
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If you supply your own disk labels, it is recommended that the ASP logo, or
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at least the initials "ASP" be included on the label, so that anyone can
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immediately identify your disk as an ASP member's software.
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SUMMARY
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-------
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Your distribution disk should now be ready to submit to the various BBSs,
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distribution services, and Disk Vendors.
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You may choose to create a separate distribution disk for use by BBSs and
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Disk Vendors. However, if you follow the above steps in preparing your
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distribution archive file, a separate "Disk Vendor" disk is probably not
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necessary. The majority of disk vendors will be able to accept your
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distribution file/disk if it is prepared in the above described format.
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</PRE>
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