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This file briefly describes the QWK file format.

The following is an abbreviated version of Appendix G of DELUXE.DOC:
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         All of the messages in a mail packet are contained in a file
         named MESSAGES.DAT.  The file's logical record length is 128
         bytes.  The first record of MESSAGES.DAT always contains
         Sparkware's copyright notice produced by The Qmail Door.
         Messages start in record #2 and use this format:

              Starting Position,Length   Description
              ------------------------   ----------------------------
                        1,1              Message status flag
                        2,7              Message number
                        9,8              Date (MM-DD-YY)
                       17,5              Time (HH:MM)
                       22,25             To
                       47,25             From
                       72,25             Subject
                       97,12             Password
                      109,8              Message reference number
                      117,6              Number of blocks
                      123,1              Message status
                      124,2              Conference number

         The text of message continues in the next record.  You can
         find out how many blocks make up one message by looking at
         the value of "Number of blocks".   Message text is delimited
         by a pi symbol (ASCII 227) between lines.

         The xxx.NDX files contain record numbers that point into the
         MESSAGES.DAT file for actual messages.  Each conference that
         contains messages has its own "xxx.NDX" file.  The "xxx" is
         the conference number for the index file.

         Each .NDX file uses a five byte logical record length and is
         formatted to:

              Starting Position,Length      Description
              ------------------------      ------------------------
                       1,4                  Record number of message
                                            in MKS$ format.
                       5,1                  Conference number.
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The formula for converting x, a LONGINT in MKS$ format, to MKSToNum, a
binary integer, is:

MKSToNum := ((x AND NOT $ff000000) OR $00800000)
             SHR (24 - ((x SHR 24) AND $7f));

It's not pretty but it works (and it only handles positive numbers).

The CONTROL.DAT is a text file containing information about
the host BBS and conference information.  Here is a sample
one with comments:

Ivo Andric Memorial BBS                 ;bbs name
Victoria, BC, CANADA                    ;bbs location
604-380-0297                            ;bbs number
Gwen Barnes, Sysop                      ;format is "First Last, Sysop"
20001,ANDRIC                            ;DOOR_SERIAL,PACKET_ID
01-09-1991,14:54:44                     ;mm-dd-yyyy,hh:mm:ss ..pkt time
GREG HEWGILL                            ;user name
                                        ;name of QMENU file if exists
0                                       ;unknown
0                                       ;unknown
254                                     ;total # of conferences - 1
0                                       ;# of first conf
Local                                   ;name of conf (10 chars max)
1                                       ;# of second conf
I_Central                               ;etc...for 255 confs
...
255                                     ;this is the 255'th conf (#24
U_C_Prog                                ; is omitted from this packet)
HELLO                                   ;filename of welcome file
NEWS                                    ;filename of news file
GOODBYE                                 ;filename of goodbye file

If you're looking at a real CONTROL.DAT, any further lines you can
ignore because current mail doors don't generate it (it's obsolete).