On 03/04/2011 06:19 AM, mark lewis wrote:
>>
>>    DC>   PAD (http://pad.asp-software.org/) editor for
inserting PAD files in
>>    DC>   your zip files?
>>
>> What's a PAD file?
>>
>   DC>    From the link:
>
>   DC>  "PAD is the Portable Application Description, and it
helps authors
>   DC>  provide product descriptions and specifications to online sources
>   DC>  in a  standard way, using a standard data format that will allow
>   DC>  webmasters  and program librarians to automate program listings.
>   DC>  PAD saves time for  both shareware authors and webmasters."
>
> so it is nothing more than a renamed file_id.diz then?? why is this new and or
> necessary since file_id.diz has been around since forever?
>

xml format for easy parsing goodness unlike file_id.diz.  SO you get 
stuff tags like  and whatever so the bbs could possible search 
for files made by that person.  If you run down the list at say,
http://archives.thebbs.org/ra91c.htm you dont see a lot of author names
in the file_id.diz.

They have a rather huge example at the PAD website.
http://www.asp-software.org/padinfo/padgen.xml

I imagine that fact that ASP wants all the fields completed turn
people off, like posting your entire EULA in the file.

Anyways maybe we modify the door idea from PAD instead to just 
FILE_ID.XML and the door helps with creating the file formatted that way 
and search capabilities since they wont be native in any BBS software?

Thanks!

David Collins
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