BL> if I just write spaces on top of the twit's message, starting
 BL> from the date to the next date, it ignores the spaces and makes
 BL> up a perfectly good QWK packet.

 PE> It's what's called "undefined behaviour". If you are lucky it
 PE> will give you something you can live with. If you are unlucky
 PE> it will make you lose data. There is not much luck going around
 PE> when it comes to programming.

  I feel lucky. I can't see that it's any different than adding a
whole lot of spaces to the previous message, but I took your advice
anyway. Thanks.

 BL> In fact, I've got it working. Rod no longer exists!

 PE> You might want to consider twitting "Bob Lawrence". At least it
 PE> would be a first.

  ROFL! I'll twit everyone! Tomorrow the World!

 PE> I'll have to get a demo of Visual Basic one of these days.
 PE> Perhaps what we need is a video of some of these products. Now
 PE> there's a novel idea. Although I can't copy the product itself,
 PE> I can make a video of them all and sell the video!

  If you make it R-rated it ought to sell okay: "Debbie Does VB," or
"The Texas VB Massacre."

 BL> Unfortunately, you are wrong. Your packets have got lots of 02
 BL> 00 in them, and not all of them at the beginning of messages.
 BL> I'll have a think about it. How about 02 00 00 00 00?

 PE> Fortunately I am rarely wrong. 02 00 does indeed mark the
 PE> beginning of the message. The middle of the message can also
 PE> have that sequence of bytes, and it's only by doing full
 PE> sequential processing of the packet that you can tell for sure
 PE> whether a particular binary combination of 02 00 represents the
 PE> start of a message or some other binary data (e.g. node
 PE> number).

  ROFL! How do I tell one 02 00 from the next? FTS-0001 was written by
a lunatic. I've decided to use *my* node and the 00 00 attribute that
follows it - then count back 8 bytes to the 02 00.

 BL> What identifies the end of the packet? Your ones have 0D 00 00
 BL> 00 but you'll only tell me it's hex for "Merry Christmas."

 PE> A single 00 marks the end.

  Unfortunately, this is one of those rare occasions when you are
wrong. FTS-0001 dictates a null terminator for each message, but
the end of the packet adds another two 00's.

 PE> "There is kicking and there is savate". Quote from some cowboy
 PE> book I read 10-15 years ago. BFN. Paul.

Kemo Sabe,  
Bob
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
@EOT:

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