Decision 2026-04-18: container-level packet concerns (atomic
.tmp/rename, multi-pkt rotation, BSO .flo/.bsy, ArcMail bundles,
packet-header construction) belong in a new sibling library
fpc-ftn-transport, not in fpc-msgbase. ma.fmt.pkt(.uni) stays
here as the per-message reader/iterator surface.
This commit updates the PKT entry in docs/API.md's format
cheat-sheet so consumers reading it today know where the write-
side container API will live, instead of expecting it under
fpc-msgbase eventually. fpc-ftn-transport itself doesn't exist
yet -- this is a scope-boundary signal.
Driven by NetReader / Fimail consumer-round-1 feedback: the
storage-vs-transport split that already separates fpc-msgbase
from comet generalizes well; PKT is 70% transport with a
message-iteration angle, and the angle is the only reason it
fit here at all.
No code change.
Five consumer-feedback items, one milestone:
(1) Shared FTSC kludge plumbing in src/ma.kludge.pas
ParseKludgeLine, SplitKludgeBlob, BuildKludgePrefix,
BuildKludgeSuffix. Single source of truth for kludge naming,
INTL/FMPT/TOPT recognition, and the kludge.<lowername>
forward-compat passthrough. Eliminates the four near-identical
parsers MSG/PKT/Squish were carrying; JAM's FTSKLUDGE subfield
walking also routes through ParseKludgeLine so its unknown
kludges land in the same `kludge.<name>` slot as the others.
Bug fix folded in: the parser previously split kludge name from
value at the first ':' it found, which broke INTL (the value
contains an FTN address with ':' in it). Now picks the earlier
of space and colon, which handles both colon-form ("MSGID: foo")
and space-form ("INTL <to> <from>") kludges correctly.
(2) INTL / FMPT / TOPT slots in attributes registry
FSC-4008 cross-zone routing kludges every netmail tosser carries.
Added to JAM/Squish/MSG/PKT capability lists, parsed natively,
emitted on Write. Round-trip covered by tests.
(3) Unified `kludge.*` namespace for unknown FTSC kludges
Squish's `squish.kludge.<name>`, MSG's `msg.kludge.<name>`, and
PKT's `pkt.kludge.<name>` all collapse to plain `kludge.<name>`.
Consumers find passthrough kludges without switching on format.
JAM's numeric `jam.subfield.<id>` stays — those are JAM-specific
binary subfields, not FTSC-form kludges.
(4) `area` auto-populated from base.AreaTag on Read
When the caller passes AAreaTag to MessageBaseOpen (or sets
the AreaTag property post-construction), every successful
ReadMessage fills msg.Attributes['area'] unless the adapter
already populated it from on-disk data (e.g. PKT AREA kludge).
Saves echomail consumers from copying AreaTag into every
message attribute manually.
(5) TMsgAttributes multi-line helpers
GetList / SetList / AppendListItem on TMsgAttributes for the
multi-instance attributes (seen-by, path, via, trace) that
store with #13 between entries. Consumers don't have to roll
their own split/join.
Plus two PKT polish items from the same feedback round:
(6) ma.fmt.pkt.uni.DoWriteMessage now raises EMessageBase
explicitly with a pointer to the Native API instead of
silently returning False.
(7) TPktFile.CreateFromStream / CreateNewToStream constructors
accept any TStream (with optional ownership), so unit tests
that round-trip via TMemoryStream don't have to tempfile-dance.
FStream is now TStream; FOwnsStream gates Free in destructor.
TStringDynArray moved from ma.api.pas to ma.types.pas so both
the capabilities API and the new attribute helpers can share it.
Docs sweep:
- docs/attributes-registry.md: intl/fmpt/topt added; unknown-kludge
convention documented; multi-line helper section added.
- docs/architecture.md: ma.kludge layer surfaced; .uni adapter
registration gotcha called out loudly with the recommended
uses clause; area auto-pop documented.
- docs/API.md: TUniMessage section rewritten for Body+Attributes
model (was still pre-0.2); HWM API documented; PKT cheat-sheet
notes Native + CreateFromStream; tests/programs list updated.
- README.md: Building section flags the .uni gotcha first
thing; ma.kludge added to features.
tests/test_consumer_round1.pas: 7 new tests covering INTL/FMPT/
TOPT round-trip on JAM/Squish/MSG, area auto-pop, GetList/SetList/
AppendListItem, PKT raise, and TPktFile in-memory stream
round-trip.
Suite: 47/47 across 10 programs (test_consumer_round1 adds 7).
Project renamed from message_api → fpc-msgbase. Folder, README title,
docs, build.sh, fpc.cfg, and test banners all updated for consistency
with the planned remote at kjgr.io:2222/kenjreno/fpc-msgbase.git.
Also scrubbed claims that backends were "ported from Allfix" or
"match Allfix's msgutil/domsg" — none of this code was ported from
Allfix; it was implemented from FTSC documents and the original
format authors' published specs (jam.txt, squish.doc, pcboard.doc,
EzyCom reference, WildCat 4 SDK headers). Author credits live in
docs/ftsc-compliance.md.
Real interop facts that mention Allfix-the-product stay documented:
the PCB Extra2 sent-bit ($40) Allfix sets when tossing, and the
FTSC-registered product code $EB. These describe external software
behavior we interoperate with, not provenance.
docs/format-notes/hudson.md removed — stale planning doc that
predates the working ma.fmt.hudson backend.
- ma.lock.Release now unlinks the .lck sentinel after releasing
the OS lock (SysUtils.DeleteFile to avoid Windows API collision)
- Unit headers trimmed to standard dev-comment form (purpose only)
- docs/API.md: complete API reference with runnable examples,
event types, locking semantics, tosser wiring, native-backend
drop-down pattern, per-format cheat-sheet
- README links to the new doc
