fpc-msgbase/docs/format-notes/dependencies.md

External dependencies in copied format units

Authoritative specs

The FTSC document collection at /home/ken/Source Code/ftsc/docs/ is the source of truth when validating attribute bits, packet header layouts, date strings, and kludge syntax. Key documents we cross-check against:

• fts-0001.016 — FTS-1 packet & message format (PKT, *.MSG, attributes, date string, kludges)
• fsc-0039.001 / fsc-0039.004 — Type-2+ packet header
• fsc-0045.001 — Type-2.2 packet header
• fsc-0048.002 — AuxNet Type-2 variant
• fsc-0009, fsc-0035 etc. — kludges and control lines

When in doubt about an encoding or bit position, reference the spec before changing the conversion tables in ma.types.pas.

These references were inherited from the Allfix tree and need to be resolved during the format-by-format refactor pass.

ma.fmt.pkt.pas

Currently uses: msgunit, netaddrs, aftypes.

Needs from msgunit:

• PktHeader — 58-byte FTN packet header record
• PktRecord — per-message header record inside a packet
• PacketRecord — high-level parsed message with kludges, address parts, flavours, etc.
• FlavourType, FlavourTypeSet, DateTimeArray

Plan:

• Move PktHeader + PktRecord into ma.fmt.pkt.pas itself (packet-only).
• Move PacketRecord, FlavourType, FlavourTypeSet, DateTimeArray into ma.types.pas so other backends can use them where needed.
• Drop the msgunit / netaddrs / aftypes uses clauses.

ma.fmt.wildcat.pas + ma.fmt.wcutil.pas

Use the WildCat 4 SDK. The SDK source has been copied verbatim into src/wc_sdk/ (formerly wc_dev/ in Allfix) so this repo can build the Wildcat backend without external paths.

The SDK pulls in OS/2-era helpers (Os2Comp, DosUtil, p_System, btisbase, isamtool, …). Keeping it on its own search-path entry (-Fusrc/wc_sdk) means callers that don't need Wildcat can omit the backend without forcing the SDK onto the build line.

include.inc

Allfix sources start with {$I include.inc}. Our copied units no longer have that on the search path (we deliberately want the new lib to be self-contained). Plan during refactor:

• Replace each {$I include.inc} with explicit {$mode objfpc}{$H+} plus any other compiler switches the unit actually needs (most don't need more than mode + $H+).
• Drop WILDCAT4, EXECSWAP, UNI and other Allfix-specific defines.