Ken Johnson
486dff6b95
- test_write_existing: append to 291-msg JAM base, 27-msg netmail dir, and a Hudson base seeded on-demand by copying 50 messages from the JAM source (no binary samples committed). - test_pack: no-op Pack preserves JAM count + fields; purge-Pack drops 5 deleted JAM messages; Hudson seed+mark-deleted+Pack drops 7 of 50 and survivors stay readable. - Source trees at ~/fidonet/msg/jam + ~/fidonet/msg/netmail are never touched; all writes go to /tmp scratch copies.
message_api
A unified Free Pascal library for reading and writing classic BBS message bases.
Wraps proven message-format handlers from Allfix behind one polymorphic API
(TMessageBase) so BBS software, mail tossers, message editors, and utilities
can target a single interface regardless of the underlying format on disk.
Supported formats
| Format | Files | Backend unit |
|---|---|---|
| Hudson | MSGINFO/IDX/HDR/TXT/TOIDX.BBS | ma.fmt.hudson.pas |
| JAM | *.JHR *.JDT *.JDX *.JLR |
ma.fmt.jam.pas |
| Squish | *.SQD *.SQI *.SQL |
ma.fmt.squish.pas |
| FTS-1 MSG | numbered *.MSG per directory |
ma.fmt.msg.pas |
| FTN PKT | *.pkt (Type-2 / 2+ / 2.2) |
ma.fmt.pkt.pas |
| PCBoard | *.MSG + *.IDX |
ma.fmt.pcboard.pas |
| EzyCom | MH#####.BBS / MT#####.BBS |
ma.fmt.ezycom.pas |
| GoldBase | MSGINFO/IDX/HDR/TXT/TOIDX.DAT | ma.fmt.goldbase.pas |
| Wildcat 4 | WC SDK databases | ma.fmt.wildcat.pas |
Features
- One
TMessageBaseabstract class — read, write, pack, reindex through the same methods regardless of format. - Layered locking: in-process
TRTLCriticalSection+ cross-process advisory lock (fpflockon Unix,LockFileExon Windows,.LCKsentinel fallback)- the existing
fmShareDenyWrite/fmShareDenyNoneshare modes.
- the existing
- Event hooks for logging, progress, and status reporting.
TPacketBatchworker pool for tossers that need to process many.pktfiles concurrently while serialising writes per destination base.- Path / filename auto-derivation per format from a base directory plus optional area tag.
Building
Native Linux:
fpc -Fusrc -Fusrc/formats examples/example_read.pas
Lazarus package:
lazbuild message_api.lpk
The repo includes a fpc.cfg template mirroring the Allfix multi-target
build (i386-go32v2, i386-win32, i386-linux, i386-os2).
Layout
src/ ma.api, ma.types, ma.events, ma.lock, ma.paths, ma.batch
src/formats/ ma.fmt.<format>.pas — one per supported format
docs/ architecture, locking semantics, format notes
tests/ FPCUnit tests, sample data
examples/ small CLI programs that double as smoke tests
Unit-name convention follows the Fimail style: ma.<category>.<name>.pas
(ma = message_api). All units use {$mode objfpc}{$H+}.
Status
Early development. APIs may move until 1.0. Format backends are ports of the working Allfix code so behaviour matches what Allfix produces today.