
BRIEF INSTRUCTIONS FOR UUencoder APPLICATION
============================================

(See also the release notes in the !UUEncode.ReadMe file)

(8-bit to 7-bit UUencoder for sending all types of file over 7-bit links,
such as the packet-radio mail forwarding network.)

Install the 'UU' icon on the icon bar by double-clicking on the '!UUencode'
icon.

If you click the Menu (middle) mouse button on the 'UU' icon, an Options
window will pop up. The default settings are fully compatible with UUBeeb,
(UUencoder/decoder for the BBC Micro family), and allow the splitting of
encoded files into 5k sections; small enough for forwarding via the UK
packet network.

The defaults* supplied are suitable for most occasions, but if sending files
direct station-to-station on a quiet frequency, you may prefer to set longer
sections, or no sectioning at all.

You may make temporary changes by altering the values, and then clicking on
the 'OK' box. To make these changes become the new defaults, click on the
'Save options' box instead. After making temporary changes, you can reload
the defaults by clicking on the 'Load options' box. For normal use, make sure
the option to encode nuls as &60 (') is selected. The option to encode them
as &20 (Space) is provided only in case it is required for compatibility with
other systems.

To encode a file, simply drag its icon onto the UU icon on the icon bar. A
Save window will pop up. Alter the embedded filename if required; by default
it is the original one. The Save filename for the encoded version is the
original filename, but with the figure '1' appended. If the filename is too
long to allow this, ie 10 characters long, it is truncated to 9. You may
alter this filename if you wish, but it must still end in the figure '1'.

If the encoded file is broken into sections, subsequent sections will have
'2' '3' etc. appended instead of '1'. If the filename is too long to allow
'10' '11' etc. to be appended once the first 9 sections have been completed,
it is then truncated by a further character.

The files are created under the multi-tasking desktop environment. Until the
final section is complete, the 'UU' icon changes colour to show that it is
'busy'. In the first release version, it is not possible to abort encoding
by pressing <Escape>, or by using the Mouse.

The resulting files are compatible with !Edit, but you will need to use the
CR<->LF swap option from within !Edit if you want to examine the file or add
comments. You can add text before and after the UUencoded section, ie turn
it into a message, as long as the encoded part is left alone.

If your TNC driver software cannot deal with 'raw' !Edit files, reverse the
CR<->LF swap before saving it. If your software CAN handle raw !Edit files,
you may find it more convenient to alter the !UUencode default newline
option from 'CR' to 'LF'. This will allow you to examine, modify, save and
send the files without carrying out the CR<->LF swap at all.

The original Load and Execution addresses are preserved, (or the filetype
and time/date if the files were saved by a 'native' application). If a
BASIC program with filetype set to BASIC is encoded on an Archimedes, but
later decoded on a BBC Micro, the addresses will look very strange.
Nevertheless, the program can be LOADed and CHAINed in the usual way.
Similar comments apply to data files and text files.

If a BASIC program is encoded on a BBC Micro, but decoded on an Archimedes,
the filetype will not be set, and the file is said to be 'unstamped'.
Double-clicking on such as file will not cause it to run from the desktop,
as no run action has been specified. However, it may be LOADed and CHAINed
from BASIC without difficulty, and if SAVEd from BASIC the filetype will
automatically be set to BASIC and the problem is solved. Alternatively,
there are several public-domain and copyright utilities for changing the
filetype from the desktop.

In order to minimise the amount of data to be encoded, it is strongly
recommended that you compress the original file or application using the
!Spark utility, before UUencoding the resulting file. As well as reducing
the amount of data, it overcomes the problem of UUencoding directory
structures. After UUdecoding, the file can then be expanded again using
!Spark or the Public Domain utuility called !Sparkplug. This technique is
widely used on telephone BBSs.

Application written by Andrew Benham G8FSL. !UUencode has been released into
the Public Domain, though the author retains copyright. Unmodified copies
may be freely distributed, provided they are accompanied by this
documentation file, and not for profit. Modest ShareWare/CareWare
distribution charges are acceptable, and any monies due to the author should
be donated to charity.

ReadMe file by Rick Sterry G4BLT @ GB7WRG. Initial queries to G4BLT please.

Rick Sterry, 1 Wavell Garth, Sandal Magna, WAKEFIELD, West Yorks., WF2 6JP.

* Default options are:
  Newline Character -  CR  (better to use LF if your TNC driver can cope)
  Encode nulls as   - &60
  Output File       - Sectioned
  Section size      - 1000 min 5K max

NB: There are now more choices - see the release notes
