autoreply 1.0 -- Automatically reply to USENET (test) postings
                 by e-mail.

Author
======
Silvano Maffeis, maffeis@ifi.unizh.ch, January 1993

COPYRIGHT
=========
You are free to use, modify, and redistribute this software free of charge,
provided that this copyright note is included within the software.
Redistribution for direct profit is expressly prohibited.


INTRODUCTION
============
autoreply is a Perl program for automatically replying to
USENET posting. It is generally used along with USENET *test
groups for informing authors of testposts about how far 
and how fast their testpost traveled.

Before installing this script on your site, you must check 
if there is already an autoreplier installed in your region
for the group you want to monitor. Post to the group and
find out. If this is the case, then please do not install autoreply.

You must carefully select the testgroups to use autoreply
on. 

>> An autoreplier is not welcome on every test group! <<

Follow the ``netiquette''.
Ask your newsfeed administrators, the test group itself
or some news.admin group before you use this script!


SYNOPSIS
========
autoreply

   -init             : initializes the "replied" file described below.

   -mailto "address" : test mode. Instead of replying to the originator 
                       of the posting, the reply is redirected to the
                       e-mail address in "address".

   -start            : make autoreply operational. Replies are
                       sent to the originators.

   [no option]       : print a short help text.


INSTALLATION
============
You must follow the installation steps carefully. Don't hurry
in installing and using the autoreplier, or you will have many
enemies on the Internet. 

1. Adapt the scripts variables in section ``variables to customize''.
   Be careful on what you set for the @newsgroups variable.

2. Run autoreply -init.
   This builds the file "replied" containing a line per
   newsgroup to monitor. The format of a line is:

   newsgroup name, recentest posting number, number of e-mails sent.

   Only testposts arriving at your site *after* you run autoreply -init
   will be answered when autoreply becomes operational. 
   Every posting with a number higher than the one
   in the second row of the "replied" file will be autoreplied.

   Postings providing the term "ignore" or "no reply" somewhere in their 
   body will not be replied.

   If you should loose your "replied" file, then generate a new, up-to-date
   one with autoreply -init.

3. Wait some time till new postings arrive in one or more of the newsgroups
   you configured. Then manually run 

   autoreply -mailto "your_mail_address"

   With "your_mail_address" standing for your e-mail address.
   
   Now the replies are directed to *you* instead of to the posters.
   This is intended for testing the installation without bothering 
   the USENET community.

   Also look at the information autoreply writes into its "log" file.

4. Now you can add an entry to crontab. Something like:

   0 * * * *   /usr/local/autorep/autoreply -mailto "your_mail_address"

   For having autoreply activated once an hour.

   Test the installation for at least a few days.
   When you are sure that everything is ok, then replace
   -mailto "your_mail_address" with -start in
   the crontab entry. Now the autoreplier is operational!


ADDING/DELETING NEWSGROUPS
==========================
Once the replier is operational you may want to add new 
newsgroups.

The safest way to do so is by modifying the @newsgroups
variable and then simply running autoreply -init.
This rebuilds the "replied" file reflecting changes you made 
to @newsgroups. Nevertheless, all newsgroups are initialized
when you say -init. Postings arriving between the time
autoreply -start was last run and the time you invoked
autoreply -init are never answered.

If you don't want to loose any reply then proceed as follows.
Add the new group to @newsgroups. Manually add a line to the
"replied" file which provides the group name as first entry,
the number of the most recent posting in the newsgroup as
second entry, 0 as third entry.

To delete a newsgroup, remove the appropriate entry from
@newsgroups and from the "replied" file. You don't have
to run autoreply -init in this case.

Important:
   Always make sure you are not altering autoreply when it 
   is activated by cron.


NO GUARANTEE
============
The author does not guarantee the proper functioning of this software.
Use it at your own risk. 


BUG REPORTS, MODIFICATIONS
==========================
Please inform me about bugs you find and about your modifications:
maffeis@ifi.unizh.ch (Silvano Maffeis)

