Internet users can receive information about the echoes listed in
the database by sending an ECHOBASE query.
Querying ECHOBASE is done by sending email to the Echolist Robot to
request information using tags and area names. The message will be forwarded to the Robot, which will read the message, search the echolist database and then reply to the email address information.
Query messages should be addressed to:
echolist@fidonet.us
Subj: ECHO QUERY
The following keywords to tag the kind of search and response you want.
Search Keywords
- /TAG or /T = areatag to search for
- /MOD or /M = moderator names to search for (Use '_' for spaces)
- /GROUP or /G = group
- /DESC or /PD = search the description fields for the word(s)
- /PT = search for tags matching the global tagspec
- /PM = search for moderators matching the global spec
Response Format Keywords
- /LIST or /SHORT = one-line response showing Tag and title
- /DETAIL or /LONG = respond with a detailed information about the echo
- /MODUPD = respond with a message in Moderator Update format
- /FORMAT
... %--- = respond with a message using the designated format.
- /HELP = responds with a help message.
Example
Let's assume you want to find all echoes moderated by Thom LaCosta.
You'd send email to:
echolist@fidonet.us
Subject: ECHO QUERY
In the body of the message, have
From: your_email_address
you'll have the switch
/MOD Thom_LaCosta
Note: do NOT use an = sign after the keyword. Do NOT enclose the
search word in quotes(").
Terminating the message
So that Echobase will know when to stop reading the message for keywords, you need to include a line beginning with three-dashes to indicate the end of a message.
Here's a final, full example.
This message requests information on echoes moderated by Thom LaCosta
To: echolist@fidonet.us
Subj: ECHO QUERY
From: your_email_address
/MOD Thom_LaCosta
---
Note: do NOT use an = sign after the keyword. Do NOT enclose the
search word in quotes(").
