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====[ QWK file format ]=================================================
All of the messages in a mail packet are contained in a file named
MESSAGES.DAT. The file's logical record length is 128 bytes. The first
record of MESSAGES.DAT always contains a copyright notice produced by
whatever mail door. Messages start in record 2 and use this format:
Offset Length Description
------ ------ ----------------------------------------------------
1 1 Message status flag
' ' = public
'-' = public and read
'+' = private
'*' = private and read
2 7 Message number (as characters)
9 8 Date (mm-dd-yy)
17 5 Time (hh:mm)
22 25 To
47 25 From
72 25 Subject
97 12 Password (Not used by any PCBoard mail doors I know)
109 8 Refer to number (as characters)
117 6 Number of 128 byte blocks in message (counting the
header)
123 1 Killed message? 225 is active, 226 is killed
124 1 Conference number (0-255)
I have heard that MarkMail 2.0 uses two bytes for
the conference number, so the next byte may be used
too.
125 4 Not used
The text of message continues in the next record. You can find out how
many blocks make up one message by looking at the value of "Number of
128 byte blocks". Message text is delimited by a "ASCII 227" symbol
between lines.
The xxx.NDX files contain record numbers that point into the
MESSAGES.DAT file for actual messages. Each conference that contains
messages has its own "xxx.NDX" file. The "xxx" is the conference number
for the index file.
Each NDX file uses a five byte logical record length and is formatted
to:
Offset Length Description
------ ------ ----------------------------------------------------
1 4 Record number to point to corresponding message.
This number is in the Microsoft MKS$ BASIC format.
5 1 Conference number.
====[ QWK file format ]=================================================