Hotline Connect Admin Tool v.1.1 by Nathan Blume
Released: November 4, 2004

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What is it?
Hotline Connect Admin Tool (HCAdminTool) is a Visual Basic application that is designed to analyze and display the contents of Hotline Connect Server (or previous Hotline Server) log files. These Log Files contain data on Downloads, Uploads, Connections, and Account changes. HCAdminTool also scans the Users directory and lists basic info on User accounts. I wrote HCAdminTool because I wanted to be able to go through multiple logs totalling 1MB or more without great difficulty but added so much additional functionality that it has much more than a replacement for viewing your logs in plain text.

Requirements
HCAdminTool requires a PC running Windows 98/NT or newer (tested on XP only) and the Microsoft Visual Basic 6 Runtime. If you receive a "Required file missing" or "Wrong Version of Runtime DLL" error message when you first try to run the application, you need to install the VB6 Runtime Files. Run VBRun60sp5.exe and answer "Yes" to install. If the application still does not load, please email me with the exact error message you received.

Disclaimer
This application is in a development stage. By running HCAdminTool, you accept full responsibility for any/all consequences that may result from use of this application.

Note: Hotline Server and Hotline Connect Server are trademarks of HotSprings, Inc. I have no endorsement from, or affiliation with, HotSprings, Inc., or any former developer of Hotline Connect and related software.

Installation
HCAdminTool requires no installation. It can be placed anywhere on your hard drive. Once the application is launched, select Options from the File menu and then click the + buttons to add *.txt files for each log type. To remove a log, select the log in the list and click the - button. Also, click the Browse button and select the Users directory in your Hotline Connect Server installation folder.

Log Compatibility
HCAdminTool should be compatible with logs from all Hotline Servers for Windows and Mac OS. It has been tested with versions 1.2.3 through 1.9.2. If any logs fail to load, make sure there are no corrupt sections. I use EditPlus to examine hidden characters such as spaces and tabs. Usually it is an invalid/hidden character or someone whose name is all spaces. The easiest remedy is to simply delete the offending line from the log, although repair is often possible.

Known Bugs (v.1.1)

• Bug: Options does not keep "User Folder" setting.
  Fix: Registry key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HCAdminTool\UsersFolder" must not be blank. Use usersfolder.reg to add a default value. Normal behavior will be restored.

Version History
1.1 - 11/04/2004

• Added: Minimum window size limit.
• Added: Pressing shift while the application is starting disables automatic log loading.
• Added: "Refresh Logs" menu allowing manual reloading of individual logs.
• Changed: Renamed "Change" button in Options to "Browse".
• Changed: Column numbers in the Custom Filter settings are now ranged 1-6 instead of 0-5 to be more intuitive.
• Changed: All statistics are now located on the Stats tab.
• Changed: Statistics are now calculated after all the logs are loaded.
• Removed: Maximum and Frequent item statistics have been temporarily removed.
• Fixed: The last 4 users in the user folder would not be displayed.
• Fixed: Closing the application before the logs are completely loaded will no longer cause the application to restart.

1.0r5 - 02/03/2004

• Fixed: Custom filter code (broken in r4)

1.0r4 - 02/02/2004

• Added: Progress bar during "User" tab loading.
• Changed: Log loading code rewritten.
• Changed: Expanded status bar text.
• Changed: Faster refreshes after single log changes in Options.
• Fixed: Application focus during startup.

1.0r3 - 07/20/2003

• Added: User tab
• Fixed: Progress bar code

1.0r2 - 04/22/2003

• Changed: Rewrote statistics code.
• Added: Statistics tab visibility options.
• Added "Top 5" statistics

1.0r1 - 04/08/2003

• Initial release

Planned Features

• Upload/download Ratio statistics.
• Record Search feature replacing Maximum/Frequent statistics and adding functionality.
• Statistics HTML file export.
• Icon showing the type of User (to replace Type column).
• User list ToolTips showing detailed rights for each User.
• Right-click menu for list items with option to delete matching records from the logs.
• Column position memory across restarts for lists.

Contact info

http://detrave.net/nblume/hcadmintool

Comments are welcome.

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