eBayWatch/2 - readme eBayWatch/2 is an auction management tool for OS/2 users. It works solely with the eBay auction site. It is meant to aid the user in searching for, monitoring and bidding on auction items. Required - 1) hpfs partition 2) rexxutil.dll and rxsock.dll in dpath 3) must start from its work directory, or a program object which sets the work directory Installation - Unzip into its own directory Run ebwatch.exe, which will complete an initial setup and then start the program. Once setup, you can use the eBayWatch/2 program object to start ebwatch. The initial setup will need to be completed by entering your eBay user ID (name) and password on Settings page 1. Your password need not be entered if you do not use the program to place bids. Your user ID is used as part of the scan process to retrieve your current bids. While all other options will default to a usable state, you will at least want to enter your own search options. You may want to run with the sample searches before beginning to configure your own searches. Help is available on most program pages and fields, and help tips are usually provided on the message bar at the bottom of the pages. Visit http://www.eclipse.net/~knkrchnr for latest version information, request and feedback addresses. Change history: (betas) ver 0.08a - first public release ver 0.08b - scheduler attempts multiple bids if previous bid aborted added blue dot icon to search results for retrieved items fix Time zone read for PST (offset = 0) increase search page retries, add user warning if page fails eBay moved the user info page ver 0.08c - discard unbid items failed, fixed added option to save all high bid items, no auto delete added local view item to closed items page item sort now works on closed items added item counts to notebook pages added eBay to local time time check eBay changed the end time format ver 0.08d - eBay changes broke search mode search "page of" status shows wrong count when items = 50 ver 0.09 - added "cancel" button to search, refresh and auto bid - fixed delete failure of cancelled bids - added save window positions for all windows - added multiple searches without exiting browser - increased error checking for failed connections - improved connection reliability for search pages - setup is integrated and automatic on first program run - dropping a link from the desktop to the program works again - fixed sporadic Netscape "cannot find file" error - added "SelectaSearch", choose from multiple search criteria - url folder is now monitored independent of browser activity ver 0.09a - user defined groups not saving, fixed - added idle time check for deleting tmp files - failed bids leave eBay response file intact for analysis ver 0.09b - add bid qty for Dutch auctions - change sort method to improve page draw speed - fix for possible main window open failure ver 0.09c - bid price on autobid for dutch auction not showing, fixed - date/sort routine fails at end of month after 2/29 - "bid now" not updating price and bid status correctly - added filter to remove duplicates on returned search page - list of "watch users" not saved - AutoBid status window now remains hidden until activity starts - failed bids should be logged for analysis - demand "refresh" and "bid now" are now background threads - view in browser separated to allow offline item viewing - autobid timer fails where lead time is above 6 minutes - setting item group re-sorts page if in "sort by group" mode ver 0.09d - time check only worked in one direction - "LastBid" on bid items shows your last confirmed bid (useful for "bid now" users) - eBay changed the bid confirmation page - time change breaks item parse code (see also "warning.2u") ver 0.09f - work on bid confirmations continues - changing bid amount on a bid in progress cancels current bid - added simple contact tracking for closed items - fixed missed warning where bid amount equals current price - added logging output to some procedures (/Lx x=0-3) - fixed "search settings" to allow spaces - fixed search filter where some items dis/re-appeared - updated for eBay changes on search pages - add warning in bid status window when "reserve not met" ( GA ) ver 0.10 - add proxy support - fix for false "no items" when using &category search - disable item deletes during "refresh all" - improved logging/tracing of error conditions - changed autobid timing logic to help prevent missed bids - fix url drop to container page - add menu item to show/hide bid status window - add "clear" button to bid status window (clear all messages) - improve eBayWatch url folder locating code - fix scheduler error when using "Sort by Group" - change group setting page to allow clear assigned group - failed bid files no longer saved when reason is known - help pages reflect changes in program operation ver 0.10a - restore frame control to bid status window - add user setting for autobid timing logic - url folder processing fails where titles are the same - move bid status show/hide from menu to toolbar button - fix "NS cannot find file" error from view-refresh/view - (re)fix url drop to container page - auction titles can now be edited ver 0.10b - Item retrieve fails where file size exceeds 100k - Text file parser enters infinite loop on damaged files - Failed bids still may be erroneously retried - Bidding now checks "minimum bid" before placing bid - Connection timeouts are now controlled and retried more quickly - Added logging to bid activites, and warning when logging - Warning on changing a bid in progress failed - Cancel action on bids now react in a more timely manner - Changing a bid in progress will now cancel then restart the bid - Please read "warning.2u" for new information on duplicate titles - "Maximize" added to bid status window - eBay changes broke search results page ver 0.10c - eBay change broke autobid process ver 0.10d - eBay change broke bid confirmation processing - 25 search limit removed ver 0.10e - eBay change broke search results page - Reserve auctions flagged in price field (* = under ^ = met) ver 0.10f - eBay change broke item refresh - Fixed code causing above to max out cpu usage ver 0.10g - eBay change broke item refresh = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = License: eBayWatch/2 is released as "copyright freeware", you are granted a license to use this program freely, but the copyrights to the program and program code remain with the author. Distribution is allowed, so long as there is no more than a token copying or distribution fee charged. This program may not be released as part of any commercial software program, suite or compilation. eBayWatch is a trademark of Knightware Software Company, used with permission. This software is loosely based on the mechanics of two original Rexx-based (text-mode) applications created by Nick Knight, Knightware Software Company (eBayWatch and AutoBid). THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IF THERE ARE ANY RESTRICTIONS OF EXCLUSIONS OF IMPLIED LIABILITY IN YOUR JURISDICTION, YOUR LICENSE TO USE THIS PROGRAM IS HEREBY REVOKED.