The MegaMail(tm) Reader

Copyright 1990 by Kip Compton

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Table of Contents

License Agreement	2

Registering Your MegaMail(tm) Reader	3

The MegaMail(tm) System	4

Note to Mouse Users	4

A Note about the "Pick Lists"	5

Installing the MegaMail(tm) Reader	5

The MegaMail(tm) Cycle	10

How to Start Reading Mail in a Conference	15

Reading Mail	16

Help Menu	19

Leaving Messages	20

Tag Lines	21

Deleting Messages	22

Searching	23

Using the Alt-F Option	23

Printing and Saving Messages	25

"Reverse" Threading	25

About The Personal Read Flags	26

Quick Scan	26

"Another Reader" Function	28

Quoting Functions	32

Command Line Parameters	33

Repairing and Purging Mail	36

Colors	39

Keyboard Macros	40

Redefining your Keyboard using Macros	41

The Macro Editor	42

Appendix A : Summary of Available Commands	44

Index	49

License Agreement

The MegaMail(tm) Reader ("The Software") is COPYRIGHT 1990 by Kip Compton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

You may not engage in, nor permit third parties to engage in, any of the following :

A)	Making alterations of any kind in the software.

B)	ATTEMPTING TO DISASSEMBLE, DECOMPILE, OR REVERSE ENGINEER THE SOFTWARE OR THE FILES IT GENERATES IN ANY WAY.

C)	Granting sub-licenses, lease or other rights in the software to others.

The author of the software grants you a license to use this software as long as you meet the above conditions. Any violation of the above conditions will result in the termination of your license to use this software. Upon termination of this license for any reason, you must stop using the software and destroy all copies of it in your possession immediately. In addition, the author reserves the right to cancel your license to use this software at any time for any reason that he sees fit.

The author of this software is not liable for damages suffered as a result of the improper use, proper use, or inability to use this software. This type of disclaimer is prohibited by law in some states, and is therefore void in those states.

Registering Your MegaMail(tm) Reader

The MegaMail(tm) Reader is distributed as "Shareware." This means that the reader is distributed freely to whoever wants it, without charge, for a trial period. After you have used the reader for a reasonable trial period (2 to 4 weeks is normal), you should assess how much the reader is worth to you. If the reader is worth something to you and you intend to continue using it, you should register it. Registering the reader ensures that there will be continued support and new versions of the Reader. In addition, registered users of the reader are given help before unregistered users when seeking support.

The MegaMail(tm) Reader costs $20 to register. A file READER.REG is included with the reader. To register your reader, print out the READER.REG file and fill it in. Send the completed form, along with a $20 check or money order made out to Kip Compton, to

Kip Compton

MegaMail Reader Registrations

13509 Fowke Lane

Woodbridge, VA 22192

In a few weeks, you will receive a disk mailer in the mail with your Registered Reader in it. The latest version of the reader will always be sent. Your new registered reader will not have the initial screen that is present on the unregistered version.

The MegaMail(tm) System

The MegaMail(tm) System allows you to download and upload mail to and from BBSs. The MegaMail(tm) Reader works with the MegaMail(tm) Door to form a complete and powerful mail manipulation system. You can download your mail from any BBS using the MegaMail(tm) Door and then use your reader to read and reply to that mail. Your replies are then uploaded back to the BBS using the MegaMail(tm) door.

Why would you want to go to the trouble of using the MegaMail(tm) System? The biggest advantage of the system is the time you will save on-line. Instead of logging on to a BBS and spending an hour reading mail, you can download your mail and upload your responses in just a few minutes. This convenience is especially desirable if you do long distance calling!

In addition, MegaMail(tm) can be a blessing if you like to play on-line games -- with MegaMail(tm), you'll have time to explore the BBS and participate in the message bases as well!

Another advantage that only the MegaMail(tm) System offers is a consistent user interface. Since the MegaMail(tm) Door uses our exclusive UTI technology, it is compatible with a wide variety of BBS software. This allows you to use the MegaMail(tm) Reader with virtually any BBS you call regardless of the software that particular BBS is using. You use the same commands to read and reply to your mail on all the BBS's you call, thus saving you hours of learning time.

While it is marvelous to have a consistent interface, the MegaMail(tm) Reader is also powerful, incorporating searching algorithms usually reserved only for advanced databases. These sophisticated techniques allow you to view your mail in the particular manner that you wish. If you wish, you can read the mail on a conference by conference basis, or subject by subject. You can read your personal messages first and then go back and read the rest of the mail. You can even read all of the mail from or to a particular user no matter which BBS or what conference the message was left in!

The MegaMail(tm) user interface is very user friendly. Instead of complex, remote BBS menus and cryptic commands, you select functions from easy to use bar menus. When entering messages, you use a full featured screen-oriented text editor instead of the usual BBS's cryptic line-oriented editor. The MegaMail(tm) Reader even has built-in mouse support for those who prefer to use a mouse!

Note to Mouse Users

The MegaMail(tm) reader contains a consistent mouse user interface for those of you who prefer to use a mouse. The mouse can be used to select options from either the menus or lists, and is also available while editing messages. In addition, the right mouse button functions as the Esc key, while the left mouse button functions as the ENTER key.

In addition, many lists (ie, of conferences or BBSs) have "scroll bars" on the right border of the windows. These scroll bars can be used to move quickly through the lists using your mouse.

A Note about the "Pick Lists"

"Pick Lists" are bar-menu screens that list items such as BBSs or conferences. Whenever you are selecting an item from one of these lists, you can search for a particular item by typing the first few letters of the item you are searching for. For example, if you were searching for the "Unix" conference from a long list of conferences, you could type UNI and it would probably be found. Note that you can continue to add letters until the actually item you want is highlighted. As you type, matching letters will appear in the lower left hand corner of the listing.

Installing the MegaMail(tm) Reader

Unzip the MegaMail(tm) reader .ZIP file into a subdirectory that you have created for your reader. It may be called anything that you wish. The zip file will contain the following files:

MEGAREAD.EXE

MEGAREAD.DOC

READER.REG

(additional files may be included; see PACKING.LST for details)

Other programs that you will need to use this reader:

PKZIP.EXE

PKUNZIP.EXE

ZMODEM Communication Protocol

ZMODEM is necessary because the MegaMail(tm) Door of the BBS that you will be calling only handles ZMODEM file transfers at this time.

Execute MEGAREAD.EXE. The first thing you will see is:

+=========================================================+

| CONFIG.MGA not Found - Creating New Configuration File. |

+=========================================================+

The reader will automatically create a configuration file and enter the configuration menu show below.

+===========Change Configuration=====================+

| Upload Dir : |

| Download Dir : |

| Work Dir : C:\MEGA\WORK |

| PKZIP Path : C:\ZZZ\PKZIP.EXE |

| PKUNZIP Path : C:\ZZZ\PKUNZIP.EXE |

| Exploding Windows : YES |

| "Noisy" Windows : NO |

| Your Name : |

| Quoting Prefix : $I> |

| Delete Default : NO |

| Auto UnRead Scan : NO |

| Personal Beeper : YES |

| Door Text in Message : NO |

| New Msgs Marked as Read: YES |

| Move after Reply : NO |

| Auto Indent Mode : NO |

| Editor Right Margin : 72 |

+====================================================+

Each option is configurable for your particular setup. You may choose the option you wish to configure by moving the highlight bar, using the up and down arrow keys, to that option. Then press the ENTER key to change it.

Note that the only fields that must be filled in for proper operation are the paths to PKZIP and PKUNZIP and the location of the work, upload and download directories. Since the reader will automatically find the path for PKZIP, PKUNZIP and your work Directory, the only fields that you must configure yourself are the upload and download paths. Many of the options in the configuration are there simply to allow you to customize the reader, and you can always come back later to alter any of these options.

The upload and download directories may be different directories or the same directory. The download directory specifies the directory where the reader will look in order to find the file you downloaded from the MegaMail(tm) Door on the BBS you called. The upload directory is the directory where the reader will put the file that you will upload to the MegaMail(tm) door. These directories should be configured to be the same directories that your communications program looks for a file to upload and places a downloaded file. If you're not sure what these directories are, you should probably set them to be the subdirectory where your communications program is located.

Exploding windows are windows which "explode" open instead of just appearing. "Noisy" Windows are exploding windows that make a noise as they explode. Both of these options are simply personal preference, and you may wish to try out different combinations to see what you like best. To turn these features on or off, move the bar to that option and press the enter key. When you press the enter key, the value will change.

The quoting prefix is the character(s) that will precede each line of quoted material. Quoting allows you to copy or cite text from prior messages when you are entering new ones. If you are not sure about this option, leave it set to the default and you can come back later and change it. You should not make your quoting prefix more than a few characters. If your quoting prefix is too long, you will lose characters at the end of each line of text you quote. If you would like to have the initials of the person who wrote the text you are quoting to be in your prefix, simply put $I (dollar-sign upper case I) where you want the initials to appear. The reader will automatically replace the $I with the initials when you quote text.

The reader can be configured to automatically start in the Unread Scan mode. If turned on, the reader will start in a scan mode showing only those messages that you have not read. (See the section on Searching for details.) This option is a matter of personal taste, and as you can change it later you don't need to worry about it for now.

Delete Default defines whether the default when you press Alt-K (kill a message) is "Yes" - delete or "No" - don't delete. Beginning users will probably want this default to be set at No, thereby not allowing message deletion just by pressing the Enter key and saving you from deleting a message by mistake. More advanced users will probably want this option to be yes as this allows you to more easily delete messages. This option is a matter of personal taste, and again you can change it at any time.

The Personal Beeper option beeps when a message addressed to you is shown. Many people like this as it "marks" messages addressed to them and aids in quickly reading through hundreds of messages without missing any addressed to them.

The reader also has a "door text in message" option. Each time you use the MegaMail(tm) Door, the door sends you a listing of what it did, along with any warnings about what didn't get done. If this option is turned on, the listing from the door is placed into a regular message instead of being displayed when mail is imported into the reader.

The "New Messages Marked as Read" option controls whether messages that you enter in the reader are marked "Y" or "N" in their Personal Read flag field. This allows you to control whether you will normally see the messages, since you will normally be in "unread mail scan" mode.

The "Move after Reply" option controls whether the reader automatically moves forward after you reply to a message.

The "Auto Indent Mode" option controls whether the editor starts in auto-indent mode when you are entering messages. This option only controls whether auto-indent mode defaults to on; you can always use Control-O,I to toggle it.

The "Editor Right Margin" option allows you to control where the editor "word-wraps" your text. You may want to consider setting this value to less than 72 so that when people "quote" your text less of the text is lost.

The reader will automatically fill in the path to a work directory and the location of PKZIP and PKUNZIP. Note that if you have a large RAM disk available, you may want to specify that RAM disk as the work directory. This will increase the speed when importing and exporting messages. You may change any of these paths by moving the bar to that location and pressing the Enter key. Type in your corrected information and press ESC.

A completed configuration might look something like this:

+===========Change Configuration=====================+

| Upload Dir : C:\TELIX |

| Download Dir : C:\TELIX |

| Work Dir : C:\MEGA\WORK |

| PKZIP Path : C:\ZZZ\PKZIP.EXE |

| PKUNZIP Path : C:\ZZZ\PKUNZIP.EXE |

| Exploding Windows : NO |

| "Noisy" Windows : NO |

| Your Name : KIP COMPTON |

| Quoting Prefix : $I> |

| Delete Default : NO |

| Auto UnRead Scan : YES |

| Personal Beeper : NO |

| Door Text in Message : NO |

| New Msgs Marked as Read: YES |

| Move after Reply : NO |

| Auto Indent Mode : YES |

| Editor Right Margin : 65 |

+====================================================+

The MegaMail(tm) Cycle

Using the MegaMail(tm) system consists of a cycle. First, you export any mail that you have in your reader, along with instructions for the MegaMail(tm) door that have been automatically generated by the reader. This is accomplished using the reader's export function. Then, call the bbs, open the MegaMail(tm) door, and upload the file you just generated using the reader's export option. When the door prompts you to do so, download the file generated by the door. After you log off the bbs, execute your reader again, this time using the Import option in order to bring in the mail you just downloaded. After reading your mail and replying to the various messages you are ready to call the BBS again and repeat the cycle.

To set up your reader to exchange mail for the first time with a BBS, move the highlighted bar to the BBS option and press Enter. You will see the following menu:

+===============================+

|BBS Read Utilities |

+=+=======+=====================+

| Export|

| Import|

| Add |

| Delete|

| Quit |

+-------+

You need to tell the reader the ID of the new bbs. Move the bar to Add and press Enter. You will see:

+===============Add a BBS===============+

| |

| |

| ID Of BBS to Add : |

| |

| |

+=======================================+

You must know the ID (a word of 1-8 letters) of the BBS that you want to receive mail from. Sysops usually will use some form of their BBS name but you MUST have the exact ID used on the BBS. If you're not sure of the ID for a BBS, leave a message for the Sysop and he or she should be able to tell you. Once you know the ID, type it in and press the Enter key.

After you have added the ID, you are ready to prepare a packet for upload to the MegaMail(tm) door on the BBS using the Export option. Move the highlight bar to Export and press Enter.

You will see the following:

+================Select BBS========================+

| CONNECT |

+==================================================+

(Note that all the id's that you have added will be listed but no id is there UNLESS you added it.)

Move the bar to the BBS you wish to call and press Enter. You will be informed that:

+===============Status Window==========+

|No Conference Information Available. |

+======================================+

There is no conference information available because you have not yet called the BBS. You need to create a packet to send to the BBS to register yourself for the first time in the MegaMail(tm) door. The reader will begin to prepare a packet for you to upload to the BBS. First you will be told that the reader is preparing a packet and then you will see something like this:

+=====================PKZIP.EXE============================+

| |

|PKZIP(tm)FAST! Create/Update Utility Version 1.02 |

|Copyright 1989 PKWARE Inc. All Rights Reserved. |

| |

|Updating: C:/GT1400/CONNECT.UL |

|Updating: INSTRUCT storing ( 0%), done. |

|Updating: CONNECT.UML storing ( 0%), done. |

| |

| |

+==========================================================+

This packet contains instructions for the BBS you are calling and whatever messages you might have added (initially none of course).

Now it is time to call the BBS and enter the MegaMail(tm) door. You will be prompted to upload a packet called BBSID.UL and then be prompted to download a packet called BBSID.UL where BBSID = the code name or ID of the BBS that you just called.

After you have uploaded your BBSID.UL file, the door will do some work and then prompt you to download the new BBSID.DL that it created. After you download the file, you will be returned to the BBS, where you can log off as usual.

Now that you have downloaded the conference information from the door, you must "import" it into your reader.

Run the reader and choose BBS option by moving the highlighted small bar to the words BBS and pressing ENTER.

+================================+

| BBS Read Utilities |

+=+========+=====================+

| Export |

| Import |

| Add |

| Delete |

| Quit |

+========+

Move the bar to the area that says Import and press ENTER again.

You will see something similar to this:

+===================Select BBS to Import==================+

|CONNECT |

+=========================================================+

(Note that all bbs's with downloaded packets waiting to be imported will be listed)

Choose the ID of the board that you have just called by moving the highlighted bar to that board's BBSID and pressing Enter. You will see the following messages:

+Messages From Door (Press Esc When Done, PgDn & PgUp to Scroll)+

| |

| |

| MegaMail(tm)(tm) Door Version 1.00 |

| (C) Copyright 1990 by Kip Compton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. |

| |

| Session of 01/27/90 at 09:17. |

| |

| |

| Warning : No instructions for mail extraction received. |

| |

| |

| |

| |

+===============================================================+

This is the message from the door. It shows what version of the door the system that you called is using, the date and time of the session, and what mail you have downloaded. Occasionally, there will be other information from the door here as well. Note that if you have the "door text in message" option turned on, you will not be shown this text, for it will be placed in a regular message that you can read along with the rest of your mail.

Because this was the first time that you called the BBS, you did not receive any mail from the BBS. Even though you didn't receive any messages, your reader now has all the conference information from the BBS. Each time you call a BBS and exchange message files with the door, your reader updates the conference information for that BBS with the information that is sent to the reader during that session.

Once your reader has the conference information, you can request actual mail for the conferences you are interested in reading. The first time you call any BBS, you will not obtain actual messages but only the conference information for that BBS. After your first call, however, the reader retains and automatically updates all conference information as it is received in each mail packet.

Return to the BBS Menu and choose Export. Pick the appropriate ID of the board you are working with. You will now see a list of conferences that this board carries:

+==Select Conferences To Change, Press Esc When Done.===+

|MAIN : No Mail |

|SYSOP : No Mail |

|HST : No Mail |

|SOFTWARE : No Mail |

|TECH : No Mail |

|SPORTS : No Mail |

|MEDICAL : No Mail |

|COMM : No Mail |

|DEBATE : No Mail |

+=======================================================+

Note that initially you are not set up to receive any mail in any of the conferences. To receive mail in a conference, move the highlight bar to the conference you are interested in and press the Enter key. You will see:

+=================MAIN==================+

|No Mail |

|All New Mail |

|Your New Mail |

|Last x Messages. |

|Your Mail from Last x Messages. |

+=======================================+

Choose the option that you wish to have for your message gathering. Remember that the first time you call a BBS there might be hundreds of messages that you have not read, so that choosing All new mail might result in quite large download packets.

If you choose Last X messages, included in that total number might be erased messages or private messages to others that you will not receive in your packet. You might receive much less than X messages because of this. If you choose either of the Your Mail options you will receive only those messages addressed to you.

Your reader will automatically store your conference mail preferences. The next time you export, you will be shown a listing of the conferences, but they will then be configured just as they were the last time you called. Thus, once you set up your conferences, you do not need to change anything on this menu again unless you add, or delete a conference, or change your mail preferences in a conference.

When you are done setting up all the conferences you wish to receive mail in, press Esc. You will be asked if you want to export now. You should reply "Yes." The reader will create a BBSID.UL file for you to upload to the reader, but this time, the BBS.UL file will contain instructions for the door, telling it what mail you want to download in which conference. If you want to change your conference mail preferences without exporting, you can do so by selecting Export and then answering "No" to the "Export Now" question.

Note:	When you export, new messages and replies from your reader are extracted from the reader's mail files and placed in the BBSID.UL file that is uploaded to the MegaMail(tm) door. If you export again or delete the BBSID.UL file BEFORE you upload that packet to the MegaMail(tm) door, your new messages and replies will be lost. You must only run EXPORT when you are ready to call the BBS and exchange your mail via the MegaMail(tm) door.

How to Start Reading Mail in a Conference

When you first start reading mail in a conference, there may be hundreds or even thousands of messages available. Obviously, you normally do not want to download thousands of messages. However, it is often very helpful to have a "database" of messages in a given conference when you are reading mail -- that way you can look back and see what people are talking about. The MegaMail(tm) Reader has an option designed just for this situation: the Last x Messages option. You may have noticed this option when you configured your conferences earlier. To use this option to start reading mail in a conference, just select it. You will then be asked how many messages back you want to go. Decide how many messages you want to have in your reader for this conference and type in that number. A reasonable amount is 25 or 50. Then, you will be asked if you wish to reset your last read pointer. You should say "yes". This will set your last read pointer so that you can start using the All New Mail option. The next time you use the MegaMail(tm) door, you will get some messages from that conference and then your last read pointer will be updated. You should be sure that you go and change the Last x Messages to All New Mail before you export again -- otherwise you'll get the last 50 messages again.

Reading Mail

When you select the Read option from the Main Menu, you will be shown the first message in the reader:

+=========================================================================+

| Level: 1 |

|BBS: CONNECT Conference: SysOp Imported: 1/18/1990|

| |

| To: ALL Number: 13957 Date: 1/05/1990|

|From: JOHN WHITE Reference: 0 Time: 4:37 pm |

|Subj: HD MENU Security: PUBLIC Read: N |

| Echo Flag:Y Personal Read: N |

+=========================================================================+

+=========================================================================+

| |

|I would appreciate any help I can get to find the authors of HDMENU |

|this was written by VAI Financial Software in Honolulu,Hi. The version I |

|have is 2.22 written in 1987. This is the best menuing program I have |

|found. Thanks |

| |

|PCRelay:THEPIER -> |

|4.10ß9 PIER 22 BBS - Hampton, Va. (804)865-6848 19.2 |

| |

| |

| |

| |

| |

+=========================================================================+

As you can see, the screen is divided into two "windows." The top window contains the message header. This message header contains such important information as who wrote the message, who the message is sent to, and what the subject of the message is. Here is a summary of the fields in the MegaMail(tm) message header:

BBS :	This field is the ID of the BBS from which this message was downloaded.

Conference :	This field is the name of the conference or message area from which this particular message was downloaded.

Level :	Level that the reader is currently accessing. As you open "another" readers, the level will increase by one for each reader you have open. (See below for more details)

Imported :	This field is the date on which this message was "imported" into the MegaMail(tm) Reader.

To :	This field contains the name of the person to whom the message is addressed. It will contain "YOU" if the message is addressed to you.

From :	This field contains the name of the person who wrote the message.

Subj :	This field contains the "subject" of the message.

Number :	This field contains the number of the message on the BBS. New messages that you leave in the reader will have "(NEW)" listed as their message numbers.

Reference :	This field contains the number of the message that this message is in reference to. If this message is not in reference to another message, this field will contain a 0.

Security :	This field contains the security of the message, either PUBLIC or PRIVATE. PUBLIC messages are intended to be read by everyone, while PRIVATE messages are intended to be read only by the person to whom the message is addressed, the person who wrote the message, and any SysOps who are allowed to read the mail. You should note that there is no guarantee that PRIVATE mail will not be read by others.

Date :	This field contains the date on which the message was written.

Time :	This field contains the time at which the message was written.

Read :	This field contains the read field from the BBS. If the person has read the message, it will say "Y". If the message has not been read, it will say "N."

Personal Read:	This field indicates whether YOU have read this message or not. This is a very powerful field, because it allows you to search for mail that you have not yet read.

Echo Flag:	This flag, which is supported by some BBS software, indicates whether a message should be "echoed" out onto a BBS network. For this option to work, the BBS must be running version 1.10 or later of the MegaMail Door, and, in addition, it must be running a UTI that supports the echo flag. You should not post a message that you definitely don't want echoed using the reader until you are sure that the echo flag is working properly on that particular BBS.

It is important for you to understand the fields in the message header because not only do they appear on all of the messages you read using MegaMail(tm), but you can use them to search for specific messages.

Help Menu

One of the unique features of the MegaMail(tm) Reader is the help menu. To display the help menu, type F1, or press both buttons on your mouse at the same time. You will see:

+=========================================================================+

| Level: 1 |

|BBS: CONNECT Conference: SysOp Imported: 1/18/1990|

|+===========================+ |

|| Next (Right Arrow) | Number: 13957 Date: 1/05/1990|

|| Prev (Left Arrow) | Reference: 0 Time: 4:37 pm |

|| Reply (Alt-R) | Security: PUBLIC Read: N |

|| Enter (Alt-E) | Personal Read: N |

+| Quick Scan (Alt-Q) |============================================+

+| Find (Alt-F) |============================================+

|| Clear (Alt-C) | |

|| Unread (Alt-U) | can get to find the authors of HDMENU |

|| Yours (Alt-Y) |cial Software in Honolulu,Hi. The version I |

|| Kill (Alt-K) | This is the best menuing program I have |

|| Save (Alt-S) | |

|| Another (Alt-A) | |

|| What (Alt-W) |m) |

|| eXit (Alt-X) |S - Hampton, Va. (804)865-6848 19.2 |

|| Block Begin (Ctrl-K,B) | |

|| Block End (Ctrl-K,K) | |

|| Block Write (Ctrl-K,W) | |

|+===========================+ |

| |

+=========================================================================+

Display Next Message Matching Current Search Specification

The help menu displays all of the major options of the reader. Next to each option is the key you would press to activate that option from within the reader. At the bottom on the screen is a one-line description of the option currently highlighted. You can also access the option directly from within the help menu by typing the highlighted letter for the option you wish to activate, or, of course, selecting it with the Enter key or your mouse.

For example, if you wanted help with how to read the next message, the help menu would show you that the option "next" is "(Right Arrow)." You could exit the help menu by pressing ESC and then press the right arrow to activate the option and read the next message. Or, while remaining in the help menu, you could highlight that option by using the up and down arrow keys to reach the option Next, and then press the Enter key, If you're using a mouse, "double click" on the highlighted option. In each case you will then be shown the next message.

The help menu is large and hides most of the underlying message and its header. It takes a key stroke to activate it. It is not designed to be the principal method of accessing the reader commands. It is designed as a type of "training wheels" to help give you an easier start with the reader.

As you use the reader, you will find that you start remembering the keystrokes that go with the commands you most often use. Once you know the keystrokes that go with a particular command, you will have no need for the help menu. But it is always available for those commands that you may only occasionally use or for those that you have forgotten.

You will notice that there is a help line on the bottom of the screen. Whenever the helper menu is activated, the bottom line of the screen contains a short description of the highlighted command. As you move the highlight bar up and down, the help line changes to match the item that you have highlighted.

There is also a help menu available when you are entering messages. It is used the same way; it simply has different commands on it.

Leaving Messages

There are two ways you can leave a message using the MegaMail(tm) Reader : Reply and Enter.

The Reply Option (Alt-R) is specifically designed for replying to a message. When you press Alt-R, a message header is placed on top of the screen with all of the fields filled in for you. You have a chance to change any of the fields you want to change by using the Tab, Shift Tab, Up and Down Arrow keys to move around the various fields and then Control-Enter (Ctrl-Enter) to save. When you press Ctrl-Enter, you are then given a blank area in which to type your message.

If you use the Enter function (Alt-E), the procedure is a bit longer. When you press Alt-E, you will be presented with a listing of all the BBSs in the reader. You must first select the BBS you are interested in accessing. Move the highlight bar to the name of the BBS you wish to leave your message to and press Enter. You will be presented with a listing of all the conferences for the BBS that you selected. Select the conference in which you plan to leave the message.

Then, you will be presented with a partially filled in message header. You can use the Tab, Shift-Tab, Up and Down arrows to move around the header filling in each of the fields. When you are done press Ctrl-Enter. (Note that you must fill in the Subject and To: fields; if you don't the reader will beep and return you to the required field) You will then be presented with a blank area to type your message in.

While entering your message, most Wordstar commands are available. If you are unfamiliar with the Wordstar commands, see appendix A for a listing of these commands. You may also use the "another reader" function to look at other messages. See the section on this option for more details.

Also note that while entering messages, you can use the Alt-R key to "re-edit" the header on the message that you are entering.

Tag Lines

A tag line is appended to the end of each message you leave using the MegaMail Reader. Part of the tag line is not configurable by you (the part that says "MegaMail"), but you can specify what you want to appear in the rest of the tag line.

Usually, people put little phrases that they like or messages in their tag lines. Sometimes sysops like to put the name and number of their BBS in their tag line. What you put in your tag line is really up to you.

The MegaMail Reader allows you to specify up to 10 tag lines, and, which one to put on the bottom of messages, or, optionally, you can tell the reader to pick randomly from the tag lines that you have put in.

You can edit your tag line options by pressing Alt-T when reading or entering messages. (The tag line option is also available from the Utilities menu.)

When you press Alt-T or select Tag Lines from the utilities menu, you will see a screen with your tag lines (if any) on it:

+==================Edit Tag Lines=========================+

| |

|Tag Line to Use: 1 (Entering 0 will Randomly Select ... |

| |

| Tag # 1 : Life is full of surprises. |

| |

| Tag # 2 : |

| |

| Tag # 3 : |

| |

| Tag # 4 : | | |

| Tag # 5 : |

| |

| Tag # 6 : |

| |

| Tag # 7 : |

| |

| Tag # 8 : |

| |

| Tag # 9 : |

| |

| Tag # 10 : |

+=========================================================+

As you can see, there are slots for up to 10 tag lines, and one slot to specify which tag line to use. You can use the your arrow keys or mouse to move around this screen and fill in the slots, and, when you are done, you exit the screen by hitting PgDn or Control-Enter.

Deleting Messages

You can delete or "kill" a message from your reader by pressing the Alt-K key. You will then be asked if you want to kill the message. Note that the default answer to this question is configurable on the Configuration screen. When you kill a message in the reader, it does not kill the message on the BBS -- it just kills it in the reader. Also note that if you want to kill a large group of messages, you can use the Purge/Repair option. See the section on this option for more details.

Searching

The Alt-F option allows you to set the search specification. The search specification defines which messages will be shown to you and which will not. You may search based on any field or even combinations of fields in the header. For example, you may search for a user name, your own name, or a particular subject matter present in the subject field. You are shown only messages that match the current search specification.

Using the Alt-F Option

Pressing the ALT-F key will show you the following screen.

+=======================Select Search Example===========================+

| Level: 1 |

|BBS: Conference: Imported: 1/01/1600|

| |

| To: Number: Date: 1/01/1600|

|From: Reference: Time: 12:00 am |

|Subj: Security: Read: |

| Echo Flag: Personal Read: |

+=======================================================================+

This message header is called a search "example." It is an example or template of the messages that you want to read. When the reader displays the "next" message (ie., when you press the right arrow), it actually searches for not the just the next numerical message but the next message that matches your example. A message is considered to "match" your example if every field that is NOT blank in your example exactly matches the corresponding fields in the message. The initial example (assuming that you do not have the automatic "unread" mail mode on) is completely blank. (NOTE: 01/01/1600 is considered a "blank" date and 12:00 am is considered a "blank" time.)

To move in the header, use your Tab key to go to the next field, Shift-Tab key to go to the previous field, down arrow to go to the next field under the one you are editing, and the up arrow to go to the field directly above the one you are editing. When you are in the Security, Read, or Personal Read fields, you should use the space bar to toggle between the options for these fields. When you are done filling in the example, you should press Ctrl-Enter. For a complete listing of all the keys you can use when entering a message header, see Appendix A.

When you move to the BBS: or Conference: fields, you will be presented with a "pick list" menu of all of the BBSes or conferences. (Note that the conference menu only appears if the BBS: field has a BBS in it.) You can use this menu to put in the conference, or you can select "(Blank)" and type the conference or BBS yourself.

All of the fields are exactly as described above for message headers. Note that you can search based on all fields except the "Level" field. The Level field will always have the "level" you are at in terms of readers (see the section on the "another reader" function below for more information).

The fewer fields you fill in when you are searching for a particular message, the more messages you will see, and the better your chances of finding the message(s) you are searching for. The ALT-F command is not forgiving and will search for the parameters that you specified EXACTLY. The more fields you fill, the more likely for an exact hit but also the more likely to have made an error and to miss the message you are seeking. (Of course, if you enter too little, you will have many messages to look through to find the one you were looking for)

If your search fails, press ALT-F again to repeat the search, but change something. As you TAB through the fields, if you want to BLANK out (erase) a previously entered field, press the CTRL-Y to blank it out. Delete works as well, but the CTRL-Y key is faster for long entries.

There are several commands that relate to the search example and the Alt-F command. Pressing Alt-C while reading mail will clear the entire example, thus showing ALL messages. Alt-U will first clear the example and then change the Personal Read flag to "N", thus causing only those messages that you have not yet read to be displayed. The Alt-Y key will simply set the "TO" field to YOU, thus showing you only those messages that are addressed to you.

Printing and Saving Messages

The MegaMail(tm) Reader has a function specifically designed to help you record important messages. When you press Alt-S, you are prompted for the name of a DOS file or a device to save the current message to. (If you want to print the message, you should specify PRN as the file to save the message to.) The Alt-S function will write out the entire message, along with its header. Note that if the file already exists, the Alt-S function will APPEND the new text to the file, along with a line to separate the messages. This makes it very easy to keep a file of important messages for future reference.

If you just want to write out the message text, without its header, you can block the text using the block begin and block end commands (F7 and F8, respectively), and then use the block write command (Control-K,W) to write the text out to a file or to the printer. The block write command works both when you are entering a message and when you are reading messages.

"Reverse" Threading

The MegaMail(tm) Reader has a function designed for those times when you receive a message and are not sure what the person is talking about! When you press Alt-W, the reader will immediately show you the message to which the current message is in reference to. The Alt-W function works both while you are reading messages and when you are entering new ones. When you are done looking at the message, press Esc to return to the original message. You can press Alt-W as many times as is necessary -- this allows you to read a thread "backwards" to its origin. This function is also handy when you are replying to a message. Pressing Alt-W when replying to a message will show you the message to which you are replying -- great for making sure your reply addresses the entire message!

Zooming

The MegaMail Reader has a "Zoom" function that allows you to "zoom in" on the message text. This function is toggled by pressing the Alt-Z key. When you are "zoomed" in, the header of the message is not displayed, so that the entire screen can be used for the text of the message. The reader will remain in "zoom" mode until you press Alt-Z again.

About The Personal Read Flags

As you read the messages in your reader, the MegaMail(tm) reader will keep a running account of the messages that you have gone through during that session. When you press the <ESC> to quit you will be prompted as to whether you want to "Update Personal Read Flags? ". You will see:

+=================================+

| Update Personal Read Flags? Y |

+=================================+

If you press ENTER and accept the "Y", the Reader will mark all the messages that you have read during this session with a "Y" in the Personal Read field.

Like all of the other fields, this field can be used in a search. This function allows you to read only those messages that you have not yet read in the reader.

Quick Scan

Using the Alt-Q function while reading a message allows you to take a "Quick look" at messages within the message base.

+=============================================================================+

| Level: 1 |

|+==============================Quick Scan===============================+|

||CONNECT Support PCRELAY ARMAND MICHAUD SYSOP ||

||CONNECT Support Procomm+ script h BILL HUNT MIKE RIVERS ||

+|CONNECT Support PCRELAY CHRIS KALABOUKIS SYSOP |+

+|RUNNINGA SESSION REPORT MegaMail(tm) DOOR YOU |+

||RUNNINGA SESSION REPORT MegaMail(tm) DOOR YOU ||

||RUNNINGA BUSINESS SHIPPING A PC XCO BRIAN LEE ALL ||

||RUNNINGA BUSINESS PLEASE REPLY! SKIP ROSS CONFERENCE HOST- ||

||RUNNINGA BUSINESS SMALL BUSINESS FO HARRY ANDERSON ALL ||

||RUNNINGA BUSINESS BUSINESS OPPORTUN BRUCE BURKHARDT ALL ||

||RUNNINGA FORSALE WANTED: 41256 RAM RJ KULMAN LARRY CARLEY ||

||RUNNINGA FORSALE Encyclopedia Want RJ KULMAN CINDY BARTORILLO ||

||RUNNINGA SYSOP Civil Rights Act? TIM ROSSITER RICK FRY ||

||RUNNINGA SYSOP SHAREWARE DAVE HILL WILLIAM PARFITT ||

||RUNNINGA SYSOP Tame/DV/PCBoard ROBERT BROWN ROBERT TODD ||

||RUNNINGA UNIX Editors for UNIX DENNIS MCCUNNEY JOHN MCNAMARA ||

||RUNNINGA UNIX Sed / Lex DENNIS MCCUNNEY DANE BEKO ||

||RUNNINGA UPLINK FRIENDS SUSIE PETERSON KEN HALFON ||

||RUNNINGA UPLINK WHAT'S HAPPENING BETH BUSH CHERYL BAEZ ||

|+=======================================================================+|

| |

+=========================================================================+

The Quick Scan shows all messages, sorted by the BBS they came from, the Conference they are in, and then finally by their message number. It presents the messages in a chronological order by conference. The Quick Scan Display consists of the following information, in this order:

BBS ID	The ID of the board that the message is from.

Conference Name	The conference containing the message. Notice that there may be messages where the conference "field" is blank. These are message from the MegaMail(tm) Reader itself addressed to you. This type of message will only appear if you have selected Door Text in Message: Yes while you were configuring MegaMail(tm) Reader.

Subject	Is the exact subject field of the message.

From	The name of the person who wrote the message.

To	The name of the person the message is directed to.

While you are reading a message, you may press the Alt-Q key which will then open another window and show you the messages that are in the message base. This allows you to look at the header information on other messages within the messages file.

By using the up/down and PgUp/PgDn keys, you can scroll through the listing of the messages. Note: if you have a mouse installed you can also use it to scroll through the listing. In the upper right and lower right corners, there are up and down arrows, which, when clicked on, will scroll the display one entire screen.

If you press the Enter key or click on a highlighted record, the reader will display that particular message. You can press Alt-R and reply to that message if so desired as well as use Alt-W to follow a subject thread of the messages.

Pressing any of the arrows keys will return you to the next message that the MegaMail(tm) Reader has in its file base, not necessarily the next message as displayed by the ALT-Q function. You can, however, press Alt-Q again to return to the quick scan where you left off.

"Another Reader" Function

Another Reader -- Alt-A -- is exactly what it says. When you press Alt-A when reading mail or entering a new message, "another reader" appears. This "new" reader is completely independent. All functions, including leaving new messages, quick scanning, and searching, are active. One of the advantages of the Alt-A command is that it allows you to quote or copy a message from one user to another user, even across different conferences or even BBSes. It is as if you were starting into the reader afresh. You can search for other messages or topics without losing your original position in the message base. The Alt-A function is automatically used when you use the Alt-W function.

When you press Alt-A, the "Level" number in the upper right corner will rise. To return to level 1, or your original reading position, press the ESC key until you have returned to level 1. You will be back at your original message. (If you press the ESC key too many times you will of course exit from the reader.)

An Example of its usage while reading a message....

+=========================================================================+

| Level: 1 |

|BBS: RUNNINGA Conference: STARTREK Imported: 1/11/1990|

| |

| To: ALL Number: 7221 Date: 1/10/1990|

|From: TIM MOELLER Reference: 0 Time: 10:40 am |

|Subj: TRIVIA Security: PUBLIC Read: Y |

| Echo Flag:Y Personal Read: Y |

+=========================================================================+

+=========================================================================+

| |

|My trivia question is... What were the episodes (including the |

|movies) where a crew member or passenger was left behind (alive)? |

| |

|My own partial answer includes three: |

| 1. "The Corbomite Maneuver", as discussed. |

| 2. the episode where Kahn was left on Ceti Alpha V (with a female |

| crew member) |

| 3. the episode with Cochrane and the cloud creature when the female |

| official (who used to play Betty on "Father Knows Best") |

| was left behind. |

| 4. "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky", where |

| |

+=========================================================================+

And you decide to reply to it.....

+=========================================================================+

| Level: 1 |

|BBS: RUNNINGA Conference: STARTREK Imported: 1/16/1990|

| |

| To: TIM MOELLER Number: 7324 Date: 1/14/1990|

|From: STEVEN ROGERS Reference: 7221 Time: 9:35 am |

|Subj: TRIVIA Security: PUBLIC Read: N |

| Echo Flag:Y Personal Read: Y |

+=========================================================================+

+=========================================================================+

| |

|TM> 3. the episode with Cochrane and the cloud creature when the fem |

|TM> official (who used to play Betty on "Father Knows Best") |

|TM> was left behind. |

| |

|I don't know if I would count that one, technically She wasn't a Crew |

|Member. |

| |

|Can you count, The Menagerie<sp>, in which former crew member, Capt Pike |

|was taken back to the planet to stay? |

| |

| |

| |

+=========================================================================+

No problem, just as if you were reading it on the BBS.

A couple of days later some one else enter a message in reply to yours above.

+=========================================================================+

| Level: 1 |

|BBS: RUNNINGA Conference: STARTREK Imported: 1/17/1990|

| |

| To: YOU Number: 7372 Date: 1/16/1990|

|From: RON MYERS Reference: 7324 Time: 1:09 am |

|Subj: TRIVIA Security: PUBLIC Read: Y |

| Echo Flag:Y Personal Read: Y |

+=========================================================================+

+=========================================================================+

| |

|What about "The Corbomite Maneuver"? Didn't they leave one of the crew |

|members with that little tike? An exchange of culture and what not? |

| |

|Ron... |

| |

| |

| |

| |

|PCRelay:TWEXCH -> |

|4.10ß9 The Exchange BBS (804) 340-5042 * 9 NODES ! |

| |

| |

+=========================================================================+

You could use Alt-R to reply to this message directly. This is a level 1 message and you press Ctrl-Enter or PgDn to start entering text to the reply.

While you are replying you could press Alt-A to re-read his message to you. The message will appear as a Level-2 message since it is in the second reader you have opened.

You decide to quote some of his message so you mark a block of his message off and then return (by pressing the Esc key) to your Level-1 reply to quote him with the Alt-Q before you enter your own response.

You could then press the Alt-A keys again and return back to his message to make sure you don't want to quote any more of the message. Your second look at the message is still a Level-2 peek. But now you press Alt-W in order to see "what" you had written in your original message (the one that he replied to you about) and now you are at a level-3 message. You have "three" readers open - level 1 is the reply you are working on, level 2 is the message you are replying to and level-3 is the original message you wrote. Neat?

If you decide to get even more information you could press Alt-W again, to show yourself the original message that you had initially REPLIED to (unless you had packed the message from the message base) and find yourself at a level-4 message! You may block this original message (level-4) and press the Esc key until you return to your Level-1 reply and then press Alt-Q to Quote the original message, (first message), back to this person, who won't believe it!

The reply is shown below along with a Quote from his message to me and ALSO a Quote from the original message thread that started it all.

+=========================================================================+

| Level: 1 |

|BBS: RUNNINGA Conference: STARTREK Imported: 1/17/1990|

| |

| To: RON MYERS Number: (NEW) Date: 1/17/1990|

|From: STEVEN ROGERS Reference: 7372 Time: 7:37 pm |

|Subj: TRIVIA Security: PUBLIC Read: N |

| Echo Flag:Y Personal Read: Y |

+=========================================================================+

+=========================================================================+

| |

|RM> What about "The Corbomite Maneuver"? Didn't they leave one of the cr |

|RM> members with that little tike? An exchange of culture and what not? |

| |

|I wasn't in dispute about that show, leaving the Crew Member behind. As |

|you can see that one was mentioned. |

| |

|From: Tim Moeller |

|TM> My own partial answer includes three: |

|TM> 1. "The Corbomite Maneuver", as discussed. |

|TM> 2. the episode where Kahn was left on Ceti Alpha V (with a femal |

|TM> crewmember) |

| |

+=========================================================================+

Quoting Functions

You may quote from a message before you actually enter the reply mode as well after you begin your reply.

To quote before you enter the reply mode, move the cursor, using the up and down arrow keys or your mouse, to the line you wish to start quoting and press CTRL-K,B (or F7). Using the arrow keys or mouse, move the cursor to the end of the section you wish to quote and press CTRL-K,K (or F8). Note that the beginning of a block always defaults to the first line, so that all you really need do if you want to start from the first line of a message, is move down the number of lines you wish to quote and press CTRL-K,K (or F8).

Once you have blocked off your quote, go to reply mode by pressing Alt-R.

You can only quote whole lines although you can edit the quoted section to shorten a line while you are in reply mode.

If, while replying to a message, you decide to quote from the message you are replying to, press Alt-W. You will be shown the entire original message. Block off your quote in the same manner as described above. When are you finished press Esc to return to your reply and immediately press Alt-Q for Quote.

You may also have multiple quotes from different messages than the one you are replying to directly by pressing Alt-A to generate "another reader." While in the Alt-A mode you can use all of the normal reader functions. When you have located the message and blocked off your quote, press ESC to return to your original reply and use the Alt-Q key to bring in your text.

Note that if you want to quote someone without putting your quoting prefix in, you can use the Control-K,C block copy command. You can also use the Control-K,W command to write out a section of marked text, or, if you are entering message text, you can use the Control-K,R block read command to read in text from a text file on your disk into your message.

Experiment -- The MegaMail(tm) Reader is very flexible and powerful when it comes to Quoting.

Command Line Parameters

You can manage your reader through the use of command line parameters. This allows you to use your reader and obtain your mail via a set of batch files.

Valid Command Line Parameters:

/NOMOUSE	Disables mouse support.

/SLOWSCREEN	Disables direct screen writes - use only if necessary!

/MONO	Forces Monochrome operation.

/MACROFILE	Specifies alternate macro file (default is MEGAREAD.MAC) Correct syntax: /MACROFILE FILENAME. There is no need to create the new file; the reader will do so the first time it works with it.

/BASENAME	Specifies alternate message base file name. Cannot contain an extension. Default is MESSAGES. Proper syntax /BASENAME FILENAME Ie., /BASENAME MYMAIL. There is no need to create the new mail file; the reader will do so the first time it works with it.

/CONFIGFILE	Specifies an alternate configuration file. The default is CONFIG.MGA. Proper syntax: /CONFIGFILE FILENAME

/NOEMS	Disables the reader's use of EMS memory.

/EXPORT BBSID	Export mail from BBSID & return to DOS.

/IMPORT BBSID	Import mail from BBSID & return to DOS.

/PACK XXX	Pack and remove all messages imported XXX days ago. (use /PACK 999 to just "purify" and delete none)

/BIOSSCROLL	Turns off the reader's "smooth scrolling" routines for CGAs. If you have a CGA card, using this parameter will speed up the scrolling of text in the reader, but the scrolling will be less attractive.

/NOSNOW	Turns off the reader's checking for snow. Will drastically speed up screen writes on CGAs, but may result in "snow" on the screen.

/SAFETY	Turns on the reader's "safety net" mode. In this mode, the reader works with the MESSAGES.DAT and MESSAGES.IX files differently to insure that they are recoverable without a pack if the power goes out. The price you pay for this is that this mode is significantly slower than "normal" mode.

/COLORFILE	Specifies the file to use to store information about the colors you are using inside the reader. Syntax is /COLORFILE Filename where filename is the name of the file to use.

/50 or /43	These command line options will cause the reader to go into 43 line mode if you have an EGA or 50 line mode if you have a VGA. This allows you to see much more of a message on the screen at one time. They have no effect if you do not have an EGA or VGA.

/NOZIP	Causes the reader to skip the PKZIP and PKUNZIP steps when importing and exporting mail. See the section below.

An example: a batch file that would do a complete MegaMail(tm) cycle and pack the messages at the end, removing messages 10 days or older:

cd \megamail

megaread /export connect

cd\telix

telix {run a script}

cd \megamail

megaread /import connect /pack 10

Note that while the order of most command line parameters doesn't matter, if more than one "batch" command line parameters are to be specified, the actions are taken in the order that they appear on the command line.

The /NOZIP Command Line Parameter

The /NOZIP command line parameter causes the reader to skip the PKUNZIP and PKZIP steps when importing and exporting. This is desirable if you are running under tight memory restrictions. When using this option and importing, you must first unzip the .DL file you downloaded into the reader's work directory. Then you may run the reader and import it. When exporting, you must export in the reader and then use pkzip to put the files into the .UL file.

If you're using this option, you may want to make two batch files that import and export a given node:

IMPORT.BAT:

c:

cd \mega\work

pkunzip c:\downloaddir\%1.DL

cd ..

megaread /nozip /import %1

EXPORT.BAT

C:

cd \mega

megaread /nozip /export %1

cd work

pkzip -m c:\uploaddir\%1.UL

These batch files are provided in the MegaMail package for you. All you should need to change is the uploaddir and downloaddir, and possibly the c:'s (should be the drive in which you have your megamail reader subdirectory) and the cd \mega's (should be the directory where your MegaMail reader lives.)

Repairing and Purging Mail

The Repair/Purge option, located on the Utilities menu, is used to manage mail already in your reader. There are two situations in which you would need to use this function. The first, and most common, is to keep the amount of mail in your reader from becoming large and unmanageable. Unless you use this option, mail is never deleted from your reader.

The Repair/Purge Mail File option has two ways of removing mail from your reader. The first way is based on the date on which the messages were IMPORTED into your reader and the second is by example (see below). When you select the Repair/Purge option from the Utilities menu, the first question you will be asked is whether you want to remove any mail from your reader at all.

Repair/Purge Mail From Reader Mail File

+================================+

| BBS Read Utilities |

+============+===============+===+

| Repair/Purge |

| Edit Macro |

| Configuration |

+===============+

+===============Maintain Reader Message Base================+

| |

| Remove any mail from the message base when packing? Y |

| |

| |

| |

| |

| |

| |

| |

+===========================================================+

You should respond "Y" if you want to remove mail from the reader. You will then be asked if you wish to remove mail based on date. You should answer "Y" to remove mail by date. You will then be asked the number of days old a message has to be for it to be deleted. Remember that the date used for this process is the date when the message was imported into your reader, NOT the day that the message was left. This prevents "old" BBS mail, that is new to your reader, from being deleted.

You should answer this question with the maximum number of days you want mail to be kept in your reader. Purging can take a long time, depending on the quantity of mail you have in your reader and the speed of your computer. Note that this option can be invoked from the command line. This allows you to pack your reader's message base automatically in an "event" or perhaps once a day in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

The second way of removing mail from your reader is by example. This is similar to searching, where any messages that match the example you give, are purged from the message base. This option is useful if you want to remove a group of messages. For example, if you wished to remove all messages that were in the conference "sysop" from your reader, you could do so by purging with an example that matched all messages with "sysop" in the conference field.

To use this option, choose the Repair/Purge option from the Utilities menu and answer "Y" when the reader asks you if you want to remove any mail from the message base when packing. Then, type "N" when the reader asks you if you want to remove mail by date. (Note that if you type "Y", and use the example purging, all messages that are the X number of days you specify old OR match the example you specify will be deleted.)

When you are asked if you wish to purge by example, answer "Y". When you press ENTER, you will be greeted by a "blank" example:

+=========================Select Purge Example============================+

| Level: 1 |

|BBS: Conference: Imported: 1/01/1600|

| |

| To: Number: Date: 1/01/1600|

|From: Reference: Time: 12:00 am |

|Subj: Security: Read: |

| Echo Flag: Personal Read: |

+=========================================================================+

+===============Maintain Reader Message Base================+

| |

| Remove any mail from the message base when packing? Y |

| Remove By Date ? N |

| Remove by Example? Y |

| |

| |

| |

| |

| |

+===========================================================+

Now, since we want to remove all mail that has "sysop" as the conference, we move over to the Conference: field and type "sysop". To signal that you are done editing the example, press Ctrl-ENTER, and the reader will begin packing the message base, removing all mail that matches the example.

The other reason that you might want to run the Repair/Purge option is to actually repair a message base. If you exit the reader abnormally, your message base might become "corrupted." This is due to advanced routines used to manage your messages once they are inside the reader which maintains a fair amount of information in memory and only writes the information out to disk when you are done and exit the reader normally. This has the advantage of greatly speeding your reader up, but if the reader does not exit normally, the information is never written back out to disk. A common symptom of this is a "Fatal Error" 0 when attempting to read your mail.

If you get an error when you attempt to read, import, or export mail, the first thing to do is Repair/Purge your message base. It doesn't matter if you actually remove any mail from the message base when you use the Repair/Purge function. The Repair/Purge option will automatically rebuild your message base, fixing any errors in it.

Colors

Virtually all of the colors used in the MegaMail Reader are configurable by the user. To configure your colors, select "Edit Colors" from the Utilities menu. You will then be presented with a listing of things that you can change the colors for :

+==================Select Color to Edit===================+

| General Text Color |

| General Text Window Border Color |

| General Text Window Title Color |

| Text Color for Reading Messages |

| Window Border Color for Reading Messages |

| Window Title Color for Reading Messages |

| "Alternate Text" Color for Reading Messages |

| Blocked Text Color for Reading Messages |

| General Input Field Color |

+=========================================================+

Note that this is just the first group of colors; you can scroll down through the list using your arrow keys or the scroll bar and your mouse. There are currently 90 different items that you can specify the color for.

To change the color of an item, just hit enter. You will be presented with a table with all of the available colors on it. There will be a white box around the current color for that item, and you can move the white box using your arrow keys or your mouse. When you have moved the cursor to the new color, press (enter). Pressing Esc will leave the color like it was before.

Your color preferences are stored in the file COLORS.MGA. If you ever want to "reset" to the default colors, you can delete this file and run the reader. You can also have multiple color files. See the /COLORFILE command line option for more information.

Keyboard Macros

The MegaMail(tm) reader has powerful keyboard macro facilities built in. From virtually anywhere in the Reader, you can define a macro or play one back. Also included is a powerful macro editor that allows you to edit macros that you have defined. The macro facility is so powerful that you can use it to remap your entire keyboard in the reader.

To define a macro, you simply press Control-F10. A small window pops up informing you that "macro recording" has been turned on. From this point forward all keys that you press will be recorded. You then perform the task you want the macro to perform for you later. When you are done pressing the keys for the task, press Control-F10 again. At this time you will be prompted for the key to assign this macro. After you define a macro, whenever you press the key you just assigned to the macro, it will be played back.

For example, if you wanted to define a macro to automatically "quote" the first seven lines from a message when you are replying to a message, start your reply by hitting Alt-R and filling in the message header. When you are ready to start your message with your 7 lines of quoting, press Control-F10. The reader starts "remembering" all the keys you will be pressing from here on in.

To quote from the message, press Alt-W to show the message you are replying to. Block off the text you want to quote by pressing F7 to begin the block on the first line, moving the cursor down 7 lines with your down arrow key, and pressing F8 to end the block. Then, return to your reply by pressing ESC and place the quoted text into your reply by pressing Alt-Q.

Since you are now done recording the necessary keystrokes for this macro, press Control-F10 again, and you are prompted for the key to assign this macro to. You could press Control-Q. From this time forward, whenever you are replying to a message and you want to quote the beginning of the message you are replying to, you could simply press Control-Q and MegaMail(tm) will do the work for you!

The following information on Macros is more advanced and may not be of interest to more casual users.

Redefining your Keyboard using Macros

You can use MegaMail(tm)'s keyboard macro facility to remap your keyboard. Let's say that you didn't like the normal begin block and end block keystrokes. You decided that you would like Alt-B to Begin a block of text and Alt-E to End a block of text. But, Alt-E is already assigned to Enter a message. So, you want to redefine Alt-M to be Enter a Message. To do this, simply set up three macros : One for Begin a block, one for End a block, and one for Entering a message.

The first macro, Begin a block, is fairly simple. Define a macro, Alt-B, with just the keystroke F7 in it. The second macro is also simple. Define a macro, Alt-E, with just the keystroke F8 in it. (The Alt-E that you define will take precedence over the built-in Alt-E that used to mean Enter a message.)

Now, you must define a macro for leaving a message. This is necessary because when you press Alt-E now, your new macro will be played back instead of the reader going into "enter a new message" mode. Define a macro with the keystroke Alt-E in it and assign it to Alt-M.

This setup works because macros are not played back when they are part of another macro. If this were not true then instead of entering a message with your Alt-M macro it would end a block. This property of the macros allows you to completely redefine your keyboard as you like, using the same methods described here.

The only key that you can't be redefined is Control-F10. This is for safety; as long as you can hit Control-F10, you can eliminate macros (just record an "empty" macro (hit Control-F10 twice in a row) and assign it to the same key as the macro you want to eliminate). Another feature of the macro engine that is useful when redefining your keyboard is the ability to specify the macro filename on the command line. For exact syntax, see the section on command line parameters. In short, this capability allows you to have several different sets of macros that you can choose from when you run the reader.

The Macro Editor

The Reader also has a built-in macro editor. You can edit previously defined macros with the macro editor, or you can create new ones. Go the Utilities menu and select "Edit Macro." You will then be prompted for the keystroke assigned to the macro that you wish to edit. When you press the key, a window will open up with the contents of the macro inside it. For example, if we wished to edited our Control-Q macro from above, it would look like this:

Edit a Keyboard Macro

+================================+

| BBS Read Utilities |

+============+===============+===+

+= Macro: <^Q> ================================= Command == Insert =+

|<AltW><F7><Down><Down><Down><Down><Down><Down><F8><Esc><AltQ><#255> |

| |

| |

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| |

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| |

| |

| |

| |

| |

| |

| |

| |

+====================================================================+

It should be noted that you should never need to use the macro editor. If you want to alter a macro, it is easier to simply record it again and assign it to the same key. The macro editor can, however, be useful for seeing what keys a macro consists of. Several commands are operational inside the macro editor:

Enter	Quit editing and save changes

Esc	Quit editing and abort changes.

Left Arrow	Move Cursor Left

Right Arrow	Move Cursor Right

Up Arrow	Move Cursor Up

Down	Move cursor Down

Ins	Toggle insert mode on and off

Del	Delete key at cursor

The macro editor operates in two modes : Command and Literal (the current mode is displayed in the upper right hand corner of the macro editor window.) In command mode, the keys above perform their respective functions. In Literal mode, pressing the down-arrow puts a down-arrow into your macro. The scroll lock key always toggles Literal and Command mode.

Appendix A : Summary of Available Commands

While Reading Mail :

Right Arrow	Next message matching current search specification. See above for information on search specifications.

Left Arrow	Previous message matching current search specification. See above for information on search specifications.

Alt-F	Set current search specification. See above for information on search specification.

Alt-C	Clear the search specifications. See above for information on search specifications.

Alt-U	Search for Unread Mail. See above section on Personal Read Flags.

Alt-Y	Search for Your mail. Will show only mail addressed to YOU.

Alt-C	Clear the Search Example. See section on Searching.

Alt-E	Enter Message. See section on leaving messages.

Alt-R	Reply to Message. See section on leaving messages.

Alt-K	Delete Currently Displayed Message. See section on deleting messages.

Alt-A	Another - gives you "another" reader. See section on "Another Reader"

Alt-W	What?!? - Shows you the message that the current message is referring to. See section on Reverse Threading.

Alt-D	DOS shell - Shell to dos from anywhere.

Alt-X	Quick exit from reader, all personal read flags are updated and you are returned to DOS.

Alt-S	Save by writing a copy of a message to a text file or printer. If the text file already exists, the message text & header is APPENDED to the file, thus making it easy to keep related messages together in one file.

Alt-Q	Quick Scan. A "quick scan" of ALL messages in the reader, any message could then be selected by pressing ENTER or clicking your mouse. See section on Quick Scan.

Commands for Scrolling Through Message Text (Both Entering and Reading Mail)

<Up Arrow>	Cursor up one line.

<Down Arrow>	Cursor down one line.

<Ctrl W>	Scroll display up one line.

<Ctrl Z>	Scroll display down one line.

<PgUp>	Scroll display up one page.

<PgDn>	Scroll display down one page.

<Ctrl Home>	Move cursor to top of display.

<Ctrl End>	Move cursor to bottom of display.

<Ctrl PgUp>	Move cursor to beginning of message.

<Ctrl PgDn>	Move cursor to end of message.

<Click Left>	Move cursor to the position indicated by the mouse cursor.

Alt-Z	"Zooms" the text window - removes header from screen. Press Alt-Z again to return to "normal" mode.

Block Commands Active when Reading and Entering Messages:

(See below for other block commands for entering message text)

Control K,B or F7	Begin Block (for writing, copying, or quoting)

Control K,K or F8	End Block (for writing, copying, or quoting)

Control K,H	Hide Block

Control K,W	Write Block (writes current block to user-specified file name)

Commands Active while entering message (replies or new messages)

Esc	Exit message entry, saving if desired.

Alt-A	Another - gives you "another" reader. See section on "another reader" function.

Alt-W	What?!? - Shows you the message that the current message is referring to.

Alt-D	DOS shell - Shell to dos from anywhere

Alt-Q	Quote message text. See section on quoting.

Alt-R	"Re-edit" the header of the message.

Control K,C	Copy Block (works just like in your word processor)

Control K,M	Move Block (works just like in your word processor)

Control K,H	Hide Block (works just like in your word processor)

Control K,R	Read Block (reads in a block from a user-specified file) Available only when entering message text.

<Left Arrow>	Cursor left one character.

<Right Arrow>	Cursor right one character.

<Ctrl Left Arrow>	Cursor left one word. If the cursor is at the beginning of a line, it is moved to the end of the previous line.

<Ctrl Right Arrow>	Cursor right one word. If the cursor is at the end of a line, it is moved to the beginning of the following line.

<Home>	Cursor to beginning of line.

<End>	Cursor to end of line.

<Del>	Delete character at cursor.

<Backspace>	Delete character to left of cursor. If the cursor is at the beginning of a line, the line will be joined with the previous line.

<Ctrl Y>	Delete current line.

<Ctrl Q><Y>	Delete from cursor to end of line

<Ctrl T>	Delete word to right of cursor. If the cursor is at end of a line, the following line is joined with the current line.

<Enter>	Start a new line.

<Tab>	Move the cursor to the next tab stop. If insert mode is on, any text to the right of the cursor is moved to the right of the tab stop.

<Ins>	Toggle insert mode on and off. A "fat" cursor indicates insert mode; a "thin" cursor indicates overtype mode.

<Ctrl O><I>	Toggle auto-indent mode on or off. In auto-indent mode, pressing <Enter> while in insert mode will cause the new line inserted to have the same indentation level as the previous line. Auto-indent mode also affects the way that text is formatted when word wrap occurs -- the new line will have the same indentation level as the previous line -- and hence the behavior of the reformatting commands (<Ctrl B> and <Alt R>).

<Ctrl O><W>	Toggle word wrap on and off. When word wrap is on, any attempt to insert or append text beyond the right margin will cause a new line to be inserted following the current line and all words that are at least partially beyond the right margin to be moved to the new line.

<Ctrl B>	Reformat the current paragraph.

<Alt R>	Reformat the entire file. Use this command with caution.

<Ctrl Q><L>	Restore original contents of the current line.

<Esc>,<Click Right>	Quit editing.

Commands Active while editing a Header (for Alt-F, Alt-R, and

Alt-E)

Tab	Move to next field.

Shift-Tab	Move to previous field

Control Enter,PgDn	Done Editing

Esc	Abort Operation

Del	Delete Character Under Cursor

Backspace	Delete Character Left of Cursor

Ins	Insert Mode On/Off

Control-Y	Clear Current Field

Backspace	Backspace

Down Arrow	Next Field below current field

Up Arrow	Next Field Above current field

In Security, Read, and Personal Read Fields

Space bar,+	Next Choice

-	Prev Choice

Index

(NEW)	17

$I	7

/43	35

/50	35

/BASENAME	34

/BIOSSCROLL	34

/COLORFILE	35, 39

/CONFIGFILE	34

/EXPORT	34

/IMPORT	34

/MACROFILE	33

/MONO	33

/NOEMS	34

/NOMOUSE	33

/NOSNOW	34

/NOZIP	35

/PACK	34

/SAFTEY	34

Add	10

All New Mail	14

Alt-A	28

Alt-C	24

Alt-E	20

Alt-F	23

Alt-K	22

Alt-Q	26, 28, 33

Alt-R	20

Alt-S	25

Alt-U	24

Alt-W	25, 28

Alt-Y	24

Alt-Z	25

Another Reader	28

Auto Indent Mode	8

BBS	16

Clear	24

Colors	39

Command Line Parameters	33

Conference	16, 27

Conference information	13

CONFIG.MGA	6

Date	17

Delete Default	7

Deleting Messages	22

Door	11

Door text in message	8

Download	11

Echo Flag	18

Editor Right Margin	8

EMS memory	34

Enter	20

Example	23

Exploding windows	7

Export	14, 15

Export function	10

Export option	11

Fatal Error	38

From	17, 28

Help	19

Help Menu	19

ID	10, 14, 16, 27

Import	12

Import option	10

Imported	17

Initial screen	3

Install	5

Kill	22

Last x Messages	14, 15

Leaving Messages	20

Level	16

License Agreement	2

Macro Editor	42

Macros	40-42

MegaMail(tm) Door	4, 11

MEGAREAD.DOC	5

MEGAREAD.EXE	5

Mouse	4, 33

Move after Reply	8

NEW	17

New Messages Marked as Read	8

No Mail	14

Number	17

Personal Beeper	7

Personal Read	18

Personal Read Flag	26

Pick Lists	5

PKUNZIP.EXE	5

PKZIP	11

PKZIP.EXE	5

Printing	25

Purge/Repair	22

Quick Scan	26

Quoting	32

Quoting prefix	7

RAM disk	8

Read	17

READER.REG	5

Reading Mail	16

Reference	17

Register	3

Registering	3

Repair/Purge option	36

Repairing and Purging Mail	36

Reply	20, 32

Reverse" Threading	25

Saving	25

Search specification	23

Searching	23

Security	17

Shareware	3

Start Reading Mail in a Conference	15

Subj	17

Subject	17, 28

Tag Lines	21, 22

The MegaMail(tm) Cycle	10

The MegaMail(tm) System	4

Time	17

To	17, 28

Unread Scan	7

Update Personal Read Flags	26

Upload	11

UTI technology	4

Wordstar commands	21

YOU	17

Your Mail from Last x Messages	14

Your New Mail	14

ZMODEM	5

Zoom	25