Contents
Agent Contents

Agent is a powerful and easy-to-use Usenet newsgroup reader.  It allows you to browse newsgroups both online and offline.  Before you start using Agent, please take a quick look at Getting Started.

For more information about using Agent, see How to Use Agent.

If you have any comments, questions, or problems with Agent, see How to Contact Forté.

To help familiarize yourself with Agent’s Newsgroup window, click on the various components of the picture below.


How to Contact Forté

Forté is dedicated to providing the most-powerful and easiest-to-use Usenet Newsreader for Windows.  In order to do this, we need to hear from you.  You can contact us in any of the following ways:

World Wide Web

Information about the latest Agent release and answers to the most frequently asked questions can be found on our Web site at http://www.forteinc.com/forte/.

Usenet

After our World Wide Web site, the fastest way to get your questions answered may be through the alt.winsock newsgroup.  Although our customer support staff monitors this newsgroup, frequently other Agent users will answer your questions before we do.

Email

To tell us directly what you think of Agent or what features you’d like to see added, select Comments from the Post menu or send email to agent-comments@forteinc.com.

To report a problem with Agent, select Bug Report from the Post menu or send email to agent-bugs@forteinc.com.

Due to Agent’s overwhelming response, we may not be able to follow up individually to every email comment and bug report.  However, rest assured that we do read all the emails we receive.  If you feel you’re not getting adequate response from us, please send email to agent-flame@forteinc.com.


How to Use Agent

Before you start using Agent, please take a quick look at Getting Started.

Once you’re up and running, check out the topics below for more help using Agent.

How to Use Agent as an Offline Newsreader

How to Use Agent as an Online Newsreader

How to Post Articles

How to Send Email

Making Sure Articles and Emails Were Sent Properly

How to Send a Binary Attachment

How to Retrieve a Binary Attachment

How to Configure a GIF or JPG Viewer to Work with Agent

Watching and Ignoring Threads

ROT13 Encoding and Decoding

Copying a WWW URL to the Clipboard

How to Get All the Articles in a Group

How to Control When Agent Purges Articles

How to Control When Agent Marks Articles Read


Add Signature dialog box
Add Signature dialog box (Signatures dialog box, File menu)

Use this dialog box to enter the name of a new signature.

Name

Enter the name of the new signature


Use Information From Another Program dialog box

Use this dialog box to select the program from which Agent will acquire its basic setup information.

Program

Select the program from which you wish to get the initialization information.

Copy program’s list of newsgroups

Check this box if you want Agent to use the selected program’s newsgroup list to fill in its own list.  If you have subscribed to newsgroups in the selected program, you will be subscribed to those groups in Agent as well.
Note: If the newsgroup list in the other program is out of date, either uncheck this box or choose Refresh Group List from the Online menu at a later time.


Use Information From dialog box

Use this dialog box to enter the location of the program from which Agent will acquire its basic setup information.

Enter the name of the directory...

Type in the other program’s complete path, including drive.  For example, C:\TRUMPET.


Window Layout dialog box
Window Layout dialog box (File menu)

Use this dialog box to select the layout of the panes in the current window.  You can choose how the panes should be arranged and what the contents of each pane should be.

Layout of Panes

These buttons show all of the available pane layouts.  Click on a button to choose a layout.

Contents of Panes

For the layout you have selected above, these buttons show all of the ways that you can organize the Group Pane, Article Pane, and Body Pane.  The box with black text represents the Group Pane.  Red text represents the Article Pane.  The Body Pane has blue text.  Click on a button to choose an organization.

After you have chosen a layout and pressed OK, the window will update to reflect your selection.  If you desire, resize the panes by dragging the border between the panes.

TIP:  To show only one pane at a time, select Zoom Window from the Navigate menu or press Z.

If you would like to have a particular layout be the one used when you start Agent or open a new Newsgroup window, choose Save As Default Window Layout from the File menu.  This command saves the pane layout, pane sizing, and whether or not a pane is zoomed.


Preferences dialog box, Attachments tab
Preferences dialog box (File menu)

Attachments Tab view

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab controls how binary attachments sent by you are formatted.  For more information on sending attachments, see How to Send a Binary Attachment.

Send attachment as multiple messages

Select this option to split long attachments into multiple messages.  The size of each attachment is dictated by the number you enter into the Lines per Messages box.

Send attachment as a single message

Select this option to include the entire attachment in one message, no matter how long the attachment is.

Send text as preface message

Select this option to send an additional message ahead of the attachment message(s).  This is useful because it allows people to read a description of the attachment before downloading it.

Send text in first message

Select this option to include the description of the attachment in the attachment’s first message.

Do not send any text

When this option is selected, Agent will only send the attachment.  Any other text or description you enter into the Compose window will be ignored.


Preferences dialog box, Colors tab
Preferences dialog box (File menu)

Colors Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab controls the color of text in Agent.

Normal Lines

Choose the color for groups and “read” article headers.

Unread Articles

Choose the color for unread article headers.

Highlighted Unread Articles

Choose the color for unread article headers when they are selected.  This is usually the inverse of the Unread Articles color.

Normal Text

Choose the color for body text.

Quoted Text

Choose the color for response text within an article’s body.


Preferences dialog box, Confirmation tab
Preferences dialog box (File menu)

Confirmations Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab controls the confirmation messages Agent displays.  These messages warn you when you are about to perform an irreversible action.

Delete groups

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when you manually delete a group.

Delete articles

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when you manually delete an article.

Delete outbox messages

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when you manually delete a posting or email in the Outbox window.

Close message composition window

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when you close a posting or email window without sending the message first.

Stop online tasks

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when you cancel an online operation.

Close program while online tasks are running

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when you exit Agent while it is communicating with the news server.

Default action in confirm dialogs is YES

Check this box to make “Yes” the default button on all confirmation dialog boxes.  The default button is the one activated when you press the Enter key.


Preferences dialog box, Display tab
Preferences dialog box (File menu)

Display Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab controls how Agent’s newsgroup window appears and behaves.

Show Toolbar

Check this box to display the Agent toolbar directly below the menubar.

Show Status Bar

Check this box to display the Agent status bar at the bottom of the window.

Tab Spacing

Enter the length of tab stops, in characters.

Quoted Text

Enter the characters that commonly appear in follow-up messages signifying that text on the same line is quoted from the original message.  Agent displays this text in the color defined by the Quoted Text setting on this dialog box’s Colors tab.

Scroll Margins

Enter the number of rows you want to remain visible above or below the highlighted row when scrolling up or down in the Article and Body panes.

Follow-Up Indentation

Enter the amount of space, in characters, that follow-up articles should be indented from their parent in the Article Pane.

Maximum Follow-Up Level

Enter maximum number of response levels (responses to responses) that you want displayed in the Article Pane.  Any responses deeper than this appear at the most indented level.

Show Threads Initially Collapsed

Check this box to initially hide all responses in the Article Pane.

Automatically expand threads containing new articles

Check this box to have Agent automatically expand a thread when skipping to an unread article within a thread.  Agent expands the thread only if you had previously retrieved and read the first article in the thread.

Enable threading by subject

Check this box to have Agent include articles with the same name under the same thread.  People frequently mispost responses and this helps match follow-ups with the article to which they are responses.


Preferences dialog box, Message Posting tab
Preferences dialog box (File menu)

Message Posting Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab controls how messages that you send are formatted.

Line length

Enter the maximum number of characters that can appear on a single line.  Agent automatically word wraps any lines longer than this.

Save sent messages in outbox

Check this box to save a copy of all messages that you send.  Choose Open New Outbox Window from the File menu to view your saved messages.  For more information on the Outbox window, see Making Sure Articles and Emails Were Sent Properly.

Include original text

Check this box to include a copy of the original text in follow-up articles or emails.

Quote original text in forwarded emails

Check this box to insert the quote prefix (defined below) in front of each line of text from the original posting when forwarding messages to people via email.

Prefix for quoted lines

For follow-up articles and emails, enter the character(s) that signify that the text on the same line is quoted from the original message.

Follow-Up article introduction

Enter the text to appear just above quoted lines in follow-up articles.

Email reply introduction

Enter the text to appear just above quoted lines in email replies.

Forward email introduction

Enter the text to appear just above quoted lines in forwarded emails.


Preferences dialog box, Online Operation tab
Preferences dialog box (File menu)

Online Operation Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab controls Agent’s behavior while online.

Configure for Offline Operation

Press this button if you want to use Agent as an offline newsreader.  This button optimally configures the remaining controls in this dialog box for offline use.  For more information, see How to Use Agent as an Offline Newsreader.

Configure for Online Operation

Press this button if you want to use Agent as an online newsreader. This button optimally configures the remaining controls in this dialog box for online use.  For more information, see How to Use Agent as an Online Newsreader.

Go offline automatically after...

Enter the number of seconds of inactivity that Agent waits before automatically disconnecting from your news server.  If you uncheck this box, Agent will not disconnect from your news server until you close the program or uncheck Online from the Online menu.

If you intend to read articles online, you might want Agent to go offline after a few minutes of inactivity.  This gives you time to read articles, but doesn't leave Agent online too long.  If you intend to read articles offline, you probably want Agent to go offline immediately (0 seconds of inactivity).

Send keep-alive messages every...

When this box is checked, Agent sends a command to your news server periodically in order to maintain the connection to the server.  This option is useful if your computer is connected to the server via a dial-up channel that automatically disconnects after a period of inactivity.

Enter the frequency of keep-alive messages sent from Agent to your news server.  Uncheck this box and Agent won’t send any keep-alive messages.

Enable priority article retrieval

When this box is checked, Agent opens a second channel to the news server when you attempt to retrieve the body of an article while Agent is already busy performing other online operations.  This makes it possible for you to begin reading new articles in one group while retrieving headers in another.

Viewing Unretrieved Articles When Offline

Select the action you want Agent to perform when you are offline and attempt to view an article for which you do not have the body.  This setting affects double-clicking and pressing Enter on articles, as well as the View Next Unread Article and View Next Unread Article in Thread actions on the Navigate menu.


Preferences dialog box, System Profile tab
Preferences dialog box (File menu)

System Profile Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab defines information that is required to use Agent.

News Server

Enter the name of your news (NNTP) server or its IP address.  If you don't know the name, ask your service provider or system administrator.

Email Server

Enter the name of your email (SMTP) server or its IP address.  If you don't know the name, ask your service provider or system administrator.

Time Zone

Select the time zone you are located in.  Agent uses this setting to convert the times of articles to your own local time.  Also, when you post an article or email message, Agent includes your time zone in the date.

Automatically adjust for Daylight Savings Time

Check this box if you live in a locality that observes Daylight Savings Time between April and October.  During these months, Agent automatically adjusts your time zone to compensate for the time difference.


Preferences dialog box, User Profile tab
Preferences dialog box (File menu)

User Profile Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab defines information about you.

Email Address

Enter your email address.  When you send a message, this address appears in the "From" field.  For example: john.doe@forteinc.com

Full Name

(Optional) Enter your full name.  This name is included with your email address in messages that you send.  It is helpful to include your full name if your email address does not contain your name.  Also, some news readers, such as Agent, can display an author’s full name rather than his/her email address.

Organization

(Optional) Enter the name of the organization to which you belong.  This name is sent in the "Organization" field of articles that you post.  It is not included in your email messages.

Reply To

(Optional) Enter an email address here if you want people to send replies to an address that is different than your Email Address listed above.  For example, you may use your business address as your Email Address, but would prefer that replies be sent to a personal email address.

Server requires authorization login

Check this box if your news server requires a special user name and/or password to login.  When checked, Agent will automatically fill in your user name when requested by the news server.

User Name

Enter the user name required by your news server for logging in.

Remember password between sessions

Check this box if your news server requires a special password to login and you want Agent to automatically enter that password for you.

Password

Enter the password required by your news server for logging in.


Group Properties dialog box, Marking Articles Read tab
Group Properties dialog box (Group menu)

Marking Articles Read Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings for the selected group.  TIP:  If you highlight several groups before opening this dialog box, you will be changing the settings for all the selected groups at once.

This tab controls when Agent marks articles read.  Usually, you'll want to mark all existing articles read each time you retrieve new articles so that only the new articles are marked unread.  That way, it's easy for you to find the new articles.

Override default settings

Check this box to use the settings defined on this tab instead of those defined in the Default Group Properties dialog box.

New article headers

Check this box to mark all existing articles read each time you retrieve new article headers for this group.

Marked article bodies

Check this box to mark all existing articles in this group read each time you retrieve marked article bodies for this group.  All the new articles Agent retrieves will be marked unread so that you can easily find them.

See Also:

How to Control When Agent Marks Articles Read


Default Group Properties dialog box, Marking Articles Read tab
Default Group Properties dialog box (Group menu)

Marking Articles Read Tab

Use this dialog box to define your default group settings.  This tab controls when Agent marks articles read.

Usually, you'll want to mark all existing articles read each time you retrieve new articles so that only the new articles are marked unread.  That way, it's easy for you to find the new articles.

New article headers

Check this box to mark all existing articles read each time you retrieve new article headers.

Marked article bodies

Check this box to mark all existing articles read each time you retrieve marked article bodies. All the new articles Agent retrieves will be marked unread so that you can easily find them.

See Also:

How to Control When Agent Marks Articles Read


Group Properties dialog box, Posting tab
Group Properties dialog box (Group menu)

Posting Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings for the selected group.  TIP:  If you highlight several groups before opening this dialog box, you will be changing the settings for all the selected groups at once.

This tab controls how postings to this group are handled.

Override default settings

Check this box to use the settings defined on this tab instead of those defined in the Default Group Properties dialog box.

Signature

Select a signature to use for posting to this group or email replies from this group.


Default Group Properties dialog box, Posting tab
Default Group Properties dialog box (Group menu)

Posting Tab

Use this dialog box to define your default group settings.  This tab controls how postings are handled.

Signature

Select a default signature for all your postings and emails.


Group Properties dialog box, Purging tab
Group Properties dialog box (Group menu)

Purging Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings for the selected group.  TIP:  If you highlight several groups before opening this dialog box, you will be changing the settings for all the selected groups at once.

This tab controls which articles Agent automatically purges (deletes).  For more information, see How to Control When Agent Purges Articles.

Override default settings

Check this box to use the settings defined on this tab instead of those defined in the Default Group Properties dialog box.

Articles Without Bodies (Headers Only)

The settings in this group apply only to articles for which you have the header but not the body.

Purge articles no longer available on the server

Select this option to automatically delete all headers that the news server has already deleted from its own list of articles.  Selecting this option makes the list of articles displayed by Agent a mirror image of the articles that are available from the server.  This is probably the best option for most groups.

Purge articles older than

Select this option to delete all headers that are older than the specified number of days.

Purge all articles

Select this option to delete all article headers.  Selecting this option reduces the amount of clutter in the Article Pane, but prevents you from reading articles that you may have overlooked in previous sessions.

Do not purge articles

Select this option if you do not want Agent to automatically delete article headers.  You can delete article headers manually by selecting the article and choosing Delete Article from the Article menu.

Articles With Bodies

The settings in this group apply only to articles for which you have retrieved the body.

Purge articles older than

Select this option to delete all articles that are older than the specified number of days.

Purge all articles

Select this option to delete all articles.  This reduces the amount of clutter in the Article pane, but prevents you from reading articles that you retrieved in previous sessions.

Do not purge articles

Select this option if you do not want Agent to automatically delete articles.  You can delete articles manually by selecting the article and choosing Delete Article from the Article menu.

TIP:  You override automatic article purging for selected articles by “keeping” the article.  To keep an article, select it and choose Keep Article from the Article menu.


Default Group Properties dialog box, Purging tab
Default Group Properties dialog box (Group menu)

Purging Tab

Use this dialog box to define your default group settings.  This tab controls which articles Agent automatically purges (deletes).  For more information, see How to Control When Agent Purges Articles.

Articles Without Bodies (Headers Only)

The settings in this group apply only to articles for which you have the header but not the body.

Purge articles no longer available on the server

Select this option to automatically delete all headers that the news server has already deleted from its own list of articles.  Selecting this option makes the list of articles displayed by Agent a mirror image of the articles that are available from the server.  This is probably the best option for most groups.

Purge articles older than

Select this option to delete all headers that are older than the specified number of days.

Purge all articles

Select this option to delete all article headers.  Selecting this option reduces the amount of clutter in the Article Pane, but prevents you from reading articles that you may have overlooked in previous sessions.

Do not purge articles

Select this option if you do not want Agent to automatically delete article headers.  You can delete article headers manually by selecting the article and choosing Delete Article from the Article menu.

Articles With Bodies

The settings in this group apply only to articles for which you have retrieved the body.

Purge articles older than

Select this option to delete all articles that are older than the specified number of days.

Purge all articles

Select this option to delete all articles.  This reduces the amount of clutter in the Article pane, but prevents you from reading articles that you retrieved in previous sessions.

Do not purge articles

Select this option if you do not want Agent to automatically delete articles.  You can delete articles manually by selecting the article and choosing Delete Article from the Article menu.

TIP:  You override automatic article purging for selected articles by “keeping” the article.  To keep an article, select it and choose Keep Article from the Article menu.


Group Properties dialog box, Retrieving tab
Group Properties dialog box (Group menu)

Retrieving Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings for the selected group.  TIP:  If you highlight several groups before opening this dialog box, you will be changing the settings for all the selected groups at once.

This tab controls how and what Agent retrieves from the news server.

Override default settings

Check this box to use the settings defined on this tab instead of those defined in the Default Group Properties dialog box.

Retrieve bodies for all new articles

Check this box to have Agent automatically retrieve the bodies for all new articles at the same time it retrieves the headers.  This option is handy if you know you'll always want to read all of the articles in a particular group.  Of course, it takes a lot longer to retrieve the bodies, so you probably don't want to select this option for all groups.

Do not retrieve articles longer than...

Check this box and enter a value to limit the size of bodies that are automatically retrieved by the option above.  For example, you may want to read most of the articles in a particular group, but not necessarily download the group's FAQ every time it is posted.  If you know the FAQ is usually over 200 lines long, limit the maximum size to 200 lines.

Limit number of headers retrieved per session to...

Check this box and enter a value to limit the number of headers retrieved each time you retrieve new headers for the group.  For example, if you limit the number to 100 headers, Agent will retrieve no more than the 100 most-recent articles.  This option is handy if you want to catch up with a busy group, and know you can't possibly read all the messages posted since you last checked.

View Empty Group Action

Select the option corresponding to the action you want Agent to take when you double-click or press Enter on an empty group.

Maximum articles to sample

Enter the maximum number of articles to sample.


Default Group Properties dialog box, Retrieving tab
Default Group Properties dialog box (Group menu)

Retrieving Tab

Use this dialog box to define your default group settings.  This tab controls how and what Agent retrieves from the news server.

Retrieve bodies for all new articles

Check this box to have Agent automatically retrieve the bodies for all new articles at the same time it retrieves the headers.  This option is handy if you know you'll always want to read all of the articles in a particular group.  Of course, it takes a lot longer to retrieve the bodies, so you probably don't want to select this option for all groups.

Do not retrieve articles longer than...

Check this box and enter a value to limit the size of bodies that are automatically retrieved by the option above.  For example, you may want to read most of the articles in a particular group, but not necessarily download the group's FAQ every time it is posted.  If you know the FAQ is usually over 200 lines long, limit the maximum size to 200 lines.

Limit number of headers retrieved per session to...

Check this box and enter a value to limit the number of headers retrieved each time you retrieve new headers for the group.  For example, if you limit the number to 100 headers, Agent will retrieve no more than the 100 most-recent articles.  This option is handy if you want to catch up with a busy group, and know you can't possibly read all 5 zillion message that were posted since you last checked.

View Empty Group Action

Select the option corresponding to the action you want Agent to take when you double-click or press Enter on an empty group.

Maximum articles to sample

Enter the maximum number of articles to sample.


Find dialg box
Find dialog box (Edit menu)

Use this dialog box to find a group or article.

Find What

Enter the text to search for.

Find First

Press this button to find the first occurrence of the text you entered above.

Find Next

Press this button to find the next occurrence of the text you entered above.


Licensing Agreement dialog box

This dialog box displays Agent’s licensing terms and conditions.  You must accept the terms and conditions in order to run the program.

Accept

Press this button to accept the terms of the agreement and run Agent.

Decline

Press this button if you do not accept the terms of the agreement.  Agent will not run if you press this button.


Page Setup dialog box
Page Setup dialog box (File menu)

Use this dialog box to control the format of articles printed with Agent.

Margins

Enter the left, right, top, and bottom margins in inches.

No fields (Body only)

Select this option to print only the article bodies.

Newsgroup, subject, author, and date

Select this option to print some of the header information along with the article bodies.

All fields

Select this option to print all of the header information along with the article bodies.

None

Select this option to print articles one after the other.

Between articles

Select this option to insert a page break between each article being printed.

Between threads

Select this option to print all the articles in the same thread one after the other and to insert a page break between articles of different threads.

Font

Press this button to pick the font used when printing articles.


Server Authorization Password dialog box

Use this dialog box to enter the password required to login to your news server.

Password

Enter the password required by your news server.

Remember password between sessions

Check this box if you want Agent to automatically enter that password for you each time you login to the news server.


Refresh Groups List dialog box
Refresh Groups List dialog box (Online menu)

Use this dialog box to update your group list and define what Agent should do with groups it no longer finds on the news server.

The refresh operation retrieves a complete list of all newsgroups available form the server.  It then adds any new groups to Agent’s list of groups, and optionally deletes any groups that are no longer available.
Tip:  If you only want to retrieve new groups added since the last time you updated your group list, choose Get New Groups from the Online menu.

NOTE:  Since this operation retrieves a complete list of groups, it can take several minutes to complete.

Keep all extinct groups

Select this option to maintain groups even if they no longer exist on the server.

Delete extinct groups that are empty

Select this option to maintain groups that no longer exist on the server if the group contains articles.

Delete all extinct groups

Select this option to delete any group which no longer exists on the server.


Rename Signature dialog box
Rename Signature dialog box (Signatures dialog box, File menu)

Use this dialog box to change the name of a signature.

New Name

Enter a new name for the signature.


Save Article As dialog box
Save Article As dialog box (File menu)

Use this dialog box to save one or more articles to a text file.  Select all the articles you want to save before choosing this menu option.

If you select a collapsed thread, Agent will save all articles in the thread.  Agent only saves articles whose bodies have been retrieved.

File Name

Enter the name of the file you want to save to, or select a file from the list of files.

Directories

Select the directory where you want to save the file.

List of File Types

Select the type of file you want to display in the list of files.

Drives

Select the drive where you want to save the file.

No fields (Body only)

Select this option to save only the article bodies.

Newsgroup, subject, author, and date

Select this option to save some of the header information along with the article bodies.

All fields

Select this option to save all of the header information along with the article bodies.

Append to Existing File

Check this box if you want to append the articles to an existing file.  If you uncheck this option and save the articles to an existing file, Agent will erase the current contents of the file.


Agent Setup dialog box

Fill in this dialog to provide Agent with the basic information needed to read articles and post messages.  If you don’t want to post articles or emails, you only need to supply the name of your news server and time zone.  You can enter the other information later in the Preferences dialog box.

Use Information From Another Program

If you’re already using one of the listed programs, Agent can get most of its basic setup information from the other program's configuration files.  Press this button to select the program you use.

News (NNTP) Server

Enter the name of your news (NNTP) server or its IP address.  If you don't know the name, ask your service provider or system administrator.

Email (SMTP) Server

Enter the name of your email (SMTP) server or its IP address.  If you don't know the name, ask your service provider or system administrator.

Email Address

Enter your email address.  When you send a message, this address appears in the "From" field.  For example: john.doe@forteinc.com

Full Name

(Optional) Enter your full name.  This name is included with your email address in messages that you send.  It is helpful to include your full name if your email address does not contain your name.  Also, some news readers display full names, when available, rather than email addresses.

Time Zone

Select the time zone you are located in.  Agent uses the time zone to convert the dates of articles to your own local time.  Also, when you post an article or email message, Agent includes your time zone in the date.

Automatically adjust for Daylight Savings Time

Check this box if you live in a locality that observes Daylight Savings Time between April and October.  During these months, Agent automatically adjusts your time zone to compensate for the time difference.

Exit Agent

Press this button if you don’t have the basic information available.  The next time you run Agent, this dialog box will be displayed again.


Signatures dialog box
Signatures dialog box (File menu)

Use this dialog box to define the signatures you wish to use in your own postings and emails.

Names

This is a list of the signatures you have defined.  To edit a signature, select it in this list and enter the new text in the controls below.

Add

Press this button to create a new signature.

Rename

Press this button to rename the signature highlighted in the Names list.

Delete

Press this button to delete the signature highlighted in the Names list.  If you accidentally delete a signature, press the Cancel button to close the dialog box and cancel all of your changes.

Default Signature

Select the signature you wish to use by default.  Select [None] if you don't want to have a default signature.  When you post an article or send an email message, Agent automatically uses your default signature.  You can choose a different signature to be the default for each group (see the Group Properties dialog box Posting tab for more information) or override the signature used for a specific message (see How to Post Articles for more information).

Text

Enter the text of the signature highlighted in the Names list. If you want a blank line or other separator to appear between the rest of the message and the signature, you need to include it here.

TIP:  A common convention on the Internet is to begin your signature with a line containing two dashes.  For example:

--
Mark Sidell
Forte, Inc.

TIP: To insert a TAB in the text, press Ctrl+TAB.

Use existing file

If you want to share a signature file from another program, enter the name of the file that contains the signature.  When you have entered a valid file name, the dialog will display the contents of the file in the Text field.  Any changes you make to the signature in this dialog box will be saved to the file, so changes here also affect any other program that is using the same file.

TIP: The name of the signature file for the Eudora email program is SIGNATUR.PCE, and is stored in the directory where you installed Eudora.

Browse

Press this button to browse for a signature file.


Signatures

A signature is one or more lines of text that Agent automatically places at the bottom of articles and email messages that you send.

You can define as many signatures as you wish.  When you create a new message, you can select which signature to use with that message.  For example, you can define a "personal" signature and a different "business" signature.


View Attachment dialog box
View Binary Attachment dialog box (File menu)

Use this dialog box to view an attachment contained in one or more messages.  For more information on viewing attachments, see How to Retrieve a Binary Attachment.

Articles

This is a list of the articles containing the attachment.  If the articles are out of order, press the Up and Down buttons to get them in order.

Up / Down

Press these buttons to move the highlighted article up or down in the list.  Before viewing or saving the attachment, you must make sure that the articles are in the correct order.

View

Press this button to view the attachment.  Agent saves the attachment in a temporary file and then passes it to the Windows application associated with the attachment's file type.

Save File

Press this button to save the attachment as a file.

Note: The View and Save File buttons appear dim when the first article in the Articles list does not contain the beginning of a valid uuencoded file.


View Empty Group dialog box

This dialog box is displayed when your View Empty Group Action in the Retrieving tab of the Group Properties dialog box is set to Prompt for Action.

Sample 50 Article Headers

Press this button to retrieve a maximum of 50 article headers for this group.  Note:  The number you see may not be 50.  The sample size is defined in your Default Group Properties dialog box on the Retrieving tab.

Get All Article Headers

Press this button to retrieve all article headers in this group.

Subscribe to Group

Press this button to subscribe to the group.  You can retrieve article headers later by choosing Get New Article Headers in Subscribed Group from the Online menu.


Select Signature File dialog box
Select Signature File dialog box (Signatures dialog box, File menu)

Use this dialog box to find a signature file on your hard disk.

File Name

Enter the name of the signature file, or select a file from the list.

Directories

Select the directory where you want to select the file from.

List of File Types

Select the type of files you want to display in the files list.

Drives

Select the drive where you want to select the file from.


Save Attachment File dialog box
Save Attachment File dialog box (View Binary Attachment dialog box, File menu)

Use this dialog box to save an attachment as a file.

File Name

Enter the name of the file.

Directories

Select the directory where you want to save the file.

List of File Types

Select the type of file you want to save the attachment as.

Drives

Select the drive where you want to save the file.


Attach Binary File dialog box
Attach Binary File dialog box (Compose window)

Use this dialog box to attach a binary file to a message.  Agent will automatically uuencode the file for you.  Note: If you want to insert a text file into the message, choose Insert Text File from the File menu instead.

File Name

Enter the name of the file to attach, or select a file from the list.

Directories

Select the directory where you want to select the file from.

List of File Types

Select the type of files you want to display in the files list.

Drives

Select the drive where you want to select the file from.


Insert Text File dialog box
Insert Text File dialog box (File menu)

Use this dialog box to insert a text file into a message.

File Name

Enter the name of the file to insert, or select a file from the list.

Directories

Select the directory where you want to select the file from.

List of File Types

Select the type of files you want to display in the files list.

Drives

Select the drive where you want to select the file from.


Browser Font dialog box
Browser Font dialog box (File menu)

Use this dialog box to pick the font that groups and articles are displayed in.
Note: Article subjects are displayed in the font controlled by the Article Subject Font dialog box.

Font

Type or select a font name.

Font Style

Select a style. To use the default type style for a given font, select Regular.

Size

Type or select a size.

Sample

Shows a sample of the font as it will appear in the window.


Article Subject Font dialog box
Article Subject Font dialog box (File menu)

Use this dialog box to pick the font that article subjects are displayed in.
Note: The other items in the Article Pane (e.g., number of lines and author) use the font controlled by the Browser Font dialog box.

Font

Type or select a font name.

Font Style

Select a style. To use the default type style for a given font, select Regular.  Article subjects can be easier to read if you select a bold font style.

Size

Type or select a size.

Sample

Shows a sample of the font as it will appear in the window.


Variable Pitch Body Font dialog box
Variable Pitch Body Font dialog box (File menu)

Use this dialog box to pick the variable pitch font that article bodies are normally displayed in.

Font

Type or select a font name.

Font Style

Select a style. To use the default type style for a given font, select Regular.

Size

Type or select a size.

Sample

Shows a sample of the font as it will appear in the window.


Fixed Pitch Body Font dialog box
Fixed-Pitch Body Font dialog box (File menu)

Use this dialog box to pick the fixed pitch font that article bodies are displayed in when you choose Fixed Pitch Font from the Article menu.

Font

Type or select a font name.  Courier and Courier New are two examples of fixed pitch fonts.

Font Style

Select a style. To use the default type style for a given font, select Regular.

Size

Type or select a size.

Sample

Shows a sample of the font as it will appear in the window.


Printer Font dialog box
Printer Font dialog box (Page Setup dialog box, File menu)

Use this dialog box to pick the font that articles will print in.

Font

Type or select a font name.

Font Style

Select a style. To use the default type style for a given font, select Regular.

Size

Type or select a size.

Sample

Shows a sample of the font as it will appear in the window.


How to Send an Attachment
How to Send a Binary Attachment

Attaching files to articles and emails is quick and easy with Agent.  Since the Usenet only supports text postings, agent automatically translates (uuencodes) all non-text attachments to a standard text-based format.  Follow the steps below to attach a file to a message:

1.	Create a new article or email message.

Select one of the options on the Post menu to create the message.  Click here for more help sending articles and emails.

2.	Attach the desired file.

Press the Attachment button to browse for the file, or type the file’s name directly into the Attachment box.  You can control your attachment options with the Attachments tab on the Preferences dialog box.

3.	Add a text message (optional).

You can include a message along with the attachment.  The message appears before the attachment. If you include a message, Agent also includes your signature.

4.	Send the message.

If you use Agent on line, press Send Now to immediately transmit your message to the Internet.

If you use Agent off line and you have other messages you want to send, press Send Later.  Once you have composed all your messages, select Post Articles and Emails from the Online menu to transmit them to the Internet.
Send Later Note:  Agent does not make a copy of the attached file prior to sending it.  If you press Send Later, make sure that the file stays around until you transmit it.

See Also:

Making Sure Articles and Emails Were Sent Properly


How to Retrieve an Attachment
How to Retrieve a Binary Attachment

Many newsgroups are devoted to the distribution of pictures and sounds.  These binary pictures and sounds are posted as text attachments to one or more articles.  Agent makes quick work of translating (uudecoding) the text attachments into their binary equivalent.  To retrieve an attachment, follow the steps below.

1.	Retrieve the bodies of the article(s) containing the attachment.

For more information, see How to Use Agent as an Offline Newsreader or How to Use Agent as an Online Newsreader.

2.	Select the article(s) that contain the attachment.

If the attachment is contained in a single article, select that article.

If the attachment is split across multiple articles, and if all of the articles are grouped together, select just the first article.  Agent will automatically find the remaining articles.

If the attachment is split across multiple articles, but the articles are not grouped together, select all of the articles that comprise the attachment.  To select all of the articles, click on the first article and then, with the Control key depressed, click on each subsequent article.

3.	Open the View Binary Attachment dialog box.

Choose View Binary Attachment from the File menu.  If you have not yet retrieved the articles containing the attachments, you will be asked to do so now.  After the articles are retrieved, try this step again.

4.	Make sure the articles are in order.

If the articles listed in the dialog box are out of order, use the Up and Down buttons to order them.

5.	View or save the attachment.

Agent automatically translates (uudecodes) attachments for you.

To view the attachment, press the View button.  Agent will launch the Windows application associated with the attachment's file type.  The file type is determined by the attachment's filename extension.  For example, "foo.gif" is a GIF file.  For more information, see How to Configure a GIF or JPG Viewer to Work with Agent.

To save the attachment, press the Save File button.  Agent will prompt you for a filename.


Getting Started

Getting up and running with Agent is simple.  Just follow the steps below and you’ll be reading articles in no time.

1.	Set your online preferences.

Choose Preferences from the File menu and select the Online Operation tab.  If you wish to stay online with your service provider while using Agent, press the Configure for Online Operation button.  If you wish to minimize your time online, press the Configure for Offline Operation button.

2.	Get a list of groups.

If you did not copy the list of newsgroups from another program or retrieve a complete list when you first started Agent, select Refresh Group List from the Online menu.  Since there are several thousand groups, this may take a while.  Once the groups are retrieved, Agent will display them in the Group Pane.

3.	Subscribe to groups.

Scan through the list of groups for ones you want to follow regularly.  To find a particular group, choose Find from the Edit menu.

When you find a group that may be of interest, double-click on it.  If you want get a feel for the group before subscribing, press the Sample 50 Article Headers button.  If you know you’re interested in the group, press the Subscribe to Group button.

If you decide later that you’re interested in a group, you can subscribe to it by selecting Subscribe from the Group menu.  A newspaper [image] appears next to each subscribed group.

4.	View only subscribed groups.

From the Group menu, choose Show Only Subscribed Groups.  Now your group pane is filtered to show only the groups you’re interested in.  To view all groups again, select Show All Groups from the Group menu.

5.	Retrieve article headers in your subscribed groups.

Choose Get New Headers in Subscribed Groups from the Online menu to download all the article headers in all your subscribed groups.

There may be several hundred new articles for each group so this operation may take a while.  But, since Agent retrieves articles in the background, you can use your computer for other tasks while Agent is working.

6.	Browse the article headers.

Once the article headers are retrieved, browse them to see which ones interest you.  If you’re configured for online operation, simply double-click or press Enter on an article to retrieve it (see How to Use Agent as an Online Newsreader for more information).  If you’re configured for offline operation, mark all the articles your interested.  To mark an article, select it and press “M” or choose Mark for Retrieval from the Article menu.  When an article is marked, the download arrow [image] appears next to it.

7.	Retrieve marked articles.

If you’re configured for offline operation you marked several articles in the previous step.  To retrieve the full text of all marked articles, select Get Marked Article Bodies from the Online menu.  See How to Use Agent as an Offline Newsreader for more information.

TIP: Clicking the right mouse button in a Newsgroup window displays a Speed Menu, a context-sensitive list of common operations.  Simply select an option from the list to quickly perform that action.


Toolbar

The toolbar contains buttons which give you fast access to the most common actions in Agent.

To see what a particular toolbar button does, move the mouse cursor over the button in Agent and a ToolTip box will appear with the button’s name.


Group Pane

This is where a list of newsgroups is displayed.  In this pane you can view all newsgroups, only subscribed newsgroups, or only new newsgroups.  To change which groups are displayed, choose the appropriate option from the Group menu.

Tip: You can also change which groups are displayed by clicking on the header for the group list pane (the gray area just above the list).


Article Pane

This is where the articles in the selected group are displayed.  To view articles in another group. select that group in the Group pane.


Unread Counter

This number shows you how many articles in the associated group you have not yet read.


Ignore Thread Icon

When this icon appears next to an article, Agent will not retrieve new responses to the article.  To switch between ignoring and not ignoring a thread, select Ignore Thread from the Article menu.


Expand Thread Icon

Click this icon to show the article’s responses.


Collapse Thread Icon

Click this icon to hide the article’s responses.


Number of Responses

This is the number of responses to the article.  To view the responses, click the Expand Thread icon [image].


Number of Lines

This is the number of lines in the article.


Article Body Icon

This icon tells you that the body of the article has been retrieved.


Article Body Not Available Icon

This icon tells you that the article has been deleted from your news server and is no longer available for retrieval.


Retrieval Icon

This icon tells you that the body of the article is currently being retrieved.


Watch Thread Icon

This icon tells you that Agent will automatically retrieve the bodies of new responses to this article when retrieving new article headers.  To switch between watching and not watching a thread, select Watch Thread from the Article menu.


Unread Article

When an article header is displayed in this color it means that you have not yet viewed the article’s body.


Read Article

When an article header is displayed in this color it means that you have already viewed the article’s body.


Mark for Retrieval Icon

This icon tells you that the body of the associated article will be retrieved the next time you select Retrieve Marked Articles from the Online menu.

When this icon appears next to a group, one or more articles in the group are marked for retrieval.

To mark or unmark an article, select Mark for Retrieval from the Article menu.


Keep Article Icon

This icon tells you that Agent will not automatically delete (purge) the article.  To prevent an article from being automatically purged, select Keep Article from the Article menu.  To undo the Keep status, select Keep Article again.


Body Pane

This is where an article’s text is displayed.  To view a different article’s body, select the article in the article pane.


Status Bar

This area displays information about Agent such as the online status (online or offline), the current task, and the number of queued tasks.


Zoom Button

Press this button to maximize the Group, Article, or Body pane.  To restore the window back to showing all three panes, press the button that looks like this [image].


Subscribed Group Icon

This icon appears next to subscribed groups.  To switch between subscribing and unsubscribing to a group, select Subscribe from the Group menu.  To view only your subscribed groups, select Show Only Subscribed Groups from the Group menu.


New Group Icon

This icon appears next to new groups.  To get the list of groups that have been added to your news server since the last time you retrieved groups, select Get New Groups from the Online menu.


Response Article

This article is a response.  Since responses have the same subject as their parent, only the author is shown.


Groups

These are the Usenet newsgroups.  To retrieve article headers in a group, select the group and choose Get New Article Headers in Selected Groups from the Online menu.


Thread

A thread is a series of related articles grouped together.  For example, when people post responses to a question, the question and all responses together are called a thread.


How to Post Articles

Reading newsgroups wouldn’t be much fun if you couldn’t contribute as well.  Fortunately, posting articles with Agent is just as easy as reading them.

1.	Select the group you wish to post to.

A group is selected when it is highlighted in the Group pane or when you are viewing articles for it in the Article pane.

2.	(Optional) Select the article are responding to.

If your article is a follow up to another posting, select that article first so that your posting is properly formatted.

3.	Open a new Posting window.

From the Post menu, choose New Article or Follow Up Article, depending on the type of posting you want.

4.	Fill in the Posting window’s fields.

If you selected a group (and article) before opening the Posting window, all of the fields should be filled in for you.  If you want to override the default signature, press the All Fields button and select the desired signature in the Signature list.  For more information filling in this window, see the Compose Article window topic.

5.	(Optional) Attach a file.

If you want to attach a file to the new article, enter the file name next to the Attachment button or press the Attachment button to browse for the file.  For more information on attaching files, see How to Send a Binary Attachment.

6.	Send the article.

If you use Agent on line, press Send Now to immediately transmit your message to the Internet.

If you use Agent off line and you have other messages you want to send, press Send Later.  Once you have composed all your messages, select Post Articles and Emails from the Online menu to transmit them to the Internet.
Send Later Note: Agent does not make copies of attached files prior to sending them.  If you attach a file and press Send Later, make sure that the file stays around until you transmit the message.

See Also:

Making Sure Articles and Emails Were Sent Properly

ROT13 Encoding and Decoding


How to Send Email

With Agent, sending email to people is a snap and sending email replies to articles is even easier.

1.	(Optional) Select the article are responding to or forwarding.

If you’re replying to or forwarding a posting, select that article first so that your email is properly formatted.

2.	Open a new Posting window.

From the Post menu, choose New Email, Reply via Email, or Forward via Email depending on the type of email you want to send.

4.	Fill in the Posting window’s fields.

If you selected Reply via Email, the required fields should be filled in for you.  Otherwise, fill in at least the To and Subject fields.  Press the All Fields button to send “carbon copies” to other people or to select a different signature for the email.  For more information filling in this window, see the Compose Email window topic.

5.	(Optional) Attach a file.

If you want to attach a file to the email, enter the file name next to the Attachment button or press the Attachment button to browse for the file.  For more information on attaching files, see How to Send a Binary Attachment.

6.	Send the email.

If you use Agent on line, press Send Now to immediately transmit your message to the Internet.

If you use Agent off line and you have other messages you want to send, press Send Later.  Once you have composed all your messages, select Post Articles and Emails from the Online menu to transmit them to the Internet.
Send Later Note: Agent does not make copies of attached files prior to sending them.  If you attach a file and press Send Later, make sure that the file stays around until you transmit the message.

See Also:

Making Sure Articles and Emails Were Sent Properly

ROT13 Encoding and Decoding


Making Sure Articles and Emails Were Sent Properly

When you first start using a new program, you probably want to make sure it’s doing what you told it to do.  To make sure your articles and emails have been successfully sent, choose Open Outbox Window from the File menu.  All of the articles and emails you have sent with Agent appear in this window.  The icons next to each message tell you the status of that message:

Icon	Meaning

The message was successfully sent.

A problem occurred sending this message.  Double-click on the message to make sure all the fields are filled in correctly and then press Send Now or Send Later to re-send the message.

The message is queued for uploading (you pressed the Send Later button after creating the message).  To send the message now, choose Post Articles and Emails from the Online menu.

The message is in the process of being sent.


Watching and Ignoring Threads

As you probably already know, some groups on the Internet are very active.  There can be several hundred new postings a day.  To help you cut through some of this noise, Agent provides you with two very powerful yet very simple features: Watching threads and Ignoring threads.

Watching Threads

When you’re browsing though article headers and come upon one that you know you’ll be interested in responses to, select Watch Thread from the Article menu or press W.  The Watch Thread icon, [image], will appear next to the article.  Agent automatically retrieves the bodies of all responses to watched threads when retrieving article headers.

Ignoring Threads

The opposite of watching threads is ignoring threads.  When you run across an article that you know you won’t be interested in responses to, select Ignore Thread from the Article menu or press I.  The Ignore Thread icon, [image], will appear next to the article.  Agent automatically marks the article and any responses to it, even those retrieved in later sessions, read.  This can significantly reduce the number of new, unread articles presented to you each time you get new article headers.

See Also:

How to Control When Agent Marks Articles Read


Compose Article window
Compose Article window (Post menu)

Use this window to create an article to post in a newsgroup.  For more information, see How to Post Articles

Newsgroups

Enter the name of the newsgroup you wish to post to.  To post the same article on multiple groups (cross-post), enter the names of all the groups separated by commas (e.g., alt.usenet.offline-reader, alt.winsock).

Subject

Enter a brief phrase describing the article.

Attachment

(Optional) Enter the name of the file to attach to the article or press the Attachment button to browse for the file.  For more information, see How to Send a Binary Attachment.

All Fields

Press this button to show the other fields that apply to the article.  Press this button again to hide the extra fields.

Expires

(Optional) Enter the date that you want this article to be removed from the news server.  The date should be in standard Usenet date format (e.g., Wed, 22 Feb 95 00:36:25 -0800).  Note: This is just a suggested expiration date and may be ignored by the server.

Follow Up To

(Optional) Enter the name of the newsgroup you want responses to this article posted to.

Organization

(Optional) Enter the organization (university, employer, etc.) you belong to.

Reply To

(Optional) Enter the email address you want replies to this article sent to if you don’t want replies sent to your normal address.

Signature

Select the signature to place at the bottom of this article.  Choose [None] if you don't want a signature added to the article.

Send Now

Press this button to immediately transmit your message to the Internet.  This button appears dim when the Newsgroups field is blank.

Send Later

Press this button if you use Agent off line and you have other messages you want to send.  This button appears dim when the Newsgroups field is blank.

Once you have composed all your messages, select Post Articles and Emails from the Online menu to transmit them to the Internet.  Note: Agent does not make a copy of the attached file prior to sending it.  If you press Send Later, make sure that the file stays around until you transmit the message.

Save

Press this button to save your article without sending it.  The article will appear in your Outbox.  To view your Outbox, choose Open New Outbox Window from the File menu.  You can double-click the article in the Outbox to edit and/or send it.

See Also:

How to Send Email

Making Sure Articles and Emails Were Sent Properly

ROT13 Encoding and Decoding


Compose Email window
Compose Email window (Post menu)

Use this window to create an email.  For more information, see How to Send Email

To

Enter the recipient’s email address.  To send the same email to multiple people, enter all the email address separated by commas (e.g., john.doe@forteinc.com, jane.doe@forteinc.com).

Subject

Enter a brief phrase describing the email.

Attachment

(Optional) Enter the name of the file to attach to the email or press the Attachment button to browse for the file.  For more information, see How to Send a Binary Attachment.

All Fields

Press this button to show the other fields that apply to the email.  Press this button again to hide the extra fields.

Cc

(Optional) Enter the email addresses of the people to whom you wish to send carbon copies of this message.  To send carbon copies to multiple people, enter all the email address separated by commas without any spaces.

Bcc

(Optional) Enter the email addresses of the people to whom you wish to send blind carbon copies of this message.  To send blind carbon copies to multiple people, enter all the email address separated by commas without any spaces.

Reply To

(Optional) Enter the email address you want replies to this message sent to if you don’t want replies sent to your normal email address.

Signature

Select the signature to place at the bottom of this email.  Choose [None] if you don't want a signature added to the email.

Send Now

Press this button to immediately transmit your message to the Internet.  This button appears dim when the To field is blank.

Send Later

Press this button if you use Agent off line and you have other messages you want to send.  This button appears dim when the To field is blank.

Once you have composed all your messages, select Post Articles and Emails from the Online menu to transmit them to the Internet.  Note: Agent does not make a copy of the attached file prior to sending it.  If you press Send Later, make sure that the file stays around until you transmit the message.

Save

Press this button to save your email without sending it.  The message will appear in your Outbox.  To view your Outbox, choose Open New Outbox Window from the File menu.  You can double-click the message in the Outbox to edit and/or send it.

See Also:

How to Post Articles

Making Sure Articles and Emails Were Sent Properly

ROT13 Encoding and Decoding


ROT13 Encoding and Decoding

Some Internet messages contain text encoded with a scheme called ROT13.  ROT13 encoded text cannot be read without first decoding it.  For example, “Hello World” encoded with ROT13 looks like this:  Uryyb Jbeyq

To decode a ROT13 message:

Select the encoded text and choose Apply ROT13 from the Edit menu or press Ctrl+R.

To encode a ROT13 message:

Select the text to encode and choose Apply ROT13 from the Edit menu or press Ctrl+R.

Note:   When you decode text in an article you have retrieved, the decoding only affects your display.  If you come back to this article later, you will again see the original, encoded text.  Encoding text in a message you're creating, on the other hand, affects the actual text.  If you then post the message, other people will see it with the text encoded.

See Also:

How to Post Articles

How to Send Email


Copying a URL to the Clipboard
Copying a WWW URL to the Clipboard

Many Internet messages contain addresses of World Wide Web (WWW) pages.  Although Agent doesn’t directly support Web browsing, it makes it easy for you to copy these addresses, called URLs, to the Windows Clipboard for pasting into another program like Mosaic or Netscape.

To copy a WWW URL to the Clipboard:

While viewing an article with a URL, choose Copy WWW URL from the Edit menu or press Ctrl+U.  Agent will scan the article starting at the cursor’s current location, highlight the first URL it finds, and copy it to the Clipboard.  To search for another URL, simply press Ctrl+U again.  If Agent can’t find the URL, you may need to customize the URLPattern setting in AGENT.INI.

To paste a WWW URL into Mosaic:

Launch Mosaic and choose Open URL from its File menu.  Click in the URL field and press Ctrl+V.

To paste a WWW URL into Netscape:

Launch Netscape and choose Open Location from its File menu.  Click in the edit field and press Ctrl+V.


Common Internet Acronyms

<BG>	Big Grin
<g>	Grin
BRB	Be right back
BTW	By the way
CP	Copy protection
FUBAR	Fouled up beyond all recognition (or repair)
FWIW	For what it's worth
FYI	For your information
GD&WVVF	Grinning, ducking, and walking very, very fast
GR&D	Grinning, running, and ducking
IAE	In any event
IANAL	I am not a Lawyer
IMHO	In my humble opinion
IMO	In my opinion
IOW	In other words
LOL	Laughed out loud
LZ	Loser!
OIC	Oh, I see
OTOH	On the other hand
PITA	Pain in the Ass
PMJI	Pardon my jumping in
PMFJI	Pardon me for jumping in
ROFL	Rolling on floor, laughing
ROTFL	Rolling on the floor laughing
ROTFLMAO	Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off
RSN	Real soon now
RTFM	Read the f@%# manual (or message)
SNAFU	Situation normal, all fouled up
TIA	Thanks in advance
TPTB	The powers that be
TTFN	Ta ta for now


How to Get All Articles in a Group
How to Get All the Articles in a Group

Agent provides you with two ways to retrieve the bodies of all the articles in a group:

To always retrieve all the bodies in a particular group:

1.	Select the group(s) for which you want to retrieve bodies.

2.	Choose Group Properties from the Group menu.

3.	Select the Retrieving tab on the Group Properties dialog box.

4.	Make sure the “Override default settings” box is checked.

5.	Check the “Retrieve bodies for all new articles” box.

To retrieve all the bodies in a group on an ad-hoc basis:

1.	Select any article in the Article Pane of the group for which you want to retrieve bodies.

2.	Choose Select All from the Edit menu or press Ctrl+A.

3.	If you are online, choose Get Selected Article Bodies from the Online menu.  If you are offline, choose Mark for Retrieval from the Article menu.  You can later retrieve the marked articles by selecting Get Marked Article Bodies from the Online menu.

See Also:

How to Use Agent as an Offline Newsreader

How to Use Agent as an Online Newsreader


How to configure a GIF or JPG viewer to work with Agent

The Internet contains a wide variety of graphic images which are usually stored in GIF or JPG formatted files.  Although Agent doesn’t display these images directly, you can view them from Agent if you have a GIF or JPG viewing program like LVIEW.  To configure your system for viewing graphics from Agent:

1.	Run File Manager.

From Program Manager, double-click the File Manager icon.

2.	Open the Associate dialog box.

Choose Associate from File Manager’s File menu.

3.	Create an association.

In the Associate dialog box, enter GIF or JPG into the Files with Extension box.  Enter the full path of your graphics viewer into the Associate With box or press Browse to search for the viewer on your hard drive.

See Also:

How to Retrieve a Binary Attachment


How to Use Agent as an Offline Newsreader

If you pay an hourly rate for your Internet connection, an Offline newsreader can save you lots of money by minimizing the time you are connected to your service provider.  To use Agent as an offline reader, follow the steps below:

1.	Make sure you are configured for offline operation.

Choose Preferences from the File menu and select the Online Operation tab.  Press the Configure for Offline Operation button and Agent will automatically configure itself for offline use.

2.	Get headers for new articles.

To retrieve the headers of all the new articles in all your subscribed groups, choose Get New Headers in Subscribed Groups from the Online menu.  If you only want the new headers in a particular group, select that group and choose Get New Headers in Selected Groups from the Online menu.

Agent will now go online and retrieve the new headers.  As soon as it is done, it will go offline so that you are no longer incurring connect charges.

All the article headers Agent retrieved will be colored red (assuming you’re using Agent’s default color scheme - see the Preferences dialog box, Colors Tab).  This signifies that the article is new, or “unread.”

3.	Mark articles for retrieval.

Browse through the article headers just retrieved and look for ones that interest you.  When you find one, highlight it and do any one of the following:

•	Click the Mark for Retrieval toolbar icon

•	Choose Mark for Retrieval from the Article menu

•	Press the M or Enter key

•	Double-click on the article

Repeat the above step for each article whose body you wish to retrieve.

4.	Get marked article bodies.

Once you’ve marked all the interesting articles in all your groups, choose Get Marked Article Bodies from the Online menu.

Agent will now go online to retrieve the full text of all your marked articles and go offline as soon as it’s done.

5.	Read the retrieved articles.

Any articles you did not mark in the previous step will automatically have been marked read when you retrieved marked article bodies in the previous step (see How to Control When Agent Marks Articles Read for details).  You can now use the options on the Navigate menu to quickly find and read the articles you just retrieved.

See Also:

How to Use Agent as an Online Newsreader

How to Control When Agent Purges Articles

Group Properties dialog box, Retrieving tab


How to Use Agent as an Online Newsreader

If you don’t pay an hourly rate for your Internet connection, you probably want to remain connected to your service provider while using Agent.  To use Agent as an online reader, follow the steps below:

1.	Make sure you are configured for online operation.

Choose Preferences from the File menu and select the Online Operation tab.  Press the Configure for Online Operation button and Agent will automatically configure itself to stay online.

2.	Get headers for new articles.

To retrieve the headers of all the new articles in all your subscribed groups, choose Get New Headers in Subscribed Groups from the Online menu.  If you only want the new headers in a particular group, select that group and choose Get New Headers in Selected Groups from the Online menu.

Agent will now go online if you’re not currently connected to the news server.  It will remain online until you manually go offline (by exiting the program or deselecting Online from the Online menu) or it detects an extended period of inactivity.

All the article headers Agent retrieved will be colored red (assuming you’re using Agent’s default color scheme - see the Preferences dialog box, Colors Tab).  This signifies that the article is new, or “unread” (see How to Control When Agent Marks Articles Read for more information).

3.	Read articles.

To read an article, simply double-click on it or highlight it and press Enter.  You can also use the View Next Unread Article (Ctrl+N) and View Next Unread Article in Thread (Ctrl+T) options on the Navigate menu to jump to the next unread article and retrieve its body at the same time.

See Also:

How to Use Agent as an Offline Newsreader

How to Control When Agent Purges Articles

Group Properties dialog box, Retrieving tab


Article Header

A brief description of an article.  An article’s header contains key information about the article, such as its author and subject, but does not include the text, or “body,” of the article itself.


Article Body

The actual text of an article.  The other components of an article, such as its subject, author, etc., are called the article’s “header.”


How to Control When Agent Marks Articles Read

New articles you retrieve are initially marked unread.  When you view the article’s body, Agent then marks that article read.  Since you probably don’t read all the articles whose headers you retrieve, Agent automatically marks the articles you don’t care about as read.

To control when Agent automatically marks articles read:

By default, Agent automatically marks unwanted articles read whenever you retrieve article headers or bodies.  This makes it easy for you to find the new articles because they will be the only ones which are unread.  To change this behavior, choose Group Properties from the Group menu and select the Marking Articles Read tab.

To manually mark articles read:

Select the articles you want to mark read and choose Mark Article Read from the Article menu.  To mark all the articles in a group read, select the group and choose Mark All Articles Read from the Article menu.

To manually mark an article unread:

Select the articles you want to mark unread and choose Mark Article Unread from the Article menu.  To mark all the articles in a group unread, select the group and choose Mark All Articles Unread from the Article menu.

See Also:

Watching and Ignoring Threads


How to Control When Agent Purges Articles

In general, Agent automatically deletes, or “purges,” old articles for you.

When does Agent purge articles:

Agent purges a group’s old articles whenever it retrieves new article headers for that group.  For example, all the old articles in your subscribed groups will be purged when you select Get New Headers in Subscribed Groups.

Which articles does Agent purge:

You define the articles purged by Agent in the Purging tab of the Group Properties dialog box.

To manually delete an article:

Select the article(s) and choose Delete Article from the Article menu.  A message will appear asking you to confirm the delete action.  To turn off the delete confirmation message, see the Confirmations tab of the Preferences dialog box.


AGENT.INI

;======================================================================

[Profile]

FullName=

;Your full name as you want it to appear in your messages.

;You may leave this blank.

EMailAddress=

;Your email address

ReplyTo=

;Where replies to your messages should be sent,

;if different from your email address.

Organization=

;Your organization.

;You may leave this blank.

DoAuthorization=0

;Perform authorization login to news server

SavePassword=1

;Save authorization password between sessions

UserName=

;News server authorization username

Password=

;News server authorization password

IsLicensed=0

;User has accepted the license agreement

IsRegistered=0

;User has posted a beta registration (Post|Comments)

;======================================================================

[View]

AutoOpenMode=1

;Automatically maintain positioning in subsidiary browsers when

;the highlight in a browser changes.

ShowToolBar=1

;Display the toolbar at the top of the screen

ShowStatusBar=1

;Display the statusbar at the bottom of the screen

StatusBarFont=MS Sans Serif, 80, 0, 0, 0,0,0

;Font used for text in the status bar.

InitialView=1

;Specifies the initial view for the Group Pane:

;	0 - All Groups

;	1 - Subscribed Groups

;	2 - New Groups

MainWindowPosition="0 1 -1 -1 -4 -4 86 57 875 677"

;Initial screen position of the program's main window

BrowserPosition="3 3 94 347 -4 -23 15 18 663 348"

;Initial screen position of the browser

;======================================================================

[Browser]

NormalFont=Arial, 80, 0,0, 0,0,0

;Font for normal items

;<fontname>, <points*10>, <bold>, <italic>, <red>,<green>,<blue>

BoldFont=MS Sans Serif, 80, 1,0, 0,0,0

;Font for special items( e.g. first article in thread)

;<fontname>, <points*10>, <bold>, <italic>, <red>,<green>,<blue>

ScrollMargin=2

;The minimum number of lines to maintain above and below the highlighted

;item when scrolling with the cursor keys.  This keeps the highlight

;from getting pinned at either the top or bottom screen rows.

FollowUpIndent=4

;Amount to indent follow-up articles in the article list pane,

;in characters.

MaxNestLevel=6

;The max indentation level for response articles in the article list

;browser.  The absolute maximum level allowed is 15.

CollapseThreads=1

;Initially collapse threads in the article list pane.

ExpandNewThread=0

;When positioning on a new article, automatically expand the thread

;if the article is a follow-up and if the first article in the thread

;has been retrieved.

SubjectThreading=1

;Use subjects to combine articles into threads, in addition to message

;references.

ArticleListColumns=147,745

;Offsets of the left edges of the columns in the article browser pane,

;in units of 10x the average character width.

;The edge of the left-most column is always zero, so is not included here.

OutBoxColumns=87,432,697

;Offsets of the left edges of the columns in the outbox browser,

;in units of 10x the average character width.

;The edge of the left-most column is always zero, so is not included here.

;======================================================================

[Article]

VariableFont=MS Sans Serif, 100, 0,0, 0,0,0

;Variable-pitch font for the article body viewer

;<fontname>, <points*10>, <bold>, <italic>, <red>,<green>,<blue>

FixedFont=Courier, 100, 0,0, 0,0,0

;Fixed-pitch font for the article body viewer

;<fontname>, <points*10>, <bold>, <italic>, <red>,<green>,<blue>

UseFixedFont=1

;Use the fixed-pitch font for articles

WordWrap=1

;Word wrap articles

ShowHeader=1

;Show all header fields in articles

QuotedTextMarkers=>:|}

;The characters that mark a quoted line of text in an article.

;If a line begins with any of these characters, it is assumed to be quoted.

URLPattern=[a-zA-Z]+:/[^ \t\r\n>)\]"']*[a-zA-Z0-9/]

;A regular expression defining the pattern for URLs

TabSpacing=3

;Tab spacing for articles.

SaveArticleFields=2

;Controls which header fields to save when writing an article to a text file

;	0	No fields

;	1	Subject, author, and date only

;	2	All fields

SaveArticleAppend=0

;If the file to which an article being saved already exists, append to it.

;Otherwise, overwrite the file after prompting for verification.

;======================================================================

[Groups]

LastUpdate=

;The most recent date and time at which the program retrieved a list

;of new usenet groups, in GMT.  When the program retrieves a list of new

;groups, it asks for all groups created after this date.

;

;Setting this to blank forces the program to retrieve a list of all groups.

;======================================================================

[Servers]

NewsServer=

;The name of the NNTP news server

MailServer=

;The name of the SMTP mail server

NNTPPort=

;Winsock port to use for connecting to the NNTP news server.

;This param is used only if the winsock getservbyname() call fails.

SMTPPort=

;Winsock port to use for connecting to the SMTP mail server.

;This param is used only if the winsock getservbyname() call fails.

;======================================================================

[Online]

AutoDisconnect=1

;Disconnect from news server after <NoActivityTimeout> seconds of inactivity.

;Zero means never disconnect.

NoActivityTimeout=300

;Period of no activity after which the program should disconnect

;from the NNTP server (seconds).

MailAutoDisconnect=1

;Disconnect from mail server after <MailNoActivityTimeout> seconds of

inactivity.

;Zero means never disconnect.

MailNoActivityTimeout=5

;Period of no SMTP activity after which the program should disconnect

;from the SMTP server (seconds).

SendKeepAliveMsgs=1

;Send "keep alive" messages to the news server.

;This keeps the dial-up connection alive.

KeepAlivePeriod=60

;How often to send a keep alive message during periods of inactivity.

XHdrOnly=0

;Use XHDR commands to request article header information from the news

;server, rather than XOVER.  Some servers do not support the newer

;XOVER command, which is faster than XHDR.  The program automatically

;detects whether the server recognizes XOVER and falls back to XHDR

if it doesn't.  But, you can also use this option to force it to

;always use XHDR.

EnablePriorityTask=1

;When non-zero, enable priority tasks for retrieving article bodies.

;This allows the program to open two channels to the news server,

;with one reserved as a priority channel for retrieving articles.

AutoView=0

;What to do when you double-click on an article witout a body

;	0	Retrieve the article's body

;	1	Mark the article for later retrieval

;	2	Retrieve the body if online, mark for later retrieval if offline

;	3	Do nothing

;======================================================================

[Timing]

GetHostByNameTimeout=30

;Timeout period for looking up the host's name (seconds)

ConnectTimeout=10

;Timeout period for connecting to host (seconds)

ResponseTimeout=120

;Timeout period for waiting for a response from the host (seconds)

SendTimeout=60

;Timeout period for sending a command to the server (seconds).

;This is the maximum time the program will wait during a blocked transmission,

;not the total time allowed to send a message.

PostTimeout=60

;Timeout period for posting an article or email message (seconds).

;This is the maximum time the program will wait during a blocked transmission,

;not the total time allowed to send a message.

SplashTime=5

;Minimum time to display the splash screen (seconds)

;======================================================================

[TimeZone]

MinutesFromGMT=-480

;The local timezone, in minutes from GMT.

;If ObserverDST is true, this should be the offset for standard time.

ObserveDST=1

;Automatically adjust the timezone offset to account for DST

;between April and October.

;======================================================================

[Message]

UseFixedFont=1

;Use the fixed-pitch font for outgoing messages

WordWrap=0

;Word wrap outgoing messages in the display window

IncludeOriginalText=1

;Automatically include the text of the original article when creating

;a follow-up article or email reply.

QuotePrefix="> "

;String used to quote text from the original article when creating

;a follow-up article or email reply.

FollowupString=%from% wrote:\n

;The string used to generate the first line(s) of a follow-up article.

;If the string is blank, no first line is generated.

;

;Text enclosed in %...% are the names of fields from the original

;article.  Two %% represent a single % literal.

;

;In addition to the standard article fields, the program supports these

;special fields:

;	%Full-Name%	Full name of author

;

;You may also use the following escape sequences:

;	\n	newline

;	\t	tab

;	\\	the backslash character itself

MailReplyString=On %date%, you wrote:\n

;The string used to generate the first line(s) of an email reply.

;If the string is blank, no first line is generated.

;Uses the same formatting commands as FollowupString.

LineLength=70

;The maximum line length for outgoing messages.

;The program word-wraps longer lines.

;Setting this to zero disables word-wrap in outgoing messages.

SaveSentMessages=1

;Save messages that have been successfully posted in the outbox.

SendTagLine=0

;Includ the Free Agent advertisement tag line at the bottom of messages.

;======================================================================

[Directories]

Attachments=C:\AGENT\, *.txt, 0

;Default directory and file type for saving and sending attachments

Files= C:\AGENT\, *.txt, 1

;Default directory and file type for importing and exporting text files

Signatures= C:\AGENT\, *.TXT, 1

;Default directory and file type for signature files

;======================================================================

[Confirm]

DeleteGroup=1

;Confirm group deletions

StopTasks=1

;Confirm actions that would cancel active online tasks

DeleteArticle=1

;Confirm article deletions

DeleteOpenMessage=1

;Confirm closing message composition window if the user has modified

;the message

DeleteOutboxMessage=1

;Confirm message deletions in the outbox

CloseWithTasks=1

;Confirm program close when tasks are running

DefaultAction=0

;Default key in confirmation dialogs, 0=NO, 1=YES

;======================================================================

[Colors]

BrowserNormalColor=0,0,0

;Color for normal articles

:<red>,<green>,<blue>

BrowserUnreadColor=128,0,0

;Color for unread articles.

:<red>,<green>,<blue>

BrowserSelectedUnreadColor=255,255,0

;Color for unread articles that are selected (highlighted).

;Normally, this should be the inverse of the control pane highlight color.

:<red>,<green>,<blue>

ArticleNormalColor=0,0,0

;The color for normal text in articles.

ArticleQuotedColor=0,0,255

;The color for quoted text in articles.

;A line is quoted if it begins with one of the QuotedTextMarkers.

;======================================================================

[Attachment]

PartitionMode=1

;Controls how attachment messages are partitioned:

;	0	Partition into messages (AttachmentPartitionSize controls size)

;	1	Do not partition (send as a single message)

PartitionLines=900

;When attachment messages are partitioned, the maximum number of lines

;of data to send per message.  Each line contains 45 bytes of data,

;and consists of 63 characters.

TextMode=0

;Controls if and how text is sent with attachments

;	0	Send text as separate preface message

;	1	Include text at beginning of first partition message

;	2	Send no text

FileMode=644

;Unix file mode for attachment files.  This is a string.

;This is the mode that is included at the top of the uuencoded file.

;======================================================================

[Print]

LeftMargin=75

TopMargin=75

RightMargin=75

BottomMargin=75

;Margins for printing, in 1/100 inch increments.

Fields=1

;Header fields to include in printed messages

;	0	No fields

;	1	Subject, author, and date only

;	2	All fields

PageBreaks=0

;Where to put page breaks

;	0	None

;	1	Between articles

;	2	Between threads

Font=Times New Roman, 100, 0,0, 0,0,0

;Printer font