Copyright: ® John White


Help Contents
Contents

Overview

Introduction

Limitations

Disclaimer

Acknowledgments

Getting Help

Miscellaneous

Quick Tutorial

Main Screen

Menus

Details Screen

Send Message Screen


Introduction

MailVu 1.0 is a MAPI-based Microsoft Mail utility which monitors the InBox for unread messages.  I find Mail's list of read and unread messages unwieldy, especially when sorted by "From" or "Subject".  There are times, too, when I want to monitor my incoming mail at a glance—MailVu can be forced to stay on top of other windows, so you can work and monitor your InBox simultaneously.

Using timer intervals set by the user, MailVu searches for unread InBox mail, and displays them in a list.  You can view details of these messages, and then print, delete, or reply to each as needed.  Although it does not need Mail running simultaneously, Microsoft Mail does need to be installed properly, i.e., there needs to be a valid postoffice in place.  The full Mail 3.x client package or version included with Windows for Workgroups work equally well.  MailVu will fail to run without a valid postoffice.

MailVu is freeware.  It doesn't cost you a cent, upgrades and bug fixes are free, and I'm easy to reach electronically.  I hope you find MailVu useful.  I encourage you to post me suggestions and criticisms.


Limitations

Third Party Mail Utilities

Few utilities for Microsoft Mail's Windows client exist on the marketplace.  One product, WinRules (Beyond, Inc.),  is not active unless Mail itself is running.  If Mail is NOT running concurrently with MailVu, messages normally routed by WinRules are placed in the InBox.  Nothing happens to them, they just aren't routed.  You will have to move them manually at your convenience using the full Mail package.  However, WinRules is a really great product for users of the Windows client so give it a try.

Schedule+

If you use Schedule+, the network scheduling application shipped with Windows for Workgroups, you will not be able to access the Schedule+ dialogs normally activated when viewing message details directly from Mail.  Support for Schedule+ messages will be added at a later date.  However, Schedule+ messages are detected by MailVu, and are flagged on the main screen.


Disclaimer

OK, a little bit of seriousness so here's the disclaimer:

The program MailVu is considered freeware and is presented as is.   By using MailVu you accept and agree to the following:

1.  Not to sell, modify, or commercialize this software without the express permission from the author of MailVu.

2.  The user understands that any rights of ownership, proprietary interests, and copyright remains with the author of MailVu.

3.  There are no warrantees or guarantees that MailVu will work as described on each and every system.  Neither the author, NIH, or its agents shall be held liable for any direct, indirect, or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use this software, loss of data, or damage to equipment.  Use MailVu at your own risk.


Acknowledgments

I'd like to thank the ranks of beta testers for continued good humor during the development phase of any of my software products.

Microsoft is a registered trademark, and Microsoft Mail , Visual Basic, and Schedule+ are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.  Beyond, Inc. is a registered trademark, and WinRules is a registered trademark of Beyond, Inc.


Getting Help

MAILVU.HLP

This help file covers the basics for running MailVu.  A printed version of this help file is also available (see the next section).

DCRT Help Desk

NIH employees have access to me directly via the DCRT Help Desk.  Well, not directly since your call is taken by a dispatcher, then routed to me for a callback.  I will get back to you as soon as possible though.  The Help Desk can also send you a printed manual.

Electronically

You can reach me via Compuserve, albeit via my personal account (70401,546).  To reach me directly at the office, use the following INTERNET address:

WHITEJ@ATSPO.DCRT.NIH.GOV

US Mail

My, you are desperate to get in touch!  OK, then write to the following address:

John White

National Institutes of Health

Division of Computer Research and Technology

31/3B27

Bethesda, MD 20892


Miscellaneous

File List

MailVu is available via diskette directly from the NIH, and as a ZIP file on various bulletin board systems.  Files ending with DLL or VBX are function libraries specifically written for Windows programs (VBX files are special reusable function libraries specific for use with Microsoft Visual Basic, the development language used to build MailVu).  The following files make up the MailVu software package:

•	COMMDLG.DLL

•	VBPRINT.DLL

•	VBRUN300.DLL

•	CMDIALOG.VBX

•	MHGLBX.VBX

•	MSMAPI.VBX

•	THREED.VBX

•	MAIL_VU.EXE

•	MAILVU.HLP

•	MAILVU.WRI

During use, MailVu will create a MAILVU.INI file and put it in the Windows sub directory.  See the MAILVU.WRI file for more information about MailVu files.


Main Screen

The main screen is simply a list box with 2 columns identified with column headings ("Sender's Name" and "Message Subject").  Unread mailbox messages are listed with the sender's name and the message subject using black text.  If the message has an attachment, the text color on that line is red.  If the message is a Schedule+ message, the text color is blue.

The entire window border can be resized, and columns can be resized as well (entries have to be present to do the latter).  The size of the window and position on the screen are saved when exiting the program.  The list is refreshed by default at thirty seconds, but can be changed via the menu.  The menu is activated by clicking the message list area with the right mouse button.

Message details are shown when a particular list item is double-clicked with the left mouse button.  After selection the message is immediately removed from the list.  A custom mail viewer handles all but Schedule+ messages.  When a Schedule+ message is double-clicked, Mail is launched.  This allows access to special dialogs for handling meeting requests, a feature not yet available with MailVu.  Note that the Schedule+ message appears as unread in the Mail list in order to keep the Microsoft Mail/MailVu lists synchronized.  It will disappear from the list after processing directly within Mail.


Menus

There are five main menu items that are visible when the list area is right clicked with the mouse:

Launch Mail  This menu option will execute the Microsoft Mail package if found in the path (or bring it to the foreground if already active).  If Mail is not in the path, a dialog box will allow you to find and select the mail executable, the path of which is then stored in the mailvu.ini file.

Preferences  Four submenus are available from the Preferences top-level menu. Minimized Caption... sets the icon caption text for MailVu when it's minimized.  It can be set to either a total count of all unread messages, or the name and subject of the last retrieved unread message.  Set Mail Path allows you to change the path to the mail executable (only necessary if Mail is not found in your environment path), Set Mail Timer will set the time (in seconds) between each read of the InBox, and Stay on Top will force MailVu to remain visible when another window would normally cover it up.  The latter feature is useful when working with another application full screen.

Help The Help menu item launches the MAILVU.HLP file.  Help is context sensitive in most places.

About launches the About box.  Kind of a boring screen, but it does have build information.

Exit, well, it let's you exit the program.


Details Screen

The message details of any listed unread message can be viewed by double clicking the appropriate line in the main window's list box.  This launches the details screen.  It allows you to reply to current message, delete this message from your mail folder, print the message, or just close the window.  If an attachment is associated with the current message an alert in red text is shown in the panel located below the message text.  Note that the text area on the bottom portion of the screen is not for entering a reply, just for reading the message.  If the message double-clicked on the main screen was a Schedule+ message, then the Mail program would be launched instead of this screen.

Messages deleted with MailVu are not saved to the wastebasket folder.


Send Message Screen

You can reply directly to one of the messages listed in MailVu by accessing the send message screen.  Many of the functions available in the full Mail package are available here, and work identically.  There is access to the Address list without restriction, a facility for attachments, and priority assignment to messages.  When this screen is closed the main windows list is refreshed.


Glossary of Terms

Compuserve

DCRT

DLL

InBox

INTERNET

MAPI

Schedule+

VBX

Visual Basic

Wastebasket

WinRules


Compuserve

A major on-line service which provides electronic mail service, and with forums dedicated to almost every imaginable topic.


DCRT

Division of Computer Research and Technology.  The agency within the NIH that provides all aspects of support for biomedical computing.


DLL

Dynamic Link Library.  DLLs are libraries of procedures that Windows programs can call.  They are independent of the calling program.


InBox

The mail folder where incoming unread mail messages are initially stored.


INTERNET

A consortium of research institutions created this communications network based on TCP/IP.


MAPI

Mail Application Programming Interface.  A collection of routines for programming mail applications.


Schedule+

A Windows-based network scheduling application that uses Microsoft mail as a transport mechanism.  It ships with Windows for Workgroups.


VBX

A type of dynamic link library for the Microsoft Visual Basic and Visual C++ development environments.  Some are quite sophisticated: it's entirely possible to add a spreadsheet or word processing control to a Windows application by using the appropriate VBX file.


Visual Basic

A programming language from Microsoft for building Microsoft Windows applications.


Wastebasket

This folder holds "deleted" mail until the user specifically permits the actual deletion.


WinRules

A Microsoft Mail utility for managing messages.  Beyond, Inc., Cambridge, MA 02139, (800) 845-8511.