Copyright: Copyright TeleCoNexus Global Ltd 1994


Contents

A full description of the purpose of Flagger is found in 'Concept of Flagger'.
A diagram of the screen that Flagger displays, with instructions on how to use it, are given in 'How to use Flagger'.
Installation and SetUp instructions are in 'Setting up Flagger'.

Instructions for use:

How to use Flagger

When the Chimes are sounding

Jumping into your Mailbox

Exiting Flagger

See also:

Concept of Flagger

Setting up Flagger


How to use Flagger

The diagram below depicts the grid presented by Flagger on the screen. It is zoned to give explanatory help in a pop-up window wherever your cursor changes to a 'helping' hand.  Click on the appropriate areas for more information.Click again to get out of a pop-up window. Use the vertical slider to view all of the screen.


When the Chimes are sounding

Flagger indicates that new mail has arrived from another Post Office by sounding a chime. If Flagger is not visible (because it has been Minimized), you can bring it up by either pressing Ctrl Shift F on the keyboard, or by double-clicking on the Flagger icon if it is visible, or by pressing Ctrl Esc (which brings up the Task List) and double-clicking on the word Flagger. When Flagger is on the screen, turn off the chime by clicking on the New Mail flag in the bottom right-hand corner. You can read your mail by double-clicking in the 'New' column of your mailbox.


Jumping into your Mailbox

Flagger will give you the opportunity to read your mail if you double-click anywhere on the line of your mailbox, provided that you are using Hugin.  You will be asked if you want to go into Hugin (if your company has this software program from TeleCoNexus).  If Yes, Hugin will automatically start up your mailbox, and present the Sign In screen for you to enter your password.


Exiting Flagger

Flagger should normally be running constantly whenever the computer is on.  Frequently it will be convenient to minimize Flagger (by clicking on its Minimize button), so that it runs as a small icon at the bottom of the screen.  This icon may be covered up by other windows, but the Flagger title will always appear on the Task List (press Ctrl Esc).  You can bring Flagger back up to full size by either double-clicking on the icon, or by pressing Ctrl Shift F on the keyboard, or by double-clicking on Flagger in the Task List.

Should you want to stop Flagger altogether for some reason, select Exit from the File menu (top left of the screen). You will be warned that Flagger should be re-started - click on OK to complete the Flagger shutdown, or on Cancel to revert to normal Flagger operations.


Concept of Flagger

Flagger is an add-in program for electronic mail systems. It displays on one screen the details of the latest message received in each mailbox of a Post Office.  It draws attention to the arrival of new mail by sounding chimes, and flagging the appropriate mailbox.  Mailboxes with unread messages are highlighted.

Suppose that the computer running Flagger is kept at the Reception area of an office. Flagger enables users coming back into the office (from lunch, from business trips, etc.) to see at once if there is a new message for them, and the details of the latest message. Users can jump straight into the mail system from Flagger to read messages (provided that they are using TeleCoNexus' Hugin program .......)

 Flagger also permits the receptionist to see for whom messages have arrived, and to take appropriate action if the recipient is out of the office, or in a meeting, and so on.

Flagger can run in the background - ie you cannot see that it is there, but it will be keeping an eye on your inbound messages.  When a new one is received from a user at another Post Office, the chimes will sound.  At that point, you can bring Flagger up on to the screen to see details about the new message.  Hence you can work in another application, and only bring Flagger to the foreground when a new message has arrived.

Flagger operates by checking the logfile of received messages at regular, user-determined intervals.  When it sees a new message, the details are put on the screen, and the chime alarm sounds continuously until switched off.

Flagger can be user-set to flag only messages for the local Post Office - ie, it will ignore messages going from one external post office to a third, only using the local one as an indirect hop or routing station.  Similarly, Flagger can be programmed to ignore new messages to specific mailboxes - for instance, as part of an automatic mail monitoring system.

Flagger is just one of many useful programs written to enhance electronic mail systems by TeleCoNexus Global Ltd.  For more details, please check the TeleCoNexus logo in the 'How to use Flagger' section of Help.


Setting up Flagger

This topic deals with Installation and SetUp, and gives full details of the Flagger defaults controlled by the TConexus.ini file.

What you should have:

This version of Flagger runs on MSMail, version 3.xx under Windows.  The entire program consists of three files:
                        Flagger.exe (the program)
                        Flagger1.hlp (the on-line Help file)
                        TConexus.ini (the setup file)

Any last minute information will be in a README.TXT file.

To run, Flagger needs the extra files listed underneath.  If you do not already have these (look in your Windows and Windows/System directories), you can download them from almost any BBS.  They are included in the FlagAcc.zip version of Flagger on Compuserve, CIX, etc:

                        GRID.vbx
                        CMDIALOG.vbx
                        VBRUN300.dll

Installation:

The MSMail installation of Flagger requires that some new sub-directories are created under the MAILDATA directory.  Flagger itself exists in the Program sub-directory, whilst TConexus.ini must reside in the local WINDOWS sub-directory. Flagger should run continuously.  Hence it should be added to the StartUp group of Windows.  Further details are given below:

Directory structure:
Create a sub-directory under MAILDATA called TCONEXUS, which itself should have four sub-directories, Admin, Data, Program, Tmp:

         \----
              Maildata----
                       TCoNexus----
                                Admin
                                Data
                                Program
                                Tmp

Copy Flagger.exe and Flagger1.hlp into the Program sub-directory.
Copy TConexus.ini into the local Windows sub-directory.

Amend the values in TConexus.ini to match your set-up requirements in accordance with the rules listed in 'Definitions and Values', under the TConexus.ini file heading below.

Add the Flagger icon to the StartUp group of Windows so that Flagger runs whenever Windows is started.  Do this by opening the StartUp group, and clicking on the File New ProgramItem Browse options (under the File menu), and selecting Flagger.exe from the Program sub-directory (see the new directory structure created above).  Enable users to Maximise Flagger with Ctrl Shift F by highlighting the Flagger icon, then clicking on File Properties (under the File Menu) and adding Ctrl Shift F to the Shortcut Key box (click in the box, then press the Ctrl key, then the Shift key, then the F key)

TConexus.ini:

Flagger's start-up default settings are determined by a text file called TCoNexus.ini, which resides in the local Windows directory.  The file has a sub-section devoted to Flagger's settings, under the heading of [Flagger]. It can be amended with any text editor (such as the WindowsNotepad) or word processor (if using a word processor, be sure not to introduce any control codes  - use the 'Save As Text' mode).

The following parameters are supported.  Factory Default values are shown for each parameter. Note that there should be no spaces around the '=' sign in the syntax.  For further details, see below.

[Flagger]
RECVLOG=d:\nexus\data\maildata\wgpo\LOG\RECV.LOG
RECVLOG2=d:\nexus\data\maildata\wgpo\LOG\RECVTEMP.LOG
BEEPIVAL=5
SCANIVAL=100
HOMEPO=NEXUSUK/OL1/
SORTBY=D
SKIPRECEIVER=SITEAAAA
DateDisplay=2
MYLOGFILE=d:\nexus\data\maildata\wgpo\LOG\gssFLAG.LOG
DATEFMT=MDY
HUGINLINK=1
HUGINPATH=D:\NEXUS\DATA\MAILDATA\WGPO\TCONEXUS\PROGRAM\TC-HUGIN.EXE

Definitions and Values of TConexus.ini parameters

RECVLOG
RECVLOG2
BEEPIVAL
SCANIVAL
HOMEPO
SORTBY
SKIPRECEIVER
DATEDISPLAY
MYLOGFILE
DATEFMT
HUGINLINK
HUGINPATH


FLAGGERMENUS
Access to Flagger's functions can be achieved either by clicking on buttons on the screen, or by using drop-down menus.  The menu options are listed here.

File

     Minimize:  reduces the screen to an icon.  Flagger runs in background mode, sounds chimes when a new message is received, needs to be maximised (by double clicking on the icon) to see the new details

      Exit:  terminate this session of Flagger

Sort

      By Name: the list of mailboxes in the Flagger grid are sorted in alphabetical order.

      By Date:  the list of mailboxes is sorted in chronological order - the first mailbox will be the one with the most recent new message.

Help

     Synopsis: quick description of Flagger

     About: release details about this version of Flagger

     Contents: takes you to the Contents page of the Help screen

     Search:  takes you into the Search function of Help to look for Keywords


FLAGGERTITLE
Flagger

The program that flags incoming new messages with sounding chimes and highlighted details.  Allows one person to monitor mail for urgent messages for people out of the office or stuck in meetings, and lets people see at a glance whether they have new mail.


MINIMIZEBUTTON
The Minimize button will reduce the size of the Flagger window to an icon, but Flagger will still be running.  Click on this button to reduce Flagger so that you can work with other programs.  When Flagger chimes to indicate that a new message has arrived, you can Maximise it again by either double-clicking on the Flagger icon, or by pressing Ctrl Shift F, or by pressing Ctrl Esc to bring up the Task List, and double-click on the word FLAGGER.


NEWMAIL
The 'New' column will be empty until a New Message arrives from another Post Office.  A Yellow Envelope will then appear in the New column for the addressee's mailbox.  Users should click on the envelope to make it disappear when they have read the message.  Double-clicking on the envelope, or in the New column,  will give you the option of going into your Mailbox to read the message.  If the chimes are sounding and the New Mail flag is raised, clicking on an envelope has the same effect as clicking on the New Mail flag, in that the chimes cease and the New Mail flag is lowered.


New Mail Envelope

This envelope appears opposite a mailbox when a new message has arrived for that mailbox.  Double-click on the envelope to take you into Hugin to read the message.  This also cancels the chimes, and deletes the envelope, indicating that the mailbox owner is aware of the new message.


NEWMAILFLAG
The New Mail flag is a post box (US version!) with a red flag on it.  When a new message arrives from another Post Office, the red flag is vertical, the title over the top of the box says New Mail!!, and a chime sounds continuously until switched off (the frequency of the chime is set in the TConexus.ini file).  When switched off (by clicking once on the New Mail flag), the flag is lowered to a horizontal position, the chime ceases, and the title of the box reads No New Mail.


RECEIVEDMSGS
This area shows the latest message to be received in each mailbox, listing the date, time, day (Today, where appropriate) and sender's name and Post Office. The size of the message is also given.


RECEIVER
This area lists all the mailboxes on the current post office which have received messages from another Post Office.  They will be sorted in either name or date order (see TCoNexus.ini).  This can be changed by clicking on the appropriate Sort button.


SORTBYBUTTONS
The Sort By Name/Date buttons determine the current order in which the list of mailboxes appears - if by Date, the top box shows the most recent message received, with the other boxes sorted in descending chronological order.  If by Name, the boxes are sorted in alphabetical order. Click once on either button to get the order you wish. The default setting (ie that with which Flagger starts up each time the computer is switched on) is set in the TCoNexus.ini file.


SPECIAL
The Special mailbox is used by MSMail to indicate the arrival from another Post Office of its updated directory list of mailboxes.  No action is needed by users, and Flagger will not activate when a message arrives in this mailbox, though it will indicate the latest update received.


STATUSBOX
The Status Box reports what Flagger is currently doing:

New Mail:

When a new message is received from another Post Office,  Flagger will chime (until stopped), and put a message in this box telling the user what to do. This message will stay in the box until either the New Mail flag, or an envelope in the 'New' column, is clicked.

Idle:

This is the normal entry in the Status Box. Flagger checks at regular intervals (set in the TCoNexus.ini file) to see if New Mail has arrived.  When it is not checking  (ie most of the time), it is said to be idle.  The numbers in brackets represent the number of seconds since the last check, and the number of seconds between each check.

Scanned Line:

When Flagger detects that a new message has arrived, it  updates the list on the screen by scanning through the log file of Received messages.  This message gives a report on the number of lines it has scanned.  This message will only remain on the screen for a few seconds before reverting to the New Mail message.


TELECONEXUS
TeleCoNexus Global Ltd

A company dedicated to helping organisations get the most out of their electronic mail systems. Centred in London with a network of consultants all over Central and Eastern Europe, TeleCoNexus can provide trained help at your remote offices, speaking the local language and understanding your mail system and the local telecommunications system.  Specialists in installing, monitoring and supporting electronic mail systems.

TeleCoNexus also writes software to extend the use, capabilities and efficiency of e-mail systems.

For further details, please contact:

     TeleCoNexus Global Limited
     10 - 16 Tiller Road
     London E14 8PX
     UK

     Telephone: 44-(0)71-537-4333
     Fax:          44-(0)71-537-4494

Offices in Warsaw, Prague, Budapest, Sofia, Moscow.


BEEPIVAL

Beep Interval - the interval between the warning beeps/chimes that Flagger sounds to indicate the arrival of New Mail.  Enter the number of seconds (default is 5) between beeps.


DATEDISPLAY

(This definition currently not in use)


DATEFMT

Date Format: set up according to the date format in use on this installation of Windows.  It will be either DMY (European) or MDY (American).


Flagger

Flagger is an Add-In program for electronic mail.  It displays in grid form on the screen a list of all mailboxes in the local Post Office which have received messages from other Post Offices.  For each mailbox, details of the latest message to have been received, and whether there are any unread messages, are indicated.  Whenever new mail arrives, Flagger sounds chimes, and highlights the mailbox receiving the mail.  Mail can be read from Flagger (which leads you into the appropriate e-mail system).  For further details, see 'Concept of Flagger', below


HOMEPO

The Home Post Office is the Network Name and Post Office Name of the local Post Office.  Flagger needs to know this so that it can ignore messages received if the Post Office is acting as the Indirect routing office for messages being sent from one Post Office to another via this one.


Hugin

Hugin (pronounced Hewgin) is an MSMail program written by TeleCoNexus which permits all the functions of MSMail, and adds the following: charging of e-mail messages to organisations, projects and accounts (for those businesses which charge clients for expenses);  logging of all messages, both internal and external to the home Post Office; on-line compression and decompression of attached files.  For further details, see "TeleCoNexus"


HUGINLINK

Determines whether Flagger's link to Hugin (an advanced Add-In to MSMail) should be activated. (1=Yes, 0=No).  It is this parameter that permits the double-clicking on a mailbox line to ask if the link to Hugin should be established, and the user's mailbox opened.


HUGINPATH

The path where the Hugin program executable has been stored. Factory setting will be \MAILDATA\TCONEXUS\PROGRAM\TC-HUGIN.exe


minimise

Windows can run several tasks simultaneously.  In order to keep the screen clear for the task you are currently looking at, other tasks can be "minimised" so that all you see is a small icon at the bottom of the screen.  In Flagger, this process is achieved by clicking on the Minimise button.


MYLOGFILE

Used in TeleCoNexus's Medical Check system for its monitored clients, which makes a copy of Flagger's log file for analysis purposes.  This parameter should be left at its factory setting.


RECVLOG

Flagger scans the log of Received messages created by MSMail's -mr parameter.  Enter here the path to the Received Log file (in a standard MSMail installation on a network, it may be something like M:\LOG\RECV.log, where M: is mapped to the MAILDATA directory).  In a non-network installation, C:\MAILDATA\LOG\RECV.log is a likely path.


RECVLOG2

MSMail writes to a second Receive log file if for any reason it is unable to write to the primary one.  Enter here the path and file name; it will normally be the same at RECVLOG, except that the name of the file will probably be RECVTEMP.log


SCANIVAL

The Scan Interval is the number of seconds after a Scan that Flagger is to check again for New Mail.  Note that Flagger will not scan the Received Log unless it has changed (ie a new record has been added) since the last check. The Factory Default setting is 100 seconds, but this should be reduced in a busy office.


SKIPRECEIVER

Flagger can be set up to ignore messages sent to a particular mailbox - for instance, one that is used as a target for an automatic monitoring system.  Any Post Office monitored by TeleCoNexus, for example, will have a four-character ID code, and a mailbox defined by that code.  SKIPRECEIVER will be factory set to ignore messages to that mailbox.


SORTBY

Sort By is the order in which the list of mailboxes displayed by Flagger should be sorted.  Valid options are D (date) or N (name). Factory default setting is Date.


TCoNexus.ini

The text file which contains the default settings for Flagger.  It is stored in the Windows directory, and can be amended by any text editor.