Setting Up ColorQWK

If you got this far, you must have run the setup.exe included in the ZIP file.  The first time you run ColorQWK, you will be prompted for directory names.  Fill them in (make sure they exist) and ColorQWK will do the rest.  If you need to reconfigure at any time, simply delete the ColorQWK.INI file from your home Windows directory.

Note:  PKZIP and PKUNZIP must be located somewhere in your PATH.  If you are unsure of how to do this, just copy them to your DOS directory and things should work fine.

See Also:

Uninstalling ColorQWK

Using Packers Other Than PKZIP

Setup


Uninstalling ColorQWK

Removing ColorQWK from your system is a snap.  It doesn't make any changes to WIN.INI or change any part of your existing Windows setup.

1.  Delete the entire ColorQWK directory (and subdirectories.)
2.  Delete OPEN.PIF and CLOSE.PIF from your Windows directory
3.  Delete ColorQWK.INI from your Windows directory
4.  Remove the ColorQWK group from Program Manager.

Five additional files are installed by ColorQWK.  These include VBRUN300.DLL, KEYSTAT.VBX, CTL3D.VBX, GAUGE.VBX and THREED.VBX.  These files are used by many other Windows shareware programs, and I recommend you leave them in.  Sometimes they aren't included with the zipfiles, and keeping them now could save you a download later.


Using Other Packers
Using Packers Other Than PKZIP

While NOT recommended, ColorQWK will allow you to use packers other than PKZIP.  PKZIP is the most compatible, fastest, and safest compression around, but other packers can be installed by editing the OPEN.PIF and CLOSE.PIF in your Windows directory.

ColorQWK sends information to the PIF in the following format:
PKZIP <outfile> <infilepath\*.*>
PKUNZIP <packetpath\packetname> <ColorQWKdir\work>

You should be able to leave the pif alone, just change PKUNZIP to ARJ e, PKZIP to ARJ, etc.  I do not guarantee compatibility with any packers other than PKZIP!

Note:  Depending upon ColorQWK's success, I plan to purchase a compression DLL and implement "true" Windows unzipping in future versions.


ColorQWK Help

Overview

Offline Mail Basics

Setting Up ColorQWK

Reading Mail

Opening a Packet

Choosing an Area

Choosing a Message

Using the Clipboard

Moving Around

Using Speech

Closing a Packet

Writing Mail

Replying to a Message

Entering a New Message

Creating a New Reply Packet

View, Edit, or Kill Replies

Options

Color/Monochrome Mode

Reply Options

Twit Filter

Hit Filter

Taglines

Signatures

Advanced Options

Exporting Messages to Files

Printing Messages

Stealing Taglines

Troubleshooting

Using Archivers other than PKZIP

Registration

About the Author

About the ColorQWK Project

Registration Info


Offline Mail Basics

Overview

Offline mail is a great way to get the most out of BBSing.  It allows you to get on and offline quicker, keeps the system from being tied up, and gives you much more freedom in composing your replies before they are sent.

The basic idea is this:
Call your local BBS.  Choose the areas that interest you (Tag the areas) and the BBS will compress it into a mail packet.  Two major formats exist: QWK is the most universal format, and can be found on most BBS's.

The mail packet is downloaded to your machine, read and replied to using an offline mail reader, and a reply packet is created.  This file is uploaded back to the BBS, and the mail is sorted and sent out automatically!

Reading offline mail can be a very rewarding and informative hobby.  ColorQWK hopes to make it easier for you.


QWK Packets
QWK packets are a common mail packet format found on many BBS's.  It was designed by Sparky Herring, and has become a standard of sorts in the BBS community.


Opening a mail packet

To begin using ColorQWK, click the opened mail packet button.  (The leftmost button on your screen.)  You will be presented with a list of packets, if any exist.  Either double click the packet name, or single click the packet and open button.

ColorQWK will proceed to unzip the packet and present you with information on the host BBS, as well as list all the areas.

See Also:

Choosing an Area


Choosing an Area

If the area list is not displayed, you may do so by pressing the globe button.

This presents a list of areas in the mail packet.  You may read any of them by double-clicking on it's name.

The "All Areas/Mail Only" button toggles between showing all available areas and only the ones with mail.  Use it to enter new mail in an area that has no mail.

If you have personal mail, a button marked "Personal Mail" will pop up.  Press it to read messages address specifically to you.

If you have added items to your "Hit List," a button will appear marked "Sorted Area."  This button opens an area with your special "Hit" keywords in the Message From, To, or Subject boxes.

To exit and close the packet, double click the upper left corner of the window.

See Also:

Personal Mail

Hit List

Twit List

Entering New Mail in Any Area


Personal Mail

Personal mail addressed to you is sorted automatically by ColorQWK.  To view and respond to it, click the "Personal Mail" button from the area list.

If no personal mail exists, this button will not appear.

See Also:

Choosing an Area


Hit List

The Hit List allows you to sort mail with specific keywords into a special area.
If mail exists in this area, the "Sorted Area" button will appear on the area list.

To define your Hit List, click the setup (wrench) button.  Any entries in the hit list will be there, as well as a blank line, Add and Remove buttons.

To enable the Hit List, click the "Hit List Enabled" box.

To add an item to your hitlist, type the keyword in the blank box and press add.

To remove an item from your hitlist, highlight the keyword and press the remove button.

All changes are saved when you exit the setup utility.

Tips on keywords:
Keep them short!  The more items you put in the Hit List, the longer it will take ColorQWK to sort.  Also beware of duplicates.  Putting "Win" and "Wave" as two separate keywords will put two entries in the Sorted  Area for the same message!  Using "ColorQWK" would be a wiser choice.

See Also:

Twit List

Choosing an Area


Twit List

If you find a certain person or topic offends you, you may sort it out of your mail packets by using the twit list.  First, bring up the setup (wrench) utility.

Your twitted keywords are listed in the Twit List, as well as a blank box and "Add" and "Remove" buttons.

To enable the Twit List, click the "Twit List Enabled" box.

To add to your twit list, type the keyword in the box and press "Add."

To remove an item from your twit list, highlight it and click "Remove."

All changes will be saved when you exit the setup utility.

Note:  Keep this list as short as possible to avoid delays when opening your packets!  Also be very specific about who and what to twit.  Entering "Derek" in your twit list would filter out messages from anyone at all named "Derek" while twitting "Derek Stutsman" would filter out my mail only.

Twitted mail will not appear in any area.

See Also:

Hit List


Entering New Mail in Any Area

To enter new mail from an area you are reading click the "New Mail" button.  (Envelope with a blank page.)  This will bring up a blank reply form, and you fill the "Message To" and "Message Subject" fields.

If you wish to make the message private, click the "private message" box.  (This will _not_ make mail private in international echoes!)

To close your reply, click the save reply button.  At this point you can choose a signature line and tagline, and choose whether or not to save the reply.

If you wish to enter mail in an area with no mail, click the area (Globe) button, and the "All Areas" button.  Choose your area and repeat the above process.
Note that areas with no mail will be blank when reading,

See Also:

Choosing an Area

Replying to Mail

Taglines

Signature Lines


Replying to a Message

To reply to the message you are reading, click the "Reply" button.  (Envelope with a picture behind it.)  A blank message will appear , with the "Message From" and "Message Subject" fields filled.  You can change them by typing over them, and you can make the reply private (in certain areas) by clicking the "Private Message" box.

Enter your message text, and close the message by clicking on the "Save Reply" button.

At this point you will be prompted for Signature and Taglines, and given a chance to save the message or abort.

See Also:

Entering New Mail in Any Area

Taglines

Signature Lines


Choosing a Message

To choose a message by title, click the "Message List" button.  (Envelope and Paper.)  This brings up a list of available messages in the current area.

Messages in your "Twit List" will not be shown.

Use the scroll bars to move up and down through the list, and double click the message you want to read.

To choose another area, click the Globe button.

See Also:

Choosing an Area

Twit List


Using the Clipboard

The "Cut,"Copy," and "Paste" buttons control use of the Windows Clipboard.

This useful tool allows you to remove unwanted text from messages, and to copy text into other Windows applications.

To use the clipboard, highlight the selected text with the mouse, and click the appropriate button.

Note:  Due to a programming limitation, you may only cut one line of text at a time in color mode.  To cut a larger block of text, switch to monochrome mode by pressing the monitor button.

See Also:

Color Mode

Monochrome Mode


Color Mode

ColorQWK's most striking feature allows multi-colored text to be displayed in a message.  This helps distinguish between the two (or more) participants in the message, and improves readability.

To switch to multi-color mode, click the monitor button.  Pressing again switches to monochrome mode.  (ColorQWK defaults to color mode.)

Note:  During color mode, only one line of text can be copied or cut to the clipboard at a time.  If you require cutting larger blocks of text, switch to monochrome mode.

Colors may be defined in the setup menu.

See Also:

Using the Clipboard

Setup

Monochrome Mode


Setup Menu
Setup

The setup dialog (Wrench button) is the place to customize ColorQWK to your liking.  Simply make your changes, and click "Save" to save them.  Clicking "Cancel" will make the changes for the current session only.

See Also:

Colors

Quote Options

Signature Lines

Twit List

Hit List


Defining Colors
Setting Colors

If you have not already done so, click the setup (Wrench) button.

You will see a list of available color options, a palette, and some samples of what it will look like.  Simply click the name of the option to change, then click the new color.  Changes are made automatically, and saved by clicking the "Save" button.

See Also:

Color Mode

Monochrome Mode


Signature Lines

Setting signature lines allows you an easy, automatic way to personalize your messages.  A signature line is a good place to identify yourself, or place a Fido or Internet address.

To edit your signature lines, click the setup (Wrench) button.  The signatures currently installed will be listed, and you can delete or add them with the appropriate buttons.

Note:  For unregistered users, signature lines may be defined.  However, the messages will be appended "UNREGISTERED USER."  This is easily removed by registration, and is the only limitation imposed on the ColorQWK offline reader.

See Also:

Taglines

Registration Info


Quote Options

This section is located in the setup dialog, which can be accessed with the wrench button.

ColorQWK predefines the quote string as FL> , where F is the first letter of the first name, and L is the first letter of the last name.  This conforms to the FidoNet standard, and avoid unneccessary waste.

A quote string may be defined in this setup dialog.  Quote strings lead your message as in:

Derek Stutsman said to Francois Blais about ColorQWK...

To make your own quote string, simply type it in the box provided.  A percent sign denotes special inserts, such as %F for the "Message From" or %S for the "Message Subject."

Another option is "Cut Tearlines During Replies."  Checking this box automatically removes all Tag and Tearlines from the message you are replying to.  This is in accordance with Fidonet rules, and reduces wasted bandwidth.

Lastly, "Smart Quoting" cleans up your replies.  For example, take the following message from me:

This is a test message
From

Derek Stutsman

This is how Smart Quoting processes the reply:

DS> This is a test message
DS> From

DS> Derek Stutsman

Without Smart Quoting, evert line (including the blank one) would be marked with DS>.

See Also:

Taglines

Replying to a Message


Moving Around

Navigating a QWK or Blue Wave packet within ColorQWK is easy.

The six arrow buttons on the right side of the toolbar accomplish the task.
From left to right, thier functions are:

Shaded Up Arrow:                Page Up
Shaded Down Arrow:      Page Down
Left Arrow:                     Previous Message
Right Arrow:                    Next Message
Solid Up Arrow:         Scroll Up
Solid Down Arrow:               Scroll Down

See Also:

Choosing an Area

Choosing a Message


Using Speech
Speech

ColorQWK supports speech with Monologue for Windows.  If Monologue is installed (and defined during initial setup) click the "Talk" button.  (Envelope with a speaker.)

Monologue is a commercial product, and is NOT included with ColorQWK.  To make speech available to ColorQWK, enter the path during the initial install of ColorQWK.  If you have already installed ColorQWK, delete the ColorQWK.INI file from your Windows directory, and start again.

Monologue for Windows comes bundled with most Sound Blaster cards, and is a product of First Byte Software.

First Byte may be contacted at  (310) 793-0610.


Closing a Mail Packet

To close the active packet, click the "Closed Packet" (leftmost) button.  You will be prompted whether or not to delete the active packet, and all replies will be saved.

See Also:

Closing a Reply


Closing a Reply

To close the reply you are working on, click the "Closed Packet" (leftmost) button.  You will be prompted to select a signature and tagline, and given a chance to back out and abort the current message.

See Also:

Closing a Packet

Signature Lines

Taglines


Taglines

Taglines are a great way to add a "finishing touch" to your messages or replies.

After closing an active new message or reply, you are prompted to select a tagline.  From this dialog you may also add new taglines, or delete existing ones.

A tagline may also be added to the message only by clicking the appropriate button.

Think of some funny, witty, or amusing ones to add!

Note:  Any straight ASCII text file may be used for your taglines.  If you have an existing Blue Wave or other tagline file, you may use it by copying it to your ColorQWK directory as ColorQWK.TAG.

See Also:

Signature Lines

Stealing Taglines


About the Author

I am a budding Visual Basic programmer with an obsession for offline mail.

I currently attend college at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas.  I am a rabid Simpsons fan, as well as a Windows fanatic!  Contact me at Dallas Windows BBS, or at my Internet address: iw84@jove.acs.unt.edu.  (Subject to change.)

See Also:

About the ColorQWK Project


The Simpsons
The Simpsons is Derek's favorite show, and the only one he ever watches.  He does a great Homer, and likens his childhood to that of Bart Simpson.  Anyone who misses the Simpsons is missing an outstanding show!


Hire Me!

I am always looking for a good opportunity.  My skills include:

Dos and Windows expertise
PC building, Troubleshooting, and Maintenance
dBASE/Clipper/Fox Programming
Visual Basic Programming

If you like what you see here, and want to interview me for employment, contact me at Dallas Windows BBS for a resume.  I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, but I am willing to move for the right offer.


About the ColorQWK Project

ColorQWK is my first major Visual Basic undertaking.

It began while using another offline reader for Windows.  It was a great product, but I found myself yearning for more features.  After badgering the poor author to death, I decided to try a VB one-shot to see what I could do on my own.

The result is ColorQWK, my first offline reader.  The next project will be a modular designed reader, utilizing the internal database routines in VB.
This reader is being designed from the ground up with flexibilty in mind.

If you have ideas, questions, or comments about ColorQWK, contact me at Dallas Windows BBS.

See Also:

About the Author


Registration
Registration Info

If you like ColorQWK, and want to see more enhancements in the future, please register!  ColorQWK has been released virtually nag-free, in order to give you the most full-featured and complete program to evaluate.

Registration gets you:
A personal registration code (which removes the UNREG signature)
Upgrade pricing on the next major mail-reader project
More leverage when requesting new features! <g>

To register your copy of ColorQWK, see the file REGISTER.WRI located in your ColorQWK folder.

In order to keep the product cost low, ColorQWK uses a "code" system rather than shipping out program disks.  This also allows you to get your code more quickly by using Netmail or Internet mail.

Send check or money order for $9.95 (drawn on a US bank, made out to Derek Stutsman) to:

ColorQWK Registration
Derek Stutsman
804  Eagle #21
Denton TX
76201

Texas residents add 8.25% sales tax.


Creating a New Reply Packet

To create a new reply packet, first click on "Closed Packet Menu" button.  (The closed packet button from the main menu.)

Under the "Create a new reply packet" area, double click the name of the BBS you wish to work with.

QWK packets will have the extension .DAT.  They are stored in your ColorQWK home directory.

See Also:

View, Edit or Kill Replies


View, Edit, or Kill Replies

First choose the "Closed Packet Menu."  Select a .REP packet to deal with, and double click it.

From here you will see a list of replies in the packet.  To remove a message, click the message, then the "Kill" button.

To view or edit a message, click "View/Edit."  This will allow you to change the message as needed.  Be sure you say "yes" to save the message, or it kill be killed by default.

Click "OK" when finished.

See Also:

Creating a New Reply Packet


Saving a Message
Saving a Message to a File

To save the current message in a .TXT file, choose Message|Export to disk.

You will be prompted for a filename.  Click OK to save, or Cancel to abort.
The message will be saved in the directory you defined in the setup.

See Also:

Printing a Message


Printing a Message

To print the current message, choose Message|Print from the top menu.  The message will be automatically printed.

See Also:

Saving a Message to Disk


Stealing Taglines

Often, a message will have a tagline you especially like.  To steal the tagline from the current message (and add it to your tagline file) choose Message|Steal tagline.

The tagline will appear in the message box.  To add it to your tagline file, choose "Add to File."  To Cancel, choose "Cancel."

If the tagline in the window is not the one you want, cancel and copy the tagline to the clipboard.  Choose Message|Steal Tagline and press "Paste.".

See Also:

Using the Clipboard

Taglines

Signature Lines


Offline Configuration

Blue Wave packets offer the ability to configure your options offline.  Simply put, you can tag or untag message areas, set graphics modes, and configure keywords.  (Note that these keywords are at the door level, and do not make changes to your Twit List or Hit List.)  This option is not available in QWK mode.

Make the changes using the "Tag" and "Untag" buttons, and save them with the "Exit" button.

See Also:

Netmail

File Request


Dallas Windows BBS
Dallas Windows BBS is the home of ColorQWK!  Larry Mundy is the sysop, and it holds the latest ColorQWK version, a ColorQWK message area, and the ability to contact the author.  The BBS is at (214) 541-0201.


File Attachments
File Attach includes a file along with your netmail message.  The host BBS will prompt you to begin your upload after your reply packet is processed.


Monochrome Mode

Monochrome mode allows viewing text in one color only.  This is harder to read, but allows cutting more than one line to the clipboard.  To toggle between modes, click the monitor button.

See Also:

Color Mode

Setup

Using the Clipboard