M S G S S C A N O P T I O N S This command allows you to Scan messages. Scanning operates much like reading except that the entire text of the message is not displayed. A scan presents the following sub-prompt: [F]rom : [T]o : S[u]bject : Msg [B]ody : [N]umber : [D]irection : Forward [C]onference : Selected Search command [F T U N D B C], [H]elp, [S]tart, [ENTER] to Quit? [ ] When defining the search criteria, you can been very specific about what your looking for, or very general. The smaller the text string used for any of the below fields, will allow greater possibilities of matches. For example, you want to find all the messages left by someone, but you can't remember how to spell their name. By entering 'JO' (less the quotes), the BBS could find matches on JOE, JOSEPH, JOSE and so on. An added benefit by keeping the search string short is speed. The shorter the string the faster the entire search process. Below is an explanation of the available search fields. [F]rom - Select a username addressed [F]rom: [T]o - Select a username addressed [T]o: S[u]bject - Searches on a specific Subject line string. Msg [B]ody - Select keywords in the message body to search for. Example: entering '386' will cause a search for all occurances of that string in all messages based upon overall search criteria. [N]umber - Selects the starting message number to begin the search. [D]irection - This is a toggle between forward and backward search direction. Forward is searching by incrementing the message count by one, and backward just the opposite. [C]onference - Selecting this option displays the following sub-prompt: Scan [C]urrent, [S]elected, [A]ll conference(s)? [ ] [C]urrent - Limits the scan to ONLY the currently [J]oined conference. [A]ll - Searches all of the conferences available based upon your security level. [S]elected - Similar to [A]ll option except this will search all conferences selected by the [U]pdate Conferences Scan/Read function found on the Message Menu. [H]elp - Displays this information screen. [S]tart - Begins the search based upon the above settings. Shown below is a sample format of messages found in a scan. Conference 000 - General Message Area [ 1] Msg:1 Fm:ORION HILL To:ALL Sb:TIPC Users Group [ 2] Msg:2 Fm:SEAN THOMAS To:ALL Sb:Re: UL of A-BBSS.LZH [ 3] Msg:3 Fm:WARREN CRAIG To:SEAN THOMAS Sb:Mac Advantages... [ 4] Msg:4 Fm:LEE ETHERIDGE To:ALL Sb:**StarFire** [ 5] Msg:5 Fm:CHRIS DICELY To:WARREN CRAIG Sb:Mac Advantages... [ 6] Msg:6 Fm:ISRAEL CLEWS To:WARREN CRAIG Sb:format -Pause- [C]ontinue, [M]ark, [N]onstop, [S]top? [ ] After messages have been found, you can mark them using the [M]ark function. This allows tagging specific messages based upon the MARKED NUMBER, and NOT the actual message number. Additional information on using the [M]ark feature is found when selecting that option.