Black Box 4/BlackBox.cdr/ibm1/readmail.arj/READMAIL.DOC

Text File | 1991-04-13 | 23.1 KB | 621 lines

                                 READMAIL 3.1
                          A message reader for the PC


                                  Written by

                                Jeroen Schipper


    You can read this docfile with the program READMAIL.EXE:

    C>READMAIL.EXE READMAIL.DOC /A


---------Start of messages--------

From [e-mail] Mon Apr 15 13:51 MET 1991
Received: by praxis.cs.ruu.nl
From: Jeroen Schipper <[e-mail]>
Return-path: <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <M8872H@JJS8.882J2J>
Subject: What's in the archive?
To: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 91 13:51 MET
X-mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]
Status: RO

    The archive file RMAIL31 must contain the following files:

      - READMAIL.EXE    - The main program
      - READMAIL.DOC    - Sample message file and at
                          the same time the instructions

    That's all!

    A setup file will be created. The setup file contains your color setup
    and some additional information about the configuration. This file
    also contains the message definitions (see further).
    The setup file must be in your current directory, or the directory
    where READMAIL.EXE was started from. If ReadMail cannot find its setup
    file, it will ask you to create one and where to place it.

From [e-mail] Mon Apr 15 13:51 MET 1991
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From: Jeroen Schipper <[e-mail]>
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Subject: Who can use this program
To: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 91 13:51 MET
X-mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]
Status: RO

    This program can be useful to you if you have large text files con-
    taining a lot of messages. You can use ReadMail to make an easy
    selection of the messages you want to read. ReadMail is an easy-to-use
    program, helpscreens are available for every function.

    This program can be used as an off-line mail reader for most bbs-
    systems.

    Please notice: This program is NOT A MAILER! You can not send new
    messages with this program or read messages on-line.

From [e-mail] Mon Apr 15 13:51 MET 1991
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From: Jeroen Schipper <[e-mail]>
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Subject: Valid message files
To: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 91 13:51 MET
X-mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]
Status: RO

    A message file is a text file that contains messages that are sepa-
    rated by headers. This header definition can be changed (See Creating
    new message types). The header definition should at least contain a
    subject, other fields are not nessecary.

    ReadMail requires DOS 3.x or higher.

    DOS vs UNIX
    ===========

    ReadMail can handle both Dos and Unix files. The only difference is
    that Dos uses <CR><LF> as an end of line, while Unix only has a <LF>.

    NUMBER OF MESSAGES
    ==================

    READMAIL can read up to 500 messages if there is enough memory. If
    your files contains more messages than the maximum (use [F2] to see
    maximum) they will be ignored. The messages will be sorted on subject,
    sender or not at all (can be changed in setup).

From [e-mail] Mon Apr 15 13:51 MET 1991
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From: Jeroen Schipper <[e-mail]>
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Subject: Scanning multiple files
To: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 91 13:51 MET
X-mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]
Status: RO

    When you enter the filename of the messagefile, you can use dos-
    wildcards to scan multiple files. However, all files must have the
    same message type. All found messages will be displayed in one big
    list in the selection screen. At the top of the screen, you can see
    the filename where the current message was found. You can also press
    [F2] (status display) to see the current OPEN file. This is not always
    the same file as the current message (e.g. when not in preview mode.)
    When reading messages, [F2] always gives the right filename.

    If you set sorting method ([S]) to Don't Sort, all messages will be in
    the order they were read. So all messages found in 1 file will be
    grouped together.

From [e-mail] Mon Apr 15 13:51 MET 1991
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From: Jeroen Schipper <[e-mail]>
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Message-Id: <M8872H@JJS8.882J2J>
Subject: Creating new message types
To: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 91 13:51 MET
X-mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]
Status: RO

    You can use ReadMail to read different message files. To do this, you
    must define the header, so ReadMail can recognize a new message. To
    define a new header, press [F8] when you are prompted for a filename
    or when you are in the selection screen. You see a list of 15 defini-
    tions you can define. By default, the first two are defined as "Unix"
    and "EchoMail". The top message can never be deleted, others can be
    deleted by removing the description. You can change all definitions.
    To do this, press [ALT] + the corresponding key (e.g. to change the
    third, press [ALT-C]). You must enter five fields:

    1. Description

    This is the description used in the selection list.

    2. New Header

    This is where you define the lines that start a new header in your
    message files. It is very important that you define this as safe as
    possible, so ReadMail won't recognize a wrong header. To do this you
    can use the wildcards '*' and '?'. A '*' can replace any string (also
    an empty one) and a '?' replaces exactly one character. Case is
    important ("SUBJECT" is not the same as "Subject"). If a new header
    begins with '*''s or '?'s (like the TsFAQ headers), you can use a
    slash (\) before the wildcard. This prevents ReadMail from treating it
    as a wildcard but as just one char. So ReadMail will replace "\*" by
    one "*", and not read it like a wildcard.

    3. Subject

    To find the subject, ReadMail must know what to look for in the
    header. Enter only the keyword that is always the same at the begin-
    ning of the line. Wildcards are here not allowed! The case is also
    important. If the subject is always at the same offset from the
    beginning of the header, you can also enter the line number. In this
    case the whole line will be read as the subject.

    4. Sender

    This works just like the subject, except that is related to the
    sender. This field is optional.

    5. Date

    This also works like the subject, but relates to the date. This field
    is also optional.

    6. Lines

    If the header always contains the same number of lines, enter that
    number here. If the header contains a variable number of lines, then
    enter 0. In that case each header MUST end with a blank line.


    Here are three examples of header definitions:


    Example of a valid UNIX header:

    From [e-mail] Mon Apr 15 13:51 MET 1991
    Received: by praxis.cs.ruu.nl
    From: Jeroen Schipper <[e-mail]>
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    Message-Id: <M8872H@JJS8.882J2J>
    Subject: Example
    To: [e-mail]
    Date: Mon, 15 Apr 91 13:51 MET
    X-mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]
    Status: RO


    (The reason ReadMail does not start a new message after this header,
    is becouse of the spaces at the beginning of each line.) In this case
    the name is UNIX, so the description is "UNIX". The first line is an
    example of the start of a new header. You must experiment a little to
    see what's the best definition. The one ReadMail uses by default is:
    "From * *19??". This worked fine for all of my test files.
    The sender is recognized by "From: " the subject by "Subject: " and
    date by "Date: ". (note the spaces at the end!)
    So the full definition looks like this:

    Description : UNIX
    New header  : From * *19*??

    Subject     : Subject:<space>
    Sender      : From:<space>
    Date        : Date:<space>
    Lines       : 0

    The <space> is replaced by a real space.


    Second example:


    Example of a valid Echomail header, used by many popular bulletin
    board systems:

    Message #23432 - Area
       Date : 12-Sep-90 19:53
       From : Jeroen Schipper
         To : All
    Subject : Example

    We will call it Echomail, so the description is "Echomail" The first
    line of a new header is always "Message #<number> - <area>", so the
    new header line is "Message #*-*". A header is always 5 lines, so the
    lines is "5"
    The other lines are obvious now, the complete definition is:

    Description : Echo Mail
    New header  : Message #*-*

    Subject     : Subject :<space>
    Sender      :    From :<space>
    Date        :    Date :<space>
    Lines       : 0

    The spaces at the beginning of "   From" and "   Date" are very
    important! The case of the keywords is also important (except for the
    description).


    Third example:

    Prof. Timo Salmi has written a collection of Frequently asked ques-
    tions (FAQ) available as /pc/ts/tsfaq19.arc (19 was current version
    when ReadMail 3.1 was released) at garbo.uwasa.fi. The .TXT files can
    be read by ReadMail. A typical question looks like this:

    5. *****
     Q: How can I download via ftp?

     Answer: ...

    The definition looks like this:

    Description : Prof. Timo Salmi's FAQ
    New header  : *. \*\*\**

    Subject     : <space>Q:<space>
    Sender      :
    Date        :
    Lines       : 0

    In this case there's no sender or date. The newheader field used \*'s
    to make sure ReadMail doesn't use the '*'s as wildcards.


    If you have any problems defining your own customized header
    definitions, you can contact me and I'll have a look at it. (See the
    message "bugs" how to contact me).


    You can specify the message type you want to use from the command line
    (see Command line options), or when you load a new file with [N] from
    the selection screen (Press [F8]).

From [e-mail] Mon Apr 15 13:51 MET 1991
Received: by praxis.cs.ruu.nl
From: Jeroen Schipper <[e-mail]>
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Message-Id: <M8872H@JJS8.882J2J>
Subject: Selection screen
To: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 91 13:51 MET
X-mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]
Status: RO

    The selection screen is the first screen you see after loading one or
    more files. Here you can select messages to read, write or print.
    On this screen is a lot of information, that can be displayed in 4
    different modes. The information you see is:

    * #Message no │ Sender │ Date │ #Lines │ Subject

    The first column is the number of the message, starting at 1. If you
    have read a message it will be marked with a '*' at the beginning of
    the line. The second column contains the name of the sender of that
    message. #Lines is the total number of lines in a message. The subject
    is of course the subject of the message. Not all this information will
    be displayed in all display modes. Press [<-] and [->] to change the
    display mode.

    The message the selection bar is on will be referred to as "Current
    Message".

    Further you can see a clock in the lower right hand corner. Top left
    you see how many messages are above the one on top at the screen and
    bottom left you see the same for the messages that are below the last
    message displayed on the screen. You also can see indications for
    CAPS, NUM and SCROLL. When SCROLL is on, and you move the selection
    bar up and down, then (if possible) the bar will stay on the same line
    and the screen will scroll up and down.

From [e-mail] Mon Apr 15 13:51 MET 1991
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From: Jeroen Schipper <[e-mail]>
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Subject: Special keys
To: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 91 13:51 MET
X-mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]
Status: RO

    These special keys are available everywhere in the program:

    Help - F1

    There is a built in context sensitive help system. You can press F1 to
    get help on the function you are in. You then get a short description
    of the function or a list of the keys you can use. These keys will not
    be described in this manual.

    You can always get more general help by pressing F1 twice.

    To leave help press any key.



    Setup - Shift-F1

    You can change the setup by pressing Shift-F1. Not all changes will be
    effective immediately.



    Status display - F2

    You can always pop up a status window (except when in help mode) that
    gives you information about the current environment. You can see how
    many messages can be read into the memory (this depends on how much
    memory is available). If your message file contains more messages than
    can be read then the maximum number of messages will be read and the
    rest will be ignored. In that case you'd better split your file in 2
    or more parts and read them separate.



    Print - F3

    You can print messages to a printer or a file. If you are in the main
    selection screen, all selected messages will be printed. If none are
    selected, the current message will be printed. If you press F3 when
    reading messages, then only the message on your screen will be
    printed.

    The various print-options are described in the helpscreens.



    Screensaver - F4

    ReadMail has a build in screensaver. The screensaver will be activated
    after two minutes without keyboard activity (default). You can change
    the screensaver time with the setup function. To activate the
    screensaver press [F4] anywhere in the program. When the screensaver
    is active, you can restore the ReadMail screen by pressing any key. It
    is best to use a softkey like [SHIFT] or [ALT] because a 'normal' key
    will be processed normally by the function you are in.



    Cancel - Esc

    You can always use the escape key to cancel an option you just
    selected. Pressing escape multiple times will always bring you back to
    the selection screen.

From [e-mail] Mon Apr 15 13:51 MET 1991
Received: by praxis.cs.ruu.nl
From: Jeroen Schipper <[e-mail]>
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Message-Id: <M8872H@JJS8.882J2J>
Subject: Command line options
To: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 91 13:51 MET
X-mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]
Status: RO

    If the first parameter is /H or /?, ReadMail will only display a
    helpscreen. This information can be redirected to a file or the
    printer. For example:

    C>READMAIL /? >PRN

    Or you can enter 1 filename at the commandline: the filename of the
    first message file you want to read. Wildcards are allowed, all files
    that match will be scanned for messages, for example:

    C>READMAIL READMAIL.DOC

    If you want to use a different message format, you can specify this by
    adding /<type>, for example:

    C>READMAIL /F

    to use header definition [F]. This header definition must be defined,
    if not then definition [A] will be selected.

    A combination is also allowed:

    C>READMAIL \PUBLIC\MAIL\*.MAI /C
    C>READMAIL /F ..\*.MAI

    The order is not important. The arguments are read from left to right,
    so with the command:

    C>READMAIl.DOC /A FILE1 /B FILE2 /C

    ReadMail will select message type C and scan FILE2

From [e-mail] Mon Apr 15 13:51 MET 1991
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From: Jeroen Schipper <[e-mail]>
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Subject: The Setupfile
To: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 91 13:51 MET
X-mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]
Status: RO

    When ReadMail is first loaded, a setupfile will be created
    (READMAIL.SET). The setupfile must always be either in the directory
    READMAIL.EXE was loaded from, or in the current directory. If no
    setupfile was found and the two directory's mentioned above are the
    same, it will be placed in the current directory. Otherwise you will
    be prompted for the location.

    Each time you exit ReadMail, the setup file is updated. This way
    ReadMail 'remembers' the message type you used last.

    When ReadMail searches its setup file, it first looks in the current
    directory, if no setupfile was found it searched the .EXE directory.
    This was you can 'override' the default setupfile.

From [e-mail] Mon Apr 15 13:51 MET 1991
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From: Jeroen Schipper <[e-mail]>
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Message-Id: <M8872H@JJS8.882J2J>
Subject: Bugs
To: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 91 13:51 MET
X-mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]
Status: RO

    If you notice any bugs please let me know. I spent a lot of time
    debugging this program, but as you know: There's always one more bug!
    Or if you have a suggestion for the next release, let me know.

    You can send me e-mail to [e-mail] or you can reach me on
    the Dutch R.A. BBS 'Julliet', Fido net/node 2:286/315 (username Jeroen
    Schipper)

    If you prefer snailmail:

    Jeroen Schipper
    Grunoplantsoen 17
    3981 GS Bunnik
    The Netherlands.

    Tel. +(31)3405-61733

From [e-mail] Mon Apr 15 13:51 MET 1991
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Subject: History information
To: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 91 13:51 MET
X-mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]
Status: RO

    I once had some files containing messages that I transferred from a
    Unix system to my PC. While I was reading those messages with a
    textfile shower, I thought it would be easy to have a program to show
    the separate messages without the long headers, just like on the Unix
    system. I wrote ReadMail 1.0. This program could read a Unix text file
    and show all messages one at the time. This program went through a lot
    of changes and the result so far is version 3.1. The capability of
    reading other message type was built in because I had a file with
    Echomail messages, that had about the same format as the Unix file.
    First I wanted to release two versions, but now ReadMail can read both
    types! (and more)



    HISTORY LIST
    ============
    0.0  Why isn't there a program that I can use to read my unix mail
         file on my pc?
    1.0  Just a textfile shower, with the only difference that is could
         recognize a new header. Nothing fancy.
    1.1  I added a couple of things but it still is a very simple program.
    2.0  New user interface! You can now choose message interactive with
         the cursor keys. Also help text added.
    2.1  A lot of improvements made. Also a lot of bugs removed. I added a
         convertor to translate Unix files to Dos.
    3.0  Completely rewritten. I made some major improvements like the
         color setup. But best of all: you can now read Unix files
         directly without converter! This is the first public release.
    3.1  I got many positive reactions to the 3.0 version. Many people
         gave me suggestions and noticed several bugs. Thanks to everyone
         who responded. I would especially like to thank Prof. Timo Salmi
         ([e-mail]) from the University of Vaasa (Finland) who
         gave me a lot of usefull feedback. For a list of changes see the
         message "Update info".

    Technical information:
    ReadMail is written is Turbo Pascal 6.0. READMAIL.EXE is compressed
    with LZEXE.EXE.

From [e-mail] Mon Apr 15 13:51 MET 1991
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From: Jeroen Schipper <[e-mail]>
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Subject: Update info
To: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 91 13:51 MET
X-mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]
Status: RO

    This version of ReadMail looks and feels the same as version 3.0.
    However there are a lot of changes. The setupfile is not compatible
    with 3.0. But if ReadMail finds a 3.0 setupfile, it will automatically
    be upgraded. Here's a list of 3.0 bugs that were killed in 3.1:

    - ReadMail now handles 0 byte-files correctly
    - Screensaver time will be saved correctly
    - The last line of a file will be displayed when reading

    Other changes to the program are:

    - Inputlines will now be in overwrite by default
    - Faster File-handling routines
    - The example-Unix definition will also work for "local" mail
    - Setup ([SHIFT-F1]) can be called everywhere
    - Line number also allowed when defining message types
    - Added /? parameter: gives a helpscreen in Dos that can be redirected
      using redirections symbols (>, >>).
    - New example definition (TsFAQ). If you have an old setup file (3.0)
      you can only get this definition by either deleting the old
      setupfile (This is ok if you didn't define any customized types) or
      by entering it manually. See defining you own message types.
    - Minor changes to various screenlayouts.

From [e-mail] Mon Apr 15 13:51 MET 1991
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Subject: Copyright (c) 1991 Jeroen Schipper
To: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 91 13:51 MET
X-mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]
Status: RO

    ReadMail is Copyright (c) 1991 by Jeroen Schipper. This program is
    freeware, you don't need to pay if you want to use it.


    TERMS:

    READMAIL is Copyright 1990 by Jeroen Schipper. Permission is granted
    to make copies of READMAIL and distribute them to others so long the
    files READMAIL.EXE and READMAIL.DOC are distributed together and
    unmodified. No fee, other than a disk duplicating fee less than or
    equal to $3.00 may be charged for READMAIL.

    READMAIL is provided on an "as is" basis without warranty of any kind,
    expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warran-
    ties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The
    entire risk as to quality and performance of this program is with you.
    In no event will Jeroen Schipper be liable to you for any damages,
    including any lost profits, lost savings, or other incidental or
    consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use this
    program, even if Jeroen Schipper has been advised of the possibility
    of such damages. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and
    you may have other rights which vary from state to state. Some states
    do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties or exclusion of
    liability for incidental or consequential damages so the above may not
    apply to you.