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!Help file for EasyMail, Version 0.4 (22-Jan-1994) ================================================== This !Help file is a 'rough guide' to EasyMail, and not a definative manual. A full manual requires some time to write, unfortunately I don't have enough time at present. If you do have further questions concerning the use of EasyMail, then please feel free to post a public message to the 'General Acorn' conference area on Digital Databank BBS, or to demon.ip.support.archimedes newsgroup on demon. Copyright: ========= 1. EasyMail and all associated documentation is Copyright © 1994,1995, Marc L.Veary. All rights reserved. 2. The software and all associated documentation is Public Domain and may not be sold or included with any commercial software without the author's written permission. Public Domain Libraries, however, may distribute the program provided they charge no more than 3 pounds Sterling per disc. 3. The author, Marc L.Veary cannot accept any liability in anyway whatsoever for any loss or damage whether monetary, data, computer hardware or otherwise, cause from the use or misuse of this program or the information contained within any associated documentation. 4. The author can be contacted by E-Mail: Digital Databank BBS: (0707) 329 306 - Marc Veary (#585) Arcade BBS: (0181) 654 2212 - Marc Veary (#1517) Internet: marc@mlveary.demon.co.uk Acknowledgements: ================ Many thanks to Simon Glass for the seed idea, Andrew Black for initial testing and comments, John Stonier, Dave Dade, Kevin Quinn, Steve Costine, Ben Summers and Steve Turnbull for the advice, encouraging and testing. Thanks also to all those not named here for all the comments and suggestions, you know who you are... Please Help: =========== EasyMail is a PD program which is under constant maintenance, therefore, please let me know of any bugs, comments, suggestions, or criticisms you might have concerning this program. I would like to hear from you, even if the bug seems minor. If EasyMail does crash with a fatal error, a record of the error will be created in a file called, 'ErrorLog'. Which is created inside EasyMail's resources directory (<Shft> double-click on the !EasyMail IconSprite). Please send this information to the author. Things Needed: ============= RISCOS 3.1 or later. Hard Disc Drive !TCPIP 2.01 or later (for internet access). This is the PD version also called KA9Q -------------------------------------------------- Introduction: ============ EasyMail is an Off-Line Mail Reader (OLR) for RISCOS. It was written using S-Base, and is therefore essentially a database application. Currently, EasyMail supports ArcBBS mail packets, UseNet news packets, Internet E-mail packets, Internet/UseNet access via CIX. Features: ======== * Multiple ArcBBS support. * Multiple users with optional password security. * All messages are stored on a database providing * All messages are stored in a compressed format. * No limit to the number of stored messages (except disc space). * Mail safety feature to protect messages from one BBS being imported onto the database of another BBS. * Easy searching and browsing of stored messages. * Integral text editor for easy composing of public or private messages. * Composed messages are stored on a database in a compressed format. * Easy browsing of composed messages. * Exporting of messages is a variety of formats: - ArcBBS - UseNet - Internet - UseNet/Internet via CIX * Database search facilities: - messages to/from/both for each BBS user (BBS specific) - messages posted by a user (UseNet/Internet) - message subjects - message text * Message tagging. - Locking. - Read marked. - User defined. * Thread following. * Multi-tasking or mono-tasking importing. * Subject listing. * Auto-Read feature. * Multiple Signatures. * Database maintenance. -------------------------------------------------- Contents ======== I. Setting Up EasyMail: =================== 1A. Getting Started: 2A. The Configure Window: 3A. User Management: 1B. Creating A New User: 2B. Editing A User: 3B. Deleting A User: 4A. Logging On: 1B. Selecting A User: 2B. The Default User: II. Importing E-Mail: ================ 1A. ArcBBS Mail Packets: 1B. Registering A BBS: 2B. Selecting A BBS: 3B. The Default BBS: 2A. Internet/UseNet Mail Packets: 1B. Before Importing For The First Time: 2B. Users of !TCPIP (KA9Q): 3B. Users of CIX, or other Protocol Suites: III. Batches: ======= 1A. The Batches List: 1B. Selecting Batches To Browse: 2B. Deleting/Undeleting Batches: 3B. The Batches List Menus: IV. Conferences/Newsgroups: ====================== 1A. The Message Areas List: 1B. Selecting Message Areas To Browse: 2B. Deleting And Undeleting Message Areas: 3B. The Message Areas List Menus: V. Users Maintenance And List: ========================== 1A. User List: 2A. Adding And Editing New Users: 3A. Deleting And Undeleting Message Areas: VI. Composing E-Mail And News: ========================= 1A. Toolbar Features: 2A. Menus: 3A. Exporting E-Mail And News: 1B. The Replies Browser: 2B. Sending Replies: VII. Browsing: ======== 1A. Subject List: 1B. Auto-Read: VIII. Signatures: ========== 1A. Editing Signatures: 2A. Using A Signature: IX. Tags: ==== 1A. Defining A Tag: 2A. Tagging A Message: 3A. Searching For Tagged Messages: X. Searching: ========= 1A. The Search Window: 1B. Message Text Search: 2B. Subjects Search: XI. Threads: ======= 1A. Syntax: 2A. Traversing Threads: XII. Questions & Answers, How Do I Do...? ==================================== I. Setting Up EasyMail =================== 1A. Getting Started: =============== Copy the program to a directory on your hard disc. To start the program, double-click on the EasyMail icon and EasyMail will install itself on the icon bar. The first time EasyMail is run, there will be a few moments delay while EasyMail initialises itself. 2A. The Configure Window: ==================== Click Menu over the Icon Bar and from the menu select the 'Configure' option. This opens the 'Configure' window. 1B. Organization: (internet only) ============ Whatever you place in this field will appear in the 'Organization:' header field of all generated UseNet messages. 2B. Host Address: (internet only) ============ This is used when you have direct access to the internet through, for instance, a dial up account with Demon Internet. If you have Internet access of this type then this field should contain the host address (the name used to refer to your computer). For example, name used refer to my computer is: mlveary.demon.co.uk If you are using !TCPIP (KA9Q) and this has been 'seen' by the Filer, EasyMail will fill in this field for you. If you have access to the Internet via CIX, then this field will contain something like: cix.compulink.co.uk 3B. News Quoter: (internet only) =========== This is a phrase which is placed directly before a quote made in a UseNet news article. There are some special character sequences which are interpreted when a quote is made: 1C. %i is replaced by the Message-ID. 2C. %u is replaced by the user's real name, if known. 4B. Mail Quoter: (internet only) =========== This is a phrase which is placed directly before a quote made when composing Internet e-mail. The special character sequences noted above may also be used here. 5B. Quote Prefix: (internet only) ============ Sets the default quote prefix. This is generally a chevron '>' 6B. Auto-format: =========== Sets the default status of the quote formatter. If set, all quotes will be formatted (wordwrapped). This feature can be temporarily set off from the toolbar attached to the text editing window used to compose messages. 7B. Default Window: ============== This sets which window will be opened by default when clicking with Select or Adjust on EasyMail's Icon Bar icon. There is an option on the icon bar menu to temporarily change this without opening the 'Configure' window. 3A. User Management: =============== EasyMail is designed to be a multi-user program. It has one permanent user called 'PostMaster', any mail for which a post box cannot be found gets sent to the PostMaster's post box. The management of users is done through the 'Logon' window which is opened from the 'Logon' option on the icon bar menu. 1B. Creating A New User: =================== To create a new user open the 'Logon' window. Click Menu over the window and select the 'Add' option. 1C. Fullname: ======== Enter your real name here. 2C. BBS name: ======== Enter the name you use on BBSs. Generally people use only one user name for all the BBSs they log on to. If you use a different name for different BBSs then you will need to set up a user for each BBS. 3C. Internet name: ============= Again, this is for those who have direct Internet access, access via CIX. Enter the local part of your IP address into this field. For example, I use 'marc'. My complete IP address is then: marc@mlveary.demon.co.uk 4C. Password: ======== Enter a password to be applied to this user. If a password is entered this user cannot be used without first entering the correct password. Leaving this field blank allows unrestricted access to this user. 5C. Quote signature: =============== If set on, will cause the user's signature to be automatically quoted when the text editing window is opened. 2B. Editing A User: ============== Select the 'Edit' option from the menu attached to the 'Logon' window and make the necessary changed. None of the changes are permanent until the 'Save' icon is clicked. 3B. Deleting A User: =============== Selecting this option from the menu attached to the 'Logon' window will delete the highlighted user, plus all mail received and created by this user. You are given the change to abort this action when prompted to confirm the deletion. 4A. Logging On: ========== Everytime EasyMail is used the user must identify themselves by selecting the appropriate user name from the list in the 'Logon' window, or by using a pre-selected default user. 1B. Selecting A User: ================ Highlight the appropriate user, click the 'Select' icon. This causes the highlighted user to be the current user. 2B. The Default User: (not necessarily the PostMaster) ================ The default user is really a 'quick start' option. It allows you to designate one of the users as the default user, who is used by default when the Icon Bar icon is clicked with Adjust, thus bypassing the logging on sequence. This is useful for single users who don't want the hassle of logging on. To designate a user as the 'default' user, highlight the appropriate user, from the menu attached to the window select 'Default user' and the string "{Default}" will appear next to that user's name. II. Importing E-Mail ================ All mail is imported onto the database through the main window (Browser Window). The 'Browser' window is opened automatically once you have logged on, or by clicking on the Icon Bar icon. NOTE: the title of the 'Browser' window will tell you whether you are using the Internet browser window, or the ArcBBS browser window. If you are using the ArcBBS browser window for the first time, the window title will say, "<Unknown>". 1A. ArcBBS Mail Packets: =================== To import an ArcBBS mail packet, simply decompress the file, and drop it onto the 'Browser' window. RAM transfer is supported, so the necessity of decompressing the file before hand is not always required. NOTE: when EasyMail imports the first mail packet for a BBS, the BBS Conference Areas specified in the file to be imported are created. If you subsequenty try to import to this BBS a mail packet whose conference areas are in any way different to the ones created with the first import, EasyMail will refuse to accept the import. The reason for this is that it provides a certain level of security: the mail packets from one BBS cannot be imported onto the database of another BBS. The drawback with this is that if you change your conference areas on a BBS, any mail packed you download will not be accepted by EasyMail. You will either have to register another BBS, or delete the old one and start again. Before being able to import an ArcBBS mail packet, the BBS from which the packet was downloaded must be registered with EasyMail. 1B. Registering A BBS: ================= From the menu attached to the 'Utilities' icon select the 'Maintain' option in the 'BBSs' submenu. This opens the 'BBS List' window which list all the Bulletin Boards currently registered with EasyMail. To add a BBS to the list, click the 'Add' icon, enter the label (eg Arcade, Digital Databank, etc.) and then click the 'OK' icon. Any number of Bulletin Boards may be registered with EasyMail. 2B. Selecting A BBS: =============== To use one of the listed Bulletin Boards, simply highlight the required BBS and click the 'Select' icon. The last imported batch for this BBS (if there is one) will be loaded automatically. 3B. The Default BBS: =============== You can designate a BBS as the 'Default' BBS. This means that whenever the BBS browser is opened, this designated BBS is loaded by default. To designate a BBS as the default simply highlight the required BBS label, and from the menu attached to the 'BBS List' window select the 'Default BBS' option. You will see the string '{Default}' appear against that BBS label. 2A. Internet/UseNet Mail Packets: ============================ 1B. Before Importing For The First Time: =================================== Although not entirely necessary, it will save you a lot of hassle if you set up in EasyMail the newsgroups you read, before the first UseNet news batch is imported. 1C. Setting Up Newsgroups: ===================== On the 'Browser' window, click the icon with the four squares, this will open the 'Newsgroups' window. From the menu attached to this window, select 'Add' from the 'Options' submenu. Type a newsgroup into the dialogue, and click 'OK' to create the newsgroup. Repeat this for all the newsgroups you read. 1D. Suggested List: ============== comp.sys.acorn comp.sys.acorn.tech comp.sys.acorn.announce comp.binaries.acorn comp.sources.acorn demon.announce demon.answers demon.ip.support.archimedes 2B. Users of !TCPIP (KA9Q): ====================== EasyMail will collect and debatch mail downloaded using !TCPIP, Version 2.01 or later. The Filer must have 'seen' the !TCPIPUser pseudo application, for EasyMail to be able to import an Internet or UseNet mail packet. 1C. Collecting E-Mail: ================= Assuming that the Internet 'Browser' window is open, from the menu attached to the 'Utilities' icon select the 'Collect mail' option. This will import all UseNet news and any Internet E-Mail downloaded by !TCPIP. Once the import is complete, you will be asked if you wish to delete the News File and Mail File. 3B. Users of CIX, or other Protocol Suites: ====================================== For UseNet news, each article must be separated by the #! rnews separator as according to RFC 822 or the mail packet will not be imported. For Internet E-Mail, EasyMail does not mind what separator is used between batched mail items as it works this out for itself before the mail packet is imported. To import either UseNet news or Internet e-mail simply drop the file onto the 'Browser' window. III. Batches ======= Each mail packet imported into EasyMail is called a 'Batch'. EasyMail maintains a list of batches for each BBS, and for Internet/UseNet. The available batches are listed in the 'Batches' window. 1A. The Batches List: ================ Click the 'Blue Box' icon. This window lists all the batches which have been imported onto the currently selected database. The last batch is always the batch which is loaded into the 'Browser' window when it is opened. 1B. Selecting Batches To Browse: =========================== You may browse the messages in any number of batches. Simply highlight the required batches in the list and click the 'Select' icon. This loads the 'Browser' window with all the messages in the selected batches. Clicking the 'Select' icon with the 'Select' button performs the search and closes the window, while clicking with the 'Adjust' button performs the search but leave the window open. 2B. Deleting/Undeleting Batches: =========================== 1C. Deleting: ======== After a while, you will begin to accummulate a large number of batches and the database may be come rather large, which will have a bearing upon the speed of EasyMail. To delete a batch (and all associated messages) highlight the required batches the select 'Delete' from the 'Options' submenu of the 'Batches' menu. This does not automatically remove the batch and messages from the database, this is only done when a 'Rebuild' is performed on the database. See the section on Maintenance. 2C. Undeleting: ========== Batches may be undeleted if required. Simply select the 'Show deleted' option from the 'Batches' menu and then highlight the batches required to be undeleted. Follow the operations for deleting except select the 'Undelete' option from the submenu. 3B. The Batches List Menus: ====================== 1C. Batch Menu: ========== * Batch - Leads to the 'Options' submenu. * Select All - Highlights all listed batches. * Clear selection - Clears highlighted batches. * Show deleted - Includes deleted batches in the list. 2C. Options Menu: ============ * Info - Opens a window with information on the batch, such as the number of messages, and if any of them are tagged. * Delete - Deletes the currently highlighted batches They are not deleted from the database but simply 'marked' as delete and will not appear in the batch list unless 'Show deleted' is set (ticked). * Undelete - Undeletes any highlighted batches which have been marked as deleted. IV. Conferences/Newsgroups ====================== Each message on the database is categorized into an message area. For ArcBBS these area called Conferences, on UseNet they are called Newsgroups. The purpose of these message areas is to reduce the number of messages a user must go through to find what they want to read. For example, an 'S-Base User Group' area on a BBS should only contain messages relating to S-Base and the User Group. The UseNet newsgroup 'demon.test' is specifically for test messages. EasyMail not only allows one or more batches to be browsed, but also allows you to browse the messages in one or more message areas. This is done in much the same way as you would select a batch or group of batches. 1A. The Message Areas List: ====================== Click the icon with 'Four Squares' open the message areas list. When using an ArcBBS database, the title of this window will say 'Areas'. When using the Interent/UseNet database, the title of this window will say 'Newsgroups'. 1B. Selecting Message Areas To Browse: ================================= You may browse the messages in any number of message areas. Simply highlight the required message areas and click the 'Select' icon. This loads the 'Browser' window with all the messages posted to the selected areas within the currently selected batches. 2B. Deleting And Undeleting Message Areas: ===================================== As with batches, message areas can be deleted and undeleted. The rules for batches also apply to message areas. 3B. The Message Areas List Menus: ============================ 1C. Area/Newsgroups: =============== * Options - Leads to the 'Options' submenu. * Select All - Highlights all listed message areas. * Clear selection - Clears highlighted message areas. * Show deleted - Includes deleted message areas in the list. 2C. Options Menu: ============ * Add - This allows you to add new conferences/news- groups to the currently active list. * Edit - This allows you to edit an conference/newgroup. * Delete - Deletes the currently highlighted message areas. They are not deleted from the database but simply 'marked' as delete and will not appear in the message areas list unless 'Show deleted' is set (ticked). * Undelete - Undeletes any highlighted message areas which have been marked as deleted. NOTE: Active areas/newsgroups are automatically included in the 'Area' or 'Newsgroups' menu attached to the text editing window. See later for further details. V. Users Maintenance And List ========================== EasyMail maintains a list of users for the internet for a BBS. When it 'sees' a new user (as a mail packet is being imported), appropriate details are captured and a database record created. All known users can be browser through the 'User List' window. This is accessed through the 'Maintain' option of the menu attached to the 'Person' icon in the 'Browser' window. 1A. User List: ========= The basic purpose of this window is to manage which users are to be included in any 'User List' menus. Only users records which are not marked as deleted with be included in any menus and these users records will be displayed by default in the window. All user records created while importing a mail packet are automatically marked as deleted. This means that even when a mail packet has been imported the 'User List' window will not contain any new users. 2A. Adding And Editing New Users: ============================ Adding and editing user records can be done by click the appropriate icon, and filling in the required details. For ArcBBS users, their user number should be supplied. But if this is not supplied (left as zero) then 3A. Deleting And Undeleting Message Areas: ===================================== As with batches and message areas, users can be deleted and undeleted. The rules for batches also apply to users. VI. Composing E-Mail And News ========================= Clicking the 'Green Pen' icon will open the text editing window. Through this window public and private e-mail can be created. 1A. Toolbar Features: ================ * Original/Reply - Sets whether the composition is new or a reply to the current message in the browser window. * Private/Public - Sets whether the composition is private e-mail or a public news article. * Quote - Quotes any text highlighted in the browser window. * Format - Sets whether the quoted text is word-wrapped or not. * Signature - Appends the selected signature to the bottom of the message. * Sig 1/Sig 2 - Sets which signature is used when the 'Signature' icon is clicked. * Headers/text - (Internet Only) Shows the headers or the text of the composition. 2A. Menus: ===== If a field is 'dark grey', this indicates that a menu is attached to the field from which an option may be selected. You may also notice that the mouse pointer changes to indicate the presence of a menu. What is listed in a menu attached to any of the 'dark grey' fields is controlled by what is deleted/undeleted in the user and message area windows. All non-deleted users, UseNet newsgroups and ArcBBS conference areas are automatically included in their associated menus. There is a menu attached to the mail message fields for exporting the text of the message as a TextFile. 3A. Exporting E-Mail And News: ========================= E-mail which has been created is also stored on a database and can be browsed, and to some degree edited. 1B. The Replies Browser: =================== The 'Replies Browser' is opened from the 'Browse replies' option of the menu attached to the 'Utilities' icon. From this window, replies can be browsed, edited, deleted, or marked as sent or not-sent. 1C. Deleting A Reply: ================ To delete a reply simply click the 'Dustbin' icon and the current reply is marked as deleted. You can view all the deleted replies by selecting the 'Include deleted' icon. The status of a reply (whether it is sent or not) can be altered via the menu attached to the 'Menu icon' to the right of the 'Sent' field. The text of the reply can also be exported as a TextFile, via the main menu attached to the window. 2B. Sending Replies: =============== To export (save out) all the replies which are marked as 'not sent', select the 'Send replies' option from the menu attached to the 'Utilities' icon. 1C. ArcBBS: ====== Selecting 'Send replies' pops up a standard 'save as' dialogue. Drag the TextFile IconSprite to a Filer window, and the replies will be exported in a format suitable to be uploaded onto an ArcBBS. The path to which you dragged the IconSprite is automatically saved and used from then on by clicking the 'OK' icon in the 'save as' dialogue. 2C. !TCPIP (KA9Q): ============= If you use !TCPIP (KA9Q), then simply select the icon marked '!TCPIPUser' and click the 'Export' icon. All e-mail /news waiting to be sent will be exported ready to be sent using the correct protocols. 3C. CIX: === If you use CIX, then simply select the icon marked 'CIX' and drag the directory in which you wish the mail/news to be created, and click 'Export'. The 'CIX' option creates two directories: 'Mail' and 'News' in the directory you specified in the field. In these directories any news or e-mail is created, ready to be uploaded to your scratchpad. 4C. TextFile: ======== This option saves out the messages batched into separate files, one for e-mail and one for news. VII. Browsing: ======== The last imported batch (if there is one) will be the one displayed in the browser window. In the ArcBBS browser window, the messages are ordered according to conference number, subject, and date. For Internet/ UseNet the messages are ordered according to subject and time. 1A. Subject List: ============ Clicking the 'Dark Grey Text' icon (to the right of the 'Green Pen' icon) opens the 'Subject List' window. This window lists the subject and it's author of each message in the currently selected batches. Clicking on a message in the 'Subject List' window causes that record to be displayed in the 'Browser' window for viewing. The highlighted record is the one currently displayed in the 'Browser' window. 1B. Auto-Read: ========= This feature automatically selects for browsing the first conference/newsgroup, within the currently selected group of batches, which contain messages. When you try to go past the last message in that message area, the next message area which contains messages is then selected. You can move backwards and forwards through the message areas via the '<<Prev' and 'Next>>' icons. This feature is useful for quickly finding which message areas have messages posted to them and listing all those messages for browsing. If the 'Subject List' window is close this feature is switched off. VIII. Signatures: ========== EasyMail can also store two predefined signatures. To open the 'Signature' window select 'Signatures' from the menu attached to the 'Utilities' icon. 1A. Editing Signatures: ================== Select which signature you wish to edit (standard or alternate) and then create the signature. The signature can also be created in a text editor and imported by dragging the file onto the window. Once created, click the 'Save' icon and your signature will be saved. 2A. Using A Signature: ================= A signature can be selected from the toolbar attached to the text- editing window. The 'standard' signature is selected when the 'Sig 1' icon is selected. The 'alternate' signature is selected when the 'Sig 2' icon is selected. When neither of these are selected no signature is in use. To append a signature click the 'Signature' icon on the text- editing toolbar. The selected signature will then be appended to the end of the current text. If you wish the selected signature to be quoted everytime the text-editing window is opened then this option should be set via the window used to add/edit a site user. (See section I.3A.5C.) IX. Tags: ==== EasyMail allows you to tag messages with tags you have defined yourself. If for instance you wanted to tag all messages to do with a certain aspect of the RISC PC, you could define a tag called 'RPC Info' and then tag the relevant messages to be retrieved at a later date. 1A. Defining A Tag: ============== Select 'Maintain...' from the menu attached to the 'Tag' icon. This opens the 'Tags' window. To add a tag, click the 'Add' icon, type in the label of the tag and click the 'Save' icon. 2A. Tagging A Message: ================= To tag a message, select the required tag from the menu attached to the 'Tag' icon and the current message will be tagged with this tag. If the message is tagged with the selected tag, then the message is untagged. To check the tagging of a message, click the 'Graph' icon. The far right field of this information bar will display the label of any tag applied to the current message. *NOTE* the '<Locked>' tag is supposed to 'lock' a message ensuring it cannot be deleted. However, at the present time this feature has not yet been implemented. 3A. Searching For Tagged Messages: ============================= To find all the messages tagged with a certain tag, select the required tag from the submenu attached to the 'Select tags' option of the menu attached to the 'Utilities' icon. When a tag is selected, a search is conducted of the database for that tag, and all the message are then grouped together for browsing. Note that a tag search only operates on messages to do with the current BBS or Internet area. X. Searching: ========= EasyMail can perform a fast search on the actual text of a message or on the subject of a message. The whole database is searched for 1A. The Search Window: ================= Click on the 'Magnifying Glass' icon to open the 'Search' window. 1B. Message Text Search: =================== This searches the main body of the message. Select the 'Msg Text' icon, and type into the associated field the text you wish to search the database for. 2B. Subject Search: ============== This searches the 'subject' field of each message. Select the 'Subject' icon, and type into the associated field the text you wish to search the database for. When the two fields are used together is a search the relationship between the two fields is 'OR' In other words, "find <msg_text> or <subject>" In future versions of EasyMail the search facilities will be enhanced. XI. Threads: ======= Often a message is posted in response to a message from someone else. The threads feature lets you look backward or forward through messages which are related to each other. 1A. The Threads Window: ================== To open the 'Threads' window click on the red/green/blue connected 'Boxes' icon. If there are any message which relate to this message contained in the currently selected batch(s) of messages, then these will be displayed in this window. 1B. Syntax: ====== * "Parent: <sender's name> <(subject)>" - this is the 'parent' message for the current message (i.e. the current message is a reply to the message denoted as 'Parent:'). * "Reply: <sender's name> <(subject)>" - indicates any further messages which are replies to the current message. (i.e. messages which have been posted in responce to the current message). 2B. Traversing Threads: ================== Clicking on one of the indicated related messages will load that message for browsing if it is contained in the database and also within the currently selected batches. XII. Questions & Answers, How Do I Do...? ==================================== 1A. Questions & Answers: =================== 1B. Can I run two copies of EasyMail? Yes, but only if they are separate copies. You cannot run the same copy twice. 2B. Is there any way to by-pass the 'Login' window? Yes, if you select a user as the 'Default User' via the menu attached to the 'Login' window, then when you start a session with EasyMail click with the ADJUST mouse button on the EasyMail icon rather. This by-passes the 'Login' window. 3B. EasyMail keeps producing 'Assertion Failure' errors, and then quits! What can I do? Not a lot. This means that the database has somehow become corrupt. Generally, the only way to solve this problem is to delete the 'data' directory inside EasyMail's resources directory and start again. In future versions of EasyMail if these kind of errors occur, EasyMail will try to fix the problem. However, the current version does not do this. *NOTE* If an assertion failure error occurs having just rebuild the database, please contact the author, and keep your database. 4B. EasyMail will not accept my lastest AcrBBS scratchpad, it just gives me the message "The areas recorded in this scratchpad do not match the current areas known for this BBS!?" One of two things may be the problem. Either you are trying to import the wrong scratchpad to the wrong BBS, or the conference areas recorded in the scratchpad are different from those defined for this BBS (ie you have joined or resigned from 1 or more conferences) Using a text editor, load the scratchpad and search for the string '::: Area'. Then check the areas defined in the scratch- pad with those of the BBS, add or delete conference areas until they match. *NOTE* the labels of conference areas must be *exactly* as is described in the scratchpad, or the scratchpad will not be loaded. 5B. EasyMail produced a 'Fatal Error'. What do I do? Fatal errors are produced in response to bugs in the programming of EasyMail, or S-Base. Please return to the author, the TextFile called 'ErrorLog' which is in EasyMail's resources directory. 6B. I want to send my e-mail to !TCPIPUser, but the appropriate icon on the 'Export' window is faded? This means that the 'Filer' has not 'seen' !TCPIPUser, and thus EasyMail will not be able to send your mail and/or news articles to it. Find !TCPIPUser, and open the directory containing it. 2A. How Do I Do...? =============== 1B. How do I delete unwanted messages? * Select (highlight) the batches which contain the unwanted messages. * From the menu attached to the 'Batch' window select delete. * From the menu attached to the 'Utilities' icon, select the 'Rebuild' option. *NOTE* The rebuild option deletes records on the database which are marked for deletion! This includes users, replies and batches, and then conpacts the database to its smallest size. It is generally a good idea to delete all batch up to the current batch (EasyMail will not allow you to delete the current batch). All messages tagged with the '<Locked>' tag will not be deleted, not will the batch which contains this record, although all other records in the batch will be deleted. 2B. How do I completely clear the database and start again? * Click the 'Tools' icon in the 'Browser' window and select the 'Zap database' option. This erases the whole database.