Copyright: © Virtual Technology Corporation 1997 (v1.0)


Help Contents
Contents

Reading and Writing Email

Mail Overview

Compose New Mail

Read Mail

Compose a Reply

Send Files by Mail

Check Your Spelling

Set Signatures

Quoting Text

Using the Address Book

Mark Message to be Removed

Mark Message as Unread

Sending and Collecting Email

Review your Messages before Sending

Send and Receive Mail

Internet Setup - Mail

Viewing your Messages

MessageBase Window

Reading Window

View Message Headers

View Proportional Font

View Attached Files

Managing Your Messages

Copy Messages to another Folder

Operate on a Message

Mail Sorting Rules

Find Text in a Message

Remove Messages

Reindex Messages

Options

Reference Information

Getting Help

Standard Windows Features


Mail Overview

Electronic mail (email) lets you quickly and easily exchange messages with other people.

Mail messages that you send and receive are placed in the Mail Group in the Mail Box Folder.

You can chose to sort your mail into different folders in the Mail Group using Mail Rules. See Mail Sorting Rules for more information.


Compose New Mail

Compose New Mail lets you write an email message that will be the first message in the thread.

Write a mail message

1.	Click on the [image] icon

2.	In the TO field, enter the email address of each person to receive the mail, separating each address with a semi-colon (;).

3.	To send copies, enter the email address in the CC field, separating each address with a semi-colon (;)

4.	In the SUBJECT field, enter the subject of the message

5.	Write the text of the message

6.	Press the OK button

♦ Tips

See Tips for Addressing Mail for shortcuts to enter email addresses. To send a file with your message, see Send Files by Mail.


See also:

Compose Reply

Using the Address Book

Check your Spelling

Set Signatures


Tips for Addressing Email

These are some tips for making it easier to address mail.

 Send mail to the person who wrote the message you are reading:

To send an email message to the person who wrote the mail message you are reading, press the ORIGINATOR button

 Quick List from Address Book:

To display of list of the top entries in the Address Book, press the Right Mouse Button in the TO field

 Use the Address Book:

Open the Address Book by pressing the TO button

 Save the email addresses of people you correspond with:

While reading an email message

1.	Click on the [image] icon to open the Address Book

2.	Press the NEW CONTACT button

3.	The email address of the sender of the mail message you are currently reading is entered in the Address Book


Read Mail

Unread messages have the icon [image] next to them in the Thread Pane. When you mark a message as read, the icon is removed.

Read a Message and Mark as Read

1.	Select the Mail folder to read by double clicking on the folder name in the MessageBase Window.

2.	The message text is displayed in the Reading Window

3.	After reading the message, press the [image] icon to mark the message as read and go to the next unread message.

To send a reply, see Compose a Reply.

♦ Notes

You can press the ENTER key to mark the message as read and go to the next unread message.

To go back to the last message you were reading, select the [image] icon or the Message menu and click on Previous Message,


Compose a Reply

Compose Reply lets you write an answer to a mail message. This maintains the thread and links the original mail message and the reply together in the Thread Pane.

Reply to an email message

1.	Read the message you want to reply to

2.	Click on the [image] icon

3.	The TO contains the email addresses of the original message.

4.	The SUBJECT field contains the subject of the original message with RE: in front of it to indicate a reply and maintain the thread.

5.	Write the text of the message

6.	Press the OK message

7.	The Reply Bubble Symbol is placed in the flags column in the Thread Pane to show you have written the reply but not yet sent it.

Reply to an email message sent to several people

The procedure to reply to a mail message sent to several people is the same as for a single addressees. When you start the reply, you are asked if you want to reply to everyone:

•	Press Yes to reply to everyone in the TO and CC fields

•	Press No to reply only to the writer of the message

♦ Note

When you reply to a message it is automatically marked as read.


See also:

Compose New Mail

Check your Spelling


Send Files by Mail

Files are sent by attaching them to a mail message. There will be two items in the Review Outbasket - one for the mail message and one to send the file.

Attach a file to send it by mail

1.	Click on the [image] icon

2.	In the TO field, enter the email address of each person to receive the mail, separating each address with a semi-colon (;).

3.	To send copies enter the email address in the CC field, separating each address with a semi-colon (;)

4.	Press the ATTACH button and select the file to send.

The subject field will be filled in with the text "BINMAIL" and the name and size of the file

5.	If necessary, select the encoding method (see below). The default is UUEncode.

6.	Write the message text to the user. This will be a separate message that is sent with the file.

7.	Press OK to send the mail message and file.

Encoding Binary Files

If you send a binary file on the Internet, the file must first be encoded. The most common methods of encoding are UUEncode and MIME.

The encoding method is selected in the File Attach dialog. The most common method is UUEncode, which is the default.


See also:

Compose New Mail

Message Editor Features

View Attached Files


Check Your Spelling

You have the option automatically or manually spell checking your messages before they are sent.

 Setup Automatic Spell Check

1.	Select the Tools menu and click on Options

2.	On the Editor tab, check Spellcheck on OK

3.	When you write a message and press the OK button to send it, the Spell Check will automatically run

 Spell Check a Specific Message

1.	While writing a message, select the Tools menu and click on Spell Check.

Spell Check is also available on the Right Mouse Button menu.


Set Signatures

A signature is text that is automatically added at the end of all your email messages, usually with your name and contact details, to save you having to type them in every time.

Set a signature

1.	Go to the MessageBase Window and select the folders(s) where you want the signature to apply

- for all Mail messages, highlight the word Internet

- for a specific mail folder, highlight the folder name

2.	Press the [image] icon.

3.	Type the information you want as your signature. Signatures are limited to 320 characters.

There are three variables you can use in your signature:

%VERSION%	The version of @ccess
%OS%	The operating system you are using
%DATETIME%	The date and time you wrote the message


Quoting Text

Quoting means to insert some or all of a message into the reply as a reference to the original text. Quoted lines start with the > character to separate them from the reply.

 Insert Quote when Start a Reply

1.	Highlight the text to be inserted in the mail message

2.	Select the [image] icon

3.	The highlighted text is inserted at the top of the message with the > quote character before each line.

 Insert Quote when Message Editor Open

1.	Go to the Reading Window and highlight the text to quote in the Message Pane

2.	Return to the Message Editor and press the Include button

3.	The highlighted text is inserted at the top of the message with the > quote character before each line.

 Insert Entire Message

1.	Press the Include button

2.	The entire message in the Message Pane is inserted into the message with the > quote characters before each line.


Using the Address Book

Email addresses are often difficult to remember. The Address Book allows you to store frequently used addresses for easy access when sending mail.

Open the Address Book:

1.	Click on the [image] icon

Select an item below for more information

 Add a Contact to the Address Book

 Add a Group to the Address Book

For information about the Address Book, click on an area in the graphic below:


Add a Contact to the Address Book

 This icon is placed before a contact name in the Address Book.

Add a new contact to the Address Book:

1.	Click on the [image] icon to open the Address Book

2.	Press the NEW CONTACT button at the bottom of the Address Book

3.	Type the information in the dialog for the new contact:

Contact

The name of the person. The last word in this field is used for sorting.

If the contact field is not unique in the Address Book, a number is automatically appended to it.

Email Address

The address to use for this person when sending mail.

Notes

A field for any comments you would like to add.

Pickup first recipient of current message

If you are reading a mail message addressed to several people, pressing this button will pick up the first name in the TO field.


See also:

Add a Group to the Address Book

Tips for Addressing Email


Add a Group to the Address Book

 This icon is placed before the group name in the Address Book.

Add a new group to the Address Book:

1.	Click on the [image] icon to open the Address Book

2.	Press the NEW GROUP button at the bottom of the Address Book

3.	Fill in the dialog as discussed below and press OK

Group Name

The name of the group. The currently highlighted name in the Address Book is added to the group automatically.

Members and Non-Members

The list on the left contains all the contacts in the Address Book.

The list on the right contains the contacts (members) of the current group.

Select from the non-members list and press the ADD button to add a contact to the group.

Select from the members list and press the REMOVE button to delete a contact from the group.

Notes Field

The notes field at the bottom is available for any comment you would like to add for this group. It is displayed in the Address Book Notes field.

♦ Tip

Use the Find box to search for a name in the non-members list


See also:

Add an Item to the Address Book

Tips for Addressing Email


The name of the window


Type the text here to search the Name field of the Address Book.

The cursor scrolls down to match each character as you type.


The name of the individual contact or group.

The name field must be unique within the Address Book.. If a duplicate entry is made, a number in parenthesis is added automatically.

 Indicates an Address Book group containing multiple contacts

 Indicates an Address Book contact for a single person.


For a single contact, the address to use when sending mail or messages.

For a group, a list of all addresses to send to when using the group.


A text field for any notes you want to make.


Create a new contact. See Add a New Contact.


Create a new group. See Add a New Group.


Edit the highlighted item


Remove the highlighted item


Fill in the TO field with the highlighted names.

If the Editor is not open, the Mail Editor is opened with the highlighted names in the TO field


Fill in the CC (carbon copy) field with the highlighted names.

If the Editor is not open, the Mail Editor is opened with the highlighted names in the CC field


Sort the Address Book.

If the sort button is depressed, new entries are sorted automatically.


Move the selected entries up.

You can select more than one entry to move as long as they are adjacent to each other.


Move the selected entries down.

You can select more than one entry to move as long as they are adjacent to each other.


Remove the highlighted text and place the text in the clipboard


Copy the highlighted text to the clipboard


Paste the contents of the clipboard into the current field


Call help for the Address Book


Close the Address Book.


Mark Message to be Removed

Messages are kept in your messagebase unless you mark them for deletion and then use the Tools | Remove Messages function.

 Mark a Message to be Deleted

1.	Press the [image] icon.

2.	The [image] flag is placed next to the message

 Remove the Messages

1.	Select the Tools menu and click on Remove Messages

For more information see Remove Messages


Mark Message as Unread

Mark Message as Unread allows you to reverse marking the message as read.

Mark Message as Unread

1.	Select the Message menu and click on Mark Message as Unread

2.	The [image] flag is displayed next to the message again.


Review your Messages before Sending

Before sending your messages, you can review them and make any changes or even delete them.

 Review your messages

1.	Select the [image] icon to open the Review Outbasket

 Edit a mail message in the Review Outbasket

1.	Select the message from the list in the Review Outbasket to edit and press the EDIT button

2.	Make any changes to the message

3.	Press the OK button

 Delete a mail message from the Review Outbasket

1.	Select the message to delete and press the DELETE button

 There is no way to recover the message once you have deleted it from the Review Outbasket.


Send and Receive Mail

When you connect to your Internet Service Provider, the program will send all mail that you have written and collect any mail waiting for you.

Send and Receive Mail

1.	Press the [image] icon

2.	If you are already connected to your Internet Provider, the connection will be made immediately.

3.	If you are not connected to your ISP, the Dial Up Networking dialog is presented so you can connect to your provider.

4.	Once the connection is made, your mail messages will be sent and any new mail will be collected.


See also:

Internet Setup - Mail


Internet Setup - Mail

The Internet Setup should be done by the Net Wizard when you install the program. If your Internet Service Provider makes any changes, you can use the Internet Setup to change the information.

Change the Internet Setup

1.	Press the [image] icon or select the File menu and click on Internet Setup

There are two tabs that contain that setup information:

 Mail Tab

The Mail Tab contains information provided by your Internet Service Provider to connect to their system to send and receive mail.

•	Incoming Mail Server - the name of the mail server at your ISP where you collect mail from. 	Some common names are:

mailgate@your_isp.domain	mail@your_isp.domain

mailhost@your_isp.domain

•	Username - the name you logon to your Internet Service Provider

•	Password - the password for your Internet account

•	Outgoing Mail Server - the name of the mail server at your ISP. This is often the same name as the incoming mail server.

 Names Tab

The Names Tab contains your name, email address and optionally your organization name. This information is placed in the FROM field of your messages.

Please ensure that the information is accurate or people will not be able to reply to your messages.


MessageBase Window

The MessageBase Window displays the groups and folders available in a tree-like structure. Click on the graphic below for more information.


The title of the window. This windows displays a tree structure of all mail folders.


The MessageBase Window displays all your folders in a tree like display.

The Mail Group contains all your mail folders. The Mail Box folder contains all messages sent and received.

The Information folder contains a report of each connection to your Internet Service Provider.


The numbers in read indicate the unread messages in each folder.


The tab indicates the folders are mail.


Opens the highlighted folder for reading


Allows you to delete an entire folder


Sets the signature for the highlighted group or folder


Runs the program to remove messages you have marked for deletion.


Runs the program to reindex the message base


Reading Window

The Reading Window displays header information in the Thread Pane and the text of the message in the Message Pane. Click on the graphic below for more information.

The following icons are displayed in the Flags Column in the Thread Pane:

	The message is unread
	There is an unread message in the thread
	The message is marked for deletion
	There is a message marked for deletion in the thread


The name of the window. The mail folder currently opened is displayed at the top left


The Thread Pane showing the messages in the folder. The [image] icon indicates an unread message.

The columns can be adjusted by dragging them.


The Information Bar is the divider between the two panes and displays some of the header information.


The Message Pane displays the text of your message


Starts a reply to the current message you are reading


Starts a new mail message


Copies the highlighted text to the clipboard


Prints the message you are reading


Saves the message to a text file


Copies the message you are reading to another mail folder


Looks for special text strings in the message to perform actions such as calling a web browser


Toggles the message pane between fixed and proportional font


Toggles the header between full display, common headers and no headers


Calls the dialog to change the appearance of the Reading window


View Message Headers

Message Headers allows you to display all, some or none of the header of a message in the Message Pane.

Toggle headers between display options

1.	Select the View menu and click on Message Headers

2.	Select the header display option:

Full - all of the header fields displayed

Short - only the header fields listed below

None - don't display any of the header

The Short Header fields are:.

	Filename:	File-size:	Fm:	From:
	To:	Cc:	Subject:	Subj:
	Newsgroups:	Date:	Content-Type:
	Followup-To:


View Proportional Font

Proportional Font quickly switches the Message Pane between displaying the messages in a proportional font and a fixed font.

Toggle between fixed and proportional font

1.	Select the View menu and click on Proportional Font

Fixed width fonts are useful for viewing a message, such as a table, where the text should be aligned.

You can choose the fonts used for proportional and fixed width in Tools | Options | Appearance.


See also:

Change the Appearance of the Windows


View Attached Files

When a file attachment has been decoded, the following text is displayed:

[Attachment decoded to FILE://pathname\file ]

Double clicking or use CTRL-O will display the file.

The FILE://URL is opened by using Window File Associations. The associations link specific file extensions to specific programs.

The file association are what allows clicking on a filename in the Explorer windows and executing a program or displaying the file. Many programs setup file associations as part of their installation.


Copy Messages to another Folder

With Copy to Folder you can move your messages to organize them.

Copy messages to another folder

1.	Select the Tools | Copy to Folder menu item to open the dialog box

2.	Select the folder to copy to from the drop down list.

3.	If you wish to create a new folder, type in the name using the format:

internet:mail/<new_folder_name>

4.	Select which messages you want to copy:

- Current message open in the Reading Window

- Current thread open in the Reading Window

- A range of message number

5.	Delete Original [Optional] - checking this will mark all copied messages for deletion the next time Prune is run

6.	Append Messages Only [Optional] - Do not retain the original message number. This will also lose the threading information. See caution below for more information.

7.	Fill in the fields and press OK

♦ Notes

1) For reference, the text [This message was copied from URL] is added at the bottom of the message.

When copying a message to a different folder, the message number is not changed. If the same number exists in the destination folder, the message is overwritten. If you are moving messages from several locations, you may want to select "Append Messages Only". This will not overwrite existing messages, but it will lose the threading information.


Operate on a Message

Operate On is the keyboard command that does the same thing as double clicking on an underlined URL in the message text. The Operate On a Message function scans a message for a predefined string of text (URL) and then presents a dialog with actions you can take on the message.

Currently this function supports:

String	Action
UUEncode begin/end string Mime (base64) messages	Decodes the message.
HTTP://url HTTPS://url	Calls in Web browser with the URL loaded
FTP://url	Calls in the Web browser and calls the FTP application specified in the web browser with the address loaded
GOPHER://url	Calls in the Web browser and calls the Gopher application specified in the web browser with the address loaded
TELNET://url	Calls in the Web browser and calls the Telnet application specified in the web browser with the address loaded
FILE://filename	Calls the file to the screen using Windows file associations
MAILTO://address	Starts the mail message to the user.
HELP://text	Calls the Help Index and scrolls to the text in the index
You can use this function in several ways:

•	while reading a message with a URL reference, pressing CTRL-O will start your web browser and let you go to that page

•	while reading a UUEncode message or Mime message, press CTRL-O to decode the message

♦ Tip

When reading the message, the cursor becomes a hand over any string that you can double click to execute the action.


Mail Sorting Rules

Mail rules allow you to sort mail into separate mail folders based on information in any header field.

Create a mail rule

1.	Select the Tools menu and click on Mail Sorting Rules

2.	Press the Add button to create a new mail rule. This brings up the dialog with the following fields.

Folder Name - where to place matches. This folder will be the MAIL group.

You can select an existing folder from the drop down list, or type a name to create a new folder.

Rule 1 through Rule 5 - the rules to be used for sorting. Select an item below for details on the rule syntax

Check for rules to match - whether it must match ALL rules or any rule to be sorted to the folder

3.	When you finish writing the mail rule and press OK, the mail folder is created with a message containing information about the rule.

Select an item below for more information

 Sort mail to or from one person into a separate folder

 Sort mail from several people into a separate folder

 Sort mail from a mailing list into a separate folder

 Sort mail with a specific subject into a separate folder

 Pattern matching in mail sorting rules


Sort Mail to or from a Person

To sort your mail correspondence with a specific person into a separate mail folder you create a rule based on their email address.

Add Dialog Details

Folder Name

Select an existing folder from the drop down list or type in the name of a new folder.

Rule 1

Enter the email address of the person with an * at the start and end:

*maryk@somewhere.com*

Check the "Message only needs to match one rule" at the bottom of the dialog box.

♦ Note

The most common error is forgetting to use the * wildcard to allow any text before or after the text you are looking for in the header field.


Sort Mail from Several People

To sort your mail correspondence with a several people into a separate mail folder you create a rule based on their email addresses.

Add Dialog Details

Folder Name

Select an existing folder from the drop down list or type in the name of a new folder.

Rule 1

Enter the email address of the first person with an * at the start and end:

*maryk@somewhere.com*

Rule 2

Enter the email address of the next person with an * at the start and end:

*brianjones@somewhere.com*

Repeat for rules 3, 4 and 5 as needed.

If you want to include more than 5 people, create an additional Mail Sorting Rule but use the same foldername.

Check the "Message only needs to match one rule" at the bottom of the dialog box.

♦ Note

The most common error is forgetting to use the * wildcard to allow any text before or after the text you are looking for in the header field.


Sort Mail from a Mailing List

To sort mail from a mailing list into a separate folder, you need to use a header field reference that is unique to the mailing list.

For example, the Windows Help Mailing List has "WINHLP-L" in several fields such as the Sender and Reply-To. You can use this to sort the mailing list.

Add Dialog Details

Folder Name

Select an existing folder from the drop down list or type in the name of a new folder.

Rule 1

Enter the identifying word with an * at the start and end:

*WINHLP-L*

Check the "Message only needs to match one rule" at the bottom of the dialog box.

♦ Note

The most common error is forgetting to use the * wildcard to allow any text before or after the text you are looking for in the header field.


Sort Mail with a Specific Subject

To sort mail on a specific subject, you need to specify to look only in the subject field and the text of the subject.

Add Dialog Details

Folder Name

Select an existing folder from the drop down list or type in the name of a new folder.

Rule 1

Enter the field name and text

Sub*Text*

This will look for a header line that looks like this:

Starts with Sub

Followed by any characters, so it covers subject: sub: or subj: fields

Then the specific subject text your are looking for

Followed by any extra characters

Check the "Message only needs to match one rule" at the bottom of the dialog box.

♦ Note

The most common error is forgetting to use the * wildcard to allow any text before or after the text you are looking for in the header field.


Pattern Matching in Mail Sorting Rules

The basic syntax for mail rules used in Rule 1 through Rule 5 is:

<string to match>

Mail rules start to match a string from the start of a header line. Mail rule strings are case insensitive - you do not need to write rules for upper and lower case.

You can have several sets of rules that use the same folder or several rules that route mail to the same folder.

You can use the following wildcards to create the mail rules:

?	Matches any single character. T?m matches Tim, Tom and tam.
*	Matches zero or more characters. Hol*d matches holed and hold.
[ ]	Matches any single character that appears within the square brackets. For example, [0123456789] will match any single digit from 0 to 9. You can also specify a range using a dash - for example, [0-9].
[^ ]	Matches any single character that does not appear within the square brackets. For example, [^abc] will match any single character except "a", "b" and "c".
\	Matches the following character literally. For example, \* will match a single asterisk and \\ will match a single backslash.
♦ Note

The most common error is forgetting to use the * wildcard to allow any text before or after the text you are looking for in the header field.


Find Text in a Message

Find searches for text in the current folder. There are several options to allow you to find messages quickly.

Find Text

1.	Read any message in the folder you want to search

2.	Press the [image] icon or select the Edit | Find menu item

3.	Fill in the dialog box..

4.	Find will underline all matches found in text.

Select an item below for more information

 Find What options

 Direction and Where to Search Options

 Find by Date

 Find more than one word (Boolean)

 Find a text pattern (Regular Expression)


Find What Options

Text string to look for. The last 20 search strings are stored in the drop down list.

Reserved Words and Characters

The following words and characters are used for looking for combined strings in the Find What box. If you want to use these words or characters as text to search for, enclose the entire search string in quotes.

AND OR + & |

The following characters are used for pattern matching in the Find What box. If you want to search for these characters, precede the character with a \ (backslash)

 ? * [ ]

If you use these characters in the Find What box and want to search for the actual character, you must precede the character with a \ (backslash).

For combined strings or pattern matching options, see Find more than One Word (Boolean) and Find a Text Pattern (Regular Expressions).


Direction and Where to Search Options

Up/Down

The direction to search when using Go to Message.

Search in Message Header

When checked, look in the header for the text string. If not checked, skips the header text.

Search in Message Body

When checked, looks in the message for the text string. If not checked, skips the message text.


Find by Date

By date lets you look only for messages within a certain time period. The date is the time the message was sent. This can be very help if you know you received a message in the last few days.

All dates

The default to search all messages regardless of their date.

Between dates

Search only for messages between the two dates. This is inclusive and includes the dates themselves.

During the previous days

Search only for messages in the period of days specified.

♦ Note

The format of the dates (day/month/year, month/day/year) depends on your Windows setting.


Find more than One Word (Boolean)

Boolean searches let you look for more than one text string in a message. There are two conditions that define the relationship between the text strings:

1.	AND - all text strings must be in the message

2.	OR - any text string must be in the message

Syntax:

•	If you use the words AND OR as part of the text string, the entire string must be enclosed in quotes

•	You can type the word AND or use the characters: + &

•	You can type the word OR or use the character: |

Examples:

tip and toggle looks for a message with BOTH words

tip & toggle is the same as using the word AND

tip or toggle looks for a message with either word in it

 ♦ Restrictions

You can not combine both AND and OR in one search and there is a maximum of eight text strings.


Find a Text Pattern (Regular Expressions)

Regular expressions allow you to search for a pattern instead of for a specific text string.

The following characters are used for pattern matching.

?	Matches any single character. T?m matches Tim, Tom and tam.
*	Matches zero or more characters. Hol*d matches holed and hold.
[ ]	Matches any single character that appears within the square brackets. For example, [0123456789] will match any single digit from 0 to 9. You can also specify a range using a dash - for example, [0-9].
[^ ]	Matches any single character that does not appear within the square brackets. For example, [^abc] will match any single character except "a", "b" and "c".
\	Matches the following character literally. For example, \* will match a single asterisk and \\ will match a single backslash.
♦ Note

If you want to look for a pattern matching character in a text string, place the \ before the character.


Remove Messages

When you remove messages, any message marked for delete is taken out of the message base and stored in the file PRUNED.OLD

Remove Messages Marked for Deletion

1.	Press the [image] icon

2.	A dialog box with the progress is displayed.


Reindex Messages

It is possible that the internal data structures that organize your messages will become corrupted. If you are unable to view certain message corrupted index files are mostly likely the cause.

Reindex the Messages

1.	Select the Tools menu and click on Reindex Messages

2.	A dialog box is displayed to show the progress.

The Reindex Messages command rebuilds all internal data structures from the messages themselves.


Options

Options allow you to customize the look of the program. For example, you can change the size and font of the text in the Reading Window. All the options for the program can be found by selecting the Tools menu and clicking on Options.

Select an item below for more information

 Change the appearance of the windows

 Set the width of the message text

 Set the spell checker options


Change the Appearance of the Windows

The Appearance tab controls the fonts, size and colors within Virtual Access. Click on the graphic below for more information about the options.

For additional notes on the Appearance Tab, see Appearance Options Details.


Appearance Options Details

The following are some additional notes on the Appearance tab.

Thread Involvement Color

The color of the thread changes in the following way:

•	If you are involved in a thread, the entire thread uses the "Messages you are involved in color".

Message Editor

This window only allow only fixed fonts

Quoted Text

Characters used to quote text vary for many users. The following characters are recognized as quotes:

•	Text starting with << until ended with >>

•	Lines starting with > or space >

•	Lines starting with ] } ) | :

You can turn off message view colors using CTRL-Q as the on/off toggle.

Printer

Font for the printer. The margins are set at one inch on all sides.


The Options available for the Appearance and Editor (includes Spell Checker.)


The icons on the left allow you to select which area to change the appearance. All options allow you to change the font and point size used in the specific window.

Selecting a window to change will change the display on the right to show a view of how the change will look.

The windows you can change are:

•	Reading Window - customize the Thread Pane and Message Pane

•	MessageBase - the MessageBase Window

•	Message Editor - the window use for writing messages

•	Address Book

•	Review Outbasket

•	Printer


This area lets you control the look of the Thread Pane.

The lines on the right show how the same text will look when the specific message is highlighted.

To change the options:

1.	Click on an option in the window and the Item box on the bottom left will display the name of the item.

2.	Select the font, point size and color for the option

3.	The window will be updated so you can see your change

For more information, see Options - Appearance Details.


The message shows how the text looks in the Message Pane.

To change the options:

1.	Click on an option in the window and the Item box on the bottom left will display the name of the item.

2.	Select the font, point size and color for the option

3.	The window will be updated so you can see your change

For more information, see Options - Appearance Details.


Allows you to change the font and point size of the text on the Information Bar


The name of the item that is active. You can select from the drop down list instead of clicking on a item in the window.


The font for the active item. Note that some windows only allow fixed font.

For more information, see Options - Appearance Details.


The background color used in the Thread and Message Area.


The point size for the active item.


The color for the active item. In the thread and message area, the foreground color is used for the text.


Apply bold to the selected font.


Apply italic to the selected font.


Set the Message Editor Options

There are two options for the message editor:

1.	Editor Width - the number of characters for the line length when writing messages. The default is 72.

2.	Tab Width - the number of spaces to insert when you use the Tab character. The default is 4


Set the Spell Check Options

The tab contains options for the Spell Check that include what words to ignore when spell checking and what it should report.

Ignore when Spell Checking

Checking these of these options, will ignore words that match the criteria. The options are:

•	Capitalized words - skips over words beginning with a capital. Useful if you have many proper nouns, but generally not used.

•	Words with numbers - skips over words used with number, such as Win95 or Q4

•	Words with mixed case - skips over words in mixed case such as MessageBase.

•	Headers means the Spell Checker ignores any line starting with:

	From:	Newsgroups:
	References:	In Reply-To:
	Reply-To:
•	Quotes Lines skips quoted lines skips blocks quotes with "<< text >>", quotes with ">> text << " and any line indented with > or > and a space.

Disable Auto-Correct will not use the Auto Correct dictionary when spell checking a message. See Spell Checker Dictionaries for more information.

Spell Checker Options

These options give you additional control over the Spell Checker:

•	Report mixed case words - stops at words that are in mixed case

•	Report doubled words - reports when the same word occurs twice in a row

•	Case-sensitive - match only words with specific case

•	Spell check on OK- this will automatically run the spell checker every time you press OK in the message editor.

♦ Tip

You can skip the spell check for individual messages by holding the SHIFT key and pressing the OK button.


Dictionaries for the Spell Checker

The Spell Checker works by using dictionaries for the correct spelling of a word. There are four dictionaries:

1.	The main language dictionary is US English. You can not modify this dictionary.

2.	The Ignore Dictionary which contains a list of words you add to the dictionary that are spelled correctly. Words are added to this dictionary when you select the ADD button in the Spell Checker.

3.	The Suggestion Dictionary where you can add new suggestions for specific words.

4.	The Auto Correct Dictionary which will replace common errors or be used to expand abbreviations.

Edit the Ignore Dictionary to Add or Delete a Word

1.	Press the Edit Ignore button.

2.	Press the ADD button on the dialog and enter the word. This is the same as pressing the ADD button while Spell Checking a message.

3.	You can review all the words in the dictionary and delete any you do not want in the dictionary.

Add to the Auto Correct Dictionary

1.	Press the Edit Auto-Correct button

2.	Press the ADD button. The entry in the Auto Correct Dictionary is in the form word:correctword. This can be use to fix common mistakes as well as expand abbreviations.

Add word to the Suggestion Dictionary

1.	Press the Edit Suggestions button

2.	Press the ADD button. The entry in the Suggestion dictionary are in the form word:suggestion. This can be used to build a list of synonyms for words you use frequently.


Getting Help

If you are unsure about a function, look in the help file for more information. You can use the right mouse button on all icons on the Toolbar to call in the help.

Support by Email

If you have a problem, you can email us for help at:

support@vamail.com

We can also be reached at:

Virtual Technology Corporation

3100 West Lake Street

Minneapolis 55416

Minnesota

USA

	Toll Free:	1  (888) 982-6245
	Telephone:	1  (612) 915-1122
	FAX:	1  (612) 915-1133


Standard Windows Features

The following standard windows features are available:

Action	Menu Item
Save a message to a text file	File | Save As
Close the current window	File | Close
Print the message you are reading	File | Print
Setup your printer	File | Printer Setup
Close the program	File | Exit
Arrange the windows so each window can be seen	Window | Tile
Arrange the windows so they overlap but show the title bar of each window	Window | Cascade
Arrange the minimized icons at the bottom of the main windows	Window | Arrange Icons
Close all windows	Window | Close All


Call the anews.hlp file Context ID 1822


Call the anews.hlp file Context ID 1205


Call the anews.hlp file Context ID 1134


Glossary of Terms

ASCII

Binmail

Delete in Thread Symbol

Delete Symbol

E-mail

Information Bar

ISP

Mailing list

Message Pane

MessageBase Window

MIME

Modem

Reading Window

Reply Bubble Symbol

Root Message Symbol

Root Missing Symbol

Signature

TCP/IP

Thread

Thread Pane

Unread Message in Thread Symbol

Unread Symbol

URL

Usenet

Usenet Moderator

UUEncode

Winsock


ASCII

American Standard Code for Information Interchange. The set of 255 characters recognized by most computers. These characters are plain text with no formatting information.


Binmail

Binary Mail is a name for files that are sent through mail.


Delete in Thread Symbol

 The small picture indicating the message there is a deleted messages in a collapsed thread that will be removed the next time Remove Messages is run.


Delete Symbol

 The small picture indicating the message will be deleted the next time Remove Messages is run.


E-mail

Electronic mail. The sending of messages from one person to another by computer.


Information Bar

The area separating the Thread Pane and the Message Pane in the Reading Window.


ISP

Internet Service Provider. The company that provides you with your connection to the Internet.


Mailing list

A discussion group which uses E-mail to communicate.


Message Pane

The area of the Reading Window that contains the message text.


MessageBase Window

The window that displays the folders . You can click on the folders to expand or contract what is displayed.

Double click on a folder name to display the messages in the Reading Window.


MIME

Multimedia Internet Mail Extensions is a standard that lets you attach files to mail messages to send to people. The file is converted into text and embedded in a mail message that is sent with your e-mail; the mail server at the other end will re-attach it to the mail message.


Modem

A device which allows digital computer data to be sent and received via analog phone lines.


Reading Window

The window used for displaying messages. It is displayed in two parts:

•	Message Pane - contains the message text

•	Thread Pane - contains the threading information, message number, author and text information.


Reply Bubble Symbol

 The small picture indicating the message has a reply that has not been uploaded.


Root Message Symbol

There are two symbols that indicate the root message (a message to which there are comments and replies):

 Indicates a root message and that the thread is collapsed so no replies are displayed.

 Indicates a root message and the thread is expanded showing any replies.


Root Missing Symbol

 The small picture indicating that the Root, or first message of a thread, is not in your local message base.


Signature

The last part of a message, usually the author's name, E-mail address, and a short comment or quote. Virtual Access can add signatures automatically to your messages.


TCP/IP

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol is the protocol used for sending information between computers connected to the Internet.


Thread

A thread is a collection of messages with the same subject.

A thread is creates by replies to the original message. The thread outline is graphically displayed in the Thread Pane.


Thread Pane

The area of the Reading Window that contains the threading information, message number, author and text information.


Unread Message in Thread Symbol

 The small picture indicating that there is a message in the thread that you have not read yet. Applies to collapsed threads only.


Unread Symbol

 The small picture indicating the message has not been read


URL

Uniform Resource Locator

A format for specifying the protocol, server (if required) and directory path to a file. URLs are used to on the Internet to specify web pages, FTP, etc.

In addition, Virtual Access uses URLs in the message text to specify the location of files to be decoded or viewed.

See Operate On for more information about the text strings (URLs) that Virtual Access will recognize and the actions it will take for each string.


Usenet

A collection of Internet discussion groups using the NNTP protocol to exchange news articles.


Usenet Moderator

A person who controls submissions to a discussion group.


UUEncode

A method of encrypting a binary file into ASCII for transmission across the Internet.

To send binary mail via the Internet, the file must be encoded by the sender and decode by the receiver. @ccess Mail will do both automatically.


Winsock

A Windows add-on that allows you to use the TCP/IP networking protocol. You need to have WINSOCK.DLL running before you can use any Internet software. Windows 95 and Windows NT come with their own Winsock, as do may Internet software packages.