ANSI Codes

ANSI Code Sequences

These are special sequences of characters which in the right circumstances can change the colour of text or move the cursor around the screen.  Also known as "Escape Sequences" because they start with an Escape code.


Editor

The Internal Editor

An editor is provided in which to create replies or enter new messages.  In addition to a text editing box, the message header is also displayed with the option to change certain fields.  These are To, Subject, Conference & Tagline.  An optional Toolbar is also provided from v2.0 onwards.

The To, Subject and Tagline fields have associated "Pick Lists".  New items may be added to a list by clicking on the adjacent Add button, or an existing item may be selected from the drop-down list.  The text in these fields may be edited in the usual way.  For Internet messages the addresses (To) and subjects are not limited to 25 characters as applies to ordinary BBS messages.  Long addresses and/or subjects are handled within POW by automatically producing extra header lines in the message text.  Internet software at the BBS recognises these header lines and uses these instead of the normal header fields.

The Conference may be changed by selecting from the drop-down list or by entering the Conference number in the box.

Check boxes may be used to make the message PRIVATE or Request Return Receipt, or the tagline may be made "Fido compliant".  Messages sent on the FIDO network or Internet should have "FidoTag" checked.  This avoids hi-ASCII chars which are not accepted on Fido or the Internet.

When finished the message may be saved to the REP pkt from the Menu, or Save button on the Toolbar.


Editor Menu

File	Insert Text, Carbon Copy (no exit), Save & Exit or Abort Edit (Exit Editor without saving).

Edit	This provides Windows Clipboard functions plus Undo and Select All, and access to the Signatures dialog box.

Search	Provides Find, Find Next and Replace text functions in msg.

Document	Provides facilities to Change Selected Text to all UpperCase or LowerCase, Format Selected Text and SpellCheck.

Options	Configure the main Edit Box Font and various Colors, and Tagline Options for the Registered version.  The Editor Toolbar may be disabled and extra space made available in the message text box.

Help	Shows the appropriate Help sections.


Editor File Menu

Insert Text	Allows inserting text from an external file at the cursor.  A File Open common dialog is called from which the user may select a file to insert.

Carbon Copy	Saves the message without leaving the Editor.  This allows the To name to be changed and the message saved again if the same or similar message is to be sent to more than one person.  For more than two recipients, the Carbon Copy feature may be used as often as required.  CC can also be used to post msgs in more than one conference.

Save & Exit	Saves the message and exits the Editor.  This (or the Save button) is the normal means of saving messages.

Abort Edit	Leaves the Editor without saving.  If a message has been edited and not saved (with Carbon Copy), a warning message is displayed, with the option to return to Editor.


Editor Document Menu

UpperCase	Change selected  text to all Upper Case (capitals).

LowerCase	Change selected  text to all Lower Case.

Format Selected Text	Removes hard carriage returns, multiple spaces etc. and allows text to reformat itself to the standard message width.

SpellCheck	Call the Spelling Checker to check the message for spelling (SpellCheck requires SpelMate.DLL and dictionaries in Windows or POW directories).


Editor Options Menu

Colors	Displays Colors dialog from which the required colour change may be made.  Colours and Fonts etc. are saved in POW.INI and used in later runs.

Fonts	Shows sub-menu items:-

Header 	Header data entry boxes (To, Subj, Conf, Tagline)

Msg Text  Calls the Message Font Dialog, to select the Editor text font.  For correct formatting a fixed pitch font should be used (default Terminal).  The width of the Edit Box is set so that word wrap occurs at the same places as when the message is packed into the REP.  If the size of font chosen is too large for this then the Edit Box it set to fill the Editor Window and a warning is displayed.

Taglines	 Tagline Options dialog (Registered version only).

Toolbar	 Switch Editor Toolbar on/off.


Edit Box

When the editor is first entered from the Reply button, either selected text or the complete original message is reformatted and quoting characters added to the start of each line.  The text cursor is placed below the quoted text.  If a new message is to be created (from the Write button) the Edit Box is empty, ready for the text of the new message.

In entering text all the usual Windows editing functions are available.  Text may be cut/copied/pasted to/from any other window including other Windows apps or another window in the Reader (eg. the original msg).  Most of this information is in the Windows manuals or in the on-line Help (see Windows Keys).

Terminal font is used by default, to provide compatibility with other message readers (uses the ASCII char set as opposed to the Windows ANSI set).  The Edit Font may be configured to any font available but only a fixed pitch font will word wrap correctly.  From v2.0 character translation is provided and many of the hi-ASCII chars are available in an ANSI font.

NOTE:- This editor (and message viewer) supports the Tab function.  (Use Ctrl+Tab to insert a Tab - the Tab key alone changes field).  Some other readers do not support the Tab character and other users may not receive your message correctly formatted.


Signatures

The Signatures Dialog

The signatures features provides the facility to have multiple "signature blocks".  These are blocks of text held in files which may be appended to the message.  These are normally used to "sign" a message with extra bits such as Internet address, where you live etc., but any text may be used.  (Even a whole msg if you like as an alternative to the Carbon Copy feature.)

The dialog box contains a Table of Signature Files listing the files available with descriptions, a Description box, an editing Text Box with option buttons to select the source of the text, and buttons for Help, Kill, Save, Paste & Close.

Text in a msg currently in the Edit Box in the Editor may be marked for use as a "signature block" and be copied into a text box in the Signatures Dialog, or new text may be entered directly.

Having copied or entered text into the Text Box and entered a Description, the text may be saved to disk using the Save button.  A text file is created in the Data Directory.

Blocks of text saved in this way (or created using another editor if you like) may be viewed in the Text Box and inserted at the end of the message in the Editor's Edit Box using the Paste button.  A signature block may also be entered by using keys Shift+F2 to Shift+F12 whilst in the Editor.  These keys are listed in the Table of Signature Files with the description.  Note, Shift+F1 is reserved for on-line help.

Buttons

Help	Calls this Help page.

Kill	Kill (Delete) selected Signature file and entry in table.

Save	Save Signature file and entry in table.

Paste	Paste Signature text into message.

Close	Close Signatures dialog and return to Editor.


Editor Toolbar

Abort	Leaves the Editor without saving.  If a message has been edited and not saved (with Carbon Copy), a warning message is displayed, with the option to return to Editor.

Save	Saves the message and exits the Editor.  This is the normal means of saving messages.

CC	Carbon Copy - Saves the message without leaving the Editor.  This allows the To name to be changed and the message saved again if the same or similar message is to be sent to more than one person.  For more than two recipients, the Carbon Copy feature may be used as often as required.  CC can also be used to post msgs in more than one conference.

Insert	Allows inserting text from an external file at the cursor.  A File Open common dialog is called from which the user may select a file to insert.

Undo	Undo last editing change.  Same as Alt-BkSpace on keyboard.

Cut	Cut selected text to Clipboard.

Copy	Copy selected text to Clipboard.

Paste	Paste text from Clipboard at text cursor.  Replaces selected text if any.

Del	Delete selected text.

All	Select All message text.

Format	Removes hard carriage returns, multiple spaces etc. within the selected text and allows text to reformat itself to the standard message width.

Find	Calls the Find dialog to search for text within the message.

Sigs	Calls the Signatures dialog box.

Spell	Calls the Spelling Checker to check the message for spelling (SpellCheck requires SpelMate.DLL and dictionaries in either the Windows or POW directory).

Help	Shows the appropriate Editor Help section.


Keyboard, Using

Using the Keyboard

Menu functions are accessed by Alt plus letter key in the usual way.  See Menu Keys.

When viewing messages, keys corresponding to the underlined characters on the Main Toolbar activate the appropriate functions, except for Exit, .REP and Fold which require the Alt key held down too.

PgUp/PgDn keys page up and down in message.

Space bar and Enter page down till the bottom of the msg then go to next msg (same as Next button).

P , < - keys go to Previous msg.  N . > + keys go to Next msg.

I and Insert keys show the message Index (Message List).

See also Windows Keys.


Windows Keys

The keyboard topics below come from Help for Windows.  Choose from the following list to review the keys used in Windows:

Cursor Movement Keys

Dialog Box Keys

Editing Keys

Help Keys

Menu Keys

System Keys

Text Selection Keys

Window Keys


Keys, Cursor

Cursor Movement Keys

Key(s)	Function

DIRECTION key	Moves the cursor left, right, up, or down in a field or text box.

End or Ctrl+Right Arrow	Moves to the end of a line or field.

Home or Ctrl+Left Arrow	Moves to the beginning of a line or field.

PageUp or PageDown	Moves up or down in msg, one screen at a time.


Keys, Dialog Box

Dialog Box Keys

Key(s)	Function

Tab	Moves from field to field (left to right and top to bottom).

Shift+Tab	Moves from field to field in reverse order.

Alt+letter	Moves to the option or group whose underlined letter matches the one you type.

DIRECTION key	Moves from option to option within a group of options.

ENTER	Executes a command button.

Or, chooses the selected item in a list box and executes the command.

ESC	Closes a dialog box without completing the command. (Same as Cancel)

Alt+Down Arrow	Opens a drop-down list box.

Alt+Up or Down Arrow	Selects item in a drop-down list box.

SPACEBAR	Cancels a selection in a list box.

Selects or clears a check box.

Ctrl+SLASH	Selects all the items in a list box.

Ctrl+BACKSLASH	Cancels all selections except the current selection.

Shift+ DIRECTION key	Extends selection in a text box.

Shift+ Home	Extends selection to first character in a text box.

Shift+ End	Extends selection to last character in a text box


Keys, Editing

Editing Keys

Key(s)	Function

Backspace	Deletes the character to the left of the cursor.

Or, deletes selected text.

Delete	Deletes the character to the right of the cursor.

Or, deletes selected text.

Ctrl+X	Cuts selected text to Clipboard.

Ctrl+C	Copies selected text to Clipboard.

Ctrl+V	Pastes text in Clipboard at cursor position or replaces selected text.


Keys, Help

Help Keys

Key(s)	Function

F1	Gets Help and displays the Help Contents for the application or displays the appropriate Help topic. If the Help window is already open, pressing F1 displays the "Using Windows Help" topics.


Keys, Menu

Menu Keys

Key(s)	Function

Alt	Selects the first menu on the menu bar.

Letter key	Chooses the menu, or menu item, whose underlined letter matches the one you type.

Alt+letter key	Pulls down the menu whose underlined letter matches the one you type.

Left or Right Arrow	Moves among menus.

Up or Down Arrow	Moves among menu items.

Enter	Chooses the selected menu item.


Keys, System

System Keys

The following keys can be used from any window, regardless of the application you are using.

Key(s)	Function

Ctrl+Esc	Switches to the Task List.

Alt+Esc	Switches to the next application window or minimized icon, including full-screen programs.

Alt+Tab	Switches to the next application window, restoring applications that are running as icons.

Alt+PrtSc	Copies the entire screen to Clipboard.

Ctrl+F4	Closes the active window.

F1	Gets Help and displays the relevant Help topic or Help Contents for the application. (See Help Keys)


Keys, Text Selection

Text Selection Keys

Key(s)	Function

Shift+Left or Right Arrow	Selects text one character at a time to the left or right.

Shift+Down or Up	Selects one line of text up or down.

Shift+End	Selects text to the end of the line.

Shift+Home	Selects text to the beginning of the line.

Shift+Page Down	Selects text down one window.

Or, cancels the selection if the next window is already selected.

Shift+Page Up	Selects text up one window.

Or, cancels the selection if the previous window is already selected.

Ctrl+Shift+Left or Right Arrow	Selects text to the next or previous word.

Ctrl+Shift+Up or Down Arrow	Selects text to the beginning (Up Arrow) or end (Down Arrow) of the paragraph.

Ctrl+Shift+End	Selects text to the end of the msg or text file.

Ctrl+Shift+Home	Selects text to the beginning of the msg or text file.


Keys, Window

Window Keys

Key(s)	Function

Alt+SPACEBAR	Opens the Control menu for an application window.

Alt+Hyphen	Opens the Control menu for a document window.

Alt+F4	Closes a window.

Alt+Esc	Switches to the next application window or minimized icon, including full-screen programs.

Alt+Tab	Switches to the next application window, restoring applications that are running as icons.

Alt+ENTER	Switches a non-Windows application between running in a window and running full screen.

DIRECTION key	Moves a window when you have chosen Move from the Control menu.

Or, changes the size of a window when you have chosen Size from the Control menu.


Contents
         POW   v2.0

    QWK mail reader for Windows

© 1993-96 Gina Davis & GD Custom Software.

                      Contents

Introduction

Configuration

Installing Spelling Checker

Folders Database

Keyboard

Main Window & Menus

Reading QWK Mail Packets

Writing Messages/Replies

Mail Door Commands - Conf Selection, File Requests

Registration & Contact Details

Benefits of registering POW

Error & Warning Messages

Appendix - Limits & Sizes


Contents Reg

Registration & Contact Details

Enter Registration Code

How to Register

Benefits of registering POW

Contact Author

Acknowledgements


Main Window & Menus

File Menu

Edit Menu

View Menu

Options Menu

Help Menu

Main Toolbar

Viewing Screen


Config Options

Configuration Options

Directories Dialog.

General Options Dialog

Sort Options

Tagline Options dialog  (Registered version only)

Color Change Dialog

Font Selection

Message Font Dialog

Printer Setup Dialog

Advanced Options


Reading QWK

Reading QWK Mail Packets

To read a QWK packet first call the QWK File Open Dialog either from Open QWK Packet in the File Menu or choose QWK on the Toolbar or press the Q key.  Select the QWK file to read and choose OK (or double-click on the QWK file).  POW will then run PKUNZIP to unpack the QWK file into the working directory.  When this process has finished, the Conference List is displayed.  To read the messages in a conference select the conference by clicking on it in the list and choose Read.  Alternatively a list of messages contained in the conference may by shown by choosing Index.

See also:-

QWK File Open Dialog

Conference List

Message Lists

Viewing Bulletins, News, NewFiles etc.

Main Toolbar

Capture & Edit Taglines

Directories Dialog


Writing Messages/Replies

Writing New Message

Replying to Messages

Saving Replies & New Messages

Viewing Replies & New Messages (REP Packet)

Internal Editor

Signatures Dialog

Attachments Dialog

File Request Dialog

Main Toolbar

Capture & Edit Taglines


Folders Database

The Folders Database

Messages you want to keep and refer to later may be collected together and saved in Folders with appropriate names.  Unlike saving to text files, this allows these messages to be read by POW and even replied to later if required.  Also the folder name may be up to 25 characters, not restricted to the 8+3 format of DOS files.

A special folder called REPLIES is provided for keeping copies of all messages and replies created in POW.  When a message/reply is saved from the editor a copy is automatically saved into the REPLIES Folder.  This provides a backup in case of loss of the REP packet and allows messages to be re-sent if required.  Also these msgs may be edited for use as a basis for new msgs.  Unwanted copies may be deleted later if no longer required.

To save a QWK message to a Folder choose Save on the Main Toolbar or press the S key.  The first time a message is saved you will be prompted to enter a folder name, choosing OK after entering the name will create a folder and save the message into it.  On subsequent saves the Folder List is shown where you select a folder or create a new folder if required.

To view messages previously saved into Folders choose Folders in the View Menu or Fold on the Main Toolbar (or press Alt+L).  This shows the Folder List

When messages saved in folders are no longer wanted they may be deleted by choosing Kill from the Main Toolbar when viewing the msg.  After a number of msgs have been deleted the database may be packed to close up the gaps.  Choose Maintain Database from the Options Menu.

Related Topics:-

Folder List

Folders Database Statistics & Maintenance

Multiple Folders Databases  (Registered version only)


Introduction

POW is a "One QWK at a time" OLR with the facility to save messages to a database divided into Folders.  Replies created with the program are also automatically saved into a special folder reserved for this purpose.

To read a QWK mail packet, a list of files is presented from which to choose, with the ability to alter the search pattern or directory.

Having chosen the QWK packet POW calls PKUNZIP to extract the data.  This data is then read and internal tables created which are used later to select conference etc.

If a corresponding REP packet is found in the specified replies directory(see later) it is checked for date/time with respect to that of the QWK pkt, and an option provided to delete it if it's earlier ie. the user may have already uploaded it.

If it exists the REP pkt is then unzipped and the replies made available in the reader for viewing or editing.  Replies are rezipped into a REP pkt using PKZIP when a new QWK pkt is chosen to view or on exit.  If you are making a lot of replies an option is provided (from the File Menu) to save them back to REP, for safety.

POW was written with Microsoft Visual Basic v3.0 Professional Edition and requires VBRUN300.DLL.


File Menu

Open QWK Packet	Displays QWK File Open Dialog box from which QWK pkt is selected

Attach File to REP	Displays the Attachment dialog where files may be attached to outgoing messages.

Save Replies	Save REP pkt back to HD (if pkt exists)

Kill (Delete) REP	Delete REP pkt and any replies held in POW (Other than in REPLIES Folder)

Detach File from msg	(Only shown if incoming msg has an attached file)  This copies an attached file into the Attachments Directory (see Directories Setup) and gives it the original name when attached.  A warning is given if the file already exists.

Save Msg to File	Saves Msg to a File (Appends to existing file).  Calls standard File SaveAs dialog

Print Msg	Prints msg using Font as set up in Printer Font from Options Menu

Exit Reader	Save all data and Exit


Edit Menu

Undo	Undo last edit (same as Alt+BackSpace) *

Cut	Cut marked text to Clipboard *

Copy	Copy marked text to Clipboard

Paste	Paste Clipboard text to msg *

Delete	Delete marked text *

Select All	Select (mark) all text in message.

Steal Tagline	Copies first line of marked text into a one line text editing box in Tagline Editor dialog.  (Tagline may be edited before adding it to the Taglines list.)

Enable Editing	Allow displayed message to be edited for ease of quoting.  eg. paragraphs may be split up to allow replying to each part separately.

* These items are available Only if Enable Editing set or Msg Text Editing Option enabled)


View Menu

Folders	Show list of Folders - select a folder to view

Conferences	Show list of conferences

RepPkt	List of replies in REP pkt.  See Viewing your Replies.

BBS Info	Show Information about the BBS.  Name, Location, Phone, Sysop, ID

Bulletins	Bulletin list.  Selected Bulletin is shown in Viewing Screen.

NewFiles	New Files list (shown in Viewing Screen).

News	BBS News (shown in Viewing Screen).

Welcome	Welcome (Hello) screen (shown in Viewing Screen).

Goodbye	Goodbye screen (shown in Viewing Screen).

Session	Text of the Mailrun Session (shown in Viewing Screen).

Message	View Message too long for normal display (Only shown for long messages)


Options Menu

Directories	Directory Setup for QWK, REP, Data and temp work etc.

General	General Options - Enable or Disable features such as warning beeps etc.

Sort Options	Sort Options - Set up Sort field etc. for QWK list, Message lists etc.

Taglines	Tagline Options (Registered version only).

Fonts	Select fonts for various parts of POW.  (See Font Selection)

Msg Header	Font used in the Header data fields.

Msg Text	Message Text font.  Calls Message Font Dialog.

Buttons	Font used on buttons.

Labels	Most labels in dialogs and labels in the msg header.

Lists	Lists for Color Config and Add/Drop Confs.

TextBoxes	Text entry boxes.

Tables	Tables such as Conferences, Folders and Index (with grid lines) excluding the QWK Open List.

QWK List	The QWK Open List.

Printer Setup	Printer Setup dialog - Set printing options including Font and Left Margin.

Colors	Color Change Dialog.  Various colors may be Set from a standard Windows color dialog.

Maintain Database	Displays Folders Database Statistics & Maintenance box from which the Folders database file may be packed, purging deleted messages.

Add/Drop Confs	Mail Door Control dialog shows a list of conferences from which the user may choose Add, Drop or Reset.  The Reset button has an associated Text box into which the message number may be put.  Use a negative number to select the last so-many messages to read.

Request File	File Request dialog - Request File attached to message or any file on the BBS.  (Only available if the Mail Door on the BBS supports Requests)


Font Selection

Fonts in the Options Menu shows a sub-menu from which the fonts for various parts of POW may be selected.  These call a Windows Common Dialog showing all fonts available, except for MsgText which calls a special Message Font Dialog for selecting the font for message display.  Fonts for the Editor are available from the Options Menu in the Editor.

General Fonts

Msg Header	Font used in the Header data fields.

Msg Text	Message Text font.  Calls Message Font Dialog.

Buttons	Font used on buttons.

Labels	Most labels in dialogs and labels in the msg header.

Lists	Lists for Color Config and Add/Drop Confs etc.

TextBoxes	Text entry boxes.

Tables	Tables such as Conferences, Folders and Index (with grid lines) excluding the QWK Open List.

QWK List	The QWK Open List.

Editor Fonts

Header	Font used in the Header data entry fields.  The font for the labels is the main Labels font.

Msg Text	Message Text font.  Calls Message Font Dialog.


Mail Door Commands

Mail Door Commands - Conf Selection, File Requests

Add, Drop, Reset Conferences

Request File

Note:- Not all BBS mail doors provide these facilities.  If the warning message "Missing DOOR.ID File" occurs, none of the commands above will be available.  Some mail doors provide Conference control but not File Requests.


RegDetails Dialog

Registration Details Dialog

This is used to enter your POW registration details and is accessed from the Shareware Registration Reminder Screen at startup or the About window, from the Enter Reg Code button.

When you register POW you quote the name which you would like displayed as your Registered Name and you will be given a Registration Code to enter into the POW Registration Details Dialog.

The Registration Details Dialog consists of two text boxes and two buttons.  Enter your Registered Name and Registration Code in the text boxes exactly as specified.  An error in either will result in rejection of your registration.

Choose OK to make POW check the details.  If your registered name or code have not been entered correctly an error message is displayed and you then have the choice of editing the name or code and trying again or choosing Cancel to exit the dialog.


Reg & Contact Details

Registration & Contact Details - Benefits of Registering

With effect from Jan 1, 1996 there is a change in registration procedure.  POW registrations will be handled directly by the author resulting in a reduced price and faster processing.

To register POW print out and complete the registration form REGISTER.TXT (this may be done from within POW from a Shareware Registration Reminder) and send together with a cheque or postal/money order made payable to Gina Davis for £19.95 or $29.95(US) to:-

Gina Davis BSc

GD Custom Software

Little Meadows

Upottery

Honiton

Devon

EX14 9QT

U.K.

Payment will also be accepted in the equivalent of the Sterling(£) price in Canadian or Australian Dollars or EU currencies.  Cash (bank notes) will be accepted in these currencies but at the senders own risk.  We cannot accept liability for items lost in the mail.

If you have any queries, problems or suggestions please contact the author Gina Davis at the address above or as follows:-

1.	Powerline Systems Ltd Online System, London, 0181 845 8228

2.	Internet:- gina.davis@ps.com  gina.davis@nildram.co.uk or gina.davis@almac.co.uk

3.	UKIT forum on CompuServe, address messages to Gina Davis [70374,1277]

4.	Mail on CompuServe ID 70374,1277

5.	The Net - POW Support Conference

6.	WEB - POW Conference

Benefits of registering POW include removal of the Registration Reminders and your Registered Name appears in the About window.  The tagline has "On trial" replaced by your registered serial number.  Also, registered users receive highest priority for requests for improvements.  Income from registrations enables continued support and development of POW.  Extra features are now available in the registered version - Tagline Options and Group Messages (auto Carbon Copy).

See ReadMe.Txt for last minute changes and further information.

Disclaimer

This is an updated Shareware version of POW.  Whilst every effort has been made to test and debug this version and earlier versions have been in general use for two years, no guarantee is given or implied that there are no further problems waiting to be found.  Please report any problems to the author (see above).  Any feedback is much appreciated.

POW v2.0 - QWK mail reader for Windows.

Copyright (c) 1993-96 Gina Davis & GD Custom Software.

All rights reserved.


Group Messages

Group Messages (Auto Carbon Copy) Registered Version Only

Messages may be sent to a list of recipients using a text file created with an editor such as Notepad or exported from a database as comma-delimited text with Conference and Name fields.  You may include messages in different conferences but not different BBSs.  If you wish to send messages to people on several BBSs then you will need a list for each BBS.  There must be a QWK pkt open for the appropriate BBS.

Create a list of names with one per line in comma-delimited text format with the conference number followed by the name.  The following are valid entries:-

"0","JOHN DOE"

0," ANDY PANDY"

23,"FREDA JONES"

"1234","JOE BLOGGS"

1122, peter.parker@company.com

2222,"FRED SMITH"

Quotes round text strings are optional except where there is a space (or a comma) in the string.  eg. the following is incorrect due to the space in the name:-

123,FRED SMITH

The conference number must be specified (with or without leading zeros).  Lines may be in any order - POW will work through the list in sequence.  If including Internet EMail addresses, be careful to specify the appropriate Internet conf for the BBS.  Names and Internet EMail addresses are limited to 25 characters in this version.  Messages to longer Internet addresses must be sent individually (eg. Carbon Copy).

Note:- The format has changed from the (non-standard) fixed format of earlier versions to the comma-delimited text format as available when exporting data from most databases.

Having created the list, save it to a name you can remember easily with the extension .POW.  eg. GROUPMSG.POW  in your POW Data directory.

To use the group message list, enter the file name preceded by "** "(two stars an a space) in the To box or To Pick List in the Editor.  eg. ** GROUPMSG   Then Save & Exit (or Carbon Copy) from the Editor File Menu just as if it were a normal msg to send to one person.


Reg Benefits

Benefits of registering POW

Benefits of registering POW include removal of the Registration Reminders and your Registered Name appears in the About window.  The tagline has "On trial" replaced by your registered serial number.  Also, registered users receive highest priority for requests for improvements and free updates.  Income from registrations enables continued support and development of POW.

Extra features are available in the registered version - Tagline Options , Group Messages (auto Carbon Copy) and now Multiple Folders Databases.

See ReadMe.Txt for last minute changes and further information.


Conference List

The Conference List

Called from View Menu or Main Toolbar.

This is a list of conferences which contain messages in the current QWK packet.  The fields comprise the Number, Name, number of messages and number of UnRead messages.  Personal messages also appear in a special PERSONAL section.

Buttons

Read	Read messages from first in conference (may be sorted by subject)

Index	List the messages (may be sorted by subject)

Close	Close conference list


Directories Dialog

The Directories Dialog.

This is used to change directory paths or the search pattern used to find QWK packet files.  The input fields are divided into two sections.  Changes to fields in the top section will have immediate effect but any changes made in the other will require a program restart.

QWK File Pattern	Search pattern for QWK files - eg. *.QW? or *.Q??

QWK Directory	Path to the directory containing your QWK pkts

Replies Directory	Path to the directory containing your REP pkts

Save Directory	Path to the directory for saving text files and messages.

Attachments	Directory to which attached files are written when detached from incoming  messages and is also the default directory from which files may be attached to messages.

_____________________________________________________________

Data Directory	Directory for the Folders Data and index files

Work Directory	Directory for temporary files.  All files in this dir will be deleted on exit or when reading a new QWK packet.  The directory itself is removed on exit.

Click on the Save button (or Alt-S on keyboard) to save these settings.

A file, POW.INI, is created in the Windows directory.  This contains these and other settings/options.  No changes are made to WIN.INI or any other Windows files.

Once created, you may move POW.INI to the program directory (where POW.EXE is) if you want.


Toggles Dialog

The General Options Dialog

Enable Beeps

Warning Beep	Turn warning sounds on/off

Personal msg To you	Beep if To field matches User Name

Message From you	Beep if From field matches User Name

Message Reading

Read ALL	Next shows next msg whether already read or not.

Unread Only	Next shows next Unread msg.  Msgs already read may be re-read by using the Index (or List button in Conf List) and selecting the msg.

Continue to Next Conf	"Next" continues to next Conference, "Prev" goes back to previous.  When disabled POW returns to the Conference List after reading last/first msg in Conference.

Continue to Next Folder	As for Conferences above but when reading Folders.

General

Run Zip/UnZip Iconised	UnZip QWK and Zip REP packets in the background by running PKZIP and PKUNZIP as an icon.

Show Progress Boxes	Turn Progress Boxes on/off.  Users with fast machines may prefer to disable these.

Allow Msg Text Editing	The Text of an original msg may be edited temporarily.  May be used to alter the format for Quoting in a reply.  eg. Splitting a paragraph.  This feature may also be enabled temporarily from the File Menu - Enable Editing.

Auto Save Attached Files	Automatically save all attached files to the Attachments Directory when unpacking the QWK pkt, giving them their original names in the process.  A warning message is displayed if a file with the same name already exists.

Auto ANSIART	Automatically invoke ANSI viewing of message if [ANSIART] or [ANSI START] is found in the msg.

Buttons

Help

Save	Save settings in POW.INI for use in subsequent runs.

OK	Change settings for this run only, (revert to Saved settings when POW is next run).

Cancel	Cancel any changes and return.

Show Advanced Options	Provides access to the Advanced Options


Sort Options

QWK File	Sets the order in which the QWK files are listed in the File Open dialog.  Sort on Name or Date/Time - Ascending or Descending.

Conf Msg List	Sort by Subject or Number(unsorted)

Folder Msg List	Sort by Subject or Number(unsorted)

Buttons:-

Save	Save settings in POW.INI for use in subsequent runs.

OK	Change settings for this run only, (revert to Saved settings when POW is next run).

Cancel	Cancel any changes and return.


Font

Message Font Dialog

Called from Fonts/MsgText from the Options Menu in either the Main Window or Editor. or the Font button in the View Screen.

This dialog contains a list of Fonts available on your system from which an alternative font may be chosen for the message display.  Bold and Size may be set too.  Sample text in the selected font shows the effect on characters and formatting before pressing the OK button to make the changes take effect. Cancel and Help buttons are also provided.

Font Properties provide info of Variable or Fixed Pitch, whether it's a TrueType (scaleable) font and the Character Set used.

The selected Font etc. is saved in the POW.INI file and will be used next time POW is run.

Notes:-

Variable Pitch fonts will not produce the same formatting as the original message, and in the Editor will not word wrap in the same places as in the outgoing message, which is reformatted to suit the QWK/REP spec.  A warning is given in this case.

If a font using the Windows ANSI character set is chosen, some characters will not convert from/to the ASCII set used in messages.

ANSIART will only display properly with a Fixed Pitch font with the ASCII character set.


Color Change Dlg

Color Change Dialog

This consists of a Color to Change List Box containing a list of colors which may be changed, and buttons Set and Cancel/Close.  Select a color to change from this box by clicking on the item or using the arrow keys.  Then use the Set button which calls a standard Windows color dialog where you can choose a color.  After setting up the colors as desired, the Close button will return to the appropriate Window and change the appropriate colors.


Help Menu

Help Contents	Display help at the Contents page

Keyboard	Use of Keyboard

Error & Warning Messages	List of Errors and Warnings

How to use Help	Instructions for using the Windows Help system

Read Documentation	Call Write to read the doc  Read Doc NOW

About	Program Info


Button Bar

Main Toolbar

Buttons provide the following functions:-

Exit	Exit POW.

QWK	Call the QWK File Open Dialog.

Conf	Show the Conference List

.REP	Shows msgs/replies in REP Pkt.  See Viewing your Replies

Fold	Shows the Folder List

Art	Calls the Viewing Screen to show msg in Text or Picture (ANSI Art).

Tag	Copies first line of marked text into a one line text editing box in Tagline Editor dialog.  The tagline may be edited before adding it to the Taglines list using the Add button.

Send	(REPLIES Folder Only)  Send reply/msg again.  Copies msg from Folder to REP.

Write	Enter a new message into the REP pkt.  Calls the Editor. (see also Reply below)  NOTE:- A QWK pkt for the BBS concerned must be open before a msg may be written.

Reply	Either marked text or all of the msg is converted to a quote and entered into the internal editor where a reply may be written.  Also displayed above the edit box is the reply header.  Certain fields of this may be edited or info selected from pick lists.

Edit	(Replaces Reply for "REP" or "REPLIES Folder")  Edit reply/msg.

Save	Save the message to a folder.  A list of folders is shown from which to choose, or a new folder may be created.

Kill	(Folders & REP only)  Kill (delete) the current message in the folder or REP pkt.   Msgs marked as deleted are not displayed nor count towards the number of msgs in the Folder.  Deleted msgs may be purged from the Folders data file using Pack Database from the Folders Statistics & Database Maintenance dialog from Options/Maintain Database menu.

Index	Displays a list of the messages in the current conference, folder or REP packet.  This also shows whether a message has been read, saved, or replied to and if private.

Prev	Go to previous message in conference/folder/REP if it exists.  Options  provide for going to the previous Conference or Folder if at the first msg, or returning to the list.

Next	Go to next message.  Options  provide for going to the next Conference or Folder if at the last msg, or returning to the list.

Press key shown Q etc. as alternative to mouse.  For Exit, .REP and Fold the Alt key must be held down too.


ViewScreen

Viewing Screen

Called from View Menu or Main Toolbar Art button.

This is a Window containing a box for viewing text or picture (ANSI colour etc.) plus Option Buttons to choose Text or Graphics and Colours, Fonts, File, Print, Next, Stop and Close Buttons.  It is called from the Bulletin List, View Menu to display various Info files in the QWK or from Art on the Main Toolbar to show ANSIART msgs.

If Text is selected any ANSI code sequences are stripped from the text and the remaining plain text displayed in a scrolling Text Box.

If Graphics is selected the ANSI code sequences are obeyed to give colour and cursor positioning and displayed in a Picture Box.  Scrolling is available by using the PgUp or PgDn key to page up/down by two lines less than the window and the up/down cursor keys to scroll up or down by two lines.  RIP graphics files are detected and a warning given.  This version of POW will only display ANSI graphics or TEXT.

Colors allows changing the Window and text colors.

Fonts  Change the font for either Text of Graphics display, as determined by the display option.  Calls the Message Font Dialog.

File provides the facility to save text to a file via a SaveAs dialog where an existing file may be selected for Appending or a new file name entered.

Print allows printing a text file using the Font etc. set up in the Printer Font in the Options Menu.

Next shows the next screenful or the next section of a big file/msg if at the end of the current section.  This function is also provided by the Spacebar.

Stop allows the user to stop the display of a Picture before completion.


Folder List

The Folder List

Called from View Menu or Main Toolbar.

This is a list of Folders which the user has created plus the special REPLIES folder which contains copies of replies created with POW.  This is used either to view messages already saved or to select a folder in which to save the currently displayed message.

Fields are:- Number, Name, number of messages saved in each folder.

Buttons:-

Read	Read messages from first in folder (may be sorted by subject)

Index	List the messages in the folder (may be sorted by subject)

Save	Available when saving message to a folder

Add	Add a new folder

Edit	Edit the name

Delete	Mark selected folder (if empty) as "Unused" and delete associated index file.

Close	Close the Folder List and return to Main Window


Message Lists

A list of the messages may be displayed for either conference, folder or REP pkt.

The fields are:- MsgNum, From, To, Subject, Flags.

In the case of the conference list the flag column shows whether the msg has been Read, Saved to folder, Replied to, is Private, or has a file Attached.


QWK File Open

The QWK File Open Dialog

Called from File Menu or Main Toolbar.

This Dialog is used to select a QWK mail packet for viewing (or deleting).

A table gives the following information:-

  Filename

  Size

  Date & Time

  % Read   (of messages)

  Number of Personal msgs

  Number of msgs Replied to

The directory and drive may be changed in the usual way and also the file search Pattern.  This uses the usual DOS wildcards.  To change settings "Permanently" use the Directories Dialog from the Options Menu

To read a QWK packet select the file and click on OK or double-click on the table entry.

Buttons:-

OK	Read selected QWK pkt or enact change of Pattern, Directory or Drive.

Update	Update file list (if you've altered things by switching out to File Manager etc.)

Hide	Hides selected file by renaming to BBSID.!01.  Where BBSID is the name the BBS uses for QWK & REP pkts.  Earlier renamed files are renumbered to make room - up to 99.  When 99 files have been renamed/renumbered the BBSID.!99 file is deleted and all others moved up.  (To change number of renamed pkts kept see Advanced Options)

Kill	Kill (Delete) selected QWK file.

Cancel	Return to Main Window.


Writing New Message

Writing a New Message

To create a new message, click on the Write button or press the W key to call the Editor.

Text may now be entered and edited using all the usual Windows editing functions.  See The Internal Editor for more information.

Note:-  A QWK for the appropriate BBS must be open before writing a msg.  See Reading QWK Mail Packets


Replying

Replying to Messages

You may create a Reply to a message showing in the main window.  Using the mouse or keyboard, mark the text you wish to quote, then click on the Reply button or press the R key.   The built-in Editor is then loaded and the selected text will be displayed in the Edit Box, reformatted if necessary and with leading Quote markers at the beginning of each line.  (See Advanced Options to change the Quote marker style.)   The text cursor is placed below the quoted text.

As an alternative, you may "quote" the whole original message into the editor and then delete parts not needed.  This occurs if no text is selected (marked).  The Reply button or R key will invoke the Editor as above.

To write a new message or reply without quoting from the original, click on the Write button or press the W key to call the Editor.

Text may now be entered and edited using all the usual Windows editing functions.  See The Internal Editor for more information.


Saving Replies

Having created your msg/reply in the Editor it is saved to a Replies file for adding to the REP pkt later and also copied to the REPLIES Folder, from where it may be recovered if required and re-sent (Send) or edited as the basis of another message.  This is achieved by clicking on the Save button in the Editor Toolbar or selecting Save & Exit from the Editor File Menu.

If you want to send the same or similar message to more than one person you may select Carbon Copy from the Editor File Menu, which saves the message as above but remains in the Editor.  The recipient's name (and any other particular) may then be changed and the message saved as above.  To send to several people use the Carbon Copy as required.  Carbon Copy may also be used to post msgs in more than one conference.

Replies created with the Editor are packed into a REP packet file when a different QWK packet is selected for viewing or when Exiting the program.  Also, a menu option is provided to let the user save replies to the REP pkt at any time (for peace of mind when making a lot of replies).  See also Viewing your Replies


Viewing Replies

Viewing your Replies

Replies and new outgoing messages either already in the REP pkt or waiting, may be viewed from either the View Menu or the REP Button on the Main Toolbar.  A list is displayed from which a msg/reply may be selected for viewing.  Once the message is displayed, it may be edited and saved back if desired.


Main Menu

The Main Menu

   File

   View

   Options

   Help


Mail Door

The Mail Door Control dialog

This shows the list of conferences available on the BBS (at the time the QWK packet was created) from which the user may choose Add, Drop or Reset.  The Reset button has an associated Text box into which a message number may be put.  This is the message number from which to start.  If you want to read the last N messages without knowing the current msg number then use a negative number.

  eg. -50 will select the latest 50 messages to read in the next QWK pkt.

Several mail doors are currently supported, and more are planned for future releases.

If you have the Session Text feature enabled and present in your QWK pkts, this may be checked to see which conferences you have currently enabled on the BBS.  Use Session from the View Menu to view it.

Some BBS mail door software allows the user to choose either the complete list of all conferences or just those selected to read.  This is particularly the case where there are several thousand conferences and can make a considerable difference to the QWK file size.  Where the short list is chosen, you can Add a conference by entering the conference number instead of choosing it from the list.

Note:- Not all mail doors provide this facility.  This is often indicated by POW showing a warning message "Missing Door ID File".  In this case the above commands are not available.


Folders Database Stats

The Folders Database Statistics & Maintenance Window

This displays Folders database information and provides buttons for showing the QWK File Info and accessing the Pack Database feature.

The following info about the Folders Database is displayed  :-

Number of Folders.

Total msgs in Folders (excluding deleted msgs).

Msgs in REPLIES Folder.

No. of Deleted msgs.

The disk space used is also shown:-

Size of Folders Data file

Bytes used by index (.FDX) files.  (And number of index files)

Estimated extra disk space required to Pack the database.

The QWK File Info shows the information that POW has accumulated about the QWK packets read.  This includes the BBS ID, Date/Time of file, No. of msgs in pkt, % msgs read, No. of Personal msgs, No. of msgs Replied to.  This data is stored in the BOOKMARK.POW file in the Data Directory.  (See Advanced Options for info on limiting the amount of data accumulated.)

Pack Database reads the Folders data file and removes all messages marked as deleted, closing up the gaps and building a new file.  At the same time, the Folders index (.FDX) files are rebuilt from info in the Folders Data file.


Acknowledgements

My thanks to Janet Barkaway for help with the original concept and for help and support in the subsequent development and testing of this program.

I am also grateful for ideas and suggestions from users of other offline readers and discussions in the ILink Shareware and other international conferences.

POW was written by Gina Davis of GD Custom Software using Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows v3.0 Professional & HelpEdit by James Herron of Aciran Software.


Appendix A

APPENDIX - Limits & Sizes

Number of QWK Files per Dir . . . .  200

Size of QWK Messages file . . . . . 4Mb

Conferences per QWK pkt . . . .	10,000

Highest Conference Number . . .	   9999

Messages per Conference . . . . 	  1,000

Messages per QWK pkt  . . . . .	10,000

Messages per REP pkt  . . . . . .	  1,000

Bulletins per QWK pkt . . . . . . .	  1,000

Size of Folders Database . . . . . . . 4Mb

Number of Folders . . . . . . . . . .	  1,000

Messages per Folder . . . . . . . .	  1,000


Navigation Keys

Main Window Keyboard Actions

Underlined letters on the Main Toolbar indicate keys to press as an alternative to clicking on the button with the mouse.  Only the letter key need be pressed except for Exit .REP and Fold which need the Alt key held down.

PgUp/PgDn keys page up and down in message.

Space bar and Enter page down till the bottom of the msg then goes to next msg (same as Next button).

P , < - keys go to Previous msg.  N . > + keys go to Next msg.

I and Insert keys show the message Index (Message List).


Tagline Editor

An edit text box and 2 buttons.

Clicking on Tag on the Main Toolbar (or pressing T) copies 1st line of selected text in msgs box to a one line edit box, where tagline may be edited.  Add to Taglines List or Cancel to abort, and return to Main Window.


Advanced Options

Advanced Options are available from the General Options dialog by clicking on the Show Advanced Options button.  This provides the following options:-

QWK Info Limit	Quote Pattern

QWK Info Prune	Default Quote

Hidden QWKs Kept	REP Compression

QWK Info Limit and QWK Info Prune determine how much information is retained about QWK pkts previously read by POW.  QWK Info Limit determines how many info records are kept before the older records are pruned.  Once this limit is reached, QWK Info Prune determines how many records are removed (pruned) from the beginning of the list when POW is next run.  It is recommended that QWK Info Prune be greater than the number of new QWK files read per session.

The difference Limit - Prune gives the minimum number of records kept and should be greater than the number of QWK pkts likely to be kept on your system, including those renamed using the Hide feature in QWK File Open.  If QWK Info records relating to existing QWK pkts are discarded then the info about number of msgs etc. will not be displayed in the QWK File Open file list and it will seem as if the QWK has not been read.  However, re-reading the QWK will recover the info from the Bookmark info saved in the QWK file.

The default values of 800 and 200 may be quite suitable but users of slower machines may  find that reading new QWK file names in the QWK directory takes longer and longer as the QWK Info History includes many hundred records and POW scans the list for matching entries.  In this case a reduction in the values may prove helpful.

It is recommended that QWK Info Limit is set to 800 or less to avoid the possibility of exceeding the limit of 1000 QWK Info records.

The QWK File Info list may be displayed from the Database Maintenance Dialog.

Hidden QWKs Kept determines the number of QWK pkts kept by Hide in the QWK Open Dialog.  By default, Hide will rename and number up to 99 pkts per BBS.  When a pkt has been renumbered to BBSID.!99 it is deleted next time.    The value of Hidden QWKs Kept may be between 1 and 99.

Quote Pattern (default FL>) determines the Quote string used in replies.  The (upper case) FL are converted to the initial letter of the First and Last name, other characters are copied directly into the Quote string.  The F and L may occur anywhere in the string.  A space may be included on the end of the string to separate it from the quoted text.

Default Quote determines the default Quote string used in replies to Internet msgs where POW is unable to determine the name of the originator of the msg.  Spaces may be included as above.

REP Compression provides options of None, Default, Max.  These modify the compression factor used by PKZIP in packing messages/replies into the REP packet.

None	No compression.  Required by some mail systems.

Default	Use PKZIP's default setting --  "Normal" compression unless modified by a PKZIP environment variable.

Max	Tells PKZIP to use it's maximum compression.


Tagline Options

Tagline Options Dialog  (Registered version only)

This dialog consists of:-

Options of Default, Preset, Hold(Sticky),  Sequential and Random tagline selection.

Tagline and Preset Tagline boxes with a button to Copy Tagline to Preset.

Various buttons for adding, editing and deleting taglines, plus Help, OK and Cancel (see below).

Options

Default	The tagline is set to the POW default when calling the Editor.

Preset	A Preset tagline, set up by the user, is used.  See Preset Tagline below.

Hold(Sticky)	The tagline used in a message/reply is saved and used next time the Editor is called.

Sequential	The next tagline in the tagline list is selected.  If at the last tagline, the first is used.

Random	A random tagline is selected from the list.

Tagline Edit Boxes

Preset Tagline	A text box in which to enter a tagline used if Preset option is chosen.  This may be entered by typing directly into the box (with normal editing functions available) or by copying a tagline from the Tagline box with the Copy Tagline to Preset button.

Tagline 	This is the main Tagline box.  It may be used to edit the current tagline (like the Tagline box in the Editor) or when adding, editing or deleting taglines in the Tagline List.  Enter text directly into the box (with normal editing functions available) or select from the drop-down list.

Buttons

Help	Calls this Help page.

New	Clear Tagline edit box for a New Tagline.

Add	Add contents of Tagline edit box to Tagline list.

Replace	Replace selected Tagline with contents of Tagline edit box.

Delete	Delete selected Tagline from list.

Undo	Undo edit.

OK	Save changes to main Tagline List and exit dialog.

Cancel	Abort changes to Tagline List and exit dialog.


Printer Setup Dialog

The Printer Setup Dialog

Printing Method and Font

DOS Printing	Print directly to a parallel port (selected from a drop-down list).

Current Printer Font	Print via Windows but without changing the current printer Font

User Selected Font	Use the Selected Font.  Enables the Select Font button.

Left Margin	Set the Left Margin to use for printing (in characters)

Buttons

Select Font	Change the User Selected Font.  Calls standard Font Dialog to select printer font.

OK	Confirm changes and return

Cancel	Cancel changes and return

Help	Display appropriate Help section


File Request dialog

The File Request dialog

This dialog box consists of Option Buttons for the type of request, a Name box for the name of requested file, OK and Cancel buttons.

Option Buttons

Attached to Current Message	Available if the current message has a file attached.

Other File	Request a file from the Download areas of the BBS

Name Box	Shown if  Other File selected.  Enter name of file to download in the QWK pkt.

OK displays a confirmation message box.  Cancel returns to the main window.

NOTES:-

1) File Requests require that you have Attachments enabled in the Mail Door of the BBS.

2) Not all mail doors support File Requests.


Attachments Dialog

The Attachments Dialog

The Attachments Dialog consists of a table showing a list of outgoing messages (Replies) with buttons for Attach, Remove and Close.

The table shows Conference, To name, Subject and Attached Filename (if any).

Buttons

Attach	Calls a FileOpen common dialog from which the file to attach may be selected.  The Attach Directory (see Directory Setup) is selected initially, but any directory on your system may be used.  The selected file is copied into the Work directory and attached to the selected message.

Remove	Detaches or removes the attached file.

Close	Close the dialog and return.


Multiple Folders Databases

Multiple Folders Databases  (Registered version only)

As a way of extending the Folders data capacity beyond the 4Mb limit, Multiple Folders Databases may be created in POW by assigning separate directories in which Folders database files are saved.  If the directory and/or Folders files do not already exist they are created by POW.  Note that this is only a temporary solution and you can run only one copy of POW at a time.

To provide a second or subsequent copy of POW with a separate Folders database create another POW icon in the Program Manager group by copying the existing one and adding an extra parameter in the Command Line field of the Properties (File Menu) as follows:-

...POW.EXE  /Fdatatwo

where the first part is the POW.EXE program name (with optional path) and the second (new) part is /F followed by the new Folders directory.  If only the directory name is given, this will be created as a sub-directory of the Data Directory assigned in the Directory Setup in POW.  Alternatively the full path may be given and then the new Folders dir may be anywhere on your system.  There must not be a space between the /F and the directory name/path.


Error Messages

Error & Warning Messages

Three categories of error or warning messages may occur.  Firstly, specific error or warning messages are given where POW detects a known cause of a problem or limitation.  Secondly, general error traps pick up other errors and provide the possibility of retrying or recovering from the error.  Lastly, totally unexpected errors can arise, over which POW has no control such as Windows system errors.  Generally a message is given stating the error with just an OK button.  No recovery is possible and POW terminates.  Wherever possible, POW saves data to disk or provides this option, thereby reducing data loss from these errors.

Many of the less obvious Errors and Warnings reported by POW are shown below in alphabetical order.  The header and first line of the message are given, followed by the explanation and possible cures.

General Error Messages

POW - Error Report

(Various)

These are general catch-all error messages (the second category above).  The error number and likely cause is given.  Where the reason is clear it is often possible to correct the problem and Retry.  Options to Cancel or Abort the current operation may also be provided.  If you are unable to solve the problem yourself please contact the author, Gina Davis.  See Contact Details.

Specific Errors and Warnings

POW - Checking Fonts

Font NOT FOUND - Continuing with Defaults

The specified font was not found on your system.  If the default font is unsatisfactory choose another from the Options/Fonts menu.

POW - Error calling PIF

Command line too long

The command line to be passed to PKZIP/PKUNZIP is too long for a DOS program.  This contains the paths to the PIF, and to other files (these are shown in the message box).  One or more of these paths should be shortened by reorganising your directory structure.

POW - File Request Error

Bad File Name

Too many characters in filename or extension.

POW - Long Message

Message Space Exceeded

The message is too long to fit in the display box.  The full message may be read from the View Menu.

POW - Message Font

Font NOT FOUND on your System

The specified font was not found on your system.  If the default font is unsatisfactory choose another from the Options/Fonts menu.

POW - Pack Folders Database

Error in Database

The Folders Database file FOLDERS.DAT has failed the integrity check.

Some saved messages may be readable but proceed with care.  HD backup is recommended before proceeding.  If you have a recent backup of the Folders database, it would be safer to restore that.

POW - Pack Folders Database

Nothing to do

There are no deleted messages in the Folders database.  Packing the database closes up gaps.

POW - Packing REP - Command line too long

The command line to be passed to PKZIP is too long for a DOS program.  This contains the paths to POWZIP.PIF, REP, and the Work dir.  One or more of these should be shortened by reorganising your directory structure.

POW - QWK BookMark

PKZIP problem - BookMarks NOT saved to QWK

Unable to shell to POWZIP.PIF to pack bookmark file into QWK.  May be due to length of paths to POWZIP.PIF, the QWK pkt being read, and/or Work dir.

POW - QWK File Problem

Messages File Too Big

The MESSAGES.DAT file contained in the QWK is more than 4Mb.  The current solution is to reduce the number of messages in your QWK packet by logging on more frequently or selecting fewer conferences to read.  There is a possibility of this limit being raised in a future release..

POW - QWK File Problem

Missing CONTROL.DAT File

No CONTROL.DAT file found in the QWK pkt, or insufficient disk space or memory to unpack the QWK file properly, or PKUNZIP.EXE not available.  Possibly a faulty or empty QWK.

POW - QWK File Problem

Missing DOOR.ID File

No DOOR.ID file found in the QWK pkt.  Some BBS Mail doors have the option whether to include this in the QWK pkt.  It should be turned on.  POW can read messages without the DOOR.ID file but cannot send mail door control messages such as Add, Drop, Reset Conf or Request file.

POW - QWK File Problem

No Messages found

No MESSAGES.DAT file found in the QWK pkt.  May be a faulty or empty QWK or simply no messages.

POW - QWK pkt Error

Error in CONTROL.DAT

Faulty QWK file.  Download a replacement QWK.  Message pointers on the BBS may be reset by uploading the .PTR file from the previous QWK to the configuration section of the mail door.

POW - Read QWK Packet

PKUNZIP problem - Cannot open QWK

Unable to open the QWK pkt.  The reason was probably shown in a preceding error message.

POW - Read REP Packet

PKUNZIP problem - Cannot open REP

Unable to open the existing REP pkt.  The reason was probably shown in a preceding error message.

POW - REP Packet

PKZIP problem - REP not created/updated

PKZIP was unable to create the new REP file for some reason.  eg. the drive or directory may be unavailable.  If there was a REP file previously, this will not have been updated.

POW - REP Packet

PKZIP problem - Replies/msgs NOT saved to REP

There was a problem calling POWZIP.PIF to create a new REP file with PKZIP.

The reason was probably shown in a preceding error message.

POW - Reply Quoting

Too much text for Quoting

Quoting too much text from a long message.  Select less of the original message to quote.

POW - Warning

BookMark Error

The number of messages in the QWK pkt has changed since previously read by POW.  The Read, Replied to or Saved status of messages cannot be relied on.

POW - Warning

Error in Folders Database

The Folders Database file FOLDERS.DAT has failed the integrity check.

Some saved messages may be readable but proceed with care.  HD backup is recommended before proceeding.  If you have a recent backup of the Folders database, it would be safer to restore that.

POW - Warning

Folders Database Full

There is no room in the Folders database to save the current message.  The Folders database is limited to 4Mb of data.  Registered users may go on and create a new Folders database whilst retaining access to the first using the Multiple Folders Databases feature, choosing which database to use when starting POW.

POW - Warning

Folders Database Nearly Full

The Folders database is limited to 4Mb of data (see above).  There is less than 128Kb left.

Registration Details

Wrong Name or Code - Please Try Again

The registration details entered in the Registered Name and Registration Code boxes do not check out.  Both these must be correct for POW to accept your registration.  Possible errors include a slightly different version of your name or typing errors such as letter "o" or "O" instead of figure 0 (zero).

Unresolved problems should be reported to the author, see Contact Details.


Spelling Checker Installation

Installing Spelling Checker

The Spelling Checker consists of the following files:-

SpelMate.DLL	SpelMate spelling checker library

MainUK.DIC

or MainUS.DIC	Main dictionary. (British or US spelling)

Private.DIC	Personal dictionary.  Created by SpelMate if not already present.

These files must be in the same directory, either Windows or POW.

SpelMate.DLL and a sample Private.DIC are supplied with POW.EXE etc. and may have been installed with the other POW files.  MainUK.DIC or MainUS.DIC may be obtained by downloading either POWDUK.ZIP or POWDUS.ZIP as appropriate.  Copy or move the MAINxx .DIC file to the same directory as SpelMate.DLL.