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Please be aware that these are BETA Documentation and they have NOT been completed at this time. You'll find that you can use the F1 key in the program at just about any place and an explanation of each function will be displayed to you. THE CAMSTER READER (C) Copyright 1991-1993 by Cam DeBuck Software This CAMSTER READER has been long in coming and I feel it is the best available offline mail reader out there. We acknowledge and appreciate the help and suggestions from many who have added to this project. And of course, our users who have been eagerly awaiting this along with us. Please try the reader but support the concept of shareware and if it something that will be of help or interest to you, please register with us. This will allow us to keep producing the quality programs you have come to expect from Cam DeBuck Software. DISCLAIMER This software is provided without any guarantee, either expressed or implied. All responsibilities for its use rest with the user of the software and not the author. Camster Reader software and documents are (C) Copyright 1991-1993 by Cam DeBuck Software. All rights reserved World Wide. LICENSE Camster Reader is not in the Public Domain. Camster Reader is not free. Non-registered users are granted a limited, 30-day license to determine whether or not the program meets their needs. Continued use of Camster Reader beyond the 30-day evaluation time period requires registration of the program. Use of non- registered copies of Camster Reader beyond the original evaluation period is strictly prohibited. No one may modify Camster Reader for any reason, in any way, including but not limited to decompiling-compiling, patching, disassembling, or reverse engineering the program. Camster Reader may be copied and distributed to others, subject to the above restrictions and the following: * Camster Reader must be copied in unmodified form, including the file containing this license information. * Complete Camster Reader documentation and Online Help must be included. * No copying fee of any type may be assessed other than basic charges for the cost of the copying medium. * Camster Reader may not be distributed with any other software or hardware product(s) without the express written permission of Cam DeBuck Software. Sysops (bulletin board SYStem OPerators) may make Camster Reader available for downloading by their users as long as all above conditions are met. Commercial Distributors of Public Domain, ShareWare, or User- Supported software may distribute Camster Reader subject to the above conditions only after obtaining specific written permission from Cam DeBuck Software and filling out a registration form for upgrade notifications. This condition supersedes any and all previous agreements. CAM DEBUCK SOFTWARE BBS NODE 1: # 801/489-8905 [HST DS 16.8K v.32/bis] BBS NODE 2: # 801/489-3558 [HST DS 16.8K v.32/bis] TECHNICAL VOICE HELP: 801/489-4878 (T-F: 9am-5pm MOUNTAIN) MAILING ADDRESS: CAM DEBUCK SOFTWARE PO BOX 19 SPRINGVILLE, UT 84663 REGISTRATION Camster Reader Offline Mail Reader v1.0 You can order the Camster Reader online, using a credit card, by calling the support BBS at either: 801/489-8905 or 801/489-3558 Otherwise, just fill our the following form and mail to us at the address below. All information must be PRINTED CLEARLY, EXACTLY the way you want it to show up. User Name:_____________________________________________ Home Phone:_____________________________________________ (For my Use Only) Work Phone:_____________________________________________ (For my Use Only) Enclosed: $28.00 Includes Shipping & Handling. Your disk will be sent to you. Registration is welcomed by: personal check, money order, or credit card. [ ] Visa, [ ] MasterCard, [ ] Diners Club, [ ] Carte Blanche, [ ] JCB Card Number: Expiration Date: Card Holder's Signature REQUIRED: Shipping Address: ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ All orders should be payable, in US funds only, to: Cam DeBuck Software PO Box 19 Springville, Utah 84663 U.S.A CAMSTER MAIN MENU OPTIONS Select QWK Packet Once you have used the Configuration Option, You will want to select this option to show you which QWK Packets are available. You will then be shown some information about each QWK packet. Some of the information shown is whether you have person mail, the date/time on the QWK packet, and whether or not it has a REP packet. Auto QWK Caller This will run unattended Mail Packet transfers for you. There's no need to load up your communications program. Just Select the BBS you want to call and watch it do all of the work for you. You can also define your BBS's that you want Camster to call and get your mail for you. Make your life easier. Tag Line Modifications This is where you can edit your different tag line files. You can also use an external program to modify your taglines as well. If you're wondering what is a Tag Line, it's usually a little comment at the bottom of every message. Qwk Configuration Options This is where you can enable/disable the mouse, define Archivers, and other various options. Communication Setup This is where you define what comport you will be using to do automated mail runs. You are also asked several other questions as well to ensure that everything will be running smoothly. Configure Colors This where you choose your Color Setup if you don't like the default colors. Exit Camster Reader Use this to Quit the Camster Reader and return back to DOS. QWK PACKET MAIN MENU OPTIONS Mail You are now ready to read messages in the conferences that you have mail in. These could be PERSONAL messages, or they can be messages to other users on the BBS or a Network. You will be shown a list of conferences and if there are any messages in a conference, a number will appear indicating how messages are in the conference. News If your sysop has some recent news, you will find it in here. Various information can be in here, so you'll find it's very important to read the news each time you download a QWK packet. Bulletins Some Sysops will allow you to include Bulletins in your QWK packet. Bulletins normally contain various information. This could include the top ten for a door, statistics on how busy the BBS, or even the last ten people who called the BBS. These are usually for enjoyment or information for users. Files Some Sysops will allow you to get a listing of the latest files on the BBS. This can be useful if you want to keep up to date on files and be able to download them at a later time. Services Some mail doors will provide Services. Services can be anything from the latest news, weather, magazines or other services that your sysop may provide. Stats Some Mail Doors will include the latest information about your account on the BBS. Use this to see what your Stats look like. If you're using the Cam-Mail Door, then you will have this information available to you each time you download a QWK packet. Quit Packet This allows you to end this QWK packet session and return back to the list of other QWK packet(s). You can then select another QWK packet if you want and see what's in store for your next adventure in reading offline. CAMSTER CONFERENCE OPTIONS Welcome to the Conference Selection Area. You will find that using the Conference Selection Menu is very easy to use. Both with and without a mouse installed. We've tried to make moving around as easy as possible. I'm sure you'll find it very effective once you understand how everything works. Select Conference (Movement) Moving around is very easy. Use the Arrow Keys to move one space at a time. Use the PageDown and PageUp keys to move one page at a time. If you want to move to the next conference that contains messages, simply use the TAB key. To move back to the previous conference that has mail, use the SHIFT+TAB key. Select Conference (QuickFind) A nice feature of the Camster Reader is its QuickFind key. All you do is type the name of the conference, and you can watch the bar move right along until it locates your conference. This comes in very handy if you want to go directly to a conference. I find it useful for the Ansi-Art conference. It's a lot of fun looking at the artwork that people can do with ANSI. Each key that you enter, the bar may or may not move. If you try to enter in the wrong name, the cursor won't move in the QuickFind box. Select Conference You will notice on the top that we have the following status line: Num Conference Name Msgs Personal (repeats) Now let's explain what each area means: Num - This is the Conference Number that is defined on the BBS that you downloaded your QWK packet from. Conference Name - This is the name of the Conference. If you happen to know a conference name and want to locate it, this can come in very handy. Simply type of the name of the conference and you'll see how the QuickFind function works. Msgs - There are actually two ways in which the number of messages are displayed. The first way tells you how many messages there are in this conference. It will look like this: (100) The second way tells you how many PERSONAL messages there are AND the total amount of messages are in the conference. It will look like this: (3/100) The above example would indicate that there are three personal messages for you, and there are a total of 100 messages. Personal - If you have any personal messages, you will see: "√" This is mainly just for show, but it helps to find personal mail a little easier. QWK CONFIGURATION OPTIONS File Directories This is where you define where your directories for your QWK/REP packets are located and the location of your TEMPORARY Work directory. Archivers These are the options that you wish to use on the different archivers. In most cases, the defaults will work just fine. Function Keys When using the internal editor you can define SHIFT+function keys to do certain things. Messages/Editors 1 This is where you define your Packet/Message Options, your external Editor, your external Spell Checker, and whether or not TagLines are enabled. Messages/Editors 2 This is more options for the internal editor and messaging. Screen/Mouse Options This is where you define whether or not to use the MOUSE if it is installed. You can also define if you have a left handed mouse. You also define whether or not you want a Scale Bar displayed on the screen when reading messages/bulletins/files. Exit Options Use this to return back to the Camster Main Menu. CAMSTER DIRECTORIES QWK File Directory This is where you put your latest QWK packets for reading. REP File Directory This is where you define where your path to your REP packets and where your Replies are stored (or REP packets). WORK File Directory This is your Temporary WORK Directory. Please note that *EVERYTHING* in your Temporary Work directory is deleted each time you read a QWK packet. We HIGHLY suggest that you use a RAMDISK. The size of your RAMDISK will vary depending on the size of your QWK packets. We suggest a minimum of 2 megs for a RAMDISK. Using a RAMDISK will speed things up (especially for sorting routines). ATTACHMENT Directory This is where files are stored where a message contains a file attachment (assuming it exists). You will be prompted if you want to copy the file attachment so you know that one exists. Download Directory This is where files are stored when downloading a file via terminal mode. In order to get into terminal mode, you must use the Stay On-Line feature when dialing a BBS. Upload Directory This is where the default location of files you want to upload via terminal mode. In order to get into terminal mode, you must use the Stay On-Line feature when dialing a BBS. VARIOUS ARCHIVERS Archivers These are the options that you wish to use on the different archivers. In most cases, the defaults will work just fine. Two macros are supported: %1 - The PATH/FILENAME of a QWK/REP packet %2 - The path of the Temporary WORK directory SHIFT FUNCTION KEYS Function Keys When using the internal editor you can define SHIFT+function keys to do certain things. Two macros are supported: %drive/path/filename - The % must be the first character. You then give the complete path/filename to be read in. This could be handy if you have a generic message you want to send each month. ^x - This means that you want to send a CONTROL+x character. Replace x with the appropriate letter in UPPER CASE. MESSAGE/EDITOR OPTIONS Play ANSI Music Play Ansi Music - Answer Yes or No if you want ANSI music to play if a message contains music. Music is only played if you use the A (animate) key when viewing messages. Ansi Delay The delay time that should be used during animation sequences. Using 0 indicates No Delay. You can specify a delay of up to nine hundredths of a second. During the animation sequence, you can use the "+" or "-" keys to speed up or slow down a sequence or ESC to abort. Beep On Personal When reading messages, you can have Camster make a BEEP sound when a message is addressed to you. It can come in handy if you want to speed read some conferences. Message Sorting There are four options to sorting messages for each conference: To : Sorts Messages according to the TO field From : Sorts Messages according to the FROM field Number : Sorts Messages according to the Message Number Subject : Sorts Messages according to the SUBJECT field Simply choose your preference. The default is Number. Changing the Sort Options only affects the CURRENT conference you're in. If you want to change the default, you'll need to go into the Options Menu (Messages). Packet Sorting There are four options for sorting QWK packets: FileName (Oldest) : Sort filename in descending order FileName (Newest) : Sort filename in ascending order FileDate (Oldest) : Sort filedate in descending order FileDate (Newest) : Sort filedate in ascending order Simply choose your preference (The easiest way is by the newest filedate) Display Conferences This option allows you to specify which conferences are displayed on the screen. You have two options. Yes - Only conferences that have messages will be displayed on the screen. By using this option the program may run faster during the Sorting Routines since only a few conferences will be displayed. No - All conferences will be displayed on the screen. This can slow down the program depending on how many conferences are defined by your Sysop. Spell Checker This works with both the internal and external editors. Camster currently does not include an internal spell checker, although we will be supplying an external spell checker in the next release. If you answer Yes or Ask, you will need to define your external spell checker and options. By using the ASK option, you will be asked each time you enter/reply to a message whether or not to use the spellchecker (comes in handy if you do ANSI messages). This is where you define your external spell checker. You can specify a BATCH file or the actual EXE file. One macro is supported: %1 - This is the name of the file to spellcheck. You MUST use the %1 macro to pass the filename to check. If you are using a spellchecker in the External Editor part, be sure to disable the External SpellChecker Option. External Editor You have three options. The internal editor supports only 200 lines max. There are some benefits by using the internal editor, but some people prefer to use an external editor. If you're doing simple messaging, we suggest you answer No. Otherwise, answer either Yes or Ask. If you use a TagLine Manager, you should enable this option and then define a BATCH file in the External Editor Option. Editor This is where you define your external editor. You can specify a BATCH file or the actual EXE file. Two macros are supported: %1 - The REPLY filename %2 - The ORIGINAL filename You MUST use the %1 macro. If you would like to quote parts of a message you should use the %2 parameter. When returning back from your external editor, Camster will use the %1 (REPLY) file to save your message. If you use an external TagLine Manager, you should define a BATCH file to call your external editor and then your TagLine Manager (and if you want, your spellchecker). Spell Checker This is where you define your external Spell Checker. We currently suggest using something like ShareSpell. We are planning on adding an internal spell checker in the near future. Enable TagLines If you are using the internal editor and want to use TagLines,then set this option to Yes. Please note that EACH CONFERENCE can have it's own TAGLINE filename and can support any amount of taglines in each file. Quote Message If you are using an external editor, you can specify whether or not you want Camster to QUOTE a message you are replying to. The outcome of the quoted file is stored in the QUOTED filename (described below). Quoting Style This is the quoting sytle that you prefer to use. The most common type is "->" (mostly seen on PCBoard base BBS's). A lot of people using offline readers normally tend to use the initials of the person they are quoting. So if you were replying to a message from CAM DEBUCK, the outcome would look like this: CD> In order to confire it to look like this, simply use the %N% and it will quote using the name of the person you are replying to. Reply Filename This is the name of the REPLY filename that will be used when saving a message. It's also one of hte files that your TEXT editor will use to save your new message or a message to a reply. Quoted Filename When replying to a message, this is the name of the file of the original message. If you want the quoted message to be included in the REPLY message, make this filename the same name as the REPLY filename (experiment to see what we mean). Signature File If you have a file that contains your signature tha tyou leave in every message, you will find that if you define a signature file, you won't ever have to type your signature ever again. When you're entering a lot of message, this can come in very handy. this works with both the internal and external editors. If you're using an external editor that already has this feature, be sure to disable it. Scrollback Buffer By disabling the internal scrollback buffer, you free up to 46K of memory. If you're using an external editor, then the scrollback buffer waste memory and isn't needed (since you'll never use it). You'll find the scrollback buffer very easy to use both with and without a mouse. Header Spacer When reading messages, you have the option of freeing up a BLANK line that is just there for looks. If you want to see more of a message on the screen, then you should disable the header spacer for your reading pleasure. Header Spacer Character This is the character that should be used for the Header Spacer. We personally prefer a SPACE since it looks nice. Some people prefer a LINE. It's completely up to you. Simply define the character that you want to use. If you want a LINE, press ALT-(196) (Where you press 1 and then 9 and then 6 on your Numlock Key pad with Num Locks turned OFF). This will give you the character "─". Right Margin This is the pointer where the internal editor should WRAP around at each line (basically, the line length that you want to use for entering messages). Tag Length This is the tab length that should be used while in the internal editor. MISCELLANEOUS OPTIONS Printer Port This is where you define which LPT port to use. You have 4 options: 0 - Disable 1 - LPT1 2 - LPT2 3 - LPT3 Prefix String If you need to send some printer codes before anything is sent to the printer, you can define your printer codes. One macro is supported: ^x - This will send a CTRL+x (where x is replaced by the appropriate letter. You can have as many ^x as you like. Postfix String If you need to send some printer codes after anything is sent to the printer, you can define your printer codes. One macro is supported: ^x - This will send a CTRL+x (where x is replaced by the appropriate letter. You can have as many ^x as you like. Scale Bar (Screen) If you want a Scale Bar to be displayed on the left side of the screen, then set this option to Yes. This will let you know how much of a message/bulletin/file you have read or how much is left to read. Enable Mouse If you have a mouse installed, you can tell Camster whether or not you want to use your mouse. If you prefer using a mouse, then set this option to Yes. When using the mouse, the index finger of the mouse is used to select the appropriate field. The middle finger (the right side of the mouse button) is used as an ESC key in most cases. The mouse works in about 90% of the reader. Simply point and click! Left Handed Mouse If you use a left handed mouse, set this to Yes so the program works how you're used to. Otherwise, the buttons will be reversed. INTERNAL EDITOR Cursor Commands Cursor Movement Keyboard Move Left a Character Left Arrow Move Right a Character Right Arrow Move Left to Previous Word Ctrl-Left Arrow Move Right to Next Word Ctrl-Right Arrow Move To Next Tab Stop Tab Key Move To Start of Line Home Key Move To End of Line End Key Move Up a Line Up Arrow Move Down a Line Down Arrow Move Up a Page PgUp Key Move Down a Page PgDn Key Edit Commands Edit Function Keyboard Delete Line Ctrl-Y Delete to End of Line Ctrl-End Delete Char Del Key Delete Char to the Left Backspace Delete Word to the Right Ctrl-T Insert a Line Ctrl-N Join a Line Ctrl-J Reformat Paragraph Ctrl-B Miscellaneous Miscellaneous Functions Keyboard Toggle Insert Mode Ins Key List and Quote Message Ctrl-Q Internal Buffer Quote SCROLL LOCK Key Shell to DOS F5 General Configuration Menu ALT-N Exit Editor ESC MESSAGE VIEWING Options Use the Up/Dn arrow keys to scroll through messages. Use the <enter> key to go to the next message. Use the ESC key to return to the Conference Screen. Other commands are: A ═ Animate message (Use +/- keys to speed up or slow down an animated sequence) E ═ Enter message in the current conference F ═ Find text within conference messages L,Ins ═ List or view messages J ═ Join conference (same as ESC key) N,+ ═ View next message G,P,- ═ View previous message (go back) O ═ Sort (order) messages in this conference Q ═ Quit reading messages in this conference R ═ Reply to current message S ═ Save current message to disk ALT-P ═ Print current message ATL-T ═ Send top-of-form (form feed) to printer HOME ═ Goto the top of the message END ═ Goto the end of the message PgDn ═ Display the next page of the message PgUp ═ Display the previous page of the message space ═ Display the next page or next message F5 ═ Shell to DOS ALT-N ═ Run General Configuration Menu BULLETIN MAIN MENU Options Basically, all you need to do is move the cursor down to the appropriate bulletin that you want to view and then press the <enter> key. You will notice that as soon as you view one bulletin, the next bulletin is highlighted so you can quickly view each bulletin. You can also use the QuickFind keys to locate a specific bulletin by name. Options (QuickFind) A nice feature of the Camster Reader is its QuickFind key. All you do is type the name of the bulletin, and you can watch the bar move right along until it locates your bulletin. This comes in very handy if you want to go directly to a bulletin. Each key that you enter, the bar may or may not move. If you try to enter in the wrong name, the cursor won't move in the QuickFind box. BULLETIN/FILE VIEWING Options Use the Up/Dn arrow keys to scroll through bulletin/file. Use the ESC key to return back to previous menu. Other commands are: HOME ═ Goto the top of the bulletin/file END ═ Goto the end of the bulletin/file PgDn ═ Display the next page PgUp ═ Display the previous page space ═ Display the next page Q ═ Quit reading bulletin/file S ═ Save current bulletin/file to disk ALT-N ═ General Configuration Menu ALT-P ═ Print current bulletin/file ALT-T ═ Send top-of-form (form feed) to printer SERVICES MAIN MENU Options Basically, all you need to do is move the cursor down to the appropriate file that you want to extract and then press the <enter> key. You will then be taking to another screen that will list all of the files found in the Services Packet. You can also use the QuickFind keys to locate a specific file by name. Options (QuickFind) A nice feature of the Camster Reader is its QuickFind key. All you do is type the name of the file, and you can watch the bar move right along until it locates your file. This comes in very handy if you want to go directly to a file. Each key that you enter, the bar may or may not move. If you try to enter in the wrong name, the cursor won't move in the QuickFind box. SERVICES VIEW MENU Options Basically, all you need to do is move the cursor down to the appropriate file that you want to view and then press the <enter> key. You will notice that as soon as you view one file, the next bulletin is highlighted so you can quickly view each file. You can also use the QuickFind keys to locate a specific file by name. Options (QuickFind) The QuickFind key lets you just type the name of the file, and you can watch the bar move right along until it locates your file. This comes in very handy if you want to go directly to a file. Be sure to type exactly what you want to look for because if you try to enter in the wrong name, the cursor won't move in the QuickFind box. Find String in Group of Messages Sometimes it is necessary to search a specific conference for certain messages. For example, you've just downloaded 200 messages in the ForSale conference and want to look for USR type modems that are forsale. The last thing you want to do is read 200 messages. Simply use the ALT-F command when reading a spefici conference and you will be displayed a menu that gives you two options as follows: Search String Use "F" to command Camster to search for you. Enter the type of a search you would like to do. Boolean operators are supported (i.e., "(" "|" "&" ")" ). Example: (CAMSTER) & (DEBUCK) Only messages with the words CAMSTER and DEBUCK would be displayed. Case Sensitive If you would like to make this a case sensitive search, change the default from No to Yes. Case sensitive means that your search string has to match EXACTLY before it is found. So if you were trying to locate CAMSTER and inside a message there as Camster, this would NOT be found if you were doing a case sensitive search. Event Dialing a BBS If you want to use the Camster Reader during your nightly event, this can be done very easily. Be sure you have configured your BBS in the AUTO QWK area properly. Once you have it configured properly, there are several command line options that you will need to pass to the CAMSTER.EXE program. They are as follows: /BBS:name Replace name with the name of the QWK/REP this board uses. You can also get the appropriate name by manual going into the AutoQwk Dialer and seeing what the name is. It will always be a name that is eight characters or less. /QWK If you want to download a QWK packet, pass this option. /REP if you want to upload a REP packet, pass this option. Please note that if a REP packet doesn't exist, Camster will simply ignore this option and continue onward. If this is the only parameter that you are using and a REP packet does not exist, Camster will not run since it isn't necessary (and it can save your Long Distance charges if the BBS you are calling is long distance). /ONLINE Use this option if you want to stay online with a BBS. Normally, you won't be using this in a nightly event since the program will no longer be in automation mode. However, if you want to call a BBS and have Camster log into the BBS for you, this is a very Quick way of doing so. Or if you want to stay on-line after you've done your mail transfer, this can be used as well. Please note that you MUST use the /BBS:name, and then at least one of the other options for this to work. Otherwise, you will immediately go into the program. You can use all of the options together if you want if need be. Example: CAMSTER /BBS:PROEXEC /QWK /REP This would call "The Professional Executive Connection" and would attempt to upload a REP packet and then download a QWK packet and would then immediately return to DOS.