8bitfiles.net/archives/archives.tar/archives/compuserve-file-archive/16 Vendor Support/SED.DOC

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                             SED. DOC
                         by Louis Epstein

      This file explains how to compose messages offline and upload
 them while using the SED(LINEDIT) editor.This saves hours of connect
 time,dollars on your CIS bill,and all without having to use the clumsy
 FILGE(EDIT) editor when you've just GOT to compose online.
      This file now covers the NEW Forum Software,the OLD,which I
 preferred,having finally died May 1,1991.I do,however,use "grandfathered"
 OLDF commands in this file,because they tend to be SHORTER,and the whole
 *point* of this file is to save *time*.("SP" instead of "POS PRI" to
 store a message privately,for example).
      This NEWEST version of the file reflects the abandonment of some
 grandfathering with the software revisions released early 1993,and some
 newly needed steps.

      I assume you are already familiar with the Forum commands,
 and have dropped the menus the novice user encounters.While this saves
 some time,you will find that the bill still mounts uncomfortably if you
 read a substantial portion or all of the message base.In order to use
 SED.DOC efficiently,you should return to the option menu and set the
 Pause After Messages option to either (T)o You or (N)ever,so as not to
 have to keep hitting <CR> after each message.With (T)o You you still
 have to hit <CR> after marked messages,but with (N)ever you risk having
 your screen capture munch messages after a while.
      In the SED.DOC method,all time-consuming activity is done offline,
 so it is best to log on at the highest baud rate available to you for
 reading messages into a screen capture or backscroll buffer and for
 uploading your message file.If you want to CO,of course,log off and log
 back on at 300.
      You will need terminal software that has a backscroll buffer or at
 least a screen capture capability--I use QMODEM,a guiltware program that
 you can get over in IBMCOM that has both--and a word processor to create
 ASCII text files--I use Borland's SideKick.I have 640K RAM,and extended
 memory including a large RAMdisk with plenty of room for my upload files
 and others as well as a backscroll buffer that will hold over 170 SIG
 messages of pre-1993 length at a time.With a screen capture file,of course,
 the disk is the limit.
      The procedure is very simple.Log on at your highest baud rate and
 go through all new messages nonstop...With the 1993 release software,you
 must SET PAG OFF to get the messages to scroll nonstop,otherwise the
 longer ones will be interrupted with a prompt.Be aware that this will
 affect ALL displays during your logon,including stuff you WANT paged.I use
 the RN command,so I know exactly when I'm up to;you can also use RTN,to
 follow threads of conversation.Log off.Then read your buffer or capture
 file,composing your replies on the word processor as you go(I go back and
 forth between the QMODEM buffer and the RAM-resident SideKick;if your word
 processor will not allow multi-tasking of this sort you may have to take
 notes as you go through the file and then write later).
      In creating your ASCII file,start with the line "set br on" to cut
 system crosstalk(this is necessary because a mid-1986 revision of the SIG-
 ware eliminated permanent Forum-only brief prompts.If you have system-wide
 brief prompts as a default option(not recommended!),skip this step,which
 is not necessary when adapting the system to Email,or in files you upload
 while still logged on after having already uploaded one(e.g. if you are
 touring several Forums with SED.DOC files)).Then write all the commands
 you would enter to enter the messages if you were on line,making sure to
 put <CR>s after every line of text,or SED will think you have entered a
 line over 79 characters long and discard the excess.If you wish to leave
 a message starting a new thread,use the <COM> command(the <L> command
 having bit the dust in the 1993 revisions) on the line before beginning
 your text;if you are replying to a message on the board,say reXXXXX,where
 XXXXX is the number of the message.Then,in each case,hit <CR> and give
 the text of the message just as you would online.After the last line,hit
 <CR>,type "/ex",and give your leave action:s,sp, or su.(S stores(posts) the
 message normally;SP privately,in Forums where it is enabled[make sure of
 this before using it];SU unformatted[just the way you typed it]).If you are
 leaving a message that starts a new thread,you MUST!! include a subtopic
 (section) number as part of the leave(post)action,using a number of a
 subtopic accessible to you (0-17,potentially,but your Sysops decide;1-16 in
 SHOWBIZ),following the addressee's name and PPN,and the subject,separated by
 semicolons,e.g. s;Mishkin Brant 76702,1705;Isn't Kim Silly?;0 .Then hit
 <CR> and do the re or <COM> for your next message on the very next line.It
 is a good idea to do all <COM> messages at the beginning or end of your
 file,so as to keep your mind on this.If you recall the number of a message
 you want to delete,you can also enter the commands in your text file,in the
 form dXXXXX on one line,y on the next(answering the Delete this message?
 (Y/N) prompt).Remember,when you upload this file,CIS will think you are
 typing everything in by hand,and you must enter every keystroke in the
 proper format.
      Check your file when it is done so that you are sure it has none
 of the following pitfalls:
      REply to a Scrolled-off message--If you are replying to a message
 that was very near to the beginning of the message base when you started
 reading,it may have scrolled off by the time you upload.If you will not
 be uploading quickly after you read the messages,it is a good idea to
 reply to these messages by sending a <COM> message to the sender.It is a
 good idea if you are unsure to keep a record of the earliest reply in
 your text file,and check it against the first message on the board when
 you log in to upload.
      Subject over 24 characters long--If you <COM> a message,CIS will re-
 ject a subject over 24 characters long.It will then go through every
 line of the message,reject them as subjects,and cause all sorts of
 problems.
      Missing Subtopic--if CIS sees no subtopic in an <COM> message,it will
 give you a menu asking for one after the store command.If this message
 is not the very last in your file,the rest of your file will go to pot.
 CIS will think that any message number a subsequent message in your file
 replies to is a subtopic,and tell you you are not authorized to access
 that subtopic.
      ANY ONE of these problems will cause the loss of your file past
 where it occurs,or at least drop several messages.
      Once you have finished and proofread your file,you log on and upload
 it.Enter the Forum and at the Forum! prompt,initiate an ASCII upload
 with your terminal software.You will then see your messages fly onto the
 screen faster than you could ever type them(unless you're at 300 baud and
 type FAST),occasionally interrupted by the prompts related to leaving the
 messages.Depending on your terminal software and how busy CIS is,you might
 see parts of your input overwritten or interrupted by beeps or gibberish;
 but whether or not what you see makes sense,it doesn't matter.If you see
 an error message,terminate the upload,log off at once,delete the messages
 prior to the problem from the file,fix the problem,and log back on and
 upload the rest.If you don't see an error message,your messages will all
 be properly stored and you should see messages to this effect.In any case,
 you can read through them quickly afterwards if you're nervous.
                                   Louis Epstein 76702,1562

 SAMPLE FILE

re66666
Speakie--this message isn't gonna start some long boring thread or
nuthin',is it?
/ex
s
com
Storing a message with the new SIGware can get to be a pain.However,if you
compose offline with SED.DOC,you don't have to deal with all the prompts,and
avoid the "is this correct?" question people who don't embed all the store
commands on one line get.
/ex
s;All;SEDNEW.DOC;1
d66666
y


This file:
1)replies to message 66666,storing the message without going unformatted
or private;
2)Leaves a message to All(For a particular person,don't forget to
include the PPN[User ID#]),and stores it in Subtopic 1;
and 3)gives a command to delete message 66666,including a y for the
confirming prompt.
If you plan to log off immediately after uploading,you can include "off"
as the last line in your file,and the file will do it for you.

In a REply message,you lose no keystrokes by doing a "/post" at the end,
instead of the "/ex" and "s" lines,but any other sort of reply is shorter
with the grandfathered command.
  THUS...

re200000
I don't think numbers running counts if the runner isn't using a line-
numbered editor.
/post

BUT...

re200000
The very IDEA of using the editor without line numbers
S       T      I      N      K       S !!!
        In spades!Do you know how much trouble that makes a quick fluff
reply online?
/ex
spu

For something you want to leave off the regular board/format system.

An October 1988 revision of the NEWF software now permits you to end a
composed message with a line chaining "/post" and all the other commands;
the second message in the sample file could therefore be ended with
"/post;all;SEDNEW.DOC;1",but it saves no keystrokes to do so.

That about explains everything.
                           Louis Epstein 76702,1562