home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
OS/2 Shareware BBS: 35 Internet
/
35-Internet.zip
/
pmnews.zip
/
pmnews.HLP
(
.txt
)
< prev
next >
Wrap
OS/2 Help File
|
1995-03-01
|
10KB
|
276 lines
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Extended Help for PMNews ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PMNews Overview
PMNews is a Presentation Manager implementation of the SNEWS program provided
to support UUPC news delivery. Aside from some installation differences, it
should be 'plug compatible' with SNEWS. The impetus for using SNEWS/PMNews as
your news reader is primarily the requirement to save disk space when the FAT
file system is being used with OS/2 (HPFS is also supported). In future, PMNews
may be converted to support the 'normal', hierarchical UUPC news delivery (a
one-to-one article-to-file relationship).
PMNews supports:
1. news reading:
a. subject-line threading
b. group text search
c. marking of articles-read mailing
a. forwarding article
b. replying to an article via e-mail posting
a. followups
b. original posts
To get more information about any one of these features, double click on one of
the following highlighted words (or press the Tab key until the highlighted
word is selected and then press Enter).
Installation Keys Searching a Group Marking Groups/Threads/Articles
Threading Printing/Saving an Article Posting Mailing
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Thread Header List ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This window allows you to select via double-click a thread within the selected
new group. All articels within a thread have a similar subject line.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Article Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This window displays the text of each article. PMNews will remember the
position of this window between sessions. The window is initially displayed
with the first actual text line at the top of the window. If you wish to view
the contents of the header, if present, scroll up using the scroller or use the
page-up key.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Installation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PMNews Installation
The best procedure for PMNews installation is to install SNEWS completely,
setting up all required environment variables, as well as all the required
entries in either UUPC.RC or the specified PERSONAL.RC. The required parameters
for PMNews are:
mailserv
The entry name for your mail server in the SYSTEMS file.
domain
Your mail domain address
nodename
Usually the first qualifier of your domain (host name).
newsdir
The target directory of RNEWS (the intermediate directory for SNEWS).
tempdir
Any temporary subdirectory
mailbox
Where your mail is saved after reading (.spb)
Signature
Your ugly sig file.
name
Actual, or pseudonymous, name
Organization
Company, University, etc.
Editor
Command string for your fave
Home
Home directory for mail
Aliases
The alias file for your mailer.
There are no DLLs associated with PMNews. Create a program object which points
to the subdirectory containing PMNEWS.EXE. Specify this directory as the
default directory for the object. Find a nice icon or use the one provided
(ripped-off from someplace else). Double-click on the object and PMNews will be
invoked. Two files will be written into the default directory (PMNEWS.INI and
PMNEWS.ERR) with each invocation. The .ERR file will either be empty or
contain error codes from PM. The .INI file will retain the window position of
news group dialog window across invocations.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Keys ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PMNews Keys
Enter
Next Article
Keypad Plus
Next Unread
Esc
Exit Window
Arrow Keys
Listbox Select
Keypad Minus
Previous Article
MouseButton1
Select Entry (double-click)
MouseButton2
Next Unread
HELP KEYS
F1
Get help
F2
Get extended help (from within any help window)
Alt+F4
End help
F9
Go to a list of keys (from within any help window)
F11
Go to the help index (from within any help window)
Esc
Previous Help Panel, or End help if only one panel
Alt+F6
Go to/from help and programs
Shift+F10
Get help for help
SYSTEM KEYS
Alt+Esc
Switch to the next program
Ctrl+Esc
Switch to the Task List
WINDOW KEYS
F10
Go to/from the action bar
Arrow keys
Move among choices
End
Go to the last choice in a pull-down
Esc
Cancel a pull-down or the system menu
Home
Go to the first choice in a pull-down
Underlined letter
Move among the choices on the action bar and pull-downs
Alt+F4
Close the window
Alt+F5
Restore the window
Alt+F7
Move the window
Alt+F8
Size the window
Alt+F9
Minimize the window
Alt+F10
Maximize the window
Shift+Esc or Alt+Spacebar
Go to/from the system menu
Shift+Esc or Alt
Go to/from the system menu of a text window
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Searching ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
First, from the News Group Dialog, select (highlight) a News Group. Then, click
on the Search button. This will pop a single line entry field for the entry of
a string search argument. Currently, this must be the exact string. After
entering this, click on 'OK'. The utility task will then searhc the body of
all articles within the group searching for that string. If the string isn't
found a message box will pop-up to inform you. If the string is found, a
thread header list box will be presented consisting of all the articles which
contain this string.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Marking ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Marking articles as read may occur at the Group or Thread Header level. When
an article is opened, it is automatically marked as read. When the group or
thread is high-lighted, simply click on the 'Mark' button.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Threading ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
SNEWS does not use the reference field of the article header to relate articles
to threads. Instead, the subject line is scanned and tokenized, then compared
other articles within the grou[ containing the same tokens. This is an inexact
science. Someday, an 'offline' threading program can build the structure
statically overnight. Also distributed with the program is 'pmnthrd.c', which
is the original algorithm for subject-line threading.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Printing/Saving ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
When within an article window, it's possible to print or save that article to
disk; simply click on the corresponding button. The Print request writes the
article to LPT1 immediately. The spooler will do its thing if allowed.
To save an article to disk, click on the Save button. The standard file dialog
will be called to assist you in selecting a target filename and directory.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. Posting ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
When within an article window, it's possible to post a follow-up to the
currently selected article to the originator via e-mail, or to add a completely
new post to the current news group. It's somewhat awkward to be required to
enter an article in order to compose a new post. Click on Post and then click
on New Post in the secondary menu. You specified editor will be called to
compose the article. When you've completed the editor session, you'll be
prompted to accept the new post.
Follow-ups are handled in a similar manner, except that the subject line of the
current article is used as your subject line.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. Mailing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
When within an article window, it's possible to mail the current article to
someone else (forward it). Click on Mail, then select Mail Article. A listbox
window containing your mail aliases will be displayed, along with an entry
field. Enter the addressee for this mailing by double-clicking in the listbox
or entering the full address.
To reply to this article, select Reply from the Mail submenu. You will have
the opportunity to 'quote' the current article in your mailing.