The Developer Connection…ice Driver Kit for OS/2 3/DEV3-D1.ISO/prodtool/forbrows/forbrows.hlp

OS/2 Help File | 1993-05-26 | 20.0 KB | 688 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Description, Installation, Start-up ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

ForBrows - An OS/2 Electronic Conferencing Tool

ForBrows lets you view electronic conferences that exist on a local disk drive,
or conferences on a LAN disk.  An electronic conference consists of one or more
"forums", where each forum is a file that containing "appends" from
contributors discussing a particular subject.

ForBrows provides functions to assist in navigating appends, following
particular subjects within a forum, following references, remembering the last
viewed append within a forum, creating appends, etc.

ForBrows evolved during an 18 month period at IBM's T.J. Watson Research
Center, as part of the Research Division's CORE project. ForBrows components
were developed by Laurent Esnault, Tom Rogers, and David Slauson.

See Also: ForBrows Installation,  Starting ForBrows


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.1. ForBrows Installation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

All of the files that are distributed as part of the FORBROWS package should be
installed into a single subdirectory on your disk.

To use ForBrowse, you will need the following files:

 o FORBROWS.EXE - the forum browser
 o FORADOWN.EXE - the download program
 o FORBROWS.HLP - the online help file for ForBrows
 o FORADOWN.HLP - the online help file for ForaDown
 o PMSDTDLG.DLL  - contains "open-file" dialog
 o STORMGR.DLL  - used by "open-file" dialog
 o FORBROWS.CTL file - contains information about the host BBS system, etc.
 o FORBROWS.INI - information about previously viewed fora.  FORBROWS will
   create this file for you.
 o Access to a Fora fileserver, or subdirectories containing fora files.

 The DLL files will need to be placed within a subdirectory named in the
 LIBPATH= statement of your CONFIG.SYS.

 Subdirectories for FORUM files

 If you wish to create appends, you will need to keep your fora files in a disk
 or LAN subdirectory that has the same name as the IBM conference disk that you
 will be appending to.  For example, FORBROWS FORUM is contained on IBM's IBMPC
 conference disk (as are most other PC-related fora).  To append to FORBROWS
 FORUM, you will need to have a fora subdir called \IBMPC.

 Technical Note If you wish to use ForBrows's built-in functions for sending
 appends to the IBM host, you will need the EHLLAPI components of the OS/2
 Communications Manager or PMHPO.  EHLLAPI is an Applications Programming
 Interface for controlling 3270 emulator sessions.  EHLLAPI requires the
 following DLL files under the Communications Manager; ACS3EHAP, ACSGCBLD,
 ACSSVC, ACS3ELKE, ACS3ECT, RPSMAIN, RNLCHARS. If using PMHPO, you will need
 TAPHLL32.DLL for the EHLLAPI support.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.2. Starting ForBrows ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

To start ForBrowse, type


  FORBROWS <d:\pathname\>


  Example:  FORBROWS C:\IBMPC\

at the OS/2 command prompt in a directory that contains both FORBROWS.EXE and
FORBROWS.CTL.

If you start ForBrows with the optional parameter, d:\pathname\, then ForBrows
will display the new file dialog upon startup, and list all of the files in the
\pathname\ subdirectory.

Note that the this optional parameter requires the trailing '\' after the
pathname in order to be handled properly.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. ForBrows Main Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The main window contains a menu bar along the top, a client area for viewing
forum text, scroll bars, navigation buttons, and a message line at the bottom
of the window.

See Also Navigation Buttons, Marking Text, Hyper-Link Searching.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.1. Navigation Buttons ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

ForBrows has the following navigation buttons near the bottom of the main
window;

 Sub<- scroll back to previous append with the same Subject line.

 sub-> scroll forward to next append with the same Subject line.

 Ref<- scroll back to previous append indicated in the Ref line.

 ref-> scroll forward to referencing append.

 App<- scroll back to previous append.

 app-> scroll forward to next append.

 See Also Accelerator Keys.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.2. Marking Text ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Forum text in the main window can be marked by clicking and holding Mouse
Button 1, and then dragging the mouse down over the lines you wish to mark.
After text has been marked, it can be copied to the clipboard, or used as a
bookmark (ie. you can quickly jump to the marked text later on while viewing
the same forum).

Usage Notes ForBrows can only mark entire lines of text. ForBrows only marks
one block of lines at a time;  If you mark a new set of lines, any previously
marked lines are unmarked. You may also un-mark any previously marked lines by
clicking button 2 anywhere over the text.

The Bookmark List

Even though ForBrows only keeps one actively marked block of text, the starting
location of the last 20 marked blocks is saved in ForBrows's "Bookmark" list.
If you find that you need to jump to an earlier marked block, you can use the
Go To Bookmark list function under the Navigation Menu.

The bookmark list is automatically reset when you browse another forum.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.3. Hyper-Link Searching ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

ForBrows implements a kind of pseudo hyper-link capability. If you double-click
mouse button 2 over text in the main window, ForBrows will extract 30
characters, starting at the word you clicked-on, and place the characters in a
Search dialog.

See Also Search Dialog.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Keys Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

There are three kinds of ForBrows command keys:

  1. The Function Keys

  2. The Accelerator Keys

  3. The Scrolling Keys


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1. The Function Keys ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 Key     Action

 F1      Displays on-line help.
 F3      Closes the window.  If it's the last window, ForBrowse is terminated.
 F4      Loads a new file in the same window.
 F5      Loads a new file in a new window.
 F6      Refresh the current forum, if a newer file is available.
 F9      Displays the list of available subjects.
 F10     Selects the menu bar.
 F11     Displays the list of registered fora.
 F12     Displays the list of available fora.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.2. The Accelerator Keys ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 Key               Action

 Enter             Goes to next append.
 Shift Enter       Goes to previous append.
 m                 Go to marked text
 Shift S           Goes back to previous append with the same subject.
 s                 Goes forward to the next append with the same subject.
 Shift R           Goes to back to the referenced append.
 r                 Goes forward to referencing append.
 /                 Search for text
 Control A         Append creation; reference currently-displayed append
 Control F         Repeats last search.
 Control L         Go to line number.
 Control M         Modify currently-displayed append
 Control N         Toggles the display of line numbers.
 Control O         Toggles the "One Append At a Time" mode.
 Control R         Refreshes the current forum (in the main window).  Or
                   refresh the list (in the registered fora dialog).
 Control S         Send Append(s) to host.
 Control Insert    Copies displayed append to the clipboard.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3. The Scrolling Keys ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 Key               Action

 Arrow Keys        Scrolls one line or one char, vertically or horizontally.
 Page Up           Scrolls one page up.  When the "One Append At a Time Mode"
                   is selected and the last line is displayed, ForBrowse go to
                   the next append.
 Page Down         Scrolls one page Down.  When the "One Append At a Time Mode"
                   is selected and the first line is displayed, ForBrowse go to
                   the previous append.
 Home              Goes to the first line of the append if the "One Append At a
                   Time Mode" is selected.
                   Scrolls window to beginning of line, if not.
 End               Goes to the last line of the append if the "One Append At a
                   Time Mode" is selected.
                   Scrolls window to end of longest line, if not.
 Control Home      Goes to the first line, or append, of the file.
 Control End       Goes to the last line, or append, of the file.
 Space             Scrolls window to see the last found string.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. File Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The File Menu contains menu items that allow you to open (ie. load and view) a
new fora file, create a new ForBrows window, copy an append or marked text to
the clipboard, print an append or forum, or exit.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.1. View another file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The "View another file" file menu selection will display a dialog box entitled,
"Select File", that allows you to load and view a new forum file.

Using the "Select File" dialog

By default, the dialog lists all of the files in the current subdirectory.  You
can load any file in the list by double-clicking on the filename.  If you
double-click on a subdirectory name within the list, then the contents of that
subdirectory will be listed.

The listboxes in the dialog can be used to change the drive, subdirectories, or
filespecs that are selected.

If you wish, you may bypass using the list-box by filling in the "Open File"
entry field near the top of the dialog window and pressing Enter.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.2. New Window... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The "New Window..." menu selection will display a new instance of ForBrows, in
another window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.3. Copy Append... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Copy Append will place the contents of the currently viewed append in the OS/2
clipboard.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.4. Copy Marked Text... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Copy Marked Text will place the contents of the most recently marked text in
the OS/2 clipboard.  Forum text can be marked by clicking and holding Mouse
Button 1, and then dragging the mouse down over the lines you wish to mark.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.5. Print Append ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Copies the currently viewed append to a printer.  A dialog window will be
displayed to allow you to select which printer (LPTn) you wish to print to.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.6. Print Forum ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Copies the currently viewed forum file to a printer.  A dialog window will be
displayed to allow you to select which printer (LPTn) you wish to print to.

NOTE: a forum file can be quite large, and may take awhile to print. You will
usually find it better to print an append.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Search Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Search menu provides access to ForBrows's search functions.  You may search
for text within the forum that you are currently viewing, repeat a previous
search, or scroll directly to the last text that was found.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.1. Find... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

When you select the "Find..." menu item, ForBrows will display the Search
dialog.  From the search dialog, you may specify the text that you wish to
locate.

Using the Search Dialog

Type the text that you wish to search for in the dialog's entry field.  After
you press Enter, or click on the "Find" button, ForBrows will attempt to locate
the text that you entered.  If the text is found, ForBrows will automatically
scroll to the append containing the found text.  The found text will be
highlighted using the color that was specified for marked text in the ForBrows
"Set Colors" dialog.

The check-boxes within the Search dialog control whether or not the search is
case sensitive, is limited to the current append, or is to search backward from
the current position within the forum.

Usage Note; The search begins at the currently displayed location within the
forum file.  If you wish to search the entire forum, press Ctrl-Home to scroll
to the beginning of the forum, and then request a search.

See Also: Find Next,  Set Colors


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.2. Find Next ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If you have performed a text search, and wish to repeat the search without
re-entering the search argument, you may do so with Find Next.

See Also: Find...


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.3. Scroll to Found Text ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If you have performed a text search, and have since scrolled forward within the
forum, you may return to previously found text by selecting "Scroll to Found
Text".

See Also: Find...


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Options Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The options menu provides selections that control the way ForBrows operates.
Selections are provided for changing colors and fonts, scrolling behavior,
auto-refresh, message handling, and saving the settings.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.1. Colors... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The "Set Colors" dialog allows you to customize the colors that will be used
within the ForBrows window. Sample text is displayed that shows your
selections. You may set foreground and background colors for the following
ForBrows text types:

 o Plain Text  - the forum text
 o Marked Text - text marked with the mouse or marked as the result of a text
   search.
 o Message Text - text displayed in ForBrows's message field
 o Append Header - the line that appears at the top of each append.

 You may change colors by clicking on the dialog's color buttons. Select the
 text type by clicking on the type within the list.  To apply the color, press
 enter, or click on the Set button.

 Making your color selections permanent:  select "Save Settings" from the
 "Options" menu.  Your current color settings will be saved in OS2.INI.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.2. Fonts... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The "Set Font" dialog allows you to specify the font name, size, and type (bold
italic, underscore). Sample text is displayed that shows your selections.

Your font selection can be applied to the displayed text by pressing Enter, or
by clicking on the Set button.

Making your font selections permanent:  select "Save Settings" from the
"Options" menu.  Your current font settings will be saved in OS2.INI.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.3. Line Numbers ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Toggles the display of line numbers within the text that ForBrows displays. If
there is a check beside this menu item then line numbers will be displayed.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.4. Beep on Messages ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Toggles beeping when a ForBrows message is issued.  Some people are annoyed by
beeping and may wish to turn it off. If there is a check beside this menu item
then beeping is on.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.5. Hide the Message Line ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If you do not wish to see ForBrows status messages, then you may hide the
message line. If there is a check beside this menu item then the message line
will not be displayed.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.6. Scrolling across Appends ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If selected, then the scrolling keys will cause ForBrows to display the
next/previous append if you attempt to scroll past the bottom or top of the
current append.  If not selected, you must explicitly select "Go to
next/previous append". If there is a check beside this menu item then scrolling
across appends is enabled.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.7. New Forum on last Append ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

When this option is selected then ForBrows will display a list of fora when you
scroll past the end of the last append of the current forum.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.8. Set Profile File... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

ForBrows saves information in a file about your position within "registered"
fora.  You may specify the name and location of the file via this menu and its
associated dialog.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.9. Set Installation Defaults... ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If you wish to use ForBrows to download fora and create and upload appends, you
will need to use this facility to specify your editor, and the subdirectories
that will hold your append and fora files.

ForBrows currently supports either EPM (an advanced editor distributed as an
OS/2 2.0 applet), or a mini-editor which is similar to the OS/2 system editor,
and is a component of FORBROWS.  Specifying EPM as the editor will result in
calling EPM during append creation.  If you specify any other name, FORBROWS
will use its internal mini-editor.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.10. Save Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Selecting this menu item tells ForBrows to save the current color, font, window
size, and window position.  The next time ForBrows is started, it will use the
saved settings.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Navigation Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The navigation menu contains selections that control movement within a forum.
The following navigation functions are provided:

 o Go to previous Append - scrolls to the append immediately before the
   currently displayed append.

 o Go to Next Append - scrolls to the append immediately after the currently
   displayed append.

 o Go to previous Reference - If the current append has a ref: line, go to the
   referenced append.

 o Return to referencing append - If you've followed a previous reference,
   return to the referencing append that you started from.

 o Follow subject backward - If the current append has a Subject: line, find
   the previous append (if any) that contains the same subject line.

 o Follow subject forward - If the current append has a Subject: line, find the
   next append (if any) that contains the same subject line.

 o Go to top of forum - go to the first append in forum... generally the forum
   header.

 o go to bottom of forum - go to the last append in the forum.

 o Go to list of subjects - display a list of all the subjects contained in
   this forum.

 o Go to line number - go to a specific line number within the forum.

 o Go to marked text - if you have previously marked a block of lines within
   this forum, go to the marked lines. See Also Marking Text.

 o Go to Bookmark list - display a list of previously marked lines, in FIFO
   (First In, First Out) order. If no lines have been marked, no list will be
   displayed.

 o Clear all Bookmarks - empty the Bookmark list. This does not clear the last
   marked block, only the bookmark list.

 o Refresh current forum - if the forum has been updated since we began viewing
   it, load the new copy.

 o View one append at a time - when selected, only one append's text is
   displayed.  If not selected, then the forum is simply displayed as a flat
   file.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Conference Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The "Conference" menu selections provide access to the registered fora, as well
as functions for downloading forum files, and sending appends to the IBM
conferencing disk.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1. List Registered Fora ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

ForBrows allows you to "register" forum files. Any time you view a registered
forum, ForBrows remembers the line number of the last append that you viewed.
The next time you view a registered forum, ForBrows will display the next
append that you have not yet seen.

List of Registered Fora Dialog

This dialog displays a list of all your registered forum files.  The list is
divided into three sections:

 o Updated since Last Viewed - files that have changed since the last time you
   viewed them.

 o Partially Viewed - forum files that you have begun to read, but you have not
   yet viewed the last append.

 o Fully Viewed - you have viewed the last append in each of these files.

 Double-clicking on any of the forum entries will cause ForBrows to load
 (browse) that forum file. Entries may also be selected via the cursor keys,
 and then loaded by pressing enter.

 List Fields

 Each entry in the list of registered fora contains the following fields (from
 left to right):

 o View status - '>' means that you have not yet viewed the latest updates to
   the forum; '*' means that you have. If this left-most field is blank, the
   forum has not changed since you last viewed it.

 o Forum - the filename of the forum.  The name usually conveys some idea of
   the subjects being discussed in the forum.

 o Conference - the name of the conference in which the forum resides.  Under
   OS/2, this corresponds to the subdirectory in which the forum file is kept.

 o Date - the date, in yy/mm/dd format, of the last update to the forum.

 o Size - the size, in kilobytes, of the forum file.

 o Size - the approximate size, in kilobytes, of the not-yet-viewed remainder
   of the forum.

 Searching for Registered Fora

 If your registered fora list gets long, you may want to search for a
 registered forum name, rather than scrolling through the list.  The "Search
 for Forum Name" field allows you to specify the name of the forum you are
 looking for.

 NOTE that this field only invokes a search of the registered fora names, not
 the list of all available fora.

 Delete Button

 This deletes the currently selected forum from the registered forum list.  It
 does not delete the file, merely the registered list entry.

 Refresh Button

 This refreshes the list of registered fora.  If any forum files have been
 updated since the list was displayed, then clicking on this button will
 display the updated list.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2. Download Fora from Host ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This displays a dialog to assist you in downloading forum files from the IBM
host system.  Before you can download fora, you must be logged-on to the IBM
host system.

Note: This feature is not available in the IBM internal version of ForBrows.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3. Send Appends to Host ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This menu selection displays the Send Append dialog to assist you in uploading
and posting your append files to the IBM host system.  Before you can upload
and post appends, you must be logged-on to the IBM host system.

Send Append Dialog

This dialog contains the following fields and controls;

Choose 3270 Session

Each active 3270 emulator window contains a short name, A thru Z. ForBrows
provides up to six radio buttons, to allow you to specify which 3270 window is
to be the target of the append upload.  You should click on the button for the
session that is connected to the IBM conferencing system.

If there are no 3270 sessions active, all radio buttons will be disabled, as
well as the "Send" button.

List File Spec(s)

This entry field will be pre-filled with drive and pathname you gave for
appends in ForBrows's Set Installation Defaults dialog. If you wish to list
files in other subdirectories, you may specify other drive and path information
in this field.

Select Append Files for Processing

This listbox contains the names of files.  You may select files by clicking
mouse button 2 over a list entry.  After an entry is selected, you may process
the file by clicking on the View, Send, or Discard buttons.

List Button

Lists the files specified in the File Spec(s) entry field.

View Button

View (browse) the selected file.

Send Button

Upload the selected file to the IBM host, and append it to the appropriate
forum on the IBM master conferencing disk. The append is sent to the 3270
session specified via the "Choose 3270 Session" radio button.

After append is sent, it is copied to a \POSTED subdirectory. The \POSTED
subdirectory will be a child of your append subdirectory.

This button will be disabled if you do not have a 3270 window connected to an
IBM host.

Technical Note This function uses EHLLAPI calls to drive the targeted 3270
session, and requires ACS3EHAP.DLL in the LIBPATH if you are using the OS/2
Communications Manager.  If you are using PMHPO, you will need TAPHLL32.DLL.

Discard Button

Erase the selected file.  You will be asked to verify the erasure.

Cancel Button

Return to the the main ForBrows window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Creating Appends ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

While viewing a forum, you may want to take part in the discussion.  There are
currently two ways to create an append.  One way is to drag and drop from
ForBrows to LaMail, IBM's TCP/IP mail application.  However, not all user's
have LaMail, so ForBrows has built-in functions, under the "Conference" menu,
for append creation and posting.

You may either create a new append, or modify one of your previously posted
appends.  After you have created your append, you must send it to the IBM host
system, so that it will be appended to the forum file and become visible to
others.

See Also Create a New Append, Modify Current Append, Send Appends to Host.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1. Create a New Append ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

When you select this menu item, ForBrows will invoke the editor which you
specified in the Set Installation Defaults dialog.  ForBrows creates a skeleton
append file, with a Subject and Reference line, along with an Append line,
which contains information about the forum to which you are appending.

The skeleton append which ForBrows creates will contain a Subject line
identical to the append which you are currently viewing, and will also
reference the currently viewed append. If these lines are inappropriate for the
append you are creating, simply use your editor to delete or change the
contents of these lines. However, you should not alter the contents of the
Append line; if you do so, and place invalid information in this line, then the
append may not be placed within the correct host forum.

Usage Note; With the current version of ForBrows, you must be viewing a forum
before you can create an append.

See Also Modify Current Append, Send Appends to Host.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2. Modify Current Append ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

When you select this menu item while viewing one of your previously posted
appends, ForBrows will invoke the editor which you specified in the Set
Installation Defaults dialog.  ForBrows creates a skeleton append file, with a
Subject and Reference line, along with an Append line, which contains
information about the forum append which you are modifying, and the contents of
the append being modified.

Usage Note; The host conferencing software will only allow you to modify an
append which was originally submitted from your own host userid. In other
words, you may not modify someone else's append. ForBrows will allow you to
create and send an append modifying someone else's append, but the IBM host
will not accept it.

See Also Create a New Append, Send Appends to Host.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. Window Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This menu displays a selection of all active ForBrows windows.  You may switch
between windows by clicking on the appropriate item.

See Also: New Window...