Monster Media 1996 #14/Monster Media No. 14 (April 1996) (Monster Media, Inc.).ISO/os2/prnr101d.zip/POSTNEWS.HLP

OS/2 Help File | 1996-01-24 | 43KB | 1,310 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Post Road News Reader is a program that will enable  you to receive news
articles and view them offline.  You can also create postings, and replys
offline then send them to the news server. It has a number of powerful features
that allow you  to write postings, send replies, and store your articles for a
specified amount of time, or store them in folders.

Post Road News Reader knows which articles are new:

When you select Get new articles from server from the Article tree Menu PRN
only retrieves articles which are newer then the ones that have been posted to
the server since the last time you checked that news group for articles.

Every time an article is posted to a news group the server gives the newer
article a number that is one higher then the last article posted to that group.
Each time you Synchronize or get new articles from the news groups Post Road
News Reader(PRN) remembers the highest article retrieved.  When you go to Get
new articles from the news server PRN will compare the highest number in the
selected news group and the highest number PRN has, If the number PRN has is
smaller that the number in the news group PRN will update the article tree with
articles that have a higher number.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Initial Setup ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Post Road News Reader initial setup will prpare the application so that you
can begin to use it immediately.  All  of these settings can be reset as you
need to.

Please complete each entry (except ones that say optional):

   o News Server- The name of your news server.

   o Time zone- Select which time zone you are in.

   o Protocol Page- Select which the type of mail your service provider
     supports.  If you select POP3 for sending mail fill out  your service
     provider on the POP Page.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty with this installation, please  go to
Support, Through the Index or Contents.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Retrieving Articles ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Retrieving articles is a two step process with the Post Road News Reader.

 1. Articles are stored on the news server and it is usually maintained  by
    your service provider.  you can retrieve articles two different  ways.  You
    can either download an article to read right away, or mark  it for download
    at a later time.

 2. Once downloaded the articles the artices are placed on your hard drive. It
    will remain their until the number of days to keep an article has been
    satisfied or you remove it or file it to a folder.

To Retrieve an article.

 1. Establish a connection to your service provider.

 2. The first time you use the Post Road News Reader you will have to  download
    all of the news groups on the news server (unless you know  exactly which
    news groups you want to view).  You can do this by going to the News goup
    menu, and selecting Refresh The list of news groups.

 3. Once the list of news goups appear you can select a news group by  clicking
    on a news group.

 4. An article tree will appear showing the articles on the news server for
    that particular news group.

 5. Select (highlight) an article from the article and either double click on
    the article to download it immediately, or right mouse (click to get a
    menu)  and select mark for download.  You can also mark the article for
    download  through the article menu.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Sending Postings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

As with recrieving an article, sending a posting is a two step process.

 1. You must compose a posting, a reply, or an e-mail note.

 2. Send your posting through your service provider.

When you have finished composing the posting (you can do this by selecting the
Post(new), or Post(reply) buttons on the action pad, or by going into the file
Menu), click on the OK button will send the posting to  the send queue.  The
postings in the send queue can be sent, as a batch  , at any time.  The number
at the left hand side of the action pad indicates how many postings are waiting
to be sent.  While the send queue the articles are available to you for
printing, deleting.

To send queued mail, you must establish a connection with your service
provider.  Then press the blue send button on the action pad, or select
send/post composed article from the File Menu.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.1. Composing a posting ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can compose a new posting at any time by clicking on the post(new) button .

The OK button will prepare the posting for sending.  The posting will  be added
to the send queue and the "to be sent" button count will be incremented.  You
can then send the posting(s) by selecting the Blue  send button on the action
pad, or by selecting Send/Post composed article from the FIle Menu.

The Cancel button will discard the posting and close the window.

To/category     enter more than one "To", you can click on the address icon or
                on the news groups button in order to select names or news
                groups to send  the posting to.

From            Name- enter your name here as you whish for it to appear in the
                posting. Address- enter your e-mail address as you whish for it
                to appear in the posting.

Subject         Enter a short subject for the posting.

Text            enter the text of your note.  You can resize the text portion
                of the  compose window if you would like.

Signature       enter signature information or press the SIG icon to select one
                of your standard signatures blocks.  If you whish,  you may
                drag a signature icon to the signature block.

Paperclip       the "paper clip " icon allows you to attach a file(s) to your
                posting. Clicking on the icon brings up a file selection
                dialog from which you can select the file(s) to attach.  This
                can be any type of file, such as text, binary, bitmap, etc.
                The path for the file you have selected will be displayed to
                the right of the icon and that fie will be sent with your
                posting.

Additional topics:

Using the address box.
Using signature blocks.
Attaching files.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.2. Replying to an article ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can reply to an article by clicking on the Post(reply) buttton on the
action pad or by selecting post a reply in the File Menu.

You can quote from the original article in one of two ways:

o You an mark text in the original article before processing the reply key. If
  you do so, the marked text will be automatically copied into your reply.

o You an press the Quote button on the reply screen to have the entire article
  copied into your reply.  You can then edit the text freely.

You can also press the Jump button at any time to return to the original
article to mark additional text, or to simply reference the article.

The OK button sends the posting and closes the window.

The Cancel button will discard the posting and close the window.

To/category     enter more than one "To", you can click on the address icon or
                on the  news groups button in order to select names or news
                groups to send the posting to.

From            Name- enter your name here as you whish for it to appear in the
                posting. Address- enter your e-mail address as you whish for it
                to appear in the posting.

Subject         Enter a short subject for the posting.

Text            enter the text of your note.  You can resize the text portion
                of the compose  window if you would like.

Signature       enter signature information or press the SIG icon to select one
                of your standard signatures blocks.  If you whish, you may drag
                a signature icon to the signature block.

Paperclip       the "paper clip " icon allows you to attach a file(s) to your
                posting. Clicking on the icon brings up a file selection
                dialog from which you can select the file(s) to attach.  This
                can be any type of file, such as text, binary, bitmap, etc.
                The path for the file you have selected will be displayed to
                the right of the icon and that fie will be sent with your
                posting.

Additional topics:

Using the address box.
Using signature blocks.
Attaching files.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Queues ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Two special queues are provided.  These queues are:

Notes Waiting to be Sent

Notes Queued for Printing

The print queue is directly available from the Action Pad. You can delete, file
or print the notes stored in these queues, but you cannot modify or delete the
queues themselves.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.1. Articles waiting to be sent. ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Outgoing articles will be placed in this send queue.  Notes are prepared for
sending when you click on the OK button in the Post(new), Post(reply), or the
compose a note.

The number at the left-hand corner of the Action Pad indicates how many notes
are waiting to be sent.  While in this queue,the notes remain available to you
for printing, deleting and filing.

To send queued mail to your mail server, you must establish a connection with
your service provider. This connection is accomplished in the manner discussed
in receiving articles. Then press the Send button in the lower left-hand corner
of the screen and all of the notes will be sent.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.2. Notes queued for printing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This queue allows you to store notes to be printed at a later time. This is
important for those times when you don't have access to your printer, but want
to complete all activity associated with your notes. Notes can be queued for
printing by selecting File/Queue for Printing from the in-basket menu bar. You
can view the contents of the queue by clicking on the bar above the
icon...clicking on the bar again closes the window.

While in this queue, the notes remain available to you for printing, deleting
and filing.  You can also reply to or forward these notes.

To print this queue:

Select Windows/Print queue/File Menu/Print all folder contents to print all of
the items in the Print queue.  Or select Windows/Print queue/article to be able
to select different articles in the Print queue.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Address books ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can create one or more address books to store the following information for
individuals:

o The addressee's name (required)

o Organization (optional)

o E-mail addresses and associated nicknames (as many as five)

o Telephone number (one or two)

o Fax number (optional)

o Notes or regular mail address (optional)

To create a new address book select Features/Address book from the menu bar and
double click the Create Address Book icon.

To add an individual entry into the address book double click on the Address
Book icon.

To add an entry select Add from the menu bar. Note that when you include an
organization name, the individual entry appears twice in the alphabetical list;
once by last name and once by organization.

If an individual has more than one Internet email address you can enter
different addresses (up to five) each with different nicknames. Nicknames are
useful in addressing mail because you can simply enter the nickname in the
address field when composing a note.

To update an individual entry in an address book:

 1. Select Features/Address book from the main menu bar.

 2. Double click on the appropriate address book.

 3. Select an addressee and double click on the name. (Note: To find an
    addressee open the appropriate alphabetic section for the individual's last
    name or the individual's organization.)

 4. Update the entry.

 5. Close the window, close the address book, and close the icon window that
    shows all of the address books.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Settings Notebook ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The settings notebook has been developed to allow both novice and sophisticated
users ease of use and control of significant user functions.  For many users,
the defaults that have been set will serve them well, but the more demanding
user will be able to easily control many aspects of the application.

Default button - allows you to reset the current settings notebook page back to
the initial program defaults.

Undo button - allows you to undo any changes to the current settings notebook
page.  They will be restored to the settings that existed when the notebook was
opened.

The notebook is comprised of 6 pages, each accessible through tabs.  The
following is an overview of each page:


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.1. Server - Settings Notebook ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Please  complete each entry (except the ones that say optional).

News server-    Put the address of your news server

News server (alt)- You can put in an alternate news server address (this is
                optional)

Port-

Connect time-

Idle Time-

Time Zone-      Select the time zone you are presently in.  A time zone must be
                selected.

Follow up to-

Organization-


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.2. Protocol - Settings Notebook ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

On the protocol page you select the type of mail your mail server supports for
send.

POP3-           If you select POP# for sending mail you fill in the POP# server
                address on the POP3 Page.

SMTP-           Type in the server address of your SMTP mail server, If the
                port is different than the default you can change it.

SMTP Connection-

Recycle time-   This is the number of notes Post Road News REader will send
                before it breaks to allow the SMTP servers to clear out its
                buffer.

Personal Post Office Option- If you select this option you notes can be
                directed to a direcory where the can be sent out later by
                another software package that acts as a gateway  to the
                internet.  This may be useful in a LAN situation.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.3. POP3 - Settings Notebook ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Server-         You would type in the address of your POP3 server

User ID-        This would be your POP account user ID

Password-       This would be your POP account password.  This is optional, it
                is not shown if you type it in.  If you leave this blank you
                will be asked for the password each time you send mail.

Port-           If the port for your POP server is different you can change the
                port number


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.4. Article - Settings Notebook ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Number of days to keep articles- This is the number of days Post Road News
                Reader will keep the articles.

Pruning options- Select when you want the articles to be pruned in a given news
                group.  You can choose one of three options.  You can prune the
                article at start up of the application, at the end of the
                application or you can choose to prune them manually.

Do not reslove attached files-

Do not split outgoing files-

Attachment split size-

Maximum number of headers before download warning- .This is the maximum nuber
                of headers or article that will download without a warning
                message that will ask you how many headers you want.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.5. Printout - Settings Notebook ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This page lets you set defaults for page numbering, page breaks, and allows you
to specify your personal print banner.

Send all print jobs to the default printer- Select this if you don't want Post
                Road News Reader to ask you which printer to send the data to.

Reset page numbering after each article- This option resets the page number to
                zero after each article.

Page break after each article- allows you to to control page breaks when
                printing from the print queue.

Print banner-   This will print out a banner on the top right of the printed
                out page.  This  is good for you company logo, or the persons
                desk the print out is coming from.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.6. Editor - Settings Notebook ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can select which editor you want to be the default editor for Post Road
News Reader when you select editor under the Edit Menu.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Advanced Topics ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The following topics describe significant functions that are available for the
sophisticated user.  Since they are easy to use, many other users can take
advantage of them.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1. Working with attached files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Post Road News Reader uses MIME and UUEncode protocols to attach a file(s)
to the posting.  The recipient of your note must have a MIME and UUEncode
compliant news readers in order to receive the file as an attachment. To do so
you click on the attach file icon and then select a file.

Additional topics:

Attaching a file.
Using attached files.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2. Attaching a file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can attach a file when you compose a posting, note or when you reply to an
article. To do so you click on the attach file icon and then select the file to
attach from the file dialog.

Note that because files may be large, the Post Road Mailer may break the file
into several parts and send each part as a file. This should not be a problem
for the recipient if he or she uses a MIME compliant program to receive mail.
The mail program will account for each piece of the file and reconstruct the
pieces into a single file.

You can set the size limit for individual pieces of a file in the settings
notebook under outgoing.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3. Transported file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

When Post Road News Reader receives an article with an attachment it send the
attachment to a seperate directory.  You can view the attachments received by
selecting Transported Files from the Article Menu  or the Windows Menu. You can
also use the hot key Ctrl+T to get to the Transported files window.  Once you
are in the transported files window you have two different  views. You can
choose between a flowed view or a detailed view.  The flowed view has the file
name along with an icon representing what type of file it is.

The detailed view shows the spool Id (which is the name Post Road News  Reader
assigns to the attachment), the original file name, and the style (type) of
attachment it is.  The detailed view also shows who the file is from and the
subject of the attachment.

To use the attachment you can either drag and drop the attachment, or set up an
association. If you set up an association you can use the attachment from the
transported files window.

To Drag and drop:

 1. Open the program you want to drop the attachment into

 2. Open the transported files window

 3. Select (highlight) the file the attachment you want to drag

 4. Hold down the right mouse button a minus sign will appear

 5. Drag the attachment to the program you have running

 6. The minus sign will disapear when you can drop the attachment

To set up an association:

 1. Open the transported files window

 2. Select Associations from the File menu

 3. Choose Create new association

 4. Fill in the required information for the association

 5. File extension- Type in the file extension (ex. GIF)

 6. Description- Type in a description of the association, so you will know
    what file  is associated with what extension

 7. Program- Select a program that is able to handle the file extension you are
    associating it with.  You have to put the full path and file name of the
    program.

 8. Arguments- You can put in different parameters in this area if the program
    you are going to run needs them.  The default is *.

 9. Style- Selecting presentation will run the program you have selected  right
    away.  Selecting OS/2 window will open an OS/2 window before it runs the
    program.

You can save the attachment with the original file name into a directory that
you specify.  Or you can change the name of the file and save it into a
directory.

To save the attachment with the original name:

 1. Open the Transported Files window

 2. Select Save As under the FIle menu

 3. The original file name should appear in the file filename area. You can
    change it if you want to, just keep the same file extension.     -You can
    choose the drive and directory for the file to be saved in     -Click on OK
    and a message will pop up saying it was saved


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3.1. Associations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

In order to set up an association you should open up the transported file
window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.4. Using the Personal Post Office Option ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This option provides support for users who prefer to use alternate mail agent
software for delivering articles and mail. The Protocol page in the Settings
notebook allows you to select this option.

For Outbound Mail you can name a file directory where mail is to be placed by
the Post Road Mailer. Each note is a separate file with appropriate
distribution tags included. When you use this option, you are responsible for
establishing a distribution mechanism. For instance, you can create a REXX
program that periodically collects directory information, invokes SENDMAIL, and
removes the files from the directory.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Post Raod News Reader Menus ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1. File Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Compose a note- You can compose an E-mail note.

Post an Article- Enables you to create an article to send to the news server.

Post a reply-   Enables you to reply to an article.

Settings-       This is where you can select and change your settings for the
                Post Road News reader.

Send/Post Composed articles- allows you to send or post the notes or articles
                you have created, and that are waiting in the send queue.  This
                function is the same as the send button on the action pad.

Download an internet file- This allows you to retrieve a file from the
                internet, via FTP or HTTP.

View internet file queue- This is a list of file you want to download at a
                later time.  You can  down load the files by opening up this
                list and select download files.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2. Edit Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Copy-           Allows you to copy the selected (highlighted)text.

Mark all-       Allows you to select (highlight) all of the text(, articles or
                notes???).

Edit article-   Allows you to edit the current article.

Find-           Allows you to search for a specific string.  You can search the
                news group window, article tree window, or the article text
                window.

Find next-      This will find the next item, with the same search string, as
                the last one you have found with Find.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.3. News group menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Jump to news style- Allows you to move forward or backward in the news group
                window, by selecting the news category.

View-           Allows you to view the subscribed news groups, previewed news
                groups or all of the news groups available on the news server.

Prune selected news group-

Prune all news groups-

Subscribe-      Allows you to subscribe to the news group which is currently
                selected (highlighted).

Subscribe to specific news group- Allows you to specify which news group you
                want to subscribe to. You have to type in the exact name of the
                news group you want.

Unsubscribe-     Allows you to remove a news group from the subscribe list.

Remove-         Allows you to remove a news group that has already been viewed,
                and is on the previewed window.

View articles-

Refresh the list of news groups- This will bring in all of the news groups
                available on the news server selected in the settings notebook.
                This has to be done the first time to get the complete list on
                news groups.

Pull new news groups- This will bring in any new news groups that have been
                added to the news server since the last time you refreshed the
                list of news groups.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4. Article Tree Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Synchronize load from server- This brings in the complete list of articles for
                the news groups you have selected (highlighted) in the news
                group window.

Get new articles from server- This will bring in any new article from the news
                server since the last time you synchronized the article list.

Delete tree-    This will delete the current article tree from your hard drive.
                The next time you go to that news group you will have to
                synchronize  the list again.

View-           Allows you to select the view of the article tree from one of
                these views:

Sort-

Mark read/unread- Allows you to mark an article as read if it has been unread,
                or to mark an article as unread even though it has been read..

Mark for down load- Allows you to mark the selected (highlighted) article(s)
                for download.

Mark for download (include children)- This is the same as above but it also
                downloads any articles or posts  that have been posted as a
                reply to the original article.

Mark all for down load- This will mark all articles for down load.

Unmark for download- You can unmark the selected (highlighted) article(s) for
                downloading.

Download marked articles- This will download the articles you have chosen for
                download to your hard drive.

Expand all-

Collapse all-

Kill article-   this allows you to kill articles that pertain to a certain
                subject or have come from a certain author.

Lock/Unlock against pruning-

Print article-  This will allow you to print the current article.

Queue article to print- This will allow you to print the article at a later
                time.  The article will be added to  the print queue, This
                allows you to print all of the articles, you have sent to the
                print queue, at one time.

Previous article- This will bring up the previous article on the article tree.

Next article-   This will bring up the next article on the article tree.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.5. Article Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Save as-        This allows you to save the article with a different name.

Print the current article- This allows you to print the article you are
                currently viewing.

Queue article for printing-  This will allow you to print the article at a
                later time.  The article will be added to  the print queue,
                This allows you to print all of the articles, you have sent to
                the print queue, at one time.

Transported file- This will bring up the transported file window if any file
                have been sent as attachments with the articles.

Download selected internet file-

Rotate 13-      Some articles may be encoded with Rotate 13.  You can encode
                and decode these articles by selecting Rotate 13.

Show articles header-  Selecting this will show the articles header in the
                article window.

Show article spoiler text-

Extract UUEncoded file-

Copy UUEncoded file to temp buffer-

Extract UUEncoded file from the temp buffer-

Examine temp buffer-

Clear temp buffer-


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.6. Windows Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Transported files- This brings up the transported files windows.

Send/Post queue- This bring up the list of notes or postings that are waiting
                to be sent out.

Folder list-    This bring up the File cabinet which shows all of you folders.
                This is the same function as clicking the left mouse button
                once on the file cabinet.

Print queue-    This brings up the list of articles waiting to be printed.

Kill list-      This show the list of items you have selected to be avoided.

News group window- When this item is selected it will show the news group
                window.

Article tree window- When this item is selected it will show the article tree
                window.

Article text window- When this item is selected it will show the article text
                window.

Tile window-

Apply default colors- If you have changed the colors this will bring the
                default colors back to the Post Road News Reader.

Window list-    This bring up the OS/2's window list of things that are
                currently running.  This is the same function as clicking on
                the window list on the action pad.

Launch pad-     This brings the launch pad into focus, this is the same
                function as clicking on the launch pad button on the action
                pad.

Adjust detail view style-

Allow window overlapping- This allows you to overlap any window over another,
                you can resize the article window, the article tree window or
                the news group window.

Article tree toolbar- This turns the toolbar on the article window on and off.

Action pad-     Selecting this will bring up the Post Road News Reader's action
                pad.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.7. Compose a note Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

OK to send-     Selecting this will move the note or posting to the send queue.
                This is the same function as selecting OK in the compose
                window.

Cancel compose- Selecting this will cancel the current note or posting.  This
                is the same function as selecting cancel in the compose window.

Open address book- This will bring up the address book and will allow you to
                select an address(es) to send the note to.  This is the same
                function as selecting the green address book in the compose
                window.

Signature blocks- This brings up the signature window with the signatures you
                have created.  This is the same function as selecting the SIG
                Icon at the bottom of the compose window.

News groups-    This brings up the news groups that a posting can be sent to.
                You can select a different view when the available news groups
                window open.  You can then choose your subscribed, previewed,
                or all news groups.  This is the same function as selecting the
                news groups button just to the right of the green address book
                button.

New-            This will discard your old note or posting and give you a new
                one to work with.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. Getting around in The Post Road News Reader ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.1. Moving between windows ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

In the Post Road News reader you can view between any one of the these three
windows News groups window, the article tree window and the article text
window, or all three at the same time.

To view the news group window:

o Select News groups window from the Windows Menu

o or You can click on the left diagonal arrow button next to the send button on
  the action pad.

To view the Article Tree window:

o Select Article tree window from the Windows menu

o or You can select the right diagonal button next to the news group button on
  the action pad.

To view the article text window:

o Select Article text window from the Windows menu

o or You can select the bottom arrow button next to the break button on the
  action pad.

To view all three windows at the same time:

o Select all three: News groups window, Article tree window, and the Article
  text window from the Windows menu

o or You can select the view button next to the launch pad and window list
  buttons.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.2. Moving between articles ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

To move to the previous or next article:

o From the Article tree window you can use the up and down arrows on the action
  pad

o You can select previous article, next article from the article tree menu

o or You can use Ctrl+Pageup for previous article, and Ctrl+PageDown for the
  next article.

Navigating through articles, Retrieving articles, and Deleting Articles


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.3. Navigating and Retrieving articles ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can move through the article tree with the either the mouse, keyboard, or
the action     pad the bottom of the Post Road Screen.

Retrieving Articles:

o You have to download an article in order to be able to view it.  You can do
  so by:

o Double clicking on the article you want to view

o Using the action Pad, The up and down arrows are for previous and next
  articles

o Ctrl+PageUp for previous and Ctrl+PageDown for the next article

o or by using Previous and next from the Article Menu.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.4. Deleting Articles ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Articles will automatically be deleted after the number of days you have
specified in the settings notebook.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. Downloading an Internet File ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Post Road News Reader allows you to download an internet file, via  HTTP or
FTP.  You only have to know the internet address, and file name and you can
specify where you want the file to go on your hard drive.

To do so you would:

FIle address-   Type in the address where the file is located along with the
                full path and file name on the host.

PC File name-   Select the directory you want the file to go to on your hard
                drive  along with the file name.

Type-           Select either FTP or HTTP.

FTP Security-   If you have selected FTP you have to fill in this information.
                If you are using Anonymous FTP, your password is usually your
                E-mail address.

Add to Queue-   This will add the download job to the Download Queue list.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11.1. Download Queue ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

To download items in the Download Queue:

 1. Goto the FIle menu and select View internet file queue.

 2. Go into the File Menu from the Internet files queue window

 3. You can select Download all items or you can select Download selected items


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12. Save as ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Post Road News Reader enables you to save an article as a file. You can select
which directory you want it to go to, and you can also select the filename.

To save as:

 1. Type in the file name you want the article to have

 2. Select the drive you want the file to be saved to

 3. Select the directory you want the file to be saved to

 4. Select OK and the file will be saved.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13. Appendix ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.1. Acknowledgements ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

We would like to thank the many people and organizations who have contributed
support and technical information in the development of the Post Road Mailer.

We wish to offer special thanks to David Bolen of Elmsford, New York for his
assistance with sample code for POP processing.

The Post Road News Reader is packaged on a disk using Info-ZIP's compression
utility. The installation program uses UnZip to read zip files from the
diskette. Info-ZIP's software (Zip, UnZip and related utilities) is free and
can be obtained as source code or executables from various bulletin board
services and anonymous-ftp sites, including CompuServe's IBMPRO forum and
ftp.uu.net/pub/archiving/zip/*.

We have elected to use MPACK and MUNPACK from Carnegie Mellon University, who
have generously offered the use and distribution of this code for MIME support.
The OS/2 versions of this software are excellent. The copyright and notice of
permission to distribute is as follows:

(c) Copyright 1993, 1994 by Carnegie Mellon University.   All Rights Reserved.

"Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software and its
documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the
above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both the copyright notice
and permission notice appear in supporting documentation, and the name Carnegie
Mellon University not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to
distribution of the software without specific, written prior permission.
Carnegie Mellon University makes no representations about the suitability of
this software for any purpose. It is provided "as is" without express or
implied warranty."

IBM and OS/2 are registered trademarks of the IBM Corporation. Post Road Mailer
is a trademark of InnoVal Systems Solutions, Inc. All other brands both cited
and not cited are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of their
respective companies.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.2. Addressing Mail ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Internet addresses have two parts:

Mailbox       Usually a code assigned to a person by an Internet service
              provider.  It must be unique to the domain. This is commonly
              referred to as the user id.

Domain        Identifier or host name for the computer or network that receives
              mail and stores it in the mailbox.  These identifiers almost
              always consist of two or more codes joined with periods.

A complete address consists of both the mailbox identifier and the domain
joined by an @  sign.  For example: [e-mail]

Certain rules apply for mail being sent to users on certain commercial systems.
America Online, for instance, allows spaces in user names which are not
compatible with the Internet and must therefore be removed.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.3. Common email abbreviations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

AOL           America Online

BTDT          Been there, done that

BTW           By the way

CIS           CompuServe

FWIW          For what it is worth

FYI           For your information

<g>           Grin

<G>           Big grin

HSIK          How should I know

IMHO          In my humble opinion

IMO           In my opinion

IOW           In other words

LOL           Laughing out loud

NBD           No big deal

NOYB          None of your business

OTOH          On the other hand

ROTFL         Rolling on the floor laughing

SNAFU         Situation normal, all fouled up

SYSOP         Systems Operator

TKS and TX    Thanks

RTM           Read the manual


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13.4. Emoticons ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 :-) Happy
 :-( Sad
 :-| Indifferent
 ;-) Winking
 ;-( Crying
 :-D Laughing
 :-\ Undecided
 :-o Surprised
 :-@ Screaming
 :-x Kissing
 :-X Big kiss
 ::-) Wearing glasses
 8-) Wearing sun glasses
 {:-) Wearing a toupee
 :-?  Smoking a pipe
 :-C Really sad
 :-# Wearing braces
 :-)8 Wearing a bow tie


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14. Support ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

We have put together support procedures that we expect are both effective and
efficient.  We have created some alternatives, and with your help, we will do
our best to provide you with prompt and helpful service.

Send us an email.  Address your email to to [e-mail].  Please include
the product serial number, your phone number, your time zone and the best time
to call you, and a detailed description of the problem. Optionally, provide the
name of your service provider and information about your system's
configuration.

Send us a fax at [phone]. You can eliminate the cover sheet. Please
write Post Road Service (in large letters across the top) and provide the
information requested in the prior section.

If you have a business emergency, or if your opinion you think it would be best
to talk to us, then please call us at [phone].

If you have any suggestions for improving the product, please let us know your
ideas.  The best way to do that is to send us an email at [e-mail].


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15. How do I? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The following topics cover the specific details of many frequently used tasks.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15.1. Action Pad ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Action Pad is composed of buttons, icons and an information cell. The
information cell provides immediate feedback on the count of your notes or
postings in the send queue (to be sent).

The buttons Compose, Post(new) is active any time and Post(reply) is only
active when an article is being viewed.  They operate against the active
article in the active window.

The three icons provide easy access to the following functions (left to right):

   o Printer icon - This provides immediate print.  You can drag and drop a
     note on the icon or click on it to print the current active note.

   o Print Queue icon - This allows you to store notes to be printed at a later
     time.  This is important for those times when you don't have access to
     your printer, but want to complete all activity associated with your
     notes. These notes can be queued for printing by selecting
     File/Print/Queued for Printing from the in-basket menu bar. You can view
     the contents of the queue by clicking on the icon.  To close the window
     use close in the window's file menu. window.

   o Folder icon - This opens the list of your folders.

The buttons Send will send your queued articles

The next three icons will give you a different view to look at.

o The blue arrow icon will give you the news group view.

o The Brown arrow will give you the article tree view.

o The green arrow will give you the article view.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15.2. Print a note ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can print an article from the article view or from a folder in any of the
following ways:

From the article view or folder.

   o Drag the article to an opened print queue window.

   o Click the right mouse button while viewing the article or when the article
     is highlighted in the folder window and select "Print."

Also See: Queued Printing | Drag and Drop |


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15.3. Use the Print Queue ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If you are working with a laptop computer and do not have a printer connected,
but plan to connect a printer later, you can queue printing of notes. Later you
can print the queue by selecting Print from the main menu bar.

From the article view or folder window.

   o Drag the note icon to an opened print queue window.

   o Highlight the note by clicking on the icon and then right mouse click and
     select "Queue to print" from the folder window.

   o Click the right mouse button while you are in the article view and select
     "Queue to Print."

   o From the note's menu bar, select File and Queue to Print.

Also See:  Drag and Drop


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15.4. File an article ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Select the article you want to file, open the file cabinet drawer  (on the
Action Pad) by pushing the opener button above the cabinet, and drag it to the
appropriate folder and release it.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15.5. Use the address box ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The address box allows you to specify your addressees by type, specify your
name and userid, specify not to file or file to a specific folder, attach a
file to your note and send or cancel the note.

An addressee can be entered directly into the single line input area, by
userid, by nickname, by group name or by selecting their entry from an address
book.  Each entry will be added to the list box beneath and tagged with their
type (to, or cat). To modify or delete an addressee, double click on their
entry in the scroll box. The entry will be moved into the input line for
modification or deletion.

Note: An entry that remains in the input area will be pushed out (deleted) by
selecting an entry from the list box or an address book.  Clicking on "ok" or
hitting "enter" will place the entry into the list box.

The Address Book icon provides you with access to your addresses so that you
can select an addressee by name.  Double clicking on an address or group entry
will place that entry into the address input area.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15.6. Save and retrieve drafts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

During the process of composing a posting, you may save the entire  contents of
the posting to a file.  This allows you to cancel the current posting and
retrieve the contents later.

o To save:

    1. Select File from the menu bar.

    2. Select Save As and a file dialog box will be displayed.

    3. Enter the filename you wish for the note to be saved under and click on
       OK.

o To retrieve a saved draft:

    1. Select File from the menu bar.

    2. Select Open draft and a file dialog box will be displayed.

    3. Enter the filename you wish to be retrieved and click on OK.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15.7. Quote text ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Quote and Jump feature has been provided, in the Post(reply) window, to
allow you to easily mark and copy selected text from the source note into your
reply.

The Quote button will copy all of the text of the source note into the text box
and mark each line of this text with a "quoted text character".  The >
character is the default, but it can be modified in the Settings notebook under
the Outgoing tab.

There may be occasions where you wish to copy into your reply only a portion of
the source article.  The Jump button allows you to switch to the opened window
of the source article.  You can select (or mark) the text to be copied into
your reply and return by clicking on the Post(reply) window.  Clicking on the
Quote button will place the marked text into the reply text with the "quoted
text character" inserted as the first character of each line.

Note: The entire source artilce can be marked by selecting Edit/Mark All from
the menu bar of the source article.  This includes the article header
information.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15.8. Import Text Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can a import text file when you compose a posting or when you reply to an
article. To do so, position the cursor in the editor window and select File and
Import text from the window menu bar.

You can also use the paste facility from the Edit menu to paste text that is in
the clipboard.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15.9. Use signature blocks ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Post Road News Reader allows you to establish multiple signature blocks and
then select a signature block when you compose a posting, or post(reply).

Each signature block may contain several lines of text or characters of your
choosing. Signature blocks are created by clicking on the signature icon. You
may then create a new signature block or edit an existing one by double
clicking on the appropriate icon.

One of these signature blocks can be selected as the default, either by
selecting default in the creation window or by selecting the File/Default menu
options.

The contents will default to either the signature block that has been selected
as the default or the signature used in the prior note, if there is no default
signature block.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15.10. Use a different editor ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can use an alternate editor for editing the text portion of a posting by
selecting Edit and Alternate editor from the active window menu bar. The
alternate editor must be specified in the Settings notebook on the Outgoing
page. The E editor is set as the default.

If you choose to use your own editor you must close the editor and save the
file when you have finished editing. The text will then be automatically
imported into the text window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15.11. Use the clipboard ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The clipboard is used to copy text from on place to another, such as from one
file to another, or even, from one place in a file to another place in the same
file.  The following steps allow you to do this:

 1. Highlight the text to be copied.

 2. Select EDIT.

 3. Select COPY. This places a copy of the highlighted text on the Clipboard.

 4. Move the cursor to where you want the text to appear, in the target window.

 5. Select EDIT from the menu bar of the target window.

 6. Select PASTE from the menu bar of the target window.

The selected text has now been copied.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15.12. Use drag and drop ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

One of the powerful facilities provided is the ability to perform an action
simply by moving one icon to another.  For example, an article can be  filed by
dragging the article onto the opened folder and dropping it there. The
following steps allow you to do this.

 1. Move the mouse pointer to the object you want to drag.

 2. Press and hold mouse button 2 (the right mouse button).

 3. Move (drag) the object by sliding the mouse.

 4. Position the object where you want to drop it.

 5. Release mouse button 2.

The action, such as filing, printing will be performed.