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Text File | 1991-09-20 | 133KB | 3,410 lines

· ∙■ · │ ▄▄█████▄▄▄▄■▄▄▄▄ · ∙ · ──┼── ░░▒██▒▒▒▒███▀█▓▌█▌██▌■ ▄· Blue Wave Software Presents │ ░░▒██▒▒▒▒▒▓▓▓▓▓███████▄■·▌ ∙ ░░▒██▒▒▒▒▓▓▓▓██▀▀█▀▌█████▌▄·■ ░░▒██▒▒▒▓▓▓▓▓█▀ ■·▀▐■▀■■▄∙■ The ░░▒▒█▒▒▒▓▓▓▓▓█▀ · ∙ ░░▒▒█▒▒▒▒▓▓▓█▌ ┬┬─┐ ┬┬─ ┬┬ ┬ ┬┬──┐ ┬┬ ┬ ┬ ┌┬──┐ ┬┬ ┬ ┬┬──┐ ░░▒▒▓██▒▒▒▓▓▓█▄ │├─┴┐ ││ ││ │ │├─ ││ │ │ │├──│ ││ ┌┘ │├─ ░░▒▒▒▓▓██▒▒▒▓▓▓█▌ ┴┴──┘ ┴┴──┘ ┴┴──┘ ┴┴──┘ └┴─┴─┘ ┴┴ ┴ └┴─┘ ┴┴──┘ ░░▒▒▒▒▒▓▓██▒▒▒▓▓▓█▄▄▄ ░░▒▒▒▒▒▓▓▓███▒▒▒▓▓▓▓▓▓█▄ Mail System ░░▒▒▒▒▒▓▓▓▓▓████▒▒▒▒▒▒▓▓▓█▄▄ │ ░░▒▒▒▒▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▓█████████████ ▀_▄▄▄▄▄ ──┼── ▒▒███▒▒▒▒████▒▒▒██████▒▒▒████▒▒▒▒███▒▒ │ ▒▒███▒▒▒▒████▒▒▒██████▒▒▒████▒▒▒▒███▒▒ Copyright (C) 1990, 1991 by ▒▒███▒▒▒▒████▒▒▒██████▒▒▒████▒▒▒▒███▒▒ Blue Wave Software Version 2.00 The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual Documentation by George Hatchew All Rights Reserved Table of Contents ----------------- License Agreement 2 Command Line Parameters 3 Initial Installation 4 Setup/Installation Menu 5 The Blue Wave Main Menu 18 The Open Packet Menu 21 The Closed Packet Menu 24 The Offline Configuration Menu 26 File Requesting Through The Blue Wave Mail Door 30 Reading a Mail Packet 32 Using The Mouse 38 Building a Signature File 41 Using The Blue Wave Mail Door 42 The Blue Wave Bundling Commands 45 Product Support 50 LICENSE AGREEMENT ----------------- Blue Wave Software has taken every precaution to ensure that no harm or damage will occur on systems running The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader. However, we cannot be responsible for any damages or other losses suffered as a result of running The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader on your system. The user assumes full responsiblity for the proper use of this mail system, whether damage occurs as a fault of operator error or software error. NO WARRANTIES ARE IMPLIED OR EXPRESSLY STATED. The Blue Wave Offline Mail System and its documentation are copyrighted materials of Blue Wave Software. Blue Wave Software reserves all rights to these materials, and is protected under United States and International Copyright Laws. No part of these materials may be reproduced or modified in any way without the prior express written permission of Blue Wave Software. Use of The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader constitutes acceptance of the stated terms and conditions. Blue Wave Software reserves all rights which are not expressly granted. The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader is fully copyrighted, and is not, nor will it ever be, in the Public Domain. The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader is NOT FREEWARE. It is distributed under the concept of ShareWare. Users are allowed to try this program for 30 days before paying for and registering the mail system with Blue Wave Software. In this 30 days, you may use the program to its full capacity. If the software does not meet your needs, and you do not plan on registering with Blue Wave Software after your 30 day trial period, you are to cease usage of the mail system. Continued use beyond the authorized evaluation period requires payment of the registration fee in full. Blue Wave Software grants an unlimited license to make and distribute unregistered copies of The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader which have been released to the public by Blue Wave Software. Absolutely no modifications to the files contained in the software package, including this documentation file, may be made before distribution. No fee may be charged by anyone other than Blue Wave Software beyond the actual cost of providing these copies without the prior written consent of Blue Wave Software. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 2 COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS ----------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader, under normal circumstances, will detect the type of monitor that you are using, and adjust its video writes accordingly. However, some situations may arise where you will need to override the reader's auto-detection, and set the video mode yourself. To execute the program normally, simply type BWAVE from the DOS command line. To override the default auto-detection, add the following switch(es) to the command line: -m Forces the reader into MONOCHROME Mode. -c Forces the reader to modify its screen writes to help eliminate "CGA Snow" that early CGA monitors have a problem with. -b Forces the reader to use BIOS screen writes. If your computer does not support IBM Direct Video Writes, you will need to add this switch. It is highly recommended that you NOT use this switch, if at all possible. BIOS screen writes are extremely S-L-O-W. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 3 INITIAL INSTALLATION -------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader is, for the most part, self- configuring. When you execute BWAVE.EXE from the DOS prompt, the reader first checks to see if the reader's configuration file (BWAVE200.CFG) is present. If this is a first time installation, or it cannot find BWAVE200.CFG, you will be asked if you wish to continue building a new configuration file. If you have made a mistake, and do not wish to build a new configuration file, press 'N'. Otherwise, press 'Y', and the reader will begin to perform its initial installation. On floppy drive systems, or systems with slow hard drives, the reader may take up to 30 seconds to bring you to the main Blue Wave Menu. During this time, the reader is searching your DOS Path statement for several external programs that may be needed to run the reader. If these programs are found, they will automatically be placed into your BWAVE200.CFG file with the proper command lines to execute them. The following programs are automatically inserted into your configuration file when found: PKZIP/PKUNZIP (.ZIP), PKARC/PKXARC (.ARC), PKPAK/PKUNPAK (.ARC), PAK (.PAK), LHARC/LHA (.LZH), ARJ (.ARJ), Q.EXE (Qedit), and TED.COM (TinyEditor). If you have these programs somewhere on your system, but they are not included within your DOS path statement, it will be necessary to manually insert them into the SETUP menu, which will be described in the next section. When the reader is finished building its configuration file, you will be taken to the Main Blue Wave menu. From here, you should select option 'S' to be taken to the SETUP Menu. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 4 SETUP/INSTALLATION MENU ----------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader was designed to be extremely easy to use, yet configurable enough so that you may make the reader behave as you need and/or want it to. When first selecting 'S' from the Main Menu, you will be taken to the SETUP Menu. The Setup menu is a pull-down menu structure that is grouped into several subdivisions: Registration Information, Directories, User Options and Toggles, Archivers/Unarchivers, and Color Configurations. Each item on the Setup menu contains a short, one-line description of each menu command on the bottom of the screen to be meant as a quick reference guide. Of course, for the most complete description of each option, you should refer to this Operations Manual. Registration Information ------------------------ The Registration sub-menu contains the information used to inform the reader that you have registered your package with Blue Wave Software. Registration Name: Here you should enter your name EXACTLY as you requested your reader to be registered when you send you form in to Blue Wave Software. This should be your first and last names. Other initials/etc. are optional. Registration Number: When you register your reader with Blue Wave Software, you will be issued a unique Reader Registration Code. Carefully type in the number issued to you in this field. "Any Name" Default: You may alter your "Any Name" default without consequence to your reader registration. This field is provided as a convenience to you. It could possibly serve several purposes, such as to monitor mail to other people, or look for mail addressed to a different alias that you use on another BBS, perhaps. When the reader encounters a message addressed TO or FROM the "Any Name" Default, it will act as if it has encountered a PERSONAL Message. If you have "Beep On Personal Messages" enabled, the reader will sound a beep when this name is encountered. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 5 SETUP/INSTALLATION MENU (continued) ----------------------------------- On BBS's where there are message areas that you may enter ANY NAME into the From: field when replying or entering a message, the name entered in the "Any Name" Default field will be used to fill in the FROM: field. Of course, you may edit it, if you like. Directories and File Paths -------------------------- The DIRECTORIES sub-menu allows you to define several directories that the reader will use throughout its execution. This is also where you will give the reader the name of your message editor (an editor that will save straight-ASCII text files) and the file to use to pull Signature Lines out of, if you are using one. Download Directory: The download directory is where the reader will look for Blue Wave mail packets that you have downloaded from the BBS. Each BBS Sysop selects a "Packet Name" that identifies his or her BBS. When you download mail through The Blue Wave Mail Door, you should either download it to the directory you specify here, or copy the mail bundle into this directory. If you enter a directory name that does not exist, The Blue Wave Offline Reader will ask you if you would like to create it. If you answer "Y", the reader will attempt to create the directory. If the creation of the directory failed for one reason or another, you will be informed of this fact. Please note that the reader *needs* these directories in order to operate properly. If the reader was unable to create the directory, or if you wish to do it manually, it is absolutely necessary that you do so before opening a mail packet for reading. The expansion of your mail packet will probably fail if the download directory is not present. Upload Directory: The upload directory is where the Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader will create your reply packets to be uploaded to the BBS. Reply packets are named according to the BBS's packet name that the sysop has chosen for his or her BBS. After you have completed reading a mail packet, and wish to return to the Main reader menu, your reply directory is checked to see if any files have been created that need to be uploaded to the BBS. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 6 SETUP/INSTALLATION MENU (continued) ----------------------------------- When the reader detects that a packet should be made, the appropriate archiver is used to Mash your reply packet for transfer to the BBS. If you downloaded a mail packet called WILDBLUE.TU1, and have performed an Offline Configuration, a File Request, or have replied or entered new mail, a file called WILDBLUE.NEW will be created in your UPLOAD directory. The next time you sign on to the BBS whose packet name is WILDBLUE, you should upload WILDBLUE.NEW through The Blue Wave Mail Door. The door will then perform the appropriate steps to complete your mail session. Please note that the upload directory must be present. Each time the reader is loaded, it attempts to make the appropriate directories, if they are missing. If you are having trouble with the reader and/or external archivers NOT Mashing your reply packet properly, please be sure that the UPLOAD directory does indeed exist. Work Directory: The WORK directory is where the reader will tell the external archivers to unMash your mail packet. This directory should point to a drive and directory that has plenty of space to hold the completely unarchived mail packet. While you are reading a mail bundle, the complete archived packet is still left in your DOWNLOAD directory. If you are running on a floppy drive-based system, you should be sure that you download a small enough mail packet so that the completely unarchived packet will still have enough room to decompress onto one of your floppy drives. As with the DOWNLOAD and UPLOAD directories, the WORK directory *must* exist. When the reader is loaded, it does a check to be sure that the directory you have defined does indeed exist. If not, it attempts to create it. However, the reader will *not* abort if the directory cannot be made so that you have the opportunity to go to the SETUP menu and redefine your directories. When the Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader is exited properly (through the Q)uit Option on the main menu), this directory should be removed automatically by the reader. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 7 SETUP/INSTALLATION MENU (continued) ----------------------------------- Editor FilePath: The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader requires the use of an external editor for the purpose of editing replies and new messages. The reader comes packaged with a very simple, small, public domain editor called TED.COM. (Tiny Editor) If you are not comfortable using this editor, or you prefer to use a different editor than TED.COM, you should give the name of the editor you would like to use here. By default, upon initialization of the reader, TED.COM is inserted in this field. Another excellent editor that performs well with The Blue Wave Offline Reader is Qedit, by SemWare. (Q.EXE) Although you do not need to enter the full drive, path, and file name of your editor here, it is highly suggested. TED.COM will work just as well as C:\BWAVE\TED.COM, but each time the reader tries to load the editor, a full search of your DOS path must be done in order to locate it. By supplying the reader with the full path specification, it will significantly decrease the amount of time it takes to load the editor. By not giving the reader the full path to your editor, it will also be necessary to keep your editor on the DOS path so that it can be found. In other words, if your editor is NOT on your DOS path statement, you *must* specify the full drive, directory, and file name. If you have enabled the option "Perform Memory Swaps" in the reader, the reader will swap all of its used memory to disk before loading the editor. This should allow you to use "big" editors such as WordPerfect, Wordstar, or Word. However, make sure that you save your document in TEXT mode, or your messages will come out garbled, and no one will be able to read them. Swap Directory: If you have enabled the option "Perform Memory Swaps" from the OPTIONS menu in SETUP, the reader will dump an image of its currently used memory to disk before loading an external program, such as your archivers, unarchivers, and your editor. You may wish to enable this option if you have insufficient memory to run these external programs while the reader is loaded. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 8 SETUP/INSTALLATION MENU (continued) ----------------------------------- The overlay dump file consumes approximately 150K of disk space. The reader allows you to specify the drive and directory where you would like this swap file written. This would be particularly handy for a person running a floppy-based system. Because it takes some time to write this swap file, and load it back in when the reader resumes control of your system, it should probably be written to a hard disk. If your memory is tight because of running a RAMdisk, you could point the swap directory to your RAMdisk to make it lightning-fast. In any case, you should enter your SWAP directory here. If this directory does not exist, it will *not* be created by the reader. Instead, the current directory will be used to store the overlay swap file. Signature Filename: When entering or replying to messages, The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader allows you to select a Signature Line in 3 different ways, or none at all. If the Signature Selection Type in the SETUP->OPTIONS menu is set to PROMPT or RANDOM, the file defined here will be used to pull signatures from. If this file doesn't exist, the reader will show an error message, and allow you to enter one manually. User Options and Toggles ------------------------ The User OPTIONS and toggles sub-menu allow you to customize the way The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader performs various functions within the reader. Most options are either a "Yes"/"No" answer, but some have several options. In order to change the behavior shown on the menu, move the highlight bar to the desired menu option and press ENTER. The fields will be toggled through the entire list of options, and "wrap" around to the first option that was shown. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 9 SETUP/INSTALLATION MENU (continued) ----------------------------------- Clock: If this option is toggled ON, the reader will display the current date and time on-screen throughout the mail-reading session. Whenever there is keyboard inactivity, the clock will be updated. If you are running under a Multi-tasker, such as DesqView, it may be a good idea to turn the clock OFF. Turning the clock off in this situation will most likely improve the performance of any background tasks that may be running. Beep On Personal Messages: When this option is toggled ON, the reader will sound a beep when it encounters a message that is either FROM you, or TO you while reading mail. When a message is TO you, a higher pitched sound is made than when the message is FROM you. If you read mail at 3am like we do, your wife and children will appreciate this option! Noise on Errors: When The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader wants your attention (an error message, for example), it normally sounds a short beep. If you wish to turn off this beep, set this option to NO. Signature Line Selection: After you have entered a message, and have told the reader that you wish to save it, you can then have it append a Signature Line to your message. Signature lines can be used to make a short quote, relay more information in your message (that you may otherwise need to type over and over again), or just add a bit of spice. If you wish to totally disable the Signature option, set this option to "NO SIGS". If you wish to enter a signature manually for each message, set this option to "MANUAL". The two other signature types are RANDOM and PROMPT. In order for you to use these two options, you should have a file (Normally called BWSIGS.TXT) defined under the SETUP->DIRECTORIES menu option. Please see the previous section regarding the Signature Filename for more information on defining a custom file. If RANDOM signatures are selected, the reader will randomly select a signature line out of the defined file and append it to the message. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 10 SETUP/INSTALLATION MENU (continued) ----------------------------------- If PROMPTing is requested, the reader will show you a list of signatures after each message that you enter. You will then be able to scroll through the selections and choose the signature that you would like to be appended. If no signature is desired, simply press ESCape. If you would like to enter a signature manually, press F10. The reader will then allow you to enter a custom signature for that message. For more information on building a SIGNATURE FILE, please see the section "Building a Signature File" later in the documentation. When to QUOTE Messages: When replying to a message, it is often a good idea to quote a small portion of the message you are replying to so that the context of your message is understood. The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader has 3 options for quoting messages. You can tell the reader to NEVER quote a message. In this case, the reader will load your editor with an "empty" file, just as if you were entering a brand new message. If you select ALWAYS for "When to QUOTE Messages", the reader will always quote the message you are replying to, and load your editor with the quoted message intact. If you would like to select whether or not to quote the message for each one that you reply to, set this option to PROMPT. Each time you press "R" while reading mail to reply to a message, the reader will first ask you whether or not to quote the current message. Attach Quote Header: If this option is toggled ON, the reader will begin any replies you make with a line that reads: "-=> Quoting George Hatchew to Fred Rappuhn <=-" It is often desirable so that other readers may follow the message thread a bit better. The reader automatically fills in the first name with the name contained in the "FROM" field of the message you are replying to. The second name is taken from the "TO" field. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 11 SETUP/INSTALLATION MENU (continued) ----------------------------------- Perform Memory Swaps: When this option is toggled ON, the reader will swap its used memory to disk before executing any external utilities. This frees up the RAM used by the reader, and makes it available for use by the external programs. This option should only be used when necessary, or on fast systems. Swapping while running on a floppy drive system can be slow. However, if you are running in a tight memory situation, it can be a life saver. For more information on SWAPPING, please see the previous section regarding "Swap Directory". Mouse Support: Under normal circumstances, when The Blue Wave Offline Reader detects a mouse on your system, it will automatically activate it and make it usable to you. If you wish to turn the mouse support OFF, set this option to "No". Further details on how to use the mouse is described in the section "Using the Mouse", later in the documentation. Exploding Windows: The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader allows you the option of turning off the "fancier" exploding windows used throughout the mailer. Displays will be much faster if you disable Exploding Windows, or are running on a fast machine. To disable Exploding Windows, set this option to "No". Automatic Title Scan: The reader defaults to showing a "Title Scan" each time you enter a new message area from the "Choose Area to Read" menu. The title scan makes it fast and easy to scan through the message headers (To:, From:, Subject:, and whether or not you have previously read the message). Through the Title Scan feature, you can scroll up and down through the message titles, and select any or all that you may want to read. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 12 SETUP/INSTALLATION MENU (continued) ----------------------------------- You can disable the Automatic Title Scan by setting this option to "No". Please be aware that even though you set this option to "No", you can still get a Title Scan of a message area at any time during the reading of mail in an area. To get a title scan when you are reading messages, simply press the "T", and the Title Scan will be shown just as if you had enabled this option. Save Message Pointers: If desired, the Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader will save the message "read" pointers for you while reading mail in an area. There are 3 ways to tell the reader to do this for you. (Pointers are kind of like bookmarks. If you choose to use this option, the reader will mark each message that you have read with a marker. The next time you enter the area, both the Title Scan and the message header window will indicate to you which messages you have already seen.) If you select "Never", the reader will not update its data files with your pointers. If you always read your mail packet(s) in one sitting, and purge the packet afterwards, you will probably want to set "Save Message Pointers" to this level. The next two options force the reader to write your message pointers to its data files each time you quit reading a message area. On hard drive systems, the update is extremely fast. On floppy- based systems it may take between 10 and 15 seconds. The difference between the next two options is in the way that the message pointers are saved BETWEEN closing the mail packet and opening it again later for reading. If you set this option to "Always", the reader will update your downloaded mail bundle with the updated file containing your message pointers each time you press "Q)uit and Close Packet" from the Open Packet Menu. In order to do this, the archiver that is used to Mash your mail will be used to update the compressed mail bundle. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 13 SETUP/INSTALLATION MENU (continued) ----------------------------------- If you set this option to "Prompt", the reader will save your message pointers throughout the mail reading session, but will prompt you for a yes or no answer to "Do you want to permanently save your message pointers?" before executing the archiver. If you answer "No", your pointers will not be updated in the downloaded mail packet. Answering "Yes" will cause the reader to execute the archiver used on the BBS you downloaded your mail packet from, and update the data files within the archive. Send FF After Printing: During the reading of mail, you can press ALT-P to "write" the current message to the default printer. By default, the Blue Wave Offline Reader will not send a Form Feed (eject the page) after the printing of each message. If you set this option to "Yes", the reader will eject a page after each message is printed. Many Laser printers need this option enabled in order to operate correctly. Sort Messages by Subject: Before reading in the messages in an area, the reader will sort them by SUBJECT if this option is set to "Yes". Subjects are sorted into alphabetical order. The reader ignores the characters "RE:" during the message sort. Archivers --------- The ARCHIVERS sub-menu allows you to define the paths and command lines that will be used by the reader when Mashing and unMashing your mail and reply packets. There are 6 entries on this sub-menu. You can define compression/decompression command lines for ZIP, ARC, PAK, LZH, and ARJ. There is also an entry called "External". You can use this "External" Slot for any archivers/unarchivers that may come along that the reader will not recognize. When the reader does not recognize the archive format of a mail packet, the command line entered in the "External" slot will be used. If that command line fails, the reader will ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 14 SETUP/INSTALLATION MENU (continued) ----------------------------------- abort that mail packet, and take you back to the MAIN Blue Wave Menu. Two "macro" characters may be used in the command line definitions for automatic insertion of the file names and directories by The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader. Where the archiver command line needs the name of the file to be worked on, you should use the "macro" @F. The other "macro", @I, is usually used as the second command line parameter to the archiver or unarchiver. For example, suppose your download directory is "C:\BWAVE\DOWN", and the packet that you are about to open is WILDBLUE.TU1. You also have your work directory defined as "C:\BWAVE\WORK". In order for the Blue Wave Reader to successfully decompress your mail packet (ZIP compression is assumed), it would need to execute the following command: PKUNZIP C:\BWAVE\DOWN\WILDBLUE.TU1 C:\BWAVE\WORK If you have this defined as your ZIP decompression command line: PKUNZIP.EXE @F @I The reader would do all of the work for you. For each compression type that the reader supports, a sample command line will be given. Please remember that if the archiver or unarchiver you are trying to use is not located on your DOS path, you will need to insert the FULL drive:\path\filename.ext in these fields. Otherwise, you may just specify the name of the .EXE or .COM file. ZIP: These are the suggested command lines for ZIP compression and decompression: PKZIP.EXE @F @I PKUNZIP.EXE @F @I ARC: These are the suggested command lines for ARC compression and decompression. (Please remember that you may substitute PKPAK and PKUNPAK for PKARC and PKXARC below). PKARC.COM -a @F @I PKXARC.EXE @F @I ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 15 SETUP/INSTALLATION MENU (continued) ----------------------------------- PAK: These are the suggested command lines for PAK compression and decompression: PAK.EXE a @F @I PAK.EXE e @F @I LZH: These are the suggested command lines for LZH compression and decompression. (Please note that you may substitute LHA.EXE for LHARC.EXE below). LHARC.EXE a @F @I LHARC.EXE e @F @I ARJ: These are the suggested command lines for ARJ compression and decompression. ARJ.EXE a @F @I ARJ.EXE e @F @I Color Configuration ------------------- The color configuration menu has two options. The first allows you to customize your screen colors while using the reader. The second menu option allows you to reset your colors to the default Blue Wave color scheme. Please be aware that if you reset your colors to the Blue Wave color scheme and save the color configuration, your custom colors will be lost. When you select Custom Color Scheme from the COLORS sub- menu, you will have the chance to change the color of several display items while you are reading messages with the reader. The top half of the display provides a sample of what the colors will look like once you get to the message reading screen. While you are editing the color configuration, the colors will change in the sample. When you are finished editing your custom color scheme, press ESCape. You will then be asked if you would like to save your custom color configuration. If you answer "Y", your colors will be permanently saved in a file called BWCOLOR.200. If you answer "N", your colors will be remembered for the current session only. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 16 SETUP/INSTALLATION MENU (continued) ----------------------------------- Quit ---- When you select QUIT from the SETUP menu, and have made changes to your setup, you will be asked if you would like to save your setup permanently. Answer "N" if you want the changes made to be active during the CURRENT session ONLY. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 17 THE BLUE WAVE MAIN MENU ----------------------- After your initial configuration is complete, you will be returned to The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader's MAIN Menu. The Main Menu will also appear as the first menu each time you load BWAVE.EXE from the DOS command line. From the Main Menu, you can select from five options: Open Mail Packet, Closed Packet Menu, Purge Mail Packets, Setup Parameters, and Quit The Blue Wave. Open Mail Packet ---------------- When you select "O"pen Mail Packet from the main menu, the reader will do a quick scan of the directory you have defined as your "Download Directory" in the SETUP Menu. The reader will attempt to find all packets that it believes to be Blue Wave Mail Bundles. (All files with the first two letters of the extension matching "MO", "TU", "WE", "TH", "FR", "SA", and "SU". The third character of the extension must be a number from 1 to 9). If only one of these mail bundles is found in the directory, the reader will automatically select that packet, and assume you would like to open it for reading. If more than one mail packet is found in the download directory, you will be shown a list of all files available for reading. You can then scroll through the list and highlight the packet you would like to read. When you have highlighted the correct packet, press ENTER. After the packet has been selected, the reader will do a quick scan of the Upload directory for any *.NEW files that are waiting to be uploaded to the BBS. If a reply packet is found for the BBS you are about to read mail for, you will be asked: "A Reply Packet Exists for [BBS ID]. Do you want to ADD to it?". If you answer "Y", the reader will then begin to unMash your reply packet so that any new replies you make can be added to it. If you answer "N", the reader will DELETE the reply packet for you, and will continue to unMash your new mail packet for reading. If the unpacking of the mail was successful, you will then be taken to the OPEN PACKET MENU (described later in the documentation). If the unpacking of the mail was not a success, the reader will give an error message, and return you to the Main Menu. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 18 THE BLUE WAVE MAIN MENU (continued) ----------------------------------- Closed Packet Menu ------------------ In order to enter the Closed Packet Menu, you must have downloaded at least one Blue Wave Mail Packet from a BBS, and have opened the packet. Each time a mail packet is opened, the reader compares the INFormation file (*.INF) contained in the mail packet with any that may be located in the main Blue Wave directory. If you do not have an INFormation file from that BBS, or the INFormation file you have is older than the one contained in the mail packet that you are opening, the reader will make a copy of it in the current directory. The Closed Packet Menu allows you to enter new mail, perform offline configurations, enter file requests, and edit or kill replies without having to have a current packet for the BBS you would like to work with. This is a feature not available in most offline mail readers. When you select "C"losed Packet Menu from the Blue Wave MAIN menu, you will be shown a list of all BBSs that you have previously downloaded and read mail from. Highlight the BBS that you would like to work with, and press ENTER. (If only one INFormation file is available, it will automatically be loaded by the reader.) As with the Open Mail Packet selection, the reader will scan your upload directory for any *.NEW files that are waiting to be uploaded to the BBS. If it finds a .NEW file, you will be prompted whether you would like to ADD to the file, or DELETE it. If you haven't uploaded your reply packet yet, type "Y". If you have already uploaded that reply packet, and wish to delete it, type "N". If everything was successful, you will then be taken to the CLOSED PACKET MENU. For further information on using the Closed Packet Menu, please see the section entitled "Closed Packet Menu" later in the documentation. Purge Mail Packets ------------------ Selecting "P"urge Mail Packets from the Blue Wave Main Menu will allow you to delete any mail packets that are waiting in your Download directory. After selecting "P", you will be shown a list of all available mail packets. You can then purge the mail packets either one at a time, or by TAGging them for purge. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 19 THE BLUE WAVE MAIN MENU (continued) ----------------------------------- To purge mail packets one at a time, move the highlight bar to the packet you would like to delete and press ENTER. The reader will then ask for confirmation. Type "Y" if you wish to delete the packet. Type "N" or ESC if you don't want to delete the file. To delete several mail packets at a time, move the highlight bar to the first packet you would like deleted and press the SPACE bar. Continue this process until you have selected all packets that you would like purged. When done tagging packets, press ESC. The reader will then ask for confirmation before deleting the mail packets. To abort the deletion, press "N" or ESC. To delete the mail packets, type "Y". Setup Parameters ---------------- Selecting "S" from the Main Menu will take you to the SETUP/installation menu. For full details on the SETUP menu, please see the previous section regarding the SETUP/INSTALLATION MENU. Quit The Blue Wave ------------------ Pressing ESC or "Q" from the Main Menu will allow you to exit The Blue Wave normally. Whenever you use The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader, you should be sure to properly exit the program so that anything that needs to be done with your reply and/or mail packets may be processed by the reader. You will then be asked if you would really like to exit the reader. To exit the program, type "Y". To go back to the Main Menu, type "N" or ESC. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 20 THE OPEN PACKET MENU -------------------- After selecting "Open Mail Packet" from the Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader's MAIN menu, and your mail packet has been successfully opened, you will be shown a new screen with a new menu. This screen is referred to as the OPEN PACKET MENU. At the bottom of the screen, you will notice some information about the current packet. The file name of the packet that you have open is displayed on the top border of the information window. Inside the window, you will find the name of the BBS that the mail packet came from, along with the Sysop's name. At this point, your mail packet is open and ready for use. There are several choices on the Open Packet Menu, and each one will be described in detail below. Read Mail Packet ---------------- Selecting "R"ead Mail Packet from the Open Packet Menu will allow you to read the mail that you have downloaded through The Blue Wave Mail Door. You will be shown a list of all message areas that you are currently downloading, along with the total messages in each area, total personal messages in each area, and the description of the message area. Select the message area that you would like to read from this list, and press ENTER. The reader will then begin the message reading process for that message area. For the commands available while reading messages, please see the section titled "READING MESSAGES". Enter New Mail In Any Area -------------------------- The "E"nter New Mail In Any Area command will allow you to post messages in bases that you are not currently downloading. If you need to enter mail in a base that you are not downloading, or a base that currently has no messages in your download packet, you will want to enter this command. The reader will then display several message areas, including ones that you ARE currently downloading. Highlight the message area that you would like to enter the new message in, and press ENTER. The reader will go through the same process just as if you were entering mail through the message reading screen. When you are done entering mail, simply press ESCape, and you will be taken back to the Open or Closed Packet Menu. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 21 THE OPEN PACKET MENU (continued) -------------------------------- View, Edit or Kill Replies -------------------------- Selecting "V"iew, Edit, or Kill Replies from the Open Packet Menu will allow you to see inside of your reply packet and make changes. You will be shown a list of all of the messages inside of your current .NEW packet. Highlight the message you would like to work with, and press ENTER. You will then be given two choices: Edit: To edit the message's To: or Subject: fields, or the message text itself, press "E". The reader will go through the same process as when you entered the message, but the entry form will be filled in with the current message's attributes. Simply press ENTER over the fields that you do not wish to change. The reader will then load your message into your text editor, and allow you to edit the text. You can then repeat the process for each message in the reply packet, if you like. Kill: To purge the message from you upload packet, select "K". The reader will then delete the message from your upload packet. When you have finished working with the replies in your reply packet, simply press ESCape. The reader will then take you back to the Open Packet Menu (or the Closed Packet Menu, depending on where you were in the program). Welcome Messages ---------------- Selecting "W"elcome Messages from the Open Packet Menu will allow you to review any messages that the sysop has sent along with your mail packet. The sysop welcome messages are optional, and your sysop may or may not include them in your mail packet. Often times the sysop may include a list of new message areas available, or new files on the BBS since your last login. To abort viewing the current welcome message being displayed, press ESCape at the "Press Any Key" prompt. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 22 THE OPEN PACKET MENU (continued) -------------------------------- Offline Configuration --------------------- Selecting "O"ffline Configuration from the Open Packet Menu will take you to the Offline Configuration Menu. For more details on using the Offline Configuration Menu, please see the appropriate section in the documentation. File Request ------------ Selecting "F"ile Request from the Open Packet Menu will take you to the File Requesting Menu. For more information on the use of File Requests, please see the appropriate section in the documentation. Quit and Close Packet --------------------- Selecting "Q"uit and Close Packet from the Open Packet Menu will close the mail bundle you are currently working with, and return you to the Blue Wave Main Menu. If you have enabled the option to ALWAYS or PROMPT save of your message read pointers, the *.FTI file enclosed with your mail bundle will be updated into the compressed mail file with the appropriate archiver. The reader will then erase all of the mail files in your WORK directory (the uncompressed mail files), and archive any replies, offline configurations, or file requests that you have made into a .NEW file. The .NEW file, if made, will be located in the directory you have specified in the SETUP menu as the UPLOAD Directory. The next time you sign onto the BBS that the mail packet came from, you should upload the .NEW file through the Blue Wave Mail Door to complete the mail download/upload cycle. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 23 THE CLOSED PACKET MENU ---------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader allows you to perform some of the same functions that are normally available on the Open Packet Menu EVEN WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE A MAIL PACKET AVAILABLE FROM THE BBS! In order to perform a "Closed Packet" function from the Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader, it is necessary to have downloaded and opened at least ONE mail packet from the BBS you would like to work with. Each time you open a mail packet for reading, the reader checks to see whether the current BBS information is newer than that which the reader has stored for use in the Closed Packet Menu. If so, the reader updates its information, and stores it in your main BWAVE directory in a file known as the INF, or INFormation, file. The file's ROOT name will be the same as the packet name that the sysop has selected for his or her system. (If you download a packet called RAVEN.FR2, the reader will store a file called RAVEN.INF in your main BWAVE directory). When you select the Closed Packet Menu from the Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader's MAIN menu, the reader will initialize itself with the information stored in one of these files. If only one INFormation file is found, it will automatically be loaded, and the BBS information will appear on the lower four lines of your screen. If more than one INFormation file is available, you will be prompted as to which BBS you would like to select. Move the highlight bar to the appropriate BBS, and press ENTER. You will then see the CLOSED Packet Menu, with 5 options available: Enter New Mail in Any Area, Edit/Kill Replies, Offline Configuration, File Request, and Quit to Main Menu. Enter New Mail in Any Area -------------------------- Selecting this option from the Closed Packet Menu will allow you to enter mail in any area on the BBS that is available to you. The reader will go through the normal Message Entry screen, and then load your editor for you to enter the message. Edit/Kill Replies ----------------- Edit/Kill replies will allow you to edit any messages that may be in your *.NEW file before you upload them to the BBS. For more information on using the Edit/Kill Replies option, please see the Kill/Edit Replies section in the documentation under the heading OPEN PACKET MENU. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 24 THE CLOSED PACKET MENU (continued) ---------------------------------- Offline Configuration --------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader will allow you to perform an Offline Configuration for the current BBS while at the Closed Packet Menu. Please see the section entitled "The Offline Configuration Menu" later in the documentation for more detailed information on performing an Offline Configuration. File Request ------------ The reader will allow you to perform a File Request from the Closed Packet Menu, also. This function works the same as the "Open Packet Menu". For more information on File Requesting, please see the section in the documentation regarding File Requesting. Quit to Main Menu ----------------- After you have finished working at the Closed Packet Menu, you should select this option, and return to the Main Menu. If you have a reply packet that needs to be uploaded to the BBS, the reader will compress your replies, and place the resulting .NEW file into your upload directory. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 25 THE OFFLINE CONFIGURATION MENU ------------------------------ The Blue Wave Offline Mail System will allow you to perform Offline Configurations in a very simple, easy to use manner. The entire offline configuration process is menu driven, and does not require kludgy "messages" to operate. First, a word about offline configurations. Offline Configuration is a way for you to communicate to the Blue Wave Mail Door any changes that you may want to make in your DOOR configuration. You can change your HotKeys mode, Xpert Mode, the message areas that you are downloading, and keywords/filters. In fact, the only thing that you cannot change through the Offline Configuration process is the selection of your Archiver and Protocol. Offline configurations can save you precious time and money, because you can take your time setting up The Blue Wave Mail Door the way you would like it without tying up the BBS and watching the phone company get rich. Offline configuration is a feature that is totally enabled upon registration of The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader. Since the reader and door are ShareWare products, you are given a fair chance to try them out before paying for the software. After 5 offline configurations, this feature is disabled for unregistered users. When you register your reader with Blue Wave Software, the door will allow you to perform as many offline configurations as you please. The reader communicates your offline configuration to the door through your UPLOAD, or reply packet. When you perform an offline configuration, a special file is placed into your .NEW packet. In order for the door to recognize that you have made an offline configuration, you will need to upload your .NEW packet through The Blue Wave Mail Door. After processing any messages that you have uploaded, you will see a message from the door indicating that it is processing your offline configuration request. Your new configuration is in effect immediately after your packet is uploaded. If you want your configuration to become active AFTER your current download session, you should upload the configuration after downloading your mail packet. When you first select "Offline Configuration" from either the reader's Open Packet or Closed Packet Menus, the reader will do a quick scan of your reply directory to see if any offline configurations are pending (waiting to be uploaded to the BBS.) If an offline configuration file is found, you will be asked if you would like to load the NEW information (that which is waiting to be uploaded to the BBS). To load the ORIGINAL information, select "N". To load the changes that are waiting to be uploaded, press "Y". The reader will then take you to the Offline Configuration Menu. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 26 THE OFFLINE CONFIGURATION MENU (continued) ------------------------------------------ Password -------- Press ENTER on the Password option to choose the type of passwording (if any) you would like to use within The Blue Wave Mail System. You will then be asked to fill in two fields. The first field is the password that you would like to use to protect your access to either The Blue Wave Mail Door, The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader, or both. Type your password here. The second field asks you which type of passwording you would like. You can select between "None", which disables the passwording feature, "Door Only", "Reader Only", or "Both Reader and Door". Select the option you would like using the cursor keys, and press ENTER. Keywords -------- The Blue Wave Mail Door will scan and bundle messages based upon Keywords that you may define. To learn how to use Keywords in The Blue Wave Mail Door, please see "Using The Blue Wave Mail Door" later in the documentation. Press ENTER on the Keywords option to edit the Keywords that you would like the door to use. You can use the cursor keys to move between the fields, and press F10 when done. Filters ------- As with Keywords, The Blue Wave Mail Door will FILTER mail based upon strings that you may define as Filters. To learn how to use Filters in The Blue Wave Mail Door, please see "Using The Blue Wave Mail Door" later in the documentation. Press ENTER on the Filters option to edit the Filters that you would like the door to use. You can use the cursor keys to move between the fields, and press F10 when done. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 27 THE OFFLINE CONFIGURATION MENU (continued) ------------------------------------------ Macros ------ The Blue Wave Mail Door allows you to define up to 3 Bundling Command Macros. These macros allow you to enter a bundling command that you use frequently in just 2 keypresses while online. Again, this option can save you both online time and money. Pressing ENTER on the Macro Menu option will allow you to edit your 3 Blue Wave Bundling Command Macros. As with the previous fields, you can use the cursor keys to scroll through the fields. Press F10 or ENTER on the last field when you are finished editing your Bundling Command Macros. For more complete information on using the Blue Wave Bundling Commands and Macros, please see "Using The Blue Wave Mail Door", later in the documentation. BBS --- Pressing ENTER on the BBS menu item will allow you to define whether or not HotKeys and/or Xpert Modes are toggled on or off. Areas ----- Selecting the Areas menu item will allow you to toggle on/off the areas on the BBS that you are currently scanning and downloading. You will be shown a list of all message areas available to you on the BBS that is currently active. The message areas that are currently ACTIVE (those which you are scanning through the door) will be indicated by a "check mark" in the left-most column. Inactive areas will not be highlighted. If an area is currently ACTIVE, and you wish to tell the door to stop scanning the area, highlight it and press the SPACE BAR. The "check mark" will disappear, indicating that it will no longer be active. If an area is currently INACTIVE, and you wish to begin scanning that area for mail, simply move the highlight bar to the desired message area and press the SPACE BAR. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 28 THE OFFLINE CONFIGURATION MENU (continued) ------------------------------------------ When you are done selecting or deselecting areas for scanning, press ENTER or ESCape. If the reader thinks that you have changed your area configuration, you will be prompted whether or not you wish to upload (send the Blue Wave Mail Door) your area configuration. Press ENTER or "Y" to save your area configuration to your .NEW packet. If you wish to discard the area information and keep it the same, press "N". The next time you log into The Blue Wave Mail Door and upload your .NEW packet, the door will activate and/or deactivate the areas that you wish. It will then give you a list of all active areas. Quit ---- Selecting the Quit option will return you to the Open or Closed Packet Menu, depending on where you were when you entered the Offline Configuration Menu. If you have made changes to your door configuration, the reader will ask you if you wish to save the changes. If you wish to discard the information that you have changed, press "N". Pressing "Y" will cause the reader to generate an Offline Configuration File, and place it into your upload (reply) packet. If you have selected to save your changes, please remember that you MUST upload your .NEW packet to The Blue Wave Mail Door before your changes will be in effect. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 29 FILE REQUESTING THROUGH THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR ----------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail System incorporates a powerful File Request system to save you even more online time and money. File request sessions are controlled by the Sysop of each individual BBS. Therefore, the BBS that you call may not support The Blue Wave Mail System's file request procedure. File requesting is also limited in UNREGISTERED versions of The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader. You will be given 5 opportunities to try the system's file request sessions if you are an unregistered user. After you have exceeded this limit, you must either discontinue file requesting, or register your copy of The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader with Blue Wave Software. Registered users may file request any number of times, provided they do not exceed the Sysop's limit of files or any possible upload/download ratios. Entering your file request through the reader is simple; just choose "File Request" from either the Open or Closed Mail Packet Menu. You will then be able to enter up to 10 file names that you would like to download from the current BBS during your next upload/download session through The Blue Wave Mail Door. Wildcards in file names (the DOS '*' and '?' characters) are NOT supported. When you have entered a file request, the reader will include a special file in your upload (reply) packet indicating to the door which file(s) you would like to download. When you upload your packet through the door, it will search the BBS's file directories for the file(s) you have requested. If they are found, you will be given the chance to download them. When installing The Blue Wave Mail Door, the Sysop can indicate which protocols are BATCH, and which are SINGLE file protocols. The door will respond differently according to the protocol that you have chosen. Single-File Protocols --------------------- If you are using a protocol that has been installed as a SINGLE FILE protocol, you will be asked, one by one, whether or not you wish to download the file that you have requested while you are ONLINE with The Blue Wave Mail Door. Pressing "N" will skip the currently displayed file, and continue to the next file in your request packet. If you wish to download the file being displayed, press "Y". The door will then begin sending you the file with the protocol that you normally download mail packets with. (Xmodem is a single- file protocol). ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 30 FILE REQUESTING THROUGH THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR (continued) ----------------------------------------------------------- Batch Protocols --------------- If you are using a protocol that has been installed as a BATCH protocol, the door will always send you your requested files in a BATCH. Using a batch protocol (such as Zmodem) gives you not only increased speed, but also greater flexibility. The door will build a "batch download queue" of the file(s) that you have selected. After the door has processed your last file request, the door will ask you whether or not you wish to continue with the file request session NOW. Pressing "Y" will immediately begin your download session. At this time you should tell your communications program to begin receiving a BATCH download. Pressing "Q" will abort the file request session, and continue just as if no file requests had been received. Pressing "N" will allow you to download the file requests at the same time you download your regular mail packet. The door will return you to the main menu, where you should select "(D)ownload Mail". After the door has gathered and bundled your mail packet, it will display the "normal" screen indicating the file name and size/time of your mail packet. You will also notice that it says "Req. Size:". The total size of your file request will be shown here. Begin your mail download as usual, indicating to your communications program that you will be receiving a BATCH download. The door will then begin sending all of the files in the "download queue", beginning with the files that you have requested. Your mail packet will be sent LAST. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 31 READING A MAIL PACKET --------------------- It is very possible that most of your time within The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader will be spent reading messages. When it comes right down to it, the entire purpose of the reader is allow you to read your mail OFFLINE, while saving you money at the same time. The reader allows you to enter new messages, and reply to current messages offline too. Besides the obvious savings in online time in replying, you are not pushed against time limits when creating messages offline. You have time to think your messages through and create useful replies. In fact, the advent of offline mail systems has not only increased the popularity of messaging on BBSs, but has made networking (with amateur networks such as FidoNet) expand into a huge pool of useful information. As you are probably aware, BBS message bases are usually divided into sub-topics sometimes called Conferences, Message Areas, Echos, and Special Interest Groups (SIGS). When you download your mail through The Blue Wave Mail System, these message area distinctions are preserved. Selecting "Read Mail Packet" from the reader's OPEN PACKET Menu will take the reader into "message reading mode". You will be shown a list of all of the areas that you have instructed the door to bundle messages in, along with the total number of messages in the area, and the total number of PERSONAL messages in the area. To actually begin reading your mail packet, you need to highlight the message area that you would like to read, and press ENTER. If you have enabled the Automatic Title Scan option in the reader's SETUP menu, you will be shown a list of all messages in the current message area. The title scan allows you to "page" through the messages and begin reading with the message that you have highlighted. To begin reading your mail on the first message, simply press ENTER after the Title Scan is shown. If you press ESCape while reading messages, the reader will take you back to the Title Scan screen, and position the highlight bar on the last message that you have read. You can then page through the messages some more, and press ENTER on the message to read, or press ESCape again to return to the "Choose Area to Read" screen. There are various keys that are active while reading mail. Each one will now be explained below in detail. At any time while reading mail, pressing F1 will give you an abbreviated HELP screen, with short descriptions of each of these keys. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 32 READING A MAIL PACKET (continued) --------------------------------- Message Movement ---------------- The following keys allow you to "move" around the message base in various ways: ESCape ------ Pressing ESCape while reading a message in an area will drop the reader backwards by one screen. If "Automatic Title Scan" is enabled in the reader, you will be shown the Title Scan screen. If the Automatic Title Scan is OFF, the reader will drop to the "Choose Area to Read" selection screen. RightArrow Grey ENTER Grey PLUS ENTER Key SPACE Bar ---------- Each of these 5 keys will advance you to the next message in the area. If you are currently reading the LAST message in an area, the reader will beep once. Pressing any one of these keys again will automatically drop you back one screen. (The reader will act as if ESCape was pressed). LeftArrow Grey MINUS ---------- These two keys will move you BACK one message in the current area. As with the "forward" keys, if you are reading the FIRST message in an area, the reader will beep once. Pressing these two keys a second time will make the reader act as if an ESCape was pressed. UpArrow ------- The UpArrow (cursor key) will scroll the current message UP one line. If you are at the top of the message, this key becomes inactive. DownArrow --------- The DownArrow (cursor key) will scroll the current message DOWN one line. If you are at the BOTTOM of the message, this key becomes inactive. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 33 READING A MAIL PACKET (continued) --------------------------------- PageDown -------- The PageDown key (labeled PgDn or PgDwn on some keyboards) will scroll the current message down one complete screen. PageUp ------ The PageUp key (labeled PgUp on some keyboards) will scroll the message UP one full screen, until the top of the message is reached. Home ---- The HOME key will take you to the first "page" of the current message. End --- The END key will take you to the last "page" of the current message. The "F" Key ----------- Pressing "F" while reading messages will take you to the FIRST message in the current message area. The "L" Key ----------- Pressing "L" while reading messages will take you to the LAST message in the current message area. The "J" Key ----------- Pressing "J" while reading messages will allow you to JUMP to a specified message number in the current area. You will be prompted to enter a message number. If the message is available, the reader will immediately JUMP to that message. If the message is unavailable, you will be given an error message, and the reader will stay on the current message. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 34 READING A MAIL PACKET (continued) --------------------------------- Control-RightArrow ------------------ This key is only useful when reading a mail packet on BBSs that support Reply Chaining, or Reply Linking. If the current message has a line on the message header that says "Reply at #nn", you can press the Control-RightArrow key combination to go directly to the reply of the current message. (Hold down the CTRL key, and press the right cursor key). If the reply is not available, the reader will give you an informative message, and stay on the current message. Control-LeftArrow ----------------- This key combination is similar to the Control-RightArrow combination, but instead of moving to the reply of the current message, the reader will jump to the ORIGINAL message, if available. If the message header displays the line "Reply to #nn", this key will take you to the proper message number. Message Command Keys -------------------- The following keys allow you to perform various, useful functions while reading a mail packet: The "R" Key ----------- Pressing "R" while reading messages will allow you to REPLY to the current message. If enabled, you will be asked if you would like to Quote the current message. You will then be given a "form" to fill out, containing the PRIVATE status of your message, who the message is FROM, who the message is TO, and the message SUBJECT. After the "form" has been completely filled out, the reader will load your text editor and allow you to enter the text of your message. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 35 READING A MAIL PACKET (continued) --------------------------------- The "E" Key ----------- The "E" key is similar in operation to the "R" key, except that you are not asked if you would like to Quote the current message. Use the "E" key when you would like to enter a NEW message in the message area. The reader will prompt you for the appropriate information, and then load your text editor. Enter the body of your message, and quit the editor. You can then choose to save your message, edit your message again, or kill the message altogether. The "T" Key ----------- The "T" key will give you a Title Scan of the current message area. The Title Scan can be very handy to use if you have disabled the Automatic Title Scan. The Title Scan allows you to page through the message "headers", as a type of "preview" of the message text. It displays the messages "read" status (whether or not you have already read the message), who the message is FROM, who the message is TO, and the SUBJECT of the message. It is also a quick way to jump between messages. You can move the highlight bar to the message that you would like to read, and press ENTER. The reader will immediately move you to the message that you have selected, and begin reading from there. The "V" Key ----------- The "V" key will allow you to View the current message on- screen, as is. This command is useful for BBSs that support the uploading or entering of ANSI messages (those which contain the ANSI Escape Color Codes). The reader will simply output the current message to the screen through DOS (just as if you executed a "TYPE FILENAME.EXT" at the DOS prompt. In order to see ANSI in messages, however, it will be necessary to have ANSI.SYS loaded at boot-up through CONFIG.SYS. Please see your DOS reference manual for instructions on installing the ANSI.SYS driver. The "S" Key ----------- Pressing "S" while reading messages will activate the reader's SEARCHING feature. You will be given a "form" similar to the message entry form. Fill out the search criterion, and press F10 or ENTER on the last field of the window when finished. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 36 READING A MAIL PACKET (continued) --------------------------------- You can instruct the reader to perform a search for ANY matches that it finds by answering "N" to the "Must match all search criterion" question. If you want the message to match ALL of the criterion, answer "Y" to this question. Press ESCape when you have completed your search. The "P" Key ----------- Pressing "P" while reading messages will make the reader search for PERSONAL mail in the current message area ONLY. (Future versions of The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader will perform Global Search and Personal Mail functions). The reader will act the same as if it were performing a user- defined search of the current message area. Alt-S ----- Pressing the key combination ALT-S (hold down the ALT key, and press "S") will allow you to save the current message to a DISK file. The reader will prompt you for the file name to save the message to. Press ESCape to abort the save function. If the file you specify already exists, it will automatically be APPENDED to. If the file does not exist, it will be created by the reader. Alt-P ----- The key combination ALT-P performs the same function as the ALT-S key, but instead saves the current message to your PRINTER. If you have toggled "Send FF After Printing Msgs." ON, the reader will send a form-feed to the printer after printing each message. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 37 USING THE MOUSE --------------- The Blue Wave Mail System fully supports the use of a MOUSE for moving through the menu system, selecting items from lists, and entering one- key input through the keyboard. In order to take advantage of the mouse support, you must have "Mouse Support" in the reader's SETUP menu set to "Yes". You must also have a Microsoft or compatible mouse driver loaded either as a TSR or a Device Driver through CONFIG.SYS. For more information on installing your mouse driver, please see either your Mouse reference manual, or the DOS reference manual. There are four types of input required through The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader; Y/N responses, Menu Input, List Selection, and Multiple Choice Mini-Menus. Mouse functions while reading mail will be discussed separately. Y/N Responses ------------- Most of the input required at prompts in the reader require either a "Yes" or "No" response. Instead of pressing "Y" or "N", you can use the mouse as the "keyboard". Pressing the LEFT mouse button at a Y/N prompt will translate into a "Y". The RIGHT mouse button translates to a "N". Menu Input ---------- You can select a menu item by simply moving the mouse cursor to the desired menu option and pressing the LEFT mouse button. Pressing the RIGHT mouse button while the reader is processing a menu will have the same effect as pressing the ESCape key. List Selection -------------- The reader has several screens where you must highlight an item from a "list", and press ENTER to select the item. (Such as when choosing an area to read). Mouse input on these lists is very simple and straight forward. To select an item on the current screen, move the mouse cursor to the desired line and press the LEFT mouse button. If there is more than one "page" of choices, the reader will place a "[ PgDn ]" or a "[ PgUp ]" symbol at the bottom of the selection list. To move down one page, move the mouse cursor to the "[ PgDn ]" symbol and press the LEFT mouse button. To move up one page, move the mouse cursor to the "[ PgUp ]" symbol and press the LEFT mouse button. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 38 USING THE MOUSE (continued) --------------------------- Pressing the RIGHT mouse button while the reader is processing a "list" will make the reader behave as if you pressed the ESCape key. Multiple Choice Mini-Menus -------------------------- Sometimes the reader will allow you to enter more than just a "Y/N" response. One example is after entering a message in any message area. After returning from the editor, the reader will give you the following prompt: "S)ave, E)dit, or K)ill?" The default selection will appear on the screen as an "S". To accept the default and save the message, press the LEFT mouse button while the cursor is anywhere on the screen except on top of the words "E)dit" and "K)ill". To make the reader respond as if you pressed the "E" key, simply move the mouse cursor to any of the characters in the word "E)dit", and press the LEFT mouse button. Likewise, to tell the reader to kill the message, move the mouse cursor to any of the letters in the word "K)ill", and press the LEFT mouse button. Reading Mail with the Mouse --------------------------- When you have enabled Mouse support in the reader, you can use the mouse to move from message to message, and scroll through the current message. To move to the NEXT message, move the mouse cursor to the "block" marked "NEXT" on the message header border, and press the LEFT mouse button. To move the the PREVIOUS message, move the mouse cursor to the block marked "PREV" on the message header border, and press the LEFT mouse button. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 39 USING THE MOUSE (continued) --------------------------- In order to scroll the lines of the current message, you will need to imagine that the message text "window" has a "line" dividing it through the center. When the mouse cursor is anywhere on the UPPER half of the message text window, you can press the LEFT mouse button to scroll the message text up one line. When the mouse cursor is anywhere on the LOWER half of the message text window, you can press the LEFT mouse button to scroll the message text down one line. In both cases, hold the LEFT button down to scroll the message more than one line. At any time while reading mail, press the RIGHT mouse button to return to the previous screen. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 40 BUILDING A SIGNATURE FILE ------------------------- As described earlier in the SETUP Menu section, you can make the reader add custom "Signature Lines" to the end of your messages. If you have this option set to "Random" or "Prompt", the reader will expect to find a Signature File (the reader allows you to define this file name in the SETUP->DIRECTORIES menu option). If at any time the reader cannot find the Signature File that you have specified, it will ask you to manually enter a signature. Otherwise, the reader will use the signatures you have entered into this text file. Building your custom signature file is easy; all you will need is a standard ASCII text editor. (The editor you use for entering messages should work just fine). A sample file, BWSIGS.TXT, should have been enclosed with your archive of The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader. Signature lines should be kept short (under 75 characters). Each signature can only be one line long. Any blank lines (those containing only a carriage return), and any lines beginning with a semi-colon (;) are IGNORED. This will allow you to add comment lines or space your signatures out for ease of readability. If your signature lines are greater than 75 characters, they will be truncated by the reader before adding them to your message. Signature files may be as large as you would like to make them, but the reader will only handle 500 signatures at any one time. If there are more than 500 "valid" signature lines (lines NOT beginning with a semi-colon or BLANK lines), the reader will simply ignore them. If the reader seems unacceptably slow after choosing your signature line, or just before it has prompted you for the signature line you would like to add, trimming the size of your file will increase its speed tremendously. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 41 USING THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR ----------------------------- Although most of the time you spend using The Blue Wave Mail System will be spent in the Offline Reader Environment, much of the power and potential for online savings of time and money will come through using the Blue Wave Mail Door to its full potential. In order to get the fullest out of The Blue Wave Mail Door, it is necessary to become familiar with the operating procedures in the door. The Configuration Menu ---------------------- This section will describe all of the commands available to you through the Blue Wave Mail Door's Configuration Menu. At first glance, the Configuration Menu may seem overwhelming. Please do not let this scare you off. The mail system was carefully designed to provide each individual user with options not available in other mail systems. Each menu item will be described below, along with a short description of where, how and/or why the command would be useful in any given situation, if the command description is not obvious Choose Message Areas -------------------- When selecting "C", you will be displayed a list of all LOCAL, ECHOMAIL, and GROUPMAIL bases available to you. Here you will be able to select and deselect message areas for download through the Blue Wave Mail Door. To toggle the status of a message base, enter the base number or number/letter combination associated with the message area. You may enter more than one message base number at a time; simply separate them by spaces. Lastread Pointers ----------------- Selecting "L" from the Configuration Menu will allow you to reset the pointers indicating which messages have been read, and which have not been read. The door will ask you how many DAYS you would like to "go back". Entering a 0 here will set your pointers to the current date and time (no mail will be found for download during a subsequent scan until more mail has been imported into the bases.) Entering any number other than 0 will reset your pointers to the specified number of days. (Entering a '1' would set your pointers back 24 hours. Entering a '2' would set your pointers back 48 hours, and so on.) ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 42 USING THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR (continued) ----------------------------------------- You will then be asked if you would like to reset your pointers in ALL areas, or in SELECTED areas. Choosing "All" will reset the pointers for all bases (even those that you are not currently downloading). Selecting "S" will reset the message pointers in ONLY the areas that you are downloading. In most cases, you will want to select "S". Archiver Selection ------------------ Selecting "A" from the door's Configuration Menu will allow you to select the archiver of your choice, from those defined by the Sysop. The archiver will be used to compress (Mash) the mail packet before you download it. Protocol Selection ------------------ Selecting "P" from the Configuration Menu will allow you to select the transfer protocol of your choice, from those defined by the Sysop. The protocol will be used during a download of a mail packet, the upload of a mail packet, and any File Request sessions that you may make. HotKeys ------- The Blue Wave Mail Door defaults to using "HotKeys" for a new user. The HotKey option allows you to select menu commands without having to press ENTER after each selection. Obviously, however, it will be necessary to press ENTER after some commands that require input of more than one character. With extremely noisy phone line conditions, HotKeys may not be desirable. Xpert Help Menus ---------------- The Blue Wave Mail Door defaults to using FULL help menus. However, after you become comfortable with the door, you may wish to turn off the full help menus. With Xpert Mode enabled, only the menu title, command keys, and time remaining are displayed. View Settings ------------- This command simply displays the status of the following options: HotKeys, Xpert Mode, Archiver Selection, Protocol Selection, and the Password (SECURE) option. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 43 USING THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR (continued) ----------------------------------------- Set Password Option ------------------- The Password, or Secure option is unique to The Blue Wave Mail System. Although some may question its usefulness, there are several situations where you may wish to enable this feature. There are 4 levels of security available: * Password prompting in the DOOR only. * Password prompting in the READER only. * Password prompting in the READER and DOOR. * No password prompting (DEFAULT). In a situation where you download sensitive areas from the BBS, and use the Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader on a machine that is shared by several other users, you may wish to add the secure option to the READER only. Each mail packet will be encrypted with a password. If a user tries to read a packet encrypted with a password, they will be prompted to enter it. If the user does not get the correct password after three tries, the reader will NOT allow them to read the mail packet. Another situation may occur where Father downloads sensitive mail, and does not wish for Daughter, Son, or Wife to read it. It may be useful to set the secure option in both the READER and DOOR, since it is possible that the family knows Father's BBS password. By prompting for a password when entering the door (obviously one that is different from the BBS password), he has another layer of security. Keyword Selection ----------------- The Blue Wave Mail Door allows you to specify up to 10 different Keyword definitions. These keywords will be used during the mail scanning process to inform you of mail in an area which contains any one of the keyword definitions. To get the full use out of keywords, you must use The Blue Wave Bundling Commands (described later) to instruct the door on how to handle keywords in certain areas. The best way to describe the use of keywords is with an example. Let's suppose that you are looking for Apple computer equipment to buy in the National For-Sale FidoNet Echo. Sometimes the FOR-SALE echo generates more than 200 messages per day. Instead of downloading all 200 messages, of which (possibly) 199 of them are of no interest to you, you may define the keyword APPLE. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 44 USING THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR (continued) ----------------------------------------- You would then be informed during the SCANNING process of all mail containing the keyword APPLE. By using the Blue Wave Bundling Commands, it is possible to ONLY bundle messages with the Keyword APPLE in them. This, of course, saves on-line time, and time you would have to spend paging through the numerous (UNWANTED) messages offline when using the reader. Naturally, there are many other uses to the Keywords option. The idea behind keywords is to let The Blue Wave Mail Door do the work for you! Filter Selection ---------------- Like Keywords, The Blue Wave Mail Door allows you to specify up to 10 FILTERS. Filters essentially work just the opposite of Keywords. During the door's SCANNING process, you are informed of messages that contain any of the Filters that you have defined. After the mail scan is complete, you can use The Blue Wave Bundling Commands to FILTER the messages that you do not want to receive. Again, the best way to describe the usefulness of Filters is with an example. Let's suppose that Joe Blow in the FidoNet C Programming Echo is consistently entering messages which contain false information, is constantly flaming others, and is being an all around nuisance. Although you really enjoy reading the C_ECHO, you get tired of seeing messages entered either from Joe Blow or to Joe Blow. By defining the Filter of JOE BLOW, you will be flagged if there are any messages containing the Filter. By using The Blue Wave Bundling Commands, you can then instruct The Blue Wave Mail Door NOT to bundle messages containing the Filter JOE BLOW. The Blue Wave Bundling Commands ------------------------------- Several Bundling Commands are available to you to make The Blue Wave Mail System one of the most robust mail systems available today. By combining The Blue Wave Bundling Commands with Keyword Definitions and Filter Definitions, you can discriminately select messages ON-LINE to download, rather than wasting time downloading mail, of which only a few messages are of any interest. The following section will give an in-depth description of each Bundling Command available to you, and examples on how to use each one to build a custom mail packet. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 45 USING THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR (continued) ----------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Mail Door prompts you for your Bundling Commands at the end of each mail SCAN, just before the system actually gathers mail for you. After viewing the SCAN TABLE, you can actually select which areas and/or messages you wish to download. The Bundling Commands ONLY affect the current download session, and are not saved for later use. (Unless you have defined them as a MACRO in the door's configuration menu, or in the reader's OFFLINE configuration). The default behavior of the door is to gather ALL NEW MAIL. The Blue Wave Bundling Commands only MODIFY the result. You can think of The Blue Wave Bundling Commands as a way to dynamically change the messages that the door has prepared to download for you. The commands are actually LETTERS and SYMBOLS, followed by numbers and "key words" which modify the effect of the Command. The keywords "*" and "all" area recognized by each Bundling Command, and operate on ALL message areas. (A "K*" would gather Keywords ONLY in ALL areas). The Bundling Commands may be "linked" together to form one long string. To perform multiple commands within the same bundling command, you simply need to separate them by SPACES. "-2 K9 P14 F22" is a perfectly valid bundling command. (This example would cause the door to not bundle messages in area number 2, gather keywords only in message area number 9, gather only personal mail in area number 14, and filter out messages in area number 22.) Deselecting an Area ------------------- To dynamically (and temporarily) deselect an area from the message bases that you are downloading, you can use the "-" bundling command. "-*" or "-ALL" would deselect all message areas, resulting in a total of 0 messages being downloaded. "-14" would temporarily deselect area #14. "-P1" would deselect message area "P1" on systems that use letters as area names such as Maximus-CBCS. Format: -<area #> Adding an Area -------------- To reselect an area which was previously deselected using the "-" command, use the "+<area #>" command. Please note that it is NOT possible to add a message area to your download packet that you are not currently scanning. If you have entered several bundling commands and realize that you have made a mistake, use the "+*" or "+ALL" command. This will reselect ALL message areas that you are scanning, and clear any designation of keywords/personal/filters in all message areas. In other words, it's the same as starting new. Format: +<area #> ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 46 USING THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR (continued) ----------------------------------------- Bundling Personal Messages Only ------------------------------- To instruct the door to bundle only your personal mail (mail addressed either to your login name or real name) in a message area, use the "P" command. To bundle only your personal mail in area #23, use "P23". To bundle only personal mail in ALL areas, use either "P*" or "PALL". Format: P<area #> Bundling Keywords Only ---------------------- To instruct the door to bundle only messages containing your Keyword definitions, use the "K" bundling command. WHEN USING THE "K" COMMAND, PERSONAL MAIL IS ALSO BUNDLED, IF ANY IS FOUND. To download only keyword messages in area #192, use the bundling command "K192". If you want to download ONLY keyword and personal mail in all areas, use "K*" or "KALL". Format: K<area #> Filtering Messages in an Area ----------------------------- If you would like the door to skip packing any messages that contain your filter definitions, use the "F" bundling command. To filter all messages in area #57, use the bundling command "F57". To filter messages in ALL message areas, use the "F*" or "FALL" commands. Format: F<area #> Bundling a Specified NUMBER of Messages --------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Mail Door has the ability to download a specified number of messages in any message area. This command is especially useful when downloading a message area for the first time, as sort of a "test drive". You may only want to bundle the last 10 messages in the area to see if you will enjoy reading that particular message base. To perform this function, use the "L" bundling command. The "L" bundling command is a bit different from the rest, as it takes two parameters, instead of one. To bundle the last 10 messages in area #563, use the command "563L10". To gather the last 10 messages in ALL areas, use the command "*L10". ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 47 USING THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR (continued) ----------------------------------------- The "L" bundling command is also a quick way to override your lastread message pointers for a particular area. If you choose to download the last 500 messages in area #3, and your lastread pointer indicates that only 7 messages are new, the "L" command will allow you to override the setting and download all 500 messages. (Use "3L500"). Format: <area #>L<# of messages to bundle> Lastread Pointers and Bundling Commands --------------------------------------- By default, upon a successful download session through The Blue Wave Mail Door, the door will update the last read message pointers in ALL areas that were SCANNED. (Note: If an area was deselected with a "-" command, it will STILL be updated to reflect the new last read pointer!) In most cases, this is desirable. However, The Blue Wave Mail System takes into consideration that all users' needs are different. The following two Bundling Commands will modify the default setting regarding message pointers. No Update of Message Pointers ----------------------------- If you wish the door NOT to update your message pointers for one reason or another, use the "N" bundling command. If you want the door to not save message pointers in area #75, use the command "N75". To not update message pointers in ALL areas that you are scanning, use "N*" or "NALL". Force Update of Message Pointers -------------------------------- Because the default behavior of the door is to UPDATE message pointers, this command is only useful to kill the effect of a previously entered "N" command. Suppose that you are downloading 50 areas, and only want one message base updated. You could use the command "N* U2". This would force the door to ONLY update the pointers in area #2. After an accidental "N*", a "U*" will correct the mistake. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 48 USING THE BLUE WAVE MAIL DOOR (continued) ----------------------------------------- The "!" Command --------------- Finally, the "!" command. A "!" anywhere on the command line tells the Blue Wave Mail Door to NOT prompt for any more bundling commands once the bundling command has been processed. By default, the door will process a command line, calculate a new TOTAL MESSAGES, and display it. You may the enter more bundling commands, or simply press ENTER to accept what was already processed, and begin bundling. Example Bundling Commands ------------------------- Most of the Blue Wave Bundling Commands described above do very little good when used alone. By combining the commands, the ultimate in custom mail bundling is available. Several examples follow, but please remember, there is virtually no end to what can be accomplished! -ALL +14 K17 F1 This command deselects all areas, adds area #14 for ALL NEW mail, area #17 for KEYWORDS ONLY, and FILTERS mail in area #1. The door then calculates a new total, and waits for more input. -ALL +14 K17 F1 ! This command does the same thing as the previous example, except it doesn't prompt for more commands, and begins bundling immediately. -14 P2 N18 K1 P22 17L60 F928 This command deselects area #14, gathers personal messages only in area #2, does not update message pointers for area #18, selects keywords only in area #1, personal messages only in area #22, gathers the last 60 messages in area #17, and filters messages in area #928. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 49 PRODUCT SUPPORT --------------- The Blue Wave Mail System is a growing and developing software package. Blue Wave Software is always interested in hearing your comments, complaints, suggestions, and of course kind words. We take into consideration every request that we get in order to make The Blue Wave Mail System a first class offline mail package. We would like to hear from you! If you are having trouble with The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader, or have comments and suggestions, please drop us a line. We can be reached via direct FidoNet NETMAIL, through the International BLUEWAVE Echo (available on the FidoNet Backbone and Distribution Hubs), and of course through the US Mail. Blue Wave Software is owned and operated by Fred Rappuhn and George Hatchew in Flint, Michigan, USA. Here are the addresses where you may contact us directly: US Postal Service ----------------- Blue Wave Software PO Box 1057 Flint, MI 48503 USA The Blue Wave Software Support BBSs ----------------------------------- The Wild! Blue BBS The Flight of the Raven 1-313-743-8464 1-313-232-7815 Flint, Michigan Flint, Michigan 2400 Baud N-8-1 9600 HST/v32 N-8-1 FidoNet 1:2240/176 FidoNet 1:2240/107 Sysop: George Hatchew Sysop: Fred Rappuhn ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 50 INDEX OF KEYWORDS ----------------- @F 15 Password option 27 @I 15 Personal Mail 37 Addresses 50 PKARC 4 ANSI messages 36 PKPAK 4 ANSI.SYS 36 PKZIP 4 ARC 15 Protocol 43 Archiver 43 Purge Mail 19 Archiver command line 15 Qedit 4 Archivers 5, 14 Quote Header 11 Area configuration 29 QUOTE Messages 11 ARJ 4, 16 Reading messages 32 Batch Protocols 31 Registration Information 5 Beep On Personal Messages 10 Registration Name 5 BIOS screen writes 3 Registration Number 5 Blue Wave Mail Door 42 Reply Chaining 35 BLUEWAVE 50 SEARCHING 36 Bundling Commands 45, 46, 49 Setup 5 BWAVE200.CFG 4 Signature File 41 BWCOLOR.200 16 Signature Filename 9 CGA Snow 3 Signature Line Selection 10 Clock 10 Signature Lines 41 Closed Packet Menu 19, 24 Single-File Protocols 30 Color configuration 16 Sorting 14 Color Configurations 5 Support 50 Command line 3 Swap Directory 8 Directories 5 Swapping 12 Directories and File Paths 6 TinyEditor 4 Download Directory 6 Title Scan 12, 13, 36 Echo 50 Unarchivers 5 Editor FilePath 8 Unregistered users 26 Exploding Windows 12 Upload Directory 6 FidoNet 50 Video writes 3 File Request 25, 30 Welcome messages 22 File Requests 23 Work Directory 7 Filters 27, 45 Xpert Mode 43 Form Feed 14 ZIP 15 HotKeys 43 INFormation file 19 Keywords 27, 44 Laser printers 14 LHARC 4 LZH 16 Macros 28 Memory Swaps 12 Message Pointers 13, 14 Message reading 21 MONOCHROME Mode 3 Mouse Support 12, 38 Noise on Errors 10 Offline Configuration 23, 25, 26 PAK 4, 16 Password 44 ---------------------------------------------------------- The Blue Wave Offline Mail Reader Operations Manual, v2.00 Page 51