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PMDBM V1.2ß - Evaluation License This product and the attached documentation are the Copyrighted intellectual property of Les Gyurky and all rights are reserved. 1) No changes may be made to any of the files in this package and the code may not be disassembled. 2) Non-registered users of PMDBM are granted the right to use it free of charge, without a key file, for the purpose of evaluation, until a reasonable evaluation period has elapsed. In no event should this exceed 14 days. After that time, continued use obligates the user to register. 3) The program may be freely copied and distributed in order that others be given the opportunity to evaluate the product. All of the files in the original distribution packet must be copied including all documentation and notices WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE KEY FILE, EVEN IF ONE WAS INCLUDED. The Key File may not be distributed under any circumstances. Each key file is unique and can only be provided, on registration, by the author. 4) No fee WHATSOEVER may be charged for the distribution of this product except by special arrangement with the author. Anyone paying such fees is asked to contact the author. Legal action will be taken. Anyone wishing to charge for distribution of this product should contact the author and a special version will be provided after appropriate royalties are established. While this restriction does not apply to membership fees charged by BBS systems, no fee may be charged explicitly for the downloading of this product. 5) Use or distribution of this product indicates acceptance of the Licensing terms. 6) The author accepts no Liability for any damage which may occur through the use of this program. While the program has been fully tested by a number of people, there nontheless exists the possibility that the program may cause problems on other configurations. The user runs this program at their own risk and must accept full responsibility for any problems which the program may cause. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ REQUIREMENTS At a minimum, PMDBM requires the use of a CGA monitor and a 286 or better with at least 64k of expanded memory. Disk space: At a minimum, PMDBM needs around 700,000 bytes of disk space for the program and it's files. This requirement will grow as the number of messages in PMDBM's MessageBase increases. Of course, there must also be enough space available for the mail packets, and to unpack them. While a packet is being read, PMDBM will require some temporary disk space to create it's index. Typically, this is about 25% of the size of the MESSAGES.DAT file (in the mail packet) - but never less than 95,000 bytes. PMDBM does not make use of the NDX files in the QWK packet. If none of the other packages you use need them either, you may freely remove them from the .QWK packet. Memory: In order to ensure enough free memory for your archiver/de-archiver and your editor, you should typically have over 500k of free base memory when starting PMDBM. The actual amount needed will vary depending on the editor, list utility and Archiver/de-archiver used. PMDBM.EXE uses over 300k, for code space and between 80 and 100k for data. PMDBM requires more base memory while creating a reply than at any other time. You can test to see if you have enough free memory by displaying your full list of conferences (Toggle-Display) and then attempting to enter a reply. If this fails, you need to free memory, or, in a multi-tasker like DesqView, allocate more to PMDBM. PMDBM will also make use of up to 1.2M of Expanded memory which if available can significantly enhance performance. DESQVIEW Users PMDBM is being used by several registered users under DesqView and reports indicate it works extremely well, given that it has enough memory resources. You should set the Max Expanded Memory value on the advanced options screen, otherwise PMDBM will grab all the expanded memory it can use, up to 1.2M. You should provide at least 540k of base memory and 256k of expanded memory to this version of PMDBM. DV users should load DVANSI.COM. While configuring DV shouldn't pose any problems, the DV selection 'WRITES DIRECTLY TO SCREEN' should be set to 'Y'es and the 'ALLOW CLOSE WINDOW' option MUST be set to NO (if the Window is closed abnormally, there is a chance that file corruption may occur). Normally, PMDBM does not do direct screen writes. But at key times it does temporarily save and restore video memory for the sake of speed. This has been implemented in a manner where it will never happen when PMDBM is running in the background. It will only happen directly in response to user input - when display performance is important - and not while running activities, like importing a large packet, in the background. WINDOWS 3.0 Users PMDBM is being used by several registered users on DOS 5.0 systems under Windows 3.0. As with DesqView, Windows must provide PMDBM with Expanded Memory, set in the PIF file. The following guidelines for the PIF provide a starting point: KB Required: 550 KB Desired: 640 EMS Memory: KB Required 1024 KB Desired: 2048 Video memory: Text. While performance under Windows is slower than under DOS, it is apparently quite acceptable with a 16Mhz 386sx or better. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PMDBM is a Personal Message DataBase Management system. If used without a Key File, this version will run in Evaluation Mode. Upgrading to full capability requires only that you obtain a Key file, which will be provided on registration. Although this is the same version which is provided to registered users, it's not inconceivable that some problems will yet come to light. As always, I will endeavor to resolve these and post updates as soon as possible. While I would have liked to release a fully functional program, I find myself in a difficult position. Namely, potential user registrations are my only source of income at the moment and I felt I had to maximize the likelyhood of generating them. While I'm sure that most people who will choose to use PMDBM would eventually register, at this time delays would be problematic for me. So, please accept my apologies for the limitations. I trust you understand. On the positive side, the functional limitations are few and really will not affect your ability to fully evaluate the reader. The limitations in Evaluation Mode are: Messages can be flagged as deleted but cannot actually be removed from the MessageBase. Messages flagged as deleted in the Replies conference will, of course, not be exported for upload. Deleted messages will automatically be cleaned out once you obtain your Key file. Personal conferences can not be added or deleted. Personal conferences are ones which you can create to provide additional flexibility in classifying and filing your archived messages. The mechanism for adding and editing conferences is intact so you may evaluate it, but changes will not be saved to disk unless a valid Keyfile exists. Tagline support has been removed. If a tagline file exists, you are allowed to go through the motions of selecting a Tag for the purposes of evaluation, but the tagline will not actually be appended to the message. This version contains the Tagline stealing and editing functions of the Enhanced version of PMDBM. Due to a lack of demand, the Base version (ie: non-enhanced) of PMDBM has been discontinued. The ability to use 'CarbonCopy Lists' to post a reply to multiple users or conferences is disabled. Again, you are able to evaluate the function, but when push comes to shove, no files are used. This function uses routines in common with the Key Contact list, which is active, and both share the same files. From the user perspective, using it is VERY similar to using the Key Contact list, and the major differences are internal to PMDBM and transparent to the user. Saved messages which have been in the MessageBase for over 14 days can not be re-read. Because certain functions can change the expiry date of a message, any message which is dated more than 30 days in the past will also be unreadable in Evaluation Mode. (Even if they were just imported. All messages will be readable when you receive your Key file.) With the exception of reading BBS news, support for BBS services has been removed. Again, you may go through the motions, but no information will be displayed. Since all services use the same routines as BBS news, BBS news provides a more than adequate basis for evaluating such functions. This documentation is incomplete and a more detailed version will accompany the official V1.0 release of the registered software. The revision notes near the end of this document provide some additional information. The ability to Import all messages in a particular conference is disabled. In Evaluation Mode, you can only Import messages individually or import the whole packet. Additionally, in Evaluation Mode, all personal mail will be imported into the MessageBase regardless of the setting of the Import Personal flag. The ability to copy messages from one conference to another has not yet been added to the program, in any mode. Nor has the ability to search for specific text/messages. This version of PMDBM does not support multiple BBSes within the same MessageBase but support for multiple MessageBases is provided so users of more than 1 BBS can set up one MessageBase per BBS. The documentation provided with the Key file goes into this in detail. Although not complicated, the key file is accompanied with sample files to help with initial setup. The Keyfile also enables the means of switching MessageBases without having to exit the reader. While better than in previous versions, there are still areas where data entry validation is not done in this version. When inputing string data, you will be allowed to type virtually forever (up to 32k). Of course, if your input exceeds the length of a field, only the first characters typed will actually be used. In some cases, you may also be allowed to enter alpha characters when numeric data is required. Since this could cause the program to fail, please use caution. If the current or default value is numeric, you should enter numeric data as well. This is a known deficiency and has been addressed to some extent. It will be further addressed in a subsequent release. Please NOTE: PMDBM continues to evolve and change. These changes may require that the File Format changes. As a result, this copy may not be compatible with the file formats used in previous or future versions. While registered users are assured that backward compatibility or file conversion capabilities will be provided, of course no such assurance can be given to non-registered users. All in all, as you can see, the limitations are not serious ones. I don't believe in annoyware. My primary concern, both when writing or evaluating software, is user friendliness and the whole concept behind annoyware indicates a philosophy which I do not and can not support. Personally, I don't care how good a product is. If it ticks me off, I can't be bothered properly evaluating it and as a result won't register. So apart from the initial screen asking you to register, you won't be bugged while using this product. You will get a 'please register' message if you attempt to use a feature which is disabled. If you use this product you are obliged to register and I fervently ask that you do so. Even without a keyfile this version is almost fully functional and as far as the ability to read and answer messages goes, can serve the purposes of a reader quite nicely. At the time of writing (Sept 28, 1991) V1.0 of the program is virtually complete and very stable. But it is still under development and in Beta testing. A few features are still to be added and changes are being made based on user requests. If you register before V1.0 (the 1st non-beta version) is complete, and indicate on the order form that you are willing to use the Beta test version, you will receive your keyfile and an updated copy of the program (if any significant fixes or changes have been introduced). Of course, no upgrade fee will be required in order to receive the official non-beta version when it is ready. Even if you are not registered, this version is a beta version and I would appreciate any feedback you have regarding it, especially if you encounter problems. It is due to the existing beta users that the product is as stable as it is, and several of the features, and enhancements to features, were suggested by the users and I appreciate all their support. I thank you also for evaluating this product and hope you enjoy using it. The following documentation is incomplete and additional documentation will accompany the key file and more a full set will accompany the final version. This document does not discuss all the features which are available, which will be detailed when you receive your Key file. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Licensing for Registered Users This product and its documentation are the Copyrighted intellectual property of Les Gyurky and all rights are reserved. Registered users are granted the right to use the product only under the following conditions: 1) No changes may be made to any of the programs or documentation in this package and in no case may the code be disassembled. 2) The Key File which unlocks all the features is provided for the exclusive use of the registered user. It may ONLY be copied for that user's exclusive use and in no event may it be distributed. 3) This is a personal mail reader and registration grants the registered individual the right to use this product without limiting such use to any one system. You may freely use it at home and/or the office or elsewhere. Each corporate or commercial registration must designate the name of one individual as the registered user. Corporate users may change this designation at any time, for a small administrative fee as defined in the fee schedule. No person other than the registered or designated user may use this product. The registered user is responsible for ensuring compliance with the licensing terms and, not withstanding any other legal claims which the copyright holder may be entitled to, the registered user automatically forfeits the right to use this product should the terms of this license not be upheld. 4) This license grants the user the right to upgrade to any new releases of the product at reasonable cost. The current costs are defined in the attached fee schedule. Upgrades of minor versions (all 1.*, for example) will be free, if the upgrade is obtained from a BBS. A key file upgrade will be required with major releases (from 1.* to 2.*). 5) While these licensing terms will continue to apply to this version, they may differ from the licensing terms of future versions. 6) The author accepts no Liability for any damage which may occur through the use of this program. While the program has been fully tested, there nontheless exists the possibility that the program may cause problems on some configurations. The user runs this program at their own risk and must accept full responsibility for any problems which the program may cause. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF FEATURES I have been using off-line mail readers for about 2 years now. In that time I've tried a number of them, yet found that all the good ones were lacking what I considered to be an important feature. The overriding factor which led to the development of PMDBM was my inability to find a good reader which could archive messages and properly manage those archived messages. Unfortunately, I couldn't classify the reader which came the closest to what I was looking for as 'good'. It was bug ridden and exhibited some serious (and frustrating) failings. And, while it had a lot of capabilities, it wasn't very user friendly and was possibly trying to be too capable. Additionally, it forced me to import all of my QWK packets into it's database which created the need for lots of disk space as well as lots of manual maintenance. Well, I hope no one will find occasion to say similar things about PMDBM. While it may be that a reader does exist which would have served my requirements, I dind't find it and so here we are. a) My primary objective in writing this reader was to allow for the archival AND easy recall of important messages. To that end, PMDBM builds a database and there are 2 ways in which it can be used. 1) You can read your QWK mail packets directly, selectively archiving important conferences or messages. 2) Or you can import your QWK packets into the database and then read them. Each conference in the database has a default expiry date and unless a message is explicitly 'Archived' it will expire automatically. b) PMDBM IS user friendly. Almost all commands are single-keystroke commands. They are as consistent as possible across all screens. All attempts have been made to follow accepted conventions. c) PMDBM IS simple to configure and use. You can read all your messages, in all Conferences, without having to use any keys other than the 4 arrow keys and the Space Bar. The Space Bar can be used to make selections and to scroll through messages. d) PMDBM is consistent. Screens and commands are identical regardless whether you are reading the database or a QWK packet, except that the menu bar changes color to let you know which you are currently in. Of course some commands, such as Kill and DEL, cannot be used while reading a QWK packet and therefore do not appear on the menu line. e) You are in control of the MessageBase. You can delete or add conferences and messages. Messages can have expiry dates for automatic deletion or they can be permanently archived. You can archive all messages in a thread or conference and can create personal conferences in the database to better classify files. f) There is a 'Key Contact' list. When sending a message or reply you can select the recipient (or recipients) from this list. When reading a message, you can add the message sender to your 'Key Contact' list by the press of a single key. g) Through the use of 'CarbonCopy Lists', PMDBM allows you to send your reply or message to one or more users - in one or more conferences! h) While the default sort is on 'Subject', you can select several fields as the primary sort key. i) The 'subject' field on messages in the database can be modified allowing for better classification of messages and for cleaning up 'thread' order. j) When importing or archiving messages, duplicate messages are rejected based on the conference and message number. k) The reader provides support for BBS services, including - but not limited to - support for listing the NEW FILES list and reading of Bulletins. l) The reader supports up to 32,767 Conferences (less the 2 default ones). In the current version, there can actually be a lower limit imposed if there is insufficient memory available. By default, the Conference Selection Screen only displays those conferences which are in use. Through the use of a toggle, one can switch between displaying all conferences or only those in use. (If your BBS has a lot of conferences, displaying all conferences can add considerably to the memory required to use the reader). During configuration, the default setting may also be changed. Each Conference can contain up to 32,767 messages at any one time. m) There is tagline support, including an easy-to-use internal Tagline stealer. Among some of it's features are the ability size and edit a tagline before it gets appended to the file. PMDBM supports the use of multiple tagline files. n) When requesting Services, BBS News or the listing of NEW FILES, you are given the option of selecting the file from the existing packet (if it exists) or of selecting a different packet (if one exists). The selection of a different packet does not have any affect or bearing on which QWK packet you are reading messages from. o) Easy-to-use support is also included for QMAIL's off-line reconfiguration features. p) There is support for 4 include files. A header file, a footer (or signature) file, a Usenet header and a Usenet footer. If they exist, these files are added to your messages for you at the start of your editing session. Finally, this is a mail reader/MessageBase manager. It wasn't my intent to replace communications programs, editors, list utilities etc. Although future versions may add some of these capabilities, my focus with this initial version was soley on producing a good mail reader/manager. I think I've done that, and at this point that is all I've done. On the positive side, you are free to continue using your favorite utilities and I've added the necessary hooks to allow you to do that. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE FUTURE At this time, this reader only supports QWK packets and it may not work with some doors which claim to be QWK compatible. Besides QMAIL, I know that it handles QWK packets from the ROSEMAIL door and it's been reported to work with TomCat. If you do run across a QWK compatible door which doesn't work, please do let me know. The approach I've taken is one which can easily be extended to support virtually any (and many) packet types. If PMDBM is well received, support for other packet types will be added. In the works, and hopefully not too far off, is an MS-Windows version. The conversion is being done by a good friend, Jonathan Harley, and should be available within weeks after this version is released. We anticipate that the price of the Windows version will be similar to the price of the DOS version. Registered users of one version will also be entitled to a substantial rebate when registering for the other version. Apart from the Windows conversion, Jonathan has been an instrumental contributor and supporter throughout PMDBM's development and testing. Given enough memory, PMDBM is already fast, but key routines will be re-written using assembler in upcoming DOS versions. In the attempt to provide speed, PMDBM cannot be considered frugal when it comes to memory use. The next version will reduce the maximum amount of memory required without impacting speed and will provide better memory management. I have a lot of plans for additional enhancements. In fact, the list seems to be never ending. Suggestions from registered users have and will weigh heavily on what new features get implemented, when and how. Of course, all E-mailed suggestions are welcome. PMDBM is VERY easy to use. Nonetheless I anticipate that many will request mouse support, and it will be mandatory in the Windows version. I expect that, while this version doesn't contain it, the next likely will. In the event that it becomes necessary to modify file formats, rest assured that a conversion mechanism will be provided to registered users. In that regard, all future versions will either be downward compatible with your database or will provide for a conversion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE BASICS The first off-line mail reader I used came as part of a BBS membership package and I had the hardest time figuring out what to do with it. In retrospect, I realize that my problems were really due to a lack of understanding about what an off-line mail reader was and confusion about the off-line versus the on-line requirements. I had never been in a QMAIL (or any other MAIL) Door and all of the documentation I had available made the assumption that I would at least understand the basic concepts behind off-line mail readers. Unfortunately, I didn't and couldn't for the life of me figure out how to make the darn thing dial. When I finally decided to do the dialing myself, I couldn't figure out how to invoke the reader! Oh well. Eventually, I did muddle my way through it. Anyway, after the problems I had, I'm going to spend a minute here in attempting to avoid doing that to anyone else. If you are already familiar with off-line readers and currently use another one, you might want to skip ahead from here to the 'Key Concepts' section. I have attempted to make this reader as capable and fast as possible while keeping it's use as simple as possible. I really think I've suceeded and feel sure you'll like it. If you are experienced with off-line readers, you should be able to install and run this package without any need for documentation, though skimming key sections will ensure that you are fully aware of all the reader's capabilities. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOR THE NEW OFF-LINE MAIL USER If you currently read your mail while on-line to your BBS you are using valuable connect time not to mention tying up other important resources like your phone. And often you are obliged to read mail whenever you finally get connected, as opposed to when you have the time. And with file uploading and downloading and then mail reading, the connect time allotments aren't nearly long enough - but the good news is that there is a better way!! Most bulletin boards allow you to selectively download mail to your personal system so that you may then read and reply to the messages at your leisure using an off-line mail reader. While some readers do have a built-in communications capabilities, any off-line reader, including PMDBM, needs to have such a downloaded mail 'packet' available to it before the reader itself can be of use. So, before you can use PMDBM you will have to download just such a packet. There are several different Mail systems in use by BBSes. Currently, this reader only supports those which use QMAIL and provide mail packets using the QWK format. It's been reported to me that in addition to QMAIL the reader worked on a Tomcat BBS (Mail system unknown) and with Rosemail doors. (If you have problems with a door other than an actual QMAIL door, I will need to receive a sample mail packet, preferably from you, before I can investigate the problem. I will attempt to resolve any conflicts which I become aware of.) I've used the term DOOR above, and if you are going to be involved with BBSing, you will hear it mentioned often. When you log onto a BBS, you are communicating with the BBS software and it will initially be in control of your session. But there are often many features or capabilities that a BBS offers which are not provided as part of the BBS software. In such a case, the BBS software must 'shell out' or pass control of your session to another piece of softare. In effect, you temporarily 'leave' or 'exit' the BBS software and I suspect this is why this mechanism is called a 'DOOR'. The steps needed to download a packet do vary from BBS to BBS and this document isn't really the right place to detail all the steps necessary. Suffice it to say that your Sysop should be able to provide you with the information you need. At any rate, once you've logged in, the first step is finding and 'Opening' the QMAIL door. Once you enter the Door, QMAIL first puts new QMAIL users into 'Configure' mode and provides the ability to select certain options. All of the selections can be changed later, and usually the default values will serve the new user quite adequately. One key factor is that you do have to select at least one conference from which you wish to download mail messages. Mail will only be collected from selected conferences, so if you don't select any conferences, you will only recieve mail from those conferences which your Sysop has defined as defaults, if any. Once you've configured the Door, you are ready to download your first packet and the process is similar to downloading any other file. It's at this point, after downloading and logging off the BBS, that you are ready to put PMDBM to use. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QMAIL DOOR CONFIGURATION: The QMAIL door has 2 options which you may wish to enable. 1) Option 17 enables or disables the ability to download information on all Conferences on the BBS. My suggestion is that you do 1 download with Option 17 OFF so that all conferences get entered into the permanent MessageBase. You may then enable Option 17 so that you only download info on those conferences which you've selected. Because a record for all Conferences will now exist in the MessageBase, you will have the ability to enter messages in any conference, even those which you do not normally download. You can selectively delete those conferences from the MessageBase which you know you will never use. 2) You may also wish to configure QMAIL so that your replies are sent back to you. In this way, you will be able to archive threads which include your replies. (This is option 1 in the QMAIL door) 3) Once you have PMDBM set up, you can use the Configure command (ALT-C) on PMDBM's Conference Selection Screen to change certain aspects of your QMAIL configuration. Via PMDBM, you can request that a conference be added or deleted from your BBS's QMAIL configuration. In addition to those options displayed when you do the ALT-C, you may enter any valid configuration command while positioned on the blank line in the selection window. Whenever you use the ALT-C command, a special message will automatically be created and will be added to your packet during the next REPLY export. This option is intended to be used only with conferences for which an entry exists in the database. Following 1) above will ensure that you have the full list to choose from. If you want to have QMAIL add a conference for which a MessageBase entry does not yet exist, you can do so by doing an ALT-C and then typing in the appropriate ADD command manually on the blank line. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PMDBM INSTALLATION To install PMDBM you simply have to copy the files onto disk. PMDBM consists of 2 programs, PMDBM.EXE and PMDCFG.EXE, and PMDSTRNG.DAT. The EXE programs will create any other files which are needed. (Registered users will also have received a KEY file). While PMDBM can and will share files and directories with other utilities, it should reside in a directory of it's own. On initial startup, PMDBM will automatically invoke the 'Configure' option and create a configuration file. The default configuration file is called MAILFILE.CFG. The file will be created in the directory from where PMDBM is run. Whenever you run PMDBM subsequently, you or your system will have to change your drive and path first to where the .CFG and PMDSTRNG.DAT files are. If PMDBM can't find the .CFG file, it will create a new one and go into 'Configure' mode. PMDBM DOES NOT TAKE LIBERTIES with any of your files - and only modifies it's own. (The one exception may be the QWK and REP packets, depending on how PMDBM has been configured). Configuring PMDBM is easy and most of the default values will be appropriate for most users. While you are in the Configuration Screen, you are placed in 'Edit Mode'. As explained in the section on Commands, TAB and the Arrow Keys will move you from field to field. Typing an alphanumeric key will erase the current contents of the field you are at and you may enter a new value. If you do not wish to replace the current contents of a field, but only want to modify the existing information, first type the DEL or INSERT keys. This will place you in edit mode without deleting the current contents. Once you are in Field Edit mode, you may use the Left and Right arrows, HOME or END to move within the field. After changing the value of a field, either <Enter> or <TAB> will commit the changes and take you to the next field. It is recommended that you not use <ENTER> but use the <TAB> key instead. If you hit <Enter> while not editing a field, <Enter> will commit the configuration as displayed and you will be returned to the Main Menu. It is for this reason that using <TAB> is recommended above. To configure PMDBM you will need to provide the following information: (If a directory you specify doesn't exist, it will be created!) MAIN DIR: This is the main directory which PMDBM should use for its files. If a .CFG file didn't exist when you entered Configure, the value you enter for this field will be copied to all other DIRectory fields. The first time you start PMDBM, it will insert the current path into this field. You may change it to any path on any drive. MESSAGE FILE DIR: The database consists of several files. The 2 largest are the header file and the message file. Most files, including the header file, will always be placed in the MAIN DIR, but if disk space is limited, you can choose to place the MESSAGE file in a separate directory, and/or a different disk. (Except initially, it typically grows to become the largest file). QWK FILE DIR: This tells PMDBM where you store your QWK packets. PMDBM will use the QWK files from this area. REPLIES DIR: This tells PMDBM where to store your REPLY packets. PMDBM will also place your most recent message pointer file (.PTR file) here. ** SCRATCH DIR: PMDBM requires a 'Work' directory. This directory should optimally be a subdirectory of PMDBM's main directory. NOTE: *** IT SHOULD NOT BE USED by any other application or for any *** other purpose. PMDBM liberally creates and deletes files in *** this area!! It also deletes the directory when not in use! EDITOR NAME: This can be the name of your favourite editor, or a batch file which you use to start it. The default setting is for a batch file in the default directory called EDITOR.BAT. If your editor cannot be found in your CURRENT path, you will need to provide the full drive/path name so the reader can find it. You may also specify any switches which your editor requires. By adding a /TMP switch to this line, you will be indicating to PMDBM that your editor supports the use of multiple edit windows, AND that you want to use them. In this event, PMDBM will create a special file to contain quoted text and that file will be placed into the editor's second edit-window. TAGLINE FILE: PMDBM supports the use of tagline files. The files can be ordinary text files, with one tagline per file line. It is recommended that these files reside in the MAIN directory. To use more than 1 file, you may provide a wildcarded name and PMDBM will prompt for the selection of a specific file when required. Unless the file is in the MAIN directory, the filename should include the drive and path to the file. LIST UTILITY: In order to display various text files from your QWK packets, PMDBM requires access to your list utility. The requirements for this field are the same as those for the EDITOR field. If you do not have a LIST utility of some form, you can specify 'TYPE' or 'TYPE | MORE' to have PMDBM use Dos' TYPE command. Alternatively, you may also use your Editor. ARCHIVER: When downloaded, your QWK packets will be in archived form. When uploading your replies, you will need to archive them as well. This is where you specify the name of the archiver to use. DE-ARCHIVER: Complement to ARCHIVER, is used to de-archive files from QWK or REPLY packets. FILENAME TO USE: What you enter here will be used as the first 8 characters for naming PMDBM's MessageBase files. The default is MAILFILE. Since one MessageBase can only support one BBS, this field will be most useful to users of multiple BBSes. If you have more than 1 configuration file, the value in this field should be unique. The same name should not be used in more than 1 configuration file. MAX MESSAGE LINES: Some BBS software and Mail readers can not support long messages. PMDBM can split your outgoing messages at any point you specify here. Though the default (and recommended) value is 100 lines you can change this value or totally disable this feature by setting it to 0, understanding that by doing so you may cause your messages to be truncated by some BBSes and readers. MAX PACKETS TO KEEP: PMDBM will delete any QWK and REPly packets in excess of the number specified here. A value of 0 disables this feature. RENAME PACKETS must also be enabled for this feature to work. REPLACEMENT SYMBOL: PMDBM supports the use of certain variables in your header and footer files. To identify such a variable, it must be preceded and followed by a special character and this is where you can specify the character you wish to use and you may use virtually any valid ascii character here. (See the SYMBOLS.DOC file, or the section on SYMBOLS for more info) AUTOIMPORTS: When set to 'Y' PMDBM will automatically import any QWK file if it's filename exactly matches the BBSNAME.QWK format. Of course, this excludes files which have been renamed to the form BBSnumber.QWK. There is no harm done (apart from wasting a little time) if you accidentally import a packet twice. PMDBM stores messages based on conference number and message number and will not store duplicates again. This feature works best if the RENAME PACKETS is set to 'Y' or some other software is used to rename your packets. Otherwise, PMDBM will attempt to import any packet which matches the BBSNAME.QWK format every time it starts up. ZIP HDR: When a QWK packet is read, a temporary index file is created in the scratch directory. This index file contains various information about each message, including whether or not it has been read. If ZIP HDR is set to 'Y', then the INDEX file will be zipped into the QWK packet when you exit the QWK reader portion of PMDBM. If set to 'N', then the index file (.HDR file) will only exist until the scratch directory is cleaned up. In that case, subsequent re-reading of the QWK packet will cause a brand new index file to be created. Personally, I recommend setting this to 'N', since the purpose of the reader is to eliminate the need to continually go back to previous QWK packets. The time needed to zip the file is also longer than the time needed to recreate a new one. Note that as long as the scratch directory is not cleaned out (you are prompted for this) you can re-read the current packet as often as you like, by selecting MESSAGES.DAT instead of a QWK file, without losing the status information contained in the HDR file. RENAME PACKETS: While I recommend that you leave this set to 'Y', setting this to 'N' allows you to disable PMDBM's renaming (and cleanup) of your QWK and REP files. The only time I'd recommend setting this to 'N' is if you use another program which needs access to your QWK packets, and it is not compatible with PMDBM's naming format. When this switch is set to 'N', PMDBM will no longer be concerned about the name of the QWK packet and will allow selection of any packet which is named *.QW*. SUBJ ONLY: This feature is not currently active, and may actually be removed from PMDBM. PARAGRAPH QUOTES: When set to 'Y', the intials of the message sender are only placed at the head of each paragraph and line draw characters are used to mark the quoted section. When set to 'N', the initials are placed on every quoted line followed by '> ' (ie: LG> Well, what....) IMPORT PERSONAL: When set to 'Y' this feature will automatically import any messages in a QWK packet which are addressed to or written by you. CONFERENCES IN USE: If set to 'Y', only those conferences which are in use will be presented for selection on the 'Conference Selection Screen'. If set to 'N' then all conferences will be displayed. Since this display can be toggled while you are in the reader, regardless the setting of this switch, all conferences are available for selection when entering or replying to messages and when configuring the QMAIL door. A setting of 'Y' reduces peak memory requirements. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FILES USED: Current Default: Reply.IN and Reply.OUT - temporary work files created during a reply and edited by user. Reply.Out is not deleted till the next reply, so you can recover MANUALLY in the event of some error. Reply2.IN contains quoted text if the editor name contains the /TMP switch in the configuration. *.CFG - Configuration files PMDSTRNG.DAT - used by PMDBM. Main Directory: *.HDR - Conference/MessageBase header file *.DEL - A list of the available free spots in the *.FIL file. *.??? - ASCII TagLine files (*.TAG recommended) *.CCL - CarbonCopy and Key Contact lists. *.CCU - Key Contact lists for Usenet Gateway users. QCONFIG.TXT - Temporarily stores your QMAIL DOOR configuration commands, till they are inserted into the REPLY packet. other - FOOTER, HEADER, FOOTER.NET HEADER.NET Scratch Directory: (Temporary storage only) Messages.HDR - Header file for current QWK packet. Miscellaneous files Upacked QWK files Message File Dir: *.FIL - Contains the message body for messages in the MessageBase. *.RPL - Contains the message body for Replies and newly entered messages before they are exported. QWK and REPLIES Dir: QWK and REP files. Currently, an uncompressed copy of the most recent REP packet is kept as bbs01.MSG. While you may delete it manually, they don't use much space and provide some backup. Should anything happen to damage your most recent REP packet before or during upload, you can recreate it by renaming and then archiving the .MSG file. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- USING PMDBM Apart from secondary functions, PMDBM primary function is to allow you to read messages from a mail packet - as you would with any mail reader. But, in addition, PMDBM also supports the use of a MessageBase. As you read your mail packets, you undoubtably find messages which you would like to keep for future reference. Keeping a whole packet for the sake of one message, or even a few messages, is a little extreme - not to say wasteful. In my vision of PMDBM, I saw the MessageBase as an archive for SELECTed messages. In this archive, one could treat any saved message as though it were still in a QWK packet. A key concept to grasp is that there are basically 2 twin 'sides' to PMDBM. On the one side you read, reply to, and manipulate messages which are still in the QWK packet. On the other side, while outwardly it appears very similar to the first side, you are actually reading and manipulating messages in your personal MessageBase. Which 'side' of PMDBM you use, when reading mail, depends on which option you select from the Main Menu. While very similar, both sides of PMDBM do have differences. For one, some of the menu options differ. Another difference is that the Menu Bar's are a different color to help the user distinguish between them. While in the MessageBase side, all menu bars are RED. In the QWK packet side, menu bars are blue or cyan. Certain information is always the same, regardless if you are in the QWK side, or the MessageBase side. The Conference statistics (at the bottom of the Conference Selection Screen) are always for the MessageBase and the Replies conference is really in the MessageBase and used in common from both sides. In addition to which 'side' you use, the Main Menu option you select also determines which 'Mode' PMDBM starts displaying messages in. In 'OLD' mode, only messages which had been previously read are displayed. In 'NEW' mode, only messages which had not been read when the current session was started are displayed. While you can not delete messages from the mail packet, you can do so from the MessageBase. The 'ALL' mode, on the MessageBase side, includes all messages which are in the messagebase, including those which have been deleted but are still in the MessageBase. Regardless the side and initial Mode, you can change the 'Mode' on any screen with 'N'ew command (ALT-N from the Conference Selection Screen). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Main Menu options: N - Read only NEW messages in MessageBase A - Read ALL current messages in MessageBase. O - Read OLD messages in MessageBase. These three commands establish the initial mode. The mode can be changed from any screen within the reader by use of the N(ew) command (ALT-N on the Conference Selection Screen). The default option (selected by entering a space or hitting <Enter>) is 'A'll. A - Archive New files list C - Edit configuration options D - Shell to Dos (as on all screens, ALT-D also works) E - Enter a New message I - Import QWK packet into MessageBase Q - Read a QWK packet - Starts in 'New' mode, but mode can be changed. L - List NEW FILES V - View BBS news file S - Services X - Exit the reader. ESC will also accomplish this, but requires confirmation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONFERENCE SELECTION SCREEN This screen allows you to select the conference from which you wish to read messages. Depending on the current setup, this screen may display all known conferences or only those which are in use. One of the nicest features of this screen is the ability to enter alphanumeric data in order to select a conference. As you type, PMDBM will find the first conference which matches the characters you've typed, even if the conference is not displayed on the current screen. If no match is found, you will hear a beep. The valid characters you've typed are displayed, black on grey, in the middle of line 20 of your screen. If you've typed a valid character (one with a match) but decide to change it, you may use the backspace key to delete the last character typed. The ESC key will delete all characters typed so far. To select the currently highlited conference, just type a space or hit <Enter>. Attempting to select a conference with 0 messages will return you to this screen. Of course, you may use the arrow keys, PageUp/PageDown and the Home/End keys to move the highlited selection bar, as detailed in the Command Summary section. If there are more conference than the screen can accomodate at one time, the display will scroll up, down, left or right. You will find the following information displayed on the screen for each conference: The top line displays menu options. The far right hand corner of the menu bar displays the reader's current mode. Conference Number: This is the number you or your BBS has assigned to the conference. Conference Name: This will either be the name assigned by your BBS or, in the case of personal conferences, by you. You may change the name at any time. Number of messages: Immediately after the name, you will see a number. This is the number of messages in the conference WHICH CAN BE DISPLAYED IN THE CURRENT MODE. If you are in 'NEW' mode, but all the messages in a conference are old, 0 will be displayed. If a conference has new messages in it, a green double right arrow will be displayed between the conference number and the conference name. At the bottom of the display you will note detailed information for 1 conference. The information presents MessageBase statistics for the currently highlited conference, including the number of New, Old, Deleted, Killed and Total messages. As you move the highlite bar, the display is updated for the new conference. Please note that even when you are reading a QWK packet, the information presented here is for the MessageBase and not the QWK packet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MESSAGE SELECTION SCREEN This screen will display up to 19 messages at a time. To select a message or thread move the highlited selection bar to the message you want to read and type a space or hit <Enter>. As in the case of the Conference Selection Screen, there is a menu bar at the top of the screen and the far right side indicates the current mode. The status of all messages displayed match the mode that is displayed. The current conference number and name are displayed on the second line, directly beneath where the mode is displayed. Each of the subsequent lines on this screen display information for 1 message. When displaying messages, for most conferences, each line will contain the message Subject, the message Number, message Addressee and message Sender. Since the recipient of all messages in conference 9001 (your Personal Mail) is known (you), the field normally used to display the TO information is used instead to display the real conference number/name of the messages. Likewise in conference 9002 (Replies) since all messages are from you, the From field is used to display the conference into which the message will be placed on upload. You may also notice that you have the option of replying to a message from this screen without actually having to read the message. You can verify that the current message is the one you want by using the preview function. It will display the top few lines of the message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MESSAGE SCREEN On selecting a message, the Message Screen will be displayed. The first few lines are used for the Menu options and for displaying the header. Again, the current mode is displayed in the top right corner. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PMDBM COMMAND OVERVIEW: Command mode (Usual): INS or INSERT - Archive (or Insert) a record into the Permanent MessageBase DEL or DELETE - Delete a record from the MessageBase. Of course, this key doesn't function while reading QWK packets. ESC - Quit or abort and go back one level. Can be used at any point where input is required, including Dialog Box prompts. B (suBj) - Edit the subject field C (Contact) - Add message sender's name to Key Contact/CarbonCopy file from either the Message Selection Screen, or while reading a message. E (Enter) - Enter a Message F (Find) * - Search for a record J (Join) - Returns to the Conference Selection screen K (Kill) - Kill Message, Conference. Unlike Delete, this operation is permanent and cannot be reversed. A Delete can be reversed, always at least until just prior to the 2nd update after the deletion occured. L (List) - Will list the contents of *.CC* files from the Subject Selection Screen or while reading a message. M (More) - Displays a small pop-up window for additional commands. It isn't necessary to use 'M' before using the commands. N (New) - Toggles a switch telling the reader which messages you want to view. There are 3 modes and the current mode is always displayed in the upper right hand corner of the screen. In ALL mode, all messages (including deleted messages) are displayed. In NEW mode, only new (unread) messages are displayed. This is the default when reading a QWK packet. In OLD mode, only old (previously read) messages are displayed. O (sOrt) - Allows selection of alternate sort keys for message selection. P (Print) - Will print a copy of the message, including a header on each page, to the selected printer. Alternately, a file name may be specified instead of a printer. It is a known behaviour that, if the printer is off, but is selected anyway, a fatal error will occur. Q (quit) - Usually the same as ESC except on the Main Menu and in Dialog Boxes. R (Reply) - Enter a Reply (or Re-edit reply in Replies Conference). S (Save) - This is only available while reading QWK packets. It adds a copy of the current message to the MessageBase but without archiving it. Without intervention, the message will eventually expire. U (Usenet) - Add USENET address of message sender to Usenet Key Contact list. (Only works when USENET address exists, and only while actually reading a message) V (View) - Displays the first few lines of the message, while on the Message Selection Screen. X (Xtend) - Extends a message's expiry date based on the default expiry period for the conference. This command is only available while in the MessageBase and is also used to Undelete messages. The X key is also used as the Exit the command on the Main Menu. PAGE UP/DOWN - Move Up/Down one page at a time. On the message screen, will also move from the top/bottom of current message to bottom/top of previous/subsequent message. SPACE - Equivalent to enter. The 4 arrow keys and the space bar are all that are required to traverse through a message file. LEFT ARROW - Equivalent to PageUp except on the Conference Selection Screen and when in Edit mode. RIGHT ARROW - As above but equivalent to PageDown. On the Conference Selection Screen, these 2 keys move 1 column to the left or right. UP/DOWN ARROW - Scroll Up/Down, usually 1 line or moves selection bar. HOME/END - As would be expected, typically goes to the beginning/end of the file, message, conference, etc. ALT-D - Shell to DOS Only on Conference Selection Screen: ALT-A - Add a personal conference ALT-C - QMAIL door Configuration ALT-D - Shell to Dos ALT-E - Edit Conference info ALT-T - Toggle Display between full conference listing and listing only conferences in use. ALT-N - Change modes - this is a three-way toggle which changes modes, each time it's used, from 'New' to 'Old' to 'All' and back to 'New'. Keyboard use has been simplified as much as possible while at the same time maintaining consistency across all screens. The Conference Selection Screen is one exception in that Alpha-numeric entries are permitted in the selection of conferences (a fantastic option for those with 2000+ conferences!). As such, all Alpha commands must be accompanied by the ALT key. On the other hand, this screen seldom requires the actual use of commands with the Space Bar (or Enter) and arrow keys typically being the keys used. On this screen, the Left and Right arrow keys move the selection bar 1 column to the left or one column to the right. Edit Mode Commands: TAB - Accept current value of field and move to next field. ENTER - Accept field input (when in Field Edit Mode) or accept screen ARROW KEYS - Move to next field, or within a field while in Field Edit Mode. ESC - Abort input (in Field Edit Mode) or abort function UP/DOWN arrow - Used to Toggle options, scroll through selection lists or move up or down from field to field DEL or INSERT - Places you in 'Field Edit Mode' and allows you to edit a field without replacing the existing field value. There is no current support for Overstrike mode while editing a field. Field background is always RED while in 'Field Edit Mode'. LEFT/RIGHT arrow - Used to move next/previous field. Once an edit is started on a field, moves left or right within the field. END/HOME - Used to move to the beginning or end of the edit field. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SELECTION WINDOWS: When you enter some commands, a cyan selection window may appear. At the top of the window, you'll find a selection bar which will scroll through the list as the up or down arrow keys are used. The END, HOME, PGDN and PGUP keys may also be used on these lists. On some selections, a manual entry is also possible. In such cases, the top line in the selection window will be blank and an Edit Field will be created if any alpha-numeric keys are typed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TAGLINE SUPPORT: The built in TagLine Thief is very easy to use. It permits the selection of any message line currently on the screen and appends it to a TagLine file. Prior to selection, it allows adjustment of the right and left margins, then puts the user into edit mode where the Tagline can be modified before storing. It supports the use of multiple files by using a wild carded filespec in the configuration file. Since there is only room for 1 file specification in the configuration, the files must follow some form of standard naming convention so the wildcards can be used. While not mandatory, the files should reside in the main reader directory. Selecting a tagline: You use the 'T'ag option while reading a message. A list of your existing tagline files is displayed for your selection. If none exist, TAGLINES.TAG will be created and used. Next, a selection bar will be displayed and you can select any line within the current message window as a tagline by using the up and down arrow keys to scroll the selection bar. Use of the left and right arrow keys will narrow the margins. To increase the margins again, use the > and < keys (unshifted is fine). Once the line is selected, just tap the <Enter> key. Next, an edit field will appear and you can edit or totally replace the tagline. PMDBM Symbol Translations: (This list can also be found in SYMBOLS.DOC) The character which precedes and follows your symbols is defined in the configuration. For the purpose of documentation, I will use the "@" character, which is the default. At this time, while care should still be used in the symbol's selection, translation only occurs for symbols in the header and footer files, so the risk is minimal. The symbols may use lower, upper or mixed case. The following are the supported symbol translations which are done in the header and footer files at the start of the edit session: @TO@ - The recipient of the message being replying to @FROM@ - The Sender of the message being replied to @FIRST@ - The first name of the Sender @LAST@ - The last name of the Sender @DATE@ - Current system date @TIME@ - Current system time @MSGDATE@ - Date from header of message being replied to @MSGTIME@ - Time from header of message being replied to @MSGNUM@ - Message Number of message being replied to @SUBJ@ - Message Subject from the header @ME@ - Your BBS username @MYFIRST@ - Your first name @MYLAST@ - Your surname @CONF@ - The current Conference number @CONFNO@ - The current conference name @MSGNUM@ - The Message Number assisgned by the BBS, to the message being replied to. Usenet Specific Symbols: @UAddress - Address to whom the message will be sent!! First choice will be address selected from from a .CCU file. If a CCU isn's used, then it will translate the same as @UFrom@ @UFrom@ - sender of USENET Message being responded to @UTo@ - Recipient of USENET Message (typically ALL, or you) @UIdent@ - USENET message identification @USubj@ - USENET subject @UGroup@ - USENET newsgroup to which the original message had been posted. NOTE: HEADER and FOOTER must be placed in the MAIN directory. Support is provided for a second set of files, called HEADER.NET and FOOTER.NET, used only for USENET messages. The Following symbols are translated at the end of the Message Edit: Any of the above, if found in the TagLine, will be translated after the edit. Additionally, the following symbols will not be translated until the edit session is ended. The symbols are the same length as the string which will replace them, so that proper alignment is possible during the edit. Because translation occurs after the edit, they may appear anywhere in the message. @SYS-DATE@ - Current System Date @SYTIME@ - Current System Time ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER USAGE NOTES: QWK Packets: PMDBM will never delete QWK packets or old REP packets, but will take the liberty of renaming them in the form BBSnumber.QWK or BBSnumber.REP if the RENAME PACKETS option, in the Configuration, is set to 'Y'. When renaming packets, if the BBS name is longer than 5 characters, PMDBM will only use the first 5 when renaming the packets. I've become aware of one system out there which renames packets in the form nnnBBSNAME.QWK. Unfortunately, PMDBM does not support that format at this time and if you use such a system you will be obliged to disable PMDBM's rename option. ** The very first time you run PMDBM, it will find and display ALL QWK packets. The first packet you choose will determine which BBS a particular MessageBase is for. If the RENAME PACKETS option is set to 'Y', subsequent runs will only display relevant BBSnumber.QWK files. After you've read the first packet, PMDBM will not allow you to read a packet from a different BBS. If you subscribe to multiple BBSes, take care to ensure that the first packet you read is indeed the one you want. If a BBSNAME.REP (ie: not yet renamed) packet exists on startup, PMDBM will ask you if it has been uploaded yet. If it has, and the RENAME PACKETS option is 'Y', then the packet will be renamed. If you reply that the packet hasn't been uploaded yet, the packet will be unpacked and the messages re-imported into the reader. During your first READ or IMPORT session, PMDBM creates it's database. The database consists of 2 files, a header file and the message base. Initially, the message base will be empty and the header file will only contain the list of your conferences. Subsequently, these files will also contain your archived or imported messages. (Other smaller files may be added to the database, based on your actions.) If you have more than one drive, and disk space is limited, you can opt to place these files in different areas. These specifications MUST NOT be the same as the SCRATCH directory though you may use the directory where PMDBM itself resides. ENTERING OR REPLYING TO MESSAGES: You can reply to a message from either the Message Screen or the Message Selection Screen. Additonally, you can enter a new message directly from the main menu. If you do a 'R'eply on any message which you've sent, regardless the conference, the edit session will be the same as if you'd selected 'R'e-edit in the replies conference. When entering a new message or replying to an existing message you will first be asked to enter the header information. When replying, all known information will be filled in for you and you need only type enter to accept the info. You can use the Tab and arrow keys to move from field to field. While editing a field, <Tab> will save the field (as will <Enter>) and enters the info. The up/down arrow keys will not move from the 'Toggled Fields' discussed below, instead they cycle through the possible field values. Entering the info: TO field: This field provides a number of options. If you type a character while positioned on the TO field, some default selections will be displayed. These include the sender of the original message, the recipient of the original message and a few other 'standard' selections. If you have at least 1 'CarbonCopy List' file, 2 other options will also be listed - Key Contacts and CarbonCopy List. A final option also exists, namely you have the opportunity to manually type a name in. Selecting either Key Contacts or CarbonCopy List will cause a list of all *.CCL files to be displayed for your selection. If you initially chose Key Contacts, you will then have an opportunity to pick a name from the CCL file. If you chose CarbonCopy List, all of the names in the list will be sent a copy of the message. See the section below on special Usenet Gateway support. Toggled Fields: The top three fields on the right hand side are 'Toggled' fields. To change the current selection, you need only type the up or down arrow keys to 'toggle' the field's value. The topmost field allows setting the message as 'public' or 'private'. You can delay sending the message by setting the second field from the top to 'Hold'. If left at the default, the message will be included during the next export. The third field from the top has 3 options which can be toggled. The default is 'Echoed', but may be changed to either 'Usenet' or 'Non-Echoed'. Since QMAIL uses the Subject to determine these settings about a message, the Subject will automatically be modified for you as you toggle this field. The 'Usenet' setting also has another function. PMDBM provides support for 2 sets of header and footer files. The default set must be called HEADER and FOOTER (no extension) and will be included whenever you reply to an Echoed or Non-Echoed message. A second set of files may also be created specifically for inclusion in your Usenet messages. These must also be located in the MAIN directory and be named HEADER.NET and FOOTER.NET. If you set the field to 'Usenet' AT THE START of your edit session and you have the HEADER.NET and FOOTER.NET files in the MAIN directory, the files will be included in your reply prior to the edit session. (If HEADER.NET and FOOTER.NET don't exist, but HEADER and FOOTER do, then HEADER and FOOTER will be used.) Conference Field: Adding Conferences: Typing any alphanumeric character will cause a list of conferences to be displayed. Selecting a conference works much the same as it does on the Conference Selection Screen. You can scroll through the list or type alphanumeric keys on which to search. As on the Conference Selection Screen, you can toggle the display to select from only those conferences in use or from all conferences in the database. If you toggle the Conference list here, the Conference Selection Screen will also display all the conferences when you return to it. Conferences not in the MessageBase cannot be used until they are first added to the MessageBase. Subject Field: To change or enter the Subject, you may just begin to type while positioned in the field. If the first character you type is alphanumeric, what you type will be used to replace the info in the field. If you only want to edit the field, type the Delete or Insert key first then use the arrow keys to position the cursor. When editing, you will always be in insert mode. Although you can enter more, only the first 25 characters typed will be used in the field (22 if Non-echoed or Usenet are selected) On exiting PMDBM, and if messages exist in the Replies Conference or you've selected QMAIL configuration commands from the Conference Selection Screen, you will receive a prompt asking if you want to 'export' your replies. If you respond with a "Y", a .REP packet will be created which you can then upload to the BBS. Once Exported, Replies and new messages are removed from the MessageBase. Messages which have a HOLD status will NOT be exported, but will be retained until the first export after the status is changed. Some users have asked for the ability to retain replies even after export. I believe a better way to achieve this is to set option 1 in the QMAIL door (D/L replies) to 'Yes'. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Usenet Gateway Support The following assumes that your BBS supports Usenet conferences and has the PCBoard/Usenet Gateway. If this isn't true, unfortunately you won't be able to take advantage of the following features. When replying to or sending a message, you have 2 opportunities to edit the Header information, once before you create the reply and once after. During the FIRST opportunity, selecting USENET GATEWAY for the TO: field will (as with the Usenet flag above) cause the HEADER.NET and FOOTER.NET files to be used, instead of HEADER and FOOTER. But there is another powerful feature built into PMDBM. While you are reading messages in a Usenet Conference, using the 'U' command allows you to capture the USENET address of the message sender and save it a *.CCU file. If any *.CCU files exist when you select USENET GATEWAY, PMDBM will allow you to select one of these files. Since these files are Key Contact files containing Usenet user addresses, you can then pick one address from the selected file. Apart from using this address for symbol translation in the HEADER.NET file (a sample HEADER.NET was included with PMDBM), PMDBM will also insert the line "to: +address+" followed by a blank line (as per Usenet/Gateway requirements). If no CCU files exist, then the address inserted will be the Usenet address of the message sender, if PMDBM is able to determine what it is. A key point to remember in this regard is: If you want to use a name from a CCU file, you MUST do an edit on the TO: field in the Message Header and pick USENET GATEWAY from the list of selections. THIS IS TRUE EVEN IF THE MESSAGE IS ALREADY ADDRESSED TO USENET GATEWAY!! And you MUST do it during the first Header Edit, prior to actually editing the message! If for any reason you don't want the message to be addressed to USENET GATEWAY you can change the value of the TO: field after you've selected the appropriate Usenet address. I'm not personally a big USENET user, though PMDBM is changing that, (and owe much to those registered users who are, especially Lisa, Eric and Craig) but I believe the following to be accurate: You can send a message in one of 2 ways. You can post to the "Usenet Replies" conference (104 on CRS), or any Usenet Conference, with the message addressed to USENET GATEWAY. This mechanism sends private mail only. For this reason, PMDBM defaults the message status to private when you select USENET GATEWAY - though you may change it. The second method, used for sending public news, is to set the Usenet flag in the Echo/No-echo/Usenet field. This inserts the string UN: at the beginning of the Subject. While I don't believe it really matters, you may want to set the TO: field to ALL on such messages. In order for a Usenet message to reach the intended recipient, you must have the Usenet address of the intended recipient on the first message line as follows: ----------------------------- top of message ------------------------- to: les.gyurky@canrem.uucp ----------------------------- message body starts here --------------- You will note that there is a space after the TO: and a BLANK LINE after the address. Both of these are mandatory. Since PMDBM will usually insert these for you, you generally will only need to ensure that you do not accidentally change it. The HEADER or HEADER.NET info will be inserted after the to required lines. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CarbonCopy Lists and Key Contacts: 'CarbonCopy List' files are named *.CCL, and must reside in the MAIN directory. They allow sending a message to several people, in any conference!! A CCL can be used in one of 2 ways, either as a 'Key Contact' List or a CCL list. The choice is made when sending or replying to a message. CCL list format: CCL lists are straight ASCII files and can be edited with any text editor. Additionally, they can be appended to by use of the 'C' command on either the Subject Selection Screen or while reading a message. The 'C' command stores 2 pieces of information, the MESSAGE SENDER's name and the current Message's Conference Number. When used as a 'Key Contact List', the CCL file only needs the recipient's name. The name must be within the first 25 characters of a line. Anything beyond that is ignored. When used as a 'CarbonCopy List', the CCL file must also contain the conference number of the recipient. That number must be located between columns 25 to 35. If there is no number, the messages get entered into conference 0. Anything beyond the 35th character is ignored. At the time a message or reply is written, a single reply get's entered into the Replies Conference of the MessageBase. If the 'CarbonCopy List' option is chosen, the name of the selected CCL file is inserted in the TO: field, preceded by an '@' character. On export, the appropriate CCL file is opened for any message which has the '@' character as the first character of the 'TO:' field and one copy of the message will be exported for each name in the CCL file. Each message will be private, regardless the setting used during the edit, unless one or more of the 'names' are ALL. In such cases the messages Carbon Copied to any 'ALLs' will be public. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ADDING CONFERENCES - not available in Evaluation Mode: Two types of User Conferences may be added. Pointer Conferences allow multiple pointers to a single message thus allowing a message to be archived under several classifications with a minimal of redundant information. The Personal Conference is an example of this type. Since entries in the Personal Conference are only pointers to messages in other conferences, deleting a record in the Personal Conference does not remove the message, only the pointer. The message will still show up in it's own conference. The reverse is not true. Deleting a message from it's own conference WILL REMOVE it from Pointer Conferences, including the Personal Conference, as well. Message Conferences contain a complete copy of the message header, but not the message body. If messages are copied from one Message Conference to another, a completely new header record will be created and the message body will continue to exist until all header records which point to it are deleted. With the exception of the Personal Conference, all Conferences created by the system fall into this category. These are useful when you want the message to show up in different conferences with differing Subject or other header information. Other Quirks: While reading the MessageBase, the counters for New and Old Personal mail will be correctly maintained and displayed. I felt though that for personal mail it would be more useful while reading QWKs to have the counter show the total count all the time and to always be able to read all Personal mail, regardless the actual mode. Beware the MODES: You must always be aware of what mode you are in. If you are in 'New' mode, you will not find messages which you have previously read. Conversely, in 'Old' mode you will not find any new messages. Only 'All' mode will display all messages!! While this will be a distinct advantage when you have a lot of messages, it can be somewhat disconcerting to 'lose' a message. Odd behaviour: What may initially appear to some as a bug is actually a feature I've chosen to add. The Message Selection Screen will always display a full screen of information, when available. Doing a PageDown when there is less than a full screen of info left to display will cause the last line to display at the bottom of the screen and the selection bar to display the message which would otherwise have been at the top of the screen. While it may appear odd initially, I personally find it more useful. Database Repair: A file called ISAMREPR.EXE has been included with the PMDBM files. It is a feature of the Microsoft ISAM library that whenever the database is not properly closed, ISAMREPR has to verify the integrity of the database before it can be used. PMDBM will automatically run ISAMREPR if it can find it. The program must be in the current directory, or in your path. If it isn't, you will have to run ISAMREPR on the appropriate *.HDR file manually. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revision history: Aug 31, 91 - Added ability to enter manual taglines and tagline file spec. - improved ability to handle long messages. While reading messages beyond 1400-1500 lines, or so, is risky, editing, re-editing and exporting messages which are longer is possible. - Added ability to edit conference information. The only fields which can be modified are the name, expiry and comments, except for personal conferences. - Support for symbol translation in the tagline added. Sept 4, 91 - Instead of Aborting when a duplicate message number is encountered when READING a QWK packet, PMDBM now generates a message and waits for a user response to continue. Sept 5, 91 - Completed the 'Add Conference' function (Uses the 'Insert' key on the Conference Selection Screen. - Added auto-unzipping of .PTR (message pointer) file into the REPLIES directory. - PMDBM now reuses deleted filespace in the .FIL file during a CONFERENCE IMPORT or QWK IMPORT. It has always reused free space in the .HDR file. Sept 6, 91 - Message Expiry has been implemented. The only aspect left to enable is the actual deletion of Expired messages. While all the code is in place, I prefer to wait until this version is deemed stable before activating it. - The 'M'ore option has been added to menus. Commands which do not fit on the menu line will be listed in the 'More' pulldown. Since all command keys are unique, the commands will work whether the pulldown is present or not. It is there only as a reminder. - The ability to sort by Subject, Message Sender or Message recipient has been added. Sept 17,91 - Fixed problem where TAG and CCL files had to exist before the TAG and Contact options would work. Default files (TAGLINES.TAG and CONTACTS.CCL) will now be created, if none exist. - Added Usenet CarbonCopy list (*.CCU files). While editing the name, if USENET GATEWAY is selected any *.CCU (CarbonCopy Usenet) file in the main directory is displayed for selection (to force the files to be displayed when replying to a message from USENET GATEWAY, modify the name and Re-select USENET GATEWAY). If an *.CCU file is selected, its contents will be displayed from which a usenet address can be selected!! Besides being used in the HEADER.NET file, in the situation explained below, this address will also be used as the first line on NEW messages - if it's not blank. - Undelete command Deleted :-). It wasn't really needed since archiving a deleted message via the INSERT key or using 'X' to extend it's expiry date accomplished the same thing, and I needed the letter. - New 'U' command added. It is ONLY AVAILABLE WHILE READING A MESSAGE. and the message is a Usenet message. When 'U' command is used, the Usenet address of the SENDER will be appended to the selected .CCU file (just the same as 'C' does with a .CCL list. At this time, CCU lists can not be used to CarbonCopy messages. Sep 21,91 - Ability to edit Usenet Contacts before storing to .CCU file was added. A comment may be attached to the end of the entry as long as the format of the address is not changed and a space(s) separates the two. - Added ability to edit the Key Contacts before storing to .CCL file. This is especially useful for modifying the conference number before the name is saved. A comment may also be attached to the entry, as long as the following is true: - the 1st 25 characters are reserved for the name - the conference number must immediately follow the name, and may not extend beyond the 35th character. - a space must separate the conference number from any comment - Added a special test on the Message Header Edit screen: If the name of the message recipient is the same as the PMDBM user's username, a warning message will be displayed. - PMDBM no longer parses the Usenet address at the time it is written to the .CCU file, but at the time a message is being sent. This allows a comment or notation to be appended to the address at the time it is being saved AS LONG AS THE FIRST PART OF THE STRING IS NOT MODIFIED so as to make the address invalid!! Sep 24,91 - If RENAME PACKETS is set to "N", PMDBM will allow selection of and *.QW* packet, regardless the name. If set to "Y", the format must still conform to the BBSNAMExx.QW* format. - A new configuration parameter has been added - MAX PACKETS TO KEEP. When set to a non-zero value it determines how many QWK and REP packets PMDBM should keep. Any excess packets will be deleted IF the value is greater than 0 AND the RENAME PACKETS switch is set to "Y". The cleanup only occurs during the first PMDBM session after a download (when a BBSNAME.QWK is present). - If the switch /TMP is appended to the end of the EDITOR name, in the PMDBM configuration, PMDBM will use a temporary file to store the original quotes in during a REPLY. PMDBM will then append the name of this temporary file to the command used to invoke the editor creating a second window in editors that support this feature. This has been added specifically for those folks who are used to using 2 edit windows while replying to a message. The /TMP switch has no effect on new messages. - Added an 'accelerate' feature to the scroll-left and scroll-right functions (when using < and > keys while reading a message). If the keys are held down, the display is shifted by up to 15 characters at a time, as opposed to just 1 at a time. Also reversed the functions of the 2 keys. The > will now scroll to the right and the < will scroll left. Of course, the keys do not have to be shifted (though they can be). - While Reading a message, the 'TAB' key will shift the display to the far right, on wide messages and the 'BACKSPACE' key will shift back to the first Column. (Note, this isn't a scroll, but a direct jump). Both the 'HOME' and 'END' Keys have been modified to shift the display back to the first column. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FEE SCHEDULE 1) Single user license ........................... $ 34.00 Canadian (Includes a Enhanced TagLine stealer) 30.00 US 2) Upgrade packages .............................. $ 5.00 Canadian (for upgrading from 1 version to next, not at $ 4.50 US time of initial registration) 3) Redesignation of Licensed user ................ $ 2.00 Canadian $ 2.00 US 4) Non-registered copy, on disk, for evaluation .. $ 7.00 Canadian (C$5.00 / $4.50US refundable on registration, $ 6.50 US unless registration includes an upgrade.) $ FREE if downloaded from a BBS. Please note, while prices are subject to change, these prices are indicative of my pricing policies and increases will only be a reflection of my costs. Quantity prices are available to Corporate users and Sysops. Pricing would reflect the quantities involved and the level of support required. I can be contacted via E-mail in: the IBM or DesqView conferences on NANET the IBM or DesqView conferences on RIME the Telix conference on Intelec by voice at: 416 421-6104 (during reasonable hours please) Please make your cheque or money order, for Canadian currency, payable to: Les Gyurky Mail to: Les Gyurky 1193 Woodbine Avenue Toronto Ontario. M4C 4E1 You order will be processed as quickly as possible. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Order Form (Please complete 1 for each license required): Your Name: _______________________________ Phone: ____________________ Address: _______________________________ Network / Conference / Username where you can _______________________________ be reached: _______________________________ ___________________________ _______________________________ ___________________________ Country:_______________________________ Payment Method: Cheque [ ] Money Order [ ] TOTAL QTY. Single user license(s) @ C$34.00 / $30.00US $_______ ____ Upgrade package(s) @ C$ 5.00 / $ 4.50US $_______ ____ Non-registered copy, for evaluation, on diskette @ C$ 7.00 / $ 6.50US $_______ ____ SUBTOTAL $_______ ____ Canadian residents add 7% GST $_______ ____ Ontario residents add 8% PST $_______ ____ TOTAL $_______ ____ Outside of North America, please add $5.00US Shipping and Handling [ ] Diskette format preferred: 5.25" [QTY: ] 3.5" [QTY: ] System types: 808x [ ] 80286 [ ] 80386sx + [ ] Expanded Memory Support: Yes [ ] No [ ] Currently using PMDBM Evaluation version: _________ (Needed so that file conversion utility may be provided where required). I am willing to be an Alpa / Beta tester [ ] While I believe that this product is sound, more so even than many products I've tested which have gone through several releases, nontheless, I'm offering the following rebates in recognition of the fact that the first users of a product are taking a risk and are the ones to encounter the bugs. The 1st 100 members of the CRS BBS in Mississauga to register will receive a $10.00 rebate. Additionally the 1st 100 non-CRS users to register will also receive a rebate of $10.00 Canadian. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------