Copyright: © 1997-2000 NotePage, Inc.


Overview

NotePager Net is a network Paging application.  It allows workstations on a network to send messages to the PageGate paging server, which in turn sends the messages (via a modem or a direct cable connection) to your paging carrier(s) for delivery.  Your paging carrier will then send the message to the appropriate pager, phone, or wireless messaging device.  The NotePager Net GUI client application is one of several front-end interfaces available for the PageGate paging application.  It can be used alone, or in conjunction with any or all of the other interfaces.

There are two separate components to the NotePager Net paging application:  a server application, and a client application.  From here forward, the client portion will be referred to as NotePager Net, and the server portion will be referred to as PageGate.  Both NotePager Net and PageGate must be installed, setup, and running for messages to be successfully sent to a pager.

Please refer to PageGate's help file for more information on the installation, configuration, and operation of PageGate.


Features & Capabilities

Local and network recipient lists - on each workstation you can choose recipients from the network recipient list, or from a smaller personal recipient list which can be defined for each workstation.  Users can be locked into only using their local recipient list.

Scheduled messages - messages can be scheduled to be sent at a future date/time

Repeating messages - messages can be scheduled to repeat at predefined interval

Group paging - messages can be sent to a predefined group of recipients

Multiple recipients - allows a single message to be sent to more than one recipient and/or  group

Pre-programmed messages - on each workstation, up to five pre-programmed messages can be defined

Real-time message status log - each workstation can track the progress of each message from start to finish

Real-time message status counters - displays current number of messages pending, sent, or failed from each workstation

Message character counter - displays the length of the current message

Message history log - displays a history of all messages sent from each workstation

Intelligent message queuing - messages for the same carrier are grouped together and sent during a single communications session

Point and click operation - an intuitive user interface makes NotePager Net very easy to use

Spell check - a spell check option is available on systems running MS Word

Recipient cueing - Recipients may be selected by typing the first few letters of their name

Dialup or direct connect - PageGate can be connected to a paging terminal by a direct cable connection, or through a modem.

Message splitting - Long messages are intelligently split into multiple smaller messages

Settable character limits - The maximum number of characters to be sent in a message is settable by carrier and individual recipient

On-call groups - A schedule can be setup for the recipients in a group, allowing PageGate to send messages to only the recipients scheduled to receive messages a that point in time.

TAP/IXO/PET compliant - supports any messaging device that follows one of these standards.  This includes cellular/pcs/digital phones, PIMS, alphanumeric and numeric pagers, PC/PCMCIA cards, billboards, etc.

Message logging - PageGate's general log keeps a history of all messages sent.  Each dialer can also keep a detailed log of the communication sessions with the paging carriers.

Modular / Scaleable - PageGate's modular architecture allows the application to be run across several computers for high throughput applications.

Reliapage - provides a way for recipients to be aware that a message has been missed.

Requeue messages - missed messages can be requeued for re-transmission to the paging carrier

Capable of high throughput /volume - PageGate's intelligent queuing of messages and multiple dialers allows for a large volume of messages per hour.


Shareware Information

NotePager Net defaults into a 'shareware mode' until it is registered (purchased).  Registration information can be entered into PageGate's Admin program by choosing the 'Register' menuitem from the 'Help' menu.  Both the NotePager Net client and the PageGate application are registered here.  The shareware version only allows NotePager Net to display the first five recipients in PageGate's recipient database.  In addition, the PageGate paging server application will only allow for the setup of two recipients, and will stop itself every 3-5 days.  PageGate's admin program must be used to restart the paging engine after this time period.

Shareware is based on the try it before you buy it theory. This software is not free. You may try it. If you like the software and would like a complete registered version you must contact sales@notepager.net. The registration fee allows us to continue to develop quality products, notify you of updates, and provide technical support. If you have any questions or concerns regarding registration please contact sales@notepager.net . If you use any of NotePage, Inc.'s software and do not register after the trial period it is considered software piracy and it is illegal.


Purchasing

NotePager Net can be ordered directly from NotePage, Inc:

The most current NotePager Net pricing can be found on our website:

www.notepager.net/pricing.htm

www.notepager.com/pricing.htm

www.notepage.net/pricing.htm

NotePage, Inc.

291 Rockland Street

Suite 13

Hanover, MA 02339

Phone (781) 829-0500

Fax (781) 582-8701

Accepted Payment forms are:

Pre-payment

COD Company Check (continental US only)

MasterCard

Visa

Discover

(see on-line ordering below for American Express or Purchase Orders)

All payments are in US Dollars

NotePager Net can be ordered on-line at:

www.notepager.net/purchase.htm

www.notepager.com/purchase.htm

www.notepage.net/purchase.htm

Accepted Payment forms are:

MasterCard

Visa

Discover

American Express

Purchase Orders

NotePager Net can be purchased through a NotePage authorized reseller, who can also be contracted for the installation of our products.  Please contact us for a reseller in your area.


Contact Information

NotePage, Inc.

291 Rockland Street

Suite 13

Hanover, MA  02339

USA

Mailing Address

PO Box 296

Hanover, MA  02339

web 	www.notepager.net

email	sales@notepager.net

phone	(781) 829-0500

fax	(781) 582-1869 or (781) 826-3432


Version Information

NotePager Net Help File

For NotePager Net version 3.1

Copyright 1997-2000 NotePage, Inc.


System Requirements

Minimum requirements to run NotePager Net (GUI) client:

Operating System:  Windows 95, 98, or NT (server or workstation)

Processor:  Pentium

Memory:  8 Meg more than what is needed to operate the computer without NotePager Net (typically 32 Meg for Windows 95/98 or 64 Meg for Windows NT on a bare system)

Storage:  10 Meg of free disk space

Communications:  Network access to the PageGate database


Overview

The PageGate server application must be installed and operational before the NotePager Net GUI client program can be used.  Please refer to the PageGate documentation for detailed instructions on the installation of PageGate.


Pre-Installation

here are a few things you should verify before installing the NotePager Net client:

1. The PageGate paging server must be installed and operational before the NotePager Net client is installed.

2. The workstation must have network access to the paging database (pagegate.mdb).  The

workstation must have read, write, and change permissions to this file.

3. If you plan to use the spell-checking feature, Microsoft Word 97 must be installed on the workstation.

4. If application or database passwords have been defined  in the PG Admin program, they will be needed to access the application and the PageGate database.


CD-Rom Installation

1.  Insert the PageGate CD-Rom into your computer.

2.  PageGate's setup routine will (on most computers) automatically start.  If the setup program starts, go to step 3 below.  If not, click on the Windows start button, and then choose 'Run' from the menu.  Type in 'd:\setup' without the quotes (in this example the CD-Rom drive letter is 'd'. If your CD-Rom drive letter is different, use it instead).  Next hit the 'OK' button.

3.  You will be presented with the PageGate welcome screen.  Hit 'OK' to continue

4.  The next screen will give you four options as to which part of PageGate you want to install.  To install the NotePager Net client, choose the last option.  After making your selection, hit 'OK'.

5.  On the next screen you can specify where you want the NotePager Net client installed.  The default install location is C:\Program Files\NotePager Net\. You can change the path by hitting the 'Change Directory' button.  To accept the install location, click on the button with the computer graphic on it.

6.  You will now be prompted for the name of a program group to be created in the Windows start menu.  Take the default by hitting the 'Continue' button.

7.  The setup program will now copy the NotePager Net client program and support files to your computer.  This can take a few minutes.  If you encounter any problems during this part of the installation, please refer to the 'Installation Troubleshooting' section of the manual.

8.  The next screen will tell you that the NotePager Net client has been successfully installed.  Hit the 'OK' button to continue.

9.  In many cases, your computer will want to be restarted after the installation of the NotePager Net client.  If you are prompted to do so, you must restart your computer before running it.


Single executable (.exe) installation

1.  Run the executable (pgv3.exe)

2.  A window should appear titled 'WinZip Self-Extractor (pgv3.exe)'.  Hit the 'Setup' button to continue.

3.  You will be presented with the PageGate welcome screen.  Hit 'OK' to continue

4.  The next screen will give you four options as to which part of PageGate you want to install.  To install the NotePager  Net client, choose the last option.  After making your selection, hit 'OK'.

5.  On the next screen you can specify where you want the NotePager Net client installed.  The default install location is C:\Program Files\NotePager Net\. You can change the path by hitting the 'Change Directory' button.  To accept the install location, click on the button with the computer graphic on it.

6.  You will now be prompted for the name of a program group to be created in the Windows start menu.  Take the default by hitting the 'Continue' button.

7.  The setup program will now copy the NotePager Net client program and support files to your computer.  This can take a few minutes.  If you encounter any problems during this part of the installation, please refer to the 'Installation Troubleshooting' section of the manual.

8.  The next screen will tell you that the NotePager Net client has been successfully installed.  Hit the 'OK' button to continue.

9.  In many cases, your computer will want to be restarted after the installation of the NotePager Net client.  If you are prompted to do so, you must restart your computer before running the it.

10.  After the installation is complete, you may again see the original 'WinZip Self-Extractor (pgv3.exe)' window.  This window will disappear after several seconds, or if you choose to restart your computer.


Single archive (.zip) installation

1.  To extract the NotePager Net installation files from the archive (.zip) file, you will need a program such as WinZip or PKZip, to extract the file.  Extract the contents of the .zip file into a temporary directory by using one of these utilities.

2.  Run the file named setup.exe from the location where you extracted the files.

3.  You will be presented with the PageGate welcome screen.  Hit 'OK' to continue

4.  The next screen will give you four options as to which part of PageGate you want to install.  To install the NotePager Net client, choose the last option.  After making your selection, hit 'OK'.

5.  On the next screen you can specify where you want the NotePager Net client installed.  The default install location is C:\Program Files\NotePager Net\. You can change the path by hitting the 'Change Directory' button.  To accept the install location, click on the button with the computer graphic on it.

6.  You will now be prompted for the name of a program group to be created in the Windows start menu.  Take the default by hitting the 'Continue' button.

7.  The setup program will now copy the NotePager Net client program and support files to your computer.  This can take a few minutes.  If you encounter any problems during this part of the installation, please refer to the 'Installation Troubleshooting' section of the manual.

8.  The next screen will tell you that the NotePager Net client has been successfully installed.  Hit the 'OK' button to continue.

9.  In many cases, your computer will want to be restarted after the installation of the NotePager Net client.  If you are prompted to do so, you must restart your computer before running it.

10.  After the installation is complete, you may again see the original 'WinZip Self-Extractor (pgv3.exe)' window.  This window will disappear after several seconds, or if you choose to restart your computer.


Post-Installation

1.  If you installed from CD-Rom, remove the CD and keep it in a safe place.  You will need it again if you ever need to reinstall PageGate, or want to install either the PageGate Monitor program, or the NotePager Net (GUI) client on a workstation.

2.  If you installed NotePager Net from a single downloaded file (pgv3.exe or pgv3.zip), be sure to make a copy of the file and store it somewhere you can find it later. You will need it again if you ever need to reinstall PageGate, or want to install the PageGate Administration program, the PageGate Monitor program, or the NotePager Net (GUI) client on a workstation.


Installation Troubleshooting

Problem:  Any number of different problems

Solution:  Be sure that there are no other programs running when you install PageGate.  There may be programs running even if you don't see them in your task bar.  Pressing <ctrl><alt><del> will bring up a list of running programs in Windows 95 and 98.  In Windows NT you can choose 'Task Manager' after hitting <ctrl><alt><del> for similar information.  Stop any programs that you believe is causing the conflict.  WARNING: this should only be done by an experienced user.  Randomly ending tasks can lock up your computer, lose data or worse.  Please consult with and experienced technician before killing any processes.  A clean reboot can sometimes also help.  Holding down the shift key while windows is starting will stop some programs from starting that automatically load at startup.  Try re-running the PageGate setup program.

Problem:  The setup program does not fully start, or the setup program for a completely different application starts

Solution: clear out the files from your temporary directory.  In Windows 95 and 98 the default location of the temporary directory is C:\Windows\Temp.  In Windows NT it is C:\Temp.  Also move, rename, or delete any existing files in your Windows or Winnt directory named setup.exe, setup1.exe or setup.lst.  Try re-running the PageGate setup program.

Problem:  The install program says it can't replace a file because it is in use

Solution:  See the first item above regarding other programs that are running while trying to install PageGate.  If that doesn't help, try to rename the existing file that is reported to be in use (moving or deleting the file usually won't work).  In most cases you will find the offending file in the C:\Windows\System or the C:\Winnt\System32 directory.  Try re-running the PageGate setup program.

Problem:  The install program still says that it can't replace a file because it is in use

Solution - Windows 9x:  Don't try this without the help of an experienced Windows administrator.  Restart your computer and enter the 'Command Prompt Only' mode.  Rename the file that is causing the problem.  Restart windows.  You may receive some error messages on startup.  Continue past the errors if possible.  If Windows won't start, reboot, startup in 'Command Prompt Only' mode again and put the files back.  Otherwise, you should now be able to successfully run the install program.  Be sure to reboot after the installation is finished.

Solution - Windows NT:  Don't try this without the help of an experienced Windows administrator.  Sometimes the file causing the problem is in use by a Windows NT system service (i.e. some backup programs that run as a service use the same MS Jet database drivers that PageGate does).  From the 'Services' icon in the control panel, try stopping any services that may be using the file in question.  WARNINNG: Stopping some services can lock up your computer, lose data or worse.  Please consult with and experienced technician before stopping any services.


Setup Overview

There are two stages to the setup of NotePager Net.  The first stage is the setup of PageGate, NotePager Net's paging server application.  The PageGate server must be installed, setup, and running in order to use NotePager Net.  It should be installed and setup before attempting to run NotePager Net for the first time.  The second stage is the setup of the NotePager Net client application.

NotePager Net sends messages to and receives information from PageGate via a shared database file (pagegate.mdb).  During the setup of PageGate you are prompted for a location for this file.  The file should be placed at a location where both the PageGate server and the NotePager Net client can access the file.  In other words, the database file (pagegate.mdb) should be in a shared network folder to which both NotePager Net and PageGate have full rights.  The default location for this file is PageGate's program directory.  To keep the file there and use NotePager Net, you must share the PageGate program folder on your network.

During the setup of NotePager Net you are prompted for the 'PageGate Database'.  You must enter (or browse using the button with three dots) the full path to the pagegate.mdb file.  If the machine you installed PageGate on was called 'pgserver', and you installed PageGate to a drive shared as c-drive, and the database was installed in it's default location, the full path would be:

\\pgserver\c-drive\program files\pagegate\


First Time Setup

In order to properly setup the NotePager Net client, the PageGate paging server must already be installed, setup, and running (refer to PageGate's documentation for installation and operations).

The first time you start NotePager Net, the setup screen will be displayed.

1. Specifying the PageGate data directory.

During the setup of PageGate, a location for PageGate's database was specified (pagegate.mdb).  NotePager Net must know the location of that database file, in order to operate.  Type the full path to the database file in the 'PageGate Database' field, or use the browse button (three dots) to find the location.

2. Sender's Name

Each message sent by NotePager Net is prefixed with the name of the sender.  This is where you specify that name.

3. Station Number

The station number is used in the log files to indicate which workstation a message originated from.  Each workstation should be given a unique station number.

4. Update frequency

This sets how often (in seconds) NotePager Net updates its statistics and logs.  Too small a value may generate unnecessary network traffic.

5. Clear on Send

With this box checked, whenever a message is sent the message textbox and list of recipients the message was sent to are automatically cleared.

6. Small Recipient Font

When this box is checked, a smaller font size will be used in the recipient pick lists.

7. Local Userlist Only

This option can be use to only allow the user of this program to see recipients in their local userlist.  The full network userlist will not be accessible.

8. Enable Spell Check

If you have Microsoft Word version 7 or newer, you can enable this option to allow spell checking of messages.

9. Choose to save the above setting for all users of this workstation, or for only the currently logged in user.

10. Apply your changes.

The setup of NotePager Net is now complete.  You are ready to send messages!


Sending a Messsage

Sending a message is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. Choose a recipient (or recipients) from the 'Recipient List'. Selected recipients will move to the 'Selected Recipients' list.

2. Enter a message in the 'Message Text' box.

3. Hit the 'SEND' button.

DONE !!!


Shortcuts, Hints and Things You Should Know

The 'Clear' button next to the 'Selected Recipients' list will clear all the selected recipients

The 'Clear' button next to the 'Message Text' box will clear the entire message text

Clicking on the 'Prog1' - 'Prog5' buttons will automatically type pre-programmed messages into the 'Message Text' area.

Right-clicking on the 'Prog1' - 'Prog5' buttons will allow you to set or modify the pre-programmed message for that button.

Right-clicking anywhere in the 'Message Text' area will bring up a window with all the pre-programmed messages in it.  From there you can select or edit any of the messages.

Clicking on the 'Pending', 'Sent', or 'Bad' numbers (or labels) will bring up the respective status log.

If you have spell checking enabled, double-clicking anywhere in the 'Message Text' area will start the spell check.

If the 'Recipient List' has the focus (is the current window), you can type the first few characters of a recipient's name to jump directly to that recipient.  The <ENTER> key can then be used to select that recipient.  The 'Recipient List' get the focus after a recipient is selected, or if you right-click anywhere in the 'Recipient List' window.

Clicking on the 'Recipient List' label or on the current list indicator next to it ('(network)' or '(local)'), will toggle between the local recipient list and the network recipient list.  A local recipient list must first be setup for this to work.

The 'OPTIONS' button allows you to schedule messages to be sent in the future or to schedule repeating pages.

If the date/time displayed in the top right corner of NotePager Net is in red print, one of PageGate's modules that is needed to send pages, isn't running.

Clicking on the blue 'NotePager Net' logo will bring up the 'About' information screen.


Minimizing NotePager Net

The NotePager Net client application can be minimized to remove its window from the Windows desktop, but to keep it running for instant access.  When NotePager Net is minimized, it will appear as a pager in the Windows system tray (bottom right corner next to the clock).  To restore NotePager Net's window, simply click on the pager icon in the Windows system tray.


Quitting

You can quit NotePager Net by choosing 'Exit' from the 'File' menu, clicking on the 'X' control in NotePager Net's top right corner, or by double-clicking on the pager icon in NotePager Net's top left corner.  Many users find it useful to keep NotePager Net running at all times, and simply keep it minimized for quick access.


Ad-Hoc

Ad-Hoc messages are messages that are sent to a recipient that isn't actually setup on the PageGate server.  By using Ad-Hoc, messages can be sent to a recipient by choosing the recipient's paging carrier (by choosing the carrier's ad-hoc user that must already be setup in PageGate) and providing the ID/PIN number for the recipient's pager (or other wireless messaging device).  Ad-Hoc users (carriers) that have been setup in PageGate will show up at the beginning of the 'Recipient List' and will have the text '(Adhoc)' before their name.  If you choose an Ad-Hoc recipient, you will be prompted for the recipient's ID/PIN number before the entry is moved into the 'Selected Recipients List'.  Note:  the Ad-Hoc message feature is not available unless you own a 5000 pager license or greater.


Bad

The 'Bad' status number on the main NotePager Net screen shows how many messages produced errors while being sent by the PageGate paging server.  These messages did not get sent to the recipient's pager.  Please see your PageGate administrator or the PageGate documentation for possible causes, more detailed information and troubleshooting tips.  By clicking on the 'Bad' label, you can bring up the full 'Bad Messages' log.  See 'Bad Messages' for more information on the log.


Bad Messages

The 'Bad Messages' log shows information about messages that have received errors while trying to be sent by the PageGate paging server.  Information is only shown for messages sent during the current session of NotePager Net.  This log displays whom the message was sent to, when it was sent to the paging server, the current message status, and the beginning of the actual message.  The 'Refresh' button will update the displayed information.  The 'Delete' button will delete the highlighted message.  The 'Requeue' button will resend the highlighted message.  The 'Close' button will close the log screen.  Please see your PageGate administrator or the PageGate documentation for possible causes, more detailed information and troubleshooting tips.  The 'Bad Messages' log can be accessed by choosing 'Bad' form the 'View' menu, or by clicking on the 'Bad' label on NotePager Net's main screen.


Characters

NotePager Net has a character counter that displays on the main screen.  It updates itself as a message is typed into the 'Message Text' area.  This number in not necessarily the exact number of characters sent out in the actual message.  The sender's name is added to the beginning of each message.  Also,  options such as 'Reliapage' add more information to the message before it is sent out.


Clear

Two 'Clear' buttons appear on NotePager Net's main screen.  The 'Clear' button immediately to the right of the 'Selected Recipients' list clears all the selected recipients.  The 'Clear' button immediately to the right of the 'Message Text' box, clears any text in its box.


Clear on Send

If the 'Clear on send' setting in NotePager Net's setup screen is enabled, whenever a message is sent by the user, the 'Selected Recipients' list and the 'Message Text' box will be automatically cleared.  Otherwise, these two display boxes are left in their previous state when a message is sent.


Date & Time

The date and time of the PageGate paging server is displayed in the top right corner of NotePager Net's main screen.  The date and time is updated at an interval set in the setup screen (see 'Update Frequency').  This is the current time of the PageGate server, not your local workstation.  If the date or time is incorrect, the date or time on the paging server may be wrong.  If one of PageGate's modules that is required for NotePager Net to send pages is not running, the date and time will be printed in red letters.


Display Options

The Display Options window is accessible from the NotePager Net setup screen.  These settings allow you to disable some of NotePager Net's features.  This is useful if a simplified user interface is desired for end users.

Remove Preset Buttons:  This option will remove the programmable message buttons on the NotePager Net window.

Remove Option button:  This option will remove the 'Options' button from the NotePager Net window.  This will remove the end user's ability to send scheduled and repeating messages.

Remove Logs:  This option will remove the end user's ability to view logs regarding message status and messages sent.

Remove Help:  This option will remove the end user's ability to view the Help file.

Remove Spell Checking:  This option will remove the ability to use MS Word's spell checker to check the spelling of messages.


Enable Spell Check

The 'Enable Spell Check' checkbox is used to enable/disable the message spell checking option.  NotePager Net can use Microsoft Word's spell checking dictionary if it is installed.  MS Word version 7 or newer is required.  The 'Enable Spell Check' setting is located on the 'Setup' screen under the 'Tools' menu.


History Log

The 'Activity Log' shows information for all messages sent from this workstation.  The 'Station Number' set in the 'Setup' screen is used to generate this log.  If unique station numbers are not used for each workstation, messages sent from other workstations may appear in this log.  You have options of printing the log to a printer, or copying the log to your computer's clipboard for use in another application.


Local Recipient Lists

In NotePager Net, you can select several commonly used recipients and put them into a local (personal) recipient list.  This can save you from scrolling through a long network recipient list to select the recipients you use most.  This local recipient list is unique to each NotePager Net client.

To add recipients to the local recipient list, choose 'Local Recipients' from the 'Tools' menu.  The left box shows all the users (pagers) setup in the PageGate paging server.  The right box shows which users will be displayed in your local user list.  Simply click on users in the 'Network Recipient List' to move them to the 'Local Recipient List'.  Also, users may be removed from the 'Local Recipient List' by clicking on them.  The 'Recipient List File' field can be used to centralize local userlist for multiple workstations.  Please see the section 'Recipient List File' for more information.  If you have a local recipient list setup, it will be the default recipient list displayed each time you startup NotePager Net.


Local Userlist Only

If the 'Local Userlist Only' setting in NotePager Net's setup screen is enabled, users of NotePager Net are restricted to only being able to send messages to recipients in their 'Local Recipient List'.


Passwords

NotePager Net can use three different types of passwords.  All three of these passwords are set in the PG Admin program by PageGate's administrator.  All three passwords are optional.

Database Password:  When set, this password is required to access PageGate's database file.  It is usually set to restrict other applications from accessing PageGate's database file.  If the database password is newly set, NotePager Net will prompt you for the new password the next time it is run.  NotePager Net will store and use this password automatically each time it is started (you will be re-prompted for the database password each time it is changed).

Application Password:  This password can be set by PageGate's administrator to restrict access to the NotePager Net application.  If the password is set, NotePager Net will prompt for it each time the program is started.

Admin Password:  This password can be set by PageGate's administrator to password protect NotePager Net's Setup screen.


Message Content

Messages sent by PageGate are sent with more information than just the message itself.  Messages will be prefixed with the reliapage index (if enabled), the block number (if it is part of a large message that has been broken into smaller pieces.  i.e. 1 of 3, 2 of 3, 3 of 3), the sender's name, the subject of the message (optional), and then the message itself.  Each of these fields is separated with a colon (:).  Most pagers have a limited character set usually consisting of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and some symbols (periods, commas, dollar signs, exclamation points, etc.).  Non printing characters such as carriage returns, line feeds, tabs, and such are usually not supported along with some symbols.


Message Length

PageGate sends your messages to your paging carrier in blocks of 240 characters.  If you have specified a larger limit for a recipient, the message will be broken up into multiple blocks of 240 characters.  The blocks will be numbered (i.e. 1 of 3, 2 of 3, 3 of 3) and sent sequentially.  The numbering of messages is important because, although PageGate sends the messages in the correct order to the paging carrier, the messages may not be received by the pager in the same order (this is possible due to the way the paging systems operate).


Message Text

The 'Message Text' area is where the actual message to be sent is typed.  Commonly used messages can be automatically entered by hitting one of the 'Prog1' - 'Prog5' buttons (see 'Presets' for information on settings and use of these buttons).  A character counter is displayed above the 'Message Text' area.  If spell checking is enabled (see 'Spell Checking'), it can be invoked by double-clicking anywhere in the 'Message Text' area.


Options

The 'Options' button brings you to the 'Advanced Message Options' screen.  From here, scheduled and repeating messages can be setup.  To schedule a page to be sent at a future date and time, fill in the 'Send Message When' fields.  To schedule a message to be sent repeatedly, fill in the 'Send Message When' fields for when you want the first page to be sent.  Fill in the 'Resend Messages Every' fields to set the interval at which the page is repeated.  Finally, fill in the 'Stop Sending Message' fields to set the date and time for the message to stop being sent.


PageGate Directory

the 'PageGate Directory' specifies the location the PageGate paging server's main database file.  The name of the database is: pagegate.mdb , and is found by default in PageGate's program directory.  This field can be set by typing the full path to the database file (not including the filename itself), or by using the browse button (three dots).  The 'PageGate Directory' setting is found on the 'Setup' screen found under the 'Tools' menu.


Pending

The 'Pending' status number on the main NotePager Net screen shows how many messages sent by this workstation (during the current NotePager Net session) are still waiting to be sent by the PageGate paging server.  By clicking on the 'Pending' label, you can bring up the full 'Pending Messages' log.  See 'Pending Messages' for more information on the log.


Pending Messages

The 'Pending Messages' log shows information about messages that are waiting to be sent by the PageGate paging server.  Information is only shown for messages sent during the current session of NotePager Net.  This log displays whom the message was sent to, when it was sent to the paging server, the current message status, and the beginning of the actual message.  The 'Refresh' button will update the displayed information.  The 'Delete' button will cancel the highlighted message.  The 'Close' button will close the log screen.  The 'Pending Messages' log can be accessed by choosing 'Pending' form the 'View' menu, or by clicking on the 'Pending' label on NotePager Net's main screen.


Pre-programmed Messages

Up to five commonly used messages can be pre-programmed for you use.  These messages can be automatically inserted into the 'Message Text' area by clicking on the 'Prog1' - 'Prog5' buttons.  Individual messages can be set by right-clicking on the respective 'Prog' button.  To bring up the 'Preset Messages' screen, which displays all five pre-programmed messages at the same time, either right-click anywhere in the 'Message Text' area, or choose 'Tools' -> 'Presets' from the menu.  Once in this screen, you can edit any one or all of the pre-programmed messages.  Clicking apply will save the changes and close the window.  Clicking on the button to the left of a message will accept all the changes, and insert that message into the 'Message Text' area.


Recipient List File

This option appears on the 'Assign Local Users' screen.  It allows an administrator to keep a list of local recipients for this NotePager Net client in a central location.  This enables the administrator to maintain local user list files in a central location.  The file is a simple Ascii text file with a single recipient name on each line of the file.


Recipients

In PageGate, 'recipient' is synonymous with 'pager'.  A recipient is the person who carriers the actual pager.  When PageGate refers to a 'recipient' it is really referring to the recipient's pager.  This approach simplifies things for the end users.  For example if a user were to replace their pager with a new unit, the user name will stay consistent, even though the pager's information would change.


Scheduled and Repeating Messages

The 'Options' button on NotePager Net's main screen will take you to a window where you can schedule pages to be sent in the future, and pages that will repeat.  To schedule a page to be sent at a future date and time, fill in the 'Send Message When' fields.  To schedule a message to be sent repeatedly, fill in the 'Send Message When' fields for when you want the first page to be sent.  Fill in the 'Resend Messages Every' fields to set the interval at which the page is repeated.  Finally, fill in the 'Stop Sending Message' fields to set the date and time for the message to stop being sent.


Scheduled Msgs

The 'Scheduled Msgs' menuitem can be found under the 'View' menu.  This option allows you to make changes to a message that has been scheduled for delivery, but hasn't been sent yet.

To edit a scheduled message, highlight a message entry on the 'Scheduled Messages' screen and then hit the 'Edit' button.  A message box will appear to let you know that this message will not be delivered until you hit the 'Send' button again (even if you don't make any changes).  the data from the message you selected will be filled into the regular NotePager Net screen.  Make the necessary changes and then resend the message by hitting the 'Send' button.


Selected Recipients

The 'Selected Recipients' list box is displayed on NotePager Net's main screen.  It lists recipients (pagers) that the next message will be sent to.  Recipients are added to the 'Selected Recipients' list by choosing them from the 'Recipient List' box (see 'Recipient List' for more details).  You can remove a single recipient from this list by simply clicking on the name of the recipient.  Clicking the 'Clear' button to the right of the 'Selected Recipients' box, will clear all the recipients in the list.


Send

Clicking on the 'Send' button will send the message in the 'Message Text' area to all the recipients (pagers) in the 'Selected Recipients' list.  The 'Send' button will animate to confirm your mouse click on the button.  The 'Message Text' and 'Selected Recipients' boxes are not cleared after clicking 'Send', enabling you to resend the message if needed.  To clear either of these boxes, simple click the 'Clear' button to it's right.


Sender's Name

The 'Sender's Name' is sent at the beginning of each message, so the recipient knows who the message is sent from.  A short name should be used because most pagers only display a limited number of characters on their screens.  The 'Sender's Name' setting is located on the 'Setup' screen found under the 'Tools' menu.


Sent

The 'Sent' status number on the main NotePager Net screen shows how many messages have been successfully sent by this workstation (during the current NotePager Net session).  By clicking on the 'Sent' label, you can bring up the full 'Sent Messages' log.  See 'Pending Messages' for more information on the log.


Sent Messages

The 'Sent Messages' log shows information about messages that have been sent by the PageGate paging server.  Information is only shown for messages sent during the current session of NotePager Net.  This log displays whom the message was sent to, when it was sent to the paging server, the current message status, and the beginning of the actual message.  The 'Refresh' button will update the displayed information.  The 'Delete' button will delete the highlighted message.  The 'Requeue' button will resend the highlighted message.  The 'Close' button will close the log screen.  The 'Sent Messages' log can be accessed by choosing 'Sent' form the 'View' menu, or by clicking on the 'Sent' label on NotePager Net's main screen.


Setup

The 'Setup' screen allows you to change the programs initial setup information.

The 'PageGate Directory' specifies the location of the PageGate paging server's main database.  The PageGate paging server must be installed, setup, and running in order for NotePager Net to operate.  Type the full path (not including the file name) to PageGate's database file.  Or, use the browse button (three dots) to find the database location.

The 'Sender's Name' field allows you to set the name of the operator of this workstation.  Each message sent by NotePager Net is prefixed with the name of the sender.

The 'Station Number' is used by the log files to indicate which workstation a message originated from.  Each workstation should be given a unique 'Station Number'

The 'Update Frequency' sets how often (in seconds) NotePager Net updates its statistics and logs from the paging server.  Too small a value may generate unnecessary network traffic.

Clear on Send can be checked so that whenever a message is sent, the message textbox and list of recipients the message was sent to are automatically cleared.

Local Userlist Only can be used to only allow the user of this program to see recipients in their local userlist.  The full network userlist will not be accessible.

The 'Enable Spell Check' checkbox allows you to enable the spell checking option in NotePager Net.  In order to use this option, you must have Microsoft Word version 7 or newer installed on your system.

The 'Setup' screen is accessed by choosing 'Setup' from the 'Tools' menu


Small Recipient Font

When this box is checked, a smaller font size will be used in the recipient pick lists.  This will help when long recipient names are used.


Spell Check

If the spell checking option is enabled in the 'Setup' screen, messages can be checked for spelling errors before they are sent.  NotePager Net uses Microsoft Word's spell checking utility that is included in versions 7 or newer.  It must be installed in order for NotePager Net to be able to spell check messages.  A message can be checked by double-clicking anywhere in the 'Message Text' area, or by choosing 'Check Spelling' from the 'Tools' menu.


Station Number

The 'Station Number' is used by the log files to indicate which station messages were sent from.  A unique number should be set to each workstation.  The 'Station Number' setting is found on the 'Setup' screen under the 'Tools' menu.  If you want a group of users to share a common history log, set their station numbers to the same number.


Update Frequency

The 'Update Frequency' setting specifies how often (in seconds) NotePager Net updates its statistics and logs from PageGate.  Too small a value may generate unnecessary network traffic, while too large a value will not give the user current information.  The 'Update Frequency' setting is located on the 'Setup' screen found under the 'Tools' menu.


Recipient List

The 'Recipient List' listbox is displayed on NotePager Net's main screen.  It lists recipients (pagers) that can be chosen to send messages to.  Recipients are listed alphabetically by the recipient's full name.  Groups are listed before single recipients.  Recipients must be added to the PageGate paging server application before they are available to NotePager Net.  There are two different recipient lists maintained by NotePager Net.  The current list being displayed is indicated by the word next to the 'Recipient List' label.  It will read either '(network)' or '(local)'.  The network recipient list displays all recipients setup in the PageGate server.  A local recipient list can be setup by choosing 'Local Recipients' from the 'Tools' menu.  You may want to add commonly paged recipients into your local recipient list to save time scrolling through the entire network recipient list.  You can switch between the local recipient list and the network recipient list by clicking on the 'Recipient List' label, clicking on the '(network)' or '(local)' labels, or by choosing 'Local Recipients' or 'Network Recipients' from the 'View' menu.  Recipients are moved from the 'Recipient List' to the 'Selected Recipients' list by clicking on the recipient's name.  You can also select recipients by typing the first few letters in their name and hitting <ENTER>.  This only works if the 'Recipient List' is the active control (has the focus).  Set the focus to the 'Recipient List' by right-clicking anywhere in the recipient list box.  Once a recipient is selected, it is moved from the 'Recipient List' box to the 'Selected Recipients' box.


Date and time is red

The date and time shown on the NotePager Net screen is printed in red

If one of PageGate's modules necessary for the operation of NotePager net is not running, NotePager Net will alert you by printing the date and time in red print rather than black.  Your messages will still be accepted, but won't be sent out until the server is restarted.


Date and time is wrong

The date or time shown on the NotePager Net screen is wrong

NotePager Net receives its date and time from the PageGate paging server.  If the date or time on the PageGate server is incorrect or if the server application isn't running, your local NotePager date or time may not be correct.


I can't see all the recipients

I can't see all the recipients (pagers) setup in PageGate

If you have setup a local recipient list (a subset of all the PageGate recipients) it will be displayed as the default list when you start NotePager Net.  You can switch to the PageGate recipient list by clicking on the 'Recipient List' heading, or by choosing 'Network Recipients' from the 'View' menu.  If NotePager Net isn't registered and is running in 'shareware mode', only the first five recipients in PageGate will be displayed.


Installation Troubleshooting

Problem:  Any number of different problems

Solution:  Be sure that there are no other programs running when you install PageGate.  There may be programs running even if you don't see them in your task bar.  Pressing <ctrl><alt><del> will bring up a list of running programs in Windows 95 and 98.  In Windows NT you can choose 'Task Manager' after hitting <ctrl><alt><del> for similar information.  Stop any programs that you believe is causing the conflict.  WARNING: this should only be done by an experienced user.  Randomly ending tasks can lock up your computer, lose data or worse.  Please consult with and experienced technician before killing any processes.  A clean reboot can sometimes also help.  Holding down the shift key while windows is starting will stop some programs from starting that automatically load at startup.  Try re-running the PageGate setup program.

Problem:  The setup program does not fully start, or the setup program for a completely different application starts

Solution: clear out the files from your temporary directory.  In Windows 95 and 98 the default location of the temporary directory is C:\Windows\Temp.  In Windows NT it is C:\Temp.  Also move, rename, or delete any existing files in your Windows or Winnt directory named setup.exe, setup1.exe or setup.lst.  Try re-running the PageGate setup program.

Problem:  The install program says it can't replace a file because it is in use

Solution:  See the first item above regarding other programs that are running while trying to install PageGate.  If that doesn't help, try to rename the existing file that is reported to be in use (moving or deleting the file usually won't work).  In most cases you will find the offending file in the C:\Windows\System or the C:\Winnt\System32 directory.  Try re-running the PageGate setup program.

Problem:  The install program still says that it can't replace a file because it is in use

Solution - Windows 9x:  Don't try this without the help of an experienced Windows administrator.  Restart your computer and enter the 'Command Prompt Only' mode.  Rename the file that is causing the problem.  Restart windows.  You may receive some error messages on startup.  Continue past the errors if possible.  If Windows won't start, reboot, startup in 'Command Prompt Only' mode again and put the files back.  Otherwise, you should now be able to successfully run the install program.  Be sure to reboot after the installation is finished.

Solution - Windows NT:  Don't try this without the help of an experienced Windows administrator.  Sometimes the file causing the problem is in use by a Windows NT system service (i.e. some backup programs that run as a service use the same MS Jet database drivers that PageGate does).  From the 'Services' icon in the control panel, try stopping any services that may be using the file in question.  WARNINNG: Stopping some services can lock up your computer, lose data or worse.  Please consult with and experienced technician before stopping any services.


Spell checking doesn't work

Spell checking doesn't work.

In order to use the spell checking feature in NotePager Net, you must have a Windows95 version of Microsoft Word installed on the workstation (version 7 or newer. i.e. MS Office95 or Office97)


Using Local Time

When NotePager Net starts, I get the message 'Unable to synchronize with the scheduler....'

When NotePager Net starts, it attempts to synchronize its clock with the clock on the paging server.  Note: this does not affect your computer's time or date.  Synchronized application time is important for efficient message delivery.  If for any reason you NotePager Net client is unable to synchronize its time with the server, you will receive the message 'Unable to synchronize time with the scheduler.  Using local time'.  Even if you receive this message, your client will continue to operate and queue messages.  However, there may be a problem with the paging server that could interfere with the delivery of your messages.  When time is out-of-sync, the date/time display on the NotePager Net client screen will be displayed in red.


Where is the PageGate database

Where is the PageGate database file?

NotePager Net and PageGate must share the same database file (pagegate.mdb).  Therefore the file should be located on your network where both machines have access to the file.  Both NotePager Net and PageGate must also have full rights to read, write, and change the file contents.  The pagegate.mdb file is created by PageGate and by default is located in the PageGate program directory.  If you accept this location while installing PageGate, be sure to make the folder a shared network folder to all the NotePager Net client computers.