Copyright: Copyright © 1994-1995 Galacticomm, Inc.
Citation: Copyright © 1994-1995 Galacticomm, Inc.  All rights reserved.


Download
Download As

You've just requested that a file be downloaded from the Worldgroup server to your PC.  This window sets where you wish the file to be placed on your PC, and under what filename.ext.  Once you've set the destination, you can either immediately download the file or simply tag it to be downloaded later.

In either event, the request is sent to a Download Manager which will keep track of the request until either the file is downloaded or you delete the request.

Download Now

This adds the download request to the Download Manager's list set to Waiting for Download status.  If no other download is currently in progress, Download Manager will reset it to Downloading Now and begin transferring the file to your PC.

Download Later

This adds the download request to the Download Manager's list set to Hold for Later status.  The request will remain on hold until you open Download Manager and either reset it to download now or delete the request.

File Name

The text box presently suggesting the filename.ext by which the file is stored on the server.  You can manually enter the entire drive:\directory\...\filename.ext if you wish.

You are welcome to save the file on your PC under a different filename, but you should leave the extension the same.  For example, if the file is labeled <something>.zip on the server, it's most likely been compressed using PKzip.  Even if you save it to <something>.bat on your PC, the file itself will still be a zip and you'll have to explain the unexpected extension (.bat) to PKunzip in order to uncompress the file.

The standard list box below the text box displays all files in the current drive:\directory.  This helps you avoid name collisions.

Of course, you may want to save the new file over top of an existing file.  In that case, double-click on the file you wish overwritten.

Directories

The list box displays the directory tree of the drive:\ selected below in Drives.  The current directory is the one whose folder icon is open and darkened within.  Any folders listed below it are children subdirectories of the current directory.  Any folders listed above it are parent directories.  Between the list box and the title line Directories: you will see displayed in text the current directory's drive:\path, possibly abbreviated.

Double-click on a directory to switch to it.  If the directory you seek is not visible, double-click on the directory which you know to be its parent.  This list box does not display the entire tree at once, but limits itself instead to the parentage and children of the current directory.

Drives

This dropdown list box selects the drive letter you wish displayed.  Depending on your PC's setup, it may display volume names in [brackets] to the right of each drive letter.

A single click selects a drive letter.  The Directories and File Name list boxes will change to display the new drive's current directory and files.


Download Manager

This window manages a list of files awaiting download.  With it, you can download individual files in any order, or set them all to download.  File Libraries operates its own Download Manager for tagged files, and E-mail/Forums maintains another Download Manager for files attached to messages.

If you're familiar with Windows' Print Manager, you'll quickly recognize the rationale behind this window: both keep track of objects which are waiting to be processed.  Print Manager tracks data waiting to be printed.  Download Manager tracks files tagged for downloading.

What each field means

File Name

The filename.ext as it is known on the server.  If you renamed it in Download As, don't panic - that information has been recorded along with the drive:\path on your PC to which it should be saved.

Description

This field is used by some modules (E-mail and Forums, for example) to more exactly identify files attached to messages.  Other modules (File Libraries, for example) do not display this field when downloading.

Size

The number of bytes contained within the file, useful as a rough gauge of download time.

Status

	Downloading Now	This is the file which is currently in transit to your PC.  You should also see a small progress box somewhere on your Windows desktop displaying the status of the download.
	Waiting to Download	These files are waiting their turn to be downloaded.  Each will be promoted to Downloading Now as the one ahead of it finishes.
	Holding for Later	These are files which will not begin downloading until you click Download All or highlight them and click Download File.   If you go offline or exit WGM, any files remaining in the list will be assigned Holding for Later status.  This is to keep your system from immediately attempting to go online the next time you run the client-side program for this Worldgroup.
Download All

This button sets each file's status to Waiting for Download.  The first file on the list is immediately reset to Downloading Now and begins its journey to your PC.  When it's done, the next file on the list will follow, rapidly.

Cancelling the Download Manager does not delete any requests.  It simply resets them all to Holding for Later.

Download File

This button sets the highlighted file's status to Waiting for Download.  If no other file is in the Downloading Now status, this file will switch to Downloading Now and be transmitted to your PC.  Otherwise, this file will wait its turn.

Hold for Later

This button sets the highlighted file's status to Hold for Later.  Use it to take a file out of the Waiting for Download queue, or to interrupt a file which is Downloading Now.

This does not delete the file from the Download Manager's list.  The file will remain listed until you either download it or delete it.  You can even log off this Worldgroup and not lose the list of pending files.  This is especially handy if this Worldgroup limits you to a certain number of minutes online per session, or per day.

Delete

To remove a file from this list and not download it, highlight it and click Delete.


Find...

This function helps you find the correct spelling of a person's User-ID.

Although people commonly use their full names as User-IDs, you need to remember that a User-ID is a single string.  That is, the User-ID "Carolyn G." will appear before the User-ID "Kelly B." because the letter C comes before the letter K.

Type your best guess in the User: field

As with almost everything in Worldgroup, UPPER/lower case doesn't matter:  "Tyler" equals "TYLER" equals "tyler".

Click on the Search button

If the function finds any matches, the window will enlarge to display a list of possible matches.  Select the one you wish either by double-clicking it, or by single-clicking it then clicking the OK button.  The selected User-ID will be returned to the window from which you called Find...

If the function does not find a match, try a shorter string in the User: field.  Although you can type in a full name, it's generally better not to.  If you ask for "reginald" but he signed up as "Reggie", the search won't find him.  You're better off searching for "reg".

Notice that you can search for a person by last name, or even partial last name.  It will not find "Ann Owen" if you type in "we", however.  The search string in User: must be the beginning of a word if not a whole word.


Glossary

The following definitions are available:

Bitmap File

C/S (Client/Server) Mode

Client Side

Dumb Terminal

File Transfer Protocol

Metafile

Online, Offline, On Deck

Password

Worldgroup server

Server Side

Sysop

Terminal Mode

User Account

User-ID


Bitmap File

A bitmap is a way to store a graphical image as a rectangular grid of dots (pixels).

  For example, the icon for Windows' Control Panel is a bitmap.

	Here it is again 4 times as large.  Bitmaps don't enlarge very well because the information that is stored within them is only accurate down to the size of a single pixel (dot).  Enlarge a bitmap and you get big dots.

On the other hand, bitmaps work very well when they store information which is not meant to be enlarged, reshaped or otherwise manipulated.  Windows icons are bitmaps (stored as .ico files or embedded in .exe files).  Windows wallpaper designs are bitmaps (.bmp).

The Windows program Paintbrush can manipulate .bmp files.

See also Metafile.


C/S (Client/Server) Mode

Two-sided computing: your PC and the Worldgroup server PC both work to satisfy your requests.  Your PC's processing power is not ignored (as with a terminal mode BBS).  In fact, your PC ends up doing most of the work.  C/S mode minimizes wasted time online by letting you do many tasks on deck.

Client/server means that one program (the client) can ask another program (the server) for assistance.  The two programs often run on separate computers connected by a communications link (a network, the telephone system, etc.).

WGM is a client program running on your PC.

Worldgroup is a server program running on a remote PC.


Client side

Your PC running WGM is the client side of a client/server relationship.  The remote PC running Worldgroup is the server side of the relationship.  The term client side includes:

1) any programs which run on your PC

2) any data, documents, or other files which are stored on your PC

The client side can do many tasks itself, and calls on the server side for tasks it cannot do (exchanging messages with other clients, looking up centralized information, etc.).


Dumb Terminal

	A device which has a keyboard, a monitor, possibly a mouse, but has no ability to process data by itself.  A dumb terminal has to be connected to a computer in order to do anything.
Old-style user-side modem programs are known as terminal programs because they make your PC mimic a dumb terminal (thereby wasting your PC's processing power).


File Transfer Protocol

A language for exchanging files between two computers and confirming that what arrives is the same as what was sent.  Common protocols for terminal-mode transfers include ZMODEM, XMODEM, YMODEM-Batch, and Kermit.

WGM in C/S mode uses its own information transfer protocol, GCSP, which uses Dynapaks to exchange all forms of data including files.


Metafile

A metafile is a way to store a graphical image as a collection of shapes, angles, and relative distances.

  For example, this drawing of a telephone plug is a metafile.

	Here it is again 4 times as large.  Note that you can see more detail in the enlarged version.  Stretched large or small, a metafile is recalculated to provide the most accurate image possible.

Because PC monitors in use today may be set to any of a dozen different resolutions (so many pixels tall, so many pixels wide), we have used metafiles within WGM's help files wherever possible.  This makes it more likely that graphics will appear properly on your display.

The Windows program Paintbrush cannot manipulate .wmf files.

See also Bitmap File.


Online, Offline, and On Deck
Online

Connected.

Your PC is online whenever it is connected to a Worldgroup server.

Offline

Disconnected.

Your PC is offline whenever it is not connected to a Worldgroup server.

On Deck

Disconnected but able to perform tasks.

Your PC is on deck whenever WGM is running the client-side program (E-mail, File Libraries, etc.) for a Worldgroup service but your PC is not yet connected to the online service.


Password

The private half of your identification, seen only by the software and the Sysop.

A password is the confirmation that you are who your User-ID says you are.  Without passwords, someone else could log on using your User-ID and do things that you would be blamed for.  Keep your password secret.

Avoid obvious, easily guessed, passwords.  Make up something that is not your mother's maiden name, not your job title, in fact not anything related to your work.

Don't use a completely random string of characters, though.  "NE1410S" will be hard to remember.  Instead, an effective middle choice is to run two words together which are easily remembered by you but not easily guessed by others.  "Twosun" for example.


Worldgroup system
Worldgroup server

An online service running Worldgroup server software by Galacticomm, Inc.

Online services running other software, including Galacticomm's The Major BBS (Worldgroup's predecessor), are not servers in the client/server sense.  WGM drops back to terminal mode in order to communicate with them.


Server side

The remote PC running Worldgroup is the server side of a client/server relationship.  Your PC is the client side of the relationship.  The term server side includes:

1) any programs which run on the Worldgroup server PC

2) any data, documents, or other files which are stored on the Worldgroup server PC

The server side exists solely to do tasks which the client side cannot do itself (exchanging messages with other clients, looking up centralized information, etc.).


Sysop

A System Operator, or Sysop, is the manager of an online service.


Terminal Mode

One-sided computing: the software running on the remote computer insists on doing all of the work, so your own PC might as well be a "dumb terminal."  This mindset made sense when computing power was prohibitively expensive and terminals were cheap.  Today, though, your PC may well be more powerful than the PC running the online service you call.  Even if it isn't, your PC is closer to you than the service's PC.  It can do things without delay, if the software at both ends permits.  Client/server mode permits this.  Terminal mode does not.

WGM falls back from C/S mode to terminal mode in order to communicate with BBSes and other non-Worldgroup online services.


User Account

A list of information including your full name, your mailing address, your telephone number, etc.  In a for-profit online service, the user account may include your credit card number or other method of payment.

User account information is private, seen only by you and by the Sysop.

Your user account is identified by your User-ID and password.


User-ID

The public half of your identification, seen by the software and by other users.

A User-ID is a string of 3 to 29 characters (although some systems may limit you to fewer than 29).  On business systems, your User-ID is often your full name.  On social systems, it is often a nickname or "handle."  In some situations, a User-ID may be assigned to you.  In other situations, the choice is yours.

Your User-ID is verified by the password you associate with it.


   I never metafile I didn't like

      (Stryker said I could do it! --Marc)


Contents

The following Help Topics are available:

General Concepts

What are Forums?

Menus and Toolbar

Toolbar for Forums

File Menu

Edit Menu

View Menu

Message Menu

Forum Menu

Options Menu


What are Forums?

Forums are typically long-term conversations.  One user will start a topic of discussion by posting a question or a comment (I feel this way about X.... How does everyone else feel about it?).  Other users will read the message the next time they are online on this server.  Some will reply to the message.  Replies to replies may continue over a period of weeks or months, the thread of conversation often becoming many hundreds of messages long.

Threads are valuable sources of information even if you don't wish to participate in the debate.  You'll read all sides of an issue and gain a much fuller understanding from it.  In a technical support forum, for example, a thread might start with one user describing a problem she's having by posting a request for advice.  She may get 17 responses that night, some of them contradictory.  There may well be more than one solution to the problem, and even the wrong ones can show what not to do.  By the next night, others will have chimed in to naysay the inaccurate suggestions.

Forums are also known as newsgroups, and a much older term for them was SIGs.  They all mean roughly the same thing.  Newsgroups is a term most often associated with the Internet, while Forums is the more common term in the BBS community.  Now with Worldgroup, the two can intermingle: an Internet newsgroup can be made to appear exactly as if it were a forum.

You can use Forums in a fully-online or in a batch-offline mode.  If online time is not expensive to you, you can scan forums while online, type replies to them while online, etc.

If online time is expensive to you, however, you can copy messages which interest you to an In Box on your PC, go offline, and read those messages on deck.  You can write replies to those messages, holding them temporarily in an Out Box on your PC.  When you are finished writing, you can go online just long enough to send those replies to the forum(s).

See also Contents and e-mail addresses


Toolbar for Forums

	Filing Cabinet   Lets you manage messages saved for future reference.  Same as the File menu's Filing Cabinet.
	In Box Lets you download selected messages from forums to be read and responded to offline (on deck).  Same as the View menu's In Box.
	Out Box Lets you examine and manage all messages which you have written but which have not yet been sent to the server.  Same as the View menu's Out Box.
	Write New Message Lets you create the first message in a new thread in the current forum.  Same as the Message menu's Write.
	Scan Messages While Online Takes you online and lets you scan for messages in all available forums.  You can either read them online or tag them for download to be read offline.  Same as the Message menu's Scan.
	Select a Forum Lets you set the current forum.  Same as the Forum menu's Select.
	List Messages in a Forum Online Takes you online and lists all messages within the current forum so you can either read them online or tag them for download to be read offline.  Same as the Forum menu's Messages.
	List Threads in a Forum Online Takes you online and lists all threads within the current forum so you can examine individual conversations.  Same as the Forum menu's Threads.


File Menu

Download Manager

Keeps track of all file attachments tagged for download which have not yet been transferred to your PC.  Lets you download them now, hold them for later, or stop them from being downloaded.

Filing Cabinet

Stores permanent copies of messages you write and messages you receive.

Print

This prints the currently displayed message to the default printer you chose in Windows' Control Panel.  This menu selection is dim if there is no message currently displayed.

Exit

Closes the Forums module.


Filing Cabinet

This lets you store permanent copies of messages you write and messages you receive.  You can create folders in which to keep messages sorted.

To reach this window, go to the File menu and select Filing Cabinet.

Folder

This list box shows all existing folders.

Open

Displays a list of all messages filed in the currently highlighted folder.  Alternatively, double-click on the folder.

New

Adds a new folder to the Filing Cabinet.

Delete

Erases a folder and all of the messages contained within it.  It does ask "Are you sure?" first.  The (General) folder cannot be deleted.


Folder: "foldername"

This lists all messages which have been filed in this folder.

To reach this window, go to the Filing Cabinet window and double-click on the foldername whose messages you wish to examine.

From

Who wrote each message.

To

Who received each message.

Topic

A brief description of each message.

Date

The date a message to you was first recorded on the server, and the date a message from you was either sent or filed.

Read

Displays the text of the currently highlighted message and gives you several ways to respond to it.

Delete

Erases the currently highlighted message from the folder.  This occurs immediately: there is no "Are you sure?" and there is no Undo.


Message in "foldername"

This lets you read a message which has been saved to a folder in your Filing Cabinet.

To reach this window, go to the Folder "foldername" window and double-click the message you wish to read.

Source

This either says Electronic Mail or the name of the forum (newsgroup) from which the message came.

Message #

Messages handled by a Worldgroup server are numbered in the order in which they arrive on the server computer.  This is rarely important to most users, but it is occasionally handy to be able to specify a message explicitly by number.

Date

If this is a message to you, this field records the date this message was placed on the server addressed to you.

If this is a message written by you, this field records either the date you sent the message to the server, or the date you first saved the message to your Out Box.

From

The person who sent you this message.

Brings up your Address Book and lets you add the To or From address to your Book.

To

The User-ID or e-mail address to whom this message is addressed.

Topic

The topic (Re:) of the message, optional.

Reply / E-mail Reply

If this filed message is an e-mail message, you'll only see one button:

The Reply button creates a private e-mail message addressed to the person who sent you this message, optionally copying the contents of the first message into your reply.  The Reply button will be dimmed if this message is one which you wrote.

If this filed message is a forum message, you'll see two buttons:

The first is Reply, which creates a public forum message addressed to the person who sent you this forum message, optionally copying the contents of the first message into your reply.

The second is E-mail Reply, which creates a private e-mail message addressed to the person who sent you this forum message, optionally copying the contents of the first message into your reply.

Both buttons will be dimmed if this message is one which you wrote.

File it

Although this may seem slightly redundant, it does allow you to file this message in another folder of the filing cabinet.

Delete

Erases the filed message from the folder.  This occurs immediately: there is no "Are you sure?" and there is no Undo.

Next

Displays the next message in this file folder without having to leave the Message window.

Prev

Displays the previous message in this file folder without having to leave the Message window.

Download

If this message had an attached file when you filed it, the Download button will be visible whenever you read the filed message.  Clicking this button lets you attempt to download the file from the Worldgroup server.

E-mail and forum messages have limited lifetimes on Worldgroup servers.  If the message is no longer on the server, the attached file will no longer be there, either.  Your local filing cabinet in your copy of Worldgroup Manager has no way of knowing whether the file is still there until it makes the attempt to download it.

If you are currently running the E-mail client app and you are reading a filed forum message which had an attached file, the Download button will be dimmed.  You'll need to switch to Forums in order to download the file.

Likewise, if you are currently running the Forums client app and you are reading a filed E-mail message which had an attached file, the Download button will be dimmed.  You'll need to switch to E-mail in order to download the file.

The Download button will also be dimmed if this filed message is one which you wrote.


Create New Folder

This lets you add a new file folder to the Filing Cabinet.

To reach this window, go to the Filing Cabinet window and click the New button.

Folder Name

Type in the name you wish to give this new folder and press Enter (or click OK).


Edit Menu

Most text boxes within E-mail and Forums, especially those which display message body text, can be selected.  That is, by placing the mouse cursor at one location in the text, holding down the mouse button and moving the mouse, you can highlight an area of text which can then be cut or copied.  In text blocks which accept keyboard typed input, you can paste text from the Windows Clipboard to the text cursor's current position.

Cut

This removes the selected text and places it on the Windows Clipboard from which it can be pasted into other Windows programs.  This menu selection does nothing until you select an area of text.

Copy

Without erasing the selected text, this places a copy of it on the Windows Clipboard.  From there the text can be pasted into other Windows programs.  This menu selection does nothing until you select an area of text.

Paste

This places the contents of the Windows Clipboard into this program at the cursor's current location.  This menu selection does nothing until you place text on the Windows Clipboard by cutting or copying it from the Forums client app or another Windows application.  A text box will not accept graphics, so if the Windows Clipboard contains anything apart from text, Paste will do nothing.


View Menu

In Box

Temporarily stores messages which you've gotten from the server so that you can read them offline and on deck.

Out Box

Temporarily stores messages which you've written while on deck.  When you've finished writing messages, a single button click sends the messages to the server.

Address Book

Stores User-IDs and e-mail addresses of people you write to often.  You can add addresses to the book manually, or automatically by lifting them from messages.  This lets you more easily address messages in future.

Toolbar

Activates or deactivates the button toolbar.


In Box

This is a temporarily holding place for messages which you have gotten from the server, sorted by forum name.  There are two ways to participate in Forums: online and on deck.

If online time on this server is not expensive for you, you'll probably find it easier to browse and reply while you are online.  In that event, you won't use the Forums In Box very much at all.  Instead, you'll use the Message menu's Scan command.

If online time on this server is expensive for you, however, the In Box allows you to rapidly download copies of messages from forums of your choice.  You then read them and write replies to them while offline (on deck).  These replies are held in your Out Box alongside e-mail messages you've written while offline.  When you're finished writing, the Out Box takes you online just long enough for you to upload the messages.

To reach this window, go to the View menu and select In Box.

	Message Already Read By You with Attached File, Already Read By You Message Not Yet Read By You with Attached File, Not Yet Read By You

Forum

The name of the forum whose messages you're currently examining.

Description

A brief description of the forum whose messages you're currently examining.

Unread Messages

The number of messages in this forum which you've gotten but which you haven't read yet.

Total Messages

The number of messages in this forum which you've gotten from the server.

From

The User-ID or e-mail address of the person who sent this message.

To

The person this message is addressed to.

Topic

The topic (Re:) of the message, optional.

Read

Click to read the currently highlighted message.  Alternatively, just double-click a message line.

Delete

Erases the currently highlighted message from your In Box.  This occurs immediately: there is no "Are you sure?" and there is no Undo.  This does not erase the message from the server.

Delete All

Erases all messages in this forum from your In Box.  This occurs immediately: there is no "Are you sure?" and there is no Undo.  This does not erase messages from the server.

Get Messages

Brings up the Get Messages for Offline Use window.  This has the same effect as the Message menu's Get selection.  It lets you choose which messages to download from the server, plus a few other options.


Read In-Box Message #<messagenumber>

This is where you read a message in a forum which you have previously downloaded to the In Box on your PC.  You can then write a reply to it, file it for future reference, delete it, or download a file attached to it (if any).

To reach this window, go to the In Box and double-click a message you wish to read.

Forum

The name of the forum this message is a part of.

Message #

Messages handled by a Worldgroup server are numbered in the order in which they arrive on the server computer.  This is rarely important to most users, but it is occasionally handy to be able to specify a message explicitly by number.

Date

The date this message arrived on the server.

From

The User-ID or e-mail address of the person who sent this message.

Brings up your Address Book and lets you add the To or From address to your Book.

To

The person to whom this message is addressed.

Topic

The topic (Re:) of the message, optional.  This is normally also the topic of the thread.

Reply

Creates a new message addressed to the person who posted this message and posts it publicly in the forum, optionally copying the contents of the first message into your reply.

E-mail Reply

Creates a new message addressed to the person who posted this message and e-mails it privately to the person, optionally copying the contents of the first message into your reply.

File it

Copies this message to the more permanent Filing Cabinet (letting you choose a folder first).

Delete

Erases the message from your In Box.  This occurs immediately: there is no "Are you sure?" and there is no Undo.  This does not erase the message from the forum.

Next

Displays the next message in your In Box without having to leave the Message window.

Prev

Displays the previous message in your In Box without having to leave the Message window.

Download

If this message has a file attached to it, this selects where on your PC to place the file.  This does not immediately take you online to download the file.  Instead, it lets you choose to download it now or later.  Of course, if you select Download Now on the next window, you will be taken online to begin downloading the file now.


Read Message #<messagenumber> While Online
#<messagenumber> in <forumname>

This is where you read a message in a forum while you are online.  You can then write a reply to it, file it for future reference, delete it, or download a file attached to it (if any).

To reach this window, go to the In Box and double-click a message you wish to read.

Date

The date this message arrived on the server.

From

The User-ID or e-mail address of the person who sent this message.

Brings up your Address Book and lets you add the To or From address to your Book.

To

The person to whom this message is addressed.

Topic

The topic (Re:) of the message, optional.  This is normally also the topic of the thread.

Reply

Creates a new message addressed to the person who posted this message and posts it publicly in the forum, optionally copying the contents of the first message into your reply.

E-mail Reply

Creates a new message addressed to the person who posted this message and e-mails it privately to the person, optionally copying the contents of the first message into your reply.

File it

Copies this message to the more permanent Filing Cabinet (letting you choose a folder first).

Delete

If this message was written From: you, you can erase it from the forum.  Deletion occurs immediately: there is no "Are you sure?" and there is no Undo.

Map

Brings up a tree-structured diagram of the messages in this thread.

Prev

Displays the previous message in your In Box without having to leave the Message window.

Next

Displays the next message in your In Box without having to leave the Message window.

<<Thread

Scans for and displays the most immediately previous message in this thread, not necessarily the parent of this message.

Parent

Scans for and displays the message to which the current message is a reply.

Thread >>

Scans for and displays the most immediately subsequent message in this thread, not necessarily a reply to this message.

Download

If this message has a file attached to it, this selects where on your PC to place the file.  This does not immediately take you online to download the file.  Instead, it lets you choose to download it now or later.  Of course, if you select Download Now on the next window, you will be taken online to begin downloading the file now.

Return from thread

Once you begin wandering a thread, the Prev and Next buttons are replaced by this larger button.  While exploring a thread, you stop browsing purely by time and date.  With a single click of either of the Thread buttons, you may skip over dozens of messages in this forum because they are not members of the current thread.  To cycle back to read them when you've done with the current thread, clicking Return from thread takes you back to the message from which you began exploring that thread.


Reply to #

This lets you reply publicly to a forum message.  Your reply will be added to the thread containing the message you're replying to.

To reply to a message, go to the Read In-Box Message # window and click Reply.

To

The User-ID or e-mail address to whom you wish to send this message.  You can either type one in from memory or click the Address a Message button.

Brings up the Address a Message window and lets you insert a User-ID or e-mail address from its entries.

Topic

The equivalent of a Re: line in a printed memo.  This brief description will appear in the recipient's In Box list.

Attach

Attaches a file to this message if you wish.  When you send the message, a copy of this file will be uploaded to the server.  When the recipient gets the message, he or she can then download the file.

Options

Sets when (or whether) you wish to copy this message to the Filing Cabinet.

Quote

Copies the contents of the original message into this reply, each line prefaced by your initials.  You can then use the Backspace and Del keys to pare the quote down to the specific line(s) you're replying to.

Send

Immediately uploads the message and attached file (if any) to the server.  It will take you online if you are not online already.

Out-Box

Stores the message in your Out Box so you can send it later.  It will not take you online if you are currently on deck.

Rename

Appears only after you've attached a file.  It lets you deliver the file to the message recipient under another filename.ext without changing the filename.ext as it is stored on your PC.

Detach

Appears only after you've attached a file.  Clicking it immediately unattaches the file you recently attached to this message when you clicked Attach.


E-mail Reply

This lets you reply privately to a forum message.  Your reply will be sent only to the individual(s) you name here and will not be posted publicly in Forums.

To reply to a message, go to the Read In-Box Message # window and click E-mail Reply.

To

The User-ID or e-mail address or distribution list to whom you wish to send this message.  You can either type one in from memory or click the Address a Message button.  Be sure to type LIST: ahead of any distribution list you create.  Sysop-defined distribution lists (those beginning with @) should not have LIST: in front of them.

cc

An optional list of User-IDs and/or e-mail addresses to whom you can send "carbon copies" of this message.  You can either type them in from memory or click the Address a Message button.  Use semi-colons (;) to separate each address from the next.

Brings up the Address a Message window and lets you insert a User-ID or e-mail address from its entries.

Topic

The equivalent of a Re: line in a printed memo.  This brief description will appear in the recipient's In Box list.

Return Receipt

If you want confirmation that the recipient got the message (downloaded it to his or her In Box), check this box.  The recipient will be told that you've requested a return receipt.

Priority Mail

If this box is checked, a Priority marker will appear next to the message.

Show cc list

This choice is dimmed until you place at least one User-ID or e-mail address in the cc field.  If this box is checked, each recipient of this message will see a list of all others who received a carbon copy.  If this box is not checked, it will not be readily obvious that anyone else received a copy.

Attach

Attaches a file to this message if you wish.  When you send the message, a copy of this file will be uploaded to the server.  When the recipient gets the message, he or she can then download the file.

Options

Sets when (or whether) you wish to copy this message to the Filing Cabinet.

Quote

Copies the contents of the original message into this reply, each line prefaced by your initials.  You can then use the Backspace and Del keys to pare the quote down to the specific line(s) you're replying to.

Send

Immediately uploads the message and attached file (if any) to the server.  It will take you online if you are not online already.

Out-Box

Stores the message in your Out Box so you can send it later.  It will not take you online if you are currently on deck.

Rename

Appears only after you've attached a file.  It lets you deliver the file to the message recipient under another filename.ext without changing the filename.ext as it is stored on your PC.

Detach

Appears only after you've attached a file.  Clicking it immediately unattaches the file you recently attached to this message when you clicked Attach.


File Message

This lets you store this message in a folder in your Filing Cabinet.

To reach this window, go to the Read In-Box Message # window and click File it.

Folder

This list box shows all existing folders.  Double-click the one you wish to place this message into, or highlight it and click OK.


Get Messages for Offline Use

This lets you set which forum messages to get from the server.

To reach this window, go to the Message menu and select Get.  Alternatively, go to the In Box window and click Get Messages.

Get which messages

You can select to get tagged messages or run a search for messages which match the criteria you specify in Setup.

All messages currently tagged

This is dimmed until you tag messages.

Results of a scan

You decide what criteria to search for through Setup.

Options

Disconnect when done

To minimize the amount of time spent online, check this box.  You can move on to other Windows applications, or walk away from your PC.  When the last message has been downloaded, the Forums client app will automatically go offline and back to on deck.

Include attachments

One or more of the messages you get may have files attached.  There's no way to predict how large these files may be (i.e., how much online time it will take to download them).  If online time is expensive for you, leave this box unchecked and only the messages will be downloaded.  Once offline (on deck), you can read the messages to determine whether downloading the file(s) is worthwhile.  You can then build a list of such files to be downloaded in the Download Manager.

Download to

This is dimmed until the Include attachments checkbox is checked.  You can manually enter the drive:\path to which you want to save attached files, or click Select.

Select

This is dimmed until the Include attachments checkbox is checked.  It lets you select the drive:\path graphically instead of typing it in manually.


Scan Setup / Scan Messages

This lets you select criteria you wish to use when scanning for forum messages.

To reach this window when getting messages for offline use, open your In Box and click Get Messages.  On the next window, click Setup.

To reach this window when scanning for messages while remaining online, go to the Messages menu and select Scan.

Keywords

A keyword can be an entire word or the beginning of a word.  Searching for one entire word is the most rapid way to search by keyword, and is the most likely to find something.

You can use the following symbols and words to combine more than one keyword, but be aware that combination searches can take a very long time to tell you that nothing matched the combination of keywords:

	and	&	Searches for messages which contain both keywordA and keywordB.  Same as using a Space: keywordA  keywordB This will also find occurrences of keywordB  keywordA.  You can reduce search time by putting the less common word in first place.
	or	¦ (pipe)	Searches for messages which contain either keywordA or keywordB, plus those which contain both.
	xor	^	Searches for messages which contain either keywordA or keywordB, but do not contain both.
	not	!	Searches for messages which do not contain keywordA
	( )	( )	Forces the search to resolve the keyword or combination within the (parentheses) before resolving the rest of the keyword string.
A side-effect of symbol logic is that you cannot search for occurrences of the words and, or, xor, and not.

Options

Starting message #

You can limit how far the search will reach into the past by entering here a relatively recent message number.  Messages whose numbers are lower than this number will not be included in the search.

Show only New messages

If this box is checked, the scan will include only messages which you have not already read (those which have been posted to Forums with message numbers higher than the highest-numbered message you've read to date).

Show only Messages with attachments

If this box is checked, the scan will include only messages which have files attached to them.

Show only Messages to you

If this box is checked, the scan will include only messages which have been addressed to you individually.  Messages addressed to **ALL** will not be included.

Show only Messages from you

If this box is checked, the scan will include only messages which have been sent by you.

Forums to scan

By checking the checkbox to the left of each listed forum, you include its messages in the scan you are about to make.  Uncheck a box if you wish to leave that forum out of your scan.

Name

The name of each available forum.

Description

The brief description of each forum.

Details

Brings up a lengthier description of each forum, plus details on the cost of reading/contributing to this forum, etc.

All

Checks every forum in the list.

Clear

Unchecks every forum in the list.

Set as Default

Records the current settings of Options and Forums to scan, and will present these settings in future when you bring up this window.

Clear Scan

This erases the Keywords field, unchecks every checkbox, and sets Starting message # to zero.


Details on the <forumname> Forum

This provides more information on a particular forum.

To reach this window, go to the Select a Forum window and click Details.

Forum-Op

The User-ID of the person responsible for maintaining/monitoring this forum.

Topic

The short description of the subjects which ought to be discussed in this forum.  It is considered polite to keep conversations fairly close to the stated topic(s).  The occasional aside is acceptable, but a long thread on a completely unrelated topic has been known to annoy other users.

Messages

The current number of messages in this forum.

Threads

The current number of conversation threads in this forum.

Files

The total number of files attached to messages in this forum.

Message lifetime (days)

To keep the size of a forum from spiraling out of control, a message is automatically erased from the forum after this number of days passes from the day it was originally posted to the forum.

Credit Issues

If you are not charged for the use of this Worldgroup, these next seven items will have no effect on you or your user account.

Charge per message posted

The number of credits which will be deducted from your balance when you send a message to this forum.

Charge per file upload

The number of credits which will be deducted from your balance when you post a message with a file attached.

Charge per k-byte upload

The number of credits which will be deducted from your balance for each kilobyte (1024 bytes) taken up by a file attached to a message you post to this forum.

Charge per message read

The number of credits which will be deducted from your balance when you read or get a message from this forum.

Charge per file download

The number of credits which will be deducted from your balance when you download a file attached to a message in this forum.

Charge per k-byte download

The number of credits which will be deducted from your balance for each kilobyte (1024 bytes) taken up by a downloaded file attached to a message in this forum.

Detailed Information

A more in-depth explanation of this forum's purpose and goals.  It is optional.


Out Box

This is a temporary holding place for messages which you have written but have not yet sent to the server.

The Forums client app lets you spend most of your correspondence time offline (on deck).  You only need to go online to send already-completed messages.  If the server is a long-distance call to you, or if this Worldgroup service charges by the amount of time you spend online, it's to your benefit to be on deck as much as possible.

To reach this window, go to the View menu and select Out Box.

Destination

This either says E-mail or the name of the forum (newsgroup) to which the message is destined.

To

The User-ID or e-mail address to which you addressed this message.  It is common to address forum messages to individuals even though they are being posted for all to see.

Topic

The topic (Re:) of the message, optional.

Date

The date you first saved this message to your Out Box.  Once you send a message, this date is forgotten in favor of the date it arrives on the server.

Status

Sending Now

This message is in the process of being uploaded to the server.  Only one message will have the Sending Now status at any time.  Once this message is sent, the next message with Waiting to Send status will be promoted to Sending Now.

Waiting to Send

This message is waiting to be promoted to the Sending Now status.  Clicking Send All converts the status of all messages to Waiting to Send.  The first Waiting to Send message will immediately switch to Sending Now.

Holding

This message is not currently being sent, nor is it about to be sent, until you manually send it by clicking Send All or by highlighting it and clicking Send.  Depending on your Preferences, simply going online to the server may cause these messages to switch to Waiting to Send.

Edit

Displays the currently highlighted message and lets you make changes to a message which you previously saved to your Out Box but which has not yet been sent to the server.  Alternatively, double-clicking on a message has the same effect.

Delete

Erases the currently highlighted message from your Out Box and so never sends it.  This occurs immediately: there is no "Are you sure?" and there is no Undo.

Send

Sends the currently highlighted message to the server.  This will immediately take you online if you are not online already.

Send All

Sends all messages in the Out Box to the server.  This will immediately take you online if you are not online already.  This has the same effect as the Message menu's Send All selection.

Hold

Demotes the currently highlighted message from either the Sending Now or the Waiting to Send status to the Holding status.  If you double-click on a message while it is not in the Holding status, it will be demoted to Holding and the Edit window for that message will come up.


Manage Address Book

This lets you maintain a list of User-IDs and/or e-mail addresses so you don't have to remember that, for example, IN: docs@gcomm.com is the address for suggestions/complaints/comments about WGM's help documentation.

To reach this window, go to the View menu and select Address Book.

Edit

Edits the currently highlighted entry in your address book.  Alternatively, you can double-click on an address entry to edit it.

Add

Creates a new entry in your address book.

Delete

Removes the currently highlighted entry from your address book.  This occurs immediately: there is no "Are you sure?" and there is no Undo.


Add Which Address?

This window appears when the program cannot tell which address you wish to add to your Address Book.

To reach this window, read a forum message whose To: and From: address fields are different from each other and are neither *ALL* nor your address.

Highlight the address you wish to add to the Address Book and click OK.  Alternatively, double-click on the address you wish to add.


Address Book Entry

This lets you create a new entry in your address book, or examine or change an existing entry.

To create a new entry, go to the Manage Address Book window and click Add.

To change an existing message, go to the Manage Address Book window and double-click the entry you wish to edit.

Name

This is the person's spoken name, job title (like Sales), ... whatever term is most meaningful to you.  The text you write here will not be attached to any message.  Only the Address field's information is used in messages.

Address

This is the official User-ID (for a recipient who is a member of this Worldgroup) or e-mail address (for a recipient on a system beyond this Worldgroup).

The Find button helps you look up a User-ID on this Worldgroup.  It cannot help you locate e-mail addresses for systems outside this Worldgroup, however.  The Electronic Mail world does not have anything comparable to the United States Postal Service or the telephone companies to provide a master list of addresses, so it's up to each individual online service to manage its own list of users.

One way to gather e-mail addresses is to be told them: most people know their own addresses and so can tell them to you over the phone, printed in a letter, etc.

Another way to gather e-mail addresses is to clip the From: field from messages mailed to you.  See Preferences for a way to automatically clip this information.

Comments

This lets you record any other information such as voice telephone number, the person's birthday, names of family members, the person's job specialty, etc.

While it's still wise not to commit to writing any comment you might later come to regret, the text you record here will not be attached to any message you send unless you expressly use Cut (Ctrl-X) or Copy (Ctrl-C) commands to duplicate or copy some of these Comments into the body of a message.

This field will also accept Paste (Ctrl-V) for clipboard text cut or copied from elsewhere.


About E-mail Addresses

This Worldgroup may, or may not, provide access to users on other systems beyond its own local membership.  If it does, this Worldgroup can be a gateway through which you can exchange e-mail with people on those other systems.  Corresponding with people outside this Worldgroup is not quite the same as corresponding with members on this Worldgroup, however.

User-IDs

This is how members of one Worldgroup identify themselves when interacting with other members in the same Worldgroup.  A User-ID is a human-friendly identification: most systems allow you to use your full name including spaces, or a nickname if you prefer.

When you exchange e-mail or forum messages with members of this Worldgroup, you address them by their User-IDs.  You can use Find to search for the correct spelling of a User-ID because this Worldgroup naturally has a complete list of all members' User-IDs.  You cannot use Find to search for people who are not members of this Worldgroup because this Worldgroup has no way of knowing the complete path to the other user.

Imagine handing a letter to a mailman with an address of "Tim Bern" and no further information.  Unless the mailman knows someone in the neighborhood who answers to that name, he has no way to deliver it.  The mailman is comparable to a single Worldgroup: if you send messages to other members of this Worldgroup, the program will know how to deliver it.

Now imagine handing a letter to a mailman with a full mailing address.  Does this mailman personally know where 4101 SW 47th Avenue is in Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314?  Almost certainly not.  But he does know where his local post office is located.  It in turn knows where to send all mail with zipcodes beginning in 333, that hub knows where to send mail with zipcode 33314, and that post office has people who know where 4101 SW 47th Avenue is.

E-mail Addresses

This is how members of one online service identify themselves to members of other online services.  An e-mail address is a machine-friendly identification: it is most often an arcane-looking string of symbols and syllables like IN: docs@gcomm.com

If you send a message to this address, your Worldgroup will have no idea who docs is, and probably won't know exactly where gcomm.com is, either, but it will know how to send messages to the INternet (assuming this Worldgroup has access to the Internet - many do not yet).  The machine which receives this message from your Worldgroup will in turn pass it on to other systems until it reaches gcomm.com which, finally, will place it in the In Box of user docs.

When you exchange e-mail or forum messages with persons who have not signed up as members of this Worldgroup, you will need to address them by their official e-mail address so that the equipment between the two of you will know how to deliver the message.

Internet E-mail Addresses

The Internet is a worldwide Inter-network.  It's the most popular, and so far the most powerful, way for online services to exchange information with each other.  The person you're writing to may be a member of another Worldgroup, or may be on some completely different online service.  So long as both your system, and his or her system, have Internet access, you'll be able to reach that person by using an Internet e-mail address of the form:

IN: internet.user.name@domain.name

You can spell out IN:  as  INTERNET:  if you prefer.

Creating your own Internet User Name

If this Worldgroup has Internet access, you can receive messages from users anywhere on the planet.  But first, you need an Internet user name.

Your Worldgroup User-ID most likely won't work.  For one thing, it's common for User-IDs to contain spaces, and Internet addressing sees spaces as separators.  On the other hand, periods are acceptable in place of spaces.

You may be prompted during log-on to select an Internet user name separate from your User-ID (public) and from your full name (private).  Specify a user name up to eight characters long.  When you specify your Internet user name, you will be told the domain name of this Worldgroup.  Your Internet user name, an @, and the domain name, form your Internet address.  For example: gstevens@gcomm.com  Give your Internet address to anyone you would like to be able to write you Internet mail.

Your Internet address is usually not usable until the following day.

Other Online Services

Some large online services such as CompuServe and America Online allow users to exchange messages over the Internet, but insist that their Internet addresses be variations on their internal User-IDs.

CompuServe E-mail Addresses via the Internet

To send a message to a CompuServe user over the Internet, you'll need to use an address of the form:

INTERNET: xxxxxx.yyyy@compuserve.com

where xxxxxx.yyyy is the person's CompuServe account number.  Notice that, internally, CompuServe uses a comma to separate xxxxxx from yyyy but the Internet addressing system doesn't accept commas, so a period is used instead.

For example: CompuServe user 76556,3647 can be reached through the Internet via IN: 76556.3647@compuserve.com

America Online E-mail Addresses via the Internet

To send a message to an America Online user over the Internet, you'll need to use an address of the form:

INTERNET: username@aol.com

where username is the AO user's name, all lowercase, no spaces.


Address a Message

This lets you look up an address from your address book, from distribution lists, or from forums, and insert that address in the To: and/or cc: fields of this message.

To reach this window, go to any of the windows in which you write messages (Write, Reply, etc.) and click the Address a Message button alongside the To: and cc: fields.

What kind of address are you looking for?  From this dropdown menu you can choose to look in your Address Book for an individual's address, in Distribution Lists for the name of a particular list, or in Forums for the name of a forum you wish to make a public posting to.

Copy

Once you've selected an address, you can copy it to either the To: or the cc: fields.  Note that you can copy more than one address to the cc: field.  The upper limit to the number of carbon copies you are allowed to send of a particular message is set by the Sysop of each Worldgroup system.

Find

Alternatively, if the person you're writing to is a member of this Worldgroup, you can look up his User-ID by clicking Find alongside either the To: or the cc: fields.  If this person is not a member of this Worldgroup, however, Find will not locate him or her.  You will need to get that person's e-mail address by some other method.

Details

This provides information about the item you've selected from the dropdown menu [image] above.  In the case of an Address Book entry, Details will display the entry including comments.  In the case of a distribution list created by you, Details will display that list.  In the case of a distribution list created by the Sysop, Details will only show you the cost for using that list, if meaningful.  In the case of a forum, Details will display information about that forum.

Carriers

If this Worldgroup server is not attached to other message-carrying systems (Novell MHS, the Internet, MajorNet, etc.), this button will not appear.

If this Worldgroup is attached to such systems, you can send messages to people on those other systems by addressing them in the form

Prefix: e-mail address

The window which appears when you click Carriers lists the available messaging systems and the prefix letters you need to type ahead of the e-mail address.  For example, to send an e-mail message to the user docs at the Internet site gcomm.com you type in an address of

IN: docs@gcomm.com


Available Carriers

This lists any message-carrying systems outside of the local Worldgroup to which you can address e-mail or forum messages.  If this Worldgroup system does not access any remote systems, this window will not be presented to you.

To reach this window, go to the Address a Message window and click Carriers.  Again, if this Worldgroup system does not access any remote systems, the Carriers button will not appear.

In order to address a message to a user on one of the listed systems, go to the To: or cc: field of the message and type the listed Prefix followed by the user's e-mail address.

Details

This displays information on the currently highlighted carrier, including a sample address and a general description.  You can reach the same window by double-clicking any item on the list of carriers.


Message Menu

Write

Lets you address and compose a message, then either send it or place it in your Out Box for sending later.

Send All

Begins uploading to the server all mail which has accumulated in your Out Box.  This menu selection will immediately take you online if you are not already online.  This has the same effect as the Out Box's Send All button.

Get

Brings up the Get Messages for Offline Use window.  This has the same effect as the In Box's Get Messages button.  It lets you choose which messages to download from the server, plus a few other options.

Scan

Takes you online to scan forums by keyword, by address, etc.  To bring up this same window without going immediately online, go to the In Box, click Get Messages, then click Setup.


Write New Message / Editing Message

This lets you post a message which is not a reply to any message already in the current forum, thus starting a new thread.  This window also lets you make changes to an existing message which is in your Out Box (one which has not yet been sent to the server).

To create the first message of a new thread, go to the Message menu and select Write.  This lets you contribute a message to the currently selected forum.  Since it isn't a reply to a previously posted message, it will be the root of a new conversation thread within the current forum.  To change forums, go to the Forum menu and select Select.

To change an existing message, go to the Out Box and double-click the message you wish to edit.

To

The User-ID or e-mail address or distribution list to whom you wish to send this message.  You can either type one in from memory or click the Address a Message button.  Be sure to type LIST: ahead of any distribution list you create.  Sysop-defined distribution lists (those beginning with @) should not have LIST: in front of them.

Brings up the Address a Message window and lets you insert a User-ID or e-mail address from its entries.

Topic

This is the equivalent of a Re: line in a printed memo.  This brief description will appear in the recipient's In Box list.

Attach

This lets you attach a file to this message.  When you send the message, a copy of this file will be uploaded to the server.  When someone gets the message, he or she can then download the file.

Options

This lets you set when (or whether) you wish to copy this message to the Filing Cabinet.

Send

This will immediately upload the message and attached file (if any) to the server.  It will take you online if you are not online already.

Out-Box

This will store the message in your Out Box.  It will not take you online if you are currently on deck.

Rename

Appears only after you've attached a file.  It lets you deliver the file to the message recipient under another filename.ext without changing the filename.ext as it is stored on your PC.

Detach

Appears only after you've attached a file.  Clicking it immediately unattaches the file you recently attached to this message when you clicked Attach.


Attach A File

This lets you select a file from one of your PC's drives to attach to the message you're currently writing or editing.  When you send the message, a copy of this file will be uploaded to the server.  When the recipient gets the message, he or she can then download the file.

File Name

The text box lets you manually enter the drive:\directory\...\filename.ext of the file which you wish to attach to this message.

The standard list box below the text box displays all files in the current drive:\directory.

The fastest way to select a file, once it's visible in the list box, is to double-click it.

Directories

The list box displays the directory tree of the drive:\ selected below in Drives.  The current directory is the one whose folder icon is open and darkened within.  Any folders listed below it are children subdirectories of the current directory.  Any folders listed above it are parent directories.  Between the list box and the title line Directories: you will see displayed in text the current directory's drive:\path, possibly abbreviated.

Double-click on a directory to switch to it.  If the directory you seek is not visible, double-click on the directory which you know to be its parent.  This list box does not display the entire tree at once, but limits itself instead to the parentage and children of the current directory.

Drives

This dropdown list box selects the drive letter you wish displayed.  Depending on your PC's setup, it may display volume names in [brackets] to the right of each drive letter.

A single click selects a drive letter.  The Directories and File Name list boxes will change to display the new drive's current directory and files.


Rename Attachment

This window lets you rename the file attached to this message before sending it.  The file as it exists on your PC will not be renamed, but the recipient of this message will be given the same file contents under the new filename you specify here.

To reach this window, click the Rename button on any of the Write, Reply, etc. windows.  This button does not appear until you Attach a file to the message.

File

This displays the full drive:\path\filename.ext of the attached file as it exists on your PC.

Attachment Name

The person receiving this message will be told there is a file by this name attached to the message.  Type only a filename.ext and not a drive:\path.


Write Options

This lets you set when (or if) you want to file this message, and if so to which folder.

To reach this window, go to the Write New Message or Editing Message window and click Options.

File when sent

If this box is checked, the message will be automatically copied into the Filing Cabinet only when you send the message to the server.

If this box is not checked, the message will not be automatically filed.

File now

If this box is checked, the message will be copied into the Filing Cabinet as soon as you click OK on this window.

If this box is not checked, the message will not be automatically filed.

File in

This is the folder to which the message will be copied in the Filing Cabinet.  Use the dropdown menu [image] to select a folder.  This field remains dim until either File when sent or File now is checked.


Forum Menu

Select

Sets the current forum.

Messages

Gets a list of all messages in the current forum.  This takes you online if you are not online already.

Threads

Gets a list of all threads in the current forum.  This takes you online if you are not online already.


Select a Forum

This lets you set one forum as the current forum so that you can read its messages and optionally write replies to them.

To reach this window, go to the Forum menu and select Select.

Name

The name of each available forum.

Description

A brief description of each available forum.

Highlight the forum you wish to make current and click OK.  Alternatively, just double-click the forum you wish.


Messages in <forumname>

This takes you online and lists all messages in the current forum.

To reach this window, go to the Forum menu and select Messages.

Tags

Click the checkbox to the left of each message to tag it.  This allows you to get the messages downloaded to your In Box.

From

The User-ID or e-mail address of the person who sent each message.

To

The User-ID or e-mail address of the person to whom each message is addressed.

Topic

The topic (Re:) of each message, optional.  This is normally also the topic of the thread.

Date

The date each message arrived on the server.

Read

Fetches the contents of the currently highlighted message without saving it to your In Box.  To download messages and read them on deck, see Get Messages for Offline Use.

Clear tags

Unchecks the checkbox beside each message in the list.


Threads in <forumname>

This lists all conversation threads in the current forum.

To reach this window, go to the Forum menu and select Threads.

Topic

The subject under discussion in this thread.

Messages

The number of messages contributed to this thread so far.

List

Brings up a chronological list of all messages in this thread.

Map

Brings up a tree-structured diagram of the messages in this thread.


Messages in <threadname>

This lists all messages in the selected thread in the current forum.

To reach this window, go to the Threads in <forumname> window, highlight the thread you wish to examine, and click List.

Tags

Click the checkbox to the left of each message to tag it.  This allows you to get the messages downloaded to your In Box.

From

The User-ID or e-mail address of the person who sent each message.

To

The User-ID or e-mail address of the person to whom each message is addressed.

Topic

The topic (Re:) of each message, optional.  This is normally also the topic of the thread.

Date

The date each message arrived on the server.

Read

Fetches the contents of the currently highlighted message without saving it to your In Box.  To download messages and read them on deck, see Get Messages for Offline Use.

Clear tags

Unchecks the checkbox beside each message in the list.


Map of <threadname>

This displays graphically the flow of conversation within the selected thread.

To reach this window, go to the Threads in <forumname> window, highlight the thread you wish to examine, and click List.

Topic

The subject under discussion in this thread.

Messages From

A tree structure showing how each message is aligned in the thread.  Messages are identified only by the User-ID or e-mail address who sent each message.  The upper lefthand message is the root, the original message which began the thread.

Read

Fetches the contents of the currently highlighted message without saving it to your In Box.  To download messages and read them on deck, see Get Messages for Offline Use.


Options Menu

Preferences

Lets you customize the Forums client app to work the way you want it to.

Reflow

If this is not checked, message text is displayed as it was stored on the server: as lines of up to 72 characters with carriage return (Enter) characters embedded at the end of each.

If this is checked, message text is reflowed to more reasonably fit the text box in which you are now reading it.  Windows Help files reflow in a similar manner: adjust the frame of this Help window and you'll see how the text of the paragraph you're now reading reflows to fit the changed space.


Set Forums Preferences

This lets you customize WGM's Forums client app to better suit your needs.

To reach this window, go to the Options menu and select Preferences.

Out box messages

Automatically send all upon connect

If this is selected, as soon as you are both online and running the Forums client app, all messages in your Out Box will immediately be sent to the server.

Prompt to send all upon connect

If this is selected, as soon as you are both online and running the Forums client app, you will be asked if you wish to begin sending all messages in your Out Box to the server.

Don't send or prompt upon connect

If this is selected, you will have to manually send messages from your Out Box to the server.

Auto-file messages written by you

Auto-file in

If this box is checked, every message written by you will be automatically filed in the Filing Cabinet in the folder you choose from the dropdown list [image], unless you override this by clicking the Options button on the Write New Message window.

If this box is not checked, messages will not be automatically filed.  You can then manually file those messages you wish to file by clicking the Options button on the Write New Message / Editing Message window.

Miscellaneous options

Always use message quoting

If this box is checked, whenever you reply to any message, the message's contents will always be copied to your reply for you to edit and add comments to.

If this box is not checked, whenever you Reply to a message, you'll be offered a button with which you can import the message's contents, or not, as you choose.

Auto-delete offline messages more than [#] days old

This helps you keep your In Box from becoming unmanageably filled with messages.

If this box is checked, messages will be erased from your In Box when they have been there longer than the number of days you specify here.

If this box is not checked, messages will remain in your In Box until you manually delete them.

Save new addresses when writing

If this box is checked, every time you write a message to a new address, that address will be added to your Address Book for future reference.

If this box is not checked, you will have to manually update your Address Book.


Select Download Directory

This sets where you want to put files attached to E-mail/Forums messages.  This is the equivalent of your In Box, but for files instead of for message text.

To reach this window, go to the Get Messages for Offline Use window, place a check in the Include attachments checkbox and click Select.

Directories

The list box displays the directory tree of the drive:\ selected below in Drives.  The current directory is the one whose folder icon is open and darkened within.  Any folders listed below it are children subdirectories of the current directory.  Any folders listed above it are parent directories.  Between the list box and the title line Directories: you will see displayed in text the current directory's drive:\path, possibly abbreviated.

Double-click on a directory to switch to it.  If the directory you seek is not visible, double-click on the directory which you know to be its parent.  This list box does not display the entire tree at once, but limits itself instead to the parentage and children of the current directory.

Drives

This dropdown list box selects the drive letter you wish displayed.  Depending on your PC's setup, it may display volume names in [brackets] to the right of each drive letter.

A single click selects a drive letter.  The Directories list box will change to display the new drive's current directory.


Print

This function sends data to your printer.  It suggests Number of copies: 1 but will accept as many as 999.  From this point on, Windows takes over.

If you simply click on OK (or press Enter), Windows will print the data on whatever default printer you've set in Control Panel's Printers area.

If you click on Setup..., Windows will first bring up the printer setup window which will let you choose which printer (or file) will receive this data.