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-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
-
- LA Times for OS/2
-
- Version : 3.2
-
- Copyright (c) 1993-1994 by Steven Gutz
-
- An NNTP New Reader for OS/2 2.x with IBM TCP/IP 1.2.1 or later.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.1. What is LA Times? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- LA Times is a multi-threaded 32-bit OS/2 application which can select and read
- NNTP network news.
-
- The program provides capabilities to receive and send news messages, as well as
- sending SMTP e-mail. Any news article can be saved via menu selection to disk
- or printed to a selected output device.
-
- LA Times requires OS/2 2.0 or later and IBM TCP/IP 1.2.1 or later.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.2. What's new to this release? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Now that IBM has released NR/2 as part of the basic TCP/IP package, the aim of
- LA Times has changed. In order to meet its goal, LA Times has been packed with
- more advanced features than both the previous version, and NR/2. Some of these
- new features are listed below:
-
- o Improved performance. LA Times article, subscription and group windows have
- been improved resulting in reduced demand on the network and much quicker
- response.
-
- o LA Times now offers optional toolbars for all windows.
-
- o Automatic encoding/decoding of binary articles, including multi-part
- articles.
-
- o Searching/Highlighting can now be performed on subjects from a user-specified
- list of keywords.
-
- o LA Times can optionally notify you of replies to any articles you post.
-
- o Support for "spoiler" messages has been added.
-
- o It is now possible to Mark and Unmark all subjects in a subscription group
- without having to open a subject window.
-
- o The subscription window now permits multiple selections for unsubscribing,
- and marking operations.
-
- o You can now arrange the subscription list any way you choose.
-
- o You can arrange subject window fields any way you choose, including the newly
- added date, line count, and message-id fields.
-
- o The default window placement for subject and article windows is now smarter
-
- o String searching all articles can now be performed
-
- o ROT13 support has been added.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.3. Credits ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- I would like to thank all of the people who helped beta test this release and
- made suggestions which made it better.
-
- William Chase
- John DeCarlo
- David Dunlap
- Chris Hawkinson
- Ken Hildabolt
- Colin Longman
- Tim McGinn
- Tim Moloney
- Nick Romero
- Gary Schrock
- Richard Stanton
- Phil Stimson
- David Tondreau
- Daniel Tran
- Alex Zoghlin
-
- You all have helped create a much better product.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.4. Disclaimer ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Neither the LA Times product nor the author are in any way affiliated with the
- Los Angeles Times.
-
- Please do not credit or condemn the Los Angeles Times Newspaper for any
- features contained within this program.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.5. Revision History ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Version 3.2 - 1994 April 4
-
- o Corrected the April Fool's day bug in the shareware version. Program should
- now give a full 30 days for the demo period.
-
- Version 3.1 - 1994 March 1
-
- o Posting is now more stable. Previous could crash without warning
-
- o The Cancel button in the Printing Options dialog no longer causes an article
- to be printed anyway.
-
- o EMail and Posting code has been optimized
-
- o The "In message xxx ???? writes:" string in posting and email windows now
- wraps to 78 characters.
-
- o UUEncoded posting have changed from 600 to 900 lines
-
- o UUEncode process should now be more stable
-
- o Temporary file from the UUENCODE process are now removed
-
- o When posting from the main window, the currently selected subscription group
- is now inserted into the "Group" field of the address dialog.
-
- Version 3.0 - 1994 March 1
-
- o Third major release
-
- Version 2.2 - 1993 November 30
-
- o Corrected problematic interaction with NNTP server
-
- o Impoved upgradability for registered users
-
- Version 2.1 - 1993 November 24
-
- o Corrected hanging on reading of articles which no longer exist.
-
- o Fixed occassional hang of system queue
-
- o Remedied expiry problem which appeared on Nov 4 in shareware version
-
- o Corrected occassional "hang" when posting and emailing
-
- o Changed "posting" menus to indicate a new posting versus a follow-up
-
- Version 2.00 - 1993 November 4
-
- o Second Release
-
- Version 1.20 - 1993 August 6
-
- o Corrected problem of missing groups during subscription process.
-
- o Groups which the server does not support are now removed from the list of
- available groups.
-
- Version 1.10 - 1993 July 26
-
- o Corrected connection problems during first-time execution of the program.
-
- o All server command are now terminated with a hard CR-LF rather than LF.
-
- o Pressing the "Next" button on last article no longer hangs the program.
-
- o LATimes no longer requires a server supporting the XHDR command.
-
- o The read article indicator has been changed from a "*" to a checkmark.
-
- o Main window update is now much quicker
-
- o A -l command line option has been added to provide a log-file to be used for
- bug reporting.
-
- o The main window size and position is now saved on exit.
-
- o The program will no longer display the connection message box.
-
- o Corrected other numerous minor bugs reported from 1.00
-
- o When Posting/Followup messages, LA Times now prevents any user interaction.
- This prevents server confusion which cause the program to get out of sync.
-
- Version 1.00 - 1993 June 30
-
- o Initial Release
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.6. Known Bugs ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- o none
-
- If you encounter additional program errors or bugs, please contact the author.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.7. Contacting the Author ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- If you have questions, suggestions or bug reports, you can reach the author at
- any of the mail addresses below. The author can guarantee to answer mail from
- all registered users, and will make an effort to answer queries from
- non-registered users as well.
-
- Snail Mail
- Steven Gutz
- R.R.#5
- Pembroke, Ontario
- CANADA, K8A 6W6
-
- Internet Mail
- gutzs@crl.aecl.ca
-
- CompuServe Mail
- 73121,231
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Registration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Like all good shareware, LA Times for OS/2 is not free. To use this program
- you must pay for it, but the price for LA Times is reasonable.
-
- In addition to recognizing the effort that went into this program, your
- registration also insures that you are kept updated with the latest program
- revisions.
-
- So try LA Times for 30 days, and if you like it, then please register it. The
- price is $25US which includes postage to any destination in the known universe.
-
- To register, display the Registration Form and select "Services/Print..."
- from the menu. This will copy the registration form to your printer. Fill out
- the form and mail it along with a check or money order for $25US to the address
- indicated at bottom. Once registered you will receive the latest version of
- the program.
-
- As a registered user you are entitled to a free upgrade to the next release of
- LA Times. For this reason it is very important that you fill in one of the
- specified email addresses on the registration form (Please print neatly). This
- guarantees that you will be contacted when new versions are released.
-
- Upgrades are generally done by FTP download (free) or by mail by sending $5US
- to cover shipping costs.
-
- Volume discounts of LA Times are available as follows:
-
- 001-010 Units $25US
- 011-050 Units $22US
- 050-100 Units $18US
- >100 Units $15US
- Site License $2000US
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Registration Form ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- LA Times 3.00 Registration Form
-
- Send $25 (U.S. funds) with this completed form to
-
- Steven Gutz
- R.R. #5
- Pembroke, Ontario
- CANADA K8A 6W6
-
- Name ______________________________________________
-
- Address ______________________________________________
-
- ______________________________________________
-
- Province/State ______________________________________________
-
- Country ______________________________________________
-
- Postal/Zip Code ______________________________________________
-
- Internet Address (optional) _____________________________________
-
- Compuserve ID (optional) _____________________________________
-
- Where did you get LA Times?
-
- _______________________________________________
-
- _______________________________________________
-
- Your signature below acknowledges the following:
-
- USERS OF LATIMES MUST ACCEPT THIS DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY
-
- LA Times is supplied 'as is'. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed
- or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability
- and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages,
- direct or consequential, which may result from the use of LA Times. In any
- case the maximum liability of the seller will be limited exclusively to product
- replacement or refund of the purchase price.
-
- Your signature _______________________________
-
- Thank you for registering LA Times - I look forward to supporting you.
- Steven Gutz
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Installation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- This section describes how to install LA Times on your system. Please select
- the version you are installing from the list below:
-
- o Registered version
-
- o Shareware version
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.1. Installing the Registered version ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- LA Times ships with an installation program. Insert the disk containing LA
- Times and type INSTALL<Enter>
-
- You will be prompted for a source drive\directory and a destination
- drive\directory. Enter the correct parameters and click the "OK" button to
- begin the installation. The "Cancel" button aborts the installation.
-
- After the installation, you will see an LA Times object on your desktop. You
- can move this to a more suitable location if you wish.
-
- If you are currently using LA Times 2.x, you should experience no difficulties
- if you install version 3.0 over your old version. The files are compatible
- between these 2 releases.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.2. Installing the Shareware version ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- If you are installing the shareware version of LA Times you will not receive
- the INSTALL program. To install this version, simply use an UNZIP program to
- decompress the LA TIMES archive to the desired directory.
-
- If you wish to make a desktop object, you must specify that the object run the
- LATLOAD.EXE program rather than LATIMES.EXE. There is a bug in WPS which
- causes the desktop to "hang" after the LATIMES.EXE program exits, and LATLOAD
- gets around this. This problem should be corrected in later releases of OS/2.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Starting LA Times ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- To start LA Times from the command line simply enter LATIMES [-arg1, -arg2, ...
- -argn]<Enter>. The program will then start by performing a connection to the
- default news server.
-
- If this is the first time LA Times has been executed, a dialog box entitled
- Select LA Times NNTP Server will be displayed. This dialog consists of a list
- box which will initially be empty. In the edit line at the top of list box,
- enter the address of the server you wish to connect to, then press the "Add"
- button, and the server will be added to the list. You can then connect to that
- server by pressing the "OK" button.
-
- For more information on the server dialog box see Setting up server connections
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Command-line Parameters ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- There are several command-line parameters recognized by LA Times.
-
- -s[optional server name]
- Permits you to add, remove or select news servers from the active server
- list. This option will let you change the default server to which LA Times
- connects on start up. You can specify the server on the command line be
- entrering a string such as "-sserver.here.com" or if you specify the -s
- option alone, you will be given the server dialog box to the desired
- selection or modification
-
- -l
- Enables debug data logging. The log file is used when reporting software
- bugs to the author. If you experience a crash, rerun LA Times with the -l
- option specified and attempt to reproduce the crash. If you can, send the
- created LATIMES.LOG file to the author along with a description of the
- problem. You should not use the option during normal use as it degrades
- performance slightly.
-
- -p<port number>
- Permits users of non-standard news servers to configure the TCP/IP port
- number used to connect to the server. By default LA TIMES uses port number
- 119.
-
- -x<number of connections>
- Permits you to specify the number off connections to attempt to your news
- server. In general more connections will give better performance,
- particularly during subscription updates; however, be aware that servers
- generally have a finite number of connections available, so if you use them
- all, other users may be unable to connect. The number of connections must
- be in the range 1-20.
-
- -c
- Displays the configuration notebook permitting you to make changes before
- the program connects to the news server.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Setting Up LA Times ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- This section describes the initial set up sequence for LA Times.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.1. Setting up server connections ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- LA Times supports connections to multiple servers through the Select LA Times
- NNTP Server dialog. This window will be displayed automatically during the
- first execution of the program, or you can manually invoke it by specifying the
- -s command line argument when you start LA Times.
-
- This dialog contains a combination list box which has an edit window attached.
- If you have previously executed LA Times, the edit window will contain the
- currently selected default server. If the list contains more than one server
- entry, you can select another server as your default by choosing it from the
- list and pressing the "OK" button.
-
- If you would like to add an additional server to the list, enter the server's
- name in the edit window and press the Add button. This will add the server to
- the list.
-
- If you want to remove a server from your list, select the server from the list
- box and press the Remove button.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.2. LA Times for Multiple Users ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- LA Times has built-in support for more than one user, and setting up this
- configuration is easy.
-
- First install LATimes as normal, but place the LATimes program directory in the
- path statement of your CONFIG.SYS file. Then make a directory for each user,
- and have each them run the program from that working directory.
-
- You can also create a desktop object for each persons' version of the program,
- but make sure you specify the correct working directory.
-
- It is also a good idea to copy the LATIMES.MAC file from the LA Times directory
- to each users' working directory. This contains a list of frequently used
- strings for the LATIMES editors.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.3. Frequently Used Editor Strings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- LA Times has support for automatic insertion of frequently used strings while
- in editor mode (editing email, postings or follow-ups). By default, LA Times
- includes a number of "smileys" and acronyms, but you can add your own to the
- list simply by editing the file LATIMES.MAC in your working directory.
-
- Each entry must be separated by a carriage return, and although LA Times sets
- no limits on the length or number of entries you may have, OS/2 menus do not
- permit scrolling, so you are limited to 20-30 entries for 1024x768 displays
- (less for VGA).
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. LA Times Basic Windows ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The main LA Times client window owns all other windows created by LA Times. It
- consists of a main menu, and optional toolbar and a client area where all other
- windows are displayed.
-
- o Main Toolbar
-
- The following is a list the basic windows provided by LA Times and a brief
- description of their operation.
-
- GROUP
- Contains a list of all available USENET news groups provided by the
- selected server. New subscriptions are select from this list.
-
- SUBSCRIPTION
- Contains a list of USENET news group subscriptions selected by the user,
- and an indication of the number of unread subjects in each group.
-
- SUBJECT
- Contains a list of USENET news group articles available for reading. LA
- Times can have a subject window open for each news group subscription.
-
- ARTICLE
- Displays a selected article for reading, saving and printing. LA Times
- supports up to 8 article windows at a time.
-
- EMAIL
- Similar to an article window, the EMAIL window contains a user's article
- response which can be edited and mailed using the SENDMAIL program in IBM
- TCP/IP.
-
- POSTING
- Similar to an article window, the POST window contains a user article which
- will be posted to USENET. This article can be a new creation or can be a
- reply to an existing article.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1. GROUP Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The GROUP window contains an up-to-date list of all USENET news groups
- supported by the selected NNTP server. You can select multiple news groups
- from this window for subscription.
-
- Select one of the following for more information:
-
- o Toolbar
-
- o Refresh
-
- o Subscribe
-
- o Search
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2. SUBSCRIPTION Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The subscription windows contains a list of all USENET groups to which you are
- currently subscribed. You can double click on any group in the list to display
- its subject list.
-
- The subject window is divided into 3 fields as follows:
-
- Subscription
- Shows the news group names to which you have subscriptions
-
- Unread
- Displays the number of article which you have not read.
-
- Total
- Shows the total number of news articles available from LA Times. Note that
- if you have the "Show previously viewed subjects" configuration option
- disabled, then this field will have the same value as the "Unread" field.
-
- Select one of the following for more information:
-
- o Toolbar
-
- o Refresh
-
- o Unsubscribe
-
- o Read
-
- o Marking and Unmarking
-
- o Arranging
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3. SUBJECT Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The subject window contains a list of subject headers for a selected group. You
- will see that there are several columns displayed. You can arrange, add or
- delete any fields you choose. Below is a brief fescription of each of the
- fields that is available:
-
- Keyword (*)
- This field is only visible if you have keyword searching enabled. It will
- contain an indicator character if the subject record contains any of the
- keywords you have previously specified, otherwise it will be blank.
-
- Check
- This field is blank for any article which has not been seen. If you have
- the "Show previously view subjects" option enabled, a check mark in this
- field will indicate that this subject has already been seen. If you have
- the "Show killed subjects" configuration option enabled, killed subjects
- will also be shown and marked with a "K" indicator in this field. This
- field is always visible.
-
- Author
- The author field contains the name or email address of the creator of this
- subject article.
-
- Lines
- This field displays the number of lines contained in the articles text, if
- is it available.
-
- Message-ID
- This field contains the USENET Message-ID for this subject.
-
- Number
- This field lists the message number for this article. This unique number
- is provided by your NNTP server and is used to identify this subject.
- message.
-
- Re:
- The Re: field contains a check mark if this article is a reply to some
- previous article. Articles without a check mark in this field typically
- indicate the start of a new news thread. This field may also contain the
- "happy face" character if you have the "Inform about replies to your
- postings" option enabled in the general configuration notebook page. This
- character indicates that this subject is a possible reply to a posting you
- recently sent. The "Re:" field is automatically displayed with the subject
- field.
-
- Subject
- The subject field contains the subject title of the article.
-
- You can change the sort order of the subject window, by using the sort
- configuration option.
-
- Select one of the following for more information:
-
- o Toolbar
-
- o Read
-
- o Posting
-
- o Search
-
- o Mark
-
- o UnMark
-
- o Kill
-
- o Uudecode
-
- o Searching Articles for Text
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.4. ARTICLE Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Article windows contain the text of an article you are currently reading. LA
- Times supports reading up to 8 articles simultaneously.
-
- Select one of the following for more information:
-
- o Toolbar
-
- o File
-
- o Edit
-
- o View
-
- o Search
-
- o Posting
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5. EMAIL Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The EMAIL window is similar to the article window. It contains a reply message
- which can be sent via SMTP e-mail to the author of an article. This feature of
- LA Times requires the installation of the SENDMAIL program, which is part of
- IBM TCP/IP.
-
- Select one of the following for more information:
-
- o Toolbar
-
- o Edit
-
- o EMail
-
- o Search
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.6. POSTING Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The POSTING window is similar to the article window. It contains a reply
- message which can be sent to a USENET news groups.
-
- Select one of the following for more information:
-
- o Toolbar
-
- o Edit
-
- o Posting
-
- o Search
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.7. New News group Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- If you have selected the "Notify of new news group creation" option in the
- general configuration notebook page, LA Times may display a dialog box on your
- OS/2 desktop to tell you that your server now has access to some new news
- groups. You can select any or all of the displayed groups and subscribe to
- them, or if you choose not to subscribe, simple leave the groups unselected and
- press the "OK" button.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. LA Times Configuration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- LA Times uses a CUA compliant notebook control for all of its configuration.
- When you first start LA Times, this notebook will be the first window you see.
-
- The notebook contains several pages for configuration information. These are
- listed below:
-
- User
- Contains the configuration for the user. This includes such information as
- the your user name and email address, and your organization.
-
- General
- Contains the general configuration of LA Times features
-
- Fields
- Configures the subject fields to be displayed in subject windows
-
- Color
- Contains the color configuration for LA Times
-
- Fonts
- Contains the font configuration for LA Times
-
- Sorting
- Configures the sorting technique used for sorting subjects
-
- Toolbars
- Enables or disables individual toolbars
-
- Keywords
- Configures subject window keyword searching feature
-
- Signature
- Permits you to edit your optional signature file.
-
- Kill File
- Permits editing of the kill file.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1. User Configuration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The user page of the configuration notebook contains the following fields:
-
- E-Mail Address
- Enter your full internet e-mail address, i.e. jonesr@server.mail.com. This
- string is inserted in the "From:" field of all articles and follow-ups you
- post to USENET.
-
- Full Name
- Enter your first and last name in this field. This will be included with
- all articles and follow-ups you post to USENET.
-
- Organization
- You can optionally enter an organization string in this field.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2. General Configuration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The General configuration notebook page contains items which affect the general
- operation of LA Times. These are listed below:
-
- Inform about new group creation
- If selected, LA Times will tell you about any new USENET groups which have
- been created since the last use of the program
-
- Skip read articles with Next/Previous Article options
- If set, the program will skip articles which you have already seen when you
- are performing Next and Previous article operations. If unchecked the
- Next/Previous operations will go to the next or previous article regardless
- of the "seen" state of the article.
-
- Keep posting log file
- If checked, a log file (LTPOST.LOG) gets appended with a copy of every
- article or follow-up posted to USENET.
-
- Keep e-mail log file
- If checked, a log file (LTEMAIL.LOG) gets appended with a copy of every
- e-mail message issued by the program.
-
- CC: yourself for all e-mail sent
- If checked, a copy of any e-mail you send will also be sent to your
- specified e-mail address.
-
- Beep on new news
- If checked, the program will beep each time the auto-refresh feature
- detects new news messages.
-
- Show previously viewed subjects
- If selected, LA Times will display all of the previously viewed subjects in
- the subject list windows. Note that this will only applies to subjects
- viewed from the present time onward. If this button was selected and is
- now being unselected, any subjects which you have previously viewed will be
- permanently removed from the subject window.
-
- Show killed subjects
- If selected, LA Times will display all killed articles in subject list
- windows. Note that this will only apply to killed subjects from the
- present time onward. If this button was selected and is now being
- unselected, any subjects which you have previously killed will be
- permanently removed from the subject window.
-
- Show headers with articles
- If this option is checked, any articles you display will also have the
- associated article header information included.
-
- Ignore message spoilers
- Some articles contain special characters known as "spoilers". These are
- used when you wish to hide some information from the reader and give him
- the choice of viewing it. If this option is checked, you will
- automatically be shown and text hidden by a spoiler. If unchecked, LA
- Times will notify you of the spoiler and give you the option of viewing the
- remainder of the text.
-
- Inform about replies to your postings"
- If checked, you will be notified of the number of replies to messages that
- you have posted.
-
- AutoRefresh
- You can set the time in minutes for a refresh of the news lists to occur.
- If non-zero, the program will query the server for new information after
- the specified time period has lapsed. Setting the refresh time to zero
- will disable the auto refresh feature.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.3. Sort Configuration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The sorting configuration notebook page permits you to the set the method used
- to sort and display subject headers. There are currently four options as
- follows:
-
- Ascending Number
- Subjects are sorted by ascending article number
-
- Descending Number
- Subjects are sorted by descending article number
-
- Author
- Subjects are sorted alphabetically by author name
-
- Subject
- Subjects are sorted alphabetically by subject
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4. Signature Configuration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- This configuration notebook page will permit you to edit your signature. The
- signature gets appended to all e-mail, and articles you issue with LA Times.
-
- The signature is completely optional. If you choose not to use a signature
- then leave this page blank.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.5. Kill File Configuration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- This notebook page will permit you to remove entries from your kill file.
-
- You can select the "kill" entry you wish to remove and by pressing the <Delete>
- button you can re-enable reception of messages previously killed by the
- selected entry.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.6. Color Configuration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- This notebook page permits you to drag foreground and background color
- selections from the system color palette to color chips shown in this window.
- Each of the basic windows can have its background and text colors changed.
-
- To change the foreground color, you must drag the color selection while holding
- down the <CTRL> key, as specified in the OS/2 user documentation.
-
- The colors selected will not take effect until the next time a window is
- created. For the group and subscription windows, this will be the next time
- you run the program.
-
- Note: Depending on your display hardware, some colors in some windows will be
- displayed incorrectly. You may have to select different colors. (This
- problem seems to be caused by certain graphical controls in OS/2).
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.7. Font Configuration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- This notebook page permits you to edit the font for each of the basic windows.
- You can select the basic window for the font change using the radio buttons
- shown at the left. The rectangle at the right will show you the font which is
- currently selected.
-
- By default all fonts are initially set to 10 point proportional system font.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8. Subject Field Configuration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- This notebook page permits you to change the order and content of the subject
- window in LA Times. On this page you will see two list boxes.
-
- The left list box shows the fields that are currently available for addition to
- the subject window. If you double click on any of these field names, they will
- be transferred to the right list box at its currently highlighted position.
-
- The right list box displays the order of the fields which will be shown in a
- subject window. If you double-click on any of the field names, those fields
- will be transferred back to the left list box and removed from all subject
- windows.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9. Subject Window Keyword Searching ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- This notebook page supports the subject window keyword searching abilities of
- LA Times. It contains a checkbox to enable or disable keyword searching and an
- editable list of strings that you wish to search for.
-
- Keywords can be single words or strings of words and should be placed one
- string per line. There is no limit on the number of keyword strings you may
- have in this list. (See caution below)
-
- Once keyword searching is enabled, the "Keyword" or "*" field will
- automatically be added to all subject windows. If this field contains a
- "Keyword" character this indicates that this subject entry contains one or more
- of your specified keywords.
-
- Note: All subject fields are searched during a keyword search, so your keyword
- list may include user names or e-mail addresses as well as subject text
-
- CAUTION:
-
- Enabling keyword searching reduces the performance of Subject Windows. The more
- keywords your list contains, the longer it will take to search. Using the
- power of OS/2, searching is performed on a separate thread of execution, so you
- may see a delay in the appearance of the keyword indicator characters after a
- subject window has been displayed.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.10. Toolbar Configuration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- This notebook page enables or disables toolbars for all windows in LA Times.
- You can individually select or deselect the display of toolbars for each
- window, by setting the radio buttons on this screen as desired.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. Appendicies ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- This section list all the miscellaneous information not described anywhere else
- in this document.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.1. Appendix A - Server connection errors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- This appendix will describe the errors you may encounter while trying to
- connect to an NNTP news server.
-
- Server Undefined
- This error occurs when the server name is incorrect. Check that you have
- specified the name correctly in the server configuration dialog. Re-run the
- program with the "-s" command line option.
-
- Network Socket Unavailable
- This error occurs when there is no network socket available for use. If
- this error occurs, try rebooting since the problem is probably a hung
- TCP/IP process.
-
- Server Connection Timed Out
- This error occurs when the connection to the specified server could not be
- made. Check the address/server name specified in the server configuration
- dialog. Re-run the program with the "-s" command line option. This error
- can also occur if the server returns an incorrect response during the
- connection. If this error persists, please contact the author.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.2. Appendix B - Directory Structure and Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Below is the directory structure used by LA Times and the typical contents of
- each directory:
-
- latimes\
- laimes.exe
- latimes.inf
- latimes.hlp
- latimes.kil
- latimes.mac
- latimes.key
- nntpsvr.dat
-
- \nntpsvr
- 0.msg
- 1.msg
- .
- .
- .
- n.msg
-
- \log
- ltpost.log
- ltemail.log
-
- \bin
-
- The main directory will contain a file caller "nntpsvr".dat where "nntpsvr" is
- typically the first 8 characters of your NNTP server's Internet name. In
- addition to this there will be a sub directory of the same name.
-
- You will have an nntpsvr.dat and matching directory for each news server that
- you connect to.
-
- Each "nntpsvr" directory contains a .MSG file for each subscription you have
- from that server. These files are readable text, but editing them can cause
- some serious side-effects. If you accidentally remove one or more of these
- files, LA Times will rebuild it; however, the program will loose track of which
- messages you have read or not read.
-
- The "log" directory contains files which are produced by LA Times for data
- logging purposes. If you have the program configured to save a copy of your
- outgoing postings and e-mail, LTPOST.LOG and LTEMAIL.LOG will contain copies of
- that information. These files can be removed anytime and should be examined
- periodically, since they will grow without bound each time you send information
- across the network.
-
- The "bin" directory is the location where any received binary files are stored.
- From here you can copy or move the files to other locations on your system.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.3. Appendix C - Kill file format ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The kill file, LATIMES.KIL, is a standard text file containing all of the
- information on killed articles. This file may be edited using any editor. The
- format of all lines is as follows:
-
- <TYPE>Γûá<RANGE>Γûá<KILL TEXT>
-
- The "Γûá" character can be entered by holding the <ALT> key and typing "254" from
- the numeric keypad.
-
- <TYPE>
- This is a single character "A" for killed author or "S" for killed subject.
-
- <RANGE>
- Contains the range or scope of the kill. "A" for all news groups or a news
- group name for a specific group.
-
- <KILL TEXT>
- Text pattern that if matched causes a kill. This can be a message subject
- or an author name.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Selecting groups for subscription ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- You can use the mouse click to select or deselect news groups. Multiple groups
- selections are also possible. Then by choosing the "Subscribe" menu option,
- you can subscribe to the groups you have selected.
-
- Once selected, the new subscriptions will appear in the subscription window,
- and LA Times will begin loading information about the new subscriptions.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Searching the Group Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- LA Times provides for searching of the USENET group list. When the search
- option is selected, a search string dialog will be displayed. Enter the string
- you wish to search for, then press OK.
-
- If the search string is found, the matching item will be displayed.
-
- Note: search strings can be a substring.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Refreshing the Available Groups ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- LA Times has provision to re-create the list of available news groups from your
- NNTP server. Selecting the Refresh option will delete your server .GRP file
- and force the server to re transmit the list.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Refreshing the Subscription Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- You can refresh the subscription window anytime by selecting this option. It
- will query the NNTP server for up-to-date information regarding unread articles
- in this group.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Unsubscribing to USENET groups ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- This menu options will remove the currently selected subscriptions from your
- subscription window.
-
- You can choose one or more subscription groups and then select the unsubscribe
- operation to remove all selected groups from your subscription list.
-
- CAUTION:
-
- If you wish to resume viewing this group at a later time you will have to re
- subscribe.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Reading USENET groups ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- If you select this option, a subject window will be displayed for the currently
- selected group.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Subcription Marking and Unmarking ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Occasionally you may want to mark or unmark all subjects without having to open
- a subject window and perform a marking operation. LA Times permits you to
- perform a "Mark All" or "Unmark All" subjects for a subscription group directly
- from the subscription windows.
-
- To do this simply select the desired group(s) and then choose the desired
- marking operation.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Arranging subscriptions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- If you have a preference for subscription order, you can arrange your
- subscriptions within the subscription window by selecting the arrange
- operations. These options will take the currently select group and move it up
- or down one line within the subscription window.
-
- Because LA Times uses the multi-threading capabilities of OS/2, the order of
- your list is not necessarily the order that your subscriptions are updated. LA
- Times updates more than one group at a time so groups with fewer subjects may
- be displayed before groups with many subjects.
-
- Although this may be a bit confusing at first, it insures the absolute quickest
- performance possible.
-
- Note: This operation does not currently support multiple selections. If you
- have selected more than one subscription group, only the first
- highlighted group will be moved. The other will remain selected but
- will not be moved.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Reading articles ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- This option will create an article window for the currently selected subject
- header. It has the same effect as double-clicking on a subject header.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Posting from the Subject Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- If you select the posting option, you can post a new message to USENET. By
- default the news groups field of the new posting will contain the group you are
- reading, and the subject field will contain the subject from the currently
- selected item.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Searching the Subject Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- You can search for strings within the subject window by using this option. You
- are prompted for a search string, and a case insensitive search of each message
- entry is performed. Note that all fields of each entry are searched.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Marking Subject Entries ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The marking options permit you to mark article(s) as "seen" - i.e. place a
- check mark beside them. There are 3 basic marking functions as listed below:
-
- Mark Current
- Marks the currently selected subject header(s) as "seen". It also marks
- these articles in all other groups to which you currently subscribe. You
- can select multiple subjects for marking by holding the CTRL key and
- clicking the left mouse button.
-
- Mark Thread
- Marks all items in the same subject as the currently highlighted item.
-
- Mark All
- Marks all articles in the current group.
-
- Note: The Mark Current operation supports multiple selections and will mark
- all highlighted subject entries ad "seen".
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Unmarking Subject Entries ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The unmarking options permit you to unmark article(s) that have been previously
- marked. There are 3 basic unmarking functions as listed below:
-
- Unmark Current
- Unmarks the currently selected subject header(s). This operation will also
- unmark the selected subject(s) in all other groups to which you subscribe.
- You can select multiple subjects for marking by holding the CTRL key and
- clicking the left mouse button.
-
- Unmark Thread
- Unmarks all items in the same subject as the currently highlighted item.
-
- Unmark All
- Unmarks all articles in the current group.
-
- Note: The Unmark Current operation supports multiple selections and will mark
- all highlighted subject entries as "unread".
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Killing Author and Subject Entries ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The LA Times kill feature will give you the ability to ignore selected subjects
- and authors. The article kill can span the current news group or all news
- groups to which you subscribe.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Receiving UUENCODED binary information ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- LA Times supports automatic UUDECODing of binary data sent via USENET news.
- This information is typically in the form of single or multi-part news articles
- containing character-coded binary information.
-
- To UUDECODE binary information, you must select the subjects making up the
- binary in the correct order. For multi-part articles this requires that you
- select part 1 then hold the <CTRL> key while selecting part 2, part 3, etc. It
- is very important that you select multi-part articles in the correct order or
- the binary file will be constructed in the wrong order and will fail as a
- result.
-
- Note: Typically multi-part uuencoded articles also include a "Part 0" message
- describing the resulting binary file. You do not need to select this
- file for correct operation.
-
- Once you have the desired subject(s) selected, choose the "Uudecode" operation
- to create the binary file. Once you do this you will see a minimized window in
- your LA Times client window area to indicate that the UUDECODE operation is
- taking place. You can double-click on the icon to display the window.
-
- In this UUDECODE window you will see the article numbers of all articles you
- selected to download. A highlight bar indicates which article is currently
- being processed. There is also a "Cancel" button in this window which will
- terminate the UUDECODing operation.
-
- When the UUDECODE operation is complete, the UUDECODE window will disappear and
- you will have the binary placed in the "\bin" sub directory of you main LA
- Times directory. From here you can move the binary to any location you choose.
-
- Note: You can perform many binary file downloads at a time. There is no need
- to wait until one transfer operation is complete before starting another
- - even in another news group. Be aware, though, that each download does
- require both network and CPU time so you can degrade the overall
- performance of LA Times if you perform more than 4 or 5 downloads
- simultaneously. If you are trying to read open a subject or article
- window while download you may notice brief pauses in operation. This is
- due to the fact that the program must wait for a server connection to
- become free before continuing.
-
- CAUTION:
- The only limitation on UUDECODing binaries is that all of the source articles
- for a given binary must reside in the same news group.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Searching Articles for Text ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- LA Times offers powerful capabilities for searching articles for text strings,
- permitting you to quickly scan all of the articles in a given group for a
- string of up to 255 characters. This string can include and characters in the
- OS/2 character set including special symbols and numerics.
-
- When you invoke the article search feature, you will be prompted with a dialog
- box, requesting that you enter a string of text. You can also set the
- searching limits by selecting to search entire articles, just the headers or
- just the article text body. Finally you have the option to make your search
- case sensitive.
-
- Once you have the search parameters set as desired, press the "Search" button
- to begin the search. The search can be cancelled at any time by pressing the
- cancel button.
-
- The search results are displayed in the bottom window in the form of message
- number/subjects of articles which include the search string. You can
- double-click on any of these to display the associated article.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> File options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Using the file menu, you can save the article to a file, or append it to an
- existing file. Additionally, you can print an article to a selected printer in
- your system.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Edit options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Using the edit menu, you copy, cut or paste article information.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> View options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The view menu option give you the capability to do the following:
-
- o Copy/Cut/Paste information using the OS/2 Clipboard
-
- o ROT13 selected text or the entire article
-
- o Display article header information
-
- o Go to the next article
-
- o Go to the previous article.
-
- o Go to the next article with the same subject
-
- o Go to the previous article with the same subject
-
- o Go to the next article in the current thread
-
- o Go to the previous article in the current thread
-
- The last 2 items in the list use the threading provisions within NNTP news.
- Each news message has a message ID field and if an article references some
- previous article(s), it will also have a "references" field.
-
- LA Times can use these field to traverse a string or "Thread" of messages.
- This technique is known as message threading, and LA Times is currently the
- only PM-based news reader which supports it.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Insert options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The insert option is unique to LA Times. It permits you to insert special or
- frequently used strings into your articles. By adding items to the LATIMES.MAC
- file, you can add items to this list. This menu is useful for inserting items
- such as acronyms or smileys :-) into you articles.
-
- In addition to the strings you specify in LATIMES.MAC, there are also a number
- of fixed insertion you can make. These include, your name, email address and
- organization. You can also insert a spoiler character or page break.
-
- You can add or change items in the list by using a text editor to edit the
- LATIMES.MAC file. Insert on item per line.
-
- Note: OS/2 does not permit scrollable menus so the number of strings your list
- contains is limited by the height of your screen.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Posting from the Article Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- If you select the posting option, you can post a follow-up article or email
- follow-up to the author of the article you are reading.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Edit options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Using the edit menu, you copy, cut or paste email information.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> EMail options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Using the email option you can enter or modify the address information for the
- e-mail, and you can send the current message to the address you have specified.
- If you have previously created a signature file, this will automatically be
- appended to the end of the EMail message.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Searching for Text ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- You can search for strings within the edit window by using this option. You
- are prompted for a search string, and a case insensitive search of the edit
- window is performed. The "Find Next" option will reposition you to the next
- matching search string in the window.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Edit options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- Using the edit menu, you copy, cut or paste posting article information.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Posting options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- There are several posting option available. A description of these is shown
- below:
-
- Posting Info...
- This option will display a dialog box permitting editing and entry of
- posting information, including the new group(s) and subject of the posting
- or follow-up.
-
- Send Posting
- This selection posts your article to the server using the NNTP news
- protocol.
-
- Send post as e-mail
- This option permits you to post your article to a news server which
- supports posting via email. You must specify the news group and e-mail
- address which is typically in the form: "comp-os-os2-apps@my.server.com".
- This option is useful for servers which do not support direct posting, but
- do support email.
-
- Send binary file
- This option displays a files dialog in which you can select a binary file
- to post. Once selected, you are placed back into the posting window to
- create a "Part 0" article to describe the binary you are sending. LA Times
- automatically UUENCODEs and breaks the binary up into multiple parts as
- required and posts each with the subject you specified plus a "(Part x of
- n)" designation. Currently, you cannot post binaries using the e-mail
- process described above.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> New groups available ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- This dialog will display a list containing all new news groups which have been
- created since LA Times last checked. You can select any groups in this list
- for subscriptions. Pressing the OK button without any selections will permit
- you to ignore the new groups.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Printing Options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- This dialog will display a list of available printers on your system (network
- printers are also shown). You can select one of these printers to have your
- output sent to a specific device.
-
- The job properties button will let you configure the output device in a
- specific way.
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Main Toolbar ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The main toolbar has the following operations:
-
- Open the configuration notebook
- Toggle display of the server group window
- Toggle display of the subscription window
- Create a new article for posting
- Display context sensitive help
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Group Toolbar ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The group toolbar has the following operations:
-
- Refresh the server group file and window
- Subscribe to all selected groups
- Set the search text and find the first instance
- Search for next matching string
- Display context sensitive help
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Subscription Toolbar ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The subscription toolbar has the following operations:
-
- Refresh the subscription window
- Open and read the subject window for this subscription group
- Unsubscribe to the selected groups
- Mark all subjects for the selected groups
- Unmark all subjects for the selected groups
- Arrange selected group up one line in the list
- Arrange selected group down one line in the list
- Display context sensitive help
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Subject Toolbar ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The subject toolbar has the following operations:
-
- Open and read the article associated with the selected subject
- Create a new article for posting
- Set the search text and find the first instance
- Search for next matching string
- Mark the selected subjects
- Mark all articles with the same subject
- Mark all subjects
- Unmark the selected subjects
- Unmark all articles with the same subject
- Unmark all subjects for the selected groups
- Start UUDECODE to produce a binary file from the selected
- subjects
- Display context sensitive help
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Article Toolbar ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The article toolbar has the following operations:
-
- Save the article to disk
- Append the article to an existing file
- Print the article
- Cut selected text
- Copy selected text
- Paste text from the clipboard
- Display article address information
- Step to next article
- Step to next article with the same subject
- Step to previous article
- Step to previous article with the same subject
- Create a follow-up article for posting
- Create follow-up e-mail message
- Display context sensitive help
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Posting Toolbar ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The posting toolbar has the following operations:
-
- Cut selected text
- Copy selected text
- Paste text from the clipboard
- Display posting address information
- Post the new article to the news server
- Post a binary file
- Display context sensitive help
-
-
- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> E-Mail Toolbar ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- The e-mail toolbar has the following operations:
-
- Cut selected text
- Copy selected text
- Paste text from the clipboard
- Display e-mail address information
- Send the e-mail message
- Display context sensitive help
-