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GTRead
The GT Offline Mail Reader
Version 1.0
Released July 10, 1990
Copyright (C) 1990, Thoughtware and Stephen Russell
Introduction
Welcome to GTRead, an offline mail reader for users of GT
bulletin-board systems. Using GTRead with GT's Fastmail system
reduces the time you spend on the BBS, by letting you read and
reply to mail at your leisure. This gives more time to other users
of the BBS, gives you more time to upload or download files, and
reduces your communication costs, particularly for long-distance
calls. You can even automate the collection and sending of mail
with the clever use of communication scripts.
GTRead offers the following features:
* Automatically extracts incoming mail from a Fastmail
archive.
* Supports multiple bulletin boards, with separate mail
subdirectories for each board.
* Window-based environment for browsing through message areas
and viewing messages.
* Edit replies with your favourite editor, with quoting of
selected messages.
Copyright and Distribution
GTRead is copyrighted software, and may not be sold for profit.
However, it may be freely distributed for strictly noncommercial
use by individual GT BBS users.
- 1 -
GTRead Version 1.0
System Requirements
GTRead is frugal in its use of memory, and fits in 128K. It must
however coexist in memory with other programs such as an editor
and archiver. As a result, the minimum memory requirement is
probably 512K.
GTRead does not keep copies of messages in memory, but reads them
from disk as needed. While it is possible to use GTRead with a
floppy-only system, it will be slow. Best performance is obtained
with a hard disk system, particularly with a cache. A hard disk
system is also recommended if you plan to process mail from
several systems.
GTRead will work with all display adapters, and with DESQview. It
can be configured for old CGA adapters that suffer from screen
snow, and to always use the BIOS for screen accesses. Using BIOS
mode is not encouraged, though, as it is particularly slow.
--------------------
Installing GTRead
There are a few steps involved in installing GTRead. Start by
extracting all of the files in the distribution archive into an
empty subdirectory. You should then read the section below on mail
subdirectories, and decide how you will configure your mail
system. Next, run GTRConf to configure GTRead for your system. The
last step is to move the files GTREAD.EXE, GTREAD.HLP and
HOSTLIST.TXT to their appropriate subdirectories. GTREAD.EXE would
normally be moved to one of the subdirectories on your PATH.
Alternatively, you might move it to your GT mail directory, or
some other directory. In this case, you must first CD to that
directory before running GTRead. Details of installing the other
files are given below.
Once you've installed GTRead, you may delete the GTRCONF.EXE
program if you are short of disk space. Make sure you have a
backup copy, though, in case you wish to reconfigure GTRead in the
future.
Mail Subdirectories
Before you can run GTRConf, you need to choose one of three
different ways to configure your mail system.
The simplest approach is to do nothing. If you use GTRead without
specifying a mail subdirectory, GTRead will look in the current
subdirectory for Fastmail archives and GT mail files. Any mail you
write will be saved in the current directory, as is your reply
archive ready for uploading.
- 2 -
GTRead Version 1.0
The next alternative is to set up a single subdirectory for your
GT mail; for example, "C:\GTMAIL". You then use GTRConf to inform
GTRead of the name for this subdirectory. GTRead will switch to
this directory before looking for the mail archive and files. When
you exit GTRead, you'll be returned to your original directory.
This approach is best if you receive mail from only one GT system.
If you intend to receive mail from several GT systems, however,
you should create separate subdirectories for each system. These
subdirectories are created in two steps. First, create a top-level
subdirectory, such as C:\GTMAIL, and CD to that directory. Then
create a subdirectory for each GT system you receive mail from.
One possibility for naming these subdirectories is to use the
system's net and node numbers. The following example shows how to
create mail directories for the systems 302/003, 302/006 and
302/109. Note that a hyphen is used instead of a slash to make a
legal MSDOS directory name.
mkdir c:\gtmail
cd c:\gtmail
mkdir 302-003
mkdir 302-006
mkdir 302-109
Alternatively, you might choose more descriptive names based on
the GT boards' names. Whichever approach you choose, keep a list
of the directory names handy to edit the HOSTLIST.TXT file
described later. You can add more subdirectories later without
running GTRConf; just add new entries to HOSTLIST.TXT.
Using GTRConf
The GTRConf program is used to install and configure GTRead.
GTRConf's main menu allows you to customise the screen colours,
pick the programs that pack and unpack mail archives, select the
style of quoting for messages included in your replies, and tell
GTRead where your mail files will be kept. The following sections
describe each of these configuration options.
The Directories menu
The Directories option of GTRConf's main menu allows you to enter
the name of your mail directory. This should be the full pathname
of the directory, such as "C:\GTMAIL" (don't forget the drive
prefix and the backslash). If you don't want to use a mail
directory, leave the entry blank. If you have decided to have
multiple mail subdirectories, you may also specify the name of the
subdirectory for your `preferred' GT system; for example, 302-003.
GTRead will then check for mail from this board first. You can
change to other boards using GTRead's Board command.
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GTRead Version 1.0
Setting the screen colours
There are four choices for setting GTRead's use of colours. If you
select the Default option, GTRead will check the kind of display
adapter in your computer and use either monochrome or a
preselected set of colours as appropriate. This decision can be
overridden using either the Colour or Monochrome options. The
latter is useful if you are using a monochrome screen with a
colour adapter such as a CGA.
The Custom option allows you to change the screen colours to
whatever you like. You can select the colours for the text,
borders, titles and selection bars of the background, the menu
bar, the browser, message and help windows, and the dialogue
boxes. As you make the changes, GTRConf will show an example
GTRead screen. Use the arrow keys to move around the palette box
and select the colour you want.
Setting Video Modes
This option allows you to force GTRead to use the BIOS for all
screen access, and to stop `snow' on old CGA adapters. BIOS mode
is very slow, however, so only use it if absolutely necessary.
The Programs menu
GTRConf's Programs command is used to specify the names of your
archive pack and unpack programs, and the editor to be used for
editing mail. You don't need to give the full path for each
program; GTRead will search the subdirectories specified by your
PATH environment variable, and will add an EXE or COM suffix as
needed. There is a slight speed advantage in specifying the full
path and extension, though, so that GTRead doesn't have to search.
This will be most apparent for floppy disk systems.
Choosing an editor
GTRead doesn't come with an editor, though you need one to create
mail. The editor you choose should meet a few basic requirements.
First, it should be small, as it is reloaded from disk every time
you edit a message, and it must coexist in memory with GTRead. If
you are using a RAM disk, you can speed up loading the editor by
keeping a copy in the RAM disk. Make sure that the RAM disk is
included in your PATH, or give the full path including the drive
designator (for example, "F:\MYED.EXE").
Second, the editor must accept and produce plain ASCII
(non-document) files. Sending a wordprocessor's document format as
mail will probably produce garbage when displayed at the other
end.
Last, your editor must accept the name of the file to be edited
from the command line. Some editors insist on always showing a
menu of the files available for editing. Unfortunately, GTRead's
mail files are named using cryptic codes, so picking the right
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GTRead Version 1.0
file from the menu will be difficult.
There are many shareware editors available if you don't have a
suitable editor. Check what your local bulletin board has to
offer.
The pack and unpack programs
To reduce download times, GT's Fastmail files are sent as
compressed archives. Similarly, GTRead compresses your mail for
uploading. You must tell Fastmail which compression programs to
use, and have a matching set of programs on your computer. Example
programs include ARC, PAK, LHARC, and PKZIP/PKUNZIP. The actual
compression programs offered by Fastmail may vary among GT
systems. You should choose a common `standard' for all of the
systems you intend to use with GTRead.
Some archiving programs, such as ARC, PAK and LHARC, combine
compression and decompression into a single program. To support
these programs, GTRConf allows you to specify the command line
options that select the appropriate action. For example, if you
are using the ARC program, set the Archive Options to "a" (add
files to archive), and the Unarchive Options to "x" (extract from
archive).
Quoting
When replying to a message, you will often wish to quote part of
the message or some earlier messages. Each line of the quotation
is preceded by a prefix, usually "> ". This can be changed using
the Quoting option. You can also configure GTRead to never
automatically quote the message, always quote it, or to ask first.
If you choose the first option, you can still use GTRead's Quote
command to selectively quote messages before replying.
Please keep your quotes as short as possible! There is usually
little point in quoting all of the original message. Just retain
enough of the original to keep its meaning and to show what you
are responding to.
--------------------
Installing The GTRead Files
Having configured GTRead, the last step is to install the support
files where GTRead can find them. The next sections describe the
purpose of these files and how to install them.
The HOSTLIST.TXT file
This file is used by GTRead to identify the source of incoming
mail. As well, if you decide to have multiple mail subdirectories,
HOSTLIST.TXT contains the names of each of these subdirectories
and which systems they correspond to.
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GTRead Version 1.0
HOSTLIST.TXT contains one line for each GT system from which you
receive mail. Each line consists of three fields separated by
colons, as shown below.
302/000:<nodir>:The Poet's Dilemma
302/003:302-003:The Black Hole
The first field gives the net and node number of the GT system.
The second field is the name of that system's mail subdirectory,
and the last field is the name of the system. As the first line
shows, the second field should be set to "<nodir>" if that system
has no mail subdirectory.
Before installing HOSTLIST.TXT, you may need to edit it to match
your configuration. If you've set up separate mail subdirectories
for each GT system, edit the directory fields to the names you
chose for each subdirectory. This allows GTRead's Board command to
find the directory containing the mail from each system.
Once you've edited HOSTLIST.TXT, it should be installed in a
directory where GTRead can find it. GTRead looks for the file in
your main mail directory; if you don't have a mail directory,
GTRead will look in the current directory. So, if you have
configured GTRead to use a mail directory, you should copy
HOSTLIST.TXT to that directory. If GTRead can't find the file, the
GTRead Board command is disabled, and mail displays will just show
the source's net/node number.
Installing GTREAD.HLP
GTRead's online help facility uses the GTREAD.HLP file, which
should be installed so that GTRead can find it. GTRead first
searches the directories specified in your PATH variable. If it
doesn't find the file, it also looks in your main mail directory
(or the current directory if no mail directory has been
specified). You should copy GTREAD.HLP to one of these
directories.
--------------------
Downloading Mail
If you've not used GT's Fastmail system before, the following
paragraphs provide a brief description. You can obtain further
information from your local GT system.
Access to the Fastmail system is obtained using GT's Open door
command. Fastmail scans the message areas to find messages you
haven't read, then presents a menu of commands to select the
message areas of interest, change the number of messages to be
sent, etc. Once you've chosen the messages you want, you have the
choice of downloading only mail addressed to you, or all mail from
your selected areas. Fastmail then compresses your mail into a
file called FASTMAIL.ZIP (the extension may be different,
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GTRead Version 1.0
depending on your choice of archiver), and sends the file to you
using your selected download protocol.
The GT UNjoin command allows you to specify message areas which
don't interest you. Fastmail will then ignore these areas. This
command is very useful, given the large total volume of mail each
day. Before using Fastmail for the first time, use UNjoin to
reduce the number of active areas.
Some notes on downloading
There are a few points you should keep in mind about downloading
mail.
* Be careful that you don't overwrite an existing Fastmail
file. Fortunately, most file transfer programs will avoid
this by changing the file's extension. GTRead supports this
by unpacking all Fastmail files it finds.
* Zmodem's crash recovery option should be disabled, though,
or Zmodem may `continue' the download by appending to the
old Fastmail file, destroying both archives.
* If you receive mail from multiple GT systems, you should
ensure that each Fastmail file is downloaded to the
appropriate mail subdirectory. If you don't do this, GTRead
will not be able to find it.
--------------------
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GTRead Version 1.0
Using GTRead
GTRead is easy to use, due to its extensive use of menus and
windows. The F1 key allows you to get help at any time. The
following notes describe GTRead's operation, and provide a brief
description of GTRead's various commands.
GTRead would normally be used after you have downloaded a Fastmail
archive. GTRead's Unpack command will extract the mail file from
the archive, then display a summary of the message areas. You can
then view the messages in each area. The Thread command allows you
to follow the messages on a particular subject, and you can Kill
topics that don't interest you. If you are feeling antisocial, you
can also Ignore particular authors. After you've scanned a
particular thread, the Next command jumps back to the first
message that you haven't read. The Quote command allows you to
collect quotes from several messages, which are used when you
Reply to a message, or Add a new message. Interesting messages can
be Saved. After you've finished processing your mail, the Pack
command constructs a FASTRPLY archive ready for uploading.
Menus
The top line of the screen is used by GTRead to display a menu of
the available commands. These will change depending on the
context. Each command is selected by typing the highlighted
letter. In the descriptions below, the command letter is enclosed
in parentheses; for example, "(B)oard". Sometimes a command will
be disabled, in which case no letter in that menu item will be
highlighted.
Selection windows
GTRead uses windows to display lists of items from which you can
make a selection. Move around the list using the arrow keys, then
press Enter to make the selection. Pressing Esc will close the
window without making a selection.
Startup
Start GTRead running by typing "GTREAD" at the DOS prompt. If you
are using a monochrome display with a colour adapter, you should
type "GTREAD M" if you haven't selected monochrome mode with
GTRConf. GTRead starts by changing to your selected mail directory
(if any) and loads the HOSTLIST.TXT file. If you have selected a
preferred board to start in, GTRead then switches to that board's
directory. GTRead then checks for the presence of any Fastmail
archives or GT mail files before displaying the main menu.
GTRead's main menu provides the following commands:
(B)oard
The Board command allows you pick a GT system from the list
in the HOSTLIST.TXT file, and changes to the mail
- 8 -
GTRead Version 1.0
subdirectory of that system. GTRead then checks for the
presence of any Fastmail archives or GT mail files. This
command is only enabled if GTRead found the HOSTLIST.TXT
file at startup.
(U)npack mail
The Unpack command extracts the mail files from any Fastmail
archives in the current directory. Each archive is then
deleted. Fastmail assigns a name of the form "MAILmmdd.TXT"
to each mail file, where "mmdd" indicates the month and day
that the mail was sent. GTRead renames the file to
"yyyymmdd.GTM", where "yyyy" is the year, and "GTM" is used
to indicate a GT mail file. This renaming is done for users
who like to archive old mail files for future reference, and
to make the mail files easier for GTRead to find.
If you download more than one mail archive in the same day,
GTRead uses the extensions "GT1", "GT2", etc. Unfortunately,
these are not necessarily in the same order as the file's
were received.
If the Unpack command is successful, the Open command is
automatically invoked to display the contents of the last
archive processed.
(O)pen mail
The Open command displays a list of all the GTM files in the
current directory. The selected mail file is then scanned by
GTRead to extract information about each message. As well,
GTRead searches for any replies or added messages from an
earlier GTRead session. This allows you to process your mail
in several GTRead sessions.
If the mail file is successfully scanned, GTRead displays a
list of all the message areas in the mail file. Use the
arrow keys to highlight one of the message areas, then press
Enter to see the messages for that area.
If the mail directory contains a FASTRPLY reply archive, the
Open command offers you the option of extracting the mail in
the archive that belongs to the current mail file. These
messages can then be viewed and edited before being
repacked. Note that if there is no mail in the archive for
the current mail file, GTRead may report that the unpacking
failed. This error message can be ignored.
NOTE: Due to a limitation in GTRead, it is advisable to
extract mail from the FASTRPLY archive if the archive
contains new messages (generated with the Add command) and
you intend to add further new messages. Failure to do so
will cause the new messages to be assigned the same message
numbers as the earlier ones. The earlier messages will then
be overwritten when the archive is repacked. This problem
will be fixed in a later release.
- 9 -
GTRead Version 1.0
(P)ack replies
Once you have finished creating replies and new messages,
the Pack command constructs a FASTRPLY reply archive for
uploading. If the FASTRPLY archive already exists, the new
mail is added to the archive. If the archive is successfully
created or updated, the reply and new message files are
deleted.
All mail in the current mail directory is packed, not just
that for the current mail file. This allows you to combine
several lots of mail in one step.
Although the Open command allows you to extract mail from
the reply archive, there is a problem in then killing that
mail. GTRead's Kill and Unreply commands only delete the
individual message files, and don't delete the copy in the
archive. So if you have second thoughts about a message
after you've packed the replies, you have to exit to DOS and
delete the files in the archive manually. This is not easy,
though, as the file names used by GTRead are cryptic. One
approach to finding the right name is to use GTRead to pick
the message or reply, then invoke your editor using the Edit
command and ask the editor what the file name is! The moral
is simple: don't pack replies until you're truly finished.
(D)OS
The DOS command jumps to DOS in the current mail directory.
This is useful if you need to do some housekeeping, such as
deleting old mail files.
e(X)it
Exit GTRead and return to DOS.
The Messages Window and Menu
Once you've opened a mail file and selected a message area, GTRead
will present a summary of the messages in that area. The summary
shows who wrote the message, who it was addressed to, and the
subject of the message. Pressing Enter will show the contents of
the highlighted message.
The following special symbols are used to indicate the status of
each message.
The message is addressed to you.
■ The message has been Viewed, Killed or Ignored.
The message is marked for Quoting or Saving.
You have entered a reply for this message.
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GTRead Version 1.0
New message entered by you.
The message menu offers the following commands:
(V)iew
Display the highlighted message, even if it has been Killed
or Ignored. The Enter key performs the same function.
(N)ext
Display the first message not yet Viewed. This command would
normally be used after following all messages in a
particular thread, as it jumps back to the first unread
topic.
(T)hread
Display the next message with the same subject as the
current message.
(M)ark
Toggle the mark for the current message. Can also be done by
pressing the space bar. See the Quote and Save command for
descriptions of how marked messages are used.
(Q)uote
Each of the marked messages, or just the current message if
none are marked, is added to the Quote buffer. The quoted
messages are then included in the next message you create
with the Reply or Add commands. The contents of the Quote
buffer are preserved even if you change message areas, or
use the main menu's Open or Board commands. This allows you
to quote messages from old mail files, or mail received from
other boards.
(R)eply
Generate a reply to the current message, or edit an existing
reply. For new replies, GTRead prompts for the subject of
the message, and whether the message is private or should be
protected. Any quoted messages are added to the reply. The
current message may also be quoted, depending on the quoting
mode you chose with GTRConf. GTRead will then invoke your
editor to edit the reply file.
The quote buffer is cleared after a Reply command. However,
you can use the Quote command again to collect more quotes,
and Reply to the message a second time. The quoted material
is appended to the existing reply, ready for further
editing.
(A)dd
Allows you to enter a new message for uploading to the
current area. Any quoted messages are included for editing,
and the quote buffer is then cleared.
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GTRead Version 1.0
(E)dit
If the current message has a reply, edit the reply file.
This is different from using the Reply command again, as it
does not append any quotes first. Alternatively, if the
current message has been Added, edit the new message.
(S)ave
The marked messages, or the current message, are appended to
a file. By default, the messages will be saved in the file
"MAILBOX.TXT", but this can be changed by entering a new
name when prompted. One non-obvious use of the Save command
is to `save' the messages to a DOS device. For example,
saving to PRN will actually print the messages.
(K)ill
If the current message is from a downloaded mail file, all
other messages with the same subject are marked as read and
will be ignored by the Next and Thread commands. However, if
the message is a new message Added by you for uploading, the
message is deleted. (Also see the Pack command above for
further comments about deleting messages.)
(I)gnore
Similar to the Kill command, except that it ignores all
messages from the author of the current message.
e(X)it
Return to the main menu. Pressing Esc has the same effect.
--------------------
The View Window and Menu
Selected messages are displayed in a full-screen window, along
with the the menu bar and a status line. Use the arrow keys, PgUp,
PgDn, Home and End to move around within the message. The commands
offered by the View Menu are mostly similar to the Message Menu,
with the following differences:
(N)ext
If all messages in the current area have been read, Next is
equivalent to the "+" key described below.
(Q)uote
(S)ave
Only quotes or saves the current message, ignoring any
marked messages.
(M)ark
Always sets the mark for the current message.
(U)nreply
Allows you to delete the reply to the current message, if
any. See the Pack command above for details on deleting
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GTRead Version 1.0
replies after they have been added to the reply archive.
(K)ill
(I)gnore
Kills or ignores the current message, then performs a Next
command.
+/-
The "+" and "-" keys allow you to move to the next or
previous message, regardless of whether the message has been
Killed or Ignored, or has already been read.
e(X)it
Return to the Message Menu.
--------------------
Uploading Your Replies
GTRead's Pack command constructs a file called FASTRPLY.ZIP in the
current mail directory. This archive contains the individual
messages, plus a special header file used by Fastmail. To upload
the FASTRPLY archive, call the GT board, use the Open command to
start Fastmail running, then pick the "Upload your replies"
command. Fastmail prompts when it is ready to receive your mail
file. Use your communication program's upload command to send your
FASTRPLY.ZIP file. If the file is received successfully, Fastmail
displays a brief summary of each message you've sent.
If you're processing mail from several GT boards, make sure you
send each FASTRPLY.ZIP file to the correct board. If you upload
mail to the wrong board, Fastmail will reject it. No harm is done,
but you have wasted a few minutes of your time.
Remember to delete the FASTRPLY.ZIP file after you've uploaded it.
If you forget, any new mail you create later will be added to the
old archive, and when you upload it, your old messages will be
posted again.
BUGS
This version of GTRead has several known limitations. The amount
of memory available for keeping track of the status of individual
messages is limited. Each message requires around 70 bytes of
storage, although this will vary depending on the number of unique
subjects and names in the message headers. As there is around
40Kbytes available, GTRead can cope with around 400-500 messages
per mail file.
If GTRead runs out of memory, it switches to `panic' mode and
throws away the information about every message. When a message
area is then selected, the information about the messages in that
area is reloaded by rescanning the mail file, searching for
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GTRead Version 1.0
replies, etc. This is tedious, but allows GTRead to cope with
about 400-500 messages per area, at a pinch. However, the
information about whether each message has been viewed, killed or
ignored is lost when a new area is selected. This code has not
been well tested, either. It is therefore advisable to limit the
size of mail files, by being selective in your choice of message
areas and by downloading mail regularly.
If you exit GTRead, it will forget which messages have been read,
killed or ignored. It would be nice to save the status of each
message, but this is made difficult by the memory panic mode.
Message numbers are assigned to new messages by searching for
existing messages when a mail file is opened. The new message
numbers then follow in sequence. This approach can fail, however,
if you Add new messages, Pack your mail, Open the mail file again
_w_i_t_h_o_u_t extracting mail from the reply archive, then Add more
mail. The workaround for now is to always extract mail from the
archive. This will be fixed in a later release of GTRead.
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