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Silver Xpress READER Documentation Version 2.27 __________________________________________________________________________ **** **** **** ** ** ******* ****** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * ** ** *** ** ** ** ** ** * ** ** *** ** ** ** ** **** ***** *** ** ** * ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **** ** * ** ** **** **** ******* ** ******* *** ** ** ** ****** ****** ******* **** **** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * *** *** *** ***** ***** **** *** *** *** ** ** ** ** * *** *** ** ** ** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** ** **** *** ** ******* **** **** Version 2.27 (c) copyright 1988-1990 by Santronics Software All Rights Reserved A BBS Mail System for Off-Line Reading and Replying on OPUS 1.03/1.10, QuickBBS, Fido, SearchLight, TPboard, RBBS, and Remote Access Xpress Mail Systems Xpress Reader Documentation N O T I C E The information and price policy contained in this document are subject to change without notice. Silver Xpress READER Version 2.27 __________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------ D I S C L A I M E R ------------------------ Although Santronics Software has taken every precaution to prevent abnormal behavior of the Silver Xpress Mail System, Santronics Software will not guarantee total satisfaction. Santronics Software will not be responsible for any damages or mishaps to your system. Should the program be defective in any way, YOU (not Santronics Software) assume full responsibility for any damage which may result. SANTRONICS SOFTWARE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS THE WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND MERCHANTABILITY. ----------------------------------------------- C O P Y R I G H T S & T R A D E M A R K S ----------------------------------------------- The Xpress Off-Line Mail System software and its documentation are copyrighted materials. Santronics Software reserves all rights to these materials under United States law and international copyright conventions which are not expressly granted to the user. No part of this material may be reproduced or modified in any way without the prior, expressed written permission of Santronics Software except as stated within this documentation. Opus Xpress, Silver Xpress, Gold Xpress, Platinum Xpress, Xpress Lite, Xpress Windows, Xpress mail, Xpmail, Xpread, Xpuser, Xpcfg, XpEdt, Xpfiles, and the file extensions OPX and REP in relationship to off-line electronic mail systems are trademarks of Santronics Software. OPUS CBCS BBS V1.03b is copyrighted 1987 by Wynn Wagner III. PKZIP and PKUNZIP are copyrighted by and trademarks of PKware Inc. PAK is copyrighted by and is a trademark of NoGate Consulting. LHARC is copyrighted by Yoshi. TELIX and SALT is copyrighted by and a trademark of Exis, inc. DSZ is copyrighted by and is a trademark of Omen Technology Inc. Qedit is copyrighted by and is a trademark of SemWare. IBM and IBM PC are trademarks of International Business Machine Silver Xpress READER Version 2.27 __________________________________________________________________________ --------------------------------------- L I C E N S E A G R E E M E N T --------------------------------------- Any use of the product at all constitutes acceptance of these terms and conditions. Santronics Software reserves all rights which are not expressly granted or necessarily implied by those rights which are expressly granted. The law of the United States and of the State of Pennsylvania shall be controlling and the courts of the United States and the State of Pennsylvania shall have exclusive jurisdiction to the maximum extent permitted by international law and the law of the United States. The Xpress Mail System is fully copyrighted and is not in the public domain, nor is it "Free Ware". It is distributed under the concept of software distribution known as "shareware" which allows users to try a program package to see if it meets their needs before paying for it. Continued use beyond the authorized evaluation period requires payment of the registration fee. Santronics Software grants an unlimited license to make and distribute unregistered copies of Xpress versions which have been released by Santronics Software, but no modification at all may be made to the program or documentation files. The only permitted modification is a change in the method of archiving. No fee may be charged by anyone other than Santronics Software for copies of Xpress beyond the actual cost of providing such copies without the express written permission of Santronics Software. Santronics Software grants a limited license to use this product for an evaluation period of thirty (30) days. Use of this product for more than 30 days requires payment of the registration fee. Santronics Software grants to registered users an "unlimited" license to use this product, subject to the following: 1) Registration is not refundable or transferable. 2) Copies of registered Silver Xpress program files may not be distributed. 3) Original copyrights must be maintained and not altered. 4) Unofficial software patches must not be not applied. 5) The software executable files must not be tampered with in any way. 6) Registration shall be automatically voided without notice by any act which is inconsistent with the rights of Santronics Software with respect to the product. Silver Xpress READER Registration Version 2.27 __________________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------- R E G I S T R A T I O N I N F O R M A T I O N ----------------------------------------------------- Registration gives you an unlimited license to use the Silver Xpress system as stated in the Xpress documentation. Please fill out the order form and send it with your payment to: USA : Santronics Software 1451 Plymouth Ave. Irwin, Pa., 15642 Foreign Registrations other than MC/Visa can be processed through the following official Santronics Software registration points: Italy : Antolini Francesco Via C.Battisti 48 37015 Domegliara, Verona Italy Fidonet #: 2:333/101 England/UK : John Krzesinski Apricot Computers PLC 27 HighField Rd. Edgebaston, Birmingham UK B153DP Fidonet #: 2:253/192 Australia : Trevor Carlsen PO BOX 568 Port Hedland Western Australia 6721 Fidonet #: 3:690/644 For surrounding countries, please register through the nearest registration point. These registration points are authorized by Santronics Software to issue registration codes. Any other person issuing or generating registration codes is in direct violation of Santronics Software intellectual property. It will be regarded and pursued as a criminal software privacy violation. Silver Xpress Priority Service Plan Version 2.27 __________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------- Optional Xpress Priority Services Plans ------------------------------------------- Upon request, Santronics Software is offering two priority service plans. These are optional plans and are open to all new or old registered Xpress users Xpress User Priority Service #1 ..... add $60.00 o Xpress News Letter (Bi-Monthly) o Printed Documentation (Sent Immediately) o 1 yr automatic updates to the Silver Reader via US/AIR mail o Unlimited Voice Support (Requires Priority Service #) o %30 discount toward next major version of Xpress. o List of Xpressable bulletin boards with each update. Xpress User Priority Service #2 ..... add $30.00 o Xpress News Letter (Bi-Monthly) o Printed Documentation (Sent Immediately) o automatic 2 updates of the Silver Reader via US/AIR mail o 2 hour of Voice Support (Requires Priority Service #) o List of Xpressable bulletin boards with each update. Participants of a Xpress Priority Service (XPS) plan will receive a XPS code for top priority service. XPS customers should use this code when making all inquiries to Santronics Software. Silver Xpress READER Registration Version 2.27 __________________________________________________________________________ -- Registration Notes -- 1) On-line American Express/Mastercard/Visa registration is available at (412)- 864-2294, 24hrs EST. You may want to choose to have your charge card verified on-line to get your registration number immediately. As an added convenience, you may netmail your registration form to me at 1:129/82. 2) All previous registrants below version 2.27 can obtain a copy of Silver Xpress at no charge. Santronics will only send Silver Xpress program disk(s) to Xpress Priority Service members. 3) All versions above 1.02 and before 2.25 are considered as version 1.02. 4) There will be an upgrade charge for Silver Xpress for all 1.02 registrations received after 4/30/89. 5) Group discounts and Commercial Site purchases plans available. 6) Every effort will be made to respond to questions. However, priority service members will receive top priority. The Users Xpress International Echo is also available for support. 7) Allow 7 (seven) working days for processing upon receiving your registration. Direct foreign registrations allow for 5-7 weeks for processing registrations. 8) You can order PKWare's PKZIP file compression system from Santronics Software at a discount when registering Silver Xpress Silver Xpress Reader Registration Form Version 2.27 __________________________________________________________________________ Real Name _____________________ BOARD Login Name _________________ Address _____________________ BOARD BBS Type _________________ ________________________________ Occupation _________________ ________________________________ Voice Phone # ( )- - ________________________________ Hours ___________ How/Why do you Xpress? ______________________________________________ Enter Name of Bulletin Board where you can contacted through Email. Board Name _____________________ Phone Number ( )- - Your Xpress Packet name (OPX file) _________ Check Order Single User Cost ................... $35.00 O Printed Documentation/Latest Version.. add $12.50 O Xpress User Priority Service #1 ...... add $60.00 O Xpress User Priority Service #2 ...... add $30.00 O PKZIP Package from PKWARE............. add $42.00 O Group discounts and Special Commercial site license are available. Call for details at the Xpress Support Center BBS 412-864-2294 24hr SPECIAL UPS METHODS OF SHIPMENT (Priority Service Only) O Red-Next Day.....................................Add $15.25 O Blue-2nd Day.....................................Add $08.00 O Intl Air 7 days.(Credit Card Only) Cost varies with country METHOD OF PAYMENT O-Cash O-Check O-Money Order O-Mastercard O-Visa O-P.O O-AMEX Charge Card Number ________________________________________ Expiration Date ____________ 4 digits above name _______ (if any) Signature _________________________________ Subtotal ____________ (foreign checks) add $ 5.00 ____________ (PA residents add %6 sales tax) ____________ Total ____________ _______________________________________________________________________ OFFICIAL USE ONLY (R062990) Date Received : Registration Code: Service Code : Silver Xpress Reader Manual Version 2.27 __________________________________________________________________________ _____________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS _____________________ 1. Introduction............................................. 01 2. Electronic Mail System and Silver Xpress Code of Ethics.. 02 3. System Requirements...................................... 03 4. Installation............................................. 04 4.1 Hard Disk Systems.................................... 06 4.2 Floppy Disk Systems.................................. 07 5. Reader Configuration (OFF-LINE SETUP).................... 09 5.1 Defining an editor.................................. 09 5.2 Expanding and Compressing mail...................... 10 5.3 Defining the MAIL BOX and REPLY BOX................. 11 5.4 Defining a Work Path................................ 12 5.5 Leaving Sayings, Signatures On Your Messages........ 12 5.6 Quoting Messages.................................... 13 5.7 Original Message Width.............................. 13 5.8 Wrap Width.......................................... 13 5.9 Total Message Line Limit............................ 14 5.10 Seen-by Numbers..................................... 14 5.11 Sorting Mail........................................ 14 5.12 Printer Port and Printing Messages.................. 14 5.13 Reply Tagging (Pseudo-BookMark)..................... 15 5.14 Video Configuration................................. 15 6. Using Silver Xpress Program on the BBS Side.............. 16 6.1 Xpress Door Configuration Session (ON-LINE SETUP).... 17 6.2 Download Xpress Packets (using Flex Select).......... 21 6.3 Uploading Xpress Reply Packets ...................... 23 6.3.3 File Requesting (Registered Users Only)............ 24 7. Using the Silver Xpress Reader........................... 25 7.1 Using the RXP.BAT batch file......................... 27 7.2 Using LIST Files..................................... 28 7.3 BBS Configuration using the Xpress Reader............ 30 8. Silver Xpress Windows System............................. 32 9. Using Communications Scripts............................. 34 10. FaXpress System (optional system)........................ 35 Silver Xpress Reader Manual Version 2.27 __________________________________________________________________________ 11. Command Line Switches.................................... 35 Appendix A. Acknowledgements......................................... 36 B. Common Questions and Answers............................. 37 Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 01 __________________________________________________________________________ 1. Introduction to Silver Xpress. Welcome to the Silver Xpress version 2.27 Off-line Mail System. Silver Xpress is a mail system designed for Opus, QuickBBS, Fido, SearchLight, TPboard, RBBS, and Remote Access Xpress Mail Systems. Support for other popular bulletin boards systems such as PC-Board is coming soon. Reading and replying to bulletin board mail is time consuming, often taking up your entire allocated time on a bbs. If you read lots of mail, spend a lot of time on-line replying to and entering new mail, and/or have large phone bills from calling computer bulletin board systems (bbs's), then Silver Xpress is for you. With Silver Xpress, you can capture mail in an organized manner for off-line reading and replying. You can do this with any Xpressable BBS on which you are a user. Ask the BBS sysop if their system is set up to support Xpress. Xpress captures mail from your pre-selected message areas or conferences. It then bundles the mail into a compressed format ready for downloading to your PC. This compressed file is called an Xpress mail packet. Once you download the Xpress mail packet to your PC, you use the interactive Xpress Reader program to read and reply to your mail. To get started, find a bulletin board system that offers the Silver Xpress system as a service to you, a communication program with download and upload capabilities, and a file compression system such as PKZip, PAK, ARC, ZOO, or LHARC. File compression systems are also called archival systems or archivers. In summary, the Xpress system lets you do the following: a) scan for your new mail b) bundle the mail into Xpress packet format c) compress the bundle using your favorite archiver d) transfer the Xpress packet to your PC using a standard file transfer protocol such as Xmodem, Ymodem, or Zmodem e) use the special Xpress Reader program after logging off to read and reply to the new mail f) log back on the same bbs to upload the reply packet, if you have created one g) repeat from the beginning Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 02 __________________________________________________________________________ Silver Xpress is fun to use but also has value by saving you time and money. Try it out. Your electronic mailing will never be the same! 2. Electronic Mail System and Xpress Code of Ethics. Bulletin Board Services provide a great service to users and callers of these systems. They provide a wealth of information and offer communications and interface capabilities across the globe, in addition to programs, games, and utilities. One of the ever growing aspects of bulletin board services is the electronic network mail system which connects towns, cities, states, countries and continents. FidoNet is one of the more popular e-mail networks. FidoNnet provides a system called Echo Mail, which allows for a mail conference on a particular subject. There are literally hundreds of echo mail conferences. The system operator usually picks up the cost of connecting these echo mail conferences between boards. The burden of handling the mail is high. Sysops and moderators have asked that common sense and courtesy be used during these echo conferences and that "junk" mail not flood the conferences. Please follow their wishes. The Xpress mail system contributes tremendously to the usage of bulletin boards and e-mail. Xpress increases the echo mail throughput and quality of the system. However, it can be abused. The following are the Xpress Code of Ethics: I - Do not QUOTE entire messages with Xpress. Be selective and stay topical. Cut and Paste the original message. II - Produce only Quality Messages, not Quantity. III - Be friendly. Xpress helps you by giving more leisure time to think out your messages and replies. IV - Use Xpress Windows only in Xpress message areas. The only command you may use in other echoes is .WIN. V - Try to keep messages within the 60 line limit. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 03 __________________________________________________________________________ 3. System Requirements. Minimum Hardware Requirements: IBM compatible PC computer and modem. 256K ram (works but provides very limited usage) 360k floppy (works but provides very limited usage) Color, Monochrome, or B&W monitor. Software Requirements: IBM PC communication program (sometimes called a terminal program) that allows uploading and downloading files. Archival software, such as PKZIP and PKUNZIP or any other file compression system which is supported by the BBS offering Silver Xpress. The following files are included in your Xpress package: XPREAD.EXE - Xpress Reader program. XPEDT.EXE - Xpress Editor. XPREAD.HLP - Configuration help file. XPREAD.DOC - Xpress documentation. RXP.BAT - Optional batch file for external processing. ASKYN.EXE - A utility to be used with RXP.BAT. LF.COM - A utility to be used with RXP.BAT. SIGN.LIS - Xpress List file for signatures. ALIAS.LIS - Xpress List file for anonymous name. MATRIX.LIS - Xpress List file for small matrix list. USERS.LIS - Xpress List file for addressees. FILE.LIS - Xpress List file for mail folders to save mail in. ARCHIVE.CFG - Xpress archive definition file. ORDER.FRM - Registration and order form for Xpress Reader only. The Xpress package may be freely distributed and the archiving format may be changed, but all of the above files must be included within the archive and no files may be added to it. Other Requirements/Recommendations: Use a text editor of your choice, other than XPEDT.EXE, if you want word wrap capability in your editor. The Sysop must grant you access to Xpress on the BBS side. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 04 __________________________________________________________________________ 4.0 Installation: It's best to install the Xpress Reader on a hard disk. Floppies work fine but limit the amount of mail you can handle. An unpacked .opx file (or xpress mail packet) will generally require 2.5 times the drive space of the packed .opx file, which a 100k .opx file will consume a total of 350k after it is unpacked (100k + 250k). Where you place the XPREAD.EXE does not matter as long as you have access to it by putting it in a pathed directory, or changing it to the drive and directory containing XPREAD.EXE before starting the reader. If the term "pathed directory" is unfamiliar, read about the PATH command in your DOS manual. Most people put XPREAD where they want their Xpress mail packets which are files containing bbs messages identifiable by the file extension .OPX (for incoming messages) or .REP (for outgoing messages). It's convenient to keep your communication program in the same directory with the Xpress programs and mail packets. With this version of XPREAD, you can define the "mail box" location of the OPX and the "reply box" of the REP files within the configuration session (described in the next section.) If you do not define a location, XPREAD locates these files in the current directory and disk. Let's keep this installation simple by assuming you don't define a mail box within XPREAD, so the Reader looks for all Xpress packets in the current directory. This next part describes in some technical detail, whether or not you should use RXP.BAT to run the application. In summary, if you are very low on computer memory, use it. Otherwise, don't and skip to the installation section. More details follow: Before we start, lets talk about RAM or MEMORY requirements. With RXP.BAT Without RXP.BAT XPREAD 170k+X 170k + Y + X where X is memory needed to read mail in any one area, and Y is the memory required to use your archiver. The Xpress Reader can let RXP.BAT (included) do the task of compressing and expanding mail. If you don't start Xpress by using RXP.BAT, the Reader handles everything. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 05 __________________________________________________________________________ In this case, the Y is the memory requirement of the archiver. If you are using PKZIP/PKUNZIP, that can amount to about 120k. The X is an Xpress formula for calculating the minimum memory required for reading mail. The formula is 195 times the number of mail messages per area. If you are readingading averages 100 messages in one area (not the total of all areas), then X is 19.5k. The Xpress off-line mail system is a memory hog because E-Mail is a memory intensive application. The more mail you read, the more memory you need. Using RXP.BAT helps eliminate the Y factor. Again, if you have the memory, avoid using RXP.BAT and let the Reader handle the process. Section 7.1 discusses using the RXP.BAT batch file. Disk space requirement is pretty simple. Multiply the size of the OPX file by a factor of 2.5 to find the disk space required. Xpress does this calculation for you and tells you when your disk space is inadequate. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 06 __________________________________________________________________________ 4.1 Hard Disk Systems The easiest thing to do is to put all the files in a pathed directory. For example; mkdir c:\xpress copy sxpr225.zip c:\xpress cd \xpress pkunzip sxpr225 In your AUTOEXEC.BAT, put or add c:\xpress to the PATH statement. For example; path __________________________;c:\xpress Your current path setting In your CONFIG.SYS, add the statements: files=20 device=____________________\ansi.sys location of ansi.sys Where are your file compression and expansion utilities like PKUNZIP? Put these in a directory declared on your path statement or in the same directory as \xpress. Where is your editor? If you are not going to use the Xpress editor, XPEDT.EXE, make sure your editor is on the PATH or in the same directory as \xpress. The reader looks for OPX (xpress mail packets) files in the current startup directory or in the XPRESS MAILBOX directory declared in the configuration session. The first time you run XPREAD, it will perform some registration administration and put you automatically into the configuration session. The first time is always a configuration and will not run the READER. You have to run it a second time. If you already have a OPX file (Xpress mail packet), then change to the directory where you keep it and start XPREAD. If you are still having problems installing Xpress, check out appendix B, "Common Questions and Answers" or post a help message in your local bbs or a bbs which offers the Xpress User Support Mail conference or area. Skip to the Reader configuration section 5.0. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 07 __________________________________________________________________________ 4.2 Floppy Disk Systems Single Floppy Systems --------------------- This is the most difficult arrangement because of limited disk space. The higher density floppy you have, the better. Let's take the worst case and assume you have only a single 360k floppy. Keep in mind that this arrangement only allows you to download about 40k of mail. 1) Format a 360k Disk with COMMAND.COM. Make it a bootable diskette. (The DOS manual explains how to do this.) The need for a bootable disk, or just a copy of command.com on the Xpread disk can be avoided by the use of a ramdisk. Consult the DOS manual for the use of VDISK.SYS in the CONFIG.SYS file. Create a ram disk big enough to hold your COMMAND.COM and put the following statements in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: COPY COMMAND.COM C:\ SET COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM You can also create a larger ram disk and put your archiving utilities in it to have them available at all times, freeing up more space on the disk with XPREAD.EXE on it. 2) Copy the following to this new diskette: XPREAD.EXE XPREAD.HLP XPEDT.EXE (or your favorite editor) *.LIS (optional) ARCHIVE.CFG (can be removed later) RXP.BAT (optional, you only need this if low on ram) LF.COM (optional, you only need this if low on ram) ASKYN.EXE (optional, you only need this if low on ram) 3) Copy your Archiver(s) such as PKUNZIP/PKZIP to this new diskette. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 08 __________________________________________________________________________ 4) Type the following at your DOS prompt: a> copy con autoexec.bat echo off path a:\ echo Type Xpread to run Xpress Reader Then press the F6 key followed by the return key. Now create a CONFIG.SYS by typing: a> copy con config.sys files=20 Then press the F6 key followed by the return key. 5) Reboot computer and you're ready to run the Xpress Reader either by typing Xpress or RXP. Two Floppy Systems ------------------ Follow the single floppy section but, after step 4, also do this: 4.1) Put a new disk in Drive B: and do an ordinary FORMAT. That is, do not make this disk bootable. Call this your mail disk. In your configuration session for the Reader, define the mail box directory as B:\ and remember to specify the mail directory as B:\ when you do your Reader configuration. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 09 __________________________________________________________________________ 5. Silver Xpress Reader Configuration (OFF-LINE SETUP) The very first time you run the XPREAD.EXE it will ask for your name and registration code. The registration code is issued to you by Santronics Software when you register your copy of this system. If you are not registered, the reader limits its capabilities for you; however all major mail features are still available. The limitations include: - No user file requesting. - No DOS Shell. - No signatures for messages. - No off-line automatic Xpress configuration. The Xpress Mail System is a copyrighted program and a shareware product. See the shareware registration agreement form to register your copy. Non-registered users must enter their name and code every time they use Xpress. After registering, this is unnecessary. The configuration screen will allow you to select Xpread options, set directories and choose utilities. On-line help is available for each option by pressing the F1 key. 5.1 Defining an editor: To reply to or enter new messages, provide the name of a text oriented editor. Previous versions of Xpress included a built-in editor which is now available as a separate program called XPEDT.EXE. You may choose to use this editor or fill in this field with the name of your favorite editor. Important! This editor must be either: 1) in a directory declared on your path, or 2) named with its FULL path name. The XPEDT.EXE editor is powerful but lacks word wrap. An excellent alternate editor is "Qedit" by Samuel Mitchell. Note. You can save some memory by using option 2, FULL path name and by prefixing it with an exclamation mark (!). This will tell XPREAD.EXE not to load a second copy of command.com. ie., !C:\XPRESS\XPEDT.EXE Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 10 __________________________________________________________________________ 5.2 Expanding and Compressing mail: The expansion and compression commands are essential to the successful operation of Silver Xpress. Provide the names of the expansion and compression archival programs you will be using. These archivals must match the OPX file formats which are created by the XPRESS program on the BBS side. If you choose one format on the BBS side, you must use the same format here. Note: you must already have one of these programs; they are not provided with Xpress. Expansion: You must have %1 included in the command. Examples: pkxarc.exe /r %1 pkunzip.exe -o %1 arce.com %1 /r lharc.exe e /m %1 Compression: pkarc.exe /m %1 pkzip.exe -m %1 (version 1.01 or above) lharc.exe m /m %1 arca.com %1 /m Note. You can save some memory by defining the full path to the archivers and by prefixing it with an exclamation mark (!). This will tell XPREAD.EXE not to load a second copy of command.com. For example; EXPANSION COMMAND : !C:\UTILS\PKUNZIP.EXE -O %1 COMPRESSION COMMAND : !C:\UTILS\PKZIP.EXE -M %1 If you leave the lines blank, Xpress will use the archive commands defined in the file 'ARCHIVE.CFG'. Xpress will automatically figure out the archive format and grab the proper command. See the file ARCHIVE.CFG. It must reside in the same directory as XPREAD.EXE or on the path. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 11 _____________________________________________________________________ 5.3 Defining the MAIL BOX and REPLY BOX The MAIL BOX directory is the location of your incoming mail file(s) (*.OPX). If you don't define a mail box, xpress will automatically use the current directory as your mail box. Xpress will search for all *.OP? files in the mailbox and display them in a pop-up menu. If it finds only one, it will automatically proceed to unpack the OPX file. By defining the MAIL BOX location, you can run XPREAD from anywhere on your system. This eliminates the need to change directories continually and is good for some communication programs like TELIX which allows you to define the download directory. The REPLY BOX directory is the location of your Xpress reply files (*.REP). By defining the REPLY BOX location, you can have XPREAD create the reply file in this location, making it easier to upload the file. If you leave the reply box blank, it will create the reply file in the currect directory or in the same directory as defined by the MAIL BOX. You can define the mail box location and/or the reply box by using the -M or -R switches on the command line. Some examples; With MAILBOX and REPLYBOX configuration definitions left blank: Final mailbox Final replybox ------------------------------- xpread -m\telix\down \telix\down \telix\down xpread -m\down -r\up \down \up xpread -r\up <currect dir> \up xpread -ma: a: a: If you have a MAILBOX or REPLYBOX defined in the configuration session, the command line switches can be used to override them temporarily. However, if you save the configuration during the current session, the command line switch defined mail boxes will be saved. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 12 _____________________________________________________________________ 5.4 Defining a Work Path The WORK PATH specifies where Silver Xpress does temporary work. Silver ALWAYS creates the directory $WORK$.DIR here. If this WORK PATH is not defined, Silver creates the $WORK$.DIR in the current directory. Examples: Ram Disk (Make sure you have enough memory.) D:\ Floppy Disk Drive B:\ B:\TEMP (The B:\TEMP directory must EXIST!) You can also define the WORK PATH by using the -W switch. For example; Xpread -WB:\TEMP It is highly recommended that you leave this option alone unless you have a floppy based system and need to distribute your file system. If you use a ram disk, please be sure to define enough space for expansion of the mail packet. 5.5 Leaving Sayings, Signatures On Your Messages: Signatures are those fancy sayings or quotes you find at the bottom of messages. This option allows you to enter your favorite saying of the day for your messages. This works only for registered users of the Silver Xpress Reader. A new feature in 2.27 are "list files". You can have Xpress pop-up a menu of signatures when you save a message. To do this, you must provide the name of the list file prefixed with a @ character, ie., @signature.lis. See section 7.2 for more information on list files. NOTE: Your BBS sysop can disable this option. If you have a signature which appears to have been ignored, the BBS sysop probably decided not to allow messages with signatures originating from his bulletin board. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 13 _____________________________________________________________________ 5.6 Quoting Messages: When reading messages, you can reply to the message and include parts of it in your reply. A very popular feature in electronic mail conversations is to quote part of the original message with the author's initials or just arrows. Be considerate: never quote large original messages. Cut and Paste. Your choices include: "Never" use quoting "Always" use quoting "Prompt" for quoting When quoting is enabled with either Always or Prompt, the reader takes the current message you are reading and inserts the quote character at the beginning of each line. QUOTE STRING determines the quoting character(s). The default is the author's initials. For example, John Smith ==> " JS>" The most common quote is " >". When you quote messages, you may want a different width for reformatting the original message. Recommended width is 72 characters. 5.7 Original Message Width: MESSAGE WIDTH defines the width of the messages during the read session. Some systems create messages with lines which are infinitely long; this option prevents this. Recommended message WIDTH is 80 characters. 5.8 Wrap Width The Wrap Width is not implemented in Silver Xpress. It is left here for future revisions of Xpress. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 14 _____________________________________________________________________ 5.9 Total Message Lines Limit MESSAGE LINE LIMIT defines the maximum length of a message during the read session. The default is 150 lines which equals 12000 bytes (101*150). If you increase this number, make sure you have enough memory. The maximum limit is 648 lines. That equals 64K worth of data. You should not exceed this limit. Recommended message line limit is 150 lines. Note: This allowance for defining the message line limit does not mean that Xpress users should be creating LONG messages. However, there are times when SOMEONE else creates a long message and you need to read it. 5.10 Seen-by Numbers: The SEEN BY option allows you to eliminate all the network traffic numbers found at the bottom of messages. The SEEN BY information is useless for typical users; sysops use it to trace messages. 5.11 Sorting Mail: With Silver Xpress, you can have your mail SORTED by area first, subject next, and date last. The output is a list of messages which keeps threads or topics in order. The sorted option may require more memory during an XPREAD session. If you think you are running short of memory try turning this option off. 5.12 Printer Port and Printing Messages With Silver Xpress, you can send messages to any PRINTER connected to a serial or parallel port. PRN, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, COM1, COM2, COM4, etc. The FORMFEED affects message printing. Depending on your printer type, such as a one sheet at a time laser printer, it may be better to send a formfeed or page eject AFTER the message is printed. There are three options: NEVER - never send a form feed. AFTER - send form feed after the text is printed. BEFORE - send form feed before the text is printed. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 15 _____________________________________________________________________ 5.13 Reply Tagging (Pseudo-BookMark) The reader can mark the message being read or replied to. In order for Xpress to do this, it must save this tagging information somewhere. It does so right in the mail file. On slow or floppy systems, this may be a slow task. This option will allow you to disable the REPLY TAG recording on disk. Xpress will always do this at the message level. With REPLY TAG off, it will not save the reply tagging information. 5.14 Video Configuration This section will provide the option allow you to configure the colors, sound, and the special zooming windows effect. The color section will allow to interactive design of your favorite colors. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 16 _____________________________________________________________________ 6. Using Silver Xpress Program on the BBS Side. Before you can use the Silver Xpress off-line READER program (Xpread.exe), you must have access to the Xpress reader counterpart, the Silver Xpress Mail program, on the BBS. This progam will scan and pack your mail into an Xpress mail packet. It will allow you to download the packet to your PC where the reader will open it up for reading and replying. This section will describe how to use the Silver Xpress Mail program on the BBS. When entering the Xpress Mail program on the BBS, it will display the following main menu: *--------------------------* Xpress V2.27 Main Menu *--------------------------* Type [C].........Configuration. [D].........DownLoad Messages. [U].........Upload Replies. [H].........Help session [Q].........Exit back to Main Board. [59 mins] Oscar, Enter Selection: ^^^^^^^^^ Time remaining for your session. NOTE: If you are a new Xpress user, you will be taken directly to configuration the first time you enter this program. Configuration is described in section 6.1. Download Messages are described in section 6.2, and Upload Replies are described in section 6.3 Please be aware the system operator of the bulletin board service may have a "No Response" action enabled. It is set by the sysop. If you do not respond within the current defined No Response time setting, Xpress will terminate you and exit back to the BBS. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 17 _____________________________________________________________________ 6.1 BBS Xpress Door Configuration Session (ON-LINE SETUP) Before you can get or send mail, you must have an Xpress setup on the each BBS you call. When you select configuration the first time you sign on to use Xpress (or any time thereafter you want to change your settings), Xpress displays the following menu: *----------------------* Configuration Menu *----------------------* Type [S].........Select Message Areas. [K].........Define Keywords. [T].........File Transfer Method. - [A].........Archiving Method. - [G].........Graphics Mode. - OFF [M].........Menu Hot Keys. - OFF [X].........Expertise Level. - NOVICE [L].........Change Last Usage Date. - May 7,1989 3:34:20am [Y].........Receive Your Own Mail. - YES [H].........Help session [Q].........Exit Back to Main Menu. [58 mins] Oscar, Enter Selection: [S] Select Message Areas To Mail Scanning: This section will display available message areas which differ from bbs to bbs. A sample display: *----------------------------------* Available Message Areas *----------------------------------* * ( 1) -- ( Local Messages ) * ( 3) -- (Dr Debug - ECHO) * ( 4) -- (Pascal - ECHO) * ( 5) -- (C language - ECHO) * ( 6) -- (OS/2 - ECHO) ( 9) -- (Natl Comm - ECHO) * (10) -- (User Xpress - ECHO) (11) -- (PittNet - ECHO) (12) -- (Sysop Xpress- ECHO) * (13) -- (LAN - ECHO) * (18) -- ( Local Bulletin ) (19) -- (LAW - ECHO) (20) -- (Free Spirit - ECHO) * (21) -- ( Message Parlor ) (55) -- ( Xpress FAX ) L-Relist, D-Detail Listing, S-Selected Areas, F-Find <string> Enter Area Number(s) : Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 18 _____________________________________________________________________ The areas with a '*' are the areas currently selected. These are the areas the xpress mail program will scan for new mail with the DOWNLOAD MESSAGES option. It will scan using the LAST USAGE DATE as a reference date. If an area is already selected, typing in the number deselects the area. You may type more than one area at a time. For example: Enter Area(s): 1 -5 +10 means 1 is toggled, 5 is forced off and 10 is forced on. Other area selection menu commands: S - List Selected Areas. D - Relist Available areas with long titles. L - Relist Available areas with Short titles. F - Search area titles for given search string. [K] Keyword Selection for Searching Specific Mail: Without this option, Xpress normally scans for mail based on your last usage date and returns all the mail available. This can be a lot! Xpress gives you the opportunity to include along with your personal mail , mail with specific keywords. For example, with the keyword ALL, Xpress searches the new mail and includes mail TO: ALL and TO: ALL [any other characters following]". Request up to 30 keywords. The commands are ADD, DELETE, or LIST. To add a keyword, simply type at the prompt: ADD [word or phase] Some examples: ADD all ADD help ADD EVERYONE ADD sysop ADD DR DEBUG ADD SANTOS ADD XPRESS To delete keywords, type in the abbreviation DEL followed by the WORD or PHRASE to delete. The word or phase must match one in the current keyword list. If you use an alias, keywords are one way to find your mail. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 19 _____________________________________________________________________ [T] Transfer Protocol Selection: This option allows you to define the method of downloading or uploading mail. This is the "transfer protocol". Each BBS system may have a different listing of available protocols, but the most common protocols are: Xmodem Ymodem Zmodem You might find some newer protocols available such as Wxmodem, Jmodem, and Sealink, but that depends on the sysop of the BBS. The most popular protocol is Zmodem because of it's AUTO DOWNLOAD detection system. What this means is if you are using a communication program, such as Telix, with a ZMODEM auto-download feature, then when Xpress finishes packing your mail and begins to transfer the mail to you, your communication program will sense this and automatically start to download your mail without you ever typing the "Start Download" command like PageDown. NOTE: This does not work in the opposite, UPLOAD, direction. [A] Archiver Selection -- Method of Compressing/Expanding Mail: Select the same archiver which you chose when configuring the Reader (see section 6.1). Earlier versions of Xpress supported only one archiver, but newer compression methods such as PKZIP, LHARC, etc. make it more convenient for the user to pick his preferred archiver. Remember, you must already have this archival system. All major archivers are widely available on bbs's that support downloading program files. The recommended archiver is PKZIP. [G] Graphics, ANSI versus Non-ANSI: Xpress gives you the option of using color or not. If you choose ANSI graphics, you need device driver ANSI.SYS which comes with DOS. To install ANSI.SYS, put in the following statement in your CONFIG.SYS file: DEVICE=<directory location>\ansi.sys where <directory location> is the directory where ANSI.SYS resides (usually with the rest of your DOS programs.) Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 20 _____________________________________________________________________ The difference ANSI makes is simply color versus black and white. It has no bearing on the mail system. However, choosing color might slow down the menu displays a bit. [M] Menu HotKeys versus No HotKeys: Some users like the ability to hit a single letter without hitting the carriage return at menus and prompts. This is called a "hotkey". Some users find this convenient; others find they get ahead of themselves by typing in the wrong hotkey without a chance to make a correction. [X] Expert Versus Novice Menus: Choosing Expert display menus with only the letters needed to choose the particular option. The Novice menu displays the full detail menus. [L] Last Usage Date Modification: The Xpress mail system scans for mail based on the date stamp. If the last usage date is May 6, 1989 5:05pm, then Xpress scans for all mail in selected areas which arrived since that date and time. Xpress automatically updates this date stamp after you have successfully downloaded new mail. The date does not change when you upload mail. However, there are times when you need to change this date stamp, such as not wanting an excessive amount of mail after a long absence or for rescanning mail. NOTE: OPUS 1.10 BBS Users. The last Usage date will always be recorded. However, Xpress will take advantage of the OPUS stored last read message markers. The last usage date can be used to adjust the last read message markers. [Y] Receiving Your Own Mail: With this option ON, you can choose to have your newly created reply mail included during the new mail scan. In most cases, you wish to skip such mail (option OFF) so the scan bypasses this mail. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 21 _____________________________________________________________________ 6.2 Download Xpress Packets (using Flex Select). When you select the DOWNLOAD MESSAGES option off the Xpress main menu, it will begin to scan your selected message area for new mail. During scanning, you may press ESCAPE to abort the scan. A sample mail scan table looks like this: *----------------------------* Download Session *----------------------------* Last Download Attempt Date : Jan 1,1990 11:00:00am --------------------------------------------------------------------- Selected Message Areas Total Highest Last Msg New Personal # Description Msg Msg Read Msgs Messages --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 - ( Local Messages ) 116 124 123 0 0 3 - (Dr Debug - ECHO) 132 132 21 109 19/2 4 - (Pascal - ECHO) 270 270 21 248 24 5 - (C language - ECHO) 121 121 21 100 20 6 - (OS/2 - ECHO) 79 79 6 71 11/2 10 - (User Xpress - ECHO) 75 75 51 19 9/8 13 - (LAN - ECHO) 43 43 10 33 6 55 - ( Fax Mail ) 5 5 5 0 0 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Total : 580 89 Keywords/Direct : 77/12 Enter Flex Select <tm> Command, ? for help, <cr> to Abort : This table shows the areas scanned, the number of new messages per area, and the number of personal messages. Personal messages combine both the messages found using the keywords you defined (if any) and direct messages to you. For example, in area 3, there are 19 personal messages, 2 of them are direct to you. At this point, you have a variety of options to select for the mail you want to read. To Silver Xpress V2.25, the new feature called Flex Select was added to allow for a combination of mail selections. In older versions of Xpress, your only mail options were: A - Pack all MAIL (580 messages with the example) P - Pack personal MAIL (89 messages with the example) <CR> - Skip the mail. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 22 _____________________________________________________________________ Flex Select, contains the old options plus the new ability to "temporarily" deselect some areas or select a combination of ALL for some areas and PERSONAL for others. The idea here is you may not want to READ all 248 pascal (area 4) messages but ALL of the 19 User Xpress (area 10) messages. The sample Flex Command to achieve this is: 4P The following are the new Flex Commands for packing mail: A - All Mail. P - Personal Only. D - Direct Only. K - Keywords Only. <area #> - ALL mail in area #. Same as <area #>A. <-area #> - Skip this area (temporary deselection). <area #>A - ALL mail in area # <area #>P - PERSONAL only mail in area #. Direct+Keywords. <area #>D - DIRECT only mail in area # <area #>K - KEYWORDS only mail in area # * - ALL mail in remaining areas. *P - PERSONAL only mail in remaining areas. ? - display this help L - Relist Scan Table -* - Clear Selection. CLEAR - Clear Selection. GO - Accept Flex Select Command and Start Packing. By default, Flex Select will automatically select ALL mail for packing. If you only want to select a few areas, a command like: clear 3 4 6D 10P GO will clear all areas first, then select 3 and 4 for all mail, 6 for direct and 16 for personal only. The GO means start the packaging. Some more examples: *P <cr> | Select all Personal mail. *P 10 <cr> | Select all Personal mail and ALL in areas 10. The single letter one-liners will do the following packaging: A (same as *A GO) | Grab all mail and GO! P (same as *P GO) | Grab Personal mail and GO! D (same as *D GO) | Grab Direct only mail and GO! K (same as *K GO) | Grab Keyword only mail and GO! Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 23 _____________________________________________________________________ Combining these letters A,P,D,K with other flex select <tm> commands are invalid. ie, K 10 17A <--- INVALID for K but 10 and 17A will be taken. instead, the proper command is: *K 10 17A Note, the GO option must be the LAST part on a command, or the only part in a command, to actually begin the flex select packaging. 6.3 Uploading Xpress Reply Packets. When you use the Silver Xpress Reader program and you create replies or new mail, the reader will create a file called *.REP. The * is the name the BBS has chosen for the xpress mail packet. When you choose the UPLOAD REPLIES option off the Xpress main menu on the BBS, it will prompt you to begin uploading this *.REP file using the transfer protocol indicated: *----------------------------* Upload Session *----------------------------* Start uploading PITTX.REP with ZMODEM: AT this point, you would start an upload command with your communication program. With Telix, Procomm or Qmodem, the upload command is the PGUP key. When you finish uploading the *.REP file, the Xpress mail program will unpack it and distribute the mail into the proper mail conference(s) or area(s). It will show you the area #, the TO WHOM, and the SUBJECT line. It will also show you the new message number assigned to the message. If, for some odd reason, you upload a message prematurely, you can go directly to the mail conference in the BBS and delete the message (if allowed by the sysop). Please be aware that ALL mail which is uploaded to the BBS is scanned for security breaks. All mail is logged and any attempt to the break the system will be reported. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 24 _____________________________________________________________________ 6.3.3 File Requesting (Registered Users Only) Registered users of Silver Xpress are given an extra feature to request files to download. The Silver Xpress Reader program allows you to enter the name of File to download. What this means is when you are finished uploading a new reply packet, the system will automatically send BACK to you the files you requested. Note: Registered or not, the sysop has the right to disable this option. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 25 _____________________________________________________________________ 7. Using the Silver Xpress Reader. The very first time you start Silver Xpress, it will automatically begin the configuration session. Online help is provided for each configurable item. The reader does have some command line options. To view them, type Xpread ?. Main Menu --------- +- Silver Xpress V2.27 (c) 1988,89 Santronics --+ | | | Load Mail Packet | | Read Personal Mail | | Join Message Area | | Enter New Message in any Area | | Modify Replies/New Mail | | Kill Replies/New Mail | | File Request | | Dos Shell | | Welcome Screens | | Quit Silver Xpress | | | +-----------------------------------------------+ Load Mail Packet This option will allow you to load a different Xpress Mail Packet (.OPX file). If more than one .OPX file is in the directory, the XPREAD looks for mail at start-up and you will be given a chance to choose which packet you wish to work with. Some communications packages will allow you to download another Xpress Mail packet into the same directory by changing the last letter of the file name to a number. XPREAD recognizes .OP0, .OP1, .OP2..... files as Xpress Mail packets. Read Personal Mail This option will allow you to read, print, save-to-file, and reply to mail either addressed to you personally or containing one of your keywords in its subject line. Registered users will have a clock showing the time while reading their mail! To escape a reader session, hit <CR> or "+" three times. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 26 _____________________________________________________________________ Join Message Area This option is similar to the M)essage A)rea command on the main Opus BBS. You will be given a menu of available message areas to read, print, save to file and reply to. During the XPREAD session, flags will appear with a message if you have read it (*) or replied to it (!). Enter New Message in any Area This option allows you to enter a message in any of the available message areas, even if you do not have it selected for message processing on the Opus BBS. Modify Replies/New Mail Through this option you can have a final look over your replies and newly entered messages to make any corrections. Kill Replies/New Mail If you decide you do not want to send a message you, you use this option to select and kill a message. File Request XPREAD allows you to request files for download from your Xpress session! This option allows you to add and modify a file request list for your next Xpress session. (Registered Users Only) Dos Shell This option is a drop-to-DOS system access. Type EXIT at the DOS prompt to return to XPREAD. (Registered users only) Welcome Screens This option allows you to look again through the Graphics, text screens and bulletins that are in your Xpress Mail packet. Quit Silver Xpress This option exits XPREAD by creating your Xpress Reply Packet (.REP file). Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 27 _____________________________________________________________________ 7.1 Using the RXP.BAT file. If you are running short on memory, the RXP.BAT should help you relieve some of the memory requirements with Silver Xpress. With the RXP.BAT batch file, you can do the file compression and expansion outside of the XPREAD.EXE program. You must customize the RXP.BAT for yourself. The RXP.BAT batch file provided with this package uses the following configuration: o It assumes all mail packets have an extension of OPX. o It assumes all reply packets have an extension of REP. o Uses PKZIP/PKUNIP as the archiver. o Uses the default directory $WORK$.DIR off the current directory. The basic logic in RXP.BAT is to: - create a work directory. - decompress OPX file from mailbox directory into work directory. - check for corresponding REP file in reply box directory. If it exists decompress it into work directory. - run XPREAD with proper switches - compress all !*.*, *.ID files into REP file. - delete work directory. Note: You can use this RXP.BAT anytime. It was devised mainly to avoid some memory shortage problems. Xpress reader requires only 170K of memory. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 28 _____________________________________________________________________ 7.2 Using List Files The Xpress List File system is a new feature to Silver Xpress version 2.27. The List system is designed to provide a method of selecting an item from a list you create. This is useful only at the following TEXT prompts: TO WHOM: FROM WHOM: SUBJECT: MATRIX ADDRESS: FILE TO SAVE: SIGNATURE LINE: (configuration section) If you have a predetermined list of items from which to choose, you can create a LIST and then by typing the name of the list file, Xpress will display a pop-up menu for choosing an item from the list. For example, at the field TO WHOM when you are entering a new message, you can type in the name of the person or you can type @TO.LIS. The @ sign tells Xpress to look for the file TO.LIS which contains a list of people names you have created. TO WHOM: @TO.LIS Xpress will display a pop-up menu like: +------------ List of People- ----------------+ | (A) Hector Santos - Xpress Author | | (B) Geoff Block - Xpress Echo Moderator | | (C) Tina Dougherty - Xpress Window Goddess | | (D) Stu Turk - Dr Debug moderator | | (E) Bruce Wilson - Xpress Beta Tester | +---------------------------------------------+ You can select a person and xpress will use that name for the TO WHOM field. The same logic follows with all the other text fields listed above. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 29 _____________________________________________________________________ The FILE TO SAVE fields has an added feature where you can type in a file specification to pop-up a list of files. For example: File Name to Save: C_ECHO.SAV <-- Direct file name or File Name to Save: *.SAV <-- Pop up list of *.SAV files or File Name to Save: @FILE.LIS <-- Pop up list contained in list file "FILE.LIS" A sample list for FILE.LIS is: %TITLE My file Cabinet %HELP1 Choose a file or Escape. %EXTRACT ; C_ECHO.SAV - International C echo PASCAL.SAV - International Pascal echo OS2.SAV - International OS/2 echo To create list files, all you need is a normal text editor. Each line (maximum width is 72) of text becomes an menu option except for the following special lines: ; - Semicolon is a comment line %MENUPOS <row,column,length> This command tells the list system to position the upper right corner of the menu at position row and column. The length is the maximum length of the menu in terms of # of items. The default is 5,1,15. Care should be taken if you change the initial column position with regard to the maximum length of the line items. The List system will calculate the menu width and not prevent screen overruns. %TITLE <title to use in menu> This command tells the list system to use this title for the menu. The default is the built-in title for the specific list session. %HELP1 <Header line # 1> %HELP2 <Header line # 2> The header lines are shown at the top on the menu. They are not adjusted or trimmed. These are optional and are basically used to give you an option to define help or header lines with the menu. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 30 _____________________________________________________________________ %EXTRACT [separator] This command tells the list system to RETURN only the first part of the selected list item. The default separator is a dash. example: ; ; Sample List file for the TO WHOM field ; %TITLE List of People %EXTRACT : ; Hector Santos : Xpress Author Geoff Block : Xpress Echo Moderator Tina Dougherty : Xpress Window Goddess Stu Turk : Dr Debug moderator Bruce Wilson : Xpress Beta Tester Without the %EXTRACT command, the list system will return the whole line when the item is selected. NOTE: A major limitation with list systems is the amount of memory you have available. Although it is entirely possible to have a HUGE list, precaution should be taken in creating a big list file. The size of the LIST file is a good estimate of what is required in memory to list it. 7.3 BBS Configuration using the Xpress Reader. With Silver Xpress Version 2.27, you can create a special message designed to be uploaded to the BBS, so that you can change your configuration on the BBS. To do this, you have to create a message and send it to the Xpress program on the BBS. Here are the steps: 1) Enter a new message in any area. It doesn't matter because during upload, Xpress will purge the message when it is done with it. 2) For the TO: field, enter XPRESS CONFIG 3) For the SUBJECT: field, enter XPRESS CONFIG 4) In the message content, the following commands are allowed: AREA <+/-><area #s> ie. AREA 10 -12 +14 <-- toggle 10, turn off 12, turn on 14. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 31 _____________________________________________________________________ ADDK <keyword> DELK <keyword> ie. ADDK XPRESS <-- add XPRESS to your keyword list DELK PROCOMM <-- Delete XPRESS to your keyword list MACRO <keystrokes starting from main menu> The macro command has alot of power. You can automate or control you entire xpress session after an upload. In fact, the AREA, ADDK, and DELK commands are subsets of the MACRO command. ie. MACRO CS 10 -12 +14|| <-- Same as AREA example above. MACRO CTZ|DGO||G| <-- after upload, select Zmodem, start download and quit. Note: You should avoid using the MACRO command unless you invent some great use for it. You will have to master the flow of menus with the Xpress Mail program on the BBS before the MACRO command will work properly. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 32 _____________________________________________________________________ 8. Silver Xpress Windows System. Silver Xpress offers a set of commands for generating text oriented graphics and windows when replying to or entering mail. These commands are called the Xpress Windows Dot Commands. Xpress Windows add 'color' to your messages. Please do not attempt to use Xpress Windows in non-Xpress mail conferences or areas. The following are the current dot commands for Xpress Windows: All dot commands must be in column 1. <item> - required parameter [item] - optional parameter .CLEAR Clears the reader message window. .WIN <text> Display a centered message window. .COLOR [foreground color],[background color] Change the current color of the remaining text in message. Default color is White on Black. ie. .COLOR 14 Use the following color codes ----------------------------- 0 or BLACK 1 or BLUE 2 or GREEN 3 or CYAN 4 or RED 5 or MAGENTA 6 or BROWN 7 or LIGHTGRAY 8 or DARKGRAY 9 or LIGHTBLUE 10 or LIGHTGREEN 11 or LIGHTCYAN 12 or LIGHTRED 13 or LIGHTMAGENTA 14 or YELLOW 15 or WHITE To blink characters, you must use the numeric colors and add 16 to the colors. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 33 _____________________________________________________________________ .PAUSE [delaytime] Pause the reader indefinitely, or optional delay time. Designing Windows .TITLE <text> Define the title of the window. This is the header for the top line of the window frame. .MAK <x1>,<y1>,<x2>,<y2>,[ifc],[ibc],[ffc],[fbc],[tfc],[tbc] Draw a window frame. All text to follow will be displayed in the window. Up to 10 windows can be stacked. x1,y1 - top left corner of window. x2,y2 - bottom right corner of window. ifc,ibc - inside of window fore and background color. ffc,fbc - window frame fore and background color. tfc,tbc - window title fore and background color. .REM Remove the last window from the screen. You should have one REM for every MAK command. The reader will also automatically remove the stack of windows if you forget to remove them. Playing Sound With the new sound system (in stereo), you can now make your mail play rock and roll and a little bit of disco! .BEEP - Light Beep sound .SIREN - A siren!! .ALARM - A soft alarm. .SOUND freq,delay,[repeat] freq - frequency in hertz delay - in milliseconds repeat - optional repeat factor .NOSOUND - Turns off SOUND function. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 34 _____________________________________________________________________ Xpress Windows Example: .WIN hello there! .TITLE Xpress Window Example .MAK 10,10,40,20,YELLOW,BLUE,WHITE,GREEN,WHITE,RED This is a Sample Window. The dimensions is 10 rows, 40 columms. .SIREN .PAUSE .REM 9. Using Communication Scripts. This is an advanced topic for using communication scripts for automating the downloading and uploading processes between your communication program and the Xpress Mail program on the BBS. The three most popular communication programs in the public domain are Telix, Procomm, and Qmodem. All three offer a script like language for auto logins and execution of commands. With these scripts and Xpress, you can effectively log onto a BBS, automatically start up the xpress system, pack mail, download the xpress packet and vice versa. Every board has a different logon procedure; ie., some have extra screens and bulletins. Therefore, it's not entirely possible to have one script logic to cover all boards. Look for Xpress Communication Scripts for specific boards. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 35 _____________________________________________________________________ 10. FaXpress Mail System (Optional Service) New with the Silver Xpress V2.27 Mail System, is fascimile capabilities. Now you can fax text mail without having a fax! This is an optional service and must be supported by the BBS you call in order to operate. In addition, depending on the BBS setup, you may have to subscribe to have the fax service. FaXpress is an optional package on the BBS side. If the BBS is set up for FaXpress, and you subscribe to the service, you would be able to enter mail using the Silver Xpress reader which is designated to be fax. The Silver Xpress reader will prompt you for the fax telephone number, and allow you to enter mail to be faxed. FaXpress supports multiple fax mailings, and the placement of your own personal logo. For more information about FaXpress, please check with your BBS system operator about the availability of the service. If the BBS is set up for FaXpress, it will have an additional FaXpress information package. 11. Command Line Switches Silver Xpress Reader has the following command line switches: -SETUP ! start configuration session. -REGISTER ! restart registration. -Wwork_directory ! override the default work_directory. -Mmailbox_directory ! override the default mailbox directory. -Rreply_directory ! override the default reply directory. -D ! turn on debug viewing of archive programs. Outside Archiving -Opacket_name Allows the ability to decompress/compress the mail packets outside of xpress. See the RXP.BAT batch file for an example. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 36 _____________________________________________________________________ APPENDIX A: Acknowledgements. Acknowledgements in chronological order: First, to the original creator and author of a great bulletin board system, Wynn Wagner III, and the OPUS development team. Next to Ray Kennelly, Pittsburgh PA, whose initial excitement about Silver Xpress truly inspired me to get it done. He provided the time, the bbs and net mail funding needed to finish the first version. Thanks Ray! Next to the following beta testers: Charlie Smith, Geoff Block, Dean Lechan, Rob Lerman, Tony Mace, Bob Juge, Raymond Bereau, Jim Zimmerman, Bruce Wilson, Gilbert Saint-Martin, Steve Weinert, Jay Narad, Tina Dougherty, Chuck Ammon, Paul Kelly, Vic Parrish, Bob Haberhost, Donald Breda, Rick Alfaro, the users of Anything Goes, Emerald City, Doctor's Inn, and Pitt Xpress, including the European and the Canadian crew. Also to all my registered users who proved the worthiness of the system. Thanks for the support. Finally to one precious person, Andrea, whose patience, endurance, and love keeps me intact with the Xpress Mail system development and on-going support. Please forgive me if I've forgotten any honorable mentionings. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 37 _____________________________________________________________________ APPENDIX B: Common Questions and Answers. Q. I tried using the Xpress Reader program and it saids that there is not enough memory or the wrong archive format? A. Make sure the archiver such as PKUNZIP, etc., is located in a PATH directory. If the problem persists, you may really not don't have enough memory. At this point, try using the RXP.BAT batch file as described in section 7.1. This will allow you to decompress the mail packet outside of the reader thus releasing about 100k or more of memory requirement. Q. Hi, I really enjoy the reader. It allows me to read all my mail very efficiently. However, when it comes to entering a message, I have a problem. I hit the E or R command and it immediately comes back saying "Save Message Yes No/View" without allowing me to enter a message. A. This happens when the Reader cannot find the editor. Make sure the editor is located in a path directory. Check the editor definition in the configuration section. Q. I registered your product because I really enjoy it. However, I thought I was going to get the File requesting and signature features when I registered the product? A. Yes, when you register, the program will allow you to use these features. HOWEVER, these features can be disabled by the sysop for several reasons. First, the sysop may not want to allow users to request files from within Xpress at his bulletin board . Second, the signature system is a very political and controversial aspect of email communications - is it too much overhead? Therefore, the sysop may not want signatures originating from his BBS. Speak to your sysop. Q. I would like to enter a message without having all these OPX files around. How can I do that? A. You can't for security reasons. A future version will address this issue. In order for Xpress to understand what areas exist for a BBS off line, the reader must have some sort of information about it. This is built into the *.OPX file. Q. How can I get word wrapping in XPEDT.EXE? A. You can't. XPEDT.EXE is a primitive editor and was designed to give new users the chance to explore xpress. We have plans to rewrite the Xpress Editor program at a later date to include word wrapping and include other features found in popular editors. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 37 _____________________________________________________________________ Q. When I register the program, will the program stop showing advertisement screens? A. Yes. Absolutely! Q. I would like to be able to hangup after I have downloaded a new mail packet. Why don't you add it? A. The sysop can implement an automatic hangup feature. Speak to him about it. If he doesn't know about it, tell him to use O-ANSI menus. I have provided him with an example to implement this feature. Q. When I download a packet, and begin the reader, it starts by showing a wierd and/or colorful screen of complete nothing! What's going on? A. It depends. Make sure you are using ANSI.SYS on your system. If you have loaded ansi.sys and the problem is still there, the sysop made a mistake with his reader bulletins. Tell him to double check the reader bulletins he defined. Q. What is GOLD Xpress? A. Gold Xpress is a new development which should make its debut sometime in 1991. Gold Xpress will have communications built-in so that you can call Xpressable boards and have a new interface with them. Q. I tried using the file requesting feature. All goes well. After I upload a reply packet, the xpress mailer shows me the list of files I requested and asks if I wish to continue? I say yes and then nothing happens. What is happening? Am I doing something wrong? A. No. You are doing nothing wrong if you get this far. This is a sysop configuration problem. Tell him to place his protocols on the path. Q. What archivers does the new Smart Archiver detector in Silver Xpress v2.27 understand? A. PKZIP, PKXARC, ARC, ZOO, LHARC, PKUNPAK, PAK Q. What type of editors does the reader support? A. The Xpress Reader supports any text editor that can load a file via the command line. Silver Xpress Reader Manual Page # 38 _____________________________________________________________________ Q. How can I add a 3rd party spell checker to the editor? I normally call the spell checker after I finish editing a file. A. To add a spell checker, change the editor definition to call a batch file like edit.bat. In this batch file, you have the editor and the spell checker. For example; --edit.bat-- xpedt %1 1 4 80 24 or use your editor here with %1 only askyn Do you wish to Spell Check? Y/N 10 20 if errorlevel 20 goto end spell %1 :end Q. What is a normal registration processing time? A. About 1 week after receiving registration. If it takes longer than that, call us. Xpress priority service members get instant registrations as soon as we receive them. Q. How can I become a Beta tester or Santronics Software product Distributor? A. Write to us. Q. How can I get a group discount? A. Write to us and tell us about your situation. Every one is using a BBS in his/her own way. Q. Are you going to support other systems like non-ibm pcs? A. Yes. This will be future product of Santroncis Software.