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SCANMSG.HLP
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1992-06-08
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┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Quick Reference Scan Messages Information Search │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
WILDCAT! allows you to specify search criteria for information stored
within the various message conferences. After displaying a list of the
messages matching this criteria, you can mark them for easy retrieval.
Listed below are the available search parameters and options.
[F]rom - Callers name the message was written by
[T]o - Callers name the message was addressed or written to
S[u]bject - Specific information contained on the Subject line
Msg [B]ody - Text string located in the message body
[N]umber - Starting from message number
[D]irection - Toggle between Forward and Reverse search direction
[C]onference - Selected, All or Currently selected conferences
[H]elp - Displays this Help screen
[S]tart - After search parameters are defined, begin search
[ENTER] to Quit - Pressing the return key aborts the search process
┌─────────────── For Detailed Descriptions, select [C]ontinue ────────────────┐
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Detailed Description Scan Messages Information Search │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
WILDCAT! allows you to define search specifications for information
contained in the various message conferences. There is a wide range of
available search parameters that can be defined to better locate the
specific information you're looking for. After these specifications are
defined, the system will start the search and proceed to create a list
of messages matching this criteria.
These messages are displayed in a single line format with a number located
to the far left. This number is used to mark that message for easy
retrieval by simply entering in the 1 or 2 digit number instead of having
to remember the exact message number for each conference you search thru.
After either the screen is full or the search has ended, you are given
the ability to mark certain messages you wish to read and/or continue the
search. After the search has ended and messages have been marked, you can
then proceed to the [R]ead Messages function and display only those newly
marked messages.
After selecting this option from the Message Menu, the system displays the
following sub-prompt.
[F]rom : <ALL>
[T]o : <ALL>
S[u]bject : <ALL>
Msg [B]ody : <ALL>
[N]umber : <ALL>
[D]irection : Forward
[C]onference : Selected
Search command [F T U N D B C], [H]elp, [S]tart, [ENTER] to Quit? [ ]
When defining the search criteria, you can been very specific or very
general in what you're looking for. The smaller the text string used for
any of the fields allows for greater possibilities of matches. For
example, if you want to find all the messages left by someone, but you
can't remember how to spell their name, entering 'JO' (less the quotes),
the BBS could find matches on JOE, JOSEPH, JOSE and so on. An added
benefit by keeping the search string short is speed. The shorter the
string, the faster the entire search process.
Below is an explanation of the available search fields.
[F]rom -
Select a user name the message was written by.
[T]o -
Select a user name who the message was addressed to.
S[u]bject -
Searches on a specific Subject line string.
Msg [B]ody -
Select keywords in the message body to search for. Example:
entering '386' will cause a search for all occurrences of that
string in all messages based upon overall search criteria.
[N]umber -
Selects the starting message number to begin the search.
[D]irection -
This is a toggle between forward and reverse search direction.
Forward is searching by incrementing the message count by one, and
Reverse just the opposite.
[C]onference -
Selecting this option displays the following sub-prompt:
Scan [C]urrent, [S]elected, [A]ll conference(s)? [ ]
[C]urrent -
Limits the scan to the currently [J]oined conference. This
is the actual conference you're presently in.
[A]ll -
Searches all of the conferences available to you based upon
your security level.
[S]elected -
Similar to [A]ll option except this will search only those
conferences selected by the [U]pdate Conferences Scan/Read
function found on the Message Menu.
[S]tart -
Begins the search based upon the above settings. Shown below is
a sample format of messages found in a scan.
Scanning conference 000 - General Message Area
1) Msg:23 Fm:ORION HILL To:ALL Sb:TIPC Users Group
2) Msg:26 Fm:SEAN THOMAS To:ALL Sb:UL of A-BBSS.LZH
3) Msg:41 Fm:WARREN CRAIG To:SEAN THOMAS Sb:Mac Advantages...
4) Msg:55 Fm:LEE ETHERIDGE To:ALL Sb:**StarFire**
5) Msg:70 Fm:CHRIS DICELY To:WARREN CRAIG Sb:Mac Advantages...
6) Msg:89 Fm:ISRAEL CLEWS To:WARREN CRAIG Sb:format
-Pause- [C]ontinue, [M]ark, [N]onstop, [S]top? [ ]
After messages have been found, you can mark them using the [M]ark
function. This allows tagging specific messages based upon the number
to the far left, not the actual message number. Below is a description
of the available options at the above -Pause- prompt.
[C]ontinue -
Proceeds onto the next screen full of messages matching the search
criteria.
[M]ark -
Each screen full of message headers is numbered from 1 to the
maximum number which will fit on a single screen display. Choosing
the number to the far left of the actual message number. For
example, for message number 26 in the above example, selecting 2
will flag that message as being marked. Specified numbers can be
entered as can ranges of numbers. To mark messages numbered 26, 55,
70, 89, simply enter [2, 4-6] at the prompt. All listed messages
can be marked for reading with the [A]ll command. Additional help
information is available after selecting this option.
[N]onstop -
Continues on with the search but when matches are found, they are
displayed to the screen, but no longer offer the ability to be
marked and normal screen pauses are disabled for the remainder of
the search.
[S]top -
Halts the search process and returns to the Message Menu.
┌────────────────────────── End of Help Information ──────────────────────────┐
╘═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛