Welcome to TMail. TMail is multifile, multiwindowing user interface for electronic mail and news. The
menu is accessed by pressing Alt-Space. All the other menus are accessed by pressing Alt-Z, where Z is the first letter of the menu. For example, the "File" menu is pulled down by Alt-F. )
Press ESC to put this help screen away.
Calendar
The calendar displays the current month, highlighting todays date. The next and previous months can be viewed using the '+' or '-' keys respectivly. The mouse can also be used to change the month by pressing the
icons.
(System) menu
(Alt-Spacebar)
The System menu appears on the far left of the menu bar and is represented by the
symbol. (
When you pull down the
menu, you see !
About
Calendar
Video
About
When you choose the About command from the
(System) menu, a dialog box appears, showing copyright and version information. G
To close the box, press Esc, Space, or Enter, or click the OK button.
Calendar
The Calendar menu item opens a small calendar which displays the current month. It also allows you to view other months.
Video Mode
(Alt-V)
The Video Mode menu item toggles the display between 25-line and 43/50-line modes (if available).
File (Alt-F)
The File menu offers choices for opening mail files, news files, changing directories, shelling out to DOS, and exiting the program. 4
Open
Mail Open
Change
Dir FExit
File
Edit Text File
The Edit Text File command opens a file
selector dialog box. Files selected from this dialog can be edited exactly like outgoing
messages, including cut-and-paste between textfiles and messages.
File
Open Mail
The Open Mail command opens a file
selector dialog box. Files selected from this dialog are displayed in a subject/message window heirarchy.
File
Open News
The Open News command opens a file
selector dialog box. Files selected from this dialog are displayed in a newsgroup/subject/message window heirarchy.
File
Open default Mail
The Open default News opens a newsgroup/subject/message window heirarchy on the file selected in the Setup
Configuration
Default
File parameter.
File
Open default Mail
The Open default Mail opens a subject/message window heirarchy on the file selected in the Setup
Configuration
Default
Mailbox parameter.
File
Open Mail File
Open News
The Open command displays the Open a File dialog box. In this dialog box you select the mail or news file you want read in a file
viewer. &
The Open
File dialog box contains:
an input
box with a history list
a list
box to browse the directory
the standard Cancel button
Open action button
an information panel that describes the
selected file
File
Change Dir...
Change Dir brings up the Change
Directory dialog box, in which you can change the current directory.
File
DOS Shell
With the DOS Shell command, you can leave the program temporarily to perform a DOS command or run another program. 9
To return to this program, type EXIT at the DOS prompt.
File
Exit
(Alt-X)
The Exit command terminates this program.
Window
(Alt-W)
The Window menu contains commands to close, move and perform other window-management commands.
Most of the windows in this program have all the standard window elements, including scroll bars, a close box, and zoom icons. >
For more about windows and their elements, refer to windows. :
Window-management commands
Size/Move Zoom
Tile Cascade
Next Previous
Close
Window
Size/Move
(Ctrl-F5)
Choose this command to change the size or position of the active window.
Size
If you press Shift while you use the arrow keys, you can change the size of the active window. Once you've adjusted its size or position, press Enter. Q
If a window has a Resize corner, you can drag that corner to resize the window.
Move
When you choose Window
Size/Move, the active window moves in response to the arrow keys. Once you've moved the window to where you want it, press Enter. F
You can also move a window by dragging its title bar with the mouse.
Window
Zoom
(F5)
Choose Zoom to resize the active window to the maximum size. If the window is already zoomed, you can choose this command to restore it to its previous size. {
You can also double-click anywhere on the window's title bar (except where an icon appears) to zoom or unzoom the window.
Window
Tile
(Alt-T)
Choose Window
Tile to tile all file viewers on the desktop. L
Tiled Windows
Window
Cascade
Choose Window
Cascade to stack all file viewers on the desktop. A
Cascaded Windows
Window
Next
(F6)
Choose Next to cycle forwards through the windows on the desktop.
Window
Previous
(Shift-F6)
Choose Previous to cycle backwards through the windows on the desktop.
Window
Close
(Alt-F3)
Choose Close to close the active window. O
You can also click the Close box in the upper right corner to close a window.
Window
Show Clipboard
(Alt-B)
Choosing Show Clipboard makes the editor clipboard visible on the desktop. The clipboard is an editing window which receives text cut or copied from messages in either received or outgoing messages. Text can be added to the clipboard using the <Shift-Del> keyboard combination. j
Text from the clipboard can also be copied into outgoing messages using the <Shift-Ins> key combination.
Options (Alt-O)
The Options menu contains commands that lets you change color and mouse default settings. You can also set configuration strings for the general
configuration, for the mailer
configuration, and for the news
configuration. All of these options, as well as video
mode, can be saved and restored from the TMail.CFG file in the TMail directory.
Options
Mouse...
The Mouse command brings up the Mouse
Options dialog box, where you can set various options that control how your mouse works, including: R
how fast a double-click is
which mouse button (right or left) is
active
Options
Colors...
The Colors item brings up the Colors
dialog box, where you can customize the colors of the display.
Options
Save Configuration
Saves the selected video
mode as well as the other options set under the Options
menu to a Tmail.CFG file located in the same directory as the TMail executable image.
Options
Restore Configuration
Loads the selected video
mode as well as the other options set under the Options
menu from a Tmail.CFG file located in the same directory as the TMail executable image.
Compose (Alt-C)
Help on Open a File Dialog Box
The Open a File dialog box contains an input box, a file
list, a file information panel, the standard button Cancel, one other action button (Open), plus a history list that's attached to the Name
inputbox.
Name
The Name input box is where you enter the name of the file to load, or the file-name mask to use as a filter for the Files list box (for example, *.*).
Files
FILENM01.PAS
FILENM09.PAS
FILENM02.PAS
FILENM10.PAS
FILENM03.PAS
FILENM11.PAS
FILENM04.PAS
FILENM12.PAS
FILENM05.PAS
..
FILENM06.PAS
\MOREXAMP
FILENM07.PAS
\TOURS
FILENM08.PAS
\ANSWERS.DIR
The Files list box lists the names of files in the current directory that match the file-name mask in the Name input box, plus the parent directory and all subdirectories.
C:\TP\EXAMPLES\*.PAS
HELLO.PAS 52 Jul 14,1990 12:00pm
The File information panel shows the path name, file name, date, time, and size of the selected file. =
None of the items on this information panel are selectable.
[ Open ]
The Open button opens a new Viewer window and places the selected file in that window.
[ Cancel ]
If you choose Cancel, nothing changes and no action occurs, and the dialog box is put away. M
(Esc always cancels a dialog box, even if a Cancel button does not appear.)
[ Open ]
In the Open a File dialog box, if you choose the Open button TVDEMO opens a new file
viewer and places the selected file in that window.
Help on the Change Directory dialog box
The Change Directory dialog box consists of an input box, a list box, the standard OK and Help buttons, and two other buttons (Chdir and Revert). |
Directory Name
The Directory Name input box is where you type in the path of the new directory.
Directory Tree
Drives
C:\
TP
TVISION
The Directory Tree list box enables you to navigate directories by using the selecting bar and pressing Enter.
If you're using the keyboard, press Enter to make the selected directory be the current directory, then choose OK or press Esc to exit the dialog box. +
[Chdir ]
The Chdir button changes the current directory once you've selected or typed in a directory name. +
[Revert]
The Revert button goes back to the previous directory, as long as you haven't yet exited the dialog box.
Help on the Mouse Options dialog box
This dialog box consists of one check box, one slider bar, and the standard buttons OK and Cancel.
Mouse Double Click
Slow Medium Fast
The Mouse Double Click slider bar adjusts the double-click speed of your mouse. ^
[X] Reverse Mouse Buttons
Reverse Mouse Buttons makes the right mouse button take on the normal functions of the left--and vice versa. 6
See also:
Options
Mouse...
command
Help on the Colors dialog box
The Colors dialog box consists of two list boxes, a text display area, the standard OK, Cancel, and Help buttons, and one of the following:
On color and black-and-white systems, it
also contains two color palettes.
On monochrome systems, it contains a set
of radio buttons instead of the palettes.
This dialog box is where you can change the colors of different parts of this program.
Group
Desktop
Menus
Mail Viewer
Calendar
The Group list box contains the names of the different regions of the program that you can customize. L
Item
Color
When you select a group from the Group list, the Item list box displays the names of the different views in that region.
Foreground
Background
On color and black-and-white systems, you use the Foreground and Background palettes to modify colors.
Colors
) Mono low
( ) Mono high
( ) Mono underscore
( ) Mono inverse
On monochrome systems, you use the Colors set of radio buttons systems to modify the character attributes. Q
Text Text Text
Text Text Text
On all systems, the display text (above the Help button) shows the current color or attribute settings. a
Changes do not take effect on the desktop until you close the Colors dialog box by choosing OK.
Options
General Configuration
Selecting General Configuration opens a dialog box which permits you to enter general configuration values for TMail. :
Four fields are entered in headers of outgoing messages:
Line Field
Organization: Organization
Date: Time
From: Return
address,
full
The Temporary
directory and Signature
File fields are used to locate files that TMail uses. The Quote
prefix field controls the formatting of included text in outgoing messages.
Options
General Configuration
Full Name
TMail adds a 'From:' line to all outgoing messages, and the contents of this line are entered in it as comment text. This serves to identify you to anyone brousing message headers. For instance, TMail uses these coments (if present) in message
selectors to permit message selection by author.
Options
General Configuration
Return Address
TMail adds a 'From:' line to all outgoing messages, and the contents of this line are entered in it. This address should be a fully-qualified domain address with enough path information to ensure that main network routers will recognize it.
Options
General Configuration
Time Zone
The 'Date:' line in outgoing messages is generated from your system's local time. The international standard time zone entered on this line is appended. Standard abbreviations for common time zones are:
Greenwich Mean Time (Universal) GMT/UT
US Eastern Standard/Daylight EST/EDT
US Central Standard/Daylight CST/CDT
US Mountain Standard/Daylight MST/MDT
US Pacific Standard/Daylight PST/PDT
Options
General Configuration
Organization
The contents of this line are entered in the headers of outgoing messages on the 'Organization:' line. No 'Organization:' line is generated if this field is blank.
Options
General Configuration
Quote Prefix
The contents of this field are prepended to each line of text included from messages you quote in replies or followups.
Options
General Configuration
Signature File
This field specifies the plain text file which is appended to all outgoing messages. If you leave this field empty no signature will be added.
Options
General Configuration
Temporary Directory
The temporary directory field specifies the path used for temporary fiels created by TMail. If you have a RAM disk, it is a good idea to use it for this option.
Options
Mail Configuration
Selecting Mail Configuration opens a dialog box which permits you to enter mailer configuration values for TMail.
Mailer
Command The command which transmits mail
Default
File The nominal incoming mailbox
Default
Archive The default mail archive mailbox
Options
Mail Configuration
Default Mail File
Enter the full path specification for your incoming mailbox. Other mail files can be accessed using the Files
Mail menu.
Options
Mail Configuration
Mailer Command
Enter the DOS command which transmits a message file. TMail appends the filename to the command line. TMail produces fully-formatted mesages which only require a Message-ID: and routing path, so the command shouldn't add anything else.
Options
Mail Configuration
Default Mail Archive
Enter the full path specification of the file where you usually save messages. Messages in this file can be accessed exactly like incoming news and mail using the Files
Mail menu.
Options
News Configuration
Selecting News Configuration opens a dialog box which permits you to enter news configuration values for TMail.
News
Poster
Command The command which transmits news
Default
File The nominal incoming news file
Default
Archive The default news archive file
Options
Edit Newsgroups
Selecting Edit Newsgroups opens a dialog box which contains a list of active newsgroups. Groups can be deleted from the list and added to the list using the Delete and Insert buttons, respectively. Changes can be discarded with the Cancel button or accepted with the Accept button.
Only the newsgroups listed in this list are displayed in the Newsgroups selector, which reduces clutter from crossposted articles. Articles which are not included in any active newsgroup are listed under the catchall <None> group.
Options
Edit Newsgroups
Insert
The Insert button in the Edit
Newsgroups dialog box opens a string-input dialog box. Text can be entered in the box's input field, which is initially empty. Entered text is ignored if it is blank or if the box is closed with the Cancel button. Otherwise, the entered text is entered into the list of active newsgroups.
Options
Edit Newsgroups
Delete
The Delete button in the Edit
Newsgroups dialog box deletes the currently selected newsgroup from the active newsgroups list.
Options
News Configuration
Default News File
Enter the full path specification for your incoming news file. Other news files can be accessed using the Files
News menu.
Options
News Configuration
News Poster Command
Enter the DOS command which transmits a message file. TMail appends the filename to the command line. TMail produces fully-formatted mesages which only require a Message-ID:, routing path, and line count, so the command shouldn't add anything else.
Options
News Configuration
Default News Archive
Enter the full path specification of the file where you usually save messages. Messages in this file can be accessed exactly like incoming news and mail using the Files
News menu.
Newsgroup Selector
The outermost view of news files is a list of newsgroups, each with basic statistics contining a count of the total messages, unread messages, and deleted messages under that newsgroup. Only active newsgroups (those entered under the Options
Newsgroups menu) are displayed; messages which are not included under any active newsgroup are listed under <None>.
Reading a newsgroup opens a subject
selector window unless there is only one subject in the newsgroup. In that case, a message
selector or message
viewer window will open instead.
Deleting or Undeleting a newsgroup affects all messages posted to that group. Hiding a newsgroup removes that newsgroup from the display; there is no way to redisplay it without closing and reopening the file, although the messages are unaffected.
Archive Pushbutton
Archive copies the selected message to an archive file. The default archive file entered in the Options
Configuration
Default
Archive field can be overridden to save to any file. If the chosen file exists it is assumed to be in mailbox format; otherwise TMail asks whether to use mailbox or plain text formats.
Hide Pushbutton
Hide removes the selected line from the current display. This can be useful in reducing visual clutter, but if deleted messages are hidden there my be no way to recover them, since there is no UnHide operator.
Delete Pushbutton
Delete marks a message for deletion. Marked messages are removed from the message file when the file is closed or when TMail is terminated. Deleted messages can be unmarked PRIOR TO CLOSE OF FILE by the Undeleting operation.
Since TMail has no 'expire' process all old messages must be deleted manually. This is generally not a problem given the block-deletion capabilities of TMail.
UnDelete Pushbutton
UnDelete is the reverse of the Delete operation; messages which had been marked for deletion, if UnDeleted, will be retained when the file is closed.
Subject Selector
The outermost view of mail files and the second-level view of news files is a list of message subjects, each with basic statistics contining a count of the total messages, unread messages, and deleted messages under that subject heading.
Reading a subject opens a message
selector window unless there is only one message under that subject. In that case, a message
viewer window will open instead.
Deleting or Undeleting a subject affects all messages under that subject. Hiding a subject removes that subject from the display; there is no way to redisplay it without closing and reopening the window (if reading news), although the messages are unaffected.
Message Selector
The innermost view of both news and mail files is a list of messages. Each message is listed with its status (Unread, Read, or Deleted), author, and date. Since not all received messages contain a datestamp this field may be blank. Some authors do not include their names (at least in identifiable form) in message headers; in that case the return address or path is given.
From the message selector window you can do anything that you can from the message
viewer window, including deleting, undeleting, and archiving the message. You can also Hide the message entry.
Read a Message
Selecting Read from a message selector (or double-clicking the entry) will open a message
viewer window for that message.
Read a Subject Group
Selecting Read from a subject selector (or double-clicking the entry) will open a message
selector window for that subject.
Read a Newsgroup
Selecting Read from a newsgroup selector (or double-clicking the entry) will open a newsgroup
selector window for that newsgroup.
Edit Outgoing Message
At present the outgoing message editor is unaltered from the defaults supplied by Borland, and thus the editor
bindings bear an annoying resemblance to WordStar. I haven't missed much; the mouse makes up for a lot. Other than that, <Alt-S> sends the message on its way, as does closing the window (but that way you get a chance to change your mind.)
Reply to message via Mail
This selection allows you to reply to the current message vis email. TMail will ask you whether you want to quote the incoming message in your reply; if you chose to, it will preface every included line with the quotation
prefix selected in the Options
General_Configuration
Quote_Prefix field. k
TMail will format the message header, include quoted text if reauested, and open a message
editor window.
Post Followup News Article
This selection allows you to post a followup to the current article. TMail will ask you whether you want to quote the article in your reply; if you chose to, it will preface every included line with the quotation
prefix selected in the Options
General_Configuration
Quote_Prefix field. k
TMail will format the message header, include quoted text if reauested, and open a message
editor window.
Message Viewer
The message viewer is actually a read-only message
editor. As such, it has copy-to-clipboard capability; this is very useful if you want to reference more than one article or message. From within the viewer window you can do (almost) anything that you can from the message
selector window, including deleting, undeleting, and archiving the message. You can NOT hide the message, though.
Editor Keys
Unfortunately, the editor key mapping is based on Borland's imprinting on WordStar. Gag. Here's the currently-implemented subset (by groups): @
(.txt)