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- CCC AAA PPP TTTTT AAA III N N J SSS
- C C A A P P T A A I NN N J S
- C AAAAA PPP T AAAAA I N N N SSS
- C C A A P T A A I N NN S
- CCC A A P T A A III N N SSS
-
- QQQ W W K K
- Q Q W W K K
- Q Q W W KK version 2.0e
- Q QQ W W W K K
- QQQQ W W K K
-
-
- *USER MANUAL*
-
- Copyright (c) 1993 by Dirk Hoeschen
-
-
-
-
-
-
- STRUCTURE
- =========
-
- 1 : SOME REMARKS
-
- 1.1: what's QWK
- 1.2: what is that programm for
- 1.3: shareware informations
-
- 2 : HOW TO USE
-
- 2.1: configuration (preferences)
- 2.2: the reader
- 2.3: the editor
-
- 3 : THE LAST WORD
-
- 3.1: trubleshooting
- 3.2: some special hints
- 3.3: back to the future
-
- 4 : THE END
-
- Page(2)
-
- SOME REMARKS
- ============
-
- 1.1: What's QWK
-
- QWK is an easy and cheap way, to read,enter and reply messages
- in your BBS without being online. In lotsa BBS it's nowadays
- possible to tag the messageareas you are intereted and invoke
- the BBS to pack a QWK-mailbundle. These mailbundles are mostly
- compressed with a standard archiver. The bundle contains
- standard index and controlfiles, BBBlogos and bulletins and a
- messagefile. The messagefile isn't pure ASCII, so you can't
- read it with an ordinary editor. Now you'll understand, why a
- special program is needed. Also if you want to enter a message,
- you need a special QWK-reader, to generate the replybundle.
-
- 1.2: What is that program for?
-
- Nearly for every computer, you can chose between several
- QWKreader. for the ATARI there was only one program available.
- It's called Maximiser and one of the worst programs I've ever
- seen. So basically I made Captain's for my own. Then I decided,
- to make a professional sharewareversion. The result is a easy to
- handle, fast and (nearly) errorfree program. It is easy to use,
- because I am myself a SysOp of a BBS and I know that most of my
- users don't use QWK, because the other readers are to
- complicate.
- So don't wonder, if the documentation is so short. I've included
- all neccecary funktions of a QWK_reader and some more.
- For example:
- - it works on any ST / STE / and TT
- - it works in every resolution (exept 320 x 200)
- - it works with speedups and graphiccards
- - built in ANSI-emulator for BBS-Logos
- - variable fontszizes and styles if using GDOS
- - read, enter and reply messages
- - print a single message
- - ASCII export of single messages
- - automatical metmailsupport if using MAX2.0
- - editable funktionkeys for the editor
- - start as an application
- and so on.
-
- 1.3: Shareware informations
-
- If you want to reply or enter a message, you'll see, that you
- have to enter your full name every time. If you register, you'll
- get your personal key. That key is a short file with your name.
- Now your name will be inserted automatically.
- I'm no materialist. I am a poor student. So send a Letter with
- your name and 15$ or 10& or 80ff or 25DM to:
-
- Dirk Hoeschen
- Eiserne Hand 23
- 4300 Essen 1
- GERMANY
-
- You can also send a check or tranfer the money directly to my
- bank:
- Volksbank Essen AG ( BLZ 360 303 00 )
- nr: 362 082
-
- Page (3)
-
- Some people only need to send 3$ or 2& or 15ff or 5DM for
- postage an package. These people are:
- -all female users
- (I'm no sexist, but I want, that more girls are interested in
- computers)
- -all people called Michal Jackson
- -all little green people from outer space
- -and everybody else, who (really) can explain me, why he is to
- poor to pay.
-
-
- HOW TO USE
- ==========
-
- 2.1: Configure Captain's QWK
-
- Inside of the archive CCWKx_xx.LZH are the follwing files:
- - CQWK.DOC the documentation
- - CQWK.PRG the program
- - CQWK.RSC the resourcefile
- - CQWK.PRF the configurationfile
- - CQWK.TAG the tagfile
- - REGISTER.DOC use it for registration
- - SAMPLE.QWK a example of a QWK-Mailbundle (LHARC 1.13)
-
- Harddisc owners have to copy all these files into a single
- directory. It'll be better if the directory is on the same
- partition as the archivers and your downloadpath. Disclamers
- should copy them to a single (formated) disc. Remember that the
- you also need a packer like LHARC ARC ZOO or ZIP on that disc.
- If you execute the program be shure that the disc isn't write-
- protect. To work with a disc is a slow thing, because Captain's
- has to access to the drive for every message. If you only have a
- 1/2 meg, remove all acessories and resident programs, to have
- space for 2000 msg's (that is a compressed bundle of about
- 400k). Disc owners with a meg probabbly want to work with a
- ramdisc. Remember that all files of captains excluding the
- archivers and the mailbundles must be on the same disc.
- Pleas look also to the Infofield iof the mainwindow. Wenever
- you should do something, an explaination is shown there.
- After executing Captain's you'll see a fileselector. Exit the
- selector without chosing a file. Now you see a window and a
- menubar with the following items.
-
- CQWK FILES MESSAGES REPLIES EXTERNALS SETUP HELP
-
- The title SETUP have the following comands:
- ____________________
- / | SETUP | \
- ----------------------
- | Macrokeys... |
- |---------------|
- | QWK/REP-dir...|
- | Bulletins... |
- | Newfiles... |
- |---------------|
- | Archiver... |
- | Ext. editor...|
- | Ext. termin...|
- | Settings... |
- -----------------
-
- Page(4)
-
- The first command is MACROS. Here you can define the
- functionkeys to use later in the editor, when you're entering a
- message. You don't need them yet.
- After invoking the command QWK AND REP-DIR you will see a
- fileselector. Now define the path of the QWK-mailbundles and
- the path for the replybundles. These are normally the up and
- downloadpath of your terminalprogramm. Click on a *.QWK file and
- press Return.
- The next two points are the names of the bulletinfile and the
- newfileslist of your BBS. You can define them, if you've opend a
- bundle. The bulletines and the newfiles are only availiable, if
- your BBS included them into the bundle.
- Next, you have to define the location of the archiver(s)
- (normally you will only need one of the standard archivers. They
- ar availiable in your BBS.) and define the xtract and the
- compresscomands to be send to the packer (better leave them
- alone, bcause they are predefined!).
- With External. Editor and Terminal, you choose the external
- programs and the comandline you will start with. They should be
- also GEM-programs and capable to get parameters. Look at (Exter-
- nals) for more details.
- Now chose the default archiver with SETTINGS. That's the kind
- of archiver your BBS generates. The you can also choose the size
- of your window, the date and time, teh size and style of your
- font and if you want to kill bundle after decrunching or not.
- ____________________
- / | FILES | \
- ----------------------
- | Open-QWK ◆O|
- | Write-setup ◆W|
- |---------------|
- | Quit ^Q|
- -----------------
-
- Move your mousepointer to FILES and click on WRITE-SETUP to save
- your preferences or simply press Alternate-W.
- After that, invoke OPEN-QWK or press Alternate-O. Next, there is
- a fileselector. Chose a mailbundle and press Return.
- Normaly Captain's now executes the default archiver and after
- the BBSlogo and a bulletin, you will see the list of the
- available areas and the number of messages they are containing.
- If not, reconfigure Captain's again, or read part 3.1 of this
- documentation (trubbleshooting).
-
- At least you should edit the tagfile with a normal ASCII editor.
- Captain's will insert a line at the buttom of a entered message
- as a FIDO-compatible tagline. The tagline can be different for
- each area and should contain the name of the BBS and the
- nodenumber.
-
-
- 2.2: The Reader
-
- First of all, I want to explain the normal keystrokes while
- reading messages. You can't use the mouse to scroll the windows
- or chose the next window. I decided to do so, because the
- keyboardcontrol is much faster.
-
- Page(5)
-
- You can switch between three stacked windows. The top window is
- a list of the availiable Areas. If you want to see the headlines
- of a area you have to move the black bar with the cursorkeys up
- or down to the line with the area you want to read and press
- Return.
- REMARK: In every window you can scroll line by line with the
- cursorkeys. If you want to scroll a whole page, you can press
- Shift and cursor.
- You are now in the second window and you'll see the headlines of
- the messages in this area. As in window one you can now chose a
- message with a black bar. Press Return to read the whole
- message. While reading messages, you can use cursor-left and
- right, to switch to previous or next message.
- REMARK: To get back to the previous window you must hit ESC.
- With ESC you can also abort most of the commands.
- If the message is bigger than the screen, use the cursorkeys to
- scroll. If you now press Return Captain's will show you the next
- message until the end of messages in a area is reached. Get back
- with ESC.
-
- ____________________
- / | MESSAGES | \
- ----------------------
- | Search_MSG's ◆S|
- | Read_private ◆P|
- | Enter_MSG... ◆E|
- | Print_MSG ◆Y|
- | Xport_MSG... ◆X|
- |----------------|
- | ADD Area... |
- | DROP Area... |
- | Request file...|
- |----------------|
- | Bulletins ◆B|
- | Newfiles ◆F|
- ------------------
-
- As you see, all the commands are also availiable on the
- keybard, if you hold Alternate key and the letter for the
- command down (for example: Alt-Y / Print the actual message ).
- The MESSAGES-field contains the basic commands for the reader.
- With SEARCH_MSG's (Alt-S) you are able to search fo a decent
- string in the header of any message in every area. I you are in
- a special area, search will work only on this area. If you start
- searching while you see a list of all areas CQWK will search in
- all messages. The Search-command stops searching
-
- Page(6)
-
- after 100 messages are found (I mean that's enough in every
- case). You can now read the found messages as if you are in
- special area. READ_PRIVATE (Alt-P) works in the same manner as
- Search, but it searches automatically after messages adressed to
- the user. By invoking ENTER_MSG (Alt-E) you write a message in
- the recent area. As in your BBS, you must enter the subject,addr
- ...first. PRINT_MSG is the usefull function, to print the actual
- message on a lineprinter. XPORT_MSG (Alt-X) will save a message
- (including the header) as an ASCII-file on disc. You can also
- append multiple messages to a existing file (Captain's will
- ask). The next three items are maybe deactivated. If your BBS
- is able to get a systemmessage from the offline-reader, You can
- disable or enable a messagearea for the next download. With
- REQUEST FILE, you can request a file from your host. Simply
- enter the name of the file in the given formular. CQWK will
- write a requestmessage automatically for you.
- The next two commands are only usefull, if your BBS is
- including NEWFILES (A List of the new files in the BBS) and a
- BULLETIN (news from SysOp) to the mailbundle. But you have to
- set the name of these two files in the preferences first.
- ____________________
- / | REPLIES | \
- ----------------------
- | Reply_MSG ◆R|
- | List_MSG's ◆L|
- | Change_MSG ◆C|
- | Kill_MSG ◆K|
- -------------------
-
- The functions in the REPLIES-field are not only for replies.
- They are also usefull for normal entered messages.
- If you want to answer a message press (Alt-R) or click on
- ENTER_REPLY (you can only reply to a message, if you've choosen
- a MSG / offcause you can't relpy your own MSG's). After that,
- you'll see a requester. There you can change things like the
- destination adress or name and the subject of your message. If
- you're replying, Captain's normally insert these things
- automatically, so you can press return. With LIST_MSG'S or Alt_L
- you can read the messages you've entered or replied. The next two
- commands are only availiable while you're listing you messages.
- With CHANGE-MSG you can change a previously entered message.
- KILL_MSG will delete a message.
-
- ____________________
- / | Externals | \
- ----------------------
- | Start editor ^E|
- | Start termin.^T|
- | Shell progr..^P|
- |----------------|
- | Delete... |
- | Rename... |
- | Copy... |
- | MKdir... |
- |----------------|
- | Fake list... |
- ------------------
-
- Page(7)
-
- I called this menufield EXTERNALS, because here are no qwk options.
- I thin only the first three items need to be explained. With
- Start editor or (Control-E), you can start your fave
- ASCII-editor. Look at PREFERENCES, how to install. Theese
- Programs mustn't be an editor or terminalprogramm. You can also
- start an archiver-shell/ fileviewer or whatever you want. While
- executing the editor or terminal, CQWK stays resident and you
- will return to the reader, when exiting the external programs.
- If you use a terminalprogram with the capability to run
- automatic scripts (like Rufus), you can get a new QWKbundle
- from your host, sinply by pressing Control-T. With Control-P
- you can shell to another program. CQWK doesn't stay resident,
- an you have to start the reader again, to get back.
-
- 2.3: The Editor
-
- The editor is very simple. I'll give you a list of the
- availiable keys:
-
- ⇧⇩⇦⇨ - move your cursor up down left right
- Shift ⇧(⇩) - flip a whole page up or down
- Shift ⇦(⇨) - jump to the begining or end of a line
- Backspace - kill the char at the left side of your cursor
- Delete - kill the char at the right of your cursor
- Insert - switch insert/overwrt. mode
- Return - add (insert) a blank line
- F1-F10 - Insert text of funktionkeys
- Control-Y - move a line into buffer and delete line
- Control-V - insert buffered line
-
- The editor works in overwrite-mode. You can't enter more than 80
- chars in a line. The editor will automatically break a line if
- the cursor is reaching position 79 ( I built in a simple
- Wordwrapping).
- All in all, the editor isn't perfect, I will make some changes,
- in the next version.
- ____________________
- / | MESSAGES | \
- ----------------------
- | Save_MSG ◆S|
- | Quote_reply ◆Q|
- | Abort_MSG ◆A|
- | Import_ASCII ◆I|
- ------------------
- The editor has his own menubar with three basic functions. The
- first SAVE_MSG (Alt-S) is to save a entered message. After
- executing this command, a list of taglines is displayed. Chose
- one with the cursorkeys and the Return button. A tagline is a
- line at the bottom of your message, with a short sentence to
- identify your message. You can (must) define your own tags, by
- editing CAPTAINS.TAG with a simple ASCII-editor. If your message
- is a reply, you can insert parts of the original message to your
- message with QUOTE_REPLY (Alt_Q). That makes your message more
- understandable for a third person. Finally you can throw your
- message away with ABORT_MSG. Be carefull!!! If you abort a
- CHANGED message, your whole message is lost. With IMPORT_ASCII
- you'll be able to insert a normal textfile in your message or
- reply.
-
- Page(8)
-
- Since 2.0 there is a Extras-field in her menubar, with the
- items INSERT/OVERW. and Start Editor. With INS/OVER ir hte
- Inseert key, you can switch between insert and overwrite mode.
- While you are in overwrite mode, you can (only) overwrite
- exiting text. With (Control-E) or Start editor, you start the
- external editor given in the configuration. Cqwk will write the
- actual text in the local editor to disc and start the editor
- with a comandline. After exiting the external editor CQWK will
- read back this message.
-
-
- THE LAST WORD
- =============
-
- 3.1: Trubleshooting
-
- - I want to enter a @ in a formular!
- It's not my fault. Some TOS-versions are buggy.
- Try to hold the Alternate-key down, and
- enter 64 on the numeric keypad.
- - The archiver doesn't decrunch my bundle!
- the disk is write protectet
- there is not enough memory left to start the archiver
- the xtract and movecomands are wrong
- the path and name of the archiver is wrong
- you chosed the wrong archiver (you can't decrunch ZIPfiles
- with Lharc)
- there wasn't enough space on disc
- - After decrunching, nothing happens!
- the malibundle is damaged
- it is the wrong kind of mailbundle (f.e. Bluewave)
- - Captains can't find CAPTRINS.PRF or QWKREAD.RSC!
- all files like CAPTAINS.* must be in the same directory
- - The BBSlogo looks damaged!
- the QWK-Standard allows IBM-graphicchars for the LOGO. Use
- Gdos, to be able to install a IBM-chars.
- - The screen looks damaged, after scrolling a window
- you use a really exotic graphiccard
- - The Font is much to big (small)
- you can set the fontsize an style in the in the PREFS-field
- with Settings
- - Nothing happens!
- your computer is damaged or switched off /-(
- your monitor is off 8-)
- you have a comodore computer (that's normal)
- - Any other problem
- Write a MSG to me or call Germany (0201)223912 in the evening.
- We've tested the program about 2 month, but there are probably
- some bugs left.
-
- Page(9)
-
-
- 3.2: Special hints
-
- If you're using a Shell like Gemini or Neodesk you can handle
- Captains as a application. If yo have a owm icon for Captain you
- only need to drag a QWK-mailbundle over the icon to start the
- program. But also if you don't use a shell, you can give Captain
- the status of an application in the desktop. Now click twice on
- your QWKbundle to activate. Then, the program will automati-
- cally decrunch the (*.QW?) mailbundle you've choosen. The
- scrolling of the windows and the text is quite slow. Tat's
- because of the VDI-routines. I personally use NVDI 2.0 and it
- seems, that everything is much faster. I use Captain's with a
- Overscan and it works without any problems.
- If you want to write NETMAIL, you can now enter a destination
- adress (nodenumber) in the requester. Captain's will insert a
- To: (node) at the first line of the Message. Some BBS like
- Maximus 2.0 are able accept netmail, if they find a valid
- nodemumber in the first line.
- REMARK: to get the speed of Captain's and to let the program
- work, even on 520 ST's, I made some compromises. You can't
- search after more than 100 messages. You can't enter more than
- 100 messages or replies at on time. Messages and replies longer
- than 1000 lines are cutted off. Maybe I'll find a better
- solution in one of the next versions.
- CQWK is also tested with multitos and multigem. If you're owner
- of multigem, throw it away. CQWK may work, but it seems to be
- impossible to start the crunchers from a programm. You may
- depack your *.qwk-bundles by hand. If you're using Multitos,
- you should start CQWK from a programm called TOSWIN. Then the
- outputs of the crunchers is made im a window. Otherwise, it you
- don't do so, it's no problem. Only the sreen looks damaged,
- while the archiver is active. If you want to have shortcuts in
- dialouges and flying formulars, you should use Let'm fly (a
- German sharwareprogram). Disable the (send redraw) buttom, to
- get more speed.
-
- 3.3: Back to the future
-
- First, I want to make a 100% errorfree version. A real update
- will be only availiable, if enough people pay for the KEY. I've
- still some usefull ideas. For example: a free windowsize, a
- (simple) built in terminalprogramm, and much more.
- If you have some special ideas, you can write them to me. How
- about a french version (if somebody translates the
- documentation, he will get a free program.)
-
- lot's of fun with Captain's........
-
- Dirk Hoeschen
- __ __ __ __ __ ______ __ __ __ __ ___ __ __
- / /_/ /_/ / /_/ / / / \_\ \_ \_\ \ \ \ \_/ \_\\__ \_\
- /_ / / / / / / / / \/ __\ \ \__\ \ \/ \__\ \ \ \ _\ \ \
-
- P.s.: Please don't laugh about my english. It's wrong, but
- understandable!