Written by Dave Heyliger - AMUS Staff and author of EMAIL
YOUR EMAIL USER ID
==================
You should by now have an EMAIL user NAME and PASSWORD that
your system operator has assigned to you. This is your private logon
ID. If you do not have an EMAIL user ID, ask your system operator to
assign you one. Don't tell anyone your password! If at any time you
would like your password changed, talk to your system operator. The
SYSOP will be able to give you a new password. If you prefer, use the
EMPASS command from the dot. This allows you to change your password
by yourself.
INFORMING EMAIL YOU ARE ON-LINE
===============================
Each time you log on to your system, you should do so via
the EMAIL logon routine. You will know if your system operator has
set up this routine because you should see
Enter your EMAIL user name:
on your screen. Simply enter in your user NAME. If anyone has sent you
mail, EMAIL will inform you of your new messages at this time.
If the above prompt is not on your screen, you should enter in
MAILON from "the dot". This will produce the above prompt for you.
Once you have entered in your EMAIL user name, EMAIL will record you
as "on-line". You now may access EMAIL at any time from this terminal.
ACCESSING THE EMAIL PROGRAM
===========================
To access EMAIL one you have been recorded as "on-line", all
you need to do is enter in EMAIL from "the dot" (or select EMAIL from
your menu option list). You should see the following prompt:
Enter your EMAIL password:
You should enter in your secret password at this time. If you mis-type
your password OR if you didn't run MAILON on the terminal you are
currently typing on, EMAIL won't let you in. If your password matches
up for the terminal you are working on, you will then see the
following:
EMAIL > HELP is available, just type ?
List Delete Read Unread Vue Send Bulk File Auto Quit
All of your options that you may perform from within EMAIL are listed
below the command prompt (the ">"). Each command requires a single
keystroke to execute. Let's take a look at each EMAIL command.
*** ? (help)
To see what each command can do for you, you may enter in the
"?" at any time. This will help you remember how to use EMAIL without
refering to this manual.
*** L (list)
To have all of your messages listed to the screen, enter in
the "L" key. You will see each mail message in your mailbox listed.
Each message has the following data: WHO send you the message, the
TIME they sent the message, and a COMMENT about the mail message.
Notice that each mail message has a message number. This number is
used when you want to read or delete a message in your mailbox. Also,
notice that messages you have not read are displayed all in bright
output, and messages you have read but not yet deleted are displayed
in dim output (except for the title of the message).
If you have more than 30 mail messages in your mailbox, EMAIL
will warn you that your mailbox is "almost full". You may have a total
of 40 mail messages in your List, and you should make it a habit of
deleting your "old" mail once the mail has been read and you no longer
need to refer to the message. This will allow ample room for others to
send you more new mail. If you let your mailbox get full, then other
users won't be able to send you any new mail! Don't be afraid to keep
a few of your mail messages around if you know you might need to refer
to the message(s) at a later date.
*** U (unread)
To see all of the messages you have sent to other users that
have not been read, enter in "U". All of your unread mail will be
listed to the terminal in similar fashion to List above. You may have
up to 40 unread messages in your mailbox. If you have 40 unread mail
messages in your mailbox and you send yet another message to another
user, the mail message will be sent but it will NOT be recorded in
your unread mail listing.
*** R (read)
Read allows you to either read the messages that users have
sent to you or read your Unread messages.
Reading a message from your List
To read a message from your List, you enter in "L" to see the
message number you would like to Read, and then enter in "R #" where
"#" is the message number you would like to Read. You are allowed to
read both new and already read messages. If the message you read was
new, notice that the next time you perform "L", the message will be
in dim output.
Reading a message from your Unread list
To read a message from your Unread list, you need to first
perform an "U" to list all unread messages to your screen. Once you
find the message number you would like to examine, enter in "R #" just
like you were reading a message from your List. The unread message
will be displayed to your screen.
*** D (delete)
Delete allows you to either delete a message that a user has
sent to you or delete an Unread message.
Deleting a message from your List
To delete a message from your List, you enter in "L" to see
the message number you would like to Delete, and then enter in "D #"
where "#" is the message number you would like to Delete. You are
allowed to delete only already read messages. EMAIL will not allow you
to delete a message you have not Read.
Deleting a message from your Unread list
To delete a message from your Unread list, you need to first
perform an "U" to list all unread messages to your screen. Once you
find the message number you would like to delete, enter in "D #" just
like you were deleting a message from your List. The unread message
will be deleted from your Unread mail list AND from the recievers
mailbox.
*** V (Vue)
EMAIL allows you to call the word processor VUE from within
the EMAIL program. This is how you may create a message to Send to
another user while remaining in the EMAIL program. EMAIL assumes that
you are familiar with the VUE word processor (it is very similar to
SuperVue, if this helps).
If you select "V" from within EMAIL, you are only allowed to
enter in a "first name" of a message you would like to create. The
default extension of the file is ".MAL". You should understand that
the name of the file is really unimportant. The name of the file is
"transparent" to the EMAIL system - i.e., only the EMAIL system needs
the filename to work properly. Don't concern youself too much as to
the name you select for the file you would like to create. In other
words, if you call a the file you would like to create "XIE8S", then
that's AOK! EMAIL does not ever display this filename to anyone. Valid
filenames are any name up to 6 characters in length that contain A..z
and/or 0..1.
Once you selected the "V" option, EMAIL asks you for a file
name up to 6 characters in length. You have two options at this time:
1) entering in some sort of valid filename, or 2) entering in a RETURN
to cancel the the "V" option and return you to EMAIL command mode.
If you chose to create a new file, enter in a valid name at
this time. EMAIL will then look in the "master filename list" on your
system and see if anyone else has selected this filename as a message
file. If EMAIL finds a file with this name, EMAIL will "beep" at you
and ask you for some other filename. Remember, the filename is really
of no importance, so you may be creative and enter in a "weird" name
if you like.
Once a unique filename has been selected by you, you will then
be inside the VUE word processor. Here is where you may create your
message of any length. Once you are through editing you message, you
should Finish from VUE. This will create a "filename.mal" file in the
PPN you are currently logged into. You are now ready to send this file
via the Send option.
You should notice that if there is a "filename.mal" file in
the PPN you are currently logged into, you may VUE this file from
within EMAIL by selecting the "V" option and then entering in just the
first name of the file. VUE will be initialized and you may then edit
this file to your liking. However, if EMAIL finds a matching filename
in the "master filename list", EMAIL will "beep" at you and not let
you VUE this file. Your option is to Quit from EMAIL and RENAME the
file OR select another unique filename from within EMAIL and then yank
in the file once inside of VUE (again, I am assuming you understand
how VUE works).
*** S (send)
Send allows you two options: 1) sending a file you have just
created via the "V" option, or 2) sending any other text file that is
in your current PPN.
1) Sending a file you have created via the "V" option
Once you have created a mail message within EMAIL via the "V"
command, you are ready to send the message to the user. Selecting the
"S" option will produce the following display:
TO:
You should enter in the name of the user you would like to send the
file to at this time (see WHO below if you are not sure of the EMAIL
user's name). If you enter in a non-EMAIL user name, EMAIL will "beep"
at you and inform you that this user is not found. If you have entered
in a valid EMAIL user's name, you will then see the following:
FILENAME:
You have two options here. You may either enter in the first name of
the file you have just created via "V" (it defaults to "filename.mal")
or you may enter in any valid ascii filename that is in your current
PPN (both firstname and extension). Notice that at the top of your
screen, EMAIL will display the "most recently edited file" for you in
case you forgot the name of the file you just created. Also note that
if you made a mistake and did NOT want the Send option, entering in a
RETURN at one of the above prompts will return you to EMAIL command
mode.
Once EMAIL finds the file that you would like to send, it will
again make sure that the "master filename list" does not contain this
particular name. If the filename is not unique, you may not send the
file (EMAIL will tell you so).
Assuming that the filename is unique, the last prompt before
the send is:
TITLE:
You have two options. You may enter in a short "title" of the message
you are about to send, or you may enter in a RETURN (no title). Once
this final prompt is complete, you will then see the NAME of the EMAIL
user who you are sending the file to appear on your screen, their AUTO
reply (if present... see AUTO below), and whether the user is on-line
or off-line.
If the user is on-line, two possibilities exists. If the EMAIL
user is at "the dot", a "new mail message" will appear on their screen.
If the user is NOT at "the dot" their terminal will "beep". This is
how EMAIL informs on-line users that they have just recieved new mail.
Therefore, if you terminal ever "beeps" while you are in a program,
more likely than not a user has just sent you EMAIL, and if you are at
"the dot", you will see a "new mail message" appear on your screen!
Once the file has been sent, EMAIL will then ERASE the file
from your current PPN. Note that you may only send a message of a
given filename ONCE (unless you use BULK MAILING - see below). This is
because your file is now in the "master filename list". Only when the
message has been deleted (either from you via Unread Delete, or the
recipient via List Delete) may this filename be used again.
2) Sending a file created from VUE from outside of EMAIL
If you have some other filename other than "filename.mal" that
you would like to send, the format is very similar to (1) above. The
only difference is that you should enter in the full filename and the
extension when EMAIL asks you for the filename. If the first name of
the file is unique according to the "master filename list", the file
will be send AND THE FILE WILL NOT BE ERASED FROM YOUR PPN AS LONG AS
THE EXTENSION IS ANYTHING BUT ".MAL". Send only deletes "filename.mal"
files after a Send.
*** B (bulk mail)
Bulk mail is a really neat feature of the AMUS EMAIL package
and you should take the time to learn how to use it. Bulk mail allows
you to send one file to a list of users (called a "packet") all at
once! This is a great way to send the same message to a group of users
with a minimum amount of fuss. Bulk mail allows the following options:
1) List all your personal bulk mail "packets".
2) Delete one of your personal bulk mail "packets".
3) Edit (or create) a bulk mail "packet".
4) Send a file to all users contained in a "packet".
5) Quit and return to the EMAIL command mode.
1) Listing all of your personal bulk mailing "packets"
EMAIL allows each user to have a total of 8 packets defined
unique to them. Each packet may contain up to 15 valid EMAIL users.
To see all of the packets that you have defined, you may select the
"L" option from within bulk mail. This will list each packet to the
screen - packet name in bright output, EMAIL users contained within
the packet in dim output. If you have never defined any bulk mailing
packets, EMAIL will "beep" and inform you that you do not have any
bulk mailing packets defined.
2) Deleting one of your personal bulk mail "packets"
If you would like to delete one of your packets, EMAIL allows
you to do so. When you select the "D" option from within bulk mail,
you will see each packet you have defined appear on your screen. You
may then select the packet that you would like deleted. Once this
selection has been made, EMAIL will display all of the users contained
within the EMAIL package and ask you if you "really want to do this".
If you answer with a "Y", the package will be deleted. Any other key
will NOT delete your defined EMAIL packet.
3) Edit (or create) a bulk mail "packet"
EMAIL allows a total of 8 defined packets containing up to
15 users/packet. To edit an existing packet (or create a new packet)
select the "E" option from within bulk mailing.
Once you select a packet to edit or create, bulk mailing will
then display each user (if any) in the packet and give you the
following options:
A (Add user)
D (Delete user)
F (Finish and "write" changes to the disk)
Q (Quit and don't record any changes at all)
A (Add user)
Selecting the "A" option will place the cursor at the first
free available slot and wait for you to enter in an EMAIL users name.
There are four restrictions: 1) each name entered must be unique,
2) YOU are not allowed to be in your own packet lists, 3) no more than
15 people total per packet, and 4) each user entered must be valid.
EMAIL will "beep" at you and display the corresponding error message
if any of the above 4 restrictions are violated.
Assuming there is space in the EMAIL packet, enter in the user
where the cursor is resting. Once the user has been entered (and EMAIL
finds this user), you will return to the bulk mail edit option prompt.
You may then continue to chose "A" for up to 15 users total.
D (Delete user)
When you want to delete a user from the chosen bulk packet you
are currently editing, select the "D" option from the bulk mail edit
prompt. The cursor will be resting at the first name of the user in
the packet. You now have 2 options: selecting "Y" for "yes, delete
this user", or selecting "N" for "no, don't delete this user". If you
chose the "Y" option, the name will be deleted from the packet. If you
chose the "N" option, the user remains defined to the packet. Opon
either choice, once the selection has been made, the cursor will then
jump to the next defined user and again wait for a "Y" or "N" responce.
Once you have answered to each user present in the packet, the cursor
will then return to the bulk mail edit option prompt.
F (Finish) and Q (Quit)
This is exactly like Finish and Quit from within VUE. Remember
VUE allows you to Quit (don't record any changes made since I sta
rted
to edit) or Finish (record every change I made). If you are sure of
your changes to your bulk mail packet, you would finish the editing
session with an "F". If you made a mistake or you do not want to
record your editing changes, enter in a "Q".
4) Send a file to a all users contained in a "packet"
To send one file to all users defined in a bulk packet, select
the "S" option at the bulk mail option prompt. This selection will
then list all of the names of your packets to the screen and ask you
to select the packet name to be used for the mailing. Once the packet
has been selected, you will then be prompted for a filename and title
just like Send above. If the entries input are valid, you will see a
"bulk mailing" right before your eyes. Each user, their auto reply,
and their on-line/off-line status will be displayed. Slick!
5) Quit and return to the EMAIL command mode
Selecting the "Q" option will exit you from bulk mail and
place you back at EMAIL command mode.
*** F (file)
The "F" option from within EMAIL allows you to create a file
of a given message number in your List. You may call the file any
valid name you like in the format of "filename.extension". To create
a file in the current PPN you are logged into, first select the "L"
option to see what the message number is that you would like to save
to a file. Once you discover the valid message number, select the "F"
option. The following prompt will appear:
Enter message number from LIST:
At this time you should enter in the message number from your List
that you would like saved to a file. EMAIL will only allow you to
create a file of a mail message if you have previously Read the
message. EMAIL will "beep" at you if you have not first Read the
message. Once a valid message number from your List has been entered
at the above prompt, EMAIL will then ask you for a filename that you
would like to call the saved mail message:
Enter a filename to save to:
You may enter in any valid filename at this time. The default for the
extension in ".LST". If there is not a file in your current PPN that
matches the filename entered on the above prompt, EMAIL will then
create the file for you of your selected mail message.
*** A (auto reply)
This is more of a novelty than anything else. Remember from
Send above, if you send a message to a user and this user has created
an "auto reply", you will see this reply each time you send this user
a mail message. You are allowed to edit your auto reply at any time.
To do so, select the "A" option from the EMAIL command mode. This will
display your current auto reply (if present) and ask you for an update
(optional). For example, you might see something like this:
Auto Reply is: WOW! That last letter was great!
Updated Reply:
The cursor will be resting at the update prompt. Enter in a RETURN to
cancel the update, else enter in a new reply and end the reply with
a RETURN. Your new auto reply will then be displayed on the Auto Reply
line, and you will be returned to EMAIL command mode.
*** Q (quit)
Selecting "Q" from the EMAIL command mode will return you to
"the dot" or your menu.
