Category : BBS Programs+Doors
Archive   : SM106_N.ZIP
Filename : SM.DOC
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------------------------------------------------------
| |
| Session Manager |
| Version 1.06 |
| 1990 |
| |
| |
| A mail reader, resident editor, and |
| offline bulletin board file management |
| program compatible with the Qmail, |
| MarkMail and Tomcat doors. |
| |
| copyright (c) Patrick W. Hart 1990 |
| all rights reserved |
| |
| |
------------------------------------------------------
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Disclaimer________________________________ii
Registration______________________________iii
Features__________________________________iv
Conventions_______________________________v
Concepts__________________________________vi
Menus_____________________________________vii
Menu Hotkeys______________________________viii
Mouse interface___________________________xi
Multiple choice prompts___________________xi
Introduction______________________________x
Quick Set Up______________________________1
Board Menu________________________________2
Select Submenu____________________________2
Get Info Submenu__________________________3
Quit Submenu______________________________3
Packet Menu_______________________________3
Mail Submenu______________________________4
Message Read Commands_____________________5
Zippy Submenu_____________________________6
Bulletins Submenu_________________________6
News Submenu______________________________6
NewFiles Submenu__________________________6
Import Replies Submenu____________________7
Save Packet Submenu_______________________7
Prep Upload Submenu_______________________7
Entering A Message________________________8
Ascii Characters__________________________11
Folders___________________________________11
System Menu_______________________________13
Options Menu______________________________13
SMQINST___________________________________17
Config Menu (Reader)______________________18
System Directories Submenu________________18
Flags and Switches Submenu________________20
Display Options Submenu___________________25
OS Shell Options Submenu__________________26
Colors Submenu____________________________27
Editor Menu_______________________________28
Config Menu (Editor)______________________28
Margins Submenu___________________________29
Format Options Submenu____________________30
Tabs Submenu______________________________31
Edit File Options Submenu_________________32
Save Setup Submenu________________________33
File Menu_________________________________34
Edit Opts Menu____________________________36
Window Submenu____________________________36
Text Submenu______________________________37
Block Submenu_____________________________39
Goto Submenu______________________________41
Search Submenu____________________________43
Screen Fonts______________________________44
Command Line Switches_____________________A-1
Meta Statements___________________________B-1
Quick Reference Chart_____________________C-1
Authors comments and acknowledgements_____D-1
Index_____________________________________I-1
ii
DISCLAIMER
USE THIS SOFTWARE AT YOUR OWN RISK!
-----------------------------------
Due to the complex nature and vagaries of today's hardware and
software market, the author cannot be held accountable for any loss
of data or information through the use of this software or anything
in this software package. There are many different types of
hardware and software combinations that are possible today that
create conditions for programmers that are difficult or impossible
to manage.
Guarantees and special support are increasingly more difficult or
impossible to supply and are not stated or implied in any manner
here. This is a low-cost piece of shareware at the present time and
is written and supported by a private individual. The use of this
software constitutes your consent to use it AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Registration of this software comes with a 30 day money back
guarantee. This guarantee is limited to a refund of the purchase
price.
Users note: As always but especially in the case of a new program,
you should take precautions to back up your files. No guarantee is
made that this program will suit the purposes for which you intend
to use it, and certainly the author will not be liable for any
damages or losses resulting from its use.
iii
Realizing that a very small percentage of shareware users register
software, the author of this software thought long and hard about
what he could/should do to the unregistered version of Session
Manager to ensure that it gets registered.
The author did not want to create a shareware program that would
"self destruct" after the nth usage or blink an annoying message for
sixty seconds. On the other hand, he was not going to just "give
away" his efforts for free.
Some authors go to such great extent in protecting their creations
that their files are basically useless and just waste expensive
space on BBS hard drives. In the shareware version of Session
Manager, you cannot turn off taglines, and "-----" will appear where
the serial number goes when the software is registered. You also
cannot use SMQINST to reconfigure the keyboard.
Once registered, you will be provided with a serial number and
password that you will use with the SMQINST program to brand your
copy as registered. Your registration will be valid for all
subsequent updates within the same major version (i.e. all 1.xx) and
for any subsequent major version update released withing 1 year of
purchase.
COST
Session Manager costs only $35.00 (U.S.) dollars to register. This
is quite inexpensive when you consider it costs about the same as
other readers but offers an editor with many more features, it has
more inherant power, and is simpler to use.
*********************************************************************
* FOR REGISTRATIONS: *
* By mail: By Modem: *
* (using VISA or Master Card) *
* Exchange Computers The Exchange BBS *
* 333 Office Square Lane (804) 552-1010 (2400) *
* Suite 103 (804) 552-1010 (9600 HST) *
* Virginia Beach, Virginia (804) 552-1010 (Dual Standard)*
* Standard *
* 23462 *
* *
* Voice phone - (804) 552-1009 *
* *
* VISA and Master Card orders mail please complete the order form. *
* *
* For a diskette please add $10.00 *
* *
* Virginia residents must add local sales tax to the total. *
*********************************************************************
Welcome to Session Manager. We think you will find it a very
superior product and hope you enjoy using it.
While it is certainly understandable that you just can't wait to
start using Session Manager, it is strongly advised that you READ
THE DOCUMENTATION first. Session Manager is an extremely versatile
program with an abundance of unique and special features. Reading
the docs is the only way to realize the full benefits of these
features.
iv
FEATURES
* Session Manager is an off-line mail reader and editor. You may
use it to read and enter bulletin board messages o bulletin
boards that support MarkMail, Quick Mail, or Tomcat.
* Session Manager supports multiple download packets even when used
between different BBSs. It allows you to merge replies destined
for the same and different BBSs.
* Session Manager fully supports 4 windows. You can have a
message, bulletin or new files listing, be writing a new message,
and have another text file - all active at the same time. You
can have all the power of pEditor and be able to copy text from
any window into either of the 2 editing windows. You can easily
quote from multiple messages, even quote from multiple messages
in multiple download packets.
* Session Manager gives you the ability to search through a
conference for all occurrences of a key word or phrase that you
specify. It even does case insensitive searching.
* With Session Manager, you can change your thread order between
Subject, From, To, and Message number on the fly and you can even
save your favorite order as a default.
* Session Manager gives you virtually the same key macros shared
by pEditor with the now added ability to use them while processing
your message packets. Session Manager has ten Macros supplied
(SM.MAC) that are easy to use and understand. These macros are
currently set up for special purpose like easy importing of a text
file, writing a signature etc. Macro's are very easily tailored to
your special needs, and you may add and use as many separate macro
files as necessary.
* Session Manager gives you the ability to print single or multiple
messages to either your printer or a file, and it does all of
that in the background. No need to load PRINT.COM!
* Session Manager has full on line help making it easy to use all
the features even without reading the documentation.
* Session Manager allows the user configuration for any of about
200 functions - especially handy when used to re-configure the
editor keys to match those of your favorite word processor.
* Session Manager has the ability to save messages for future use,
to move messages between conferences or even between different
bulletin board packets.
* Special fonts are supplied for EGA and VGA monitors. These can be
used from within Session Manager to add change to your usual DOS
font.
* Mouse support is built in.
v
CONVENTIONS
For the purposes of this document, keys will be shown within < >.
If a letter key is used in combination with another key, the letter
will be included within the < >. When a command requires pressing a
letter key after the
necessary. (See example, below.)
Help can be accessed at any point by pressing
can also be found in the prompt line at the top of the page.
The term
on some keyboards.
The term
message, whether it is a reply to a message, or a newly entered
message.
When selecting options from the main menu that can be ON and OFF or
YES/NO/ASK, press the highlighted letter of the option or press
Session Manager commands are listed as below. The name of the
command precedes at least one of the three possible means of
calling the operation. Most commands can be invoked by one or two
methods, including use of the menu system.
used to exit any of the pull down menus.
Save Command is
In this case, Save may be called by any of three possible methods:
a function key
commands, or from the main menu (accessed by pressing
by pressing the highlighted letter or moving the cursor to the
desired option and pressing
command, you must hold
left corner, you will see ^K. You can then press the key, S. It is
not necessary to hold
A dialogue box is a window that will pop up near the bottom of the
page when you press
pull down menus. Type your entries there as shown below.
------------------------------------------------
| Board Packet System Options Config |
------------------------------------------------
| System Directories..|
------------------------------------ tches.. |
|Home
|Work
|Folder
|Upload
|Download
|Search spec _____________________ |
|ZIP spec _____________________ |
|UN ZIP spec _____________________ |
------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
|Home
----------------------------------------------------------
^
Dialogue box -----|
vi
CONCEPTS
Session Manager is primarily intended as an offline interface to
your local bulletin board service. You may import mail packets, and
reply with the built in editor. You will also be able to read the
bulletins and news files found in many popular doors. It is
compatible with the Qmail, MarkMail, and Tomcat doors found on many
bulletin board systems.
After you call your BBS, you must open the mail door. If it is the
first time you have done this, you also must configure the door for
the conferences in which you would like to participate. This is
simply a matter of selecting the conferences for mail and, if
necessary, setting message pointers. You will only have to do this
once, unless at a later date you want to add or delete conferences.
Once you have the door configured, you (D)ownload your mail packet.
There may be some limits (set by the Sysop) to the number of
messages allowed per packet, and per conference. The packet will be
named with the ID of your BBS and a QWK as the extension (i.e.,
EXCHANGE.QWK). Many communication programs will rename downloaded
files if a duplicate file is detected. If your comm program
supports this, and you already have one mail packet and download
another, the second will have QW0 as the extension. Unlike many
mail readers, Session Manager allows for multiple mail packets.
After you have downloaded your mail packet and log off the BBS, you
start Session Manager. You read mail in the various conferences and
reply to the messages that you find of interest. You can read the
NEWS and the BULLETINS. You can also view the NEW FILE list. When
you are finished reading the packet and writing replies, you call
the BBS and open the mail door. You (U)pload your replies. From
here, the process starts all over again.
Many people automate the mail process by use of BAT files and
scripts.
vii
MENUS
There are TWO Menus, one for reading messages, bulletins, and news,
the other dedicated to the editor. Some functions are shared by both
menus.
Session Manager Main Menu
------------------------------------------------
| Board Packet System Options Config |
-=--------=---------=---------=----------=------
Editor Main Menu
----------------------------------------------
| File Edit Opts Options Config |
---=--------=-------------=----------=--------
From the main menu, you can select many functions, open one of the
four main windows, change configuration, select packets and more.
WINDOWS
--------
| Header |
--------------- ---
| Message | |
--------------- |
| New Message | |
| or Reply |
--------------- | === Windows
| Browse | |
--------------- |
| Edit | |
--------------- ---
When reading messages, there are up to four windows and optionally
the header. The above four windows are depicted as if open at one
time. Usually you will have one or two windows open.
The Windows are:
bulletin board door, or alternately a previously saved message in
the database.
entering or a reply to a displayed message from the above window.
listings. Text can be exported to a message or to the File Window.
used for temporary or permanent importing/exporting of text.
The
commands.
viii
MENU HOTKEYS
Once started, from any of the main windows, Session Manager menus
may be accessed by using menu hotkeys as follows:
An example of this would be when starting up, you are normally
presented with a list of packets to open (depending on your last
session and configuration). If you open a packet, SM will move to
the Mail selection under Main Menu/Packet submenu. Once you have
selected a conference to read, if you desired to start by reading
bulletins, you would then use
will be presented with the list of available bulletins and once
selected, another window would open displaying the selected entry.
Use of the space bar allows reading each page of each bulletin and
automatic selection of the next bulletin.
Bear in mind that internal Session Manager commands listed in this
document are for stock copies of Session Manager. If you run
SMQINST.EXE and modify commands, the commands listed in this doc
file will be incorrect. However, your context sensitive help,
accessed by pressing
MONITORS
On mono monitors, Session Manager's menu hotkeys are highlighted.
On color monitors they are in a contrasting color. You may use the
arrow keys to move about, and the
you can select commands by simply typing the highlighted letter of
your desired command.
ix
MOUSE INTERFACE
Session Manager has built in mouse support. The mouse interface
mirrors that of the normal keyboard interface. There is no "mouse
cursor" rather, mouse movement will act like cursor key presses.
For example, the "Browse" window for a conference will allow rapid
scrolling up and down with mouse movement. The left button is
interpreted as
buttons requests "Help" while in the menu system and will bring up
the menus from any of the text windows. In a message window, when
the cursor is not visible, mouse movement will cause the message to
scroll. In any window where the cursor is visible, mouse movement
will move the cursor. The buttons do not currently have a function
while in any of the text windows. Horizontal mouse sensitivity is
reduced while in the menu system to prevent inadvertent movement to
adjacent menus. The separate installation program SMQINST allows
you to change the sensitivity of the mouse movement.
MULTIPLE CHOICE PROMPTS
Whenever Session Manager has to stop to ask you a question, it will
provide you with a multiple choice prompt. The answer can be
selected by pressing the appropriate letter, by using the cursor
keys to high light your selection followed by pressing
by using the mouse to move the high lighted selection and pressing
the
x
INTRODUCTION
Session Manager is a flexible, powerful program that can probably be
used without reading the documentation. However, since SM is an
extremely versatile program with an abundance of unique and special
features, reading the documentation is the only way to realize the
benefits of ALL of these features. For those of you who choose not
to take the time to read the docs, a Quick Set Up follows on page 1.
After that, is a section on Message Handling. Next is an in depth
section on the Reader's Main Menu. The Editor's Main Menu is
covered after that. (pEditor or WordStar users will probably find
it unecessary to read this section.) There are two appendices, a
Quick Reference Chart for keystrokes, and a list of command line
switches.
Page 1
QUICK SET UP
Session Manager will run as-is out of the box. When you start the
program for the first time, Session Manager will realize that it
hasn't been configured and will place you immediately in the Config
Menu. The required "minimum setup" is to tell SM.EXE what its home
directory is and the paths to the programs and directories for your
mail and utilities by entering it under the "Config/Load File
Options" submenu. Save the setup in the "Config/Save setup"
submenu. More in depth setup instructions can be found in the
section dealing with the Config menu.
------------------------------------------------
| Board Packet System Options Config |
------------------------------------------------
| System Directories..|
------------------------------------ tches.. |
|Home
|Work
|Folder
|Upload
|Download
|Search spec _____________________ |
|ZIP spec _____________________ |
|UN ZIP spec _____________________ |
------------------------------------
To obtain a hardcopy of the documentation, from DOS, key in:
TYPE SM.DOC > PRN
Or import it into your favorite word processor or editor for
printing.
Should you really be in that much of a hurry, you should know that
Session Manager has on-line context sensitive help that can be
accessed by pressing
Page 2
Upon normal startup one of two possibilities exist for Session
Manager. If messages exist in the \WORK subdirectory you may simply
continue a previous unfinished session. The Pick Conference window
will be displayed in the center of the screen. Pressing
returns to an interrupted session. If the mail has already been
read, you will not be able to read it if CONFIG\Flags &
Switches\Re-Read Messages is set to NO.
You may also start a new session at this point by pressing
or
\WORK subdirectory is empty, you will start Session Manager from the
BOARD\Select submenu.
BOARD MENU
SELECT OPTION
-----------------------------------------------------
| Board Packet System Options Config |
-----------------------------------------------------
| Select |
| Manual |
| Get info | -------C:\TELIX\DOWN\*.Q* --------
| Quit | | EXCHANGE.QW0 04/14/90 22:00 12K |
---------- | EXCHANGE.QW1 04/15/90 21:40 22K |
| EXCHANGE.QW2 04/15/90 17:41 17K |
| EXCHANGE.QW3 04/16/90 22:59 16K |
| EXCHANGE.QWK 04/13/90 22:47 71K |
----------------------------------
This menu will display any mail packets listed in the Download
entry according to the mask information supplied in Search spec.
The Up and Down arrow keys will move the select bar. Pressing
Work
through the entries and use the
Note: In any of the directory windows, you can delete the
currently high lighted file by pressing
followed by a prompt to verify that you want to delete the file.
If the mail packet fails to unpack, check System Directories
information for correct entries. This may be caused by using an
incorrect version for unzipping files.
During the unpacking of a mail packet, a window pops up in the
middle of the screen where you will see the action. After the mail
is unpacked, you will automatically be placed in the
Packet/Mail/Pick Conference submenu. In a small number of machines,
this information may not be properly displayed. If you find that to
be the case, you may start Session Manager using the "/NW" command
line switch to disable the windowed operating system shell.
Page 3
MANUAL OPTION
"Manual" acts like "Select" except rather that presenting you with a
list of BBS packets, it allows you to enter the BBS ID and will
provide the ability to enter messages to a BBS for which you have no
QWK packet.
Note that this will alter the method of entering the conference
number for your messages. Since SM does not know what conferences
the BBS has, you will be required to enter the number in the address
window. Also, in the display of the messages you have written the
"Conference" field in the header will show the conference number.
GET INFO Command is
This option will display user specific information relating to the
current BBS when activated from the
---------------- Session Manager Version 1.05 N --------------
| The Exchange |
| |
| Virginia Beach, VA 1-804-552-1010 |
| Sysop: Steve Haynes BBSID: EXCHANGE |
| |
| Name: PAT HART Date: 01-15-1989 Time: 19:30:25 |
| From: SAN DIEGO, CA |
| Home Ph.: 555-1111 Work Ph.: 555-2222 |
| |
| USER STATISTICS |
| Security level : 120 Max K bytes / day: 9999 |
| Log on count : 3970 Remaining K bytes: 9999 |
| Expire date : 02-07-99 Download count : 62 |
| Minutes per day : 120 Upload count : 18 |
| Minutes remaining: 25 Minutes this call: 1 |
--------------------------------------------------------------
Note: The letter following the version number indicates the presence
of overlaid code. Beginning with SM 1.05, the main executable
program is available in 2 versions, overlaid and non-overlaid code.
This provides a convent method of seeing which version you have if
you didn't otherwise know. The non-overlaid version has a minimum
RAM requirement of approximately 400K but will operate faster that
the overlaid code which has a minimum RAM requirement of
approximately 300K.
QUIT Command is
This will exit Session Manager and return you to DOS. If any
windows have been modified, and you have your flags and switches set
for ASK, you will be given the opportunity to save any files.
Page 4
PACKET MENU
-----------------------------------------------------
| Board Packet System Options Config |
-----------------------------------------------------
| Mail |
| Zippy |
| Bulletins |
| News |
| Welcome screen |
| Goodbye screen |
| New Files |
| Import replies |
| Save packet |
| Prep. Upload |
----------------
MAIL SUBMENU
If you have a packet already unzipped, and desire to continue a
previously interrupted session, you may continue at the Packet/Mail
menu. SM will not allow access to this area if there is no packet
active. This menu is shown below.
-----------------------------------------------------
| Board Packet System Options Config |
-----------------------------------------------------
| Mail ---------Pick Conference---------
| Zippy | ¯ 28 SesMngr 20 Mÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ |
| Bulletins | ¯ûþ 0 Main Board 2 Mÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ |
| News | ¯ûÿÿ2 Progcornÿ 1 Mÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ |
| Welcome scre| ¯û 3 Buy_Sell 3 Mÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ |
| Goodbye scre| ¯û ÿ5 Sysops 2 Mÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ |
| New Files | ¯û 7 Soap_Box 4 Mÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ |
| Import repli| ¯û 17 pEditor 8 Mÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ |
| Save packet | ¯ ÿÿ9ÿPrivateÿ ÿÿÿÿÿÿ |
| Prep. Upload| ¯ 10ÿStore ÿÿÿÿÿÿ |
------------- ---------------------------------
The right pointing double arrow depicts a conference with messages.
The conference number is displayed to the left, the number of
messages in that conference to the right. If there are personal
messages to you, a special "Personal" conference will be at the top
with your messages. The small block to the left indicates that
there are bulletins in that conference. A check mark beside a
conference depicts conferences that have been read previously. A ñ
indicates a partially read conference.
Page 5
At this point you may select the conference you wish to read by
moving the select bar with the up or down arrow keys or the mouse.
Alternatively you can type the name or the number of the conference.
As you type, SM will find the first match for the currently queued
key strokes. At the same time the currently queued key strokes will
be displayed in the lower left corner of the window. Each
additional key stroke will be added to the queue as long as there's
at least a partial match. The queue is cleared when there is no
match. Matches on conference name are made without regard to case.
The key queue may be cleared by pressing the
While in the conference pick window, you may alter the default sort
order by pressing
session or you can make it permanent by selecting Config - Save
setup.
Pressing
first message. You may continue to read the messages by pressing
transition of each screen of each message and automatically goes
from message to message.
allow movement within that message. All empty trailing lines from
incoming messages are removed as they are loaded. This reduces the
occurrences of
At the top of the screen is the message header. The message format
is displayed below:
------------------------------------------------------------------
| Msg #: 6810 Ref #: 6802 Date : 04-17-90 Msg 1 of 20 |
| From : PAT HART Time : 19:23 Direction : Forward |
| To : PAUL WILSON Read : Yes Conference: SesMngr |
| Subj : Faye BBS : Exchange Thread: Subject |
------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| Message text here |
| . |
| . |
------------------------------------------------------------------
MESSAGE READ COMMANDS
At the end of each conference, returns to the Pick
Conference window. In the backwards direction,
ignores the message read flag. In the forward
direction, advances according to configuration of
RE-READ MESSAGES.
the current message and then to next message
+ or = Set direction to forward
- or _ Set direction to reverse
G Reads backwards without changing direction flag
Page 5A
MESSAGE READ COMMANDS cont.
T Change Thread order (temporary for this session
only unless saved)
S Skip to next thread item in current direction
Z Zippy search the current conference
R Reply to a message
E Enter a message
K Kill a message (replies conference only)
B Browse messages in current conference
A Write current message to ASCII file
return to an unfinished conference.
P Print a message
Notes:
useful for displaying ANSI messages. ANSI.SYS (or an equivalent)
must be loaded for ANSI encoded messages to display properly. This
command works in any window type and can even be used in a window
that you are editing before it is saved. There is built in logic to
display ANSI type screens without them scrolling off the screen.
Whenever SM detects that the screen may be scrolled or cleared when
there is text on the screen, it will issue a pause prompt to
temporally suspend the screen. Pressing
process or any other key will allow it to continue.
in a message window will cause the current message to be printed
as a background task. The print job will not begin until there has
been approximately 2 seconds of no keyboard activity. You can
continue to read your mail as well as queue other messages for
printing while SM prints the selected messages. Note here that SM
creates the temporary file SMPRINT.$$$ in your work directory. That
file will contain the messages you have selected for print and it
will be deleted when the printing job is complete. The printing uses
the defaults set up in the print configuration window. You can set
up the print configuration via the
through it without actually starting the print job. In that window
you can set the output to a file if you prefer. Note also that the
print configuration is saved when the setup is saved.
When in the 'Replies conference' a message that has been saved into
a REP will have an 'S' in the space immediately to the right of the
read check. The value displayed in the message number field
represents the entry order of the reply versus the actual message
number which will be assigned by the BBS.
Page 6
ZIPPY SUBMENU
Zippy allows you to search through all conferences for occurrences
of a specified string. If no match is found, a message will be
displayed informing you of this. If a match is found, the messages
that contain the match will be in a special ZIPPY conference that
you access just as any other conference. A successful search will
move you directly into the Pick Conference window.
BULLETINS/NEWS/NEW FILES SUBMENUS
-----------------------------------------------------
| Board Packet System Options Config |
-----------------------------------------------------
| Mail |
| Zippy |
| Bulletins |
| News -------C:\SM\WORK\blt*.*-------
| Welcome scr| BLT-0 .14 2/7/90 15:59 651B |
| Goodbye scr| BLT-0 .16 2/7/90 15:59 463B |
| New Files | BLT-0 .25 2/7/90 15:59 1K |
| Import repl| BLT-0 .96 2/7/90 15:59 424K |
| Save packet -------------------------------
| Prep. Upload |
----------------
Bulletin Command is
You may select a specific bulletin by scrolling through with the
up/down arrows and then pressing
containing the selected bulletin, you may use the
scroll through the bulletin and advance to the next bulletin.
Pressing
Bulletin Pick Window.
you to the Packet sub-menu.
News Command is
Allows you to read the NEWS file from the bulletin board.
New Files Command is
Allows you to read the New Files listing from the BBS. This is
similar to a "N S U" (or New Since Upload) command on the BBS.
NOTE: Bulletins, News, and New Files will only be part of your mail
packet if the Sysop of the board has the mail door configured to
send these files. You also will only receive these files only if
they have been updated since your last logon to the board. If you
are not receiving the files, check with the Sysop of the board.
Page 7
IMPORT REPLIES/SAVE PACKET/PREP UPLOAD SUBMENUS
Import Replies Command is
Import Replies from the menu allows importing REP packets located in
your configured upload directory. You may select replies from any
BBS. Use this option with caution. While Session Manager can be
configured to automatically import reply packets and insure against
importing duplicates of existing messages, this option assumes that
you know what you are doing.
Save packet Command is
This feature allows you to save a session along with your replies to
a packet of the same name. This is useful if you desire to leave a
session and finish it later. When saving, the original file date
and time is stored.
Double Session
You can use more than one session for mail. As an example, assume
you desire to read and reply to local mail, upload replies and then
return to the session for NET mail. By opening the mail packet again
in BOARD\SELECT submenu, you may start as if you had a fresh packet
of mail to read and Enter messages. This allows you to split a large
session into pieces, yet send replies in a timely manner. For the
true message-aholic.
Prep Upload Command is
This function is used when you desire to prepare a packet for upload
of your messages. This is a handy feature if you are using a RAM
disk as your \WORK directory. A packet will be created in your
\UPLOAD subdirectory with the name BBSNAME.REP where BBSNAME is the
name of the BBS as configured for that BBS' mail door.
Session Manager is very careful to keep track of previously saved
messages. This should be considered as a safety net and like any
net, you want to be careful not to get entangled. When you are
saving messages and SM recognizes that there are messages that have
been previously saved, you will be prompted to save these messages
again. Because Session Manager does not know if these messages have
been uploaded, you must supply the correct answer to that prompt.
Since the reply packet is totally reconstructed when this option is
used, if you have not uploaded the current replies then you will
want to re-save those messages. If you choose not to re-save
previously saved messages, then those messages are simply flagged as
"Killed" and you can later toggle the Killed flag off from the
Replies conference area.
Refer also to Reply Autosave under Config/Flags and Switches
submenu. This contains VERY important information necessary to
understanding what is happening during creating of a reply packet.
Page 8
ENTERING A MESSAGE
When you press "R" or "E" to enter a message, the Address info
window pops up in the middle of the screen as displayed here:
--------------------- Address info ----------------------
| |
| Refer # 1234 Copy Msg: N |
| From: George Bush Auto route: N |
| To: Pat Hart Ext editor: N |
| |
| Subj: Session Manager |
| |
| Private: N Conf: 28 SM |
| |
| Tag line: |
| Read my lips: Session Manager is GREAT!! |
| |
|
---------------------------------------------------------
REFER # Refers to present message number when using (R)eply. It
is blank if (E)ntering a new message.
FROM Your name
TO The person you're sending the message to. If using
(R)eply, the field is already filled with the name of the
person who wrote the original message.
SUBJ Subject of your message. If using (R)eply, it is
unchanged. If you desire to change it, the first typed
letter blanks the entry box.
PRIVATE Enter (Y)es for private message and (N)o for public.
CONF Current conference number and name. If you want to
change the conference, press
window will pop up and you can select the desired
conference at that time. You may also enter the
conference pick window by pressing any normal key (i.e.
3, A, ect) when that field is current followed by the
action as described above. Note that there is no sort
performed on the list of conferences when the pick window
is entered via the address window and all the conferences
will be in their numeric order.
TAGLINE The <+> and <-> keys will scroll through the taglines
when in that entry area. (For more info, see Use Tag
Lines under Flags and Switches Submenu.)
COPY MSG You may elect to copy the entire message into the new
window using a user configured quote prefix. Selecting
[Y]es on this field will perform that operation
automatically. The default for this option may be
configured in the Config / Flags & switches sub-menu.
Page 9
AUTO ROUTE PCRelay type network software allows users messages to be
routed directly to a node. When Session Manager
recognizes this capability this field will appear in the
address window when you are making a reply. The default
for this option may be configured in the Config / Flags &
Switches sub-menu.
Note: If you are replying to a message having been
determined to be routable and your reply is flagged as
private, the Auto Route flag will be toggled to Yes
regardless of the default setting. You may still disable
auto routing by selecting [N]o on the Auto Route field.
EXT EDITOR This field will appear only if you have configured for
an external editor using the SMQINST program.
Selecting [Y]es here will allow you to use your editor
rather than Session Managers internal editor.
Once correct, press
entering your message.
address window, press
data.
The first thing you see after starting the editor is a split screen.
The top window is the original message; the bottom window is the
If you have selected zoom as a default, it will cause a full screen
message window for each window. This will require you to use F6 to
switch between the two windows. If you are entering a new message
in a conference that had no messages, you will also have a full
screen. After you have entered your message, press
If you decide not to save the message, press
When (K)illing a message, the message is marked for deletion in a
separate file. When Session Manager detects the presence of killed
messages, it will create a temporary file to be used when preparing
the upload packet. The messages are not actually deleted.
"Killed" is displayed in the "Read" field in the message header
window. If you (R)eply to a message you wrote while in the REPLIES
conference, the original reply is marked as killed when
used to accept the new reply. The contents of the killed message
(less the tag line) will be copied into the new window. This will
allow for easy editing of a reply.
Page 10
Split Screen
------------------------
| Header |
------------------------
| |
| Message window |
| |
| |
|------------------------|
| |
| Reply window |
| |
| |
------------------------
Displayed at the top of the Editor window is the status line.
The status line immediately above the text displays several
important pieces of information.
------- --- ------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ---- ---- --
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
1. The current window type or filename, i.e.,
SM.DOC
2. The percentage factor represents your relative location in the
message, i.e. if it says 25% you are 1/4 of the way into the
message.
3. The current line number you are working on.
4. The column number represents the placement of the cursor
horizontally.
5. The page number you are currently on. Some bulletin boards
allow very large messages.
6. Insert when shown indicates that Insert is on. (Over if Insert
is off.)
7. Indent when shown indicates that Auto Indent is on.
8. Wrap when shown indicates that Word Wrap is on.
9. Justify when shown indicates that Right Justification is on.
10. Line Block (LB) or Column Block (CB), whichever is configured.
Session Manager updates the status line as a background process.
Faster typists might see a lag in the information contained on the
status line. This becomes even more apparent when page break display
is turned on and you are working in the middle of a large document.
In almost all cases the keyboard input is given priority scheduling.
Page 11
ASCII CHARACTERS
Enhanced keyboards are supported directly by SM. The "Emulate
Enhanced keyboard" option in SMQINST is set to default to off. As
long as the "emulation" remains off, all users will be able to enter
the hi order ASCII characters using the normal
ASCII characters below #32 are also control characters. To enter
these you must first enter
character as you would for the higher ASCII characters. Also an
ASCII table is built into Session Manager and may be displayed by
pressing
but would like to have access to those commands (i.e.
ON using SMQINST and then hi order ASCII characters will be entered
using the
FOLDERS
The FOLDER function is set up to conveniently save and retrieve
messages in Session Manager's usual lightning fast fashion, yet
provide flexibility. This enables the user to keep selected
messages from each mail packet for an indefinite period of time,
without having to save the entire packet.
During Setup, you select a folder name. If you chose the default, a
subdirectory for each BBS will be created and each file within will
represent saved messages from selected conferences.
To better explain the concept, consider the following default:
C:\SM\@BOARD\@CONF.SMF
\SM is used as an example for the subdirectory that Session Manager
resides in.
\@BOARD is a subdirectory under \SM that will be expanded to match
the code name of the current BBS. If the subdirectory does not
exist, it will be created with a write operation.
\@CONF like the above, this will be expanded to match the current
conference name. The .SMF extension is used by SM for tracking
purposes.
Using the above example, messages can easily be saved to a folder in
a subdirectory named for the BBS in a file named for the conference.
Each conference that messages are saved in will have a separate .SMF
file. The .SMF extension is used by convenience for tracking
purposes.
At present Session Manager is not configured to save all messages
automatically. We have investigated this and feel that it takes up
a lot of space. For the sake of speed, .SMF files are not
compressed. Since each message takes up approximately 1K average, it
is easy to see that saving all messages would quickly eat a lot of
drive space. Another thing to consider is that the larger the
database, the more time it takes to find a message or
text.
Messages are saved individually by conference. They can be marked
for saving later, or may be bulk marked and saved.
Page 12
FOLDER COMMANDS
messages in the current conference are marked, this will
mark all messages in the conference. If any message is
marked, it will clear all messages.
messages in the current conference to the default file:
C:\HOMEDIR\BBSNAME\CONFERENCE.SMF
prompts for folder name.
\CONFERENCE.SMF. You may select the default folder or
select a different folder at this point.
folder window if an .SMF is
in
folder may be open at a time.
directly to the default folder.
messages are saved by using
message will cause an "M" to appear in the message header.
will prompt for a folder name.
Folder Management
It is probably simpler and easier to use the folder functions if you
pick a favorite and stick with it. When combined with the existing
Read commands in the same window, it could conceivably get
confusing. Using the default subdirectory and .SMF filenames makes
things quite a bit simpler and makes this portion of Session Manager
easy to use.
Page 13
SYSTEM MENU
-----------------------------------------------------
| Board Packet System Options Config |
-----------------------------------------------------
| Files |
| Conferences |
| Bulletins |
-------------
Session manager allows you to take advantage of the various mail
doors ability to configure off line. Through this menu you can
select or de-select Conferences, Files listings, and bulletins.
Depending on the door type detected by SM, the prompts that follow
these selections will guide you through the process of off line
configuring.
OPTIONS MENU
-----------------------------------------------------
| Board Packet System Options Config |
-----------------------------------------------------
| Macros.. |
| Directory.. |
| Change directory.. |
| Operating system.. |
| Toggle area |
| Help |
----------------------
MACROS
One MACRO file is supplied that is useful and performs several
functions for message writing. You can easily change it to meet your
specific needs. To permanently change this macro, edit and store it
while in the home directory, and your new macros will become the
default. You may have other macro files too. When you store (save)
the macros, simply store them under a different file name. The
original macro file is SM.MAC. Ten macros are stored in each .MAC
file.
Page 14
-----------------------------------------------------
| Board Packet System Options Config |
-----------------------------------------------------
| Macros.. |
| ------------------ |
|| Load macros ||
|| Store macros ||
|| Playback ||
|| Record ||
|| Auto Macros ON ||
| Edit |
------------------
Load macros Command is
A previously stored file of Session Manager keyboard macros is
loaded into memory. Session Manager automatically loads the macro
file SM.MAC, when the program is started. Session Manager can load
macro files other than the default macro. This option requires that
the command line switch /M
Store macros Command is
The current set of Session Manager keyboard macros is written to a
disk file. A prompt box will ask for a file name. The macro file is
a binary file in a special format used by Session Manager. Macro
files are stored in Session Manager's configured home directory.
Playback Command is
This command will play back a previously recorded macro. A menu
showing the names of all macros can be displayed, and the macro
desired for playback is chosen.
Record Command is
Any keystrokes entered after this command is activated are stored
within a keyboard macro. To stop macro recording, enter this command
a second time. A prompt box will ask for which of the ten macros
should store the newly recorded one, and for a descriptive name for
the macro. Whenever a new macro is recorded, it remains in memory
and can be played back multiple times by using
the number of times you want the macro to playback.
Auto Macros Command is
Session Manager allows you to have macro files with the "0" macro as
auto executing. Turn Auto Macros OFF and save the macro file with
the "0" macro named as @AUTO. Turn Auto Macros on, and the "0" macro
will be executed when that macro file is loaded. The additional
command @MENU in the "0" macro name causes Session Manager to pause
at the Macro Playback Menu. After an auto executing macro is loaded,
it is renamed to Scrap. If you want to have an autoexecuting macro
in the default macro file (SM.MAC), you must load that file AFTER
you have started SM. You can also use the command line switch
mentioned in Load Macros when starting SM.
Page 15
The following table shows the available auto macro variables and
commands:
These variables are translated when the macro file is loaded:
@LOADPATH - The current file path when the macro file was loaded.
@HOMEPATH - The configured home directory for Session Manager.
@MACRONAME - The full filespec for the current macro file.
These variables are translated when the macro is run:
@FILEEXT - The extension of the current window's file.
@FILEPRE - The name prefix of the current window's file.
@FILENAME - The full filespec of the current window's file.
@DATE - The system date. *
@TIME - The system time. *
@FROMBLOCK - The contents of the current block. The block will be
used if it begins and ends on the same line and it is
less than 255 characters. Caution should be used here
as use of this variable can over fill the macro buffer
causing the end of the macro to be truncated.
These commands are executed when the macro is run:
@MAINMENU - Calls Session Manager's Main Menu with no sub menus
active.
@INSERT(ON) - Forces insert mode on.
@INSERT(OFF) - Forces insert mode off.
@CLEARMOD - Clears the window's modified flag. If the macro
modifies the current window, before or after this
command is issued the command will have no effect.
@FIRSTNAME - The first name of the current message from field. *
@LASTNAME - The last name of the current message from field. *
(The first and last names will be displayed in their
proper case.)
@INITIALS - The first and last initials of the current message
from field. *
@CONF - The current conference of the message window. *
@BOARD - The BBS ID code of the current BBS. *
@WINDOW([WindowName]) - Moves to the window named in [WindowName]
Window Names are: Message, NewMsg, Browse,
and Edit
* These metas can also be used in the tagline.
Edit Command is
Macros recorded within Session Manager can be edited on a character
by character basis using the built-in macro editor. A prompt box
will ask for a new name for the macro. The macro will appear in
another window. It can be edited using the cursor keys, the ,
and
literally into the macro.
any changes made to the macro. In case you need to enter any of
these keys as part of the macro, press
mode. In this mode, all keystrokes will be inserted into the macro
without any interpretation.
Page 16
Directory Command is Menu only
------------------------ Directory mask ------------------------
| |
----------------------------------------------------------------
This lists all the files in the current directory. A window will
pop-up for entry of alternate paths or filename masks. Files in
other directories may be listed by typing the path to the directory
in the pop-up window.
Change directory Command is
-------------------- New Drive or Pathname ---------------------
|C:\NEW |
----------------------------------------------------------------
The current default drive or directory may be changed using this
command. Entering wildcards will cause a directory window to appear
showing possible choices. Files presently open in other directories
will be properly accessed even after the active directory is
changed.
Operating system Command is
----------------- DOS command (
| |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Any DOS command or program may be executed. A prompt box will ask
for the name of the command or program to run. Entering an empty
line at the prompt box will cause a DOS shell to be invoked. You may
execute any sequence of DOS commands from the shell, and return to
the editor by typing Exit. The DOS shell requires that a copy of
COMMAND.COM be present in the normal drive and directory assigned by
DOS. Sufficient random-access memory must be available for the shell
and any command that you specify. You should not execute any program
that becomes memory resident while within the DOS shell nor change
video modes.
Manual operation of this option will cause a "press any key" prompt
to appear before returning to SM. When called from a macro, the
prompt will not be displayed.
An alternate method of entering the DOS shell has been provided. If
the Swap option (accessed from the 'Config' - 'OS Shell options'
menu) is active, Session Manager will write the current contents of
RAM to a disk file and free all but about 9K of RAM for the shell.
Further information can be found in the 'Config submenu' section.
Toggle area Command is
This will toggle between the Reader Main Menu and the Editor Main
Menu.
Page 17
Help Command is
Whenever the Session Manager help system is on screen, you can use
will take you to the first and last pages of the section. Press
Session Manager menu system or within any prompt box will bring up a
window containing more detailed help regarding the selected command.
Pressing
help topics.
The Session Manager menu system is available at any time by pressing
menus. Within the menu system, you may activate "Key help" by
choosing Setup Display options Key help. With Key help activated,
the quick keystrokes that activate each command will be displayed on
the top row of the screen while the selection bar is positioned over
that menu item.
SMQINST.EXE
The file SMQINST.EXE is an external configuration program. It has
built in help and can be used to do extra things not supported with
Session Manager such as turn off EMS memory capability, special
subdirectory configuration, and other features.
The simple way to configure Session Manager is to start it up and
configure the paths, then save the configuration and exit Session
Manager. Start SMQINST.EXE and run through the configuration. That
should pretty well handle anything you need to do. You also have the
option of not running the install program but you will be missing
some of the powerful features. Some of the following configuration
items are handled within SMQINST.EXE also.
Some configuration and Editor features are not supported until you
have a mail packet imported. The Editor options are not operable
until you are replying to your first message and able to access the
Editor Menu.
The documentation for SMQINST can be found in a separate file,
SMQINST.DOC.
Page 18
CONFIG MENU
When you start Session Manager the first time, you will be prompted
for your System Directory configuration. This is required
information, most other configuration items are preset by default
and may be left that way.
SYSTEM DIRECTORIES SUBMENU
------------------------------------------------
| Board Packet System Options Config |
------------------------------------------------
| System Directories..|
------------------------------------ tches.. |
|Home
|Work
|Folder
|Upload
|Download
|Search spec _____________________ |
|ZIP spec _____________________ |
|UN ZIP spec _____________________ |
------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
|Home
----------------------------------------------------------
Home
This is the current location of Session Manager files. This
subdirectory may be named any legal DOS name. The default will be
the subdirectory you were in when you unzipped Session Manager.
Session Manager will know its location and you can select this
default SM directory by merely highlighting that selection, and
pressing
DOWNLOAD directories.
Work
This is the location where the mail packets will be uncompressed.
Your replies will also be stored here. This must be a separate
directory from the Session Manager directory. The default is \WORK
located below the SM \HOME subdirectory. The default can be selected
by pressing enter while the \WORK selection is highlighted.
Folder
If you desire to use the special folder function to save messages,
you may make an entry here. The suggested entry is @BOARD
subdirectory located under the Session Manager parent directory.
This way Session Manager will easily keep track of separate bulletin
boards and conferences for you.
Page 19
Upload
This is where you want your replies deposited. Session Manager
cannot determine this for you.
Download
This is the location of the mail packets. Session Manager cannot
determine this one either.
Search spec Command is Menu only
This is the filename mask you want to specify for mail packets.
Normally something like *.Q* will suffice, which is the default.
ZIP spec Command is Menu only
Session Manager will search for the proper compression utility if
you press enter while highlighted. If a compression utility is not
found in the DOS path, you will need to enter the compete path to
your compression utilities. Session Manager will select the newest
compression utility.
UNZIP spec Command is Menu only
This is similar for uncompressing packets.
Page 20
FLAGS AND SWITCHES SUBMENU
------------------------------------------------
| Board Packet System Options Config |
------------------------------------------------
| System Directories.. |
| Flags and Switches.. |
-------------------------- . |
| Thread Order Subject |.. |
| Use tag lines ON | |
| Save place marks Ask | |
| Keep replies in QWK Ask |-------
| Packet autosave Ask |
| Reply autosave Ask |
| Import replies Ask |
| Delete packet Ask |
| Re-read messages Ask |
| Clean work area Ask |
| Beep on personal Yes |
| Quote refer msg ON |
| Prefix @Initials> |
| Auto route ON |
--------------------------
Thread Order Command is Menu only
This will determine the order that your messages are read. It will
be the default setting for your reader. This can be set for Subject,
Message #, From, or To.
You can modify the Thread Order also while reading mail by pressing
"T". Notice that the thread order changes in the header. If you save
the configuration after doing this, the new thread order becomes
operative.
SUBJECT will pick messages in each conference alphabetically
starting with numbers first, and then letters. This will maintain a
series of messages in the same thread.
MESSAGE # will list messages in numerical order. When dealing with
messages in any type of relay, messages are listed numerically by
when they arrived at the local Bulletin Board. They are not always
in sequence, particularly when dealing with relayed mail from other
BBS systems.
FROM lists messages alphabetically based upon who wrote the
messages.
TO lists messages in alphabetical order according to whom they are
addressed. This is a suitable selection if you desire to read
messages addressed to ALL first and are not interested in messages
addressed from person to person. You can choose to stop reading at
that point.
Page 21
Use tag lines Command is Menu only
Taglines ON allow the use of the Session Manager Tagline function.
All empty trailing lines of outgoing messages are removed before the
tag line is applied. SM will use a specially formatted file to hold
all the tag lines. That file is named SM.TAG and must be located in
the HOME directory. A stand alone program TEXT2TAG.EXE is included
to use an ASCII text file to create or append to SM.TAG. Each
non-empty line of the file will create a new tag line.
Alternatively, you can allow SM to create and update this file as
you enter your tag lines. Different TAG files may be specified by
use of the command line switch "/T
When the address window opens, the current tag line is displayed.
Once the tag line field is hilighted, SM will move to the next tag
line in the SM.TAG file and it will be displayed. If you press
will be used. The prompt line will guide you through the available
options in the tag line field. Upon first entering the field you
can:
1. Use the <+> and <-> keys to scroll through the available
tag lines.
2. Press
the new message.
3. Press
current tag line in place.
4.
permanent change in the SM.TAG file.
5. Press
6. Press any normal key to begin entry of a new tag line.
When any of the options 4, 5 and 6 above are used the color
attribute of the tag field will change to indicate the editing mode
is active. If you have elected to edit the current tag line via the
and you will be able to replace the current tag line in the SM.TAG
file. If you are entering a new tag line or editing an existing one
(options #5 & #6 above) you can still save the new tag line to the
SM.TAG file but it will be appended to the list. To save the newly
entered tag line to the SM.TAG file you MUST press
are finished entering the tag line. If you use the up or down
cursor or
used but it will not be saved to the TAG file. Tagline max length is
55 characters.
Tag lines support the meta statements:
@DAY @FIRSTNAME
@DATE @LASTNAME
@MTIME @BOARD
@TIME @CONF
@INITIALS
Page 22
! Note on Meta statements:
The above listed statements that are unique to a message will
apply to the CURRENT message at the time they are translated.
In the case of tag lines in general, when used, meta statements
will be translated WHEN THE MESSAGE IS SAVED. For the most
part this will not cause a problem, but you should be aware
that if you have moved from the original message when you save
your message, the statements will apply to the current message.
If the message window is closed (no current message) the "At"
sign of the statements will be replaced with an "!" to denote
an error in the translation.
Save place marks Command is menu only
Options are YES/NO/ASK. This determines the condition of the flags
that mark messages as (û) Read, (M)arked for a folder, and written
to a (F)older when you save a packet. If you do not save place
markers, these flags will not be saved.
Keep replies in QWK Command is menu only
Options are YES/NO/ASK. If NO, your replies will not be included
when Saving Packet. If you have not done Prep Upload, your replies
will be lost when the work directory is cleaned.
Packet autosave Command is Menu only
Options are YES/NO/ASK. Packet AutoSave YES will save the current
mail packet, and any messages you have entered, when you exit
Session Manager. NO will not save the packet... i.e. the messages
you wrote and other information is not saved. If you have not saved
your replies (with REPLY AUTOSAVE or PREP UPLOAD), they will be
lost. ASK will prompt you for a yes/no answer when you leave Session
Manager.
Reply autosave Command is Menu only
Reply Autosave YES will automatically save any messages you wrote in
a BBSNAME.REP packet to be uploaded. Messages you have entered and
later deleted will also be saved, but marked as deleted. Reply
autosave NO will not save anything to the BBSNAME.REP file. This
action, if desired, will have to be performed manually from the
PACKET/Prep Upload submenu. Reply Autosave Ask will cause a prompt
to save any messages when you leave Session Manager. NOTE: Saving
replies refers to saving to the BBSNAME.REP file only. If you are
configured to keep replies in the QWK, and you save your packet and
exit Session Manager, your replies will be in the packet when you
return to continue your session.
The following is a synopsis of the handling of existing REP files.
PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY.
When SM detects an existing REP that was created from the current
packet (and thus has at least some matching messages in both the
work and upload directories), the program will provide the prompt:
"Include previously saved messages in REP?
Page 23
The response to this prompt will give the following actions:
[Y]es = Save the entire packet without asking questions.
[N]o = Do not save previously saved replies and do not ask
questions.
[A]sk = Question all previously saved replies.
Your answer here should depend on the status of that REP packet. If
the REP packet has been successfully uploaded to the BBS, then the
answer would be [N]o. In that case, only those active replies that
have not been previously saved will be written to the new REP.
If your intention is to, in effect, append new messages into the REP
then the proper answer would be [Y]es and you will be saving all
active replies without being questioned to resave each previously
saved message.
When SM detects a REP packet that matches the current BBS but was
not created from the current packet, the program will provide the
prompt:
"Current REP packet will be overwritten. Continue?
The response to this prompt will give the following actions:
[Y]es = Save all active replies and question previously saved
replies.
[N]o = Abort the process with no further action.
Generally, this prompt will appear after you have gotten a new mail
packet and an old REP is still hanging around.
************************* IMPORTANT NOTE **************************
* *
* At no time will Session Manager APPEND messages to an existing *
* REP packet. Each time the "Prep upload" operation is performed *
* will require that the REP be totally rewritten. That means *
* either by direct menu selection or via the automatic save that *
* can occur as you are exiting the program. You the user must be *
* aware of the status of any REP that exists for the current BBS. *
* Session Manager cannot know if the REP packet in question has *
* been sent to the BBS. *
* *
*******************************************************************
Import replies Command is Menu only
Session Manager can automatically import replies matching the
selected BBS's ID code. If you are opening a mail packet that was
previously saved by SM and it was saved with replies, then SM will
not automatically import the reply packet that had been created from
the current messages as that would surely duplicate those messages.
newly imported replies will be appended to the reply area. A
YES/NO/ASK will select your desired default.
Page 24
Re-read messages Command is Menu only
Re-read messages has three possible selections, YES/NO/ASK.
Selecting NO disables re-reading messages; YES allows you to re-read
messages; ASK prompts causes a Yes/No prompt later if you attempt to
select a conference where all messages have been read. If either
YES or ASK are entered here, Session Manager will normally skip
previously read messages when you are moving through the
conference's messages.
Delete Packet Command is Menu only
Delete Packet YES will delete the packet when you start Session
Manager. Delete Packet NO will not. Delete packet ASK will cause a
Yes/No prompt to delete the packet when you start Session Manager.
Clean work area Command is Menu only
Clean Work Area YES will delete all files in the \WORK subdirectory
upon exit of Session Manager. Clean Work Area NO will not clean the
work area. Ask will prompt you for a Yes/no response upon exit.
Beep on personal Command is Menu only
Beep on Personal has three selections, YES/NO/ALL. YES will cause
Session Manager to beep on your personal messages. NO will cause no
beeps. ALL will beep on messages addressed to you and to all.
Quote refer msg Command is menu only
This sets your default for quoting the message to which you are
replying. When toggled ON, the entire contents of the current
message will be copied into the
prefix will be applied to each line. You should be aware that in
this process each quoted line will grow in length by the size of the
quote prefix. Translated, there is no reformatting performed short
of the applied prefix. This option can also be toggled to any
specific message. When you initiate a reply, the address window will
have a field to the right side of the the "Refer" field titled "Copy
Msg". You can toggle the setting by entering a "Y" or "N" as
appropriate.
Prefix Command is menu only
This determines the quoting prefix used when Quote Refer Msg is ON.
The prefix may contain the same meta statements used in the tag
lines as previously mentioned.
Auto route Command is menu only
The setting of the "Auto route" toggle will carry into the address
window when appropriate. This option will automatically support the
PCRelay message routing capabilities. When you are replying to a
message containing the "PCRelay" tag line, SM can place the correct
routing code on the top line of your message in the process of
opening the window. This option will appear in the address window
only when this feature is available. In other words, you will never
see the "Auto route:" field in non echoed conferences, nor will you
see it on messages not supporting this feature. If the message is
private to you, or you make it private, AND is capable of auto
routing, the state of the flag will be "Y" no matter what the
default is.
Page 25
DISPLAY OPTIONS SUBMENU
------------------------------------------------
| Board Packet System Options Config |
------------------------------------------------
| System Directories.. |
| Flags & switches.. |
| Display options.. |
------------------ options.. |
| Snow control OFF | |
| Block cursor OFF | up |
| 43/50 line OFF |--------------
| Key help ON |
| Zoom state OFF |
------------------
Snow Control Command is Menu only
When Snow Control is ON, Session Manager avoids the screen
interference patterns called "snow" that are produced by certain
display adapters, notably the older IBM Color Graphics Adapter. For
other color adapters, the Snow Control can be turned off. This
improves screen updating performance considerably.
Block Cursor Command is Menu only
Session Manager offers a choice between a blinking hardware cursor
and a solid unblinking cursor.
43/50 Line Command is Menu only
On computers equipped with an EGA or VGA Adapter, Session Manager
can display 43 or 50 lines on the screen. Toggle this option ON if a
longer text display is desired.
Key Help Command is
When Key Help is ON, Session Manager will display the command
sequences that correspond to each menu selection while you are
browsing through the menu system. This will be shown in the top left
corner of the screen and can serve to familiarize you with the quick
keystrokes and speed up your editing as you learn.
Zoom State Command is Menu only
The state of this toggle determines Session Manager's default
behavior when more than one window is on the screen. When Initial
Zoom State is OFF, multiple windows will appear simultaneously on
the screen. When Initial Zoom State is ON, multiple windows will be
zoomed. The last file opened will be visible on the screen, and
others will be hidden behind it. Initial Zoom State is saved as a
Session Manager default. The normal
used at any time, regardless of Initial Zoom State.
Page 26
OS SHELL OPTIONS SUBMENU
------------------------------------------------
| Board Packet System Options Config |
------------------------------------------------
| System Directories.. |
| Flags & switches.. |
| Display options.. |
| OS Shell options.. |
---------------------------
| Swap memory to disk ON |
| Use smart swapping ON |
| Minimum RAM size 300 |
---------------------------
Swap memory to disk Command is Menu only
Used when shelling to DOS. When toggled on allows Session Manager to
swap the current contents of RAM to a disk file. This will free up
most of the memory being used by Session Manager to run other
applications without abandoning the current session.
Use smart swapping Command is Menu only
Toggled on will cause Session Manager to check the available RAM
before exiting to the command shell. If the amount of free RAM is
less than the amount configured as the minimum RAM size, Session
Manager will swap the current contents of RAM to a disk file to
provide additional memory for other applications.
Minimum RAM size Command is Menu only
Used in conjunction with Smart swapping. Set to the minimum amount
of free RAM before swapping of memory to a disk file when exiting to
a command shell. The amount of RAM is entered in K Bytes.
Page 27
COLORS SUBMENU
------------------------------------------------
| Board Packet System Options Config |
------------------------------------------------
| System Directories.. |
| Flags & switches.. |
------- Colors -------- | Display options.. |
| Normal Text | | OS Shell options.. |
| Marked Block | | Colors |
| Window Status | | Save Setup |
| Prompt Line | ----------------------
| Block Cursor |
| Menu Text |
| Menu Frame |
| Menu Select |
| Menu Hilite |
| Message header text |
| Message header data |
| Message header frame |
| Input window text |
| Input window data |
| Input window special |
| Input window frame |
-----------------------
The screen colors may be adjusted on the Options Colors menu.
Selection is made using the cursor up and down arrow keys. Selection
of color attributes for each individual selection is done with all
four cursor arrow keys and pressing
also a color library provided with SMQINST.
Save setup Command is Menu only
It is very important that you save the setup each time you change
the configuration. This preserves the current setup for the next
session.
Page 28
EDITOR MENU
Press
-----------------------------------------------
| File Edit Opts Options Config |
---=--------=-------------=----------=---------
Notice that a letter of each item on the menu is highlighted.
Pressing the highlighted letter is one of the ways to select a
particular option. Another way is to move to the desired option
using the arrow keys or a mouse and then pressing
also use the Quick Menu option by pressing
associated with the desired menu item.
CONFIG MENU
Press
following:
-----------------------------------------------
| File Edit Opts Options Config |
-----------------------------------------------
| Margins.. |
| Format options.. |
| Tabs.. |
| Edit file opts.. |
| Save setup |
---------------------
This is where you set up your editor defaults. Be sure to save the
results.
Page 29
MARGINS SUBMENU
-----------------------------------------------
| File Edit Opts Options Config |
-----------------------------------------------|
| Margins.. |
| Format option ------------------
| Tabs.. | Left 1 |
| Edit file opt| Right 70 |
| Save setup | Top 1 |
--------------| Bottom 1 |
| Page length 95 |
------------------
The Max line length and the Max line count are directally tied to
the right margin and page length values. These have been set to
default at 95 and 70 respectively. If you are using tag lines, SM
will adjust accordingly. Thus if you write a message containing 94
lines of text, you will be prompted that the message has too many
lines since the tear line and the tag line will cause the message to
have 96 lines of text. Pressing
exceeded" or "line count exceeded" error messages is treated as a
[Y]es answer at the "correct now" prompt.
Left and Right Command is
Left should be set to 1. Right should be set to a value between 68
and 70. This precludes truncating lines. PC Board bulletin boards
accept a maximum line length of 72 characters. This value should be
less to allow Word Wrap to move words to the next line prior to
reaching 72 characters.
Top Command is Menu only
A top margin of 1 is desired. Press T,
then
Bottom Command is Menu only
You normally want one line here. Press B,
and then
Page Length Command is Menu only
This value depends on the bulletin board you are working with as it
is a SysOp option to change the maximum number of lines allowed on
his system. Two normal lengths are 66 and 98. If you deal with more
than one BBS and they differ, it should be set to the minimum value
of the two systems so that it will work with both. This does not
prevent longer messages. It is used only if page breaks are selected
on to dislplay the number of lines selected. You should not go below
the page break.
Page 30
FORMAT OPTIONS SUBMENU
-----------------------------------------------
| File Edit Opts Options Config |
-----------------------------------------------|
| Margins.. |
| Format options.. |
| Tabs.. --------------------
| Edit f| Justify OFF |
| Save S| Word wrap ON |
-------| Autoindent OFF |
| Insert mode ON |
| Page breaks OFF |
| Compress wrap OFF |
--------------------
Justify Command is
If Justify mode is active, the lines of text will be evenly aligned
on each side margin. This is done by filling areas between words
with extra spaces so that the rightmost word ends on the right
margin.
Word Wrap Command is
When Word Wrap is off, paragraph reformatting is not possible and
when typing occurs beyond the right margin, it will continue to move
past the right margin setting. Only an
the cursor left again. When Word Wrap is on, typing to the right
margin will automatically shift to the next line. Word Wrap should
normally be on to keep from truncating long lines due to limitations
of BBS software. (Recommend 72 character per line limit)
Auto Indent Command is
Auto indent allows you to continue typing with a new left margin. It
is very useful when you wish to indent a portion of your text for
effect.
Insert mode Command is
If Insert mode is off, you will overwrite previous characters. If
on, it will insert the characters before the existing ones.
Page breaks Command is
Page break mode creates a block on the left side of the screen, top
to bottom. It has an arrow displayed in it to show where the page
breaks are located. Turn Page breaks off and the block goes away.
As a default, Session Manager will not allow entering of a message
that is longer than 99 lines. When saving a
you will be warned if it is longer than 99 lines and given the
opportunity to make a correction.
Compress Wrap Command is Menu only
By default, Session Manager compresses extra spaces out of any line
before it is wrapped. This feature is required to "unjustify" text
that has previously been right justified. However, in some cases the
compression will remove desired spaces, as in the case of aligned
columns of figures. When this toggle is OFF, extra spaces will not
be removed from lines being wrapped.
Page 31
TABS SUBMENU
-----------------------------------------------
| File Edit Opts Options Config |
-----------------------------------------------|
| Margins.. |
| Format options.. |
| Tabs.. |
| Edit f -------------------
| Save s| Set tabs |
-------| Put tabs |
| Restore even |
| Edit tabs |
| Display tabs OFF |
| Fixed ON |
| Tab size 8 |
-------------------
Set tabs Command is
Set tabs will set your tabs according to the blank characters found
on the current line. This is very useful when you enter your first
line of text and use Set tabs to reset to this value. Any time you
wish to change, type in another line and set tabs again or go back
to the original tabs by using "Restore even."
Put tabs Command is Menu only
Put tabs will print the tab locations on the screen. These
characters will not be printed and make it convenient if you change
your tab settings several times in the same message.
Restore even Command is Menu only
Restore even will restore the tabs according to what is set in tab
default (Tab size). Tabs will be reset to even numbers.
Edit tabs Command is
Edit tabs function will allow you to change the tab settings using
the , , and
tabs" should be ON to do this. These settings are temporary. When
you leave Session Manager, they will return to the setting in "Tab
size."
Display tabs Command is
This will display the tab settings at the top of each open window.
Fixed Command is
When Fixed tabs are ON, tab positions are taken from a table of
columns that you can set to even spacing or customize through
various tab commands. When Fixed tabs are OFF, tab positions are
based on the contents of the text surrounding the current line.
Tab size Command is Menu only
Tab size sets the repeat variable for the tabs. (i.e., If this is
set to "8" then 8 and every multiple of 8 will be a tab location.)
To change the setting, press "T"
leave Session Manager, the tabs will be restored to the default.
Page 32
EDIT FILE OPTIONS SUBMENU
-----------------------------------------------
| File Edit Opts Options Config |
-----------------------------------------------|
| Margins.. |
| Format options.. |
| Tabs.. |
| Edit file options.. |
| Save s -------------------------------
-------| File extension |
| Make BAK files OFF |
| Place Markers ON |
| Auto Place Markers OFF |
| Expand tabs ON |
| Write tabs OFF |
| Strip hi-bit OFF |
| Undo limit 20 |
-------------------------------
File extension Command is Menu only
This is an optional entry. If you enter an extention here, when you
use Session Manager's menu system to recall a file, the window will
list files with that extention. You should not include a period or
any DOS wildcards. The entry is limited to three characters.
Make BAK files Command is Menu only
If this is ON, backup files (BAK) are automatically made when saving
edits.
Place Markers Command is Menu only
When this option is ON, the current cursor location is saved along
with the file. When the file is reloaded, the cursor will be located
where it was when the file was saved. This is only true when
editing text files and provides compatibility with pEditor.
Auto Place Markers Command is Menu only
When this option is ON, the current cursor location is saved only if
the current file had previously had the cursor position saved as
determined when the file was read. This option is only effective
when the Place Markers option is ON.
Expand tabs Command is Menu only
Expand tabs allows files created with other editors and word
processors to have the tabs changed into spaces. If it is OFF, tabs
will show up as control "I" characters. This should normally be
turned on to allow importing text into messages.
Page 33
Write tabs Command is Menu only
By default, Session Manager does not write tab characters in
messages saved from the editor. If Tab Writing is activated,
Session Manager will translate sequences of spaces to tabs in order
to save disk space for the output file. Tabs are computed using the
fixed spacing currently set for fixed tabs. Multiple spaces found
within pairs of single or double quotes (as used in Pascal or C
source code) will not be converted to tabs.
Strip hi-bit Command is Menu only
When Hi-bit strip is ON, the most significant bit of each character
read from the disk will be set to zero. This is useful when
importing files previously generated in WordStar document mode. In
addition, "dot commands" used for WordStar document formatting will
be changed to Session Manager's format character (@). Note that
stripping the hi-bit will also affect any usage of the IBM extended
ASCII character set, such as the line drawing characters. You would
normally have this set to off.
Undo Limit Command is Menu only
By default, 20 lines of deleted text are stored for possible
undeletion. To change the setting, press "U"