HOW TO GET OFF THE MENU SYSTEM (And be more productive with less effort) Copyright 1989 Tony B. Anderson All Rights Reserved Revised 9/94 To begin with, go to the PROFILE section of CompuServe (GO PROFILE) and follow the menus until you reach the one where you can set your "first service". Set that to the Model 100 Forum, with the code number PCS154. Then set your Email defaults for "notify only". Set your terminal defaults as recommended in the file DEFALT.HLP in Library 1 - at the very least set width to 80 characters so you can get full-width lines when you Echo incoming data to your printer. Last, set your profile defaults for permanent operation before you leave that area. From then on, when you log onto CompuServe, you will skip all the opening menus, and come directly to the forum. You will receive a notice, "You have Electronic Mail waiting" if there is any, and you will get stopped by the once a week "What's New" menu, but pressing the ENTER key as soon as you see "What's New", will get you past that and into the forum. Second, get off the menu system. You can set command mode or menu mode in the forum options menu, and you can make the changes permanent, so you don't go through the repetitive menus every time you do something. You will only need to learn a dozen or so commands to do everything you need to do in a forum, and can probably get along with a half-dozen. - I'll give you a list later. Get into the forum and type "OP" (without the quote marks) to get to the forum options menu. Set option #1, "Initial Menu/Prompt" to FORUM Set option #2, "Forum Mode" to COMMAND Set option #3, "Pause" to NEVER Set option #5, "Prompt" to none A special character, such as CTRL-B may be used to signal automated or scripted programs to further actions from a list of actions Set option #7, "Sections", to the message sections you want to read on a regular basis Set option #9, "Replies info" to List Set option #10, "Type waiting messages" to No Set option #11, "Skip messages you posted" to No Skipping messages you posted will interrupt thread orders which include messages from you Set option #12, "Library Display" to Long Quite often, Library descriptions which are only displayed when "Long" is selected, will contain important information about programs or the names of additonal, related files. You should always read the complete file description before "downloading" a file from the library. Pressing the ENTER key at the "Enter choice !" prompt will give you the option of making settings temporary, for this session only, or making them permanent. Be sure to make the settings permanent as you exit the option menu, or they will be reset to the prior settings when you exit the forum. After all your defaults are set up, get in the habit of signing on with the sole purpose of downloading all the messages left since the last time you were on, without reading or replying to them online. When you reach the forum, press the F5 button to get printer output, and type the direct command RTN, which means Read New messages in Thread order, or "Read Threads New". That will dump all the new messages to your printer, non-stop. When they last message has cleared your screen, and you get back to the Forum! prompt, type OFF to get off the service, or go to anywhere else on the system that you need to. Point is, get on and off as quickly as possible. Any messages left to you will be sent with the printer output, so you won't have to read those messages separately with the REA WAI (Read Waiting messages) command as recommended by the service. The RTN command will serve most of your message reading needs. If you've been offline several days or weeks, and you think there may be more messages than you really want to read, use the STN (Show Threads New) command to dump only the message headers to your printer. When you're offline, read the messages that you dumped to your printer, or the message headers, explore them, enjoy them, whatever. Think about what messages you want to reply to, and what you want to say. Or make a list of messages you want to read. If the latter, after you have your list, sign on again, and use the RInnnnn (Read Individual) command to read individual messages you've noted, or RTnnnnnONL (Read Thread nnnn ONLy). Dump these to your printer. For now, just use the individual command after receiving each message, to get to the next one. Later on, you'll find you can chain certain commands together, to cut down on typing somewhat. To reply to various messages, prepare a TEXT file (offline) with the message you want to send. At the top of the message put the direct commands you need in order to compose the message, and at the bottom of the file, put the direct commands you use to leave a message. Then get online, and at the Forum! prompt, you upload one file after another, "sending" each message you want to send by pressing the F3 button and naming the text file. I use "MSG1.DO", "MSG2.DO", etc., depending on how many messages are necessary. Later on, when you're more familiar with how this works, you'll find that you can put more than one message in the text file. A typical file for uploading would look like this: (This is for sending a new message, not for replying to an existing message) Note that there is a carriage return at the end of each "line" - it isn't one interminable paragraph. You can do this in the file, or specify Width: 80 when you upload the file through TELCOM. (Width:78 is an even better choice.) COM Hi Joe -- This part is the message text. It can be as short or as long as you might need - you can send up to 10,000 characters, or a maximum of 499 short lines. These figures are subject to change with CompuServe's frequent software changes. You can include blank lines in your text to set off paragraphs, by merely presing the ENTER key, creating a blank line. At the end of your message, you will put a block of information that tells the system how to "Post" it, who to send it to, their ID number, etc. You can also indicate section and subject. Ok, we're coming up to the end of the message... here it comes... Note how these go on separate lines - very important! /EXIT POST SEC:1 John Smelling 76111,145 Message Subject Line Y (Sysop note: due to recent forum software changes, you may use /POST instead of the two line /EXIT, POST form illustrated above.) You can post a message in any section that you have selected in the option menu, and send it to anybody you choose, including "All" or "Sysop", and use any subject on the "Message Subject Line" as long as it's 24 characters or less. But note that each of these is on a separate line, and it all gets uploaded with the message from the text file. Once you have pressed F3 and provided the name of the file to be uploaded, you will not have to do anything else to "post" the message. (Well - you'll have to respond to the "Width" prompt... but that's internal in your computer - has nothing to do with CompuServe's handling of your upload.) When you press F3 to upload, be sure to specify Width: 78 or 79. Your message can include C/R's or be one long paragraph as long as you specify a width. If you have already included carriage returns in your file, you can simply press the ENTER key when prompted for "Width", and the file will be sent as-is. Ok, now here's how to reply to a message that was left to you. You already know the message number... it's on the top line of every message downloaded or sent to you. Here's an example of a message header: #: 190665 S1/General/Help 25-Nov-89 20:18:31 Sb: #190623-Print Drivers?? Fm: Joe Sonneman 73760,717 To: Tony Anderson 76703,4062 This one was sent to me; it's message # 190665. Says so on the first line of the header. So to reply to it, I would reply to 190665, using the direct "RE nnn" or "REP nnn" command. Note the number on the third line - 190623. That's the message that THIS message is a reply to. If I wanted to reply to THAT message, I would use THAT number. You'd use that where someone left a message to Joe, and you wanted to reply to them instad of to Joe. The reply is going to go to whichever message you send it to, so send it accurately. Generally, you will reply to a message directed to you, and that would be with the number in the first line. You prepare the text file the same way you did before, but instead of putting COM at the top of the file, you put REPnnnnn, where "nnnnn" is the number of the message you want to reply to. And at the bottom of the file, all you have to put is the /EXIT and POST commands. Here's an example: REP123456 Hi Joe - this is a reply to an existing message. /EXIT POST (Sysop note: If your file contains program material, or a list, post the file unformatted to preserve the nature of the program or list, so that CompuServe's automatic text formatter doesn't turn the program or list into an unreadable text paragraph. To do that, add "UNF" to the POST command, as in POST UNF.) That's it. Just get to the Forum! prompt, and upload the file by pressing the F3 button and giving the name of the file. Now, we get into using the library with command mode. From the Forum! prompt, to get to any library, type DLn, LIBn, or LIB n, where "n" is the number of the library you want to go to. (DL = Data Library, the old name for "Library" - it's where we store the data files.) This will take you directly to a LIB n! prompt. I will assume that you have read the message we send periodically to folks who ask how to download files. If not, it's the first message on the message board, and can be read with the direct command RF0. Basically, since the Tandy portable computers are not designed to support protocol downloads without extra software, the recommended download technique is to read the file, and capture it into your computer while you are reading, by pressing the F2 button. The commands that are useful in the Library, are: REA (Read a named file), in the form REA NAME.EXT (Use this instead of any form of the DOW, or Download command) BRO (Browse through files, starting with the newest, and going back to the oldest.) SCA (SCAN or "Search") By itself, SCA will list the files in the library, by name, and with options, is the most useful of the library commands. Combined with specifiers, it becomes a search and list command. For example, you can use: AGE=n to list files that were uploaded in the last "n" days, or KEY=word to search for files with a specified keyword in the descriptions keyword list. You can also add /DES so that any files that match either criteria are listed, and you will get a copy of the file description. Examples: SCA *.HLP will give you a list of all files in that library where .HLP is the filename extension SCA KEY=FORMAT will give you a list of all files that have the keyword "Format" in the descriptions keyword list SCA BA*.* will give you a list of all files in that library which begin with the letters BA and have any filename extension Add /DES for the file description: SCA BA*.* /DES Add AGE=n to limit search to the past "n" days: SCA AGE=10 You can also chain several specifiers together, as in: SCA KEY=DISK AGE=30 /DES Another useful search specifier is LIB:ALL, which will let you search for a file by name, or other search criteria, even if you don't know what library the file might be in. Example: SCA *.ZIP LIB:ALL will give you a list of all files with filename extension .ZIP in all libraries. A "range" of libraries may be specified, as in SCA *.ZIP LIB:1-5 BRO will give you the file descriptions, starting with the most recent file uploaded, backwards to the earliest files in the library. It also gives you a disposition prompt, which allows you to Read, or "download" the file after reading the description. (Don't "download" - "Read" and Capture as described in the very first message on the message board, and in the file DOWNLD.HLP in Library 1.) You can add filename, AGE, KEY, and LIB specifiers to the BRO command. BRO AGE=7 displays, in reverse order, all (any) files uploaded to the library in the last 7 days. BRO *.100 will display the descriptions for only those files whose filename extension is .100 BRO *.CAT LIB:ALL will display the file descriptions for all the ".CAT" catalog files located throughout the library BRO KEY=TIP LIB:1-9 will let you browse through all files in libraries 1 through 9, reading the file descriptions which have the word "Tip" as one of the keywords in the description keyword list There are also titles. Personally I think titles are useless, and only consume connect time, since you can seldom describe a files content, or describe a program accurately in 50 characters or less. And all files do not have titles; those uploaded in the early days of the forum, before titles were required, don't have any. So a search on titles may easily miss exactly what you are searching for. If you wish to _upload_ files, read the file UPLOAD.HLP in Library 1, first. You WILL need a checksum program to be able to provide us with a checksum number of the file you upload. They're in libraries 7, 10, or 12, depending on which computer you use. Each time a file is merged into the library, we update a list of new files that is stored in the Library 1 description. (From the Forum! prompt, type: DES;2;1 to read it.) The list is updated only when new files are added to the library, so checking it once in a while will tell you what's new. For a list of additonal commands, see the files COMCON.TXT and CMDLST.TXT in Library 1. Keep them handy. And _that's_ how to save time and money online. Never reply to a message when you are online, unless you can do so with only a few words, or in less than a minute. Plan what you're going to do each time you go online - don't just drop in to see what's happening, or if anyone has left you a message. Get into a regular routine that cuts down your connect time, but increases your online effectiveness. And DON'T sit around wondering what to do next. Get here, do what you want to do, and get off! If you want to know where a file is located, and you haven't downloaded a copy of the forum index or relevant catalog files, ask. It's more efficient for you to ask us where something is, than to go looking for it yourself, stumbling about from library to library. We have the libraries well organized, and it should be easy to find anything, given the indexes and catalogs, but if you just don't know where to look, save time by asking. Download the .CAT files which relate to the types of programs that interest you. There are no current "automated" or "scripted" programs that can sign on and download messages automatically for the Model 100 line of computers. Here is a list of the most frequently used commands. You'll only need to memorize a few of them, depending on how you want to use the system. RW or REA WAI To Read "Waiting Messages" Read Waiting will read a message that has been marked for you, where you are advised "You have a message waiting" when you enter the forum, regardless of whether it has been left in a section you have selected on the option menu, or not. Other "Read" commands will only read messages in sections which you have selected. If you have a message marked as "Waiting" and you leave the forum without reading it, it will no longer be marked as "Waiting" the next time you come in. You would then have to use one of the other READ commands to locate it. RTN or REA THR NEW To read all (any) new messages in Thread Order "N" or "NEW" can be a specific message number instead RI nnn or REA NUM nnn To Read an individual message, number "nnn" RT nnn ONLy To Read a single thread starting at message "nnn". (the "y" is not necessary, but is optional) RF nnn or REA FOR nnn To Read "Forward" starting at message "nnn" in numerical order Additional specifiers may be used with some READ commands, such as DAYS:10 to read only messages left in the last ten days, or SEC:12 to read only messages left in section 12 Example: REA THR DAYS:10 to read threads built in the last ten days Example: REA THR NEW SEC:10 to read new threads in section 10 only (Note that DAYS: and SEC: do not work with the shortened command forms RT, RTN, etc.) RR 999999 To Read "Backwards" starting at the highest existing message number RS Read "Selective", followed by additional specifiers, in the form: RS;x;y;z, where x = "S" for the Subject line RS;S = REA SUB: x = "F" for the "From" line RS;F = REA FRO(m): x = "T" for the "To" line RS;T = REA TO: y = a specific string, such as "For Sale", or a person's name or ID number in the case of "From" or "To". An ID number must be the complete ID number. Selective Search will not find "44" from the ID number 76701,44. z = the starting message number Example: RS;S;SALE;0 will search for all messages that contain the word "Sale" in the subject line, starting at message number 0 (the beginning of the message board) Example: RS;F;TONY;35350 will search for all messages from "Tony", starting at message number 35350 Example: RS;T;STEVE;0 will search for all messages sent to "Steve" from the beginning of the message board Example: RS;F;77125,37 will search for all messages from "77125,37" - whoever he is - but the command is incomplete - no starting number. You will be prompted for the starting number. OP;SM NEVER T;S Will temporarily set your options so that messages you read with any READ command, such as an RTN command for example, will not stop at the end of each message; i.e., it turns on "continuous scroll" OP;SM ALWAYS T;S Will temporarily set your options so that scrolling will stop after each message you read in any of the READ comands; i.e., it turns off "continuous scroll" QSN Will give you a "Quick Scan" of message subjects and number of messages from your "New" marker STN The same as QSN, except that it will show you the complete header and number of replies for each new message thread from your "New" marker HI nnnnn Sets your "Highest Message Read" marker to the number "nnnnn" HI;L Sets your "Highest Message Read" marker to the Last message on the message board SS n To set your "selected sections" to a specific section, as in SS 14 to set your selection to read section 14 messages only SS ALL will select all publicly accessable sections Or a range may be specified, as in SS 1-3 to select sections 1 through 3, or several sections may be selected by separating them with commas, as in SS 1,3,5,7-10 These settings are valid only for the current session. When you exit the forum, next time you come in, settings will revert to your choice in the options menu OP Takes you to the Options Menu, where you may set or change many options as to how the forum works for you You may change the name you gave when you joined the forum, select your message board scrolling option, which message sections you wish to read, etc., and make these options permanent or temporary GO "name" Takes you out of the forum, to another forum or to another location on CompuServe LOG Takes you out of CompuServe, back to the place where you "Log onto" the service - your ID number and password prompts BYE Takes you out of CompuServe, back to the local modem, where you can log onto other services which are also served by the local modem OFF Takes you out of CompuServe, and logs you off the local modem TIME Tells you how much time you have been connected to CompuServe in your current session WEATHER Will give you a synopsis of your local weather conditions: the weather conditions at the location of your modem connect point HELP Will provide instructional help, based on topics ? A question mark, typed at any "!" prompt, will give you a list of commands that can be used, or are expected, at that prompt The "navigation commands", GO, LOG, OFF, or BYE, can be used at any "!" prompt End of tutorial.