Chapter 2 - Composing and Sending Mail
Accessing Envelope and Message Screens
Mail messages are made up of two parts: the envelope screen and the message screen. The envelope screen contains the message header made up of fields, such as the recipients' addresses, the subject of the message, and the names of attachment files. The message screen contains the message text.
To compose a message, select Compose from the Mail Main menu. The envelope screen appears.
The envelope screen is one of the data entry screens in mail. Mail supplies your StreetTalk name as the message sender and the current date and time automatically. Other fields are left blank for you to enter information: the recipients' addresses, the subject of the message, and the names of any files to be attached to the message. You use the arrow keys to change the settings in other fields: the Certify, Priority, Defer until, and Expires fields.
The message screen is where you enter text. You can access the message screen in two ways:
Use the arrow keys or the PgDn key to position the cursor in the Message field of the envelope screen. Press F8 from any field of the envelope screen.
Instructions for writing and editing messages are covered in "Writing and Editing a Message" later in this chapter.
Mail uses the StreetTalk global naming system. The majority of mailing addresses you will use in mail messages are the StreetTalk names of the recipients. Mail provides an address book feature that allows you to abbreviate the StreetTalk names you use most often. Other addresses you may use include special gateway addresses.
You enter the StreetTalk names in the address fields of the envelope screen. When you send a message, mail uses the StreetTalk names entered in the address fields to determine where to deliver the message.
At the envelope screen, you can enter the StreetTalk names in one or more of three address fields:
To - Main address field in which you enter the StreetTalk names of the recipients.
Cc - Optional address field in which you enter the StreetTalk names of the users who will receive electronic "carbon" copies (Cc) of the message.
Bcc - Optional address field in which you enter the StreetTalk names of the users who will receive electronic "blind carbon" copies (Bcc) of the message. In mail, the names of the blind copy recipients do not appear in the header of the messages received by the To and Cc addressees.
You can address mail to one or several recipients in two ways:
Enter the appropriate StreetTalk user names, list names, or nicknames in an address field. Select names for automatic insertion in the address field.
The rest of this section describes each of these methods in detail.
Guidelines for Entering StreetTalk Names
Follow the guidelines below when entering StreetTalk names:
When addressing a message to more than one user or list, separate each name with a comma or press ENTER once between each name. For example, the following two addresses are acceptable: Paul@Mktg@WCTUS,DeptList@Sales@WCTUS
Paul@Mktg@WCTUS
DeptList@Sales@WCTUS
If the user or list is part of your StreetTalk group, you can enter just the item part of the StreetTalk name. For example, to send a message to Paul@Mktg@WCTUS, a member of the Mktg@WCTUS group enters just Paul. If the user or list is not in your group, but in your organization, you can enter just the item and group names. For example, to send a message to John in Administration and to Sales, Paul could enter John@Admin, SalesList@Sales, without the @WCTUS organization name. If the user or list is not in your organization, you must include the complete StreetTalk name. To minimize address typing, use StreetTalk nicknames, and create abbreviations for frequently used names in your address book. Instructions for creating address book entries are included in Chapter 5 of this Guide. You can include StreetTalk item patterns - such as *@Sales@WCTUS - in any of the address fields. The asterisk (*) is a wildcard that stands for "all"; therefore, the message would be sent to everyone in Sales at WCTUS. To send a message to everyone in the WCTUS organization, you would enter *@*@WCTUS.
Selecting Names for Automatic Insertion
Mail offers a database for you to look up names when addressing messages. This feature is available in the Compose, Answer, Read, and Forward a Message screens.
To search for names and select them for automatic insertion in the address fields, position the cursor in an address field where you want to enter names and press F2. Depending on how your environment is set up, you access either the Mail Catalog of StreetTalk names or StreetTalk Directory Assistance (STDA). Either program displays a screen that allows you to search for and select users, lists, or nicknames.
The next sections describe how to use these programs.
When you access the Mail Catalog of StreetTalk names, the Select Names menu appears. The sample Select Names menu shows users in the group Sales@WCTUS.
The functions appear in the upper part of this menu. You can search for and select users, lists, and nicknames from the StreetTalk database. If you know a person's name, you can use that name as a pattern to find out his or her group and organization names.
The lower part of the menu includes items you can select. These items are the StreetTalk names of the users in your group. After a search, the items are the names generated by the search. You can select the items for automatic insertion in the address fields.
The function keys on the bottom of the Select Names menu let you display the nicknames of the users listed (F3), exit the menu (ESC), and access on-line help (F1).
Searching for StreetTalk Names
The steps to search the StreetTalk database for StreetTalk user names, list names, or nicknames are the same.
1. From the Select Names menu, choose one of the search functions:
Search for Users
Search for Lists
Search for Nicknames
2. From the Search menu, select a parameter and press ENTER. Mail prompts you to enter the group name, organization name, or pattern to match.
3. Type the appropriate name or matching pattern, and press ENTER. The search begins automatically. When the search is completed, the results appear in the lower part of the Select Names menu.
The results of a search for users in the sample group Sales@WCTCA follow.
When you search for lists, you can look at the contents of each list before selecting list names for insertion in the address field of a message.
The next section, "Browsing Through Lists," explains this feature.
To select names, skip to the section, "Selecting Names."
Before addressing a message to a list, you can view the members of that list. You cannot edit a list or select individual names from it.
To view the members of a list:
1. Press F2 to display the Select Names menu, and search for the list name.
2. When the name is found, choose the Select From List Below function.
3. Highlight the list you want to examine in one of two ways:
- Use the arrow, PgUp, or PgDn keys.
- Type the combination of letters that uniquely identifies the item part of the list name you want to select.
Note: The identifier of the item part of a StreetTalk name is the last word in the item part. For example, the identifier of the name List Maple@Sales@WCTUS is Maple. Type M, and as needed, A, P, L, and E.
4. Press F2 to display the contents of the list.
5. When you have finished browsing, press ESC to return to the Select Names menu.
Continue to the next section to select list names for automatic insertion in address fields.
To select names for automatic insertion in address fields:
1. Press F2 to display the Select Names menu, and choose the Select From List Below function.
2. Select names in one of two ways:
- Highlight the entry using the arrow, PgUp, or PgDn keys, and press ENTER.
- Type the combination of letters that uniquely identifies the item part of the name you want to select, and press ENTER.
Note: The identifier of the item part of a StreetTalk name is the last word in the item part. For example, the identifier of the name Mary Jane@Sales@WCTUS is Jane. Type J, and as needed, A, N, and E
An asterisk (*) appears next to each selection.
To de-select a name, highlight it and press ENTER again. The asterisk disappears.
3. Continue to select entries by highlighting each one and pressing ENTER
4. When you finish selecting entries, press F10. Mail returns you to the envelope screen and inserts your entries into the designated address field.
To cancel the selections and return to the envelope screen, press ESC.
Using StreetTalk Directory Assistance
To access StreetTalk Directory Assistance (STDA), press either the F2 key or the STDIRECT hotkey. The way you select names depends on which method you choose.
You do not need to load STDA into resident memory to use it through mail. To access STDA, press F2. The STDA screen appears.
When your cursor is in the To, Cc, or Bcc fields of the envelope screen and you press F2, only three of the six STDA classes can be viewed: Users, Lists, and Nicknames. To switch between classes, use the right or left arrow keys.
Choose names for insertion into the address fields in one of two ways:
Use the directional keys on your keyboard (Pg Up, HOME, etc.) to highlight a name, and press ENTER. Highlight a name by typing a string of characters that uniquely identifies your choice. Then press ENTER.
Once you press ENTER, an asterisk (*) marks each selected name, as shown in the STDA screen on the previous page.
To de-select a marked name, highlight the name again and press ENTER.
When you are ready to insert the name or list of names chosen from the STDA screen, press F10. The names appear in the address field at the cursor position.
Before you can use the STDIRECT hotkey to access STDA while in mail, you must execute the STDIRECT command to load the program into resident memory. The STDIRECT command switches can modify the hotkey, the source of the STDA database, and the number of classes displayed on the STDA screen. For a description of the STDIRECT command switches, see the STDIRECT command entry in the Command Reference. The defaults for STDIRECT apply while in mail. As a result, you can view all six STDA classes.
To insert names into the address fields:
1. Position the cursor in the field in which you want the name(s) inserted.
2. Press the hotkey (ALT-N is the default hotkey) to access STDA.
3. Find the first name that you want to insert and press ENTER. The name is inserted in the address field at the cursor position.
4. Find the next name you want to insert and press ENTER. The name is inserted in the address field directly below the first name you inserted.
5. When you have finished selecting names, press either ESC or F10 to exit STDA.
If you decide that you want to add to the list of recipients, first position the cursor at the end of the last recipient's name in an address field, then press ENTER. Press the hotkey to return to STDA, and select the additional recipient names. When you have finished selecting names, press ESC or F10 to exit STDA.
If you do not reposition the cursor correctly before pressing the hotkey, you will overwrite the existing names listed in the address field. Any portion of the former name that is not overwritten by the replacement remains, thereby making the name an invalid recipient address.
Addressing Mail to Different Mail Systems
As an option, gateways to other mail systems can be part of the network. If your site has a mail gateway, users are identified by a special mail gateway address, instead of a StreetTalk name. When you address mail through a gateway, you enter the special gateway address.
To find out if you have a mail gateway installed in your network, consult your system administrator.
Completing Informational Fields
Three fields in the envelope screen provide information for the message. These fields are:
From - Mail inserts your complete StreetTalk name in this field automatically.
Subject - You can briefly describe the contents of the message in this field. Even though the subject field can contain up to 63 characters, only the first 27 will appear in the folder. If you leave this field blank, mail automatically inserts "..no subject..." in the folder.
Date - Mail inserts the date and time in this field automatically.
You can send a copy of a file to a recipient along with your mail message. These files are called attachments. Attachments are separate from the text of the message. You can send a maximum of ten attachments with each message.
You can attach a file to a message in two ways:
Enter the names of the files in the Attach field. Separate names by entering commas or by pressing ENTER once. If an attached file is not in the current directory, specify its full pathname. For example, to send two files, revenues.doc and report1.doc, as attachments, you would enter the following string: f:\revenues.doc,g:\myfiles\report1.doc.
Place the cursor in the Attach field and press F5. The names of files in the current directory appear in a separate menu called Select Attachment.
From this screen you can select files in the current directory, or change directories and display their contents. In the Select Attachment menu above, the current directory is G:\MYFILES.
Due to workstation memory constraints, the Select Attachment menu has a display limit of 100 files. If a given directory contains more than 100 files, you cannot select any file that is greater than 100th in the list.
To select file names for automatic insertion in the Attach field, use the same selection method as in the Select Names menu. When you have finished selecting file names, press F10. Mail displays the envelope screen with the file names you selected in the Attach field.
If the file cannot be found, mail displays a message when you try to save or send the message.
For more information about file names, see the chapter about file sharing in the User's Guide for DOS and OS/2.
With mail, you can send an attachment file of any size. However, your recipients may be able to display only the first 6,000 characters of the attachment, depending on which revision of mail each recipient's workstation is running. Users who cannot display the entire attachment can file the attachment to a disk file and then view it from an application.
If you attach a file to your mail message, you can use features of the mail editor to copy text from the attachment into your message. Refer to "Switching Windows" later in this chapter.
If you do not have any files to attach, press ENTER to move to the next field.
With mail, you can certify important messages to ensure that you receive a notice when the recipient reads, files, or prints the message for the first time. If the recipient deletes the message, you receive a notice stating that the certified message was deleted but unread.
The confirmation notice is sent to you in the form of a mail message. The sender is the StreetTalk name of the mail service.
To certify a message, use the arrow keys to select Yes in the Certify field of the envelope screen. No is the default value.
With mail, you can send a message at a High, Normal, or Low priority. Mail processes mail messages on the basis of their assigned priorities.
High priority messages are given preference over Normal or Low priority messages as they are processed and sent. This process allows High priority messages to be delivered faster than Normal or Low priority messages.
High priority messages have a shorter default expiration time than Normal or Low priority messages:
High priority message expire in a short period of time, such as 24 hours. Normal priority messages expire in a number of days. Low priority messages expire in a longer period, such as a week.
If a message is not delivered by its expiration time, mail returns the message to the sender as undeliverable. This process assures that a sender be informed if a message is not delivered within a certain time period.
If you have an important message that you want delivered quickly to someone, use the arrow keys to select High in the Priority field of the envelope screen. If you have a message you want delivered Low priority, select Low in this field. If you want Normal delivery, select Normal in this field.
Your system administrator sets the highest priority level you are authorized to use. If you select a priority that is higher than one you are authorized to use, mail displays an error message when you try to save or send the message.
Mail messages, by default, are sent as soon as possible. With mail, you can set the time when a message is sent. For example, if you want to send a message at some later time, such as during non-peak hours, you can defer the message to that particular time.
To defer a mail message:
1. Position the cursor in the Defer Until field of the envelope screen and press the right or left arrow key.
2. From the Set Defer screen, indicate whether you want to set a Specific time or a Relative time by highlighting the function and pressing ENTER.
- If you select Specific time, the Set Specific Time screen appears, prompting you to enter a specific defer date in the form MM/DD/YY and a specific defer time in the form HH:MM (in 24-hour time). For example, to defer sending a message until December 28, 1992 at 6:00 p.m., complete the fields as shown in the following screen.
- If you select Relative time, the Set Relative Time screen appears, prompting you to enter a relative defer time interval in the form MM, HH, and DDD. For example, to defer sending a message for 1 hour and 5 minutes, complete the fields as shown in the following screen.
3. When you finish setting the defer time, press F10.
To cancel the defer request and retain the original settings, press ESC.
If you change your mind and decide you want the message sent as soon as possible, position the cursor in the Defer until field and press the right or left arrow key. When the Set defer time screen appears, press F6 to cancel the defer request.
Keep in mind that if you exchange mail between servers that are connected by a temporary link (a link that is active only at certain times of the day), the mail is automatically transferred when the link is active. However, if you defer a message that is sent over a temporary link, the message is delivered only if the link is active at the time you deferred the message. If the link stays down for an extended period of time, the message may expire before it is delivered. The mail service sends you a notice that the message could not be delivered. To avoid this situation, set a defer time that coincides with the period when the link is active.
If you set a defer time that exceeds the message expiration time, the message expires before it is delivered and is returned as undeliverable. To avoid this situation, either set a short defer time (such as within one day) or set an expiration time that is later than the defer time.
Setting Message Expiration Time
With mail, you can request that a message expire at a particular time. If a message expires before it is delivered, it will be returned to the sender as undeliverable. For example, if you want to send a message that contains time-sensitive information, you can set the message expiration time to a particular time, so that you will be notified if a recipient does not receive your message by that time.
The default expiration time of mail messages varies, depending on their priority:
High priority messages expire in a short period of time, such as 24 hours. Normal priority messages expire in a number of days. Low priority messages expire in a longer period, such as a week.
To set the expiration time of a mail message:
1. Position the cursor in the Expires field of the envelope screen and press the right or left arrow key.
2. From the Set Expire screen, indicate whether you want to set a Specific time or a Relative time by highlighting the function and pressing ENTER.
- If you select Specific time, the Set Specific Time screen appears, prompting you to enter a specific date in the form MM/DD/YY and a specific time in the form HH:MM (in 24-hour time). For example, to set the expiration time of a message to June 20, 1992 at 10:00 a.m., complete the fields as shown in the following screen.
- If you select Relative time, the Set Relative Time screen appears, prompting you to enter a relative time interval in the form MM, HH, and DDD. For example, to expire a message in 1 hour and 30 minutes, complete the fields as shown in the following screen.
3. When you finish setting the expiration time, press F1.
To cancel the expire request and retain the original settings, press ESC.
If you change your mind and decide you want the message to expire at the default expiration time, position the cursor in the Expires field and press the right or left arrow key. When the Set Expire Screen appears, press F6 to cancel the expire request and restore the system default expire time.
After you fill in the fields of the envelope screen, access the message screen to enter your message text. To access the message screen, use the arrow keys or the PgDn key to position the cursor in the Message field of the envelope screen. Or use the F8 key to access the message screen from any line in the envelope screen.
A sample message composed in mail follows.
The message screen is composed of three parts:
Message Header - Fields that match the corresponding fields of the envelope screen.
Menu Bar - Four functions used to perform edit functions on your message.
Message Text Area - Area where you enter the text of your message.
Writing messages with mail is similar to using a simple word processor. By default, the mail editor places you in insert mode. If you type new text in front of existing text, the existing text is pushed to the right to make room for the new text. If you prefer to use overstrike mode, press the INSERT key.
At any time, if you want to erase the entire message, press ESC. Mail will verify that you want to delete the message. If you choose YES, you return to the Mail Main menu. If you choose NO, you return to the message screen.
Table 2-1. Mail Editing Keys, describes the mail editing keys.
With mail, you can compose and send a message of any size. However, your recipients may be able to display only the first 6,000 characters of the message, depending on which revision of mail each recipient's workstation is running.
Use the menu bar to perform editing functions on your message. The next sections explain how to use the menu bar to perform editing functions.
The menu bar contains four functions used to perform edit operations on your message: File, Edit, Search, and Special.
To access the menu bar, press F2. Use the arrow keys to move the cursor along the menu bar to access the individual edit function menus. You can select an option from a menu in two ways:
Use the arrow keys to highlight your choice and press ENTER. Press the highlighted letter that uniquely identifies your choice.
To exit the menu without selecting an option, press ESC.
As a short cut, you can select the menu functions and some of the options directly using special keys. To select a menu function using a short cut key, press the ALT key plus the appropriate highlighted letter in the menu bar. If an option has a short cut key, it appears in the function menu to the right of the option.
Short Cut Keys
The short cut keys for the menu functions are as follows:
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Sometimes certain menu options are dimmed, which means they are not available for you to choose. For example, if you are not composing a message, edit functions are dimmed. When you compose a message, these options are available.
Descriptions of the File, Edit, Search and Special menus follow.
File Menu
Use the File menu to import text files and to exit a mail message:
Edit Menu
Use the Edit menu to edit text in a message:
Search Menu
Use the Search menu to find and change text in a message:
Special Menu
Use the Special menu to define text format and to switch text windows:
The sections that follow describe how to use these menus to perform editing functions on messages.
While composing a message, you can copy DOS files into the text area of the screen. For example, you may want to import a file that you created in a text editor or other application into a message you compose in mail.
To import a file, select Import File from the File menu, or press ALT-I. Mail prompts you to enter the file name. If the file is not in the current directory, you must specify its full pathname.
For example, entering
f:\sales\hqregion\introlet.doc
at the prompt tells mail to include the file introlet.doc in the message currently being composed. For more information about DOS file names, see the chapter on file sharing in the User's Guide for DOS and OS/2.
Mail displays the file in the text area, starting at the current cursor location. You can edit the file as needed.
If mail cannot locate the specified file name, you will see an error message. You may have made an error in entering the file name. To correct the error:
1. Press F8 to access the envelope screen.
2. From the envelope screen, press F5 to view the directory of the imported file.
3. Verify the imported file's location and name, then press F8 to return to the message screen.
4. Select Import File from the File menu and re-enter the file name. Be sure to use the backslash and the appropriate extension.
Special control codes in your files that were previously invisible (for example, typeface codes), may become visible when you copy the files into messages. You can delete them in mail using the editing keys.
As an alternative to importing a file into your message, you can attach the file to the mail message. To attach the file to the message, enter the file name in the Attach field of the envelope screen.
The mail editor has a feature that allows you to select a block of text to be changed. Once you select a block of text, you can move it or copy it from one place to another, or delete it from your message. A block of text can be a character, word, sentence, paragraph, line, or any amount of message text. To select a block of text to edit, you first define the beginning and end points of the block.
To define a block of text, position your cursor in the message area where you want the block to begin, and press ALT-H. Move the cursor to the place you want the block to end. As you move the cursor, the selected text becomes highlighted.
To select the entire message as a block of text, select Select All from the Edit menu.
To release a block of text that you are in the process of selecting, press ESC. The block of text becomes unhighlighted.
Delete
To delete a block of text, select Delete from the Edit menu, or press ALT-D. The block of text disappears from the message, but is stored in a temporary storage buffer.
Restore
To restore a deleted block of text from the buffer, select Paste from the Edit menu, or press ALT-O. The block of text appears at the cursor position.
Copy and Paste
To copy a block of text, select Copy from the Edit menu (or press ALT-C). The block of text is stored in the buffer. Position the cursor in the message area where you want the copy to appear, and select Paste from the Edit menu, or press ALT-O. An identical block of text appears at the cursor position.
Using the storage buffer, you can Delete or Copy text from one message and Paste it into a different message. The text remains in the buffer until you replace it by deleting or copying again.
Searching for and Changing Text
You can search for and change text in your message. To search for text, select Find from the Search menu. Mail displays the Find screen.
To move the cursor through the fields of the screen, press TAB or use the arrow keys.
You can search from the cursor position or search from the beginning of the message. If you want to search from the cursor position, type the text you want to find in the Find field and leave the Search From Beginning field blank.
To search from the beginning of the message, type the text you want to find in the Find field. Then, position the cursor in the Search From Beginning field and press any key to place an X in this field.
When you have finished completing the fields of the Find screen, press ENTER. Mail searches for text that exactly matches the text you specified. When searching for text, mail considers case:
If you include upper case letters in the text, mail searches for matching text with upper case letters as you specified. If you include spaces in the text, mail searches for text with the same number of spaces in the same place.
When mail finds the first occurrence of the text, it moves the cursor to the first character of the text string. To search again for the same text, select Find Again from the Search menu (or press F3). Mail searches for the next occurrence of the text you specified.
To search for and change text, select Change from the Search menu. Mail displays the Change screen.
To move the cursor through the fields of the screen, press TAB or use the arrow keys.
In the Find field, enter the text you want to find. In the Change To field, enter the replacement text.
To start the search from the beginning of the message, position the cursor in the Search From Beginning field and press any key to place an X in this field. If you want to change all occurrence of the text, place an X in the Change All field.
When you have finished completing the fields in the Change screen, press ENTER. Mail searches for text that matches exactly the text you specified.
When mail finds the first occurrence of the text, it changes the text to the replacement text you specified, and moves the cursor to the next character in the message. To search for and change text again for the same text, select Change Again from the Search menu, or press F4. Mail searches for and changes the next occurrence of the text you specified.
If you specified that mail change all occurrences of the text, mail changes the text and moves the cursor to the end of the message.
The mail editor has features that allow you to define how the text displays. Text formatting options are accessed from the Special menu.
Word Wrap
The Word Wrap option defines how each line of text breaks. When Word Wrap is turned on, any line of text that exceeds the margin breaks between words and wraps to the next line. Characters that define a word boundary are blank spaces, tabs, and hyphens (-).
If you delete text from or insert text into a message when Word Wrap is turned on, the mail editor automatically re-formats the text to accommodate the change, by closing the gap or wrapping the additional text.
When Word Wrap is turned off, lines of text break at any character within a word.
When you compose a message, Word Wrap is turned on by default. When you read a message or attachment, Word Wrap is turned off by default.
To turn on Word Wrap, select Word Wrap from the Special menu. A check mark appears next to the Word Wrap option in the menu, indicating that the option is turned on.
To turn off Word Wrap, select Word Wrap from the Special menu again. The check mark disappears, indicating that the option is turned off.
Set Margin
The Set Margin option defines where each line of text breaks. No line can exceed the width defined by the margin. When you read a message, the default margin is set at 80 characters. When you compose a message, the default margin is set at 78 characters. To change the margin, select Set Margin from the Special menu, or press ALT-M. The cursor moves to the line above the menu bar, showing the position of the right margin and the value of the margin width, in characters.
To adjust the margin width, use the right arrow and left arrow keys to move the margin indicator. As you move the margin indicator, the margin width value changes and the message texts reformats automatically. When you have finished positioning the margin indicator, press ENTER.
To exit without changing the margin width, press ESC.
The maximum margin you can set is 255 characters. The minimum margin you can set is 10 characters.
Show Control
The Show Control Codes option defines whether the text appears in Codes filtered form or unfiltered form. By default, messages appear in unfiltered form, that is, with special characters, such as ASCII codes less than 20h. Attachments appear in filtered form, by default.
To turn on Show Control Codes, select Show Control Codes from the Special menu. A check mark appears next to the Show Control Codes option in the menu, indicating that the option is turned on. Text appears in unfiltered form.
To turn off Show Control Codes, select Show Control Codes from the Special menu again. The check mark disappears, indicating that the option is turned off. Text appears in filtered form.
The mail editor has a feature that allows you to open windows to access two files at once. In one window, you can display an attachment file and, in a second window, you can display your message text. You can copy text from the attachment file into your message.
In addition, when answering or forwarding a message, you can display the original message in one window, and display your response message in a second window (For more information on this feature, refer to Chapter 3).
To display your attachment file in one window and your message in a second window:
1. Move the cursor to the Attach field of the envelope screen. If more than one file name appears in the Attach field, move the cursor to the one you want to read.
2. Press F4 to display the attachment. Mail displays a second message screen, showing the attachment file in the message text area. Above the menu bar, the window number 2 appears.
3. To switch from the attachment file window to your message window, select Switch Window from the Special menu, or press ALT-W. Mail displays the first message screen, showing your message in the message text area. Above the menu bar, the window number 1 appears.
When you display the attachment file, you are in Read Only mode. You cannot modify text in Read Only mode. However, you can use the functions of the Special menu to define how the text displays. You can also select a block of text from the attachment file (displayed in window number 2) and copy it to the buffer. Then, switch to window number 1 and paste the block into your message.
When you have finished composing a message and are ready to send it, select Exit from the File menu or press F10.
Mail verifies the addresses of all recipients. If all addresses are verified, the Send menu appears. You have a choice of three functions:
Send and Delete - Sends the message to the recipient and does not leave a copy of it in your current folder.
Send and Save - Sends the message to the recipient and saves a copy of it in your current folder.
Just save - Saves the message in your current folder without sending it to the recipient. Allows you to edit the message later.
Select a function. Mail sends and/or saves the message, and then returns to the Mail Main menu.
If an address cannot be verified, mail lets you choose whether or not to correct the address. The next section, "Unverifiable Addresses," discusses this procedure.
If mail cannot verify a recipient address in a message you attempt to send, mail displays the Unverifiable Address screen.
This screen may appear for two reasons:
The StreetTalk name does not exist. Connections to the addressee's server may be temporarily down.
To change the address, press ENTER. At the envelope screen, enter the correct address. If you need help, press F2 to view the catalog of names or STDA. After you have corrected the address, press F10 to save and/or send the message.
If you correct an address and the unverifiable address message re-appears, try sending your message at some later time. When you attempt to send the message with an unverified address, mail cannot deliver the message immediately but keeps trying for a period of time specified by the message expiration time.
Depending on why the address could not be verified, mail may deliver your message within a few hours. For example, mail will deliver a message when connections between servers are restored. Alternatively, you may receive a notice from the mail service that the message could not be delivered. The next section explains how to treat undeliverable messages.
If the unverifiable address problem persists, notify your network administrator.
Return of Undeliverable Messages
If you send mail to an address that could not be verified, mail notifies you with a message. The sender is the StreetTalk name of the mail service. The message lists the addresses that could not be found.
The message also lists code numbers for the reasons why the mail could not be delivered. Depending on the reason the message could not be delivered, you may receive notice immediately or within a time period specified by the message expiration time.
When you receive a notice that mail could not deliver a message, write down the code number. Then, from the envelope screen, press F9 to recover the message.
Mail files the original message and any attachments in your current folder. You can use the Read function to view the recovered message. Mail lets you edit the To:, Cc:, and Bcc: fields of this message so that you can correct (if necessary) any addresses and re-send the message. You cannot edit any other fields.
To find out what the code numbers mean, use the on-line error message help text provided by the VNSERR command. The proper format for this command is described in the Command Reference.
Four common causes of undeliverable mail are described below.
Name not found (VNM3042) - StreetTalk cannot find the addressee. It may be that the connections to the server on which the addressee's mailbox resides are temporarily unavailable. It may be that the user has been deleted. Recover the message, ask your system administrator about a possible deletion and about current network connections, and send the message again later.
Mailbox is full (VNM3043) - Addressee's mailbox contains the maximum number of messages as set by the system administrator. The addressee must delete some of the messages in the mailbox before any more messages can be received.
Wildcards restricted (VNM3046) - If you sent a message with a wildcard in the item name or group name, you may encounter addressees who have requested that the use of wildcards for their mailbox be restricted. If necessary, you can recover the message and forward it to an addressee using the addressee's full StreetTalk name.
Mailbox disabled (VNM3048) - Disabled mailboxes cannot receive mail. If you believe that the addressee's mailbox was enabled when you sent the message, inform your system administrator and the addressee of the situation.
You can edit any message in your folder that remains UNSENT. Select the Read function from the Mail Main menu. Then select the unsent message you want to edit. Mail displays the message screen.
You can change any information in the envelope screen except for the sender and date, and you can edit the text of the message. Remember, you can use the mail editor keys and functions described earlier in this chapter.
When you have finished editing the message, press F10. Then, choose a function for sending and/or saving the message, as explained in the previous section, "Sending Mail."
