Chapter 3 - Reading, Answering, and Forwarding Mail
There are three ways to find out if you have mail:
If you are logged in to the network when someone sends you a message, your workstation beeps and a message appears at the 25th line of your screen. (Unless you have the SETMSG OFF command in your user profile.) If you receive mail while not logged in, you receive a message the next time you log in. You can access mail and look for unread messages in your General folder.
When a message is sent to you, it is labeled UNREAD in your General folder.
To read one or more messages, select the Read function from the Mail Main menu. When the cursor moves to the lower part of the menu, select the message or messages you want to read. To select a single message, use the arrow keys or type the message number to highlight the message. Press ENTER to select it.
To select multiple messages, highlight one of the messages you want to read and press CTRL-ENTER to indicate multiple selection mode. Continue to select messages by highlighting a message and pressing ENTER. Mail queues up the selected messages for reading.
An asterisk (*) marks each selected message. To de-select a marked message, highlight the message again and press ENTER.
When you finish selecting multiple messages, press F10. Mail displays the message screen, which shows the message in the message text area. Use the arrow, PgUp, and PgDn keys to scroll through the message. To access the envelope screen, either position the cursor in the header area of the message screen, or press F8.
When you display the message, 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 message and copy it to the buffer. You can then paste the text into a new message when you answer or forward the message.
If the message is one you have composed but not yet sent, the envelope screen appears first. You can make changes to all of the envelope fields that can be edited (the From and Date fields cannot be edited) and make changes in the message.
When you have finished reading the message, press F10 to exit the message screen. The Message Organizer menu appears. The next section, "Using the Message Organizer Menu," explains the functions that appear in this menu.
If the message has attachments, skip to, "Reading Attachments," to learn how to display them.
Using the Message Organizer Menu
When you finish reading a message, press F10. The Message Organizer menu appears, as follows.
Select a function from the Message Organizer menu, and follow the corresponding on-line instructions. If the message is one of multiple messages you selected to read, mail executes the selected function, and displays the next selected message. Mail continues to display the messages and the Message Organizer menu in this way until all selected messages are read. When all the messages have been read, mail displays the Mail Main menu.
Table 3-1. Message Organizer Menu Functions describes the functions available in the Message Organizer menu.
As discussed in Chapter 2, mail lets you attach files to messages. If a file is attached to a message you receive, the file name is listed in the Attach field.
In one window, you can display the attachment file and, in a second window, you can display the message text. To display the attachment 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.
4. When you have finished reading the attachment, press ESC to return to the Message screen.
By default, mail displays attachments in filtered form. Filtered form means that most of the control codes are removed to make the text cleaner and easier to read. Control codes are special codes within files that are usually invisible (for example, typeface codes).
The Show Control Codes option defines whether the text appears in filtered form or unfiltered form. While viewing the attachment, you can select Show Control Codes from the Special menu to toggle between displaying the attachment with embedded control codes visible (unfiltered) and displaying the attachment with the codes hidden (filtered).
Sometimes, the mail services sends you special messages. These special messages are described below:
If you exceed the message limit for your mailbox, the mail service sends you a special warning message. If a message in your mailbox is deleted by your system administrator, the mail service sends you a special notification.
These special messages remain at the top of the numbered list of messages in your General folder, so that you will be sure to see and read them.
Answering a message is very similar to composing a message. You use the same screen and editing keys to create the message and the same procedure to send it.
You can answer a message in two ways:
From the Mail Main menu, select the Answer function and then select the message you want to answer. When you finish reading a message, press F10 to display the Message Organizer menu. Select the Answer or the Both Answer and Delete function. (Refer to Table 3-1. Message Organizer Menu.)
When you answer a message, mail displays the answer envelope screen. Mail transfers some information from the original envelope screen to your reply envelope screen automatically, as follows:
To - becomes the same as From.
From - now contains your StreetTalk name.
Subject - is duplicated and preceded by "re:" to indicate the message is an answer.
Cc, Bcc, Attach - are blank.
You can add users to the address fields, you can add attachments, you can certify the answer, and you can set message priority, defer time and expiration time.
To compose an answer, use the arrow keys or the PgDn key to position the cursor in the Message field of the envelope, or press F8. Mail displays the message screen. Above the menu bar, the window number 1 appears.
To switch from your reply message to the original message window, select Switch Window from the Special menu, or press ALT-W. Mail displays the first message screen, showing the original message in the message text area. Above the menu bar, the window number 2 appears.
You cannot access the envelope of the original message.
When you display the original message 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 message (window number 2) and copy it to the buffer. Then, switch to window number 1 and paste the block into your reply message.
You compose and send an answer the same way you compose and send a message.
You can send an answer message of any size. However, your recipients may be able to display only the first 6,000 characters of the message, depending on the revision of mail running on each recipient's workstation.
You can forward a copy of any message in your folder to one or more users. You also can include comments.
You can forward a message in two ways:
From the Mail Main menu, select the Forward function, and then select the message you want to forward. After you finish reading a message, you can select the Forward function from the Message Organizer menu. (Refer to Table 3-1. Message Organizer Menu.)
After you select the message you want to forward, mail displays the Forward a Message screen.
Complete the following fields in this screen as needed:
Address Fields - In the To, Cc, and Bcc fields, enter the names of the users and lists to whom you want the message forwarded, separating each name by a comma. To use either the Mail Catalog of StreetTalk names or STDA, press F2. To use your address book, press F6.
Certify - To certify the receipt of a messages, use the arrow keys to select Yes in the Certify field. No is the default value.
Priority - To set the priority of a message, use the arrow keys to select High, Normal, or Low in the Certify field. Normal is the default value.
Message - To enter your comments to be sent along with the forwarded mail, either position the cursor in the Message field of the Forward a Message screen, or press F8. Mail displays the message screen. Above the menu bar, the window number 1 appears.
To switch from your forward message to the original message window, select Switch Window from the Special menu, or press ALT-W. Mail displays the first message screen, showing the original message in the message text area. Above the menu bar, the window number 2 appears.
You cannot access the envelope of the original message.
When you display the original message 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 original message (displayed in window number 2) and copy it to the buffer. Then, switch to window number 1 and paste the block into your forward message.
The way you compose and send a forwarded message is similar to the way you compose and send a message. When you finish composing the forwarded message, press F10.
Mail verifies the addresses of all recipients. If all addresses are verified, the Forward menu appears. You have a choice of two 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.
You can send a forward message of any size. However, your recipients may be able to display only the first 6,000 characters of the message, depending on the revision of mail running on each recipient's workstation.
To cancel the forwarding request at any time and return to the Mail Main menu, press ESC.
Forwarded messages are delivered to your General folder with the name of the user who forwarded it to you in the From section of the message listing. You read forwarded messages in the same way as you read other messages: Select the Read function and then select the message. Mail displays the message screen, which shows the following information:
Recipients of the forward message Date and time the message was forwarded User who forwarded the message to you Comments sent with the message, if any Text of the original message Note: Some of the above information (such as forwarding date and time) may not be displayed on the message screen, depending on which revision of mail the message sender's workstation is running. Previous versions of mail do not store all of the above information.
To access the envelope screen, either position the cursor in the header area of the message screen or press F8. The envelope screen displays information associated with the original message. For example, you will find the name of the original sender in the From field, the date and time that the original message was composed in the Date field, and so on. If attachments were sent with the original message, you can access them from the Attach field. The name of the user who forwarded it to you is shown in the Forwarded by field.
You can answer, file, print, delete, and forward messages that are forwarded to you. The next chapter describes these functions in detail.
