Chapter 6 - Using Advanced Features
VINES Mail offers you several advanced features:
Using StreetTalk Directory Assistance (STDA) to search for addresses Creating and managing an Address Book, useful for storing addresses for users of different mail systems A Preferences command, which lets you customize your mail environment A Set Text Format command, useful when you exchange mail with DOS or OS/2 workstation users An Attachments command, which lets you attach files to send with your mail message, as well as view and print attachments to mail messages you receive An Import command which lets you import text to use in your mail message, and an Export command to let you save mail messages as text files A Split Bar that lets you divide the Mail List window into two panels
This chapter describes these features in detail.
Use the StreetTalk Directory Assistance service (STDA) to find StreetTalk names and automatically transfer them to a message address field. To access STDA, either:
Click the Address icon in the Compose window
Choose the Address command from the Mail menu.
The STDA window appears:
The STDA window is divided into three panels. The top panel is similar to the top panel of a Compose window. Above the top STDA panel are three icons that correspond to the To, Cc, and Bcc address fields.
Underneath the icons are the address fields. Names you select from the STDA list in the second panel appear here after you click the corresponding icon.
The second panel contains a pop-up menu. This menu lists the available STDA classes and your address book.
Users is the default class. Including the address book as a class lets you use this pop-up menu to access your private Address Book. The Address Book is explained in the section "Managing Your Address Book" later in this chapter. Use the pop-up menu to choose the STDA class you want to select entries from.
Below the pop-up menu is the list of StreetTalk entries. The Show Subset button lets you toggle between a subset and the full list. If you search for a subset, the button reads, "Show Subset." When you click this button to display the subset, the button changes to read, "Show All." Subsets are explained in the section "Using the Search Editor" later in this chapter.
When the STDA window is first displayed, user names appear. Use the scroll bar to scroll through the names. The bottom panel shows the Description attribute and an area for you to enter a key search. Enter the letters of the entry you are searching for in this area.
There are different ways to search for StreetTalk names:
Enter characters in the Key Search text box Use the Search Editor to display a subset of StreetTalk names Use the scroll bar to scroll through the list
Using the Key Search Text Box
If you wish to find a name more quickly than you can with the scroll bar, use the Key Search text box located at the bottom of the window:
When you open the StreetTalk Directory Assistance window, an insertion point appears in the Key Search text box.
Enter letters in the Key Search text box. As you enter characters, STDA searches for the closest match, which appears at the top of the list.
Example
Using the Key Search Text Box
To search for the name "Owens," enter the letters O, W, E... You will find that STDA often displays the name before you finish entering the complete name.
Scrolling Through the List
You can also use the scroll bar to scroll through the list of names. Either click the scroll arrows, or use the scroll box to scroll through the list of names. You can use these keys in addition to the scroll bar:
home end page up page down
Using the Search Editor
If you want to search the STDA database for a particular list of names that match a pattern, click Search Editor. The Search Editor window appears:
The Search Editor window overlays the StreetTalk Directory Assistance window. You enter a StreetTalk name pattern and a description pattern, and click Search. Enter either or both to perform a subset search:
1. Type the StreetTalk name pattern and press tab. The cursor moves to the Description field.
2. Type a pattern that contains some or all of the characters you expect to find in the Description field and click Search. You can use wildcards anywhere in the patterns.
Click Cancel at any time to close the Search Editor window.
The STDA subset search includes names from all of the STDA classes (users, lists, and so on). However, you view one class of names at a time. The subset list of names currently displayed is that of the current STDA class. You view the other names in other classes by using the Classes pull-down menu.
Example
Using STDA to Address a Mail Message
If Duncan Fraser wants to send a mail message to all managers in the Finance Department that match the name pattern *@Fin@WCTUS and the description pattern *Manager*, he:
1. Opens the StreetTalk Directory Assistance window. The Users class appears by default.
2. Clicks Search Editor to display the Search Editor window.
3. Enters the patterns in the text boxes and clicks OK.
When STDA completes the subset search, the STDA screen reappears, where the names that match the patterns are displayed.
Note that the Show Subset button changes to Show All. When you finish selecting names from the subset list, click Show All to display the original list.
To select a name, click the name. The name is highlighted. Select multiple names by holding down the Command key and clicking the name.
To transfer a selected name, clicke of the address fields at the top of the StreetTalk Directory Assistance window. An alternative way is to double-click a name to transfer it to the address fields.
When you finish using STDA, close the StreetTalk Directory Assistance window by clicking OK. The window clears and the selected names appear in the appropriate fields in the application.
VINES Mail lets you create and manage your own private address book. The address book provides a shortcut for addressing messages. Each address book entry represents a customized list of StreetTalk items. When addressing a message, you can enter just one address book entry instead of a longer list of names.
You create an address book entry in the Edit Address Book window. Select the Edit Address Book command from the Windows menu. The Edit Address Book window appears:
You create an address book entry by
1. Creating a label
2. Associating a list of names with the label
The names in a list can include any combination of:
StreetTalk users, lists, and nicknames Addresses of users on gateways Addresses of users on VINES servers with restricted or temporary connections to your server
The address book labels differ from STDA lists and nicknames because they are created by and available only to you.
Table 6-1 describes the icon panel in the Edit Address Book window:
| Click | To |
|
Add a label |
|
Rename a label |
|
Access STDA to search for names to use in your list of associated names |
|
Delete a label and its associated list of names |
Add labels to your address book with the following procedure:
1. Click the Label icon on the Edit Address Mail window. The New Address Book Entry dialog box appears:
2. Enter a label and click OK. A label is a maximum of 15 characters.
3. The Edit Address Book window reappears, with your new label entry highlighted in the left column.
4. Use standard Macintosh editing techniques to enter one or more StreetTalk names of the users or lists that you want to associate with the label. If you need to search for a name using STDA, see the section "Searching for Names to Associate with a Label" later in this chapter.
You can enter a maximum of 1000 characters in your address book. Each address is a maximum of 500 characters.
Example
Names Associated with a Label
The following shows the list of names associated with the label, "Staff" :
Editing and Deleting Associated Names
Follow these steps to edit and delete associated names:
1. Choose the Edit Address Book command from the Windows menu. The Edit Address Book window appears.
2. Select the label associated with the names you want to edit or delete. The associated names appear in the right column.
3. Use standard Macintosh editing techniques to edit or delete the names.
Follow these steps to rename a label:
1. Choose the Edit Address Book command from the Windows menu. The Edit Address Book window appears.
2. Select the label you want to rename from the Edit Address Book window.
3. Click the Rename Label icon. The Rename Address Book Entry dialog box appears:
4. Use standard Macintosh editing techniques to enter a new name for your label. The replacement name is a maximum of 15 characters.
5. Click OK. The Edit Address Book window reappears. The renamed label is highlighted in the left column and the unchanged list of associated names in the right column.
Follow these steps to delete a label:
1. Choose the Edit Address Book command from the Windows menu. The Edit Address Book window appears.
2. Select the label you want to delete.
3. Click the Trash icon. An alert box prompts you to confirm your action.
4. Click OK to delete the label and its associated names.
Using STDA with the Address Book
Use STDA to:
Help build the address book by searching for names, lists, and nicknames to associate with a label Search for labels and then automatically transfer them into message address fields
Searching for Names to Associate with a Label
After you create a new label, you associate names, lists, or nicknames, or any combination of all three, with that label. STDA can help you find these.
From the Edit Address Book window, click the STDA icon. The StreetTalk Directory Assistance window appears:
You search for names, lists, and nicknames for your address book the same way that you use STDA to search for names to address mail messages. See the section "Using STDA" earlier in this chapter.
Follow these steps to search for a name:
1. Enter the letters of the desired name in the Key Search text box.
2. Select the desired name. Command-click to select additional names to transfer.
3. Click the Address Book icon to transfer the names to the Addresses field. Note that the Address Book icon replaces the To, cc, and bcc icons that you see when you access STDA while composing a mail message.
4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each name or group of names you add to the Addresses field. The following window shows an example:
5. Click OK. The StreetTalk Directory Assistance window clears and the names you selected appear in the Edit Address Book window. Any selected names not transferred with the Address Book icon are transferred automatically.
Example
A List Associated with a Label
The following window shows the names selected now associated with the Staff label:
Addressing a Message with Your Address Book
There are two ways to enter address book labels into the address fields of a new message:
Type the label directly into the To, cc, or bcc fields. Use STDA to access the Address Book and insert the label into the address field. Click the Classes pop-up menu to select Address Book.
If you are not sure of the label name, search for it using STDA. See the section "Using STDA" earlier in this chapter.
You control certain actions taken by VINES Mail. You exercise this control with Preferences settings. Preferences control conditions under which:
The Subject dialog box appears The Show Warning dialog box appears The current Compose or Read window is closed
To view and change your preference settings, choose the Preferences command from the File menu. The Preferences dialog box appears with the following default settings:
To change a preference, click the option box to enable or disable the preference:
An "X" in the option box means the preference is enabled A blank option box means the preference is disabled
Click OK to save your changes. Preference settings stay in effect until the next time you change them.
The following sections describe each preference in more detail.
This preference specifies if the Subject dialog box automatically appears when you compose a new message. By default, this preference is enabled when you first start VINES Mail.
Disable this preference if you do not want the Subject dialog box to appear. New messages are automatically saved in the General folder when you disable this preference.
Using the Subject Dialog Box
The subject you enter in the Subject Dialog box appears in the address area of the message. If you do not enter a subject, "...no subject..." appears instead:
The subject also appears in the recipient's Mail List window after you send the message.
Note: It is best to enter a subject so that the recipient knows what the message is about. It also makes it easier to determine which messages to read first, which to save, and which to delete.
Enabling the "Auto Save" feature in this dialog box automatically saves messages in a selected folder after you send the message and close the message window. By default, the Auto Save option box is enabled.
The pop-up menu to the right of the Auto Save option box lets you specify the folder you want to save your message in:
1. Click this menu for a list of your current folders.
2. Select the desired folder. The folder's name appears in the dialog box.
Note: Messages are saved by default in the General folder. Because all incoming messages are also placed in the General folder, the newly-received messages are mixed in with those sent, making it difficult later to locate a specific message. Therefore, using the Auto Save feature to file messages as you write them may save you time later.
If you disabled the Subject dialog box with the Preferences command or did not enter a subject, you can still enter the subject directly into the message address window using standard Macintosh editing techniques.
After you enter a subject, click the OK button or press return. The Compose window appears. You compose your message and address it in the Compose window.
This preference specifies if a warning dialog box appears when you delete an unread mail message. By default, this preference is enabled when you first start VINES Mail.
Leaving this preference enabled prevents you from accidentally deleting a message before you read it. If you want to override the enabled preference when deleting a particular message, press option-delete. The preference is not changed.
If you receive relatively large quantities of non-critical messages, consider disabling this preference.
This preference specifies whether you want the current Read or Compose window to close automatically after:
Sending a message Printing a message Filing a message
By default, the three preferences are disabled when you first start VINES Mail.
If you disable a closing-window preference, but want to override it when sending, printing, or filing a particular message, press option with the appropriate command. The preference is not changed.
Note: There is a advantage to closing the window after filing a message. When you file a message to another folder, you move the original, not a copy. If you then click the Trash icon to close the window, you delete the original and only copy of the message.
Sending Mail to Other Workstations
VINES Mail has two text formats that you can use when composing a message. This feature is useful if you send messages to users on your network who have DOS, Windows, or OS/2 workstations.
VINES Network Mail displays text in a mono-spaced font, 80 characters to a line. VINES Mail for Macintosh uses a proportional font (9 point Geneva) as its default font. Because you can fit more than 80 characters in a line using Geneva, DOS, Windows, and OS/2 recipients may see potentially annoying lines of text wrapping after 80 characters.
To avoid this, use the Set Text Format dialog box to change your message's default proportional font to Monaco, a mono-spaced font. Your messages now appear exactly the same on your screen as on your recipients.
Any changes you make to the Set Text Format dialog box stay in effect until you change them later.
Set the text format with these steps:
1. While in a Read or Compose window, select the Set Text Format command from the Edit menu. The Set Text Format dialog box appears:
2. Table 6-2 lists the three options you can set:
| Option | Use Either | Or | Default |
| Text Font | Geneva (proportional) | Monaco (monospace) | Geneva |
| Text Size | 9 point - applies to both Geneva and Monaco | 12 point - applies to both Geneva and Monaco | 9 point |
| Text Wrap | Default width | Current window width | Default width |
3. Click the radio buttons to set your options.
4. Click OK to confirm your changes and return to your Compose window.
Note: If you send a message under the following conditions:
Text Wrap is set to your current window width Your current Compose window width is wider than the recipient's window width
The recipient may have to use a horizontal scroll bar to view your entire message.
Here are some suggestions for using the Set Text Format command:
If you send mail only to other Macintosh users, there is no need to change the text font to Monaco. Any message you send appears the same to the other users. If you send mail to DOS, Windows, or OS/2 users on your network, set the text font to Monaco and use the default setting for text wrap. Any message you send appears the same to all recipients, including Macintosh users. Otherwise, your message may not fit within the margins of your recipient' s screen. If the 9 point size is too small for you to read, change the size to 12 point.
You can include any file as an attachment to a message. However, an attachment must be a text file to be printed from VINES Mail. A spreadsheet sent as an attachment, for example, must be saved as a file, then opened from a spreadsheet application in order to read, print, and operate on it.
It may be possible to read some non-text files, but they may be difficult to decipher because of intermixed control characters.
You can add up to 10 attachments to a message. Though the text of the message itself can be no larger than 32K bytes, attachments can be any length.
Follow these steps to add attachments:
1. Click the Attachments icon from the Compose window or choose the Attachments command from the Mail menu. The Attachments window appears:
2. Click the Attachments icon at the top of the Attachments window. A standard file dialog box appears, which allows you to select files to attach.
3. Select a file in one of two ways:
- Click the file and then click Attach
- Double-click the file
4. The file dialog box clears, and the name of the file appears in the Attachments window. The sample Attachments window shows a selected file named "December Sales" :
5. When you finish adding attachments, click the Attach button. You return to the Compose window.
6. Send the message with the added attachments.
After you add the first attachment, the Attachments icon on your Compose window changes to a paper clip clipped to a page. The message recipient sees this icon when opening this message.
If you add an attachment and want to delete it:
1. Select the attachment from the Attachments window
2. Click the Trash icon
You can read text attachments. Attachments that have application-specific formats, such as outliners, spreadsheets, and graphics, appear in the attachments list but cannot be viewed from within VINES Mail. See the section "Saving Attachments" later in this chapter to find out how to read a non-text attachment.
Follow these steps to read a text attachment:
1. Click the Attachments icon in the icon panel in the Read window. The Attachments window appears with Read and File icons:
2. From this Attachments window, select an attachment, then click the Read icon. The Attachments window reappears displaying the attachment text. The window icons become File and Print icons.
You can select and copy text from the attachment to the Clipboard, but cannot edit the attachment. When you finish reading the attachment, click Done. The window closes and you return to the Read window.
The next section describes how to print attachments.
VINES Mail for Macintosh prints only text attachments. In other words, if you can read the attachment, you can print it. Attachments such as spreadsheets must first be saved as a file, then opened from the appropriate application before being read or printed.
You can print attachments only from the Attachments window which displays the text. The previous section explains how to access the Attachment window.
Follow these steps to print an attachment:
1. Click the Print icon. The Print dialog box appears.
2. Click OK. The attachment is sent to the printer. The Attachments window reappears.
You can print only one attachment at a time.
You can save attachments as files. After you save them as files, you can use application software to print and operate on those files. This is especially useful if the attachment is not a text file. For example, if you save a spreadsheet attachment as a file, you can later open that file with a spreadsheet application.
Follow these steps to save one or more attachments as files:
1. Click the Attachments icon at the top of the Read window or choose the Attachments command from the Mail menu. The Attachments window appears with Read and File icons.
2. Select an attachment.
3. Click the File icon. A standard file dialog box appears prompting you to save the attachment as a file.
4. Follow the standard procedures for saving Macintosh files. You can rename the file before saving it by editing the name as it appears in the Save Attachment As box. Click OK.
You can save only one attachment at a time.
If you receive an attachment from a DOS workstation whose name contains a colon (:), you must delete the colon before filing.
Importing Files into Mail Messages
You can import text files stored on your Macintosh workstation or on network file volumes into the message text area of a Compose window.
Importing a text file into a message differs from attaching a text file to a message. When you import a file, the text becomes part of your message. When you attach a file, the file is delivered with the message, but remains separate from it.
Follow these steps to import a file:
1. From the Compose window, place the insertion point at the spot in the text where you want the imported file text to appear.
2. Choose the Import File command from the File menu. A Macintosh folder dialog box appears displaying available text files.
3. Select the file(s) you want to import. The dialog box filters out any files that cannot be successfully imported into a message. Note that files larger than the 32K byte limit are truncated.
4. Click Open. The imported text now appears in the body of your message.
If you do not want the entire imported file in your message, use standard Macintosh editing techniques to edit the text.
You can export a message as a text file, stored in a Macintosh folder. This allows you to edit a message with a word processor. Later, you can import the file back into a message. See the previous section for information on importing messages.
Follow these steps to export a message:
1. Open the message you want to export.
2. Select the Export command from the File menu. A standard file dialog box prompts you to save your message as a Macintosh file.
3. Select a folder to store the exported file. Optionally, edit the exported file name using the Export Mail As box. Note that the name of the file begins with the Read window title.
You can use exported mail to save a message when VINES Mail is unavailable due to network or other problems. The system displays a dialog box that lets you export any open messages to the Macintosh file system.
Because your Mail List window can contain more messages than you can view at one time, you can split the Mail List window into two panes. The panes represent two views into the same window.
The top and bottom panes have their own scroll bars, allowing you to selectively view any part of the window in either pane. Though there are two panes, the user can only work in one pane at a time. Any change made in a pane is immediately reflected in the other.
Split the Mail List window by dragging the split bar (the black bar immediately above the vertical scroll bar) downward. Vary the size of the panes by positioning the split bar where you want it. You can drag messages across panes.
To remove the split bar and reconfigure the window as a single pane, drag the split bar to the top or bottom of the scroll bar.
