Appendix A - Using VINES Messages for OS/2
Managing OS/2 Network Messages
VINES Messages is an OS/2 application that lets you view and send network messages. When a network message is received at your workstation, a dialog box containing the message is displayed. (In both the OS/2 full screen and the DOS Box, notification is displayed as a 25th line message.) The message is entered into a message queue in the Messages application window.
The menus of the application window allow you to manage these messages. The Messages application, unlike other VINES applications, supports the use of a mouse.
The messages application window stores up to 50 individual messages. All messages in the queue are deleted when you log out of the network. You can also use the Messages application to send messages to other users on the network.
Accessing the Messages Application Window
To access the Messages application window, type MESSAGES from an OS/2 command prompt. You can then minimize the window so it becomes a Desktop Manager icon. Then, when you are in the Desktop Manager or an OS/2 window session, a dialog box appears indicating that a message was sent to you. You can now access the Messages application window.
There are two ways to access the Messages application to read messages:
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At an OS/2 command prompt, type MESSAGES and press ENTER. ![]()
Press CTRL-ESC to switch to the Desktop Manager and open the Messages icon.
If you are working in an OS/2 full-screen session or an OS/2 DOS Box session, the message you receive appears as a 25th line status message. You cannot access the Messages application window from the DOS Box; instead, you must exit the DOS Box and access it from an OS/2 command prompt or from the Messages icon.
Using the Messages Application Menus
When you enter the MESSAGES command or select the Messages icon, the VINES Messages application window appears.
The VINES Messages application window operates in the same way as all other OS/2 windows.
Table A-1 describes the four menu options unique to the application.
Messages dialog boxes appear when you print a document, receive electronic mail, receive a VINES message from another user, or when other network events occur. You do not have to be running the VINES Messages application to receive a message dialog box.
A common example of a message dialog box is:
By default, the message dialog box displays for six seconds before it disappears from the screen. To clear the screen sooner:
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Click on the OK button ![]()
Press CTRL-X ![]()
Press ENTER
The messages themselves enter into a queue in the Messages application window and can be read later.
To read your messages:
1. Access the Messages application window from an OS/2 command prompt or Messages icon as described earlier.
The number of messages in the queue is displayed along with the text of the last five messages as shown in the following figure.
2. To view additional messages, use the scroll bar located on the right side of the window. This scroll bar works like scroll bars on other OS/2 windows.
3. To find out when the message was sent, select Information from the Message menu.
Delete any or all messages in the window using the features of the Edit menu as follows:
1. Select a message or group of messages. To select:
- One message, use the mouse to click on the message
- All of the messages, select the option, Select All
2. Choose the Delete command from the Edit menu.
Copying Messages to the Clipboard
You can cut or copy messages from the Messages application window to the OS/2 clipboard for use later in other applications. To do so:
1. Select a message or group of messages. To select:
- One message, use the mouse to click on the message to select it
- Multiple messages, click on one message, then hold down the SHIFT key and click on additional messages
- All of the messages, select the option, Select All
2. Choose the Cut or Copy command from the Edit menu. Messages that are cut are removed from the queue. Messages that are copied remain in the queue.
Changing the Messages Dialog Box Options
You can control the display of the message dialog boxes in the Options menu in the Messages application window. The Message Popup Options dialog box is shown below.
The Message Popup Options dialog box has three options, shown in Table A-2.
The VINES Messages application lets you send a one-line message to one or more users on the network.
The recipient is the person or group of people who receive the message. Note that recipients must be logged in to the network to receive your messages.
To send a message, choose the Send command from the Message menu.
The Send dialog box appears.
The Send dialog box has two text boxes. The text box labeled "To:" is for the recipient. The second text box labeled "Message:" is for the message itself.
There is a row of command options along the bottom of the dialog box. These are briefly described in Table A-3.
To address a message, first type the recipient's StreetTalk name in the To text box. The StreetTalk name can be any one of the following names:
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StreetTalk name of a user or a list. Remember to include: The group name if the recipient is in your organization, but not in your group
The complete StreetTalk name if the recipient is not in your organization
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StreetTalk nickname. Include the group and organization names, if necessary. ![]()
StreetTalk pattern, such as *@Sales@WCTUS. The asterisk (*) stands for "all," so the message is sent to everyone in the group, Sales, at the organization, WCTUS. If you are not sure of the proper StreetTalk name of your recipient, click on the Browse button to search for users, nicknames, or lists. This is described in the section "Using the Browse Command" at the end of this chapter.
Only one address at a time is allowed. Note that you can include wildcards (*@group@organization) or lists to send messages to multiple users at one time.
To compose a message, type your message in the Message text box. You can enter a message of up to 72 characters. If you enter a message longer than the text box, the text box scrolls to accommodate the message.
The Send command option is dimmed until you enter a message and one StreetTalk address.
To send your message, click the Send command button, or press ALT-S.
When you finish, click the Done command button to close the Send dialog box and return to the VINES Messages window.
The Browse command option provides access to StreetTalk Directory Assistance (STDA). STDA is a database of StreetTalk names. This database is made up of classes that include users, lists, and nicknames. The Browse command displays the Select Recipients dialog box that accesses STDA.
This section describes how to use the Select Recipients dialog box to search for users, nicknames, and lists to address your message.
When you click the Browse command in the Send dialog box, the Select Recipients dialog box is displayed.
The Select Recipients dialog box has three elements:
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StreetTalk drop-down list box ![]()
Search text area ![]()
List area containing the STDA database of names
Below these elements is a row of command options shown in Table A-4.
Along the bottom of the dialog box is a row of command options: OK, Cancel, Help, and Subset. These are described in Table A-5.
Paging Through the List
Either click the arrow options or use the directional keys to page through the list and select a name to use for addressing the message. Using the paging options is similar to using the directional keys on your keyboard.
For example, if you page to the end of the list, the last name is selected. If you page down a screen, the name at the top of the new screen is selected.
Paging options are shown in Table A-6.
Searching for Names
Use the StreetTalk drop-down list box to choose the STDA class of names you want in the list area of the dialog box. Select the drop-down list box to display all the available classes. Select a different class by double-clicking on it.
The list area of the Select Recipients dialog box displays the STDA database of names. By default, the first name is highlighted.
There are three ways to search for names:
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Use the directional keys on your keyboard to page through the list. ![]()
Click the paging options to page through the list. ![]()
Enter characters into the Search text area. This is often the fastest method. As you enter characters, STDA rapidly searches through the displayed list as each character is entered, looking for an exact match. Often, you find the name after entering two or three characters.
As you add characters, STDA moves the selection bar to match any name listed. If there is no match, the selection bar remains on the last name that could be matched.
To erase any character, press the BACKSPACE key. To erase the entire character string, select another item in the list with an arrow key. When you find the name you want, select the OK option. The Send dialog box reappears with your selection in the To: field text box.
If you want to search the list for names that match a pattern, select the Subset command option.
If you want to find StreetTalk users whose names match a pattern, select the Subset command option in the Select Recipients dialog box. This command displays a list of users whose StreetTalk names match particular patterns.
Select the Subset command option in the Send dialog box to display the StreetTalk Subset dialog box.
The StreetTalk Subset dialog box contains the Name Pattern and Description Pattern text boxes, and a row of command options.
The command options are briefly described in Table A-7.
Entering Search Patterns
The StreetTalk Subset dialog box prompts you to supply a StreetTalk name pattern and a description pattern. Use either or both patterns to perform a subset search. By entering a pattern in both text boxes, you often narrow the range of your search.
Enter the StreetTalk name pattern of the user into the Name Pattern text box and press ENTER. You can use the wildcard asterisk (*) anywhere in the pattern formats. Press the TAB key to toggle between the two text boxes.
Example Using the Subset Command
Duncan Fraser wants to send a message to a user in the Finance department but is unsure of the user's complete StreetTalk name. He uses the Subset command to display a list of users whose StreetTalk group name is "Finance." To do so, he:
1. Enters *@fin@wctus in the Name Pattern text box. (If he knew that the user's first name began with the letter E, he could enter e*@fin@wctus in the Name Pattern text box.)
2. Enters a pattern that contains some or all of the characters he expects to find in the Description field of the Select Recipients dialog box into the Description Pattern text box. He then presses ENTER.
(If you are not sure of what the user's description is, leave this text box empty.)
3. Clicks the Use command option to perform the search after entering the pattern.
To cancel the subset search, click on the Cancel command option. The Select Recipients dialog box is displayed.
When the subset search is completed, the Select Recipients dialog box reappears with a list of all names that match the patterns. The first name is automatically selected. You then use the directional keys, scroll options, or Search text area to search for the name or names you want.
In this example, a list all users whose first name begins with the letter E working in the Finance department appears.
To display the original list of names:
1. Click the Subset command option in the Select Recipients dialog box.
2. Click the All command option. The Select Recipients dialog box is displayed with the original list.