*************************************************************************** * IndyVax Frequently Asked Questions * * VMS Email System * * * * * * Moderated By.....................................Patrick Rainbolt * * * * * * Grammatic Advisor...................................Kathy Wallace * * * * Suggestions By...................Chuck Flowers........Mazlan Noor * * Dan Wing......Pekka Oilinki * * Peter Langstorger.........Arne Vajhj * * Richard Gilbert * *************************************************************************** Here is a list of some of the most frequently asked questions about the Indyvax email system. There are a few references that are indicated by a '{}'. EX: {1} All references are at the end of the FAQ! All updates to this FAQ will be signified by a '__' instead of a '..' after the 'Q' and 'A'. The previous updates will be show as '_.'. Q_._.How do I get Help? A_._.Type HELP at the Mail prompt. Q....How do I quit the Mail System? A....Type EXIT at the Mail prompt. Q....How do I send email? A....Type SEND or SEND/EDIT (Activates your favorite editor) at the mail prompt. Q____How do I send a email with the person's name after the username? A____Type SEND, then at the TO prompt enter the USERNAME and then type The message in quotes. EX: MAIL> SEND TO: SOCRATES "Studier of Men" Q....When typing a message, why does email abort the letter and exit back to the Mail prompt? A....This can be caused when you exceed the 512 characters per line. The only way to keep this from happening is to hit return at the end of each line. Q....When I type User@Host at the TO prompt, why do I get Invalid Username? A_._.There are 4 types of email addresses that can be used on IndyVax:{1} 1. IndyVax person: just type their USERNAME. EX: SOCRATES 2. Internet address: type IN%"Username@Host" EX: IN%"SOCRATES@indycms.iupui.edu" 3. Bitnet address: type BITNET%"Username@Host" EX: BITNET%"SOCRATES@courtyard.rome.com" 4. DecNet address: just type DecNet_Name::Username EX: PRISM::SOCRATES Q....How can I send an email message to more than one person? A_._.There are 3 ways: 1. Type SEND/CC. The 'CC' Will send a Carbon Copy to another user. It will prompt you for the other user name(s).{2} 2. You can type multiple UserNames on the TO line by separating them with commas. 3. You can create a Distribution list file. At the TO prompt, type @Distribution_name To create this list leave the mail and create a file with the editor with what ever you want the Distribution List name. Then type each user on a seperate line. Remember to type what you would like on the TO line. (Ex. IN%"User@Host" if it is an InterNet address, etc.) The Distribution file name is not case sensitive! {3} Example: File_name = MyFriends.DIS -----------------------Cut Here------------------------ SOCRATES PRISM::SOCRATES IN%"SOCRATES@indycms.iupui.edu" BITNET%"SOCRATES@courtyard.rome.com" -----------------------Cut Here------------------------ MAIL> SEND TO: @MyFriends Q....How do I send a file? A_._.This file must be an ASCII file--no binaries or Executables. To send a file in email, type SEND Filename at the mail prompt.{4}{5} EX: MAIL> SEND Socrates.Trial TO: IN%"SOCRATES@indycms.iupui.edu" Q....How do I edit a file that I am sending? A_._.Type SEND/EDIT Filename at the mail prompt. This loads the file you specify into the full screen editor and allows you to edit the file before sending it! EX: MAIL> SEND/EDIT Socrates.Life TO: BITNET%"SOCRATES@courtyard.rome.com" Q....How do you read an email message? A____There are 2 ways: 1. Type the email message number at the mail prompt. EX: MAIL> 1 2. Press Return until you have scrolled to the message you want to read. Q....How do I Reply to an email message? A....While reading a message, type REPLY, REPLY/EDIT, or ANSWER. Q....How can I include the email message in my Reply? A_._.Type REPLY/EXTRACT while reading an Email message or type REPLY/EXTRACT/EDIT to activate the full screen editor! Q....How do you Forward an email message? A_._.While reading the message, Type FORWARD. To edit the message before sending it, type FORWARD/EDIT. Q....How can I forward all my incoming email messages to another account? A_._.To send all of your incoming message to another account type SET FORWARD UserName. To remove the forward to another account type SET NOFORWARD. EX: MAIL> SET FORWARD SOCRATES If the account is on a seprate host use IN%"" or BITNET%"". But you have to use three quote signs for every one! SET FORWARD only forwards to one User@Host. If a second SET FORWARD is used Then it replaces the original one! EX: MAIL> SET FORWARD IN%"""SOCRATES@indycms.iupui.edu""" Q....How do you delete an email message? A____There are 3 ways: 1. Type in DELETE and the email message number. A hyphen can be used to delete email from one number to to another. EX: --------------------Email Message--------------------- # From Date Subject 1 IVAX::SOCRATES 9-JAN-1994 New Concepts 2 IN%"JUDGE@COURT.ROME 10-JAN-1994 Trial Results 3 IVAX::SOCRATES 11-JAN-1994 Hemlock Uses ------------------------------------------------------ MAIL> DELETE 1-2 2. Type in DELETE the Email message numbers seperated by commas. EX: MAIL> DELETE 1,3 3. While reading an email message, type DELETE to delete the message that you are reading. Q....What is a Folder? A....A folder is just a separate place to store Email messages. To help visualize this, imagine a file cabinet (this would be your mail file or MAIL.MAI). In this cabinet, all your letters are separated in folders, and all of these folders are labeled. Q....How do you list your email messages? A_._.There are 2 ways: 1. Type DIRECTORY at the mail prompt. An email message can be used as a starting reference for the directory. EX: MAIL> DIRECTORY 2 2. If you have created Folders, type DIRECTORY Folder_Name at the mail prompt. EX: MAIL> DIRECTORY NEWMAIL Q....What are some common folder names? A....There are 3 main folder names that can exist: 1. NEWMAIL folder. This contains any new mail you have waiting. 2. MAIL folder. This contains any messages you have read but have not deleted or moved to another folder. 3. WASTEBASKET folder. This contains any messages you have deleted. This folder will delete all messages contained within unless you turn the auto purge off. Q....How do you create a folder? A....This can only be done while reading an email message. While reading an email message, type MOVE Folder_Name or FILE Folder_Name. This will move the present message to the folder_name you specified. EX: MAIL> MOVE ANSWER Q....How do you delete a folder once it is created? A....All you have to do is delete or move all your email messages OUT of the folder and it will delete itself. Q....How do I delete all my email messages in a folder? A....First enter the folder by typing DIRECTORY Folder_Name, then type DELETE/ALL EX: MAIL> DIR MAIL MAIL> DELETE/ALL Q....How do you list all your folders? A....Type DIRECTORY/FOLDER Q....I keep getting a message that says I have 4 new mail message, but I don't have any new mail messages. A_._.What has happened is the system mail profile file is out-of-sync. To fix this type READ/NEW and hit return. Do this as many time as it says there is new message. So if it says 4 new messages, you would do it 4 times, or until you see a message that says "No New Message." This will correct the out-of-sync problem. Q....How do I remove all my mail files off my Root directory? A....type SET MAIL_DIRECTORY [.Directory_name] at the mail prompt. This will create the directory and move all the files. EX: MAIL> SET MAIL_DIRECTORY [.MAILBAG] Q_._.How do I get rid of all the annoying MAIL$xxxx.MAI files in my root directory? A_._.You don't. They are part of your mail system. The protection on the files is set to prevent you from accidentally deleting them. You can, however, move them to a subdircetory! EX: MAIL> SET MAIL_DIRECTORY [.MAILBAG] Q....How do I keep the mail system from deleting my WASTEBASKET folder when I leave the Mail system? A_._.Type QUIT at the Mail Prompt (Temporarily). Type SET NOAUTO_PURGE (Permanent) at the mail prompt. To reverse this type SET AUTO_PURGE at the mail prompt. WARNING: Turning off the auto_purge feature can cause an account to exceed disk quota. If you do this, make sure to delete old messages, purge, and compress your mail.mai file. Q....How do I print my email messages? A____Type PRINT while you are reading the message you want printed. If you want to send it to another mainframe printer, type PRINT/QUEUE=PrinterName This does not start printing until you exit the mail system. Ex: MAIL> PRINT/QUEUE=ET Q....How do I add a name to my email messages? A_._.Type SET PERSONAL_NAME "message". This will print out after your User@Host on any email's you send! The message cannot exceeding 127 characters. The first character must be alphabetic. This is to avoid two consecutively embedded spaces! You must enclose the string in the quotation marks; otherwise, Mail converts it to uppercase letters. To remove the name type SET NOPERSONAL_NAME. EX: MAIL> SET PERSONAL_NAME "Socrates" Q....I have a hard time using compress, purge, and then finding the MAIL.OLD file to delete? A_._.At the MAIL prompt type PURGE. When it is finished type COMPRESS. Now exit the email system and type DELETE MAIL.OLD;* (This only works if you are in the same directory as the mail files. If you are not then type DELETE [root...]mail.old;* at the mail prompt. replace root with your home directory name.) That will remove that file for you. {6} EX: $ DELETE MAIL.OLD;* Q____How do I create aliases for my friends' email addresses, so I can just type in the alias instead of the address? A____You have to define the alias in your LOGIN.COM file. This will setup each of the aliases everytime you login. Then at the Mail prompt just use the alias instead of typing the User@Host. EX: LOGIN.COM ----------------------Cut Here----------------------- $DEFINE SOCRATES "PHILOSOPHER" $DEFINE JUDGE "BITNET%""JUDGE@COURT.ROME.COM""" ----------------------Cut Here----------------------- MAIL> SEND TO: JUDGE, PHILOSOPHER Q....How do I shell out to the DCL ($) prompt while reading my email? A....At the MAIL prompt type SPAWN. Then when you want to return to the email system type LOGOUT. EX: MAIL> SPAWN --------------------------------References---------------------------------- {1} If you install the MAILSHR patch you can eliminate either IN% or BITNET%; if you install MX or PMDF, you can get rid of BITNET% and IN% -- the mailer takes care of it. (This can not be changed without privileged mode access!) {2} The Carbon Copy feature will allow multiple UserNames. Type the UserNames on the CC line by separating them with cammas EX: MAIL> SEND/CC TO: BITNET%"JUDGE@COURT.ROME.COM" CC: SOCRATES,DEFENSE {3} The distribution list name is accessible by typing the name without the at sign! This is accomplished by adding a define statement in the login.com file. EX: $DEFINE MyFriend "@DISK$USER1:[SOCRATES]MYFRIENDS.DIS" {4} There is a program called UUCODE, UUDECODE, and MFTU. These programs convert a binary file into a ascii file. This program is not supported or avaliable on the indyvax VMS system. These files are avaliable on some VMS ftp sites. (ftp.spc.edu) {5} If you're running MultiNet V3.2, PMDF V4.2, or MX V3.3 (or higher), you can send binary file to other VMS users over mail. The messages are encoded in BASE64 (with SEND/FOREIGN). This works over BITNET if both ends are running any combination of MX or PMDF. (The IndyVax systerm does currently support this function.) EX: MAIL> SEND/FOREIGN SOCRATES.GIF {6} If this is still a problem, I have written this small DCL program to do just that! ------------------------------Cut here----------------------------- $ set symbol/scope=(nolocal/noglobal) $ type sys$input ***************************************************************** Compressing and Purging Mail file By Patrick Rainbolt ***************************************************************** - Compressing and Purging mail file please wait... $ define/user sys$output NL: $ mail purge compress $ write sys$output "- Removing Mail.Old file...." $ home = f$parse("SYS$LOGIN") - "].;" $ delete 'home'...]MAIL.OLD;* $ type sys$input ***************************************************************** Mail file compressed and Purge ***************************************************************** $ exit ------------------------------Cut here----------------------------- -- Last Modified 02/07/94 at 8:00pm -- **************************************************************************** Please Email any suggestions or comments to Prainbol@indyvax.iupui.edu ****************************************************************************