EIES is a computer-based communication system with many advantages over traditional forms of communications such as telephone and mail. Think of EIES as an electronic meeting place, post office, and workroom. Thoughts, ideas, and news can be shared with people who are across the street, across the state, or across the country, any time of the day or night. EIES automatically keeps a written transcript of your meetings and conversations on the system. You can quickly scan through this transcript at any time to find the specific items you need.
Using a personal computer, or computer terminal and a modem you connect to EIES through your home or office telephone lines, and carry on conversations by typing and reading. Exchange private electronic mail with other EIES members, and take part in computer conferences -- the electronic meeting "places" of EIES.
Complex projects can be planned with colleagues who are thousands of miles, and several time zones away. Private mail and public announcements can be exchanged. Drafts of documents can be revised instantly and simultaneously by several EIES collaborators in locations distant from each other.
EIES saves you valuable time by allowing you to sort the tasks requiring your immediate attention from those tasks that are less urgent.
There are several ways to communicate using EIES; mainly with mail and conferences. Mail is very similar to the mail you send through the post office. Only the people you send mail to can read it. The recipients can in turn, reply to you through the mail.
Conferences are similar to meeting rooms or classrooms. If someone `speaks' in a conference, all the people in that particular conference can `hear'. However, with EIES, the `speaking' is accomplished through writing and the `hearing' is accomplished through reading.
Conferences are generally used to work on projects or discuss certain topics with a group. Mail is normally used for private discussion between a few members.
2. ABOUT THE STARTING GUIDE
This guide covers the most commonly used features of EIES. Once you're finished, you should feel completely comfortable with EIES. We recommend that before exploring on your own, you read through this guide.
In addition to the basic features covered in this manual, EIES has a number of advanced features available. See the Advanced Features Guide for information on features not covered here.
This guide is not designed as a reference manual or encyclopedia of commands, but will teach you how to use the functions of the system.. You can look up specific commands or techniques using the Table of Contents. You can also look up instructions while you are signed on. EIES provides extensive on-line HELP for learning features not covered in this manual. The HELP section of this manual begins on page 54.
EIES requires you to press the "enter" key after every command or menu choice you type. On some computers, the enter key is labeled "RETURN". On EIES, and in this guide, to indicate an enter we use the symbol: <CR>.
A "control character" requires you to press the control key on your keyboard with one finger (on Apple IIs and McIntoshes use the "apple" key or the "control" key if available) while pressing a letter on the keyboard with another finger. For instance, in this guide when you are asked for control character <CTRL>-S, press the control key and the letter S at the same time.
For newcomers to computers or telecommunications: If you do not already have your computer and modem set up, please read Appendix A: Setting Up Your Computer or Terminal.
3. GETTING STARTED
3.1 Signing On
You must perform the same series of steps each time you sign on. In addition to a modem and communications software, you'll need to obtain the following information from your group coordinator or account manager:
1. EIES Login ID (also known as the UNIX system identification name);
2. EIES password;
3. Computer transmission telephone number . This is not necessary if you have
a direct line to the computer. Check with your group coordinator or account
manager to find out if you have a direct line.
4. A computer terminal with a modem.
A group coordinator is someone responsible for assisting a group of people working on a common project. An account manager is a person responsible for handling all accounts at a particular EIES location. If you don't know who your group coordinator or account manager is, ask the individual who gave you this guide.
Additional methods for accessing EIES are presented in Appendix F.
You are now ready to begin. Please keep in mind that the following steps may vary depending on how EIES is set up at your location. Your group coordinator or account manager will provide you with the exact procedure.
1. Boot your computer in the normal way.
2. Activate communications software and modem according to their instruction
manuals.
3. Connect to EIES. If you are using a modem, dial the assigned telephone number. If you have a direct line into the computer, simply connect as you would to other systems. Again, your group coordinator or account manager will be able to provide you with specific instructions.
The prompt appearing on the monitor will ask the following:
EIES Question Type in Response
4. Login: Your user identification name
5. Terminal [vt100]: Press <CR> to select vt100 (unless otherwise instructed by your group coordinator or account
manager)
You will then see the EIES login screen which looks like this:
Some groups have customized login screens so your screen may not look exactly like this. Now answer the EIES prompt.
EIES Question Type in Response
6. Password> Your EIES password
Note: As you type your password you will not see the characters appear on your screen. This is a security measure to help keep your password private.
3.2 Welcome Screen
If you have successfully connected to EIES, on your monitor you will see the EIES WELCOME screen which looks like this:
If you have difficulty connecting to EIES, you should seek the assistance of your group coordinator or account manager.
3.3 Screen Layout
Every EIES screen has 3 specific areas:
1) The title area on the first row along the top of the screen contains the screen number, screen name, and may include status information such as the current date and time or the number of items you have read from a list of items.
2) The text area is the center rows of the screen. It may contain the actual text of items, lists of items, or instructions.
WELCOME SCREEN CHOICES
Continue Takes you to HOMEBASE where you can select from the various sub-systems of EIES.
Members Lists all users currently signed on to the system.
User Use this to change EIES settings according to your particular needs.
See Section 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7 and 8.8 for further details.
Overview A description of the software design principles on which EIES is built.
Learn Describes how to move around the system and obtain help.
Information Provides access to information and library services at NJIT and other universities.
4. HOMEBASE
Typing C at the WELCOME screen brings you to HOMEBASE. From here you can access any sub-system of EIES, such as mail or conferences.
The top of the HOMEBASE text area contains a list of various waiting items. This gives you an overview of what is waiting for you in the different sub-systems of EIES without you having to enter each particular sub-system.
<>
<>The HOMEBASE text area contains the terms and controls frequently used in EIES.
<>
<>The menu area contains all the EIES sub-systems. A description of each one is contained in the next section.
4.2 Waiting vs. Accepted
EIES provides various ways of sorting and ordering items for you. The most basic of these is to sort your mail and conference comments into two lists or piles, Waiting and Accepted.
Think of your lists of Waiting items as new things in your "in-box," and your lists of Accepted items as your "files" of old correspondence that you have seen. They have been automatically filed for you in case you want to look at them again. When you view an item, it is taken off your Waiting list ("in-box") and filed in your Accepted list ("out-box"). If you compose an item it is immediately put on your Accepted list.
Every screen on EIES has a HELP message. HELP information may be more than one screen or "page" long. Use Next to see the next page. When done, press the escape key, esc, or a minus sign, - followed by a <CR>. This will take you out of the current screen and back to the screen you were previously reading.
4.4 USER CONTROLS: MOVING QUICKLY AROUND EIES
These commands allow you to control your interaction with the system.
The -, +, and ? commands are examples of User Controls: commands that work the same way everywhere on EIES. As you travel from screen to screen, these commands travel with you.
<CR> (Move ahead)
Moves you forward one step. When you type a carriage return on a line by itself, EIES selects whatever choice is highlighted on your screen at the time.
^ (Oops)
Also known as the SHIFT-6 key, this command is used when you are answering a series of questions such as when you send mail. It moves you back one step of a process. Repeat ^ several times to retrace your last several steps.
+ (Go ahead)
When writing mail or comments, this command begins the process of sending the item.
- or Escape
Typing a minus or pressing the escape key moves you to the last menu screen. When writing mail or comments, this command moves you to the previous screen without sending mail or entering a comment.
++ (HOMEBASE)
Moves you instantly to HOMEBASE from anywhere on EIES.
-- (Sign off)
Two minus signs will instantly sign you off from anywhere in the system.
? (Help)
Provides a HELP message explaining your choices at the current screen.
O (Other/Orig.)
When is screen mode, this switches back and forth through all menu choices on a particular screen.
<CTRL>- C
Holding down the <CRTL> key and pressing the c key at the same time acts as a break key. This is useful in line mode and batch mode. If you are reading a long text item, typing <CRTL>C will stop the display of the item.
5. MAIL
Mail allows you to send private items to other members. At HOMEBASE, select Mail by typing M (or 2 if you are using line mode) to look at your mail items. Mail items are sometimes called messages in this guide.
A screen called MAIL WAITING LIST will appear. The screen will look like this:
Here you will see a very different set of choices from those HOMEBASE provided. These choices represent EIES actions such as View, Scan, and Compose.
The text area of the screen is above the menu. MAIL WAITING LIST displays the messages that have arrived since the last time you were on-line. This is called waiting mail because it is "waiting" for your attention. The LIST choice on the menu always displays the items in their shortest form, referred to in this guide as "headers." In this case, a one line header is shown for each message.
If you have more than 8 waiting mail items, type N for Next page to see all your new mail headers.
5.1 THE BASIC ACTION COMMANDS OF EIES
At any Mail, Conference, Directory, or Notifications screen, these choices are always available.
Next page Back page
If titles or text take up more than one screen, these choices move you forward or backwards.
Scan title View full text/read
These choice numbers vary slightly depending on the screen you are looking at. Scan shows you up to four lines of information about the item. View shows you the full text and accepts the item, moving it into the accepted list. It also sends a notification to the sender that you have received the message they sent.
Compose/write
Moves you into the EIES scratchpad so you can compose your own comment or mail.
Reply
This also moves you into the EIES scratchpad to compose a reply to a comment or mail.
list Accepted list Waiting
Items needing your attention are called Waiting. Once you View them, they are called Accepted. With this choice you can switch back and forth between Waiting and Accepted items. List shows you only a one-line header for very quick browsing.
scan Thread
Gathers a list of all items related to a particular item you select.
Find
Locates a particular item when you do not know its number. Searches for items by author, subject, keyword, or date. Searches both waiting and accepted items.
Drop item and replies
Removes a particular item and all responses to it from your accepted list. This also prevents any future replies from appearing. This is useful for very busy conferences, you can drop conversations that do not interest you.
The following choices appear only on some EIES menus and may not always appear with the same menu number. The capital letter for each choice always remains the same. We advise that you select choices with the capital letter rather then the number.
Intake (accept without viewing)
Moves items instantly from waiting to accepted. Intake does not display the text of the item. A notification of receipt is sent to the author of any item you Intake.
Preview (view without accepting)
Sometimes you may not want to remove an item from waiting just yet, perhaps because you want to reply to it soon. Preview lets you see the full text, but does not move the item to accepted.
Write (mail to author)
This is similar to reply. Write sends mail to only the author of an item.
Modify or delete
Changes or erases an item you have already entered. EIES will ask which item you wish to Modify. The new menu choices will allow you to modify the text, subject, association, and keys, or delete the item.
Use attachment
Some items have attachments such as forms, documents, or programs. Selecting Use attachment will allow you to access the attachment.
personal Keys
Allows you to attach a key word, selected by you, to any item you choose.
Zip
For use with View screens. If you have read the first page of a long text item, and wish to move to the next item without reading any more, select Zip. The item will automatically be accepted.
<>continued from previous page
<>continued on next page
5.4 A CLOSER LOOK AT A SINGLE TITLE:
M 85 Stuart Little (Mouse,1415) 1/16/91 11:23:46 AM 34 lines
Modified on 2/20/91 11:45:06 AM by Stuart Little (Mouse, 1415)
KEYS: Boat ride/this afternoon/sailing/excursions A: M82, c601cc64
TO: Harriet, Margalo Subject: Meet me by the Riverside
Here is the information about this item it provides:
M 85 Stuart Little (Mouse,1415) 6/16/92 11:23:46 AM 34 lines
Number by which you can find this item on EIES.
Author's unique EIES name, nickname, and number. Address mail to any of these.
Date and time that the author sent item.
Number of lines of the full text.
If item was modified, the date and time
when modification
took place.
Key words selected by the author. Key words provide a way for a group of people to sort all of their comments and messages.
TO: Harriet, Margalo Subject: Meet me by the Riverside
A subject title, entered by the author.
Nicknames of any people who were sent this mail item.
Other EIES mail or comments that the author wants linked to this item.
Modified on 6/20/91 11:45:06 AM by Stuart Little (Mouse, 1415)
KEYS: Boat ride/this afternoon/sailing/excursions A: m28, c601cc64
Name, nickname, and number of the last person who modified the item. Only the author of a message has this privilege. In a conference, the conference moderator, as well as the author, may modify a comment.
5.5 WRITING MAIL
If you wish to write a message about a new topic select Compose/write. If you wish to respond to a message someone has sent to you select Reply (see section 5.9 for more information on reply).
When you select Compose the EIES scratchpad will appear on your monitor. It looks like this:
Please go ahead and type a mail item. You need not enter a <CR> after every line. EIES does this for you automatically. Notice as you type that each line is numbered on the left-hand side of the monitor. This number helps you find your place in the text.
Type a <CR> only at the end of paragraphs.
Here's a sample of what your screen might look like:
5.7 SENDING MAIL
After you have finished composing your mail item, type a + on a line by itself. Then you will be asked the following questions:
EIES Question Type in Response
Attachments (Y/N) > Y if you have a computer file, form, EIES
item, or long text document to add to your
message. If you don't, type N. For more
information on Attachments see section 9.
Members to send to > Type the name or number of the person to
whom you would like to send the mail (for
example, John or 110).
Subject > The title or subject matter. Type <CR>
if you do not want to include a subject.
Associated Items (n#,m#,c#cc#) > Any items you wish to associate with your mail item. M408 would associate your item with mail number 408; C600CC123 would associate your item with comment number 123 in conference 600. Type <CR>
to leave no associations.
Key Words (/phrase/phrase/) > Words or phrases that might make it easier
to find this particular mail item later. If
you have no keywords type <CR>.
Use Normal Signature (Y/N) > Y if you wish to have your name to appear in the mail header. N will send the mail
item anonymously.
OK to send (Y/N)> Y if you want to go ahead and send the
mail. N if you do not want to send it.
When you have answered the above questions, you will be told that the item is being sent, and a number will be assigned to it.
<>If the user to whom you are trying to send mail does not appear on the list of matches try some other combination of letters such as Jim. If you are still unable to find the member you are looking for, try searching through the EIES member directory (see section 8).
<>
5.11 Reading Accepted (old) Mail
Once you have accepted mail with View/read or Intake, that item is moved to your accepted mail. You can switch back and forth between your waiting (new) and accepted (old) items using the list Accepted and list Waiting choices. Any mail item that you author is stored as accepted mail also. If you wish to access an item that has been accepted, select list Accepted mail. This will display the headers of mail that you have accepted or mail that you authored. The list displays the most recent items first. You can scan and view these items as you would with Waiting mail.
6. CONFERENCES
A Conference is the area for group discussion, an "electronic meeting room." To participate in a conference type ++ to return to HOMEBASE. Select Conferences. You are now at a screen called CONFERENCE SELECTION. It looks like this:
The conference selection screen lists the name and number of all the conferences that you are a member of. It also lists how many new comments are waiting for you in each conference.
If you are not a member of any conference it is probably a temporary oversight. Contact your group coordinator or account manager to find out which conferences you should join.
6.5 Writing Comments
When you wish to add a comment to a particular conference first enter the conference as explained in section 6.2. Then select Compose. EIES takes you to your scratchpad. Use Compose if you are starting a new topic or conversation. If you want to respond to a comment which already exists, use Reply. The Reply option will automatically link your comment with the comment you are responding to.
Type your comment. When you are done, type a + on a line by itself. EIES will ask a series of questions. If you want to leave the answer blank, just press <CR>.
EIES Questions: Type in Response:
Attachments (Y/N) > Y if you have an attachment. See
section 9 for information about
attachments.
Subject: > The title or subject matter.
Associated Items: (n#,m#,c#cc#) > The number of a previous comment. For example, if the moderator
entered a comment requesting members to submit introductions.
Key Words (/phrase/phrase/) > Words or phrases that might make it easier to find this particular
comment later.
Use Normal Signature (Y/N) > Y if you wish to have your name appear in the mail item header. N will send the item anonymously.
OK to send (Y/N)> Y if you want to go ahead and send
the mail. N if you do not.
EIES tells you that the item is being submitted into the conference. Note that you are not asked to name a person as recipient. All the members of this particular conference can see this comment.
6.1 HOW TO FIND A CONFERENCE
EIES has many conferences open to new members. To see a list of these conferences, type ++ to go to HOMEBASE, and then select Conferences. Then type A to select list All conferences. Every conference, including conferences to which you do not currently belong, is listed here.
All conferences have descriptions written by the conference moderator. To see a conference description, select View conference description.
Descriptions indicate whether a conference is public or private. Public conferences are open to all EIES members. To join any public conference, select Enter conference. When you join a public conference for the first time, EIES will send you a notification when you are added to the conference.
There are public and private conferences. The membership of private conferences is controlled by the moderator. Some are open by invitation only. Their existence is known only to its members.
Some private conferences are open for others to join. They are listed under list All conferences. To join one of these, you must ask the moderator for admission. The moderator's EIES name and number is provided in the conference description so that you can send a message requesting to be added to that conference.
6.2 Entering a Conference
You are probably a member of at least one conference. Enter one of your conferences by selecting Enter conference.
EIES asks: Enter conference number
(Return) for Next Conference with Waiting Items>
Type the number of the conference you wish to enter, or you may refer to the conference by name. Be sure to only type the number or name of the conference.
For example: 1240.1 or Pet Lovers .
6.6 ACCESSING ACCEPTED (OLD) ITEMS
If you wish to see items that you have accepted or authored first enter the conference where the item was submitted. Then select list Accepted comments. The screen looks like this:
The comments are listed with the most recent items first.
If the moderator of the conference added you to an ongoing discussion, you may be looking at a very long list. As the conference continues and members add new remarks, the list will get longer.
You can perform the same actions on accepted comments as you do with waiting comments, such as view and scan.
A conference usually has a number of different ongoing conversations. You may wish to read through an entire conversation. To do so, select scan Thread (all related items). EIES will ask Enter item number (#/m#/c#cc#)> Type the number of the item that began the discussion.
For example, if you know that one item in the discussion was CC45.5, the parent item of that discussion was CC45. Type 45 to see the entire conversation that began with comment 45.
6.7 Modifying and Deleting Comments
You may need to change or update some information you have submitted into a conference, or you may want to completely remove it. To change or remove a comment, you first need to know the item number. Then select Modify or delete. EIES will ask: Enter modify item (#/m#/c#cc#)>. Type the number of the item you wish to modify. A screen like this will be displayed:
8. DIRECTORY
At HOMEBASE, select Directory. You will see the DIRECTORY SELECTION screen. The choices here include:
Conferences: for information about the conferences available on EIES;
list All EIES members: for information about EIES members;
list Members now on-line: displays all members currently signed on.
Your own settings: to modify your EIES name, password, and
directory information.
Please select list All EIES members. The screen will look like this:
The EIES DIRECTORY MEMBERSHIP LIST screen displays all members of the system in the order of their user numbers.
Since there is not much information in a one-line listing, EIES provides a way to get more detail on particular members. Select View/read member description.
EIES will ask: Enter user numbers (#,#,#) (<CR> for All)>
Type in several names, nicknames, or numbers, separated by commas. For example, the name, nickname, or number of the coordinator of your EIES group or the person who brought you into the system. Try the names, nicknames, or numbers of several colleagues, or of people whose comments you have noticed while touring the system. Include your own name or number.
Your list may look like this:
James Whitescarver,866,Scarecrow,1415, H.M. Stevens T.E., WizKid
Don't be alarmed if EIES replies with this message: No users found
This may either mean you've misspelled the name, or that the name wasn't recorded on EIES quite as you expected. EIES keeps track of one full name and one nickname for each person; so if James Whitescarver doesn't work, try Jim Whitescarver or just Jim.
8.1 Selecting a Nickname
Each EIES nickname is unique. People with the most common names should choose a nickname that incorporates information such as another initial or a company acronym. For instance, John's nickname can be John S or JohnNJIT. Mary can be MaryAnne or Mary T.
To illustrate nicknames, select Find member at the DIRECTORY MEMBERSHIP LIST screen. Then select by Nickname. Search for John and then for Mary. Notice how they are listed.
Select Next to read the remaining entries (if any).
Notice the information for each member. The directory includes:
- Name, nickname, and EIES number
- Date that the member joined EIES (established date)
- Date that the member last signed on-line
- Mailing address
- Telephone number
- Description (entered by each member about themselves)
Some information may not appear. EIES members enter much of it themselves, and members may choose not to enter certain information. We encourage you to fill in your own directory information. It helps people reach you by mail or telephone and also serves as a convenient way for EIES members to meet each other for the first time.
8.2 Filling in Your Directory
To fill in your own directory, type a minus - to get to the DIRECTORY SELECTION screen (or type ++;d to get there). Now select Your own settings. Then select modify Directory entry. This will take you to the MEMBER MODIFY SELF DESCRIPTION screen. EIES will ask you these questions:
EIES Questions: Type in Response:
Full Name > Your name.
Nick Name> Select a nickname. If it is already in
use, EIES will ask for another.
Telephone Number> Your telephone number.
Zip Code> Your zip code. Zip codes are used to
search for people in particular loca-
tions.
Scratchpad for Your address. When done, type +
Address modification> on a line by itself followed by <CR>.
Scratchpad for A brief description of yourself. Description modification> When done, type + on a line by
itself followed by <CR>.
You must complete the entire process in order for your directory to be updated. If you wish to leave some information blank, simply press <CR> after the question. If you wish to leave your address and/or description blank, simply type a + on a line by itself followed by <CR>.
EIES automatically fills in the other parts of the directory such as the date your account was established and the date you last signed on.
Your directory will be updated once you sign off. You will be able to view your new information the next time you sign on.
13. ON-LINE HELP
There are a number of ways to obtain help on EIES. First, if you type a ? at any prompt you will see information about where you currently are in the system and what EIES wants you to do.
To see information about a particular choice type a ? immediately followed by a choice number. For example, if you type ?N at the HOMEBASE screen you will see information about notifications.
If you wish to see information about a particular subject use the ?word help option. Type a ? immediately followed by a the subject you want information about. For example, from anywhere on EIES, typing ?MAIL for instance, will result in the following:
This general-purpose help is available from anywhere on EIES. ?WORDS include:
?SCREEN ?MAIL ?HOMEBASE
?CONFERENCES ?SCAN ?VIEW
?COMPOSE ?MEMBER ?INTAKE
?ACTION ?DIRECTORY ?ITEM
?COPY ?ANSWER-AHEAD ?KEYWORD
?LIST ?PREVIEW ?CONTROLS
?STRUCTURE ?TITLE ?ATTACHMENT
?UPLOAD ?DOWNLOAD ?SCREEN MODE
?LINE MODE ?EDIT ?FORMAT
To see the full list of ?words available on EIES, type ?words anywhere
on EIES.
If you are unable to find help on a particular subject, or if you need more help than is available on the system, send mail to the HELP account. Just compose mail as you normally do. When EIES asks: Members to send to>. Type HELP. The mail will be sent to the HELP account and you should receive a reply within 24 hours.
14. HOW TO EXIT EIES
At this point there is only one command left to learn, the command for leaving
the system.
To leave the system at any time, type two minus signs: - -
Or type +quit.
Appendix A:
SETTING UP YOUR COMPUTER OR
TERMINAL
You need only follow this part of the manual once, when you set up your equipment for the first time.
You need four things to reach EIES:
1. An ordinary telephone line (usually with modular, or "RJ-11" telephone cords) and a modem or a direct connection to a network. To connect to EIES, your computer will dial a local telephone number with a tie-line connection to where EIES is located. You may dial from anywhere; but if you are dialing through a business telephone system, you may need to arrange for an adapter connection, or an extra outside telephone line. For advice on this matter, contact your office manager.
You need a telephone line with this "plastic clicky" or "RJ-11" type of modular telephone jack, so your computer can dial out to reach EIES.
2. You need a personal computer or terminal. Any computer or terminal is fine, so long as it has a screen width of 80 characters. Acceptable computers include:
IBM PC and AT-compatible computers (this includes Compaq, Toshiba, Radio Shack 1000-3000, and many others).
Apple //e, //c, and Macintosh computers
CP/M computers (Kaypro 2-16, Osborne, etc.)
Atari 520 and 1040 ST Commodore Amiga
Computers with a 40-column screen (Radio Shack Model 100, some Apple //, Commodore 64 and 128) do not work well with EIES. Printing terminals like the TI Silent 700 are acceptable, but they make EIES more difficult to use.
3. To "capture" incoming text and print it on your computer's printer, you must learn to use communications software. Communications software controls the working of your personal computer. It turns the printer on and off, dials the telephone, checks the names of files on your computer, and performs many other tasks.
To use your own communications software to dial EIES, read Appendix B: Installing Your Own Communications Software.
4. You need a modem to connect your personal computer to the telephone lines. There are two types of modems: Internal modems fit into the slots within your computer, and external modems are small boxes attached by a cable to your computer's communications port. Either way, you must plug a telephone line cord into the socket at the back of the modem.
You do not operate the modem directly. It is controlled by your communications software.
When you buy a modem, you have to make several choices. The first is speed -- how fast does it send characters through the phone lines? We recommend 2400 baud (roughly 250 characters per second) or 1200 baud (roughly 120 characters per second). Another popular speed, 300 baud, is too slow to work effectively with EIES. Also, make sure that the modem you buy is compatible with your communications software.
For EIES, the settings on your communications software must be set as follows:
PARITY: Space. This is the most common setting. If you don't have this setting, try None.
DATA BITS: 8
STOP BITS: 1
BAUD: 2400 or 1200 Modems with slower speeds may not work
TERMINAL EMULATION: VT100 or whatever your computer supports
XON-XOFF, STOP-START, DC1-DC4: ON. These are all names for a setting that occasionally causes the stream of data traveling from one computer to another to pause, so it doesn't overload the receiving computer.
XMODEM: OFF An "error-checking protocol" that EIES uses for file transfer.
PHONE NUMBER: Set your terminal software to dial whichever local EIES phone number has been given to you. Your group coordinator or account manager will supply this information.
Appendix C:
ANSWERING AHEAD
Often you will anticipate the next several commands you intend to use. You may link them together in one command by separating the individual commands by semicolons. You may link choice numbers, names, or letters, or any combination. The following are examples of how several choices can be linked into one command.
CONTINUE;MAIL;VIEW (Choice Names)
C;M;V (Choice letters)
C;2;VIEW (Any combination)
1;2;4 (Choice numbers, if you are using long menus)
You may sometimes want to use semicolons ; with commas , for lists. For example, if you are in your scratchpad and ready to send mail:
+;n;john,bill,mary;hi there;;greetings;; (note the commas between the names).
This sends mail, without attachments, to John, Bill, and Mary, with `hi there' as the subject and greetings as the keyword.
USEFUL ANSWER AHEADS
Answer-Ahead Used for
++;c;e;; From anywhere on EIES, go to your next conference with waiting items.
e;; From any conference, go to your next conference with waiting items.
++;m Takes you to your Mail Waiting screen
Appendix B:
Installing Your Own
Communications Software
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Electronic Information Exchange System 2
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Password>
WELCOME TO EIES 2, VERSION 1.9 (10) 7/6/92 4:55:01 PM
Greetings Eileen Michie (I,1240) Last Session: 7/5/92 3:46:28 PM
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR EIES 2:
Enter carriage return <CR> (also called ENTER or RETURN on
some keyboards) after each line or command you type.
To make a selection from the horizontal menu at the bottom of the
screen, type the CAPITALIZED letter of the choice, or press <CR> to
select the highlighted menu choice.
For general help, enter a ?. For help on a specific topic enter a ? and the choice number or the choice name for which you want help.
Continue Member User Overview Learn Information
Continue/use EIES2 (? help, - escape, ++ homebase)
ACTION CHOICE>C
HOMEBASE (20)
Waiting: 4 Notification Items
6 Mail Items
8 Items in 3 Conferences
3 Filter Items 2 Activities
Most frequently used terms: Most frequently used controls:
View: whole message/comment/object + finish and go back/on
Scan: the headings of objects ++ go to homebase
Compose: a new object - cancel and go back
Reply: to an existing item -- quit the system
Enter: a conference ? get help
Waiting: new objects Ctrl-C to break
Accepted: old objects Ctrl-L to redraw
Notifications Mail Conferences Directory Forms Global Activities Talk
Notifications (? help, - escape, ++ homebase)
ACTION CHOICE>N
HELP MENU (17)
HOMEBASE
HOMEBASE is the starting point for EIES. Listed here are any
waiting NOTIFICATIONS, MAIL, CONFERENCE COMMENTS, FILTER ITEMS, and ACTIVITIES.
From HOMEBASE you may select any EIES subsystem: NOTIFICATIONS,
MAIL, CONFERENCES, DIRECTORY, FORMS, GLOBAL, ACTIVITIES, and TALK.
You can then choose an ACTION: SCAN TITLE, VIEW FULL TEXT, etc.
To return to HOMEBASE from anywhere on EIES, enter
+HOMEBASE, +HOME, or ++ at any prompt.
Next Back
Next Page ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase )
ACTION CHOICE>N
MAIL WAITING LIST (200) Page 1 out of 2
M 85 Michael Eisner (ME,322) 6/16/92 3 lines thanks for info
M 114 Bob Czech (BMC,939) 6/16/92 8 line going to Holland
M 116.2 Walter D'Costa (Walt,2024) 6/16/92 3 line meeting on tuesday
M 138 Bob Arms (Bob A.,102) 6/17/92 2 lines lunch tomorrow
M 158.1 Jim Whitescarver (Jim,928) 6/17/92 19 lines accomodations
M 189 Ellen Schreihofer (El,109) 6/18/92 5 lines new priorities
M 199 Account Manager (Act,102) 8/18/92 4 lines need billing info
Next Back Scan View/read Compose/write Reply Accepted Thread Find Drop Intake Preview Write Use Keys Zip
Next page ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase )
ACTION CHOICE> N
MAIL ACCEPTED SCAN (210) Page 1 out of 1
M 114.2 Tanmay Kumar (tommy,2628) 4/ 7/89 12:04:54 AM 4 lines
TO: I,Jim,Srini KEYS: thanks for lunch
Subject: Lunch was fun
Next Back View/read Accepted Compose/write Reply Waiting Thread Find Drop Modify Use Keys
Next Page ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase)
ACTION CHOICE>N
ScratchPad
1?
+ end/send :: print formatted << insert mode on * delete line
- quit :- print unformatted > insert mode off :#-# print range
? help /old/new change text < inset line =# go to line #
ScratchPad
1? I'm glad to hear that the information was helpful. I have not
2? had the opportunity to take a Virtual Classroom course, but I
3? hope to do so soon. I understand that most students do very
4? well in VC courses. Keep in touch.
+ end/send :: print formatted << insert mode on * delete line
- quit :- print unformatted > insert mode off :#-# print range
? help /old/new change text < inset line =# go to line #
CONFERENCE SELECTION (301) Page 1 out of 1
Number Name Waiting
C 1 Welcome 2
C 1240.1 Pet Lovers 4
C 1240.2 Poetry 0
C 275.3 CIM discussion 3
C 834.1 Our Global Environment 2
Next Back Enter View/read Compose/write Scan All Group Find Drop Personal Moderator
Enter conference ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase )
ACTION CHOICE> E
COMMENTS WAITING LIST (300) Page 1 out of 1
C 1240.1 CC 12 Sreenivas Reddy (srini,2231) 1/ 8/92 21 lines the day
C 1240.1 CC 12.1 Shoba Iyer (shoba,2640) 1/ 8/92 16 lines spot to the
C 1240.1 CC 12.2 Bob Michie (Bob,994) 1/9/92 9 lines fluffer the amaz
C 1240.1 CC 12.3 Heidi Harting (Heidi,1270) 1/10/92 5 lines my maggie
C 1240.1: Pet Lovers
Next Back Scan View/read Compose/write Reply Accepted Thread Find Drop Intake Preview Write Use Enter Group Keys activitY Zip
View full text ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase )
ACTION CHOICE> V
COMMENTS ACCEPTED LIST (350) Page 1 out of 3
C 1240.1 CC 13 Eileen Michie (I,1240) 4/ 9/92 3 lines greetings
C 1240.1 CC 12.3 Heidi Harting (Heidi,1270) 4/9/92 5 lines my maggie
C 1240.1 CC 12.2 Bob Michie (Bob,994) 4/8/92 9 lines fluffer the amaz
C 1240.1 CC 12.1 Shoba Iyer (shoba,2640) 4/8/92 16 lines spot to the
C 1240.1 CC 12 Sreenivas Reddy (srini,2231) 4/ 8/92 21 lines the day
1240.1: Pet Lovers
Next Back Scan View/read Compose/write Reply Waiting Thread Find Drop Modify Use Enter Group Personal Keys activitY Zip
Next page ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase)
ACTION CHOICE> N
ITEMS FOUND LIST (880) Page 1 out of 1
C 1240.1 CC 2.1 John von Neuman (JV,1010) 7/12/92 12 lines schnauzers
C 1240.1: Pet Lovers
Next Back Scan View/read Compose/write Reply Thread Find Drop
Modify Use Additional Items Keys
Next page ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase)
ACTION CHOICE>
DIRECTORY MEMBERSHIP LIST (400) Page 1 out of 38
System Monitor (EIES,100)
Help Provider (help,110)
Conner Pacillo (CP,322)
Guest User (Guest,900)
Guest User (Two,901)
Bob Czech (BMC,939)
James Whitescarver (jim,982)
Bob Michie (Bob,994)
Eileen Michie (I,1240)
Heidi Harting (Heidi,1270)
Walter D'Costa (Walt,2024)
Shoba Iyer (shoba,2640)
Sreenivas Reddy (srini,2231)
Next Back Scan View/read Compose/write Personal Find
Next page ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase )
ACTION CHOICE> N
DIRECTORY MEMBERSHIP VIEW (420) Item 1 out of 2
Name : Gregory Brady
Nickname : Greg
Number : 3421
Established: 4/ 6/89 7:19:20 AM
Last Active: 9/ 6/92 2:54:33 PM
Phone Number: (342) 555-2456
Zip Code:12345
Address :432 Main Street Vero Beach, Florida
Description : I am taking a course in computer science on EIES. My interests include water skiing, fishing, and astronomy.
Next Back Scan List Compose/write Personal Find Your All
Next Page ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase)
ACTION CHOICE> N
HELP MENU (17)
MAIL is a private text message sent directly from one
Member to one or more Members. A user can send Mail to
another user or View Mail from another user by going
into mail from HOMEBASE. Here the user will find a List of
all new Mail which has arrived since the last time he/she
signed on. The user has various choices to take such
as see the complete List of waiting Mail, scan their
titles or View the text, Compose Mail, go to Accepted Mail,
Reply to a Mail item etc..
Notification Mail Conference Directory Form Global Activities Talk
Mail ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase )
ACTION CHOICE>
5.6 EDITING WHAT YOU'VE TYPED
At the bottom of the screen are commands to edit what you've typed. Don't forget a carriage return <CR> after each command. Most of these commands use the line numbers at the left of the screen.
For example, to add a new line before line 4 of your message type = 4 to go to line 4. Then type: <4
To change the word "glad" to "delighted" on line 1 type: /glad/delighted/1
To delete lines 6 and 7, type: *6-7
To display lines 5 through 20 on the screen, type: :5-20
To display the contents of the scratchpad as it will appear to the reader, type: ::
To display the contents of each line in the scratchpad type: :-
Type ?compose for a more complete description of editing options.
Note: These commands work for the EIES line editor. See section 8.8 for other available editors.
When EIES asks: items to get scan info for (#,#,#)(<CR> for all)> type the number of the particular item you wish to see. Typing a <CR> by itself will display the titles of all currently waiting or accepted items. Enter the number of any one of the items on your list. A screen like this will appear:
After you type in the names you wish, the DIRECTORY MEMBERSHIP VIEW screen will display the directory entries as follows:
5.12 INTERNET MAIL
Internet is a large computer network which links together many organizations around the world. Internet is made up of many smaller networks including BITNET, NSFnet, and CSnet. Internet mail is sent using an address. All Internet addresses follow the same basic format:
loginId@host.site.domain.
Host is the name of the machine an account is on, site is the location of the host computer, and domain is a three letter name which describes the type of organization.
Sending Internet Mail
EIES users can send mail to people on Internet. To do so you must first obtain the Internet address of the person to whom you wish to send mail. Then follow the Starting Guide instructions for sending mail up to the point where you are asked for the Members to send to. At this point enter the Internet address.
For example, if you were sending Internet mail to John Doe on a machine named "Pluto" at Jersey College the address would look like this:
Members to send to > john@pluto.rutgers.edu
You may send the same mail item to a number of different Internet addresses and EIES users by seperating the names and addresses by commas.
NOTE: If you are sending mail to BITNET users you must end the address with .bitnet. For example:
Members to send to > smith@csvax.bitnet
Internet does not give a confirmation that mail items have been accepted, so you will not receive a notification that the Internet mail item has been received.
Receiving Internet Mail
If you wish to have someone send Internet mail to your EIES account, you first need to find out your address. Your Internet address depends upon the host computer you sign on to and your method of accessing EIES. You can get this information from your account manager. Your EIES login id would be the first part of the address, followed by the host computer address. For example, to send Internet mail to Mary Jones on the EIES system at NJIT the address would look like this:
mary@eies2.njit.edu
To receive Internet mail that has been sent to your EIES account, type +getmail at any EIES prompt. Later, type ++;m to see the mail. It may take several minutes for your Internet mail to appear on your MAIL WAITING LIST screen.
If you would like your Internet mail to be delivered to you automatically you can set you user options to do so. At HOMEBASE select Directory. You will now be at the DIRECTORY SELECTION screen. Select Your own settings, then type U to select set User options. Now select set User options. Then select Unix. This is a toggle switch for Internet mail. A toggle switch is like a light bulb. Once you turn it on it stays on until you turn it off. When you select Unix EIES will tell you the status of your Internet mail. To set it to on, just press return. This can also be done at the WELCOME screen.
Once you receive Internet mail on your EIES account, it is treated like any other EIES mail item with a few exceptions. You may reply to it, scan it, view it; however, you will not be able to search for the item by author name.
10. FILTERS
A filter is a mechanism that allows special handling of items that may be received in the future. Filters `catch' items that satisfy a particular criterion or set of criteria which are set by you. Items which are `caught' in a filter will appear as waiting items in the Global Filters screen. Items caught in filters will also appear where they were initially created.
For example, you may wish to filter all the items with the keyword, "urgent." EIES will check all your incoming items for that keyword. When one is found the item will be placed in the Global Filter screen. You might wish to have another filter for items authored by your boss.
10.1 ADDING A FILTER
At HOMEBASE select Global, then select Filters. The screen looks like this:
Now select Add filter. EIES will ask a series of questions. You need not answer all of the questions, only provide the information for the criteria you wish to use to filter your incoming items. You may use any number of criteria to construct a single filter; however, all the criteria must be satisfied in order for an item to be caught.
EIES Questions: Type in Response:
new filter name> the name you wish to call
this particular filter.
author number or nick name> the name or number of the
EIES member whose items you
wish to filter.
subject for the new filter> the specific subject that you wish
to filter.
keyword for the new filter> the specific keyword that you
wish to filter.
Enter the pattern to be searched> a specific pattern of text that you
wish to filter.
Enter Filter Description: a description for this filter.
When done, type a + on a
line by itself.
EIES will tell you that the filter is being added. At this point you are asked Delete scratchpad (Y/N)? Go ahead and delete your scratchpad. Your filter will be preserved in the system. EIES will automatically assign a number to the new filter.
10.2 MODIFYING A FILTER
If you wish to change some of the criteria for an existing filter, select Modify filter. EIES will ask: number of the filter you want to modify (#)>. EIES will ask the same series of questions as when adding a new filter. If you wish to change a specific criterion, just enter the new information. If you wish to leave a specific criterion unchanged, just enter <CR>. The modified filter will catch any new items meeting the specific filter criteria. Any items previously caught in the old filter will remain in that filter, even though you may have changed some of the criteria.
10.3 DELETING A FILTER
If you no longer need a specific filter you may delete it. At the Global Filter screen select Delete filter. EIES will ask for the number of the filter you wish to delete. After you enter the number, EIES will notify you that the filter is being deleted.
10.4 ENTERING (VIEWING) FILTERED ITEMS
At HOMEBASE you will be notified if an item has been `caught' in a filter. If you wish to work with the `caught' items select Global, then select Filters. You are now at the Global Filters screen. A list of all your filters will be displayed. This list includes the filter number, name, and number of items that have been `caught' in each filter. Now select Enter filter. You will be asked to supply the number of the filter you wish to enter. EIES will display a list of items that have been `caught' in that filter. The screen will look like this:
These items may be treated as any other message or conference comment you receive. Note that when you perform as action on an item that is caught in a filter, it is the same as performing the action where the item was created. For example, if you catch a conference comment and decide to view it, that item will be moved to your accepted list, as is done with any item you view.
Appendix D:
"+" Commands
In addition to all the menu choices available on EIES, there are a number of commands available. We call these +commands because they must be preceded with a "+".
The following is a list of the +commands available:
+
+batch
or
+batchmode
+line
or
+linemode
+screen
+chmod
+cm
+copy
+date
+dcmd
+dir
or
+directory
+download
+editor
+first
+forms
+getmail
+homebase
+intake first
+next
+on
+onlast
+password
+quit
+reset
+stats
+tell
+upload
+view
+who
4.1 HOMEBASE CHOICES
Notifications Brief announcements, confirmation of message receipt, or information about conference you've been added to.
Mail Private messages from one person to one or more people.
Conferences Ongoing group discussions or collaborations. EIES automatically keeps track of items called "comments," seen by each participant.
Directory Descriptions of all EIES members, groups, and
conferences. Look here to learn about who else is using the system, or find conference to join.
Forms Tools for collecting information from other EIES members. Examples of forms are surveys and tests.
Global Gives you access to all EIES items simultaneously. Search all of you mail and conferences at once.
Activities Special purpose programs such as voting or selecting items from a list .
Talk Allows you to chat with other members currently using the system.
3) The menu area is the lower five rows of the screen. It contains the available choices, a brief description of those choices, and information on getting help and returning to the HOMEBASE screen. The menu area also includes an "ACTION CHOICE" prompt where you enter choices and commands.
3.4 Selecting a Choice
You can select choices from menus in several ways:
1. Type the capitalized letter of the choice;
2. If the choice is highlighted, just press <CR>;
3. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move through the choices.
4. If you are running in line mode (see Section 8.5) you can select a choice
by typing its number.
When you choose an item from the menu a brief description will appear above the Action Choice prompt. For example, at the WELCOME screen, selecting C will display Continue/use EIES 2; selecting M will display list Members now on-line.
5.2 Reading Mail
Select View/read to read your waiting mail items.
EIES asks you: items to view (#,#-#,m#/c#cc#) (<CR> for all) >
There are several ways to answer this question. You can type particular item numbers separated by commas to view particular pieces of mail:
85,114,116.2,138,158.1,189
The item numbers are located at the far left of the screen. For example, in the following header the mail number is 158:
M 158 Alan Leurck (Al, 980) 8/20/92 L:5 new machine
Or you can type a consecutive range of item numbers, using a hyphen. For instance:
114-138
Or you could type a combination of these two methods:
85,114-138,158.1,189-206
This will show the full text of message number 85, all messages between 114 and 138 (inclusive), message 158.1 (but not message 158), and all messages between 189 and 206.
To view a message and all its replies type the message number followed by two periods:
116..
Or, if you type <CR>, EIES will display the text of all your waiting mail items.
For example, typing 85 to view mail item number 85 from the Mail Waiting List screen on page 15 resulted in the full text displayed below:
If a mail item is more then one screen long, <<< __% >>> will appear in the lower left part of the text area listing the percentage of the item you have read so far. To see the rest of the item, select Next page.
Once you have viewed a mail item it is automatically moved to your accepted list and will no longer appear as waiting mail. If you wish to see a list of your accepted items select list Accepted mail. You can perform the same actions on your accepted mail as you do for your waiting mail.
5.3 SCANNING MAIL
If you do not wish to view the full text of your waiting mail, you may wish to quickly scan the titles of the items instead. A title displays up to four lines of information about an item.
To scan your mail items make sure you are at the list Waiting mail or the list Accepted mail screen. If you have no waiting mail item please select list Accepted mail. Then select Scan title.
A + by itself signals the end of composition. To go on to the next prompt.
Sets your terminal options to batch mode to allow
printing or downloading. The +screen or +line command will reverse this.
Sets your terminal options to line mode. Used for terminals which do not support VT -100 emulations. The +screen command will reverse this.
Sets your terminal options to screen mode.
Allows the moderator of a conference to assign a
new moderator.
Compose mail from anywhere on EIES. When
you're finished you will be returned to where you
left off.
Copies the text of a specified EIES item into your scratchpad. For example +copy m123 will copy mail item number 123 into your scratchpad.
Shows the current date and time.
Displays all the + commands defined for your account.
Here you can scan the list of EIES members,
view a members description, etc. (see section 8). Type a "-" to return to where you left off.
Moves an EIES 2 item to your personal computer. See also +upload.
Edit the contents of your scratchpad using your selected screen editor (the default is the vi UNIX editor).
Takes you directly to the first conference in your list with waiting items. See also +next.
Takes you to Forms Created List. Here you can create a form, fill in a form, etc. (see section 11). When you are finished, type a - to return to where you left off.
Allows you to receive waiting mail from an external system (i.e., Internet or Bitnet). Incorporates the new mail into your regular EIES mail. If no external mail is waiting EIES will respond "No Mail Waiting." (See section 5.12).
Takes you to HOMEBASE. This is the same as typing ++.
Accepts the first item on your waiting list without displaying the text.
Takes you to the Mail Waiting List screen. Here you can view waiting mail, scan titles, etc. (see section 5). Type a - to return to where you left off.
Takes you to the next conference on your list with waiting items. See also +first.
Lists the members currently using EIES.
Displays the data and time a specified user was last on EIES.
For changing your password.
Sends what is displayed on your terminal to a remote printer. Type +print again to turn the printing off. This command is not available to all EIES members, check with your group coordinator or account manager for availability.
Logs you off the the system (-- will also work).
Resets the number of waiting items displayed at HOMEBASE.
Displays your usage statistics.
Allows members to send a one line message to another user on the system. The message will be sent immediately.
Moves text from your personal computer to the EIES scratchpad. See also +download.
Lets you read any EIES item from anywhere on EIES.
Displays the full name, nick name, and user number for a specified member.
WAITING MAIL OPTIONS
It is possible to move among four different versions of your waiting mail list. This applies to conference comments as well.
List: Displays one line of information
for each item waiting.
Scan: Displays up to four lines of
information about items.
View/read: Displays the full text of items
and moves these items to the accepted
list.
Preview: Displays the full text of items but
does not accept them. They still
remain on the MAIL WAITING LIST.
When you View a message, a notification, stating you received the item, is sent to the author. This does not occur when you Preview the message.
The MAIL WAITING LIST is your "in-box." It displays the messages that have arrived since the last time you were on-line. A list displays items in their shortest form, called "headers." A header includes the item number, author, date the item was sent, number of lines in the item, and the subject.
Notice the upper right part of the screen. In the sample screen on page 13 it says Page 1 out of 2. This means that there is more than one screen of waiting mail item headers. If you have more than 8 waiting mail items (one page worth), select Next page to see the rest of your waiting mail headers.
7. NOTIFICATIONS
A notification is a one line note, usually created by the system, to inform members of events on the system that involve them. To see your notifications, return to HOMEBASE by typing ++ at any EIES prompt. Then select Notifications. You are now at the NOTIFICATIONS WAITING LIST screen which looks like this:
It's a good idea to check your notifications when you first sign on to EIES. Notifications come in many varieties. Three of the most common are:
RECEIPT/REPLY Notifies you that someone received an item you sent and/or replied to it.
CONFERENCE ADMISSION Informs you that you have been admitted into a private or public conference.
SALUTATION One-line greeting or brief message from another EIES member. It takes much less time to send a salutation than it does to send mail.
NOTIFICATIONS WAITING LIST [100] Page 1 out of 1
N 146 James Whitescarver (Jim,982) replied to your item C982.1CC56
N 192 Bob Czech (BMC,939) received your message M43 on 4/2/89 3:42:15 PM
N 214 Tanmay Kumar (Tommy,2628) added you to C1 Welcome
N 226 ( Coty ) Meet you at 6:00 tonight for dinner
Next Back Scan View/read Compose/write Reply Accepted Thread Find Drop Intake Preview Use
Intake (accept without viewing) ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase )
ACTION CHOICE>I
To send a notification select Compose. EIES asks: Enter a less than 70 character text Type a salutation. When you're finished press <CR>. EIES will now ask Members to send to > Type your EIES name or number here. EIES now tells you that your notification is being sent. Now if you select list Accepted notifications you will see the salutation you sent yourself.
7.1 Intake
The main purpose of a notification is to inform you of events that occur on the system. Once you see your list of waiting notifications they have served their purpose. You now need to remove them from your waiting list so that you will not have to repeatedly see them. Do this by selecting Intake. EIES will ask items to intake (#,#,#) (<CR> for all)> Pressing <CR> will remove all the items on your waiting list or you can type the number of the item(s) you wish to remove from your waiting list. If you want to see these items again just choose list Accepted notifications.
7.2 Viewing Notifications
Each notification has additional information associated with it. For example, a notification informing you that you have been added to Conference 1, the Welcome conference will have the description of Conference 1 associated with it. A notification informing you that someone received a mail item you sent will have the mail item you sent associated with it.
To see the associated information select View full text. EIES will ask: items to view (#,#,#) (<CR> for all)> Type the number of the notification that you would like to view. The screen will look like this:
11. Forms
A form allows members to collect information from other EIES members. A form is first created, then it may be sent to other members to be filled in. Once the forms are completed they are sent back to the author or creator. The information in them can be collected and analyzed.
11.1 Creating a Form
We suggest that you create your form on paper first and then enter
it into EIES.
At HOMEBASE select Forms. You will be taken to the Forms Created List screen. Then select Create form. You are now in your scratchpad.
You may enter a title and some text describing the form and its purpose. Then type in the text of the form exactly as you wish it to appear. Do this the same as you would enter the text of a message or conference comment; however:
When you want a user to fill in information or answer a question, type the question followed by a colon (:). [Note: you cannot use a colon in the text of a form, it will be interpreted as a prompt for a question.
If you want the user it respond with a numerical value, follow the question with a pound sign and a colon (#:). [Note: the user will only be allowed to enter a numerical value.]
A simple form, requesting information about new members of a club may look like this:
When you have finished, type a + on a new line by itself. You will be asked for a subject and keywords. EIES will automatically assign the form a number.
The form can now be attached to a message or conference comment. (See section 9). You will need to remember the number of the form you wish to attach. If you have forgotten, simply return to the Forms Created List to find the correct form number.
11.2 Filling in a Form
When you receive a message or conference comment with a form attached and you wish to fill in the information requested, you need to "use" the attachment.
You can fill in a form immediately after you receive it by entering a Y when you are asked use (Form) attachment (Y/N)?
ScratchPad
1?New Club Member Information
2?
3?Name:
4?Address:
5:Age#:
6?
A form may also be filled in at a later time. Just keep in mind the item number to which the form is attached, or search through your accepted items. When you are ready to fill in a form, select Use attachment from your mail or conference screen. When asked, type the item number to which the form is attached.
When you have done one of the steps above, the form will appear on your screen. The cursor will be at the first question that needs to be filled in. Enter your response, followed by a <CR>. The cursor will then be taken to the next question. When you've finished answering all the questions the information will be automatically sent to the author of the item.
If you wish to stop filling in the form, type a -. The information that you have filled in will not be saved.
You are now at a screen called COMMENTS WAITING LIST. Here you see a list of waiting conference comments on the screen, it will look like this:
<>The Comments Waiting List displays the one line headers of all your waiting items in this particular conference. The name and number of the conference you are in is displayed at the lower right part of the screen. Notice that the menu choices are similar to the choices at the Mail Waiting Screen.
<>
<>Conference comments with decimal points are replies. For instance, in the screen illustration above, C12 was created with Compose while C12.1, C12.2, and C12.3 were created with the Reply command. EIES numbers them in this manner to indicate that they are responses to the original comment.
Some conferences have items with many replies. EIES refers to these as threads of a conversation. You can read through a single conversation with the scan Thread choice.
<>
<>6.3 Reading Comments
<>
<>To read your waiting conference comments select View full text. When EIES asks: items to view (#,#-#,m#/c#cc#)(<CR> for all)> type the number of the particular item you want to see. You may answer with a string of comment numbers, separated by commas. For example:
C14,C19.1,C24,C25.2
This will display the full text for:
C14;
C19.1, which is a reply to C19;
C24;
C25.2, which is a reply to C25.
<>Typing a <CR> by itself will display the text of all currently waiting items.
<>
<>Once you View/read a conference comment it is automatically moved to your accepted list. If you want to read that item again in the future you will need to select comments Accepted list. Then select View/read and enter the number of the comment you wish to view.
<>
<>6.4 Scanning Comments
If you do not wish to view the full text of your waiting conference comments you may quickly scan the titles of the items instead. A title displays up to four lines of information about an item.
Select Scan title. EIES asks: Items to scan info for (#,#,#)> Type the numbers of the items you want to scan the titles of. More than one number must be separated by commas as shown in the EIES prompt. For more information about scanning items see section 5.3.
<>
<>
<>
<>MAIL ACCEPTED LIST (250) Page 1 out of 3
<>
<>M 2457 James Whitescarver (Jim, 982) 3/16/92 4 lines test
<>
<>M 2430.2 Bob Arms (Bob A., 102) 3/15/92 12 lines Starting to learn
<>
<>M 2286.1 Ellen Schreihofer( El,109) 3/15/92 3 lines 2 pm is ok to meet
<>
<>M 2331 Tanmay Kumar (tommy, 2628) 3/15/92 10 lines applause
<>
<>M 2286 Roxanne Hiltz (Roxanne, 120) 3/14/92 8 lines 2 pm is ok to meet
<>
<>M 2280 Sreenivas Reddy (srini,2231) 3/14/92 3 lines
<>
<>M 2242.2 Jim Whitesvarver (jim,982) 3/14/92 2 lines visitor needs a demo
<>
<>M 2242.1.1 Eileen Michie (I,1240) 3/14/92 4 lines visitor neeeds a demo
<>
<>Next Back Scan View/read Compose/write Reply Waiting Thread Find Drop Modify Personal Use Keys Zip
<>Next page ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase )
<>ACTION CHOICE> N
MAIL WAITING VIEW (220) Item 1 out of 1
M 85 Mike Eisner (ME,322) 1/17/92 10:52:10 AM 3 lines
KEYS: virtual classroom
TO: I Subject: thanks for info
Thank you for the information on the Virtual Classroom. I look forward to taking an "online" class. I plan to recommend it to some colleagues also.
Next Back Scan Waiting Compose/write Reply Accepted Thread Find Drop Zip Preview Use Keys View/read
Next page ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase )
ACTION CHOICE> N
<>9. Attachments
<>An attachment provides a way to add additional information to a conference comment or mail item. There are several types of attachments available:
<>
<>Binary file Any computer program or file that is not in ASCII or EBCDIC format.
<>
<>Text file Any text only file, in ASCII or EBCDIC format.
<>
<>Item Any EIES mail item or conference comment.
<>
<>Form Any EIES form. For example, a survey or questionnaire.
<>
<>Activity Any of the various special tools which assist group functions.
<>
<>9.1 Using Attachments
<>
<>At some time you may receive an EIES mail item or conference comment with an attachment. Items that have attachment will display the following when viewed: use (type) attachment (Y/N)>. The type of attachment appears in the parenthesis. If at this time you wish to use the attachment type Y. Depending on the type of attachment, EIES will either display an item or present you with a menu. If you do not wish to use the attachment at this time type N. You can use the attachment later by selecting Use attachment from the menu. See the Advanced Features Guide for detailed information on using attachments.
<>
<>
<>
6.9 YOUR CONFERENCE COLLEAGUES
If you wish to see a list of the members in a particular conference, select list member Group. The screen will look like this:
Your name should be on this list. If you do not see your name, page down by selecting Next until you do. Note that EIES keeps track of the number of waiting comments each member has yet to read.
CONFERENCE MEMBERSHIP VIEW [306] Page 1 out of 4
Members Waiting
Sreenivas Reddy (srini,2231) 4
Eileen Michie (I,1240) 0
Daniel Berry (Coty,322) 1
Heidi Harting (Heidi,1270) 2
Bob Michie (Bob,994) 1
Shoba Iyer (shoba,2040) 2
Murray Turoff (Murray,103) 3
Roxanne Hiltz (Roxanne,120) 0
Bill Worrell (wildbill,2237) 4
Rana Ajaz-ur-Rehman (Rana,2134) 1
C 1240.1: Pet Lovers
Next Back Scan View/read Compose/write Enter Your All Find Drop Personal Moderator List View
Next page ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase)
ACTION CHOICE> N
<> ITEMS FIND (270) Page 1 out of 5
<>
<> Key Number of Items
<>
<> accounts 3
<> airdale 1
<> american kennel assn. 6
<> bath time 4
<> beagle 2
<> dog stories 5
<> fluffer 1
<> my dog 1
<> obedience school 2
<> schnauzer 1
<> yappy 2
<>
<>
<> C 1240.1: Pet Lovers
<>
<> Next Back Keyword Author Date Related Text
<>
<> Next page ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase )
<> Action Choice> N
<>The ITEMS FIND screen displays an alphabetical list of all the keywords that have been used in that particular conference. Select the criterion you wish to search by from the menu. For example, if you wish to find all the items written by a particular person select by Author. EIES will then ask: Enter author nickname or number> Type the nickname or number of the author whose items you want to find. A list of headers of all the matches will be displayed. The screen will look like this:
NOTIFICATIONS ACCEPTED VIEW (152) Page 1 out of 1
M 85 Daniel Berry (Coty,322) 4/ 7/92 10:52:10 AM 3 lines
KEYS: virtual classroom
TO: I Subject: thanks for the info
I greatly appreciated the information that you provided me with on the Virtual Classroom. I hope to take a Management course online next semester.
Next Back Scan Accepted Compose Reply Waiting Thread Find Drop
Modify Use Zip
Next page ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase )
ACTION CHOICE> N
EIES now sends the message to the member(s) you specified and gives it a number. A notification will automatically be sent to you when the item is received. The item is preserved in the system as an Accepted item. You may see this message again, simply by asking for it by the number it was assigned. If you later decide to send the message to another member, you can use the +copy command (see Appendix E).
5.8 SUBJECT VS. KEY WORDS
The subject is normally used to give a title to an item. Key words are important topics that are discussed in the text. For example, Moby Dick could be the subject of an item, and whale could be the key word. Key words help you keep track of mail or conference comments. When you or anyone else enters a new item, mail, or conference comment, the system prompts for a key word. Later, you can use the Find command to locate items with this key word.
<>
<>5.9 Reply
<>
<>If you wish to respond to mail that someone has sent to you, select Reply. EIES will ask: Enter item number (#/m#/c#cc##/<CR> for current item)>. Type the number of the item you wish to reply to. If you press only <CR> the item which you are currently viewing will be selected. Type your reply in the scratchpad and type a + on a line by itself when you're finished. EIES will ask you if you have any attachments, then EIES will automatically fill in the name of the members to send to, subject, associated items, and keywords. Press <CR> if you wish to leave them the same as those of the item you are replying to; otherwise, type new ones. Your reply will be automatically numbered to associate it with the original item. For example, if you replied to mail item M658, the reply would be given number M658.1.
<>
<>5.10 Finding User Numbers and Nicknames
<>
<>If you are unsure of a member's user number or nickname, you can enter part of their name. For example, if you want to send mail to James Miller you can enter Jam or JM. EIES will search all the members and display any members whose name begins with Jam or whose initials are JM. EIES will again ask Members to send to> select the correct user number or nickname from the list.
<>
<>
<>9.2 Adding Attachments
<>
<>If you wish to add an attachment to an EIES item you must first have your attachment ready. Then compose your mail item or conference comment as you normally do. When you have finished composing the item in your scratchpad, type a + on a line by itself. EIES will ask Attachments (Y/N)> Answer Y to this question. A screen like this will appear:
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>Now select the type of attachment you have. EIES will then prompt you for the attachment. If you wish to attach a binary or text file you will need to upload the item from your PC. If you want to attach an EIES item or form, just provide the item number. For example, if you want to attach comment 234 from the Welcome Conference, you would enter C1CC234. For more details on adding attachments see the Advanced Features Guide.
GLOBAL FILTERS (602) No Items On List
Next Back Enter Add Delete Modify View/read Scan Find
Next page ( ? help, - esc, ++ homebase )
ACTION CHOICE>N
<> FILTERED WAITING LIST (630) Page 1 out of 1
<>
<> M372.2.1 Ellen Schreihofer (Ellen,109) 3/21/92 10 lines upcoming demo
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<> GF 6: Urgent
<>
<> Next Back Scan View Thread Find Intake Preview Enter
<>
<> Next page ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase )
<> ACTION CHOICE>
<>
<>
<>Appendix E:
<>Troubleshooting and Tips
<>
<>Problem:
<>
<>Unreadable screen.
<>
<>Incorrect number of waiting items at HOMEBASE. (For example, 0 items in 2 Conferences).
<>
<>Unsure of which conference you're currently in.
<>
<>
<>Can't find an item your wrote or an item you previously read.
<>
<>A `Session Limit Reached" message appears when you try to sign on.
<>Solution:
<>
<>Type <CTRL>-L to redraw the screen.
<>
<>Type +reset.
<>
<>
<>
<>The name and number of the conference is displayed in the lower right side of the screen, just above the menu choices.
<>
<>Go to the Accepted list. Then you may want to search for the item using Find.
<>
<>Hang up and try calling again.
<>
<>
Select the part of the item you wish to modify. You may modify the text, subject, associations, and keywords of an item. If you modify Text you will be taken into the scratchpad where the text of your will appear. When you're finished with your changes, type a + on a line by itself. EIES will then ask OK to send (Y/N)>. If you want to make the changes type Y. The item will be modified.
If you want to remove the item, select Delete item.
Note that only the author of a comment and the conference moderator may modify or delete that comment.
6.8 Searching for Items
If you wish to locate a particular item you will need to use the Find comment choice. Find comment locates an item based upon a criterion that you set. You can search for items by a particular author, keyword, date, or text phrase.
Select Find comment. The screen will look like this:
<> ITEMS MODIFY (830) Page 1 out of 1
<>
<> c1cc77 Eivind Kristiansen (Eivind,3188) 7/29/92 1:20 pm 6 li terriers
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<> C1240.1: Pet Lovers
<>
<> Text Subject Association Keys Attachment Delete Move activitY
<>
<> modify Text ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase)
<> ACTION CHOICE>
4.3 FINDING HELP
Help is available anywhere you are on EIES. Type a single question mark, ? followed by a <CR>. A screen like this one appears:
<>If no items are found that meet the criterion you selected, EIES will display No items found.
<>Attachments (1000)
<>
<>1?Hello Jim, attached to this message is the spread sheet data file you 2?needed to see. I hope the information is useful to you.
<>3?+
<>Attachments(Y/N)>y
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>Binary Text Item Document Form Graph Activity
<>
<>Binary file ( ? help, - escape, ++ homebase )
<>ACTION CHOICE>
<>
<>
3.5 Item Numbering
EIES items are assigned numbers when they are created. The Mail subsystem begins with message number 1 and goes up to 99,999 and starts again at 1. All EIES users share the numbers. For example, if you send a message to someone, that item will be assigned the next available message number (let's say it's assigned number 2331). The next user who sends a message will be given message number 2332.
Conference also have numbers. In addition to the conference number, each item within a conference is given a number. For example, you may be a member of conference 501, the Desktop Publishing Conference. If you submit a comment into this conference, it is given a comment number. Suppose you are the first person to submit an item into conference 501. The number of that item would be 1. The full number of that comment would be c501cc1. Where 501 is the conference number and 1 is the comment number.
Items which are written by choosing Compose are give `parent' or `root' numbers. For example, m2332 and c501cc1 are `root' numbers. Items which are responding to existing mail or conference comments can be linked to the original item if they are created with the Reply choice. For example, if someone replies to m2332, the reply is given the number 2332.1. If someone else later replies to m2332, that reply is given the number 2332.2. Replies can also be replied to. For example, if someone replies to item 2332.1, the reply is given the number 2332.1.1. This reply numbering system works the same for conferences.
The numbering system may seem a bit confusing at first, but you will soon see how items flow and are linked.
When you wish to read specific items on EIES, you need to remember the number format. The prompts will remind you of the format EIES needs. For example, if you want to View an item, EIES will ask: items to view (#,#-#,m#/c#cc#) (<CR> for all) > . Notice the symbols inside the parentheses. These symbols describe the format EIES needs for the specific prompt.
Symbol Meaning
# by itself Type the number of the item you wish to see. For
example, 324.2
#-# Type a range of message numbers. For example,
15-19
m# Type the letter m immediately followed by the
number of the message you want to see. For
example, m584.
c#cc# Type the letter c immediately followed by the
number of a conference then type cc immediately
followed by the number of the comment you wish to see. For example c100cc1034.
3.6 Additional Menu Styles and Screen Modes
<>
<>The default menu style that appears on your screen is called PC style. The default screen setting is screen mode. There are several additional screen and menu styles. Typing U at the WELCOME screen will display the additional options. Unless you want to download or have a printing terminal, you will probably want to use the default choices. For a detailed explanation of the additional menu styles and screen modes see Sections 8.4 and 8.5.
<>
<>3.7 Transferring files to your PC
<>
<>You may wish to move information from EIES to your PC, or from your PC to EIES. Please refer to Chapter 12 for instructions on transferring files.
<>
8.3 SELECTING AN EIES PASSWORD
When your account is first set up, a password is selected for you. Change this password frequently and keep it private to protect your access to the system. Be sure not to forget your password; you need it to get onto EIES. If you do forget your password, contact your group coordinator or account manager.
To change your password type +password anywhere on EIES. Be sure to type it exactly, with no space between the + and the word password. You will be asked the following questions:
EIES Question Type in Response
Enter old password> The password that you have now.
Enter new password> The new password you wish to have.
Re-enter new password> Again, enter the new password you
wish to have.
8.4 Menu Styles
<>
<>EIES offers three menu styles: PC, Long, and no menus. PC menus display a single word for each menu choice. No menu's leaves the bottom area of your screen blank, only the ACTION CHOICE prompt is displayed. If you prefer to have the full choice names displayed you need to select the Long menu style.
<>
<>Note: If you are connected to EIES through SprintNet or some other network, PC style menus may not be available.
<>
<>To select the style of menus you prefer, type D at HOMEBASE, this will take you to the DIRECTORY SELECTION screen. Then select Your own settings. Finally, select set User Options. The following screen will be displayed:
<>USER OPTIONS (102) 12/7/92 10:28:16 AM
<>
<>
<>Line mode is for terminals that do not support full screen operations.
<>
<>Batch mode is for receiving output uninterrupted in line mode. This is useful for logging EIES output to a file on your microcomputer.
<>
<>Screen mode will disable line mode and batch mode.
<>
<>Menu Style: PC Style menus
<>Hot key mode: off
<>Expert mode: off
<>UNIX/internet mail reception: automatic or manual. (+getmail)
<>Current editor selected: EIES line editor
<>
<>
<>
<>Line Batch Screen Menus PC No eXpert Unix Hot Editor
<>
<>set long Menus (? help, - escape, ++ homebase )
<>ACTION CHOICE> M
<>
<Headline>Your current menu style is displayed on the screen along with other information about your account settings.
<Headline>
<Headline>If you wish to have Long menus select set long Menus. The bottom of the screen will now look like this:
If you have a terminal that does not support full screen display (for example, a printing terminal), or if you dislike stepping through screens, or would prefer the flow of straight text, you will need to run EIES in line mode.
To change your screen setting to Line Mode select Your own settings from the DIRECTORY SELECTION screen (type ++;d to get to the DIRECTORY SELECTIONS screen). Then select set User options. The User Options screen will appear:
Now select set Line mode. EIES will now scroll information on your screen. To restore the original full Screen mode, type +screen at any EIES prompt, or select set Screen mode at the User Options screen.
Batch mode is used for downloading information from EIES to your host computer or PC. To change your settings to Batch Mode select set Batch mode from the USER OPTIONS screen.
<> Type ++ for HomeBase
<> (1) set (2) set -3- set (4) set (5) set (6) set (o) Other ->
<> Line Batch Screen long PC style No (?) help
<> mode mode mode Menus menus menus (-) esc
<>ACTION CHOICE>
8.4.1 Displaying Additional Choices
While using the Long menu style, only a few choices can fit on the screen at a time. To see what other choices are available type the letter O, as in Other. Type ++ to get to HOMEBASE. At HOMEBASE four choices are displayed along the bottom of the screen. Type O now and notice what happens to the screen. The top part of the HOMEBASE screen will stay the same. The bottom row of menu choices now looks like this:
HOMEBASE has only eight choices. Other EIES screens can have up to fifteen menu choices. You switch among menu choices with the Other/Orig. command. That is, by typing the letter O at a menu, you gain access to any menu selection.
You may have noticed that O stood for "Other ->" on the first HOMEBASE screen. Notice now that the word has changed to "Orig. <-" on this second screen. Typing O now will return you to the Original menu choices 1-4.
8.5 Screen Modes
The screen setting determines how EIES will display information. EIES has three screen settings available: Screen mode, Line mode, and Batch mode.
The default screen setting is Screen Mode. With this setting each screen has four components:
Screen title is on the top line
Text area is the 16 lines in the center
Horizontal menus are the lines that display the available choices
Command line is the single line at the bottom where you enter commands.
Type ++ for HomeBase
(5) Forms (6) Global (7) Activities (*) Talk (o) Orig.<- (?) help (-) esc
ACTION CHOICE>
<>USER OPTIONS (102) 12/7/92 10:28:16 AM
<>
<>
<>Line mode is for terminals that do not support full screen operations.
<>
<>Batch mode is for receiving output uninterrupted in line mode. This is useful for logging EIES output to a file on your microcomputer.
<>
<>Screen mode will disable line mode and batch mode.
<>
<>Menu Style: PC Style menus
<>Hot key mode: off
<>Expert mode: off
<>UNIX/internet mail reception: automatic or manual. (+getmail)
<>Current editor selected: EIES line editor
<>
<>
<>
<>Line Batch Screen Menus PC No eXpert Unix Hot Editor
<>
<>set Line mode (? help, - escape, ++ homebase )
<>ACTION CHOICE> L
<>
<Headline>8.6 Expert Mode
<Headline>
<Headline>Expert mode is designed for users who are very familiar with EIES and who do not wish to have instructions displayed on the various EIES screens. In addition, users who are using modems with slow baud rates or who are connecting through a long distance call will find that expert mode speeds up the use of EIES.
<Headline>
<Headline>Expert mode will prevent the text descriptions at various screens and disable status windows. Instead, status will appear at the lower left corner of the screen.
<Headline>
<Headline>To run EIES in expert mode select toggle eXpert mode from the USER OPTIONS screen (type ++;d;y;u to get to the USER OPTIONS screen). This is a toggle switch for expert mode. A toggle switch is like a light bulb. Once you turn it on it stays on until you turn it off. To turn off expert mode, simply select toggle eXpert mode from the USER OPTIONS screen again.
<Headline>
<Headline>
<Headline>8.7 Hot Keys
<Headline>
<Headline>Hot keys eliminates the need to type <CR> at menus. With Hot keys set you only need to type the letter of the choice you wish to select. EIES will automatically take the choice.
<Headline>
<Headline>To turn hot keys on select toggle Hot key mode from the USER OPTIONS screen (type ++;d;y;u to get to the USER OPTIONS screen). This is a toggle switch for hot key mode. As with expert mode, your hot keys will stay on until you turn it off.
<Headline>
<Headline>Note: The status of the various modes and settings is displayed in the text area of the USER OPTIONS screen.
<Headline>
<Headline>8.8 Editors
<Headline>
<Headline>EIES has several text editors available. This manual will describe the basic commands and functions of the various EIES editors. For more complete instructions please refer to the online help screens.
<Headline>
<Headline>8.8.1 Standard Line Editor
<Headline>
<Headline>The default EIES editor for line mode is the standard line editor. This is the editor referred to in other sections of the manual. This editor handles a line at a time. See section 5.6 for the basic commands. To finish composing and send your item press <CR> to get a new line. Then type a + on the line by itself followed by <CR>. Type ?compose for additional information.
<Headline>
<Headline>8.8.2 Simple Screen Editor
<Headline>
<Headline>The default EIES editor for screen mode is the simple screen editor. There are two modes, command mode and insert mode. You need not press <CR> after typing an instruction while in command mode. The simple editor starts in insert mode. You can begin typing your text immediately. A list of commands is displayed in the lower area of the screen. To switch to command mode press esc. A small menu will appear at the lower part of the screen. To quit editing and send your item press <CR> while in command mode. Type ?screen editor for additional information.
<Headline>
<Headline>8.8.3 Visual Editor (vi)
<Headline>
<Headline>The vi (visual) editor is a display-oriented editor. Vi has two modes, insert and command. In command mode you can perform various functions such as paging through the document, deleting words and characters, and saving the document. Insert mode is for typing in text. When you first enter the vi editor you will be in command mode. To begin typing in your text press i to switch to insert mode. To return to command mode press esc. To finish composing and send your item you must be in command mode. Then type :wq to `write' your item and `quit' vi. You will then be taken to the Use Attachments prompt. Type ?vi for the basic commands and additional information.
<Headline>
<Headline>8.8.4 Emacs
<Headline>
<Headline>EMACS was not available at the time of this publication. Type ?emacs for additional information.
<Headline>
<Headline>
<Headline>
<Headline>8.8.5 Line Editor (ed)
<Headline>
<Headline>The standard UNIX line editor (ed) is a line based editor. Ed has an insert mode and a command mode. When you enter ed you are in command mode. To begin typing your text you must switch to insert mode by typing a. When you are finished typing your text and wish to return to command mode, press <CR> to get to a new line and then type a . on the new line by itself. To quit ed and send your item type w followed by <CR>, then type q followed by <CR>. Ed has a prompt available to help you determine whether or not you are in command mode. Type a capital P followed by <CR> while in command mode. This will display an * on each line while you are in command mode. The * will not appear during insert mode.
<Headline>
<Headline>Type ?ed for additional information.
<Headline>
<Headline>8.8.6 Custom Editor
<Headline>
<Headline>Allows you to select your own editor. Use this if you have an editor on your host computer that you would like to use. This may require the assistance of your host computer's system manager.
<Headline>
<Headline>8.8.7 Selecting an Editor
<Headline>
<Headline>To select an editor type E for Editor at the USER OPTIONS screen (to get to the USER OPTIONS screen select Directory at HOMEBASE, then select Your own settings, then select set User options. Selecting scratchpad Editor selection will take you to the EDITOR OPTIONS. Select the editor you wish to use.
<Headline>
<Headline>Note: if you wish to select the line editor (ed) you need to type e twice. The first e will select Emacs. The second e will select line Editor (ed).
<Headline>
<Headline>
4.4 USER CONTROLS: MOVING QUICKLY AROUND EIES
These commands allow you to control your interaction with the system.4.4 USER CONTROLS: MOVING QUICKLY AROUND EIES
These commands allow you to control your interaction with the system.
Creating your own + commands
You may wish to add some of your own + commands for key sequences you frequently type. Use +acmd (+AddCoMmanD) to create your own. For example, to create a command called +sendmail which takes you to your mail scratchpad from anywhere on the system type +acmd followed by <CR>. EIES will then ask: Command Name>. Type the name of your new command, in this case sendmail. EIES will then ask: Command Value>. Type the action your new command will perform, in this case ++;m;c (this takes us to homebase (++), selects mail (m), and then selects compose (c)).
<>Appendix F:
<>Methods of Connecting to EIES
<>
<>On the NJIT Campus:
<>You may use any of the many terminals or PC's on the NJIT campus to connect to EIES from the public labs or library. These connections offer high speed and easy access. From the "Local>" prompt, type "c eies" or "c vc" and press <enter> to get to the "login:" prompt. At that point you can enter your user ID number followed by your password for access to EIES.
<>
<>Direct Dial:
<>You can conect to EIES from virtually anywhere in the world, provided you have access to a PC and modem connected to a phone line. Using any communications software you choose, and your modem, you can dial into the NJIT Newark campus network to connect to EIES. The telephone numbers for the NJIT campus network are available on the "Access EIES via Direct Dial" information sheet.
<>
<>Internet (Telnet or rlogin):
<>If you already have access to an Internet account at some other location, you may be able to connect to EIES via the Internet using a utility called "telnet" or "rlogin", depending on what your local system allows. From your Internet account, you may "telnet" or "rlogin" to "eies.njit.edu", or, if your system does not have an up-to-date nameserver, our numeric address is "128.235.251.164" (NOTE: The numeric address is subject to change). Please contact your local system administrator to see if either of those options are available for your use. See the "Connecting to EIES via Internet" instruction sheet for further details.
<>
<>A Local Internet Access Provider:
<>Access to the Internet is most likely available to you via a local telephone call through an "Internet access provider". To locate an Internet provider in your area, read the Internet Service Providers page which is available via the NJIT Web hompage. To get to the Internet providers page, go to the NJIT homepage (http://www.njit.edu), then click on Navigating the Net, and finally click on Internet Service Providers. You can also access this page via EIES. Type +lynx from
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>anywhere on EIES. You will be taken to the CCCC homepage via the lynx browser. The Internet providers page is listed on the second screen. Additionally, you may be able to find advertisements for Internet access providers in most computer magazines.
<>
<>Bell Atlantic Alternatives:
<>If you are outside the local dialing area, toll charges will appear on your phone bill as they would for any toll-call. If you live in New Jersey, you may want to contact Bell Atlantic to see if "SCOPE", "Optional Toll", "Selective Calling", or "20/20" is available for your area. These are all possible alternate methods of billing offered by Bell Atlantic, depending on where you dial from, that may be less expensive than normal direct-dial to the local NJIT Newark campus network number.
<>
<>NJ PDN:
<>New Jersey Public Data Network is another alternate data network. Although it's top speed is 2400bps, at $4.00/hr, it may be cost-effective for some people.
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12. TRANSFERRING FILES
At some time, you may wish to send information from EIES to your PC or send a file from your PC to EIES. There are a number of ways to do this; however, all file transferring is highly dependent upon the type of communication software you are using to access EIES. The instructions that follow explain how file transfers work in general. We have also provided specific instructions for some popular software packages. If your software does not appear here, we suggest you read your software's documentation on file transfers.
12.1 Sending a File with Cut and Paste
Perhaps the simplest way of moving a single item (or a number of small items) off of EIES is to use the cut and paste functions of Microsoft Windows. If you are using a Windows package to access EIES follow the steps below to move data. You'll need to be familiar with your PC and Windows in order to use this method.
Obtain the EIES item number of the item you wish to move to your PC
and turn on your PC's word processor or notepad.
Type +batch and press <return>.
Type +view followed by the item number you wish to transfer
(i.e., +view c1.1cc25) and press <return>. You will see the item
displayed on your screen.
Using your mouse, or the keystrokes designated by your software,
highlight the item on your screen.
Select Cut (or copy) from your communication software menu (this is
usually found in the file or edit menus).
Enter the PC's word processor or notepad and select Paste. Your EIES
item should now be displayed on your PC's word processor or notepad.
You may now save this item as if it had been created on the PC.
IMPORTANT: Type +screen when you return to EIES to restore your
session to screen mode.
12.2 Capturing a file
Another easy way to send a small amount of data to your PC is to use the file capture function of your communication software. You'll need to have a good understanding of your communication software in order to use this method.
Obtain the EIES item number of the item you wish to move to your PC.
Type +batch and press <return>.
Type the command to turn on your software's file capture (some software
packages call this File Log). See the table in section 12.5 for the
specific commands for some popular software packages.
Your communication software may request a filename at this point. Type
in the filename you would like the EIES information to be stored as. Be
sure to include directory information in the filename, otherwise the file
may be stored in your communication software directory.
Type +view followed by the item number you wish to transfer
(i.e., +view c1.1cc25) and press <return>. You will see the item
displayed on your screen.
Type +screen to restore your EIES session to screen mode.
You now have a file on your PC which contains the information you sent from EIES. You can use this file as you would any text file created on your PC.
12.3 Downloading Data from EIES to Your PC
Transferring a large amount of data from EIES to your PC is best done with downloading. You must use this method is you want to download binary data. follow the steps below:
Record the item number (#,m#,c#cc#) of the item you wish to download.
Prepare EIES for downloading by typing +download.
EIES will prompt you for the file transfer protocol. Select the file
transfer protocol you wish (we suggest using ASCII for text-only
transfers). Be sure the file transfer protocol for your communication
software is set to the protocol you choose here.
Type the download command for your communications software
(see the table below for the download commands for some popular
software).
When prompted, type in the complete filename, including all directories,
for your new file. If the filename already exists, the previous file will
be overwritten.
Type +batch and press <return>.
If you are not using a DOS-based Procomm or similar software, set
your file transfer protocol to ASCII.
Type the download command for your communications software.
Commands for common software packages are listed at the end of the
instructions.
A DOS-based Procomm or similar software will now prompt you for
the transfer protocol (still ASCII).
When prompted for the filename, enter the name of the file
(including all directories) to which you wish to download the items.
Anything already in that file will be overwritten.
If you are downloading many items, you should now be back to the item number prompt. Type in the item numbers of the items to be downloaded, separated by commas, and followed by a <CR>. If you type +screen and the screen still isn't right, <CTRL>-L will refresh it.
Common Communications Software Commands
--------------------------------------
Software Package Download Command
---------------- ----------------
Procomm/PCPlus pg dn
Kermit <CTRL>-]
Windows or
Macintosh
software File, Send