CHAPTER 1
GETTING STARTED
This chapter describes how to navigate through EIES® using an Internet browser, signing onto the system, and the EIES® homebase. In order to access EIES® you must have an Internet ready computer, a modem connected to a telephone line, MicroSoft Windows®, Internet access software (such as trumpet) and a browser. Appendix A provides the minimum hardware and software requirements for web-EIES® along with a list of the supported Internet browsers.
1.1 Browser Basics
All browsers have three basic components: a navigation bar, content area and status line. Normally the top part of a browser screen will contain a field where the title of the page you are viewing is displayed. A pull-down menu bar (with choices such as file, edit, and view) and a ‘button bar’ (with words and/or pictures) are usually near the top of the screen. A field with your current location on the Internet (called the url) may also be present. A status indicator (which may look the browser’s logo) moves or changes when the browser is working. A progress bar, usually located at the bottom of the browser window, shows the percentage of material that has been loaded and will indicate when the transfer has finished. Pictured below is the Netscape® Navigator.
The ‘content’ area of the screen, which is the largest area of the screen, will normally be contained in the lower 3/4 of a browser screen. Within the content area may be words that are highlighted (colored or underlined) called links. Clicking on a link will send a command to EIES® or take you to a new page. Once you have ‘clicked’ on a link, the color will change, indicating to you that you’ve chosen that link alredy.
A single page may be to long to displayed on your computer monitor at once. A scroll bar is provided along the right side of the content area. By clicking on the scroll bar you will be able to view any portions of the page that may not fit in the browser window.
The status line usually appears at the bottom of the screen and will display the progress of the current operation (such as the percentage of a document that has been downloaded to your page).
All browsers have some common buttons, though they may be called by different names and may look different. The buttons you will need to use for EIES® are described in the following table.
| Button Name |
Function Performed |
Description of Button |
| Back | Go to the previous page. | An arrow pointing to the left. |
| Forward | Go to the next page. | An arrow pointing to the right. |
| Reload | Redisplays the current page, including any changes made since the original loading. | A semi-circle with an arrow-head on one end. |
| Stop | Stops the current page from being loaded. | A red octagon (like a stop sign) |
1.2 Navigating through EIES®
The information on the World Wide Web is presented as pages. EIES® refers to pages of information as screens.
To select a menu choice or a link (a highlighted word in the text), move your cursor to the choice you want to select and click your mouse button.
On some EIES® screens you may be required to enter information by typing (such as writing a conference comment or indicating the user you wish to send e-mail to). EIES® provides boxes, called text boxes, for entering text. Larger text boxes, provided for composing items, will automatically scroll to the next line when you approach the end of a line.
1.3 Signing On
In order to sign on, first obtain the following information from your group coordinator, instructor, or the EIES® account manager. If you used the automated ‘newacct’ procedure, be sure to remember the User ID and password that you set for yourself.
· EIES® User ID.
· EIES® password.
· Location (url) of the EIES® sign on form.
· A computer with a modem as specified in Appendix A.
· An Internet connection.
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.
Once you have established your Internet connection you will be ready to sign on. 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.
In your browser’s location field, enter the location (url) for the EIES® Sign On Form and press <ENTER>. The url for the EIES® Virtual Classroom® at NJIT is http://vc.njit.edu/. Other EIES® systems are available via the CCCC homepage (the url is http://www.njit.edu/CCCC, then click on ‘EIES Signon points’).
The EIES® Sign On Request Form looks like this:
Your screen may not look exactly like this. Some groups have customized login screens, but all will require a UserId and Password.
Move to the EIES® UserId field and type your UserId (your name, nickname, or user number as it appears in EIES®). Then move to the Password field and type your password. As you type your password you will see asterisks appear on your screen. This is a security measure to help keep your password private. Now click on the Submit button. If you entered your UserId and password correctly you will be taken to the EIES® homebase. If you entered your UserId and/or Password incorrectly the following message will appear at the bottom of the Sign On Request Form: Invalid Login. Please enter your User Number and your Password again.
If you have difficulty signing on you can send mail to the EIES® Account Manager by clicking on the highlighted "Account Manager" in the lower part of the screen. A send mail form will appear. Please describe your problem and provide the account manager with a way to contact you. DO NOT include your password in this message.
1.4 Homebase
If you have successfully connected to EIES®, you will see the EIES® Homebase screen:
A menu bar appears at the top of the homebase screen; however, the top of most other EIES® pages contains the screen name. The homebase menu bar offers the following choices:
Your Conferences Displays the list of all the conferences you are a member of, with or without new items waiting.
All Conferences Lists all conferences (both public and private) on the system, whether you are currently a member or not.
Directory Brings you to the EIES® Directory where you can set your password, change your name, or learn about other EIES® members.
All Users Displays a list of all EIES® members.
Compose Allows you to create and send new mail.
Help Takes you to the EIES® Help system.
The middle part of the homebase page contains a list of your waiting items. This gives you an overview of what is waiting for you in the different areas of EIES® without you having to enter each particular area.
As you choose items from homebase, the highlighting will change (usually the color of the link will change), indicating that you have selected that choice previously.
The bottom of the homepage provides a global search tool which will search the EIES® user list and the keywords of all your mail and conference comments. To perform a search, type the topic you wish to search in the textbox and press the <ENTER> key.
You can return to the homebase screen at any time by clicking on the Homebase choice which is located on most EIES® screens.
1.5 EIES® Concepts
Learning which menu choices to select is only one componenet of learning to use EIES®. More important, perhaps, is to understand a few basic concepts, such as what exactly a conference is and the difference between waiting and accepted items. These concepts are covered in the sections that follow.
1.5.1 Mail vs. Conferences
Until users become familiar with EIES® they often don’t know if they should send mail or submit a conference comment to communicate with a person or group of people. A good rule of thumb to follow is to send mail when you wish to address a personal communication to one or a few users. Personal communication within a conference (i.e., "Bob, lets have lunch tomorrow") is usually discouraged, and you probably wouldn’t want to discuss private information in an open forum such as a conference.
1.5.2 Waiting vs. Accepted
EIES® provides various ways of sorting and ordering your mail and conference 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 choose to accept an item, it is taken off your Waiting list ("in-box") and filed in your Accepted list ("out-box"). When you compose an item it is immediately put on your Accepted list.
Accepted items are not deleted, but saved for you to review at a later time. Because there is no ‘disk quota’ on EIES® and due to the way EIES® stores information there is no need to delete old information.
1.5.3 Item Numbering
EIES items are assigned numbers when they are created. This allows quick access and a shared reference to a single item.
Mail - EIES® mail uses a global numbering system which begins with message number 1 and goes up to 99,999 and starts again at 1. 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.
Conferences - Conferences also have numbers. In addition to the number associated with the conference itself, 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.
Replies - 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 conference items.
The numbering system may seem a bit confusing at first, but you will soon see how items flow and are linked.
1.6 Getting Help
Every screen on EIES® has help available. Click on the Help button from any menu bar to get help. Each help screen begins with specific information about the place where you requested help. The menu choices available on the screen where you asked for help is displayed next. Some general help follows and finally, a form is provided to allow you to send mail to the EIES help account (where a real person will answer your question).
When your done reading help, press your browser’s BACK key to return to the EIES® screen where you requested help.
