|
|
Willamette Integrated Technology Services |
|
|
|
Entering the Pine Electronic Mail Environment |
|
|
|
Pine 4.21 |
|
|
Document #110 |
|
Date: 03/03 |
Abstract: This document covers the basic operations of the Pine program (sending, receiving and replying to messages). Familiarity with using Telnet to log into Pine is assumed.
Contents:
Once you've logged into Pine, the "Main Menu" screen will appear, looking like this:
Pine always lists the usable commands within a section at the bottom of each screen. You can always find your way around in Pine by using the commands listed there. Pine is not case sensitive. A help command (type ?) is always available to provide assistance. For commands preceded by the ^ character (such as ^X), you will need to press and hold the <Ctrl> or <control> key (Ctrl-X or control-X).
In Pine all messages sent and received are stored in folders. Three default folders are created automatically by Pine the first time you use the program: inbox, sent-mail, and saved-messages. You also have the option of creating other folders where you can place special categories of mail. Each time you start Pine, the inbox folder is automatically chosen for your use. The inbox folder is the current folder.
The top four lines of the Compose Message screen comprise the message header. Here Pine prompts you for the information it needs in order to send mail: recipient address, courtesy copies, attach files, subject. Below the header is an area for the message itself. NOTE: As you move between parts of the message header, the commands available at the bottom of the window change. The commands shown in the window below are available while you use the "To :" prompt and the "Cc:" prompt, but these commands change when you move to the "Attchmnt:" , the "Subject :", and the message prompts.
If you make a mistake as you are typing, correct it by using the arrow keys to position the cursor to the right of the incorrect character. Use the Delete key to delete the character to the left. ^K will delete the whole line. If you make a mistake or want to change something in the header, use the up and down arrow keys to go to a line and make any corrections.
To: is the prompt for the address of the person to whom you want to send a message. If you know the person's address type it in here. See 'Addressing a Message" below for information on how to locate addresses within the Willamette community.
NOTE: The Address Book lets you store addresses and allows you to refer to these addresses using nicknames that are easy to remember. See Document #111 for more information about Pine Address Book functions.
Cc: is the prompt for the addresses of everyone who should receive a copy of the message. Use the same user names described above. Separate each address with a comma.
Attchmnt: is the prompt that allows you to attach a file to your electronic mail message. Simply enter the name of the file in your home directory that you want to send. (Most of the mail you send will not include attachments.)
Subject: is the prompt for you to give the reader an idea of the content of your message. Keep it simple and short. If you are responding to another person's message mention their subject heading in yours.
----- Message Text ----- is your prompt to type in a message of up to approximately fifteen pages of information.
See Document #116 for more information on how to find an e-mail address that you need. This section will only cover the use of Willamette's on-line Fusser's Guide.
From the "To:" or "Cc:" fields you can access the Fusser's Guide by pressing ^T for "To AddrBk" and then F for the Fusser's Guide (see also Document #111). Start typing the last name of the person you are looking for. As you begin typing, names will appear that start with the letters you have typed. Once you see the name you want use the arrow keys to highlight it then press <Enter> or <return>. You will be returned to the Compose screen with the address you highlighted already entered for you.
When you have composed the message and are ready to send do the following:
When you send a message a copy is placed in your sent-mail folder. This means that you do not need to "Cc:" yourself when you send mail. You can view the contents of your sent-mail folder (see "Changing the Current Folder" in Document #110c).
If, in the midst of composing a message, you decide to cancel it, do the following:
If, after composing a message, you decide to postpone sending it, do the following:
Pine saves what you have written and the next time you select Compose (by typing C), it reminds you that you have one or more postponed messages. You will be asked at that time whether you want to work on a postponed composition.
Your incoming mail is kept in the inbox folder, which is the one in use (current folder) each time you start Pine. To read the contents of the current folder, you need to display the index by selecting Mail Index.
If you don't have any messages in the current folder, Pine will tell you this.
Follow the commands at the bottom of the screen in order to see all of your messages. For example, press the space bar to go to the next page of your message list or press the minus key (to the right of the zero key) to go to the previous page.
When finished,
From Message Text or Folder Index you can respond to a message that you have received without typing in the address or subject heading. You are replying to the message highlighted in the Folder Index screen or the one on display in Message Text.
The Compose Message screen with some header information already filled out is displayed. Follow the instructions for composing and sending a message.
A message can be deleted from the Folder Index or the Message Text screens. The message that is deleted is the one highlighted in the Folder Index screen or the one on display in Message Text.
Although you are notified that the message has been deleted, it has only been marked for deletion. Actual removal of this file from computer memory occurs only when you exit Pine. If you change your mind about deleting, you can type U to undelete from either the Folder Index or the Message Text screen.
From Message Text or Folder Index you can save a message to any folder. The message that is saved is the one highlighted in the Folder Index screen or the one on display in Message Text. Pine has already created a saved message folder for your use. You can create other folders. See Document #112 for more information on folders.
After you have saved a message in another folder Pine automatically marks the original for deletion from the inbox folder.
As mentioned previously, when you use the Folder Index command, the content of the current folder is displayed. When you start the Pine program, the inbox folder, by default, is the current folder. To change the current folder, do the following:
If you have any questions or comments concerning these documents, please contact the WITS Help Desk by calling x6767 or by sending e-mail to wits@willamette.edu.
[ WITS
Help Documents ]
[ Guide to the Pine Electronic
Mail Program ]
[ WU Home Page ]
Last update: 03/07/03
by aawhite@willamette.edu
Questions about this page? Send email to webmaster@willamette.edu