Willamette Integrated Technology Services
	Reading Mail Messages
	Pine 4.21
Document #110c		Date: 03/03

Abstract: This document covers reading e-mail messages, replying to them, saving messages to a folder, and deleting messages.

Contents:

• Reading Mail Messages
• Replying to a Mail Message
• Deleting Mail Messages
• Saving a Mail Message to a Folder
• Changing the Current Folder

Reading Mail Messages

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.

• At the Main Menu, type I for Folder Index.

If you don't have any messages in the current folder, Pine will tell you this.

• Use up and down arrow keys to highlight the message you wish to read.
• Press <Enter> or <return>, or type > for ViewMsg, to view your mail. This will display the Message Text screen.

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,

• Type I to return to the Folder Index so you can view another message,
  or
• Type M to return to the Main Menu.

Replying to a Mail Message

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.

• Type R for reply.
  • You are asked if you want to include the original message in your reply.
• Answer Y or N , or ^C to quit.
  • If you type Y you will then be asked if you want to send a reply to all recipients of the original message.
• Type N to send your reply to the sender(s) only,
  or
• Yype Y to send your reply to all the recipients of the original message.

The Compose Message screen with some header information already filled out is displayed. Follow the instructions for composing and sending a message.

Deleting Mail Messages

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.

• Type D for delete.

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.

Saving a Mail Message to a Folder

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.

• Type S for save to folder.
  • You are prompted for the name of the folder.
• To save the message in the saved-messages folder, then press <Enter> or <return>,
  or
• To save in another folder type the name of the folder you want to save to, and press <Enter> or <return>,
  or
• To save in another folder, press ^T to display all available folders, highlight the folder where you want the message saved, and press <Enter> or <return> twice.

After you have saved a message in another folder Pine automatically marks the original for deletion from the inbox folder.

Changing the Current 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:

• From the Main Menu, type L for Folder List.
  • A screen appears where you can chose between viewing mail or newsgroups.
• Use the arrow keys to select between mail and news, then press <Enter> or <return>.
  • All available folders are listed.
• Use the arrow keys to highlight the folder you want to make current, then press <Enter> or <return>.
  • The Folder Index screen is displayed, listing the contents of the new current folder.

Last update: 03/07/03 by aawhite@willamette.edu
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