MM 1A03E Tutorial

Wednesday, May 12, 1999

Administrative Stuff

Please sign up for CIS services on MUGSI if you have not done so already. Visit http://www.mcmaster.ca/dataserv-htm/mcss0001.htm. You must register with MUGSI to log on to Windows in the computer labs and to use e-mail.

Also, please sign up for the class electronic discussion list. Francois has put up instructions for this at http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~lachance/mcmaster/humcom.htm

PINE: Some Terminology

There are a few terms that come up when you compose a message in PINE. The TO, CC, ATTCHMNT, and SUBJECT lines are called the header. When you push the CONTROL key plus R in the header, you open up the rich header (covered in the last tutorial). The text portion of the e-mail message is called the body.

PINE: The ADDRESS BOOK Revisited

The ADDRESS BOOK was introduced in the last tutorial, so you probably have some entries in it already. You can use your ADDRESS BOOK to fill in the TO line when you are composing a message. Just type in the full name or nickname from the desired ADDRESS BOOK entry, and push the ENTER key. The corresponding e-mail address will be automatically be inserted for you.

PINE: Saving Messages

You can save messages in PINE. Highlight the message in the FOLDER INDEX, or select the message to read it. Type S to save this message to a folder. You will receive the prompt
SAVE to folder in <mail/[]>[saved-messages] :
You have 2 options.

1. You can save the message to the default folder called saved-messages. To do this, just push ENTER. OR,
2. You can save the message to a different folder. To do this, type a folder name and press ENTER. If this is a new folder name, you will receive the prompt
   Folder "febstats" doesn't exist. Create it? (Y/N)[Y]
   Press ENTER to accept the default of Y and create a new folder with that name.

PINE: Viewing Attachments

An attachment is a file that someone sends along with an e-mail. It could be a text file, i.e. a file made up only of characters, or another kind of file, such as an image file, a word processing file, or even an executable file.

When you view a message, the header will tell you if there is an attachment in the ATTCHMNT line. Type V to view any attachments; a list of attachments will appear. Highlight the desired attachment with the cursor keys, and type S to save the file to your MUSS account. (Note that you don't need to save text files because you can read them from within your e-mail account. From this list, select V to read a text file, and Y to print it.) Type E to exit the attachment display.

You will now need to connect to your MUSS account from Windows to view the file. To do this, you will need to use an FTP program. There is one under the "General Campus Applications" icon on the Windows desktop. Run this application, and in the pop-up box, enter your MUSS username and password. The screen will divide into two sections; the top will be one of the computer drives, and the bottom will be your MUSS account. Click on the computer drive letter to change it; for example, if you wish to save the file to a floppy disk, insert a disk, change the drive letter to an A, and push ENTER. When you are ready, use the mouse to "drag and drop" the attachment file from your MUSS account window to the window for the drive that you have selected. You will be asked whether you would like to save the file in ASCII or BINARY format; choose BINARY if it is not a text file. Close the FTP program and use Windows to access the file.

PINE: Sending Attachments

To send an attachment to someone, you will have to FTP in to your MUSS account using username and password (see above). When you are logged on, configure the drive in the top window to find your file. Drag and drop the file to your account in the bottom window. You will be asked whether you would like to save the file in ASCII or BINARY format; choose BINARY if it is not a text file. Exit the FTP program.

Log on to your MUSS account, and enter PINE. Compose a message to the person to whom you would like to send an e-mail, filling in the TO and SUBJECT lines, and entering the MESSAGE TEXT. Return to the header, and type CONTROL plus J. You will receive the prompt
File to attach:
You have two options.

1. If you know the name of the file to be attached, enter it, and push ENTER.
2. If you are not sure of the name of the file to be attached, push CONTROL plus T for a list of files on your MUSS account. Highlight the file with the cursor keys, and push S to select it.

Windows: The Desktop

As you already know, to use the computers in the labs, you first have to turn them on (the power button is usually on the front of the system unit), and, after booting, enter your log in information (username and password). After your information has been verified, or authenticated, you will have access to the Desktop.

The Desktop is made up of two parts: the actual work area and the grey taskbar, usually found at the bottom of the screen.

The Desktop features icons, which link to applications. For this reason, Windows is called a Graphical User Interface, or a GUI. The taskbar has several features:

• the Start menu, shown on the left-hand side (click to open the menu)
• the programs currently running, shown along the middle of the taskbar
• the programs automatically running in the background, shown on the right-hand side; these include the volume control and the clock, and in the computer labs, the language and display controls.

Windows: Running an Application

There are 3 ways to run an application.

1. Double-click the icon for it on desktop.
2. Access it from the Start menu.
3. Push the Start button, and enter RUN. Type in the file name or application name and push ENTER key; select BROWSE to look for it manually. Push ENTER.

Windows: Switching Between Applications

There are 2 ways to switch between applications that are currently running.

1. Click between the buttons on the taskbar.
2. Hit ALT plus TAB to access a pop-up menu, and keep hitting ALT plus TAB to switch between applications.