SED. DOC by Louis Epstein This file explains how to compose messages offline and upload them while using the SED(LINEDIT) editor.This saves hours of connect time,dollars on your CIS bill,and all without having to use the clumsy FILGE(EDIT) editor when you've just GOT to compose online. This file now covers the NEW Forum Software,the OLD,which I preferred,having finally died May 1,1991.I do,however,use "grandfathered" OLDF commands in this file,because they tend to be SHORTER,and the whole *point* of this file is to save *time*.("SP" instead of "POS PRI" to store a message privately,for example). This NEWEST version of the file reflects the abandonment of some grandfathering with the software revisions released early 1993,and some newly needed steps. I assume you are already familiar with the Forum commands, and have dropped the menus the novice user encounters.While this saves some time,you will find that the bill still mounts uncomfortably if you read a substantial portion or all of the message base.In order to use SED.DOC efficiently,you should return to the option menu and set the Pause After Messages option to either (T)o You or (N)ever,so as not to have to keep hitting <CR> after each message.With (T)o You you still have to hit <CR> after marked messages,but with (N)ever you risk having your screen capture munch messages after a while. In the SED.DOC method,all time-consuming activity is done offline, so it is best to log on at the highest baud rate available to you for reading messages into a screen capture or backscroll buffer and for uploading your message file.If you want to CO,of course,log off and log back on at 300. You will need terminal software that has a backscroll buffer or at least a screen capture capability--I use QMODEM,a guiltware program that you can get over in IBMCOM that has both--and a word processor to create ASCII text files--I use Borland's SideKick.I have 640K RAM,and extended memory including a large RAMdisk with plenty of room for my upload files and others as well as a backscroll buffer that will hold over 170 SIG messages of pre-1993 length at a time.With a screen capture file,of course, the disk is the limit. The procedure is very simple.Log on at your highest baud rate and go through all new messages nonstop...With the 1993 release software,you must SET PAG OFF to get the messages to scroll nonstop,otherwise the longer ones will be interrupted with a prompt.Be aware that this will affect ALL displays during your logon,including stuff you WANT paged.I use the RN command,so I know exactly when I'm up to;you can also use RTN,to follow threads of conversation.Log off.Then read your buffer or capture file,composing your replies on the word processor as you go(I go back and forth between the QMODEM buffer and the RAM-resident SideKick;if your word processor will not allow multi-tasking of this sort you may have to take notes as you go through the file and then write later). In creating your ASCII file,start with the line "set br on" to cut system crosstalk(this is necessary because a mid-1986 revision of the SIG- ware eliminated permanent Forum-only brief prompts.If you have system-wide brief prompts as a default option(not recommended!),skip this step,which is not necessary when adapting the system to Email,or in files you upload while still logged on after having already uploaded one(e.g. if you are touring several Forums with SED.DOC files)).Then write all the commands you would enter to enter the messages if you were on line,making sure to put <CR>s after every line of text,or SED will think you have entered a line over 79 characters long and discard the excess.If you wish to leave a message starting a new thread,use the <COM> command(the <L> command having bit the dust in the 1993 revisions) on the line before beginning your text;if you are replying to a message on the board,say reXXXXX,where XXXXX is the number of the message.Then,in each case,hit <CR> and give the text of the message just as you would online.After the last line,hit <CR>,type "/ex",and give your leave action:s,sp, or su.(S stores(posts) the message normally;SP privately,in Forums where it is enabled[make sure of this before using it];SU unformatted[just the way you typed it]).If you are leaving a message that starts a new thread,you MUST!! include a subtopic (section) number as part of the leave(post)action,using a number of a subtopic accessible to you (0-17,potentially,but your Sysops decide;1-16 in SHOWBIZ),following the addressee's name and PPN,and the subject,separated by semicolons,e.g. s;Mishkin Brant 76702,1705;Isn't Kim Silly?;0 .Then hit <CR> and do the re or <COM> for your next message on the very next line.It is a good idea to do all <COM> messages at the beginning or end of your file,so as to keep your mind on this.If you recall the number of a message you want to delete,you can also enter the commands in your text file,in the form dXXXXX on one line,y on the next(answering the Delete this message? (Y/N) prompt).Remember,when you upload this file,CIS will think you are typing everything in by hand,and you must enter every keystroke in the proper format. Check your file when it is done so that you are sure it has none of the following pitfalls: REply to a Scrolled-off message--If you are replying to a message that was very near to the beginning of the message base when you started reading,it may have scrolled off by the time you upload.If you will not be uploading quickly after you read the messages,it is a good idea to reply to these messages by sending a <COM> message to the sender.It is a good idea if you are unsure to keep a record of the earliest reply in your text file,and check it against the first message on the board when you log in to upload. Subject over 24 characters long--If you <COM> a message,CIS will re- ject a subject over 24 characters long.It will then go through every line of the message,reject them as subjects,and cause all sorts of problems. Missing Subtopic--if CIS sees no subtopic in an <COM> message,it will give you a menu asking for one after the store command.If this message is not the very last in your file,the rest of your file will go to pot. CIS will think that any message number a subsequent message in your file replies to is a subtopic,and tell you you are not authorized to access that subtopic. ANY ONE of these problems will cause the loss of your file past where it occurs,or at least drop several messages. Once you have finished and proofread your file,you log on and upload it.Enter the Forum and at the Forum! prompt,initiate an ASCII upload with your terminal software.You will then see your messages fly onto the screen faster than you could ever type them(unless you're at 300 baud and type FAST),occasionally interrupted by the prompts related to leaving the messages.Depending on your terminal software and how busy CIS is,you might see parts of your input overwritten or interrupted by beeps or gibberish; but whether or not what you see makes sense,it doesn't matter.If you see an error message,terminate the upload,log off at once,delete the messages prior to the problem from the file,fix the problem,and log back on and upload the rest.If you don't see an error message,your messages will all be properly stored and you should see messages to this effect.In any case, you can read through them quickly afterwards if you're nervous. Louis Epstein 76702,1562 SAMPLE FILE re66666 Speakie--this message isn't gonna start some long boring thread or nuthin',is it? /ex s com Storing a message with the new SIGware can get to be a pain.However,if you compose offline with SED.DOC,you don't have to deal with all the prompts,and avoid the "is this correct?" question people who don't embed all the store commands on one line get. /ex s;All;SEDNEW.DOC;1 d66666 y This file: 1)replies to message 66666,storing the message without going unformatted or private; 2)Leaves a message to All(For a particular person,don't forget to include the PPN[User ID#]),and stores it in Subtopic 1; and 3)gives a command to delete message 66666,including a y for the confirming prompt. If you plan to log off immediately after uploading,you can include "off" as the last line in your file,and the file will do it for you. In a REply message,you lose no keystrokes by doing a "/post" at the end, instead of the "/ex" and "s" lines,but any other sort of reply is shorter with the grandfathered command. THUS... re200000 I don't think numbers running counts if the runner isn't using a line- numbered editor. /post BUT... re200000 The very IDEA of using the editor without line numbers S T I N K S !!! In spades!Do you know how much trouble that makes a quick fluff reply online? /ex spu For something you want to leave off the regular board/format system. An October 1988 revision of the NEWF software now permits you to end a composed message with a line chaining "/post" and all the other commands; the second message in the sample file could therefore be ended with "/post;all;SEDNEW.DOC;1",but it saves no keystrokes to do so. That about explains everything. Louis Epstein 76702,1562
Amiga7878