@database "OO.guide" @(C) 1993-1996 by Janne Siren, All Rights Reserved @author Janne Siren @remark gconv:40 @node main "Offline Orbit User's Guide - Table of Contents" Offline Orbit - Release 0.81 (May 5, 1996) Copyright © 1993-1996 by Janne Siren, All Rights Reserved @{b} Table of Contents @{ub} 1. Politics @{" 1.1 Disclaimer " link DISCLAIMER} @{" 1.2 License Agreement " link LICENSE} @{" 1.3 Registration " link REGISTRATION} 2. Introduction @{" 2.1 Offline Orbit " link INTRODUCTION} @{" 2.2 System Requirements " link SYSTEM_REQUIREMENTS} 3. Getting Started @{" 3.1 First Steps " link FIRST_STEPS} @{" 3.2 User Interface " link USER_INTERFACE} @{" 3.3 Localization " link LOCALIZATION} 4. Command Reference @{" 4.1 Control Panel " link CONTROL_PANEL} @{" 4.2 Project Menu " link PROJECT_MENU} @{" 4.3 Messages Menu " link MESSAGES_MENU} @{" 4.4 Extras Menu " link EXTRAS_MENU} @{" 4.5 Prefs Menu " link PREFERENCES_MENU} 5. Basic Functions @{" 5.1 Reading Messages " link READING_MESSAGES} @{" 5.2 Writing Messages " link WRITING_MESSAGES} 6. Miscellaneous @{" 6.1 Support " link SUPPORT} @{" 6.2 Acknowledgements " link ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS} @{" 6.3 External Utilities " link EXTERNAL_UTILITIES} @{" 6.4 Frequently Asked Questions " link FREQUENTLY_ASKED_QUESTIONS} @{" 6.5 Known Bugs " link KNOWN_BUGS} @{" Update History " link OO_history.guide/main} @endnode @node DISCLAIMER "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [1] Politics" @{b}[1.1] Disclaimer @{ub} OFFLINE ORBIT IS PROVIDED AS IS, WITH NO WARRANTIES EITHER IMPLIED OR EXPRESSED. ALL RISKS AND DAMAGES, INCIDENTAL OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM THE USE, MISUSE, OR INABILITY OF OFFLINE ORBIT ARE ENTIRELY AT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE USER. @endnode @node LICENSE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [1] Politics" @{b}[1.2] License Agreement @{ub} The Offline Orbit software and documentation are copyright © 1993-1995 by Janne Siren. These files are protected under the copyright laws of Finland and other countries. You are not authorized to modify or reverse engineer them without written permission of the copyright holder. This version of Offline Orbit is shareware. After an evaluation period of twenty (20) days, you must either register or discontinue using it. The evaluation archive is freely distributable as long as all files remain together and unmodified. No profit may be realized for the distribution of Offline Orbit. Registration keyfiles are personal and may not be distributed. Offline Orbit may not be used in any unlawful or illegal manner. ReqTools and reqtools.library are copyright © 1991-1994 by Nico François. @endnode @node REGISTRATION "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [1] Politics" @{b}[1.3 Registration] @{ub} Offline Orbit is distributed under the concept of shareware. It is not free. Offline Orbit may be freely distributed, but after an evaluation period of twenty (20) days, you must either register or discontinue using it. In other words, you can try before you buy. No features have been removed from the unregistered version, only a requester reminds you of the registration. Actually, there is no special unregistered version. The evaluation versions will function as registered after you have installed your personal keyfile. To obtain this keyfile, you must register Offline Orbit. By registering, not only do you get the keyfile, but you also support the future development of Offline Orbit. To register, follow these instructions. The registration fee is $20 US dollars (70 Finnish marks). Cheques, money orders or credit cards aren't accepted, so you must send the money in the form of cash (only US dollars and Finnish marks are accepted). You should send the money along with a letter clearly stating your name, complete mailing address (you must state your address even if you are going to download the keyfile from the support BBS) and the method you'd like to use to obtain your keyfile. You can either have the keyfile sent to you on a floppy disk via regular mail or you can download it from the support BBS (Epsilon Indi, +358-0-505-4201). In the latter case, you must also mention the user name you use in Epsilon Indi. If you decide to wait for the floppy disk, please allow a few weeks for delivery. Finnish users can pay the registration directly to the authors bank account (Merita Kauniainen 137835-33010). You can write the required information in the message field accompanying the bank transfer (make sure the message is sent) or you can send a separate letter (also mention the date of the payment). Send your letters to the following address: Offline Orbit Support c/o Janne Siren Oravamaentie 2 F 17 02700 Kauniainen Finland If you send a registered letter, please address it to Janne Siren. @endnode @node INTRODUCTION "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [2] Introduction" @{b}[2.1] Offline Orbit @{ub} Before offline reading was invented, you could only transfer files and read messages in a BBS online, ie. a modem connection was required for the duration of the entire process. Offline reading doesn't make transfering files any different, but reading and writing messages will get easier. You can download new messages in a compressed form and then read them offline using a message reader, thus leaving your phone free for other use and saving in phone bills. Replies can be written using your favourite text editor and then uploaded to the BBS during your next call. Offline Orbit is a multi-format shareware offline message reader for the Amiga. It currently supports the message formats listed below. This manual only explains how to use Offline Orbit, beginners should ask their sysops for more information about downloading and uploading message bundles. Format Designer Version -------------- ----------------------- ----------- Blue Wave George Hatchew Revision 2 OMEN Olli Majander Revision I QWK Mark Herring (unknown) SOUP Rhys Weatherley Version 1.2 WWF Veli-Matti Lintu V1 @endnode @node SYSTEM_REQUIREMENTS "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [2] Introduction" @{b}[2.2] System Requirements @{ub} Offline Orbit requires an Amiga computer with AmigaOS version 2.04 or higher. It will also take advantage of reqtools.library, Workbench 2.1 and AmigaOS 3.0 if they are available. Users running systems equipped with a 68020 or better processor can use the optimized version (OO_020). Memory requirements depend on the size of the message bundle. Each message takes approximately 350 bytes of memory for header information when the bundle is opened and more for the message body when the text is displayed. The program itself needs a couple of hundred kilobytes of memory, so 1 MB should suffice for reading most medium sized message bundles. @endnode @node FIRST_STEPS "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [3] Getting Started" @{b}[3.1] First Steps @{ub} You can start Offline Orbit either from the Workbench or shell. When you have the program up and running for the first time, press the right mouse button and select "Directory" in the Prefs menu. A window will appear with several string gadgets. Enter the required information and move to the next menu item, until you have reached the end of the menu. Then save the configuration by selecting "Save Prefs". See Command Reference for further information. If everything is set-up correctly, you can now open a message bundle and start reading messages. Simply press the Open gadget and a file requester appears allowing you to select a bundle to be opened. Example configuration files are included for beginners. To use them, copy OO.config and OO.packers to your boot disk's S directory. If you have no configuration files in the S directory, Offline Orbit will use it's few built-in defaults. Note! Offline Orbit executables are pure; they can be made resident. This is recommended if you are running multiple Offline Orbits at the same time. @endnode @node USER_INTERFACE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [3] Getting Started" @{b}[3.2] User Interface @{ub} Offline Orbit follows standard Amiga guidelines, with full support for both keyboard and mouse. Underscored characters in gadget titles mark the equivalent on keyboard, pull-down menus show keyboard equivalents next to the command. Listview gadgets can be controlled using the arrow keys. Most of the windows can be closed by pressing Escape. ReqTools requesters accept it as the keyboard equivalent for the rightmost gadget. Return will pick the highlighted gadget. If you don't have reqtools.library installed (why not?), Offline Orbit will replace ReqTools requesters with system requesters. System requesters have only limited keyboard support: Left-Amiga-V will select the leftmost and Left-Amiga-B will select the rightmost gadget. Other gadgets must be selected using the mouse. Offline Orbit also supports the middle mouse button. Clicking it opens the area selector (or the Open Bundle requester if no bundle is open). @endnode @node LOCALIZATION "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [3] Getting Started" @{b}[3.3] Localization @{ub} Offline Orbit supports localization on systems equipped with Workbench 2.1 or higher. Localization allows you to use Offline Orbit in other languages besides English, which is built-in. Offline Orbit will automatically use the language you have chosen in AmigaOS's Locale Preferences if a catalog file for that language is available. Currently only Finnish catalogs are included. To use Offline Orbit in Finnish, copy Catalogs/suomi/OO.catalog to Locale:Catalogs/suomi and select "suomi" as your preferred language in Locale Preferences. @endnode @node CONTROL_PANEL "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}[4.1] Control Panel @{ub} @{" Open " link PROJECT_OPEN} @{" Pack " link PROJECT_PACK} @{" Area " link CONTROL_AREA} @{" Write " link CONTROL_WRITE} @{" Reply " link CONTROL_REPLY} @{" Edit " link CONTROL_EDIT} @{" List " link CONTROL_LIST} @{" Quit " link PROJECT_QUIT} @endnode @node CONTROL_AREA "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Area: @{ub}An area selector appears allowing you to change the current area. @endnode @node CONTROL_WRITE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Write: @{ub}Allows you to write a new message. @endnode @node CONTROL_REPLY "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Reply: @{ub}Allows you to reply to the current message. @endnode @node CONTROL_EDIT "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Edit: @{ub}Allows you to edit the current message. This will only work in the replies area. You can edit the message text and header. Editing and reading replies isn't possible after packing them. @endnode @node CONTROL_LIST "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}List: @{ub}A message selector appears allowing you to browse through the message headers and change the current message. @endnode @node PROJECT_MENU "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}[4.2] Project Menu @{ub} @{" Open Bundle " link PROJECT_OPEN} @{" Close Bundle " link PROJECT_CLOSE} @{" Pack Replies " link PROJECT_PACK} @{" New Session " link PROJECT_NEW_SESSION} @{" Iconify " link PROJECT_ICONIFY} @{" Shell " link PROJECT_SHELL} @{" Puzzle " link PROJECT_PUZZLE} @{" Help " link PROJECT_HELP} @{" About " link PROJECT_ABOUT} @{" Quit " link PROJECT_QUIT} @endnode @node PROJECT_OPEN "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Open Bundle: @{ub}A file requester appears allowing you to select a message bundle to be opened. If you already have a bundle open, it will be closed first (or you can start a new session). You can also open a bundle by entering it's file name (with full path) as a command line parameter when starting Offline Orbit. @endnode @node PROJECT_CLOSE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Close Bundle: @{ub}Closes the currently open message bundle. @endnode @node PROJECT_PACK "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Pack Replies: @{ub}Packs your replies. All of the replies and new messages you have written will be compressed and moved to the Uploads directory. @endnode @node PROJECT_NEW_SESSION "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}New Session: @{ub}Starts another Offline Orbit. @endnode @node PROJECT_ICONIFY "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Iconify: @{ub}Iconifies Offline Orbit. @endnode @node PROJECT_SHELL "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Shell: @{ub}Opens a shell window on the Offline Orbit screen. @endnode @node PROJECT_PUZZLE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Puzzle: @{ub}Opens the built-in puzzle game. @endnode @node PROJECT_HELP "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Help: @{ub}Displays the online documentation using AmigaGuide. For this to work, you must have amigaguide.library in Libs: and OO.guide in the current directory (or in Help:English). @endnode @node PROJECT_ABOUT "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}About: @{ub}Displays copyright and version information. @endnode @node PROJECT_QUIT "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Quit: @{ub}Exits Offline Orbit. @endnode @node MESSAGES_MENU "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}[4.3] Messages Menu @{ub} @{" Mark Message " link MESSAGES_MARK_MESSAGE} @{" Jump to Marked " link MESSAGES_JUMP_TO_MARKED} @{" Jump to Message " link MESSAGES_JUMP_TO_MESSAGE} @{" Search " link MESSAGES_SEARCH} @{" Repeat Search " link MESSAGES_REPEAT_SEARCH} @{" Save Message " link MESSAGES_SAVE_MESSAGE} @{" Delete Message " link MESSAGES_DELETE_MESSAGE} @{" Move Message " link MESSAGES_MOVE_MESSAGE} @{" Pointers " link MESSAGES_POINTERS} @{" Mark Area " link MESSAGES_MARK_AREA} @{" Skip Thread " link MESSAGES_SKIP_THREAD} @{" Add to User List " link MESSAGES_ADD_TO_USER_LIST} @{" Steal Tag Lines " link MESSAGES_STEAL_TAG_LINES} @{" Next Area " link MESSAGES_NEXT_AREA} @{" Previous Area " link MESSAGES_PREVIOUS_AREA} @endnode @node MESSAGES_MARK_MESSAGE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Mark Message: @{ub}Marks the current message, so you can jump back to it later. @endnode @node MESSAGES_JUMP_TO_MARKED "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Jump to Marked: @{ub}Jumps to the marked message. @endnode @node MESSAGES_JUMP_TO_MESSAGE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Jump to Message: @{ub}Allows you to enter a message number to jump to. @endnode @node MESSAGES_SEARCH "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Search: @{ub}Searches for a string (entered in the String gadget) from the header and the body of messages (starting from the message following the one you are currently reading) until the string is found or the last message of the bundle is reached. The search is case sensitive if you check the Case Sensitive checkbox. @endnode @node MESSAGES_REPEAT_SEARCH "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Repeat Search: @{ub}Repeats the last search operation without opening a window. @endnode @node MESSAGES_SAVE_MESSAGE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Save Message: @{ub}Saves the current message to a file or printer. Depending on which sub-item you pick, the message text will be saved with or without the header. You can also save only the header. @endnode @node MESSAGES_DELETE_MESSAGE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Delete Message: @{ub}Deletes the current message. This function is available only when reading an OMEN bundle. It will send, among other replies, a special command message to the BBS with the orders to remove a message - so the message is not deleted immediately. Offline Orbit doesn't enforce access restrictions, so you may not be able to delete a message even though you can send the order to do so. You can also change a message's status (private to public and vice-versa) or move it to another area. Moving can be done with the appropriate command in Messages menu, but to change a message's status without moving it, reply to that message, click "Advanced" in the editing window and select "Toggle Status" as the "Command". @endnode @node MESSAGES_MOVE_MESSAGE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Move Message: @{ub}Moves the current message to another area. This function is available only when reading an OMEN bundle. It will send, among other replies, a special command message to the BBS with the orders to move a message - so the message is not moved immediately. Offline Orbit doesn't enforce access restrictions, so you may not be able to move a message even though you can send the order to do so. Later you can change the message's subject and status via the replies area. You may also set the command message's status to "Killed" to belay the moving (or other) orders. @endnode @node MESSAGES_POINTERS "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Pointers: @{ub}Resets, stores or restores the message pointers. These commands are useful when you decide to stop reading and continue later. You can store the pointers and close the bundle. You can then restore the pointers when you continue reading. Pointers are stored in the Storage directory. Storing and restoring pointers can be automated by checking the Store Message Pointers checkbox in General Preferences. @endnode @node MESSAGES_MARK_AREA "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Mark Area: @{ub}Marks all messages in the current area read or unread. @endnode @node MESSAGES_SKIP_THREAD "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Skip Thread: @{ub}Marks read and skips the message thread you are reading. In this case successive messages with the exactly same subject (reply prefixes are ignored) are considered as a thread. Predecessing messages are not marked. This function is useful only if you have enabled "Message Threading" in General Preferences. @endnode @node MESSAGES_ADD_TO_USER_LIST "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Add to User List: @{ub}Adds the name of the current message's author's or addressee's name to the User List. The list isn't automatically saved after this operation. @endnode @node MESSAGES_STEAL_TAG_LINES "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Steal Tag Lines: @{ub}Allows you to "steal" tag lines from messages. This command won't work, unless you have a tag file open. @endnode @node MESSAGES_NEXT_AREA "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Next Area: @{ub}Jumps to the next message area. (Keyboard equivalent: >) @endnode @node MESSAGES_PREVIOUS_AREA "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Previous Area: @{ub}Jumps to the previous message area. (Keyboard equivalent: <) @endnode @node EXTRAS_MENU "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}[4.4] Extras Menu @{ub} @{" New Files " link EXTRAS_NEW_FILES} @{" Bundle Info " link EXTRAS_BUNDLE_INFO} @endnode @node EXTRAS_NEW_FILES "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}New Files: @{ub}Displays a list of new files (if available). @endnode @node EXTRAS_BUNDLE_INFO "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Bundle Info: @{ub}Displays some information about the message bundle. @endnode @node PREFERENCES_MENU "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}[4.5] Prefs Menu @{ub} @{" Directory " link DIRECTORY_PREFERENCES} @{" Editor " link EDITOR_PREFERENCES} @{" General " link GENERAL_PREFERENCES} @{" Palette " link PALETTE_PREFERENCES} @{" Screen " link SCREEN_PREFERENCES} @{" Save Prefs " link SAVE_PREFS} @{" Packer " link PACKER_PREFERENCES} @{" BBS " link BBS_PREFERENCES} @{" User List " link USER_LIST} @endnode @node DIRECTORY_PREFERENCES "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Directory Preferences @{ub} @{" Downloads " link DIRECTORY_DOWNLOADS} @{" Uploads " link DIRECTORY_UPLOADS} @{" Replies " link DIRECTORY_REPLIES} @{" Storage " link DIRECTORY_STORAGE} @{" Capture " link DIRECTORY_CAPTURE} @{" Work " link DIRECTORY_WORK} @{" Unpack " link DIRECTORY_UNPACK} All directories must be created manually before using Offline Orbit! @endnode @node DIRECTORY_DOWNLOADS "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Downloads: @{ub}A directory where downloaded message bundles will be found. @endnode @node DIRECTORY_UPLOADS "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Uploads: @{ub}A directory to place reply packets in for uploading. @endnode @node DIRECTORY_REPLIES "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Replies: @{ub}A directory where replies are kept temporarily. @endnode @node DIRECTORY_STORAGE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Storage: @{ub}A directory where message pointers are stored. @endnode @node DIRECTORY_CAPTURE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Capture: @{ub}A directory where messages you've chosen to be saved are saved by default. @endnode @node DIRECTORY_WORK "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Work: @{ub}A directory to hold the messages you are reading. @endnode @node DIRECTORY_UNPACK "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Unpack: @{ub}A directory where archives are unpacked temporarily. @endnode @node EDITOR_PREFERENCES "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Editor Preferences @{ub} @{" Command " link EDITOR_COMMAND} @{" Signature " link EDITOR_SIGNATURE} @{" Tag File " link EDITOR_TAG_FILE} @{" Stack " link EDITOR_STACK} @{" Show " link EDITOR_SHOW} @{" Pack " link EDITOR_PACK} @{" Move Workbench Front " link EDITOR_MOVE_WORKBENCH_FRONT} @{" Separate Quote File " link EDITOR_SEPARATE_QUOTE_FILE} @endnode @node EDITOR_COMMAND "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Command: @{ub}A command to start your text editor. Modifiers: %f File to store the text you are editing. %p Name of the public screen Offline Orbit is using. %q File containing the quoted contents of the message you are replying to (use this only if you've checked the Separate Quote File checkbox). %% '%' character. @endnode @node EDITOR_SIGNATURE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Signature: @{ub}A signature file for your replies. @endnode @node EDITOR_TAG_FILE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Tag File: @{ub}A file containing your tag lines. Tag lines are short comments that are appended to the end of each message you write. Tag files must have one tag on each line. Empty lines and lines beginning with '#' or ';' are considered as comments and are ignored. @endnode @node EDITOR_STACK "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Stack: @{ub}Initial stack size (bytes) for the editor. @endnode @node EDITOR_SHOW "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Show: @{ub}Determines what character set is used in the messages you are reading (ie. what characters are converted to ISO before displaying the message text). SF7 conversion is optional, IBM characters are always converted. Selecting "-" will disable conversion. Important: Only Ä, Ö, Å, ä, ö and å characters are converted, so this feature is useful only to scandinavian users. Users in other countries should select "-". @endnode @node EDITOR_PACK "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Pack: @{ub}Determines what character set should be used in your replies. You must write your messages using ISO characters (keymap s) and let Offline Orbit handle the conversion. Selecting "-" will disable conversion. Important: Only Ä, Ö, Å, ä, ö and å characters are converted, so this feature is useful only to scandinavian users. Users in other countries should select "-". @endnode @node EDITOR_MOVE_WORKBENCH_FRONT "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Move Workbench Front: @{ub}If checked, Workbench screen will be moved to the front before executing the text editor. This is quite useful if you use an editor like Ed, which doesn't automatically move to the front. @endnode @node EDITOR_SEPARATE_QUOTE_FILE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Separate Quote File: @{ub}If checked, the quoted text is stored in a separate file. You can use this if your editor can hold two files at once and allow you to move convenient pieces from one to the other. @endnode @node GENERAL_PREFERENCES "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}General Preferences @{ub} @{" Highlight Quote " link GENERAL_HIGHLIGHT_QUOTE} @{" No Control Panel " link GENERAL_NO_CONTROL_PANEL} @{" Discard Kludge-Lines " link GENERAL_DISCARD_KLUDGE-LINES} @{" Flash Messages For You " link GENERAL_FLASH_MESSAGES_FOR_YOU} @{" Mark Your Messages Read " link GENERAL_MARK_YOUR_MESSAGES_READ} @{" Use Reply Prefix " link GENERAL_USE_REPLY_PREFIX} @{" Skip Read Messages " link GENERAL_SKIP_READ_MESSAGES} @{" Display RFC Headers " link GENERAL_DISPLAY_RFC_HEADERS} @{" Automatic Open " link GENERAL_AUTOMATIC_OPEN} @{" Store Message Pointers " link GENERAL_STORE_MESSAGE_POINTERS} @{" Joystick Support " link GENERAL_JOYSTICK_SUPPORT} @{" Expert User " link GENERAL_EXPERT_USER} @{" Quote Prefix " link GENERAL_QUOTE_PREFIX} @{" After Open " link GENERAL_AFTER_OPEN} @{" Requester Library " link GENERAL_REQUESTER_LIBRARY} @{" End of Area " link GENERAL_END_OF_AREA} @{" Message Threading " link GENERAL_MESSAGE_THREADING} @{" Iconification Method " link GENERAL_ICONIFICATION_METHOD} @{" Default Puzzle Size " link GENERAL_DEFAULT_PUZZLE_SIZE} @{" Warn If No BBS Preferences " link GENERAL_WARN_IF_NO_BBS_PREFERENCES} @{" Message Line Length " link GENERAL_MESSAGE_LINE_LENGTH} @{" Quote Header " link GENERAL_QUOTE_HEADER} @{" Match Pattern " link GENERAL_MATCH_PATTERN} @endnode @node GENERAL_HIGHLIGHT_QUOTE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Highlight Quote: @{ub}If checked, quoted lines will be highlighted using another color for displaying them. @endnode @node GENERAL_NO_CONTROL_PANEL "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}No Control Panel: @{ub}Normally there are several button gadgets in the bottom of the Offline Orbit window. These gadgets will be removed if you check this box. Keyboard equivalents will remain operational. @endnode @node GENERAL_DISCARD_KLUDGE-LINES "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Discard Kludge-Lines: @{ub}If checked, lines starting with CTRL-A won't be displayed. This is used to remove Fidonet kludge-lines from messages. @endnode @node GENERAL_FLASH_MESSAGES_FOR_YOU "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Flash Messages For You: @{ub}If checked, screen will flash when a message addressed to you is displayed. To avoid unnecessary flashing, this won't happen in the personal area, where all the messages are for you anyhow. @endnode @node GENERAL_MARK_YOUR_MESSAGES_READ "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Mark Your Messages Read: @{ub}If checked, your own messages will be marked read when opening a message bundle. This is useful in combination with the Skip Read Messages option. @endnode @node GENERAL_USE_REPLY_PREFIX "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Use Reply Prefix: @{ub}If checked, 'Re:' prefix is automatically added to the subject of your replies (unless it already exists). If you don't check this checkbox, existing 'Re:' prefixes will be removed instead. @endnode @node GENERAL_SKIP_READ_MESSAGES "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Skip Read Messages: @{ub}If checked, read messages will skipped when you are browsing through the messages by pressing return, space or backspace. You can still display the read messages using the horizontal arrow keys. @endnode @node GENERAL_DISPLAY_RFC_HEADERS "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Display RFC Headers: @{ub}If checked, full RFC headers are shown (SOUP). @endnode @node GENERAL_AUTOMATIC_OPEN "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Automatic Open: @{ub}If checked, a file requester appears automatically when you start the reader, allowing you to select a message bundle right away. @endnode @node GENERAL_STORE_MESSAGE_POINTERS "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Store Message Pointers: @{ub}If checked, the message pointers are automatically stored and restored when closing and opening bundles. @endnode @node GENERAL_JOYSTICK_SUPPORT "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Joystick Support: @{ub}If checked, you can browse through messages using a joystick. The joystick must be attached to port 2 (ie. not the mouse port, but the other one). @endnode @node GENERAL_EXPERT_USER "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Expert User: @{ub}If checked, Advanced Options are available when editing messages. This is here to prevent novice users from accidentally damaging their messages. @endnode @node GENERAL_QUOTE_PREFIX "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Quote Prefix: @{ub}Determines what quote prefix to use in your replies. @endnode @node GENERAL_AFTER_OPEN "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}After Open: @{ub}Determines what action is performed after opening a message bundle. You can choose between the first area, the personal area and the area selector. @endnode @node GENERAL_REQUESTER_LIBRARY "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Requester Library: @{ub}Determines what requester library is used. You can choose between ASL and ReqTools. You must have reqtools.library (V38) installed in order to use it. @endnode @node GENERAL_END_OF_AREA "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}End of Area: @{ub}Determines what action is performed when you reach the end of an area. You can choose between the next area and the area selector. @endnode @node GENERAL_MESSAGE_THREADING "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Message Threading: @{ub}If you select Subject, messages will be put in alphabetical order according to their subjects and position in the bundle. Real message threading may be supported in the future. @endnode @node GENERAL_ICONIFICATION_METHOD "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Iconification Method: @{ub}Determines how Offline Orbit is iconified. Icon means an icon in Workbench, Menu an item in Workbench Tools menu and Window a tiny window on your default public screen. The latter method is always used if Workbench is not running when Iconify is selected. @endnode @node GENERAL_DEFAULT_PUZZLE_SIZE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Default Puzzle Size: @{ub}Default size for the built-in puzzle game. @endnode @node GENERAL_WARN_IF_NO_BBS_PREFERENCES "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Warn If No BBS Preferences: @{ub}If selected, Offline Orbit warns you with a requester when you are opening a bundle from a BBS that doesn't have an entry in your BBS Preferences. @endnode @node GENERAL_MESSAGE_LINE_LENGTH "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Message Line Length: @{ub}Number of characters in one line before wrapping. @endnode @node GENERAL_QUOTE_HEADER "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Quote Header: @{ub}A line of text to precede the quote in replies. Modifiers: %a Name of the current area. %d Date. %f Author's full name. %n Linefeed. %o Addressee's first name. %r Author's first name. %s Subject. %t Addressee's full name. %% '%' character. @endnode @node GENERAL_MATCH_PATTERN "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Match Pattern: @{ub}An AmigaDOS wildcard pattern to limit the files that appear in the Open Bundle file requester. @endnode @node PALETTE_PREFERENCES "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Palette Preferences @{ub} Palette Preferences window is a ReqTools palette requester. It is only available if reqtools.library is installed. Adjusting the palette is easy: pick a color from the Palette Colors gadget and adjust Red, Green and Blue sliders until you are satisfied with the color. 24-bit palette is supported on AGA systems and machines equipped with compatible video boards. @endnode @node SCREEN_PREFERENCES "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Screen Preferences @{ub} @{" Screen Attributes " link SCREEN_SCREEN_ATTRIBUTES} @{" Window Settings " link SCREEN_WINDOW_SETTINGS} @{" Use Workbench Palette " link SCREEN_USE_WORKBENCH_PALETTE} @{" Blank Borders " link SCREEN_BLANK_BORDERS} @{" Screen Font " link SCREEN_SCREEN_FONT} @{" Message Font " link SCREEN_MESSAGE_FONT} @endnode @node SCREEN_SCREEN_ATTRIBUTES "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Screen Attributes: @{ub}Brings up a screen mode requester allowing you to choose a mode for the Offline Orbit screen. You can also edit overscan and screen size here. @endnode @node SCREEN_WINDOW_SETTINGS "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Window Settings @{ub} @{" Screen " link SCREEN_WINDOW_SCREEN} @{" Width " link SCREEN_WINDOW_WIDTH} @{" Height " link SCREEN_WINDOW_HEIGHT} @{" Mode " link SCREEN_WINDOW_MODE} @endnode @node SCREEN_WINDOW_SCREEN "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Screen: @{ub}If you would like to move the Offline Orbit window into another public screen, enter the name of that screen here. For this to work, you must set the Mode gadget to "Public". @endnode @node SCREEN_WINDOW_WIDTH "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Width: @{ub}Width of the Offline Orbit window. @endnode @node SCREEN_WINDOW_HEIGHT "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Height: @{ub}Height of the Offline Orbit window. @endnode @node SCREEN_WINDOW_MODE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Mode: @{ub}Determines how and where the Offline Orbit window is opened. @endnode @node SCREEN_USE_WORKBENCH_PALETTE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Use Workbench Palette: @{ub}If checked, Offline Orbit will use Workbench palette. @endnode @node SCREEN_BLANK_BORDERS "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Blank Borders: @{ub}If checked, Offline Orbit's screen borders are blanked. Border blanking requires ECS Denise or AGA chip set. @endnode @node SCREEN_SCREEN_FONT "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Screen Font: @{ub}Font for the texts in menus, windows and requesters. If a window doesn't fit the screen, topaz (size eight) will be used instead. @endnode @node SCREEN_MESSAGE_FONT "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Message Font: @{ub}Font for the message text. @endnode @node SAVE_PREFS "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Save Prefs: @{ub}Saves preferences. @endnode @node PACKER_PREFERENCES "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Packer Preferences @{ub} Offline Orbit can be configured to automatically recognize and use most compression methods. To add configuration for a new packer, press "Add". Pressing it will open a window with the following gadgets. You can edit old entries by selecting them from the list. @{" Add " link PACKER_ADD} @{" Extract " link PACKER_EXTRACT} @{" Extension " link PACKER_EXTENSION} @{" Offset " link PACKER_SIGNATURE} @{" Signature " link PACKER_SIGNATURE} @{" Stack " link PACKER_STACK} @{" Remove " link PACKER_REMOVE} @endnode @node PACKER_ADD "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Add: @{ub}A command for compressing files. Modifiers: %a Name of the archive to be created. %d Files to be compressed. %% '%' character. @endnode @node PACKER_EXTRACT "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Extract: @{ub}A command for decompressing files. Modifiers: %a Name of the archive to be decompressed. %d Destination directory (Offline Orbit will change the current directory to the destination directory, so you may not necessarily need this). %% '%' character. @endnode @node PACKER_EXTENSION "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Extension: @{ub}File extension for OMEN reply packets. @endnode @node PACKER_SIGNATURE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Offset and Signature @{ub} Offline Orbit requires compressor signatures for automatic recognition. The signature is a short string found in all of the files produced by a certain compressor. The signature should be entered in the Signature gadget as a group of hexadecimal values, separated by spaces. The Offset gadget should contain the start byte (usually zero) for the compressor signature. Here are signatures and offsets for some of the most commonly used packers. Compressor Signature Offset ----------- ------------ ------- ARC 1A 8 0 LHA 2D 6C 68 2 LZX 4C 5A 58 0 ZIP 50 4B 3 4 0 ZOO 5A 4F 4F 20 0 If a compressor doesn't have a signature (which is very unlikely) or you don't know it's signature, leave the Signature gadget empty and make sure the compressor's entry is the last one in the Packer List. @endnode @node PACKER_STACK "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Stack: @{ub}Initial stack size (bytes) for the packer. @endnode @node PACKER_REMOVE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Remove: @{ub}Deletes the selected Packer Preferences entry. @endnode @node BBS_PREFERENCES "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}BBS Preferences @{ub} With BBS Preferences, you can set individual signature files, tag files and character conversions for different BBSs. To add configuration for a new BBS, press "Add" (a bundle from that BBS must be open). Pressing it will open a window with the following gadgets. You can edit old entries by selecting them from the list. @{" Signature " link EDITOR_SIGNATURE} @{" Tag File " link EDITOR_TAG_FILE} @{" User Name " link BBS_USER_NAME} @{" Quote Header " link GENERAL_QUOTE_HEADER} @{" Show " link EDITOR_SHOW} @{" Pack " link EDITOR_PACK} @{" Remove " link BBS_REMOVE} You will see an asterisk in the title bar when individual settings are in use. @endnode @node BBS_USER_NAME "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}User Name: @{ub}The alias or name you use in the selected BBS. This will override any name included in the message bundle. If you leave this gadget empty, Offline Orbit will use the name that came with the bundle (if any). This feature is very useful when reading OMEN or SOUP bundles, as they don't contain your name and therefore Offline Orbit doesn't otherwise know which messages are for you. @endnode @node BBS_REMOVE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Remove: @{ub}Deletes the selected BBS Preferences entry. @endnode @node USER_LIST "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}User List @{ub} With User List, you can store user names and Fidonet addresses that you often use. These can then be easily inserted in the message's headers when you are writing a message. To add a name to the list, press "Add". Pressing it will open a window with the following gadgets. You can edit old entries by selecting them from the list. @{" User Name " link USER_USER_NAME} @{" Address " link USER_ADDRESS} @{" Remove " link USER_REMOVE} @endnode @node USER_USER_NAME "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}User Name: @{ub}Name to be stored in the list. @endnode @node USER_ADDRESS "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Address: @{ub}Fidonet address of the user whose name is in the User Name gadget. If the user has no Fidonet address, or you aren't going to use it, or the message format you use doesn't support it, just ignore this option. @endnode @node USER_REMOVE "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [4] Command Reference" @{b}Remove: @{ub}Removes the selected name from the User List. @endnode @node READING_MESSAGES "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [5] Basic Functions" @{b}[5.1] Reading Messages @{ub} After successfully opening a message bundle you can start reading messages. The Offline Orbit window consists of three sections: at the top of the window there is the message header, message text is in the middle and the control panel (which may be disabled) at the bottom of the screen. The author, addressee, subject, number (reference number in brackets), date and area are shown in the message header. If the message text doesn't fit entirely on the screen, you can scroll it with the vertical arrow keys (up and down), space (down), backspace (up), return (down) or the scroll bar at the bottom of the screen. You can also use the numeric keypad. You can move to the next or previous message with the horizontal arrow keys, space, backspace or return. You can browse through message headers by pressing the List gadget. A joystick can also be used to browse through messages if you have checked the Joystick Support checkbox in General Preferences. The area can be changed by pressing the Area gadget. Offline Orbit will move automatically to the next area when you reach the end of an area. There are separate areas for your replies and messages addressed to you. @endnode @node WRITING_MESSAGES "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [5] Basic Functions" @{b}[5.2] Writing Messages @{ub} You can write new messages using the Write and Reply commands. These are available when you are reading messages. The latter one can be used to write a reply (including optional quote) to the current message. "Write" is used to post a completely new message. When you select either of these commands, a window will appear. You can edit the message header here and select whether the message should be public or private. In netmail areas you can enter a Fidonet address in the Address gadget and select whether the netmail is routed or crash (crash netmail is only supported by Blue Wave and OMEN). Button gadgets From and To allow you to select names from the User List. Pressing "Advanced" opens a window with several gadgets. Do not touch these unless you are familiar with the message format specifications and know what you are doing. You must enable "Expert User" in General Preferences first. When the headers are set, press "Edit" to execute the text editor to edit the actual text of your message. After this you can accept the message by pressing "Save" or dump it by pressing "Cancel". Before messages can be uploaded to a BBS, they must be packed in the correct format. This can be done when closing the message bundle or by pressing the Pack gadget on the control panel. If a reply packet for the same BBS already exists, you have the option to either remove it or append new messages after the old ones (append may not fully work if the existing reply packet was generated using another reader). If you don't pack your replies before the bundle is closed, they will be destroyed! You can read and edit your replies before packing them. The replies are located in the replies area. If you wish to reject one of your messages, set the Status gadget in message editing window to "Killed". Killed messages are not included in the reply packet. @endnode @node SUPPORT "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [6] Miscellaneous" @{b}[6.1] Support @{ub} If you have any comments, suggestions, bug reports or questions, feel free to contact the author at any of the addresses below. However, please read the @{" Frequently Asked Questions " link FREQUENTLY_ASKED_QUESTIONS} before asking the author. Snail Mail: Offline Orbit Support c/o Janne Siren Oravamaentie 2 F 17 02700 Kauniainen Finland Data Phone: Epsilon Indi BBS +358-0-505-4201 V.32bis, 24h Internet: siren@mikrobitti.fi http://www.mikrobitti.fi/~siren/oo/ @endnode @node ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [6] Miscellaneous" @{b}[6.2] Acknowledgements @{ub} Special thanks to the following people for their help, support and products, making Offline Orbit possible (in alphabetical order): Lauri Aalto, Matthew Dillon (DICE/C), Jori Dubrovin, Jan Forsblom, Nico François (ReqTools), Dan Griffin, Jani Höglund, Anssi Johansson, Jari Karjalainen, Ville-Pertti Keinonen, Heimo Laukkanen, Chris Lawrence, Toni Miettinen, Marko Tamminen, Ralf Thanner (MemGuard), Harri Tolvanen, Veli-Matti Vuorensyrjä and Tomi Väisälä. This list is hardly complete. Thanks to the forgotten ones as well. @endnode @node EXTERNAL_UTILITIES "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [6] Miscellaneous" @{b}[6.3] External Utilities @{ub} Following utilities can be found in the Utilities directory. @{" gconv " link EXTERNAL_GCONV} @endnode @node EXTERNAL_GCONV "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [6] Miscellaneous" @{b}gconv @{ub} AmigaGuide versions are not fully backwards compatible. gconv was written by Ville-Pertti Keinonen for converting new AmigaGuide documents into a format that is compatible with older AmigaGuide versions. OO.guide, OO_suomi.guide, OO_history.guide and OO_history_suomi.guide are in AmigaGuide V40 format. If you are using an older version of the amigaguide.library, you should use gconv to convert the manuals. Usage: gconv [-d ver] [-o file] [-s ver] [--help] [--ignore] file Example: gconv OO.guide -o OO_guide @endnode @node FREQUENTLY_ASKED_QUESTIONS "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [6] Miscellaneous" @{b}[6.4] Frequently Asked Questions @{ub} This section contains answers to some common questions. Question: Offline Orbit tells me it has rejected some of my replies. Why? Answer: A reply can be rejected (not packed) for two reasons: the packing fails (eg. not enough memory) or you've set the message's status to Killed. If all of your replies are rejected, you should check your directory settings and try to free some memory. Question: I selected the AREAS file in the Open Bundle file requester, but Offline Orbit won't recognize it as a SOUP bundle. Should I select one of the MSG files instead? Answer: No. SOUP bundles, like all the other messages bundles, must be archives containing the message files in a compressed form. You must pack the AREAS file and the files with MSG extension into an archive and select this archive in the Open Bundle file requester. Question: The shell started from Offline Orbit won't find any of my commands. Why? Answer: The existing command paths are ignored by the shell if Offline Orbit was started asynchronously (eg. from Workbench). This is a bug in AmigaOS. Use full paths or start Offline Orbit from a shell. Same goes for the programs Offline Orbit executes. Question: Is there a hidden message in Offline Orbit? Answer: Of course, starting from 0.80, but you'll have to find it for yourself. Hint: While playing, holding down both of the grey arrows and the ears of your Amiga's pet might shed some light... The rest will be clear after you've seen Sandra's network movie. Question: The point address is cut out from my netmail messages. Why? Answer: The format you are using is OMEN. It doesn't support points. Question: Offline Orbit tells me that a BBS may not support Offline Orbit's reply packets. Why? Answer: The format you are using is Blue Wave. Offline Orbit only supports the newest implementation of the Blue Wave reply packet format and thus some systems with old Blue Wave packers may not support Offline Orbit's reply packets. This problme may be addressed in the future. @endnode @node KNOWN_BUGS "Offline Orbit User's Guide - [6] Miscellaneous" @{b}[6.5] Known Bugs @{ub} @endnode