Novice Mode

Novice mode is intended for those who use MAIL8 infrequently. The first time you use MAIL8, you are offered the chance to use Novice mode or normal operating mode. You can also use the Option command to switch back and forth between modes; see "expl mail option" for more information about the Option command.

When you start a MAIL8 session in Novice mode, MAIL8 displays the following information (called the full Novice prompt):

          To quit, type:    quit
          Read new message: print
          Documentation:    explain TOPIC
          List all old messages: *summary +saved
          List all new messages: *summary

(MAIL8 actually displays this information in a more compact form, but we have had to split up lines to get them to fit on this page.) MAIL8 then types

          Mail?

to prompt you for a mail command. The most commonly used commands are the ones that MAIL8 has just listed. Below we describe these commands:

quit

quits this MAIL8 session.

print

prints an Unread message. We will discuss Print in more detail shortly.

explain TOPIC

explains aspects of MAIL8. For example, "explain overview" provides an overview of MAIL8. "explain index" provides an index of all topics that can be explained.

*summary +saved

gives a one-line description of each message saved in your mailbox.

*summary

gives a one-line description of each Unread message waiting for you to read.

You can issue any of the above commands in response to the Mail? prompt. You can also issue any other MAIL8 command.

If you issue a Print command in Novice mode, MAIL8 displays an Unread message. Once it has displayed the message, MAIL8 asks

Disposition: Save, DELete, Unread, Print, Follow_up or Reply?

This question asks what you want to do with the message that has just been displayed. The possible options are:

Save

saves the message in your mailbox (in the Saved drawer).

DELete

discards the message.

Unread

marks the message as Unread. It can be printed later with a Print command that prints an Unread message. (The effect of this option is the same as the effect of the UnRead command, described in "expl mail unread".)

Print

displays the message again. After the message has been displayed, MAIL8 again asks you to choose a disposition for the message.

Follow_up

sends a message that consists of the text of the message you have just read, plus input of your own. For example, if someone sends you a message asking you a question, you might want to send back the original message as well as your answer; this helps clarify what you are talking about. If you choose Follow_up, MAIL8 prompts you to compose your follow-up message.

Reply

lets you reply to the message. Your reply is sent to the person that sent the original message. When you have finished entering your reply, enter a line that consists only of a period .. MAIL8 sends out your reply, then again asks what you want to do with the original message.

To choose any of the disposition options, enter the letters shown in uppercase in the disposition question. For example, to Save a message, type s; to DELete a message, type del.

When you do not specify any options for the Print command in Novice mode, MAIL8 displays an Unread message. To display a Saved message, use the command

          Print +Saved

In normal operating mode, the reverse is true; without any options Print displays Saved messages, and you have to enter

          Print +Unread

The same principle applies to the Summary command. In Novice mode, a plain Summary command summarizes Unread messages; in normal operating mode, Summary summarizes Saved messages.

The full Novice prompt is displayed whenever you start MAIL8 in Novice mode. It is also displayed if you enter an invalid command or if you just press RETURN. After a valid command, MAIL8 just prompts with Mail?; this avoids cluttering up the screen with the full prompt when you know what you're doing.

Quirks of Novice Mode

In normal operating mode, you can enter a command that simply consists of a message reference, as in

          3
          /rhood/
          $-1

This performs a Summary command on the referenced message in the Saved drawer. In Novice mode, the same command tries to summarize a message from the Unread drawer.

You cannot MODify messages in your Unread drawer. Therefore if you issue a MODify command in Novice mode without specifying a particular drawer, the command is applied to your Saved drawer.

In Novice mode, the Delete command always requires a drawer specification, as in

          Delete +Saved
          Delete +Unread
          Delete +Outbound

See Also:

expl mail overview

Copyright © 1997, Thinkage Ltd.