Section 5 -- CompuServe Mail


CompuServe Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-1
   Activating CompuServe Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-1
   Write A CompuServe Mail Message  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-1
   Finish the Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-1
      Send Options  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-1
   Transmit the Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-2
   <O>nline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-2
   Getting New Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-3
   Reading CompuServe Mail  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-3
   Saving the Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-3
   Reply to a Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-4

Address Book  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-5
   Other Methods of Adding to the List  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-5
   Writing Using Address Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-5
   CompuServe Mail Multiple Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-6
      Addresses Entered Manually  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-6
      Address Book Entry  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-7
   CompuServe Mail File Transfer  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-7
      Sending Binary Files  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-7
   Receiving Binary Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-8
      Using the Binary File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-8
      Binary File Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-8
   Receiving ASCII Files  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-9
   CompuServe Mail Delivery Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-9
   FAX Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5-9
   Postal Delivery  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
   Telex/MCI Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
   B+ Protocol  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
   Feedback to CompuServe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
   90-Day Deletion  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
   Congressgrams  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
   Executive News Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11


TAPCIS(tm) Documentation Copyright (c) 1990, Support Group, Inc.
800-USA-GROUP, 301-387-4500

========================================================================
CompuServe Mail
========================================================================

CompuServe Mail is an electronic mail service. It is not really a "forum"
since it is used exclusively for private communication between individual
users. For convenience TAPCIS makes Mail look like a forum so that you'll only
need to learn one set of commands. Reading and writing messages in both Mail
and the forums is very similar.

CompuServe Mail does have a few features that the forums do not such as Return
Receipts (that tell you when the recipient read your message), multiple
addresses (in a forum you can address a message to All or to one user ID; Mail
allows multiple addresses) and the ability to send and receive binary files.
Your CompuServe mailbox can handle up to 100 messages at a time. The average
delivery time for a mail message is 1.5 minutes although it can be up to 20
minutes if the system is heavily loaded.


------------------------------------
Activating CompuServe Mail

The <F>orums menu allows us to activate Mail. Press <F> from the main TAPCIS
menu and the forums menu will appear. In the left hand box the name appears
next to the letter A. Press <A> and an asterisk <*> will appear next to the A
(Mail should always be A. Do not move it to a different letter or delete it).
If you press <A> again, the asterisk will toggle off. Make sure the asterisk
is next to the A and press <F7-Exit> to leave the forum screen.


------------------------------------
Write A CompuServe Mail Message

When you returned to the main menu, you may have noticed that Mail is listed
in the <F>orums box as #1. The command to write a message is <W>rite, so press
the letter <W> then press the number <1> for Mail at the Forum: prompt. The
next TAPCIS prompt is To:. Enter your name followed by your CompuServe user
ID. CompuServe cannot deliver your message unless the user ID is included. You
can omit the name; the user ID is required. Press return after entering your
user ID and then enter the subject "1st TAPCIS Mail Msg". Your screen should
look similar to Figure 0. Notice that TAPCIS shows you the maximum length that
CompuServe allows for the subject of a Mail message (24 characters). If you
overwrite the vertical bar <|> then your subject is too long.

------------------------------------
Finish the Message

For this test message, type in a paragraph or two of text. Press <F7-Send>
when you're finished composing. The Send menu will appear on the bottom line.
Figure 0 is an example message after the <F7-Send> key is pressed.

Send Options

The menu at the bottom of the screen in Figure 0 offers four choices. Notice
that the 1 repeated at the end of the line is the default choice. If you press
return or 1, the message will be sent via Mail normal delivery. Option 2
requests a return receipt. A surcharge of $0.25 is charged for a return


TAPCIS                                                  CompuServe Mail    5-1

receipt. In return you get a message providing the date and time the message
was received.

If after you press <F7-Send> you want to resume editing the message, press
zero <0>. To cancel and discard the message altogether, press the letter <X>.

For this example, press <1> to send the message normally through Mail. The
main menu will reappear.


------------------------------------
Transmit the Message

You wrote a message using the offline editor. You stored the completed message
on disk. The next step is to transmit the message to CompuServe. The message
cannot be delivered until TAPCIS calls CompuServe and sends the message. You
must command TAPCIS to do this; the program will not connect with CompuServe
on its own.


Looking at the main menu in Figure 0, did you notice the indicator above the
MAIL entry?  Look for the double headed arrow next to the 1. It indicates an
action in the outbox waiting to be performed online.

------------------------------------
<O>nline

The command to send the message is <O>nline. Press <O> from the main menu.
TAPCIS will call CompuServe, log in, GO MAIL, and send the message. When it is
done, TAPCIS sends the command LOG to end the call. The last commands on your
screen should look similar to that shown below. The "LOG" is sent by TAPCIS to
CompuServe to logoff; however, if you are online interactive you should use
"OFF" instead. The other items in bold are provided by TAPCIS for your
information.

Mail! LOG

Thank you for using CompuServe!
Off at 18:49 EDT 15-Sep-90
Connect time = 0:01

Actual time  =   00:19   1059 characters transmitted -- 55 cps
Pausing 30 seconds -- press any key to continue

The connect time shown is the amount that you will be billed for by
CompuServe. The actual time is the time tracked by TAPCIS. In this example at
2400 bps, it took TAPCIS 19 seconds to logon, go to Mail, send the message,
and logoff. The total characters transmitted is listed at 1059 which, divided
by 19 seconds, gives 55 characters per second (cps). This cps value will range
between just a few cps up to the maximum of 240 cps at 2400 bps. Its value
depends on many different factors, and it's difficult to say what is a "good"
or "bad" figure.







5-2    CompuServe Mail                                                  TAPCIS

------------------------------------
Getting New Mail

Checking CompuServe for new mail is as easy as going online to send mail. The
command is <N>ew, and it logs in and gets new messages if any are in your Mail
box. You should have a message waiting if you have gone through the steps
above and have waited a few minutes for delivery; you sent one to your own
user ID. (CompuServe will also send you a welcome message via Mail a few days
after you sign-on the first time). 

Press <N> to go online to receive new messages. After TAPCIS logs off, press
the space bar to return to the main menu. The exclamation mark indicator shown
in Figure 0 tells you that Mail has new messages for you to read.

------------------------------------
Reading CompuServe Mail

To read the Mail message that TAPCIS retrieved for you, press <1>. The first
message (and only message this time) will appear on your screen in a format
similar to the example in Figure 0. The header shows the TAPCIS generated
message number, the date and time of the message, the subject of the message,
and the sender of the message. In our example the message is from this
account. When reading messages, TAPCIS highlights the From: or To: field
whenever it matches the user ID set in the parameters screen.

The header is followed by a blank line and then the message itself. If the
message is more than one screen full, a prompt appears on the status line
telling you to press another key to see the next screen. A Mail message can be
350 lines long. (Mail can send messages or files of 50,000 characters.
However, you will need to read such messages outside of TAPCIS. This is very
rare, as messages of over 350 lines are usually sent as binary files to insure
integrity).

The highlighted status line tells you which message you are reading and the
total number of messages. In this example we are reading message one of one
(1/1) in the Mail forum. A brief summary of the message reading commands
follows the message number on the status line. <F3-Help> explains the commands
in more detail. We'll also cover these in the section on reading forum
messages.


------------------------------------
Saving the Message

Your first message using TAPCIS is worth saving. Press <F10-Save> and this
prompt appears:

<Enter> for C:\TAP\MAIL.SAV or
File name for this message: _

You can save this message to the general .SAV file where it can be <V>iewed
from within TAPCIS, or a different filename can be used. A message saved in a
file is in ASCII format with returns at the end of each line. TAPCIS tells you
the message was saved by putting a block in the upper right. If the file where
the message was saved already exists, the message will say "Appended." If you
enter an invalid file name or path, the message will say "Error."



TAPCIS                                                  CompuServe Mail    5-3

Pressing <Enter> after <F10> saves the message in the MAIL.SAV file. A
shortcut for this is simply to press <S> instead of <F10>.

------------------------------------
Reply to a Message

Replying to the message on the screen is as easy as pressing <R>. Do that now.
The next screen that appears should be familiar to you; it is the same editor
screen you used to write your first message. The message you are replying to
appears in the upper window and can be scrolled using the <F5> and <F6> keys.
The last number on the upper bar shows the line position in the upper message.
Scrolling is 5 lines at a time with no overlap. 

Figure 0 is an example reply with the message in the top window scrolled once
using <F6>. Type in the reply, send it using <F7-Send> <1-Mail> and transmit
it to CompuServe using the <O>nline command as we did before.











































5-4    CompuServe Mail                                                  TAPCIS

========================================================================
Address Book
========================================================================

Remembering a long list of names and user ID's is a tedious task without the
help of the computer. TAPCIS allows you to build an address book as you read
messages. The person's name, user ID, and a brief memo can be stored in the
file USERID.CIS.

From the TAPCIS main menu press <1> to read the Mail message you wrote to
yourself in the previous example. (If you have not been following the
examples, start reading messages in any forum). If you want to add a person to
the address book press <A> with a message to/from that person on the screen.
TAPCIS will show the T>o and F>rom user names and ID's (looking at a Mail
message, the To: field will always be blank).

Press <F> to add the user ID of the sender (in this example, your name and
user ID should be added). You can add a brief memo to remind you about the
person. This memo is "searchable" when you are addressing a message. TAPCIS
also lets you assign a "user name" in parentheses to each record that will
speed the selection of this address during a search. Exact duplicates of name
and user ID are spotted by TAPCIS, and you are asked whether you want to add
the name again (perhaps with different comments). Example:

Address Book: Select the name to add

F> First M. Last 74020,10
T>
B>oth
F
Seeking First M. Last 74020,10
Optional comments or <Enter> : Me! (FLAST)

------------------------------------
Other Methods of Adding to the List

The USERID.CIS file is where TAPCIS stores your addresses. USERID.CIS comes
with the names and user id's of people you might want to contact already
entered (such as the Sysops on the TAPCIS forum). This file can be edited
through TAPCIS or with an outside editor. Using TAPCIS you select E>dit from
the main menu, specify any forum at all, and then press U>serid as the file
you want to edit. 

An address and its comments should be limited to 80 characters. Comments in
the address book are separated from the address by a <space> followed by a
vertical bar. The record added above would look like:

First M. Last 74020,10 |Me! (FLAST)

------------------------------------
Writing Using Address Book

Start your message using the <W>rite command from the main menu. At the To:
prompt enter a back slash <\> as the first character followed by the
characters to search the address book for.




TAPCIS                                                  CompuServe Mail    5-5

\text to search User ID file
 ; after User ID for multiple CompuServe Mail
 To:  \last

TAPCIS will search the address book for the characters you enter after the
back slash. "Last" has been entered in this example (which happens to be the
last name of this user's name). TAPCIS responds with a list matching the
characters. Below you see that it found two matches (it found the intended
one, and also found the string "last" inside the name "Blaster"). The "Me!"
following the user ID is a memo. If you want to scan the whole list, enter a
space for the search character. TAPCIS will stop the search as soon as you
make your selection by letter or cancel the search by pressing space.

A>  First M. Last 74010,10       Me! (FLAST)
B>  Bobby Blaster 74020,11       Professional Wrestler

Select A-B or X for none: A

You could also have selected the address by typing the user name \flast as the
address book search. TAPCIS 5.3 will pull up this entry without a confirming
letter choice. Case is not important but the match must be exact. If you have
the user name but need to search for the name anyway, put a space after the
name \flast<space> and the user name will be ignored.

TAPCIS next prompts you to press <enter> (return) or a semicolon. Press
<enter> unless you want the message to go to multiple addresses. Fill in the
subject, then compose and send your message as usual.

------------------------------------
CompuServe Mail Multiple Addresses

The same CompuServe Mail message can be sent to 10 recipients. There is a
$0.10 surcharge for each additional user ID. Multiple addresses are part of
Mail only and not available in other forums. In practice TAPCIS can only send
to as many names as can fit on one line. You may want to just enter user ID's
in a string if you usually send to a list of 5-10 people. Here is an entry in
an address book:

76701,23;76702,1006;76702,260;76701,145;76702,400 |TAPCIS Sysops

Addresses Entered Manually

For addresses entered manually at the To: prompt, put a semicolon <;>
immediately following the user ID.

\text to search User ID file
 ; after User ID for multiple CompuServe Mail
 To:  Richard P. Wilkes 76701,23;

The name and user ID you enter will clear, and you'll be prompted for another
user ID. Do not put a semicolon after the last address. TAPCIS then asks for
the subject of the message. In the editor screen the multiple addresses show
next to the To: separated by semicolons.






5-6    CompuServe Mail                                                  TAPCIS

Address Book Entry

You do not enter the semicolon <;> as part of the search text when looking up
a name in the address book. The following sequence demonstrates looking up a
name in the address book and then sending a copy to a name entered manually.
After entering the subject, you will go to the editor. The address window at
the top will show "First M. Last 74020,10;Richard P. Wilkes 76701,23" all in
the To: field.

\text to search User ID file
; after User ID for multiple CompuServe Mail
To:  \FLAST

\text to search User ID file
; after User ID for multiple CompuServe Mail
To:  First M. Last 74020,10
<enter> or ;  ;

\text to search User ID file
; after User ID for multiple CompuServe Mail
To:  Richard P. Wilkes 76701,23
Subject: Multiple Addresses

------------------------------------
CompuServe Mail File Transfer

Mail can be used to transfer ASCII and binary files. The maximum size for a
binary file is 512,000 bytes. An ASCII file contains only those characters
supported on the CompuServe Information Service such as the alphanumeric
characters, punctuation, carriage returns, and line feeds. All other files
should be treated as binary files. Sending a binary file like a WordPerfect
document using ASCII will make the received file unusable!

Sending Binary Files

Word processing documents, spreadsheets, database files, programs, and macros
are all examples of binary files. When you indicate to TAPCIS that a file is
"binary," TAP will transmit the file byte-by-byte without any translation or
interpretation. When in doubt, choose the binary format.

You send a binary file through Mail in much the same way that you send a
message. First you press <W> to write a message. If prompted for the Forum:
number, press the <1> (which should be the number for Mail).

Address the message manually or by using the address book as described
previously.  Multiple addresses are also okay. 

The subject of the message should be the filename with extension (e.g.,
ALTE.MAC). TAPCIS checks the subject, sees the period, and asks if you want to
upload a file. Therefore, if you want to send the file OUTLINE, you must
follow it with a period (i.e., Subject: "OUTLINE."). This technique does not
work except in Mail. A subject that includes a period causes TAPCIS to give
you this prompt:

press <Enter> to enter editor or PgUp for protocol upload
  ->



TAPCIS                                                  CompuServe Mail    5-7

To send a file press <PgUp>. When wouldn't you press <PgUp> at this prompt? 
TAPCIS looks only for a period in the subject. If your subject is "Letter to
Mr. President" you'll get this prompt. Press <enter> if you want to send a
normal message using the editor.

If you press <PgUp> the next prompt asks for the full pathname of the file you
want to upload.

press <Enter> to cancel or enter d:\path\filename.ext:
  -> C:\WP\MACS\ALTE.MAC

Enter the drive (e.g., C:) followed by the directory path (e.g., \WP\MACS\)
and the filename (e.g., ALTE.MAC). This is the file that is sent, and it need
not be the same name that you listed in your subject. You could put the
subject as "GOODDEAL.YOU" and actually send "C:\F\RIPOFF.HIM". The recipient
will only see the filename in the subject-not the name as it was stored on
your disk. If you enter a disk filename that does not exist, TAPCIS will go
directly to the message editor and not send a file.

TAPCIS then asks whether the file is ASCII or binary with this prompt:

press A if ASCII,  B if binary: B

Press <B> for a binary file. That's all there is to it. You may consider
addressing a message to the recipient of the file explaining the contents. You
cannot add a description to the same "message" that sends the file itself.

------------------------------------
Receiving Binary Files

TAPCIS will automatically download any files received in Mail using the
CompuServe B+ protocol. A name is created for the file by TAPCIS to keep the
received file from accidentally overwriting one of your files of the same
name. An example message is shown in the next figure.

Using the Binary File

As you can see from the example, TAPCIS has stored the binary file received in
the file C:\TAP\DL\MAIL1.BIN. The file is stored in the download file path as
set in the parameters screen. TAPCIS will name the files MAIL1.BIN, MAIL2.BIN,
etc., until you erase the previous files from your download file path.

You can use the DOS COPY command to move the file to the proper directory or
diskette and change its name at the same time. Then delete the file to keep
the storage directory clean of unneeded files.

[C:\]  COPY  C:\TAP\DL\MAIL1.BIN  C:\WP\MACS\ALTE.MAC
  1 file(s) copied

[C:\]  DEL  C:\TAP\DL\MAIL1.BIN

Binary File Warning

Never run a program received via CompuServe Mail from someone you do not know
and trust. While the vast majority of CompuServe subscribers are responsible
individuals, this is one way that someone could potentially vandalize your



5-8    CompuServe Mail                                                  TAPCIS

system. Just receiving the file cannot hurt. Running an unknown program might.
Practice safe computing.

------------------------------------
Receiving ASCII Files

ASCII files sent using this protocol upload method are delivered to the
recipient just like any other message. When you send an ASCII file using this
method, you can be sure that the message will not be corrupted by line noise.
Unfortunately, when the message is read by the recipient, a protocol is not
used and the message might be corrupted (although this does not happen often).
You can, however, use binary transfer even if the file is ASCII, which will
force a protocol download by the recipient without altering the file contents.


------------------------------------
CompuServe Mail Delivery Delay

CompuServe Mail delivery is not instantaneous. It usually takes at least a few
minutes to deliver your message to one of CompuServe's 600,000+ subscribers.
If you send a message to yourself, wait a few minutes before calling back to
get it. Messages to other subscribers may take a little longer depending on
system load, but should arrive within a few minutes.

------------------------------------
FAX Delivery

CompuServe now offers delivery from CompuServe Mail to Group III facsimile
machines worldwide. The syntax for the To: field is critical for proper
automated sending by TAPCIS. Address the message as "Name >FAX <country code
if required> <area code> <phone>". Make sure you have a <space>| as a
delimiter between the address and the comments as in:

To:  Support Group >FAX: 301-3877322 |(TAPFAX) TAPCIS Publisher Fax Number

This will send a message to the Support Group fax machine in McHenry,
Maryland. No country code was required. The name before the ">FAX" is used as
the Attn: line on the fax. The message subject is listed as the subject. Also,
each page includes your name as recorded in Mail, your CompuServe user ID,
Page n of nn, and is printed in about 12 pitch with 1" margins.

At this time you can send only ASCII text. And, there is no way for a fax
machine to send you CompuServe mail. You will receive a confirmation of
delivery (or non-delivery). You can force a new page in the transmission by
putting a <Ctrl-L> in the text at the beginning of the line. Sending messages
to fax machines is only available to subscribers who have received their
permanent (2nd) password from CompuServe by mail. That may be changed in the
future.

Charges run about $0.75 for the first 1000 character plus $0.25 for each
additional 1000 characters for U.S. delivery. Foreign delivery varies with the
country, and is much more expensive. Use the command "HELP FAX" in Mail when
interactive for more details.






TAPCIS                                                  CompuServe Mail    5-9

------------------------------------
Postal Delivery
  
Postal offers you the option of sending a letter printed on a laser printer in
one of five locations around the country. The charges start at $1.50 for U.S.
addresses and $2.50 for international ones. Messages are limited to 60
characters per line and 279 lines (5 pages) per message.

Before you can use postal, you must go online <I>nteractive. GO MAIL and at
the Mail! prompt type the "ADDRESS NAME" command:

Mail! ADDRESS NAME

Enter your name and say Yes to entering your return address. Supply that
information (which is needed for the printed letters). Then logoff.

In TAPCIS address your message To: >POSTAL and press return. You cannot send
postal messages to multiple addresses at this time. TAPCIS will ask you for
the full address of the recipient. When prompted for the state, you must enter
the 2-letter state abbreviation (i.e., if you enter Calif instead of CA, the
message will not be sent). If sending to an overseas address, press <enter> at
the state prompt and answer the country and postal code prompts.

TAPCIS automatically sets the editor width to 60 columns. If you load any text
using <Sh-F10> be sure to reformat the individual paragraphs with <Ctrl-B>
before sending or it will not work.

------------------------------------
Telex/MCI Mail

You can send messages to Telex machines and MCI Mail accounts. For MCI Mail,
messages are addressed to ">MCIMAIL:123-4567" where 123-4567 is replaced with
the correct MCI Mail account. For Telex I/II machines the address is
formatted: ">TLX 1234567" where 1234567 is replaced by the proper machine
number. An optional answer back can be added after the machine number. For
more information, type "HELP MCIMAIL" or "HELP TELEX" after pressing
<I>nteractive from the main TAPCIS menu and selecting 1-CompuServe Mail.

------------------------------------
B+ Protocol

You can use the command line option ! (e.g., TAPCIS !) to have TAPCIS upload
your mail messages using the error-free B+ protocol. This is somewhat slower
than the normal message uploading but guarantees that no line noise will be
introduced into your mail messages. 

------------------------------------
Feedback to CompuServe

You can send messages directly to CompuServe's FEEDBACK at account 70006,101
through CompuServe Mail. The alternative is to GO FEEDBACK online. If you send
the message by CompuServe Mail, you pay the (small) cost to deliver the
message. If you use the online FEEDBACK, the connect time is free. I find it
worth the small expense to use the TAPCIS editor to compose my message.





5-10    CompuServe Mail                                                 TAPCIS

------------------------------------
90-Day Deletion
  
All Mail messages not accessed within the last 90 days are automatically
deleted by CompuServe.

------------------------------------
Congressgrams

TAPCIS cannot be used to automate Congressgrams. You will need to send them
manually while interactive on CompuServe. You can use the <PgUp> function to
upload an ASCII file prepared using an editor for the text part of the
Congressgram.


------------------------------------
Executive News Service

The Executive News Service (GO ENS for executive option CompuServe
subscribers) allows you to send news stories and folders to your Mail box.
Many users have found it most cost effective to do this, then pick up the
stories using TAPCIS for reading offline. See the ENS instructions for details
on sending news stories to Mail.




































TAPCIS                                                 CompuServe Mail    5-11