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Email Workshop

This document was developed by the Florida State University School of Information Studies, permission for use and to modify the document was granted


Email is the primary method for users of the Internet to communicate with one another. Like the services offered by the U.S. Postal Service (often called snailmail), email allows you to send messages to specific recipients. In most cases, email will be delivered almost instantaneously. Email also supports the creation of listservs, which are online discussion groups using email to distribute messages to all subscribers.

Email programs run with the help of a Mail Daemon, which manages incoming mail, making sure that each message gets to the Inbox of the appropriate user. On occasion, you may receive a message from the Daemon of another system, usually when you attempt to send mail to a nonexistant user, or have incorrectly typed an email address.


BASIC FUNCTIONS OF EMAIL PROGRAMS

Most Email programs will allow you to:

COMMON EMAIL PROGRAMS

Many email progams have been developed for users of UNIX-based Internet systems. Some older programs include Mail and MM. The most common programs in use at FSU are:

USING PINE

All of Pine's commands can be found at the bottom of the screen, whether you are at the Main Menu, are composing or reading a message, or are adding people to your Address Book. To use Pine, simply type the letter corresponding to the option you wish to use. In most of the options, you can see additional commands by typing an O (for "other commands").

Some of the most important elements of Pine are:
Main Menu
The Main Menu is Pine's entry point into everything else. Most of the options are self-explanatory. To use the menu items, you may either type the letter of an option (i.e. C to Compose a Message), or use the arrow keys to move between them.

In most cases, you can return to the Main Menu from other screens within Pine by typing M.
Compose Message
This is how you write and send email messages. Choosing it will open a buffer that will allow you to write and edit your message. Pine opens a full screen editor, which means that you may use your arrow keys to move to any line of your message for editing. All of the commands here require you to hold down the control key while you press another key.

When you're in the buffer, you may also edit the Headers that will form the top part of the message. Pine also allows you to create your own Headers if you choose to do so.

To attach a file, type the file name into the Attchmnt: field in the Headers. If you have created the file offline, you must first use FTP to Upload it into the Home Directory of your account.

An attached file will not become part of the email message itself, but will be attached to it as a separate file. In some cases, Pine will allow the recipient to read the attached file; in other cases, it will be necessary to save it, and then download it so it can be read using a Word Processor.

When you are ready to send the message, ^X (control-X) will send it.

Note: When using an online email program such as Pine (or Elm), you must hit the return (or enter) key at the end of each line.

Folder Index
This will show you the email messages stored in whatever folder is currently open. When you begin Pine each time, it automatically opens the INBOX folder.

Folder List
Pine uses Folders to allow you to organize and store your messages. This menu option allows you to create whatever folders you would like, and to move around among them.

To create a new Folder, press A, and follow the instructions Pine gives you. You may name a Folder anything you like. And you may create as many folders as you like.

To move around between Folders, use the arrow keys.

Address Book
This is how you create Aliases (or Nicknames) for frequent correspondents. To create an Alias for an individual, type A and follow the instructions you are given. To create an Alias for a group, type S and follow the instructions. After you have created the Alias, you can simply type the nickname you have chosen in the Address field of a message, and Pine will insert the appropriate email address or addresses.

Setup
You may use Setup to further customize Pine according to your own preferences and to control some variables that control how Pine interacts with the system. In most cases, you will not have to use any of these capabilities. Users who do not feel comfortable with the basic elements of Pine should probably not use this more advanced feature.


USING ELM

Instead of offering a menu, Elm first gives you a list of the email you have received, beginning with the most recent message.

At the bottom of the screen, Elm prompts you to type the command you wish to use, and provides you with a list of possible options.

The most important options in Elm are:

m Compose and send a message
Elm will prompt you along the way. The "editor" Elm uses is similar to Pine's, with possible commands displayed at the bottom of the screen.
r Reply to a message you have received. Elm will prompt you along the way.
s Save a message to a folder. If you would like to create a new folder, choose this option, and give the folder a name, beginning with this symbol:

=



Folder names must not have any spaces between words. If you do not assign your own folder name, Elm will create a folder for you, using the username of the person who sent the email message you are saving.
c Change to another folder. Remember that folder names begin with an equal sign, and does not have any spaces.
a Create an alias for frequent individual or group correspondents. Elm will prompt you along the way. New aliases will not take effect until you return to the main Elm screen.

USING EUDORA

Because Eudora is Client software, and is loaded onto your home computer, it functions very differently from either Pine or Elm. Unlike either of them, it allows you to use your mouse to point and click, and to use pulldown menus, just like any other program on a Windows or a Macintosh computer. However, you must make sure that all of its settings are correct before you use it. If you are using Eudora from home, you must establish your PPP connection before you begin.

This page merely summarizes a few of the most important aspects of Eudora Light. Check the online tutorials and help pages listed below for more information. If you are using Eudora Pro, you can probably obtain documentation from Qualcomm, the company that created the program.

This summary was prepared using a Macintosh version of Eudora Light. Eudora Pro is a significantly different version. The Windows version of Eudora Light may be somewhat different as well. However, this should give an accurate general indication of the basic functions of the program. It will be revised in the near future.

Getting Started Eudora requires you to make a few settings before you can send or receive mail. The most important of these settings are: Receiving Mail

From the pulldown File menu, choose the Check Mail option. You will be prompted for your password.

Eudora will download and create a list of all of your mail. To read a message, highlight the header, and hit the enter key.

Sending Mail

From the pulldown Message menu, choose the New Message option.

Enter the appropriate Headers (recipient's email address, subject line, etc.), and type the message in the large box. When you are ready to send the message, click on the Send Icon.

In the same pulldown menu, you will find options for replying to messages you have received, forwarding email to another person, attaching a file, deleting unwanted messages, etc.

Creating Nicknames

From the pulldown Window menu, choose the Nicknames option.

In the Window that opens, you can click on the New button to create a new nickname. You can enter any name you wish as a nickname, link any number of email addresses to that nickname, and make notes regarding it. You can also add it to the "recipient list," which will allow you to use the New Message To option in the pulldown Message menu.

To send email to any individual or group for whom you have created a nickname, simply type the nickname (instead of the email address) in the "To" Header when sending email.


FINDING MORE HELP

Both Pine and Elm allow you to obtain online help by typing a ?. When you do so, Pine offers a menu from which you can choose. Elm allows you to press a key to obtain a definition of that command; in Elm, typing a second ? gives you a list of all possible keystroke commands.

All possible commands in Eudora can be found in the pull-down menus at the top of the screen. Eudora Light does not offer further online assistance.

There are a number of excellent online tutorials for these programs available on the World Wide Web. Here are three examples:

The people who created Eudora have also developed a FAQ for users of Eudora Light:
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