Copyright: Copyright © 1995-2002 Forte Internet Software Inc.


About MAPI

MAPI is a Windows API that allows Windows programs to easily send email.  The email is then sent into whatever mail system is running at the user's site.  For example, if you're running cc:mail, a Windows program could use MAPI to post an email message.  The cc:mail implementation of the MAPI driver would then do whatever was necessary to send the message.

You can set up Agent to use MAPI when sending email messages by checking the "Send email messages with MAPI" option on the System tab on the User and System Profile dialog box.  This option activates the "Address Format" field and "Login once per session" option.  Refer to the online help for this dialog box for an explanation of each of these settings.

When the MAPI email option is selected on the System tab, Agent operates as follows:

•	If you send an email message, Agent uses the "MAPI send message" window, rather than its own Composition window.  Agent initializes and addresses the message body as appropriate, but once it has opened the MAPI window, Agent no longer has any control over the message.  The sent message is saved in your MAPI email system, not in Agent's Outbox or folders.

•	The Forward Verbatim option is disabled.

•	Your signature is not appended to email messages.  Instead, you must use whatever signature mechanism may be provided by your MAPI email system.

•	On the Group Properties Post tab, the "Copy follow-up messages to author via email" option is disabled.

•	There is no facility for sending a message as both a news message and an email message.  For example, when MAPI is enabled, Agent ignores the Email To:, Cc:, and Bcc: fields, as well as the Address Book pick and check functions when composing new messages.

•	Agent will not send any pending email messages that may have been stored in the Outbox prior to enabling MAPI email.  For this reason, it is recommended that you send any pending messages via SMTP prior to enabling MAPI email.


About Message Sorting

Agent allows you to sort your messages by thread, subject, author, date, and size.  It remembers the last sort you used for each newsgroup and folder, so when you view that group or folder again, the messages will be displayed in the same order they were in the last time you viewed the group or folder.

How to sort your messages:

•	On the Group menu, click the "Sort by" flyout and choose the desired sort.  Tip: To sort several groups or folders at once, select all of them in the Groups/Folders pane before choosing the desired sort from the "Sort by" flyout.

•	Click on the label above the column you wish to sort by.  For example, to sort by author, click the Author button that appears directly above the author column.  Note: To sort by thread or size, click the leftmost column until Thread or Size appears in the column label.

In the Trash folder, you can also sort by date deleted.  Click the Date/Date Deleted column to toggle between the two sorts.

By default, Agent displays the most recent messages on the bottom of the Message List pane when sorted by date and the smallest messages on the bottom when sorted by size.

To change the order of the date and size sorts:

1.	Choose General Preferences from the Options menu and click on the Message List tab.

2.	Check the "Date sorts most recent first" and/or the "Size sorts largest first" box.  Note: You must resort the group or folder after checking or unchecking these boxes for the changes to take effect.  For the Trash folder, you can also check "Date deleted sorts most recent first".


About Newsrc Files

A newsrc file is a file used by Unix systems and by some other Windows-based newsreaders to record the list of newsgroups.  For each group, the file also records whether the group is subscribed and the ranges of messages that have been retrieved and read for the group.

Agent stores the same information in its own databases using a proprietary format.  The Import/Export Newsrc commands on the File menu allow you to manually copy the information between Agent's database and a newsrc file.  You can also configure Agent to automatically import a newsrc file on program startup and export a newsrc file when you exit the program.  See General Preferences dialog box, Newsrc Tab.

When a newsrc file is imported, you can select from several options including: updating Agent's list of message counts, updating subscribed groups, and adding/deleting groups.  If you tell Agent to update its list of message counts, Agent updates both its list of messages that have been retrieved and the unread states of the retrieved messages, as follows:

•	The list of retrieved messages is updated to contain all messages which are either listed in the newsrc file, or which are currently stored in Agent's database.  Thus, messages that may not be in the newsrc file because they were marked unread, but which have already been retrieved, are included in Agent's updated list of retrieved messages.

•	All existing messages listed in the newsrc file are marked read, and all existing messages not listed in the newsrc file are marked unread.

When a newsrc file is exported, Agent uses both its list of messages that have been retrieved and the unread states of retrieved messages to build the newsrc list of read messages, as follows:

•	The lowest range of messages already retrieved by Agent is extended down to the number 1.  For example, if the range of retrieved messages is [100-150,200-240], Agent extends the first range to yield [1-150,200-240].  This is done to prevent already-retrieved messages from being marked unread if the same newsrc file is re-imported.

•	Retrieved but unread messages are removed from the list.


About Usenet Message Purging

In general, Agent automatically deletes, or "purges," old Usenet messages for you.

When Agent purges messages:

There are three times when messages can be purged:

•	When retrieving new headers

Agent can purge a newsgroup's old messages whenever it retrieves new message headers for that group.  To turn this feature on, check the "When retrieving new headers" box on the When to Purge tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.

•	When closing Agent

Agent can purge old messages from all newsgroups whenever you exit the program.  To enable this option, check the "When closing Agent" box on the When to Purge tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.

•	On demand

You can manually purge old messages by selecting one of the options from the Purge Newsgroups flyout on the Group menu.  Or, to immediately delete a message without purging the other messages in the group, select the message and, from the Message menu, choose either Delete Message (to remove the entire message) or Delete Message Body (to remove the message's text while continuing to display its header in the Message List pane).  A message will appear asking you to confirm the delete action.  To turn off the delete confirmation message, see the Confirmations tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

Which messages Agent purges:

Agent provides you many options when deciding which Usenet messages to automatically purge.  You can purge messages once you've read them or after a certain period of time.  You can even setup Agent to mirror your news server - so you'll only see messages that are available for retrieval.  To define which messages get purged, see the What to Purge tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box.

How to prevent Agent from purging a message:

Occasionally you will come across a message that you don't want Agent to automatically purge.  To prevent Agent from deleting a message, regardless of the group's purge settings, highlight the message and choose Keep Message from the Message menu or press the Keep Message toolbar button [image].  The Keep Message icon, [image], will appear next to the message.  To remove the Keep Message icon, choose the Keep Message command again.

Note: When the Keep Message icon appears next to a message, you cannot manually delete the message or its body.  You must remove the Keep Message icon first.

See Also:

Compacting Agent's Database Files


Purge Messages Flyout
Purge Newsgroups Flyout

Subscribed Groups - Purges messages from all your subscribed groups.

Selected Groups - Purges messages from the current group or highlighted groups.

All Groups - Purges messages from all your groups.


Adding People to the Address Book

Addressing a message to a person or a group of people (a mailing list) is much easier when they are in your Address Book.

To add a person or group to the Address Book:

1.	Open the Address Book window.

2.	Choose New from the Address menu to open the New Address dialog box.

3.	Enter the person's name (e.g., Mark Happel) or the group's description (e.g., My Mailing List) in the Name box.

4.	When adding an individual, enter his or her email address in the Addresses box.  When creating a mailing list, enter each person's email address separated by commas.

5.	(Optional) Enter a description of the person or group in the Comments box.

6.	(Optional) Enter the name of the mailing list in the Field Text box.

7.	Press OK to save the new Address Book entry.

To add the author of an existing message to the Address Book:

1.	Select any message authored by the person for whom you wish to create an Address Book entry.

2.	Choose Add Author to Address Book from the Message menu.  This opens the New Address dialog box filled in with the name and address of the selected author.

3.	Press OK to save the new Address Book entry.

See Also:

How to Use the Address Book

How to Post Usenet Messages

How to Send Email


Compacting Agent's Database Files

So that Agent can work quickly and efficiently, it does not always ensure that its database files are as small as possible.  If disk space is at a premium, there are two ways that you can compact your databases to remove the wasted space that may accumulate.

To manually compact the database files:

Choose Compact Databases from the File menu.  Agent will scan the databases to determine how much disk space you will save.  After the scan is complete, you may choose to either proceed with the compaction or cancel without affecting any files.

To automatically compact the database files:

You define when Agent should automatically compact your databases with the When to Purge tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.  In general, you probably don't need to compact your databases automatically.  Compacting after you change your purge settings should be sufficient for most people.

See Also:

About Usenet Message Purging


Launching and Copying URLs

Many Internet messages contain URLs.  Agent makes it very easy and convenient for you to quickly launch URLs, no matter which type of web browser you're using.

Default settings for launching URLs

By default, when you install Agent, all URLs (and email addresses) will appear as green underlined links.  Without having to set anything, you can launch the URL by simply double-clicking it.

You do have the option to control the launching behavior, though, by changing the default settings on the URLs tab of the General Preferences dialog box.  The default launching options are:

•	Double-click to launch

•	Force web browser to open a single window

For a description of the other options, see the online help for that topic.

Manually launching URLs using the "Copy/Paste" commands

In some cases, you may not want to launch a URL in a message immediately.  Instead, you may want to copy the URL to the clipboard to paste it into a document and save it for later use.  When you decide, you can then paste the URL into your web browser and launch it.

•	Manual copying:

Place your cursor anywhere on the URL and choose Select/Copy from the Edit menu.  This causes Agent to select the first highlighted URL it detects in a message and copy it to the clipboard.

TIP:  A shortcut you can use is the keyboard accelerator Shift+Ctrl+U, which selects the URL and copies it to the clipboard.

•	Automatic copying:

You also have the option to have Agent automatically copy a URL to the clipboard when you launch a URL by checking the "Copy to Clipboard" option on the URLs tab.  Note: The URL must be launched for it to be copied to the clipboard.

Pasting a URL into a web browser

Once you have copied a URL to the clipboard, you can paste it into your web browser with one keystroke, Ctrl+V.  (The Paste command is also on the Edit menu).  Below are the particular steps followed for pasting a URL into three major web browsers:

•	MS Explorer:

Launch Microsoft Internet Explorer and choose Open from its File menu.  Click in the Address field and press Ctrl+V.

•	Mosaic:

Launch Mosaic and choose Open URL from its File menu.  Click in the URL field and press Ctrl+V.

•	Netscape:

Launch Netscape and choose Open Location from its File menu.  Click in the edit field and press Ctrl+V.


Filing Messages in Folders

With Agent's folders, you can organize and store your messages in any manner you like.

To create a folder:

1.	Choose New Folder from the Group menu.

2.	Enter a name for the folder (up to 255 characters) and press OK.

Folders appear in the Groups/Folders pane below the newsgroups.

To view folders:

•	Choose one of the "Folder" options from the Show flyout on the Group menu.

There are different ways to file messages in folders:  You can drag and drop them, or use the commands on the Message menu, or, for inbound email messages, have them automatically filed for you.  Note: You cannot file messages without bodies into folders.

To drag and drop a message into a folder:

1.	View all three panes in your Browser window (i.e., make sure the Zoom Window option on the Navigate menu is unchecked).

2.	Highlight the message in the Message List pane.

3.	Click anywhere on the highlighted message and hold down the mouse button.

4.	While continuing to hold the mouse button down, move the mouse cursor over the folder in which you want the message filed.  If the desired folder is not visible in the Groups/Folders Pane, drag to folder above or below the pane in the direction of the "hidden" folder.  The Groups/Folders Pane will scroll until the folder appears.

5.	By default, Agent will move a message when you drag and drop it.  To copy the message instead, press and hold the Control key.

6.	Release the mouse button to drop the message into the destination folder.

To file a message into a folder using the menus:

1.	Highlight the message in the Message List pane.

2.	On the Message menu, click either the Copy to Folder or Move to Folder flyout.

3.	Select the desired folder from the flyout or choose All Folders to open a dialog box with a list of all the folders you've created.  Note: Use the Manage Folder Menus dialog box to display your most frequently used folders on the Copy/Move to Folder flyout menus.

The fastest way to file your incoming email messages is to let Agent do it for you.  You can define a set of rules that tell Agent where to store each new email message it encounters.  For example, you can create a rule that files all incoming email messages with "Agent" anywhere in the subject field into a folder called "Agent Info."

To copy or move messages from the Outbox to a folder:

1.	Display the Outbox by choosing Open Outbox from the Window menu.

2.	Highlight the messages in the Outbox.

3.	If you want to drag and drop the messages into a folder, select Tile Vertically from the Window menu and make sure the Groups/Folders pane is visible.

3.	File the messages into a folder by either dragging and dropping them or choosing the desired folder from the Copy to Folder or Move to Folder flyout on the Message menu (see above for more details on these two steps).


Finding Addresses

Agent allows you to quickly find addresses in the Address Book by Selecting Find on the Edit menu (when the Address Book is open).  This will bring up the Find Address dialog box.  Alternatively, you can find an address by simply typing the first few letters of a name.


Finding Filters

Agent allows you to search for filters by subject and author.

To find a filter:

1.	Make sure the focus is in the Usenet Filters window (Window -> Open Usenet Filters) or Email Filters window (Window -> Open Email Filters).

2.	Choose Find from the Edit menu.

3.	Enter any part of the desired subject or author in the Find Filter dialog box.

4.	Press Find First to find the first message whose subject or author contains the text you entered.  Press Find Next to find the first message below the currently selected one with this text in the subject or author fields.

4.	If the found message isn't the one you were looking for, press F3 or choose Find Next from the Edit menu to search for the next message in this group that contains the text you entered.


Finding Groups and Folders

Agent allows you to search for groups and folders by name and for messages or filters by subject and author.  You can also quickly find addresses in the Address Book by simply typing the first few letters of a name.

To find a group or folder:

1.	Make sure the focus is in the Groups/Folders pane.  Note: You can do this by selecting any group or folder in the Groups/Folders pane.

2.	Choose All Groups and Folders from the Show flyout on the Group menu.

3.	Choose Find from the Edit menu.

4.	Enter any part of the desired group or folder's name in the Find dialog box.  For example, if you enter win into the Find dialog box, Agent will find, among others, alt.winsock, alt.sewing, and rec.crafts.winemaking.

5.	Press Find First to find the first group or folder in the Groups/Folders pane with this text in its name.  Press Find Next to find the first group or folder below the currently selected one with this text in its name.

5.	If the found group or folder isn't the one you were looking for, press F3 or choose Find Next from the Edit menu to search for the next group or folder with the text you entered.


Finding Messages

Agent allows you to search for messages by subject and author.

To find a message:

1.	Make sure the focus is in the Message List pane of the group you want to search.  Note: You can do this by selecting any message in desired group.

2.	Choose Find from the Edit menu to open the Find dialog box.

3.	Enter any part of the desired subject or name in the Find dialog box.

4.	Press Find First to find the first message whose subject or author contains the text you entered.  Press Find Next to find the first message below the currently selected one with this text in the subject or author fields.

6.	If the found message isn't the one you were looking for, press F3 or choose Find Next from the Edit menu to search for the next message in this group that contains the text you entered.


Import/Export Address File Format

Import and export address files are formatted according to the following criteria:

•	Import and export address files consist of a series of field definitions, one per line.  Each definition is of the form:

<field>:<value>

The <field> name must begin with the first character of the line.  A line may be no more than 1000 characters long, including the \r\n termination.  Multi-line field values may be represented by continuing the value on subsequent lines.  Each continuation line must begin with one or more whitespace characters (SP or TAB).  The initial whitespace is removed from the value during import.

•	The file may contain blank lines, which are ignored.

•	The first field for each address entry must be a Name field.  The value is the name of the address entry.  Fields other than Name prior to the first Name field are ignored.

•	All fields appearing after a Name field are part of the entry named by that field, until the next Name field is scanned.

The additional fields that may be included are defined below.  Fields that are not in this list are ignored.

Addresses - The entry's email address list field.

Comments - The entry's comments field.

Field-Text - The entry's Field Text field.


Importing Email Messages from Another Program

This topic explains the import procedures for messages that are in the standard UNIX format (RFC-822), such as from Eudora or Pegasus, and for messages that are in a non-UNIX format, such as from News Xpress.

To import messages from Eudora or Pegasus

To help smooth the transition from your old email program, Agent allows you to import messages from a text file that is in the standard UNIX email message format (RFC-822).  To further facilitate this transition, you can download a utility from Forté's FTP site that exports messages from Eudora or Pegasus into the standard UNIX format.  These utilities can be found at ftp://ftp.forteinc.com/pub/agent/converters.  Note: If you use an email program other than the ones mentioned above, check our Web page to see if an export utility has been written for your program since this help file was produced.

1.	Run the export utility from a DOS window with the following command line:

emailcvt <data directory> <filename> [<folder prefix>]

where <data directory> is your email program's database directory and <filename> is the name of the DOS file that contains the file Agent will read.  The argument <folder prefix> is optional.  If provided, it is appended to the beginning of the names of all Agent folders that are created in the import process.  For example, if the folder prefix was "Email" then email will be imported into folders called "Email.In", " Email.Out", etc.

2.	Choose Import Messages from the File menu.

3.	In the File Name box, enter the location of export file from step #1.

4.	(Optional) Check the "If a message contains an X-Folder field..." and "Automatically create folders" boxes.

5.	Press OK to begin the import.

To import messages from News Xpress

You can import messages from News Xpress without having to use an export utility at all.  Simply do the following:

1.	Choose Import Messages from the File menu.

2.	In the File Name box, enter the directory in which you keep News Xpress and enter the folder number (e.g., folder??.mbx).

See Also:

Import File Format

Save Messages As dialog box


Making Sure Messages Were Sent Properly

When you first start using a new program, you probably want to make sure it's doing what you told it to do.  To make sure your messages have been successfully sent, choose Open Outbox from the Window menu.  By default, all the messages you send with Agent appear in this window (see the Post tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box for details).  The icons next to each message tell you the status of that message:

Icon	Meaning

The message was successfully sent.  Note: If you have filed this message automatically in a folder, look in the folder for a record of the message.

A problem occurred sending this message.  Double-click on the message to make sure all the fields are filled in correctly and then press Send Now or Send Later to re-send the message.

The message is queued for uploading (you pressed the Send Later button after creating the message).  To send the message now, choose Post Usenet and Email Messages from the Online menu.

The message is in the process of being sent.

See Also:

How to Re-send a Message You Created


Marking Messages Read

New messages you retrieve are initially marked unread.  When you view a message's body, Agent then marks that message read.  Since you probably don't read all the Usenet messages whose headers you retrieve, Agent automatically marks the ones you don't care about as read.

To automatically mark old messages read when retrieving new messages:

By default, Agent automatically marks all Usenet messages read whenever you retrieve message headers.  This makes it easy for you to find the new messages because they will be the only ones that are unread.  To change this behavior, choose Properties from the Group menu and select the Mark Read tab.

To automatically mark messages read when skipping between groups:

When jumping from one group to another via a navigation command (Skip to Next Unread Group, for example), Agent can automatically mark as read all messages in the group you are skipping from.  To enable this behavior, check the "Skipping to next unread group marks all messages in current group read" box on the Navigation tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

To manually mark messages read:

Select the messages you want to mark read and choose Mark Read from the Message menu (or hit the X key).  To mark all the messages in a group or folder read, select the group or folder and choose Mark Selected Read from the Group menu.  To mark all the messages in all your groups and folders read, choose Mark All Groups Read from the Group menu.

To manually mark a message unread:

Select the messages you want to mark unread and choose Mark Unread from the Message menu (or hit the X key).  To mark all the messages in a group or folder unread, select the group or folder and choose Mark Selected Groups Unread from the Group menu.

See Also:

Watching and Ignoring Threads

Navigating in Agent

Display Preferences Colors Tab


Printing Messages

Agent allows you to print one or more messages in a single group or folder with one command.

To print messages:

1.	Define the page parameters (including margins, headers, and page breaks) on the Page Setup dialog box (File menu).

2.	Select the printer font you want on the Display Preferences Fonts tab (Options menu).

3.	Select all the messages to print.  If you select a collapsed thread, Agent will print all messages in the thread.  Agent only prints messages whose bodies have been retrieved.

4.	Choose Print from the File menu.  Press OK on the Print dialog box to start printing the messages.

See Also:

Save Message As dialog box


ROT13 Encoding and Decoding

Some Internet messages contain text encoded with a scheme called ROT13.  ROT13 encoded text cannot be read without first decoding it.  For example, "Hello World" encoded with ROT13 looks like this:  Uryyb Jbeyq

To decode a ROT13 message:

Select the encoded text and choose Apply ROT13 from the Edit menu or press Ctrl+3.

To encode a ROT13 message:

Select the text to encode and choose Apply ROT13 from the Edit menu or press Ctrl+3.

Note: When you decode text in a message you have retrieved, the decoding only affects your display.  If you come back to this message later, you will again see the original, encoded text.  Encoding text in a message you're creating, on the other hand, affects the actual text.  If you then post the message, other people will see it with the text encoded.

See Also:

How to Post Usenet Messages

How to Send Email


Watching and Ignoring Threads

As you probably already know, some newsgroups on the Internet are very active.  There can be several hundred new postings a day.  To help you cut through some of this noise, Agent provides you with two very powerful yet very simple features: Watching threads and ignoring threads.

Watching Threads

When you're browsing though messages and come upon one that you know you'll be interested in responses to, select Watch Thread from the Message menu or press "W."  The Watch Thread icon, [image], will appear next to the message.  Agent automatically retrieves the bodies of all responses to watched threads when retrieving message headers.

Note: When you watch a thread with unretrieved messages, Agent automatically marks all the unretrieved messages in the thread for retrieval and, if the selected message is unretrieved, skips to the next unread message (outside of the current thread).  To retrieve the marked messages, select Get Marked Message Bodies from the Online menu (for details, see How to Use Agent as an Offline Newsreader).  To keep Agent from skipping to the next unread message, uncheck the "Watching an unread message skips to the next unread message" box on the Navigation tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

Ignoring Threads

The opposite of watching threads is ignoring threads.  When you run across a message that you know you won't be interested in responses to, select Ignore Thread from the Message menu or press "I."  The Ignore Thread icon, [image], will appear next to all the messages in the thread.  After that, each time you retrieve new headers, Agent will not retrieve any new headers in the ignored thread.  This can significantly reduce the number of new, unread messages presented to you each time you get new message headers.

Note:  After you ignore a thread, Agent automatically skips to the next unread message.  To turn this behavior off (keep the focus on the current message), uncheck the "Watching an unread message skips to the next unread message" box on the Navigation tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

Important Notes!

•	If you change your mind and switch from ignoring to watching the thread, the next time you get new headers Agent will get all headers in the thread from the moment you removed the Ignore icon and tagged the thread with the watch icon.  All headers in the thread prior to the moment you removed the Ignore icon will NOT be retrieved.  To get ALL the headers in the thread, you must use the "Get All Headers in Selected Groups" command on the Online menu.

•	Be sure to keep at least one header in a watched or ignored thread in order for this feature to work.  This ensures that the feature will work, no matter how you have set the purge properties.  These settings are on the Purge tab of the Group Properties dialog boxes.  To find the Purge tab, select either Properties (for selected groups) or Default Properties from the Group menu and click the Purge tab.

See Also:

Navigating in Agent

Marking Messages Read


Forté Agent Registration dialog box

After you purchase Agent, use this dialog box to enter the registration key you received from Forté.  Entering a valid key enables all of Agent's advanced features.  If you have not received your registration key within 24 hours of placing your order, please send email to order-question@forteinc.com.

Since registration keys can be very long, you will probably want to copy it from your email program and paste it into this dialog box.

To paste the registration key from a standard Windows email program:

1.	Highlight the registration key in the email message.  Be sure to highlight the entire key and nothing else in the message.

2.	Choose Copy from the Edit menu to copy the key to the Clipboard.

3.	Run Agent.

4.	In this dialog box, click in the entry box and press Ctrl+V to paste the key.


Forté Agent Registration dialog box

This dialog box is displayed the first time you run Agent.  Complete the dialog box as follows:

Your Name

Enter your name (e.g., Jane Doe).

Your Organization

This field is optional.  If you wish, enter the name of your organization.

Serial Number

Enter the serial number you received via email or on your packing slip.


Licensing Agreement dialog box

This dialog box displays Agent's licensing terms and conditions.  You must accept the terms and conditions in order to run the program.

Accept

Press this button to accept the terms of the agreement and run Agent.

Decline

Press this button if you do not accept the terms of the agreement.  Agent will not run if you press this button.


Agent Setup dialog box

Fill in this dialog to provide Agent with the basic information needed to communicate with your news and mail servers.  If you don't want to post messages, you only need to supply the name of your news server, and for Windows 3.1, your time zone.  You can enter the other information later in the Posting Preferences dialog box.

Information

News (NNTP) Server

Enter the name of your news (NNTP) server or its IP address.  If you don't know the name, ask your service provider or system administrator.

Note: If your service providers requires you to login to your news server, you will need to provide the login information later, after you have completed the Setup dialog box.  After you press OK on the Setup dialog box, Agent will ask you if you want to go online immediately to retrieve a list of newsgroups available on your server.  Answer No to the prompt.  Then, open Agent's Options | User and System Profile dialog box.  On the dialog box's User tab, enter the necessary login information.  Next, you can use the Online | Refresh Groups List menu option to retrieve the list of newsgroups.

Email (SMTP) Server

Enter the name of your email (SMTP) server or its IP address.  If you don't know the name, ask your service provider or system administrator.

Email Address

Enter your email address.  When you send a message, this address appears in the "From" field.  For example: john.doe@forteinc.com

Full Name

(Optional) Enter your full name.  This name is included with your email address in messages that you send.  It is helpful to include your full name if your email address does not contain your name.  Also, some programs, such as Agent, can display an author's full name rather than his/her email address.

For Windows 3.1:

Time Zone

Select the time zone you are located in.  Agent uses the time zone to convert the dates of messages to your own local time.  Also, when you post a message, Agent includes your time zone in the date.

Automatically adjust for Daylight Saving Time

Check this box if you live in a locality that observes Daylight Saving Time between April and October.  During these months, Agent automatically adjusts your time zone to compensate for the time difference.

Exit Agent

Press this button if you don't have the basic information available.  The next time you run Agent, this dialog box will be displayed again.


Use Information From Another Program dialog box

Use this dialog box to select the program from which Agent will acquire its basic setup information.

Program

Select the program from which you wish to get the initialization information.

Copy program's list of newsgroups

Check this box if you want Agent to use the selected program's newsgroup list to fill in its own list.  If you have subscribed to newsgroups in the selected program, you will be subscribed to those groups in Agent as well.
Note: If the newsgroup list in the other program is out of date, either uncheck this box or choose Refresh Group List from the Online menu at a later time.


Use Information From dialog box

Use this dialog box to enter the location of the program from which Agent will acquire its basic setup information.

Enter the name of the directory...

Type in the other program's complete path, including drive.  For example, C:\TRUMPET.


View Empty Group dialog box

This dialog box is displayed when you double-click or press Enter on a newsgroup with no messages and your View Empty Group Action in the Retrieve tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box is set to "Prompt for action."

Sample Message Headers

Press this button to retrieve up to the specified number of message headers.

Note: Changing the number here will also change the value on the Retrieve tab of the Group Properties dialog boxes.  Also, when sampling headers, less than the number specified may be retrieved if there are gaps in the messages available on the server.

Get All Message Headers

Press this button to retrieve all message headers in this group.

Subscribe to Group

Press this button to subscribe to the group.  You can retrieve message headers later by choosing Get New Message Headers in Subscribed Group from the Online menu.

See Also:

Online Menu Commands Explained


Export Addresses dialog box
Export Addresses dialog box (File menu)

Use this dialog box to export addresses from an Agent address book to a file.

For Windows 95 and later:

Save in

Select the location in which to save the export file.

File Name

Enter the name of the text file to export.

Save as type

Select the types of files you want to save as an export file.

For Windows 3.1:

File Name

Enter the name of the text file to export.

Save File as type

Select the type of file you want the saved export file to be.

Directories

Select the directory in which the export file will be located.

Drives

Select the drive to which the file is to be exported.

See Also:

Import/Export Address File Format

How to Use the Address Book


Export Newrc File (File menu)
Export Newsrc File

Use this dialog box to export the status of all your groups to a newsrc file.

For Windows 95 and later:

Save in

Select the location in which to store the export file.

File Name

Enter the name of the text file to export.

Save as type

Select the types of files you want to save as an export file.

For Windows 3.1:

File Name

Enter the name of the text file to export.

Save File as type

Select the type of file you want the saved export file to be.

Directories

Select the directory in which the export file will be located.

Drives

Select the drive to which the file is to be exported.

Export subscribed groups only

Check this box to export only the groups to which you are subscribed.

See Also:

Import Newsrc File dialog box

About Newsrc Files


Forward Verbatim dialog box

This dialog box appears if you already have one or more Composition windows open and you select "Forward verbatim" from the Post menu (with one or more messages selected).  With this dialog box, you have two options for forwarding selected messages in the Message List pane:

•	You can the attach the message(s) to a message you are already composing.

•	You can create a new message.

Messages you are currently composing

This is a list of all open Composition windows (by subject).

Append to selected message

Press this button if you want to attach the selected messages in the Message List pane to the Composition window selected from the list.

Start new message

Press this button if you want to create a new message and attach the selected messages.


Import Addresses dialog box
Import Addresses dialog box (File menu)

Use this dialog box to import addresses from another address book into the Agent address book.

For Windows 95 and later:

Look in

Select the location of the import file.

File Name

Enter the name of the text file to import.

Files of Type

Select the type of files you want to import from the list.

For Windows 3.1:

File Name

Enter the name of the text file to import.

Directories

Select the location of the import file.

List Files of Type

Select the type of files you want to import from the list.

Drives

Select the drive where the import file is located.

Replace existing entries that match new names

Check this box to have Agent automatically replace existing names in the address book with matching names in the import file.

See Also:

Import/Export Address File Format

How to Use the Address Book


Import Messages dialog box
Import Messages dialog box (File menu)

Use this dialog box to import messages from another program into Agent.  For more information, see Importing Email Messages from Another Program.

For Windows 95 and later:

Look in

Select the location of the import file.

File Name

Enter the name of the text file to import.

Files of Type

Select the type of files you want to import from the list.

For Windows 3.1:

File Name

Enter the name of the text file to import.

Directories

Select the directory where the import file is located.

List of File Types

Select the type of files you want to display in the list of files.

Drives

Select the drive where the import file is located.

Replace existing entries that match new names

Check this box to have Agent automatically replace existing names in the address book with matching names in the import file.

File according to inbound message filters

Select this option and Agent will use the email filters defined in the Inbound Email dialog box Folder tab (Options menu) to determine the folders in which to file the imported messages.  This option is dim if you have not yet opened the Inbound Email dialog box (Options menu) and designated a default inbound folder.

Put all messages in folder

Select this option and Agent will file all imported messages in the folder selected in the list on the right.

If a message contains an X-Folder field...

Check this box and Agent will file imported messages in the folders specified by the messages' X-Folder field, overriding the other settings on this dialog box.

Automatically create folders

Check this box and Agent will create the folders specified by the messages' X-Folder fields as needed.  When this box is unchecked, imported messages with an X-Folder field specifying a folder that doesn't exist are filed according to the radio buttons above.

See Also:

Import Message File Format

Save Messages As dialog box


Check Addresses dialog box

Use this dialog box to check the validity of an address that has been entered.  This dialog box may be seen in the following situations: when composing a message, when saving a message, and when creating a new address book entry.

Problem Description

This field describes the problem with the address (i.e., Not a valid email address, Not in address book, or Matches more than one entry).

<text of the bad address>

This is the text in the address that Agent has determined is invalid.

Change To

Enter a replacement for the address in question.

Suggestions

If the name entered is ambiguous, this list of all matching address book entries appears.  Double-clicking any of these names is the same as pressing the Change button (below).

Change

Press this button to change the address to the text in the "Change To" field, above.  Note: If you change an entry, Agent revalidates it and displays a message if the new entry is also invalid, giving you the option of accepting the new entry or canceling the change.

Leave As Is

Press this button to leave the address unchanged.

Convert to Local Address:

If you have just entered a local address and your server is set up to handle local addresses, press this button and the "@" character is appended to the name, forcing Agent to treat it as a local address.

Delete

Press this button to delete the address portion of the address book entry.  This does not delete the entry.

Cancel <Operation>

Press this button to have Agent cancel the operation that caused the dialog box to appear (checking, sending, or saving).

See Also:

How to Use the Address Book


Import Newsrc File dialog box (File menu)
Import Newsrc File (File menu)

Use this dialog box to import data from a newsrc file that updates the status of all the groups in your Groups/Folders pane.

For Windows 95 and later:

Look in

Select the location of the file to import.

File name

Enter the name of the file.

Files of type

Select the type of files you want to display in the list of files.

For Windows 3.1:

File Name

Enter the name of the text file to import.

Directories

Select the directory where the import file is located.

List of File Types

Select the type of files you want to display in the list of files.

Drives

Select the drive where the import file is located.

Open

Press this button to start the import process.

Update retrieved message counts

Check this box if you want Agent to update the number of retrieved messages and their unread states when a newsrc file is imported.

The list of retrieved messages is updated to contain the list of messages in the newsrc file, as well as the messages currently stored in Agent's database for the group.  So, messages that may have not been included in the newsrc because they were marked unread, but which have already been retrieved, are included in Agent's updated list of retrieved messages.

All existing messages listed in the newsrc file are marked read, and all existing messages not listed in the newsrc file are marked unread.

Mark messages read only

Check this box for Agent to use the newsrc ranges to mark existing messages read, but not to mark any messages unread.  When you uncheck this box, Agent also marks as unread any messages not listed in the newsrc range.

Update list of subscribed groups

Check this box if you want Agent to update the list of subscribed groups when a newsrc file is imported.

Add new Groups

Check this box if you want Agent to add new groups when a newsrc file is imported.

What to Do With Extinct Groups

Choose how you want extinct groups to be handled.  The options are to keep all extinct groups, delete extinct groups that are empty, or delete all extinct groups.

See Also:

About Newsrc Files


Insert Text File dialog box
Insert Text File dialog box (File menu)

Use this dialog box to insert a text file into a message.

For Windows 95 and later:

Look in

Select the location of the file to insert.

Open

Press this button to open the selected folder, when browsing for a file.

File Name

Enter the name of the file or select a file from the list.

Files of type

Select the type of file to insert.

For Windows 3.1:

File Name

Enter the name of the file or select a file from the list.

Directories

Select the directory in which the file is located.

List of File Types

Select the type of files you want to display in the files list.

Drives

Select the drive in which the file is located.

See Also:

How to Post Usenet Messages

How to Send Email


Page Setup dialog box
Page Setup dialog box (File menu)

Use this dialog box to control the format of messages printed with Agent.

Margins

Enter the left, right, top, and bottom margins in inches.

Print raw (unformatted) message

Check this box to have Agent print the message in its raw form.

All fields

Select this option to print all of the header information along with the message bodies.

Selected fields

Select this option to print some of the header information along with the message bodies.  In the associated text box, enter the names of the fields, separated by commas, you want printed with the message bodies.  You can list any field names, including non-standard fields.  Note: Agent prints a field only if it appears in the message.  If you want Agent to print the field even if it doesn't appear in the message, precede the field name with an exclamation point (e.g., !Keywords).

No fields (Body only)

Select this option to print only the message bodies.

None

Select this option to print messages one directly after the other.

Between messages

Select this option to insert a page break between each message being printed.

Between threads

Select this option to print all the messages in the same thread one after the other and to insert a page break between messages of different threads.

See Also:

Printing Messages


Save Messages As dialog box
Save Messages As dialog box (File menu)

Use this dialog box to save one or more messages to a text file.  Note: Agent only saves messages whose bodies have been retrieved.

Select all the messages you want to save before choosing this menu option.  If you select a collapsed thread, Agent will save all messages in the thread.

For Windows 95 and later:

Save in

Select the location for storing the saved message.

File Name

Enter the name of the file you want to save to, or select a file from the list of files.

Save as type

Select the type of files you want to display in the list of files

For Windows 3.1:

File Name

Enter the name of the file you want to save to, or select a file from the list of files.

Directories

Select the directory where you want to save the file.

List of File Types

Select the type of files you want to display in the list of files

Drives

Select the drive where you want to save the file.

Save

Press this button to save the specified file.

Append to Existing File

Check this box if you want to append the messages to an existing file.  If you uncheck this option and save the messages to an existing file, Agent will erase the current contents of the file.

Save raw (unformatted) message

Check this box if you only want the raw message data to be saved to a file.

UNIX message file

Select this option and Agent will save the messages in the standard UNIX message format.  In this format, messages begin with a "From <user>@<domain> <date>" line.  This option also causes Agent to add a ">" before any body line that begins with "From<space>" and contains an ":" character anywhere in the line.

Precede each message with...

Select this option and Agent will add the specified text to the beginning of each message it saves.  You can include the codes \n, \t, \f, and \\ in the specified text to represent newlines, tabs, formfeeds, and backslashes, respectively.

No separator between messages

Select this option if you do not want Agent to include any additional text between the saved messages.

All fields

Select this option to save all of the header information along with the message bodies.

Selected fields

Select this option to save some of the header information along with the message bodies.  In the associated text box, enter the names of the fields, separated by commas, you want saved with the message bodies.  You can list any field names, including non-standard fields.  Note: Agent writes a field only if it appears in the message. If you want Agent to write the field even if it doesn't appear in the message, precede the field name with an exclamation point (e.g., !Keywords).

No fields (Body only)

Select this option to save only the message bodies.

See Also:

Printing Messages


Find dialog box
Find dialog box (Edit menu)

Use this dialog box to find a group, folder, or message.

Find What

Enter the text to search for.

Find First

Press this button to find the first occurrence of the text you entered above.

Find Next

Press this button to find the next occurrence of the text you entered above.

See Also:

Finding Groups and Folders

Finding Messages


Find Address dialog box
Find Address dialog box (Edit Menu when Address Book is open)

Use this dialog box to find addresses in the Agent address book.

Find What

Enter the text to search for.

Look in Names/Addresses/Comments

Check the boxes for the areas of the address book in which to search.  Note: You can check one, two, or all three boxes.

Find First

Press this button to find the first occurrence of the text you entered above.

Find Next

Press this button to find the next occurrence of the text you entered above.

See Also:

Finding Addresses

How to Use the Address Book


Find Filter dialog box
Find Filter dialog box (Edit menu)

Open this dialog box to find a filter in the Usenet Filters window.

Find What

Enter the text to search for.

Find First

Press this button to find the first occurrence of the text you entered above.

Find Next

Press this button to find the next occurrence of the text you entered above.

See Also:

Finding Filters


Global Search for Messages dialog box (Edit menu)

When this Global Search dialog box is opened, it is tied to whatever Browser window is open at the time.  This means that you can have one global search dialog per Browser window and can perform multiple global searches simultaneously, if you wish.

Search For

Enter the search expression in this entry box.  Global expressions are the same as Usenet and email filter expressions: that is, either word-based expressions or regular expressions.

•	If you don't specify any fields in the expression, Agent searches all fields and the message body.

•	If you enter the field "body:", Agent searches the formatted message body (i.e., the text you see on the screen when "Show Raw Message" on the Message menu is not selected).

•	If you enter the field "raw-body:", Agent searches the complete raw body of the message (excluding headers).

An example:  subject:testing and body: {some regular expression}

Note: Any field name you enter is legal, as well as the special names "any-sender", "any-recipient", "body", and "raw-body".

For body searching, regular expressions are line-based.  That is, a regular expression search matches a line at a time and cannot search for text that spans multiple lines.  Word based searching spans multiple lines.  Note:  Lines refer to lines of text bounded by hard breaks, not word-wrapped lines as displayed on the screen.

Paste Field

Press this button to open a Paste Field dialog box, to paste text from the message that is currently open in the associated Browser window.

History

Press this button to open a dialog box that lists up to twenty of the most-recently used search expressions, for pasting.

Lower Case

Press this button to make the text in the Search For entry box all lower case.  This allows you to match all instances of your entry during a search.

Search in Selected groups and folders only

Check this box to have Agent search only the groups and folders that are currently selected (highlighted) in the associated Browser window.  Note: You can move back and forth between the Browser window and this dialog.  Thus, you can open a Global Search dialog box and then return to the Browser window to select different groups to search.

Search in All Groups in view

Check this box to have Agent search all newsgroups that are visible in the Browser window.  For example, if you have Subscribed Groups selected, Agent will search all subscribed groups.

Search in All folders in view

Check this box to have Agent search all folders that are visible in the Browser window.

Search in Visible messages only

Check this box to have Agent search only those messages currently being displayed in whatever message views you have selected for the Browser window.  Note:  Groups and folders can have different views.  For the currently open group/folder, this means search whatever messages are currently visible in the group, not just those that are selected by the view.  Keep in mind that it's possible for various events, such as receiving new mail, to cause messages to be temporarily added to a view.

Close when successful

Check this box to have Agent close this dialog box when it is currently in focus and Agent has finished a successful search.  When unchecked, Agent leaves the window open so that it can easily perform additional searches.  This option remains active while a search is in progress, in case you change your mind.

Find First

Press this button to find the first matching message and position the associated Browser window on it.

Find Next

Press this button to find the next matching message, starting with the message after the message that currently has the focus in the associated Browser window.

Find Next Group

Press this button to find the first matching group, starting with the group after the group containing the message that currently has the focus.  Use this button to quickly search for a particular group or folder.

Find All

Press this button to find all matching messages in all selected groups and folders.

Find All in Current Group/Folder

Press this button to find all matching messages in the currently open group or folder.  This option ignores the "Search in group/folder" options and only searches the currently open group or folder.  On completion, Agent causes the associated Browser window to display only the matching messages.  When it does this, it changes the message view title on the Message List pane to "Search Results".  The search results are retained until you change the message view or you move to a different group or folder.

Stop

Press this button to stop the search in progress.

Cancel/Close

Press this button to have Agent close this dialog box.

Results

This listbox displays the group or folder names and the subject for each matching message.  It is updated incrementally while the search progresses.  The window can display up to 8000 messages.  If the search exceeds that number, Agent stops and displays an error message.

Jump

Press this button to jump to the message selected in the Results list.   If a search is still active, the search window is minimized.  If no search is active, this dialog box closes.

Tips:  Here are instances when you might want to use Jump.

•	When you're just looking for something and want to position on the message and leave the Global Search dialog up and with focus.

•	When you want to read the message but come back to the Results list when you're done reading.  To position on the message and switch focus to the Browser window, use Shift+Jump.  This will minimize the Global Search dialog.

•	When you find what you're looking for and are probably done with the search.  In this case, Agent positions itself on the found message in the Browser window and closes the Global Search dialog.

View All

Pressing this button causes the Browser window to display a view of all matching messages for the group containing the message selected in the Results list.  If a search is still active, the Global Search dialog is minimized.  If a search is not active, Agent closes this window.  To keep the Global Search dialog open, hold down the SHIFT key while pressing this button.

Clear View

Press this button to clear the search results view in the Browser window and revert to the original message view.  Another way to clear the search results is to simply re-select the current message view in the Browser window.  This refreshes the view.

See Also:

Agent's Expression Language

Regular Expressions Reference

Fun Ways to Do Searching


Global Search History dialog box

This dialog box lists the ten most recently used search expressions.

Select an expression to paste

Select an expression and press OK to paste it into the Search For entry box on the Global Search for Message dialog box.


Fun Ways to Do Searching

Here are a few tips for using the Global Search for Message dialog box more efficiently:

•	In the Browser window, select a message containing a subject for which you want to search.  Open a Global Search dialog box and press the Paste Field button to paste the subject into the search expression.  Then press Find First and Find Next until you find a group or folder containing the subject.  Once the group or folder is found, press Find All to display all matching messages in that group.

•	When doing the above type of search, if you only want to search, say, unread messages, change the Browser window's message view to unread before searching and choose the Search in Visible messages only option on the Global Search dialog box.

•	If the search reveals too many messages, change the search expression and do a Find All again, using the displayed results of the last search.  Agent will re-search only those messages selected by the previous search.


Paste Field dialog box

Use this dialog box to select the field in a message (e.g., Any Sender, From, Subject, To, Received, Date, etc.) to be pasted into the "Search For" entry box on the Global Search for Messages dialog box, or into the "Filter Expression" entry box on the Add Email Filter dialog box.

Agent always lists a canned set of fields: first (the fields you are most likely to use in an expression), followed by all other fields.  The Any-Sender field is a special case, listing four different values to choose from, including Entire field, Address only, Domain only, and Name only.  This allows you to select the most appropriate portion of the address.


Refresh Groups List dialog box
Refresh Groups List dialog box (Online menu)

Use this dialog box to update your group list and define what Agent should do with groups it no longer finds on the news server.

The refresh operation retrieves a complete list of all newsgroups available form the server.  It then adds any new groups to Agent's list of groups, and optionally deletes any groups that are no longer available.

TIP:  If you only want to retrieve new groups added since the last time you updated your group list, choose Get New Groups from the Online menu.

Note: Since this operation retrieves a complete list of groups, it can take several minutes to complete.

Keep all extinct groups

Select this option to maintain groups even if they no longer exist on the server.

Delete extinct groups that are empty

Select this option to maintain groups that no longer exist on the server if the group contains messages.

Delete all extinct groups

Select this option to delete any group that no longer exists on the server.

See Also:

Online Menu Commands Explained


Sample Headers from Selected Groups
Sample Headers from Selected Groups (Online menu)

This dialog box allows you to sample the most recent message headers for a selected group.

Retrieve the most recent messages, up to the specified number

Select this option if you want Agent to retrieve up to the specified number of most recent message headers.

Maximum number of messages to retrieve

If you selected the previous option, enter the number of headers you want Agent to sample for the selected group.  The default number is 50.

Retrieve All messages posted more recently than the specified date

Select this option if you want Agent to retrieve all message headers that were posted since a specified date.  This date is determined by the number of days to be retrieved, specified in the following entry field.

Number of days to retrieve

If you selected the previous option, enter the number of days of most recent message headers you want Agent to retrieve.  Changing this entry automatically changes the specified date from which all message headers will be retrieved.

Update record of headers that have been retrieved

When this box is checked, Agent will account for all headers that have been retrieved in the sample operation.  If you uncheck this box, the sample operation will not update the retrieved ranges, so that the next time you retrieve headers, Agent will act as if the sample operation never occurred.


Compose Usenet Message window
Compose Usenet Message window (Post menu)

Use this window to create a message to post in a newsgroup.  For more information, see How to Post Usenet Messages.

Newsgroups

Enter the name of the newsgroup you wish to post to.  To post the same message on multiple groups (cross-post), enter the names of all the groups separated by commas (e.g., alt.usenet.offline-reader,alt.winsock).

Subject

Enter a brief phrase describing the message.

Email To

(Optional) Enter the email addresses of people you wish to send copies of your posting to.  If you are posting a follow-up message and want to email a copy of your posting to the original message's author, select his/her email address from the drop-down list.  If the recipient is in your address book, you can simply enter any word in his/her name and Agent will fill in the complete email address when transmitting the message to the Internet.

To send an email to more than one person, enter all the email addresses or names separated by commas (e.g., john.doe@forteinc.com,jane.doe@forteinc.com).

Note: If you usually copy the original message's author when posting follow-ups, check the "Copy follow-up messages to author via email" box on the Post tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box to initialize this field accordingly.

Pick Address Button

Press this button to open the Pick Addresses dialog box where you can quickly select the people to whom you want to send the message.

Attachments

(Optional) Press this button to open the Attachments dialog box, which lists an index of attachments in the message.  For more information, see How to Send an Attachment.

All Fields

Press this button to hide the list of message fields that appear under Fields (see below).  Press this button again to show the extra fields.

Fields

This is a list of all the fields that apply to the message.  See Message Fields for a description of each field.  To change a particular field's value, highlight the field and enter the value in the "Value for <Field>" control below.  If a field has "Default" next to it, it's using the default value defined on the Post tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box.

Value for <Field>

The desired value for the field selected above.  If you change a field's value and later decide to revert back to its default value, check the Use Default box to the right of this control.

Use Default

Check this box if you wish to use the default value that has been defined for any of the Fields above.  The default values are defined on the Post tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.  Checking this box can be helpful if you change the value for a field and later decide that you want to revert back to its default value.

Signature

Select the signature to place at the bottom of this message.  Choose "[None]" if you don't want a signature added to the message.  You can view, modify, or create signatures with the Signatures dialog box.  You can also define a different default signature for each group with the Post tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box.

Note: Agent does not display your signature in this window.  It will add the signature to the message when transmitting it to the Internet.

Filing

Select the folder in which to file the message.  Choose "[Leave in Outbox]" to save the message in your Outbox or choose "[Delete]" to have Agent delete the message after sending it.

Send Now

Press this button to immediately transmit your message to the Internet.  This button appears dim when the Newsgroups field is blank.

Send Later

Press this button if you use Agent offline and you have other messages you want to send.  This button appears dim when the Newsgroups field is blank.

Once you have composed all your messages, select Post Usenet and Email Messages from the Online menu to transmit them to the Internet.  Note: Agent does not make a copy of the attached file prior to sending it.  If you press Send Later, make sure that the file stays around until you transmit the message.

Save

Press this button to save your message without sending it.  The message will appear in your Outbox.  To view your Outbox, choose Open Outbox from the Window menu.  You can double-click the message in the Outbox to edit and/or send it.

Text

Enter the text of your message.  Note: On the Languages tab of the General Preferences dialog box, you can select whether or not your messages are formatted in MIME quoted-printable format.

Navigation Note: You can move from "To:" to "Subject:" to "Cc:" to "Text:" by entering the Tab key.   You can cycle in reverse order through all fields that are shown (i.e. depending on whether you are showing All Fields or not) by entering Shift+Tab.

See Also:

How to Send Email

Making Sure Messages Were Sent Properly

How to Re-send a Message You Created

Paste Header Fields

Message Text Display Options

How to Use the Address Book

About Agent's Dictionaries.

ROT13 Encoding and Decoding


Compose Email Message window
Compose Email Message window (Post menu)

Use this window to create an email.  For more information, see How to Send Email.

To

Enter the recipient's email address.  If the recipient is in your address book, you can simply enter any word in his/her name and Agent will fill in the complete email address when transmitting the message to the Internet.

To send the same email to more than one person, enter all the email addresses or names separated by commas (e.g., john.doe@forteinc.com,jane.doe@forteinc.com).

Pick Address Button

Press this button to open the Pick Addresses dialog box where you can quickly select the people to whom you want to send the message.

Subject

Enter a brief phrase describing the message.

Cc

Enter the email addresses (separated by commas) of people to receive a copy of the message.  If this field already has any address(es) in it, you will notice that the Use Default box is checked.  (See below.)

Use Default

Check this box if you wish to use the default value for the Cc field defined on the Post tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.  Checking this box can be helpful if you have changed the value of the Cc field and later decide that you want it to revert back to its default value.

Attachments

(Optional) Press this button to open the Attachments dialog box, which lists an index of attachments in the message.  For more information, see How to Send an Attachment.

All Fields

Press this button to hide the list of message fields that appear under Fields (see below).  Press this button again to show the extra fields.

Fields

This is a list of all the fields that apply to the message.  See Message Fields for a description of each field.  To change a particular field's value, highlight the field and enter the value in the "Value for <Field>" control below.  If a field has "Default" next to it, it's using the default value for that field.  (See Use Default below.)

Value for <Field>

Enter the desired value for the field selected above.

Use Default

Check this box if you wish to use the default value that has been defined for any of the Fields above.  The default values are defined on the Post tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.  Checking this box can be helpful if you change the value for a field and later decide that you want to revert back to its default value.

Signature

Select the signature to place at the bottom of this message.  Choose "[None]" if you don't want a signature added to the message.  You can view, modify, or create signatures with the Signatures dialog box.

Note: Agent does not display your signature in this window.  It will add the signature to the message when transmitting it to the Internet.

Filing

Select the folder in which to file the message.  Choose "[Leave in Outbox]" to save the message in your Outbox or choose "[Delete]" to have Agent delete the message after sending it.

Send Now

Press this button to immediately transmit your message to the Internet.  This button appears dim when the To field is blank.

Send Later

Press this button if you use Agent offline and you have other messages you want to send.  This button appears dim when the To field is blank.

Once you have composed all your messages, select Post Usenet and Email Messages from the Online menu to transmit them to the Internet.  Note: Agent does not make a copy of the attached file prior to sending it.  If you press Send Later, make sure that the file stays around until you transmit the message.

Save

Press this button to save your email without sending it.  The message will appear in your Outbox.  To view your Outbox, choose Open Outbox from the Window menu.  You can double-click the message in the Outbox to edit and/or send it.

Text

Enter the text of your message.  Note: On the Languages tab of the General Preferences dialog box, you can select whether or not your messages are formatted in MIME quoted-printable format.  Click to see important Using MIME Quoted-Printable.

Navigation Note: You can move from "To:" to "Subject:" to "Cc:" to "Text:" by entering the Tab key.   You can cycle in reverse order through all fields that are shown (i.e. depending on whether you are showing All Fields or not) by entering Shift+Tab.

See Also:

How to Send Email

Making Sure Messages Were Sent Properly

Paste Header Fields

How to Re-send a Message You Created

Message Text Display Options

How to Use the Address Book


Default Properties for All Groups dialog box, Crossposts Tab
Default Properties for All Groups dialog box (Group menu)

Crossposts Tab

Use this dialog box to control how retrieval of crossposted messages should be handled for all groups.

Enable crosspost checking

Check this box to enable crosspost checking for all groups.  Uncheck this box to disable crosspost checking for all groups.

If a message header has already been retrieved in one group...

Select one of the following actions to be performed in all subsequent groups:

Retrieve the header normally

Mark the header read

Skip the header (do not retrieve it)

Look for crossposted messages only when retrieving NEW headers

When this box is checked, Agent does crosspost checking only when you retrieve new headers using either of the "Get New Headers" commands on the Online menu.  When this box is unchecked, Agent does crosspost checking no matter how headers are retrieved (i.e., when using "Sample Headers in Selected Groups", "Get All Headers in Selected Groups", or either of the "Get New Headers" commands on the Online menu).

Detect crossposted messages by...

This option controls the criteria Agent uses when checking for crossposted messages in all groups.  The choices are:

•	Subject, author, date and lines

•	Message ID

Clear cache used to detect crossposted messages

Press this button to remove the list of most recent message headers.  A confirmation box appears to ensure that you really want to clear the crosspost message cache.

See Also:

How Crosspost Management Works


Subject, author, date and lines

If you check "Subject, author, date and lines", Agent scans the list of messages, looking for matching subjects, authors, dates, and line counts.  Checking for these header field criteria enables Agent to detect crossposts that the "Message ID" criteria can miss, such as a message that was posted separately to each group, rather than as a single message to multiple groups.


Message ID

Each message is assigned a unique message identifier.  If you check "Message ID" for detecting crossposts, Agent scans the messages, looking for matching Message Ids.  This works well on a general basis, but can fail in cases where a message is posted separately to each group, rather than as a single message to multiple groups.


Retrieve the header normally

This option disables crosspost checking globally.  Agent, however, continues to add retrieved headers to the cumulative list of message headers, so that you can perform crosspost checking in specified groups (i.e., override this default).


Mark the header read

This option marks crossposted message headers read in all groups, except for the initial group in which they have been retrieved.


Skip the header (do not retrieve it)

This option skips crossposted message headers in all groups, except for the initial group in which they have been retrieved.


Default Properties for All Groups dialog box, Directory tab
Default Properties for All Groups dialog box (Group menu)

Directory Tab

Use this dialog box to define your default group settings.  This tab defines the directory where Agent saves file attachments.

Directory for saving attached files

Enter the directory where you want Agent to save file attachments.

Temporary directory for launching attached files

Enter the directory where Agent will temporarily retain files launched in all groups.  By default, Agent creates a subdirectory named "temp" off of your working directory, but you can use this setting to change the name and location.  When you close Agent, these temporary files are deleted.

Browse

If you do not know which directory to enter in the field above, press this button to browse and select a directory.

See Also:

How to Retrieve an Attachment

How to Configure a GIF or JPG Viewer to Work with Agent


Select a File dialog box
Select File Directory dialog box (Group Properties Directory tab)

Use this dialog box to browse and select the directory where you want to save attachments.

Directories

Select the directory from which you want to select the file.

Drives

Select the drive from which you want to select the file.

Network

If your PC is part of a network, press this button to browse and select your network drive connection.


Default Properties for All Groups dialog box, Mark Read tab
Default Properties for All Groups dialog box (Group menu)

Mark Read Tab

Use this dialog box to define your default group settings.  This tab controls when Agent marks Usenet messages read.

Usually, you'll want to mark all existing messages read each time you retrieve new messages so that only the new ones are left unread.

When retrieving new message headers

Check the option that accomplishes how you want messages marked read when you retrieve new message headers.

•	Do not mark any existing messages read - prevents Agent from marking any existing messages read.

•	Mark all existing messages read - marks all existing Usenet messages read each time you retrieve new message headers for this group.

•	Mark only messages without bodies read - marks read only messages without bodies.

When retrieving marked message bodies

Check the option to specify how you want existing messages marked read when you retrieve marked message bodies for this group.  All the new messages Agent retrieves will be marked unread so that you can easily find them.

•	Do not mark any existing messages read - prevents Agent from marking any existing messages read when retrieving marked message bodies for this group.

•	Mark all existing messages read - marks all existing Usenet messages read each time you retrieve new message bodies for this group.

•	Mark only messages without bodies read - marks only messages without bodies read for this group.

See Also:

Marking Messages Read


Default Properties for All Groups dialog box, Post tab
Default Properties for All Groups dialog box (Group menu)

Post Tab

Use this dialog box to define your default group settings.  This tab controls how postings are handled.  Note: All of these settings can be overridden for a particular message.  See the Compose Usenet Message window and the Compose Email Message window for details.

Copy follow-up messages to author via email

When checked, Agent will send a copy of follow-up messages you post to the author of the message to which you are responding.  You can easily override this behavior for individual follow-ups by removing the author's name from the Email To field on the Compose Usenet Message window.

Signature

Select a default signature for all your postings and email.  Note: Changing this setting here also changes the Default Signature defined on the Signatures tab of the Posting Preferences dialog box.

File sent messages in folder

Select the folder in which to file messages you send.  Choose "[Leave in Outbox]" to save all sent messages in your Outbox or choose "[Delete]" to have Agent delete your messages after sending them.

File replies in same folder as original message

When replying or following up to a message in a folder, checking this box tells Agent to save your new message in that folder instead of the folder specified above.

Prevent usenet messages from being archived (X-No-Archive)

Some service providers archive every message that is transmitted.  Check this box to prevent such a service from archiving any of the messages you post in any group by adding an "X-No-Archive:yes" header field to the message.  (To see this field in the Message pane, select Show All Headers from the Message menu.)  Note: This is a request.  Users can ignore this header and archive your message anyway.

Observe X-No-Archive requests from original message in follow-ups

Uncheck the previous box and check this box to prevent any service provider from archiving any of your follow-up postings in a thread in any group.  If the previous box is checked, this option has no effect.  All messages will be posted with the "X-No_Archive yes" header.  If the previous option is unchecked and this one is checked, you can't be guaranteed that messages won't be archived.  Agent simply uses the "X-No-Archive:<whatever>" header from the original message, if present.

Fields

This list contains all the Usenet message fields (and some email ones as well) for which you can set default values.  See Message Fields for a description of each field.  Setting a default value for these fields saves you time when creating messages because you don't have to reenter the common information each time.  Note: The global defaults for the From, Organization, and Reply-To fields also appear on the User tab of the User and System Profile dialog box.  Changing these fields here also changes them in that dialog box (and vice versa).

To change a particular field's default value:

1.	Highlight the desired field

2.	Check the "Override default value for field" box

3.	Enter the new value in the "Value for <Field>" control.

Value for <Field>

Enter the default value for the field selected in the Fields list.

See Also:

Compose Usenet Message window

Compose Email Message window

How to Post Usenet Messages

How to Send Email


Default Properties for All Groups dialog box, Retrieve tab
Default Properties for All Groups dialog box (Group menu)

Retrieve Tab

Use this dialog box to define your default group settings.  This tab controls how and what Agent retrieves from the news server.

Retrieve bodies for all new messages

Check this box to have Agent automatically retrieve the bodies for all new Usenet messages at the same time it retrieves the headers.  This option is handy if you know you'll always want to read all of the messages in a particular group.  Of course, it takes a lot longer to retrieve the bodies, so you probably don't want to select this option for all groups.

Do not retrieve messages longer than...

Check this box and enter a value to limit the size of bodies that are automatically retrieved by the option above.  For example, you may want to read most of the messages in a particular group, but not necessarily download the group's FAQ every time it is posted.  If you know the FAQ is usually over 200 lines long, limit the maximum size to 200 lines.

Limit number of headers retrieved per session to...

Check this box and enter a value to limit the number of headers retrieved each time you retrieve new headers for the group.  For example, if you limit the number to 100 headers, Agent will retrieve no more than the 100 most-recent messages.  This option is handy if you want to catch up with a busy group, and know you can't possibly read all the messages posted since you last checked.  Note: This setting only affects the Get New Headers in Subscribed Groups and the Get New Headers in Selected Groups commands.  For more information on these commands, see Online Menu Commands Explained.

View Empty Group Action

Select the action you want Agent to take when you double-click or press Enter on an empty newsgroup.

Do not Keep unavailable messages

When this box is checked, if you attempt to retrieve the body for an unavailable message and Agent marks the message with the unavailable icon [image], Agent will also clear any Keep flag [image] for the message.

See Also:

Sample Headers from Selected Groups

Online Menu Commands Explained


View Empty Group actions

The possible actions are:

•	Do Nothing - Agent will take no action.

•	Get All headers - Agent will get all the headers for the empty group.

•	Get sample of headers - Agent will retrieve a sampling of headers for the empty group.  If you select this option, you can specify the maximum number of headers to sample.

•	Prompt for action - Agent will prompt you before taking any action.


Default Properties for All Groups dialog box, What to Purge tab
Default Properties for All Groups dialog box (Group menu)

What to Purge Tab

Use this dialog box to define your default group settings.  This tab controls which Usenet messages Agent automatically purges (deletes).  To control when Agent purges messages, see the When to Purge tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.  For more information on purging in general, see About Usenet Message Purging.

Configure Agent's Hard Disk Usage

The buttons in this box help you define the purging options below. Agent maintains a database of messages for each group and these buttons provide presets for common purging configurations.  After pressing one of these buttons, check the other values in the dialog box and change them to meet your specific requirements.

Purge Read Messages Without Bodies

This control defines when Agent purges messages you did not retrieve but marked read (i.e., you only retrieved the message's header).  Usually, these are messages that you are not interested in reading.  For more information on each option in the list, click On every purge, When the message is older than, and When the message is no longer available.

Purge Read Messages With Bodies

This control defines when Agent purges messages you have retrieved and read.  For more information on each option in the list, click On every purge; On every purge, delete body only; When the message is older than; and Never.

Purge Unread Messages Without Bodies

This control defines when Agent purges messages you have not retrieved or marked read (i.e., you only retrieved the message's header).  Usually, you haven't yet decided if you want to read these messages.  For more information on each option in the list, click On every purge, When the message is older than, and When the message is no longer available.

Purge Unread Messages With Bodies

This control defines when Agent purges messages you have retrieved but not yet read.  For more information on each option in the list, click On every purge; On every purge, delete body only; When the message is older than; and Never.

Always get complete list of available messages from server

When checked, Agent retrieves a complete list of available messages whenever it gets new headers.  This option is useful (but not required) when you have selected the "When the message is no longer available" option in one of the controls above.  It does, however, increase the time required to get new headers.  For a group containing 500 messages, it increases the download time for each group by about five seconds for a 14.4 kbps modem connection.

When unchecked, Agent purges messages with numbers lower than the range of available messages reported by the news server.  Since there are often gaps in the available range of messages, this setting may cause Agent to keep messages that are no longer available.

Important Note!  On occasion, you might save an attachment (using Save all Attachments), then subsequently decide you no longer want it and delete it (using Delete Saved Attachments).  When you delete the attachment, however, keep in mind that Agent still retains the body of the message.  For example, you might see the Usenet message with attachments icon [image] next to the header, even though you've deleted the attachment.  To prevent this from happening, it is better to launch attachments from the message (using Launch Attachment) and decide whether or not you want to keep it before saving it to file.

See Also:

Marking Messages Read

Compacting Agent's Database Files


Default Properties for All Groups dialog box, When to Purge tab
Default Properties for All Groups dialog box (Group menu)

When to Purge Tab

Use this dialog box to define your default group settings.  This tab controls when Agent automatically purges (deletes) Usenet messages.  To control which messages Agent purges, see the What to Purge tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.  For more information on purging in general, see About Usenet Message Purging.

Purge - When retrieving new headers

When checked, Agent purges messages from a newsgroup when it retrieves new headers for that group.

Purge - When closing Agent

When checked, messages from all newsgroups are purged when you exit Agent.

Compact - After manual purges

When checked, selecting a Purge Messages option from the Group menu also compacts your databases.  Note: A database is compacted only when the percent of disk space saved is greater than the value entered in the "Compact only if wasted space at least..." field below.

Compact - When closing Agent

When checked, Agent will compact all your databases when it closes.  Note: A database is compacted only when the percent of disk space saved is greater than the value entered in the "Compact only if wasted space at least..." field below.

Compact only if wasted space at least...

Before compacting a database, Agent checks to see how much disk space would be saved by the compact operation.  This setting allows you to bypass the potentially time-consuming operation if only a small amount of disk space would be saved.  Enter the minimum amount of disk space savings, as a percentage of the total size of the database, that will cause Agent to perform an automatic compaction after either a manual purge and/or an automatic purge during exit.

When closing Agent, Ask before purging, compacting, or emptying the trash

When checked, Agent asks for confirmation before purging, emptying the trash, and/or compacting databases when you close the program.  When unchecked, the Agent will perform those operations without asking first.  Note: To purge or compact databases on exit, be sure to check the appropriate box above.

See Also:

Compacting Agent's Database Files


Properties for Selected Groups dialog box, Crossposts Tab
Properties for Selected Groups dialog box (Group menu)

Crossposts Tab

Use this dialog box to control how retrieval of crossposted messages should be handled for selected groups.

Enable crosspost checking

If you check or uncheck this box, your choice is also reflected on the Default Properties Crossposts All Groups Crossposts Tab.  Checking this box enables crosspost checking for all groups.  Unchecking this box disables crosspost checking for all groups.

Override default settings

Select this options to use the options below rather than those same options on the Default Properties for All Groups Crossposts Tab.

If a message header has already been retrieved in one group...

Select one of the following actions to be performed in the selected groups:

Retrieve the header normally

Mark the header read

Skip the header (do not retrieve it)

Look for crossposted messages only when retrieving NEW headers

When this box is checked, Agent does crosspost checking only when you retrieve new headers using either of the "Get New Headers" commands on the Online menu.  When this box is unchecked, Agent does crosspost checking no matter how headers are retrieved (i.e., when using "Sample Headers in Selected Groups", "Get All Headers in Selected Groups", or either of the "Get New Headers" commands on the Online menu).

Detect crossposted messages by...

This option controls the criteria Agent uses when checking for crossposted messages in all groups.  The choices are:

•	Subject, author, date and lines

•	Message ID

Clear cache used to detect crossposted messages

Press this button to remove the list of most recent message headers.  A confirmation box appears to ensure that you really want to clear the crosspost message cache.

See Also:

How Crosspost Management Works


Retrieve the header normally

This option disables crosspost checking for specified groups.  Agent, however, continues to add retrieved headers from the specified groups to the cumulative list of headers, so that you can perform crosspost checking in other specified groups.


Mark the header read

This option marks crossposted message headers read for selected groups, except for the initial group in which they have been posted.


Skip the header (do not retrieve it)

This option skips crossposted message headers in selected groups, except for the initial group in which it has been posted.


Properties for Selected Groups dialog box, File Directory tab
Properties for Selected Groups dialog box (Group menu)

Directory Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings for the selected newsgroup.  TIP:  If you highlight several groups before opening this dialog box, you will be changing the settings for all the selected groups at once.

This tab defines the directory where Agent saves file attachments.

Override default settings

Check this box to use the settings defined on this tab instead of those defined in the Directory tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.

Directory

Enter the directory where you want Agent to save file attachments decoded from this group.

Temporary directory for launching attached files

Enter the directory where Agent will temporarily retain files launched in the selected group.  By default, Agent creates a subdirectory named "temp" off of your working directory, but you can use this setting to change the name and location.  When you close Agent, these temporary files are deleted.

Browse

Press this button to open the Select File Directory dialog box to browse for a directory.

See Also:

How to Retrieve an Attachment

How to Configure a GIF or JPG Viewer to Work with Agent


Properties for Selected Groups dialog box, Mark Read tab
Properties for Selected Groups dialog box (Group menu)

Mark Read Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings for the selected group.  TIP:  If you highlight several groups before opening this dialog box, you will be changing the settings for all the selected groups at once.

This tab controls when Agent marks Usenet messages read.  Usually, you'll want to mark all existing messages read each time you retrieve new messages so that only the new ones are left unread.

Override default settings

Check this box to use the settings defined on this tab instead of those defined in the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.

When retrieving new message headers

Check the option that accomplishes how you want existing messages marked read when you retrieve new message headers.

•	Do not mark any existing messages read - prevents Agent from marking any existing messages read.

•	Mark all existing messages read - marks all existing Usenet messages read each time you retrieve new message headers for this group.

•	Mark only messages without bodies read - marks read only messages without bodies.

When retrieving marked message bodies

Check the option that accomplishes how you want existing messages marked read when you retrieve marked message bodies for this group.  All the new messages Agent retrieves will be marked unread so that you can easily find them.

•	Do not mark any existing messages read - prevents Agent from marking any existing messages read when retrieving marked message bodies for this group.

•	Mark all existing messages read - marks all existing Usenet messages read each time you retrieve new message bodies for this group.

•	Mark only messages without bodies read - marks only messages without bodies read for this group.

See Also:

Marking Messages Read


Properties for Selected Groups dialog box, Post tab
Properties for Selected Groups dialog box (Group menu)

Post Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings for the selected group.

TIP:  If you highlight several groups before opening this dialog box, you will be changing the settings for all the selected groups at once.

This tab controls how postings to this group and email replies from this group are handled.  Note: All of these settings can be overridden for a particular message.  See the Compose Usenet Message window and the Compose Email Message window for details.

Override default settings

Check this box to use the settings defined on this tab instead of those defined in the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.  Note: Checking this box only overrides the "Copy follow-up messages to author via email," "Signature," and "Spell Check Language" settings.  Each field in the "Fields" list must be overridden independently (see below for details).

Copy follow-up messages to author via email

When checked, Agent will send a copy of follow-up messages you post to the author of the message to which you are responding.  You can easily override this behavior for individual follow-ups by removing the author's name from the Email To field on the Compose Usenet Message window.

Signature

Select a signature to use for posting to this group or email replies from this group.

File sent Messages in folder

Select the folder in which to file messages you send from this group.  Choose "[Leave in Outbox]" to save all sent messages in your Outbox or choose "[Delete]" to have Agent delete your messages after sending them.

Prevent usenet messages from being archived (X-No-Archive)

Some service providers archive every message that is transmitted.  Check this box to prevent such a service from archiving any of the messages you post in the selected groups by adding an "X-No-Archive:yes" header field to the message.  (To see this field in the Message pane, select Show All Headers from the Message menu.)  Note: This is a request.  You can ignore this header and archive your message anyway.

Observe no archive requests from original message in follow-ups

Uncheck the previous box and check this box to prevent any service provider from archiving any of your follow-up postings in a thread in the selected groups.  If the previous box is checked, this option has no effect.  All messages will be posted with the "X-No_Archive yes" header.  If the previous option is unchecked and this one is checked, you can't be guaranteed that messages won't be archived.  Agent simply uses the "X-No-Archive:<whatever>" header from the original message, if present.

Fields

This list contains all the Usenet message fields (and some email ones as well) for which you can set default values.  See Message Fields for a description of each field.  Setting a default value for these fields saves you time when creating messages because you don't have to reenter the common information each time.  You can even default the Newsgroups field to automatically cross-post messages to several groups.

To change a particular field's default value:

1.	Highlight the desired field

2.	Check the "Override default value for field" box

3.	Enter the new value in the "Value for <Field>" control.

Override default value for field

Check this box to use the default field value defined on this tab instead of the one defined in the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.

Value for <Field>

Enter the default value for the field selected in the Fields list.  You must check the "Override default value for field" box before you can enter a value here.

See Also:

Compose Usenet Message window

Compose Email Message window

How to Post Usenet Messages

How to Send Email


Properties for Selected Groups dialog box, Retrieve tab
Properties for Selected Groups dialog box (Group menu)

Retrieve Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings for the selected newsgroup.  TIP:  If you highlight several groups before opening this dialog box, you will be changing the settings for all the selected groups at once.

This tab controls how and what Agent retrieves from the news server.  Note:  The options View Empty Group Action and Maximum headers to sample apply to all groups.

Override default settings

Check this box to use the settings defined on this tab instead of those defined in the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.

Retrieve bodies for all new messages

Check this box to have Agent automatically retrieve the bodies for all new Usenet messages at the same time it retrieves the headers.  This option is handy if you know you'll always want to read all of the messages in a particular group.  Of course, it takes a lot longer to retrieve the bodies, so you probably don't want to select this option for all groups.

Do not retrieve messages longer than...

Check this box and enter a value to limit the size of bodies that are automatically retrieved by the option above.  For example, you may want to read most of the messages in a particular group, but not necessarily download the group's FAQ every time it is posted.  If you know the FAQ is usually over 200 lines long, limit the maximum size to 200 lines.

Limit number of headers retrieved per session to...

Check this box and enter a value to limit the number of headers retrieved each time you retrieve new headers for the group.  For example, if you limit the number to 100 headers, Agent will retrieve no more than the 100 most-recent messages.  This option is handy if you want to catch up with a busy group, and know you can't possibly read all the messages posted since you last checked.  Note: This setting only affects the Get New Headers in Subscribed Groups and the Get New Headers in Selected Groups commands.  For more information on these commands, see Online Menu Commands Explained.

View Empty Group Action

Select the action you want Agent to take when you double-click or press Enter on an empty newsgroup.

Do not Keep unavailable messages

When this box is checked, if you attempt to retrieve the body for an unavailable message and Agent marks the message with the unavailable icon [image], Agent will also clear any Keep flag [image] for the message.

See Also:

Sample Headers from Selected Groups

Online Menu Commands Explained


Properties for Selected Groups dialog box, What to Purge tab
Properties for Selected Groups dialog box (Group menu)

What to Purge Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings for the selected group.  TIP:  If you highlight several groups before opening this dialog box, you will be changing the settings for all the selected groups at once.

This tab controls which Usenet messages Agent automatically purges (deletes).  To control when Agent purges messages, see the When to Purge tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box.  For more information on purging in general, see About Usenet Message Purging.

Override default settings

Check this box to use the settings defined on this tab instead of those defined in the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.

Configure Agent's Hard Disk Usage

The buttons in this box help you define the purging options below. Agent maintains a database of messages for each group and these buttons provide presets for common purging configurations.  After pressing one of these buttons, check the other values in the dialog box and change them to meet your specific requirements.

Purge Read Messages Without Bodies

This control defines when Agent purges messages you did not retrieve but marked read (i.e., you only retrieved the message's header).  Usually, these are messages that you are not interested in reading.  For more information on each option in the list, click On every purge, When the message is older than, and When the message is no longer available.

Purge Read Messages With Bodies

This control defines when Agent purges messages you have retrieved and read.  For more information on each option in the list, click On every purge; On every purge, delete body only; When the message is older than; and Never.

Purge Unread Messages Without Bodies

This control defines when Agent purges messages you have not retrieved or marked read (i.e., you only retrieved the message's header).  Usually, you haven't yet decided if you want to read these messages.  For more information on each option in the list, click On every purge, When the message is older than, and When the message is no longer available.

Purge Unread Messages With Bodies

This control defines when Agent purges messages you have retrieved but not yet read.  For more information on each option in the list, click On every purge; On every purge, delete body only; When the message is older than; and Never.

Always get complete list of available messages from server

When checked, Agent retrieves a complete list of available messages whenever it gets new headers.  This option is useful (but not required) when you have selected the "When the message is no longer available" option in one of the controls above.  It does, however, increase the time required to get new headers.  For a group containing 500 messages, it increases the download time by about five seconds for a 14.4 kbps modem connection.

When unchecked, Agent purges messages with numbers lower than the range of available messages reported by the news server.  Since there are often gaps in the available range of messages, this setting may cause Agent to keep messages that are no longer available.

Important Note!  On occasion, you might save an attachment (using Save all Attachments), then subsequently decide you no longer want it and delete it (using Delete Saved Attachments).  When you delete the attachment, however, keep in mind that Agent still retains the body of the message.  For example, you might see the Usenet message with attachments icon [image] next to the header, even though you've deleted the attachment.  To prevent this from happening, it is better to launch attachments from the message (using Launch Attachment) and decide whether or not you want to keep it before saving it to file.

See Also:

Marking Messages Read

Compacting Agent's Database Files


On every purge

Select this option to purge this type of message every time Agent purges any messages from the newsgroup.  This option reduces the amount of clutter in the Message List pane, but prevents you from reading messages that you may have overlooked in previous sessions.


When the message is no longer available
When the message is older than

Select this option to purge this type of Usenet message when it is older than the specified number of days.


When the message is no longer available

Select this option to purge this type of message when it is purged from the news server's list of messages.  This setting makes the list of messages displayed by Agent a mirror image of those available from the server.


On every purge, delete body only

Select this option to purge the body of this type of message every time Agent purges any messages from the newsgroup.  Purging only bodies saves hard disk space while still allowing you to maintain a complete list of messages.


Never

Select this option to prevent messages of this type from being purged.  As an alternative to this option, you may want to consider keeping the important messages (highlight the message and choose Keep from the Message menu) or moving them to a folder.


Properties for Selected Groups dialog box, When to Purge tab
Properties for Selected Groups dialog box (Group menu)

When to Purge Tab

This tab controls when Agent automatically purges (deletes) Usenet messages.  To control which messages Agent purges, see the to Purge tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box.  For more information on purging in general, see About Usenet Message Purging.

Note: These controls affect when all groups are purged, not just the selected one.

Purge - When retrieving new headers

When checked, Agent purges messages from a newsgroup when it retrieves new headers for that group.

Purge - When closing Agent

When checked, messages from all newsgroups are purged when you exit Agent.

Compact - After manual purges

When checked, selecting a Purge Messages option from the Group menu also compacts your databases.  Note: A database is compacted only when the percent of disk space saved is greater than the value entered in the "Compact only if wasted space at least..." field below.

Compact - When closing Agent

When checked, Agent will compact all your databases when it closes.  Note: A database is compacted only when the percent of disk space saved is greater than the value entered in the "Compact only if wasted space at least..." field below.

Compact only if wasted space at least...

Before compacting a database, Agent checks to see how much disk space would be saved by the compact operation.  This setting allows you to bypass the potentially time-consuming operation if only a small amount of disk space would be saved.  Enter the minimum amount of disk space savings, as a percentage of the total size of the database, that will cause Agent to perform an automatic compaction after either a manual purge and/or an automatic purge during exit.

When closing Agent, prompt for confirmation...

When checked, Agent asks for confirmation before purging and/or compacting databases when you close the program.  When unchecked, the Agent will purge and/or compact the databases without asking first.  Note: To purge or compact databases on exit, be sure to check the appropriate box above.

See Also:

Compacting Agent's Database Files


Manage Views dialog box (Group menu)

Use this dialog box to define up to twenty specific views of messages that you might want to use now and at various times in the future.

View

This is a list of all views that have currently been defined.  The default list includes Unread Messages, Unread Messages With Bodies, and Messages With Bodies.  All defined views will appear on the flyout menu for the View command (Group menu).  The "&" character in the view name (see the defaults) identifies the letter that should be underlined when the name appears on the View menu.

Add

Press this button to bring up the Add View dialog box, which you will use to add a view to the View list.

Rename

Press this button to bring up the Rename View dialog box, which you will use to edit the name of the selected view in the View list.

Delete

Press this button to delete the selected view in the View List.  This action is immediate.  There is no confirmation dialog, so make sure you really want to delete this view before performing this action.  If you accidentally delete a view, you can press Cancel to exit the dialog, thereby canceling your changes.

Up

Press this button to move the highlighted view expression up one position in the View list.

Down

Press this button to move the highlighted view expression down one position in the View list.

Simple view

Select this option to show a series of attributes used to create simple view filters.  You can choose different combinations of view attributes to create different custom views.  (See the choices under "Show only the following messages" below.)

Advanced view

Select this option to show the advanced Boolean expression field, where you can create more complex conditions for views by entering Boolean expressions.  To see how this works, see How to Create View Filters.

Show only the following messages

This series of message attributes appears when the "Simple View" option is selected.  To add simple views to the View list above, check all the attributes of the messages that will apply to the view, then press the Add button to name the new view.  The attributes are:

•	Read or Unread

•	With Bodies or Without bodies

•	Watched or Not watched

•	Ignored or Not Ignored

•	Kept or Not kept

•	Marked for retrieval or Not marked for retrieval

•	Incomplete multiparts or Not incomplete multiparts

•	Show complete Threads for matching messages

You can create many types of views using different combinations of these attributes.

Navigation Note: You may notice that there are no keyboard accelerators for the attributes in the right hand column (the "not" attributes).  We simply ran out of letters.  However, you can still use the keyboard to navigate to these attributes by pressing the accelerator for the companion checkbox and then pressing RightArrow.

Show complete Threads for matching messages

This option is only available if you have selected the Simple view option.  When checked, Agent will display all of the messages in threads that contain any messages matching a filter condition.

To add a new view:

1.	Press the Add button and add a name for the new view.

2.	With the name of the new view highlighted, check all the attributes that will apply to the view.

3.	Press OK.

See Also:

Naming Conventions for Views

How to Create View Filters


Add View dialog box
Add View dialog box (from Manage Views dialog box)

Use this dialog box to add a specific type of view to the View list on the Manage Views dialog box.

Name

Enter the Name of the view you wish to add.

See Also:

Naming Conventions for Views


Rename View dialog box
Rename View dialog box (from Manage Views dialog box)

Use this dialog box to rename the selected view in the View list on the Manage Views dialog box.

New Name

Enter the new name that you want to replace the current name of the selected view.


Select View dialog box (View filters)
Select View dialog box (Select View Icon [image])

Use this dialog box to select one of the defined views for your Message List pane.

Views

This is a list of all views that have been defined.  The default views are:

•	All Messages

•	Unread Messages

•	Unread Messages With Bodies

•	Messages with Bodies

Manage Views

If the type of view you're looking for is not on the list, press this button to bring up the Manage Views dialog box.  Then add the desired view as described in the online help.


New Folder dialog box
New Folder dialog box (Group menu)

Use this dialog box to create a new folder.

Folder Name

Enter the name for the new folder.  The name can be up to 255 characters.

See Also:

Filing Messages in Folders

Inbound Email Folder tab


New Folder dialog box

Use this dialog box to create a folder for incoming email.  All your incoming mail will be saved in this folder.

Folder Name

Enter a name for the folder (up to 255 characters) where incoming mail will be saved.

See Also:

Filing Messages in Folders


Select Folder for Inbound Mail dialog box

Use this dialog box to select the folder in which you want incoming mail saved.

Folder

Select a folder for your incoming mail.

New Folder

Press this button to create a new folder for your incoming mail.

See Also:

Filing Messages in Folders

Folder tab of the Inbound Mail dialog box


Rename Folder dialog box
Rename Folder dialog box (Group menu)

Use this dialog box to change an existing folder's name.

Old Name

This is the folder's original name.

New Name

Enter a new name for the folder.

See Also:

Filing Messages in Folders


Copy/Move Message to Folder dialog box
Copy/Move Message to Folder dialog box (Message menu)

Use these dialog boxes to file a message into a folder that doesn't appear on your Copy/Move to Folder flyout menus.

Select all the messages you want to file before opening this dialog box.  If you select a collapsed thread, Agent will file all the messages in the thread.

Folders

Select the folder in which you want the messages filed.

Manage Menu

Press this button to open the Manage Folder Menus dialog box.

See Also:

Filing Messages in Folders

Folder tab of the Inbound Mail dialog box


Move Messages to Folder dialog box (Message menu)

Use this dialog box to move selected messages to the desired folder.

Folders

Select the folder into which you wish to move the selected messages.

Manage Menu

Press this button to bring up the Manage Folder Menus dialog box, where you can add and delete folders to the menu.

See Also:

Filing Messages in Folders


User and System Profile dialog box, Online tab
User and System Profile dialog box (Options menu)

Online Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab controls Agent's behavior while online.

Use Offline Defaults

Press this button if you want to use Agent as an offline news and mail reader.  This button optimally configures the remaining controls in this dialog box for offline use.  For more information, see How to Use Agent as an Offline Newsreader.

Use Online Defaults

Press this button if you want to use Agent as an online newsreader. This button optimally configures the remaining controls in this dialog box for online use.  For more information, see How to Use Agent as an Online Newsreader.

Times to retry after server refuses connection

Enter the number of times Agent should attempt to reconnect to the news server when it refuses a connection.  This normally happens when the news server is busy.

Pause between retries

Enter the number of seconds between each reconnection attempt.

Unload winsock (hang up) between retries

Check this box to have Agent hang up the modem between reconnection attempts.

Go offline automatically after...

Enter the number of seconds of inactivity that Agent waits before automatically disconnecting from your news server.  If you uncheck this box, Agent will not disconnect from your news server until you close the program or uncheck Online from the Online menu.

If you intend to read Usenet messages online, you might want Agent to go offline after a few minutes of inactivity.  This gives you time to read messages, but doesn't leave Agent online too long.  If you intend to read messages offline, you probably want Agent to go offline immediately (0 seconds of inactivity).

Send keep-alive messages every...

When this box is checked, Agent sends a command to your news server periodically in order to maintain the connection to the server.  This option is useful if your computer is connected to the server via a dial-up channel that automatically disconnects after a period of inactivity.

Enter the frequency of keep-alive messages sent from Agent to your news server.  Uncheck this box and Agent won't send any keep-alive messages.

Continue processing after an online error occurs

When this box is checked, Agent will note the occurrence of an online error, but will continue processing if at all possible (see note).  Agent will record the error in a log file if you check the Log online errors box (see below).  If the Continue processing ... box is not checked, Agent will display a message indicating that an error has occurred and will stop processing until you acknowledge the message.

Note:  For fatal errors or errors that cause Agent to go offline, processing will not continue.  In particular, errors that cause Agent to be disconnected from the news server will prevent Agent from continuing.

Enable priority message retrieval

When this box is checked, Agent opens a second channel to the news server when you attempt to retrieve the body of a message while Agent is already busy performing other online operations.  This makes it possible for you to begin reading new messages in one group while retrieving headers in another.

Enable priority retrieval for Attachments

When this box is checked, any attempt to launch an attachment that results in Agent retrieving the message body will cause the retrieval to be done as a priority task.  Note: This option is independent of the Enable priority message retrieval option.

Load winsock on program startup (and leave it loaded when offline)

Check this box to have Agent load winsock on program startup and leave it loaded until you close Agent.  Uncheck this box and Agent waits to load winsock until Agent goes online and unloads it when it goes offline.

TIP for Windows 95 and later:  Always check this box if you are using Dial-Up Networking (DUN) or Remote Access Service (RAS).  They use a different method to detect when to open or close your dial-up connection, which does not rely on having applications load and unload winsock.

TIP for Windows 3.1:  Usually, you will want to uncheck this option if you have configured the winsock to automatically dial the phone when the first application loads winsock, and automatically hang up the phone when the last application unloads it.  However, if you have a permanent connection to the Internet via a LAN, then it may be convenient to check this box so Agent only has to load winsock once per session.

Viewing Unretrieved Messages When Offline

Select the action you want Agent to perform when you are offline and attempt to view a Usenet message for which you do not have the body.  This setting affects double-clicking and pressing Enter on messages, as well as the View Next Unread Message and View Next Unread Message in Thread actions on the Navigate menu.

Log online errors

Check this option if you want Agent to note and log online errors.  When checked, errors will be logged to a log file, which can grow to the size specified as Max size.  When this maximum size is reached, the file will be trimmed to the size specified as Trim to.

See Also:

Online Menu Commands Explained


User and System Profile dialog box, System tab
User and System Profile dialog box (Options menu)

System Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab defines information that is required to use Agent.

News Server

Enter the name of your news (NNTP) server or its IP address.  If you don't know the name, ask your service provider or system administrator.

Server Creates messages out of order

When this box is checked, Agent always records any gaps in the list of messages that it has retrieved, so that it can check for new messages in the gaps the next time it retrieves new headers.

When this box is unchecked, Agent records the range of retrieved messages from the lowest message retrieved, through the highest, ignoring gaps.  Since most news servers don't add messages out of order (with the exception of Demon's), you can probably leave this unchecked.

TIP:  Unchecking this box will generally improve performance.

Send email messages with SMTP

Select this option if your mail is going to be sent with an SMTP server.

Email Server

Enter the name of your email (SMTP) server or its IP address.  If you don't know the name, ask your service provider or system administrator.

SMTP Authentication

Some ISPs require users to authenticate themselves prior to sending email through the ISP's SMTP mail server.  This requirement is often enforced to prevent spammers from using the ISP's mail server as a relay.  If your ISP's setup instructions have specified that you must turn on SMTP authentication in your email applications, then press this button to select the necessary settings.  (See SMTP Authentication dialog box.)

Send email messages with MAPI

Select this option if your mail is going to be sent using a MAPI email system.  Selecting this option causes six things to happen.

Address Format

This setting specifies how Agent should format email addresses.  Most MAPI-based email systems require that Internet addresses be formatted in a special way to identify them as Internet addresses, as opposed to addresses within the local email system.  Note that Agent fills in this field with the default format, [SMTP.%1].  In the format string, the "%1" represents the actual email address.

Login once per session

When this option is checked, Agent requires you to log into your MAPI email system once per Agent session.  If you leave this option unchecked, Agent requires you to log in each time you send an email message.  Note: If you are already logged into your email system for some other reason (e.g., if you are also running your primary email program), Agent will not require that you log in again.

Title Bar

Enter the name you wish to appear on the program's title bar.  The default is "Agent", but you can change this to anything you like.  Note: If you leave the field blank, Agent will use the default title, "Agent".


When You Select the MAPI Option:

•	Agent uses the "MAPI send message" window rather than the message composition window.  The addresses and message body are initialized as appropriate, but once the MAPI window has been opened, Agent no longer has control over the message.  The sent message is saved in your MAPI email system, not in Agent's outbox or folders.

•	The "Forward Verbatim" option is disabled.

•	Your signature is not appended to email messages.  Instead, you must use whatever signature mechanism is provided by your MAPI email system.

•	On the Group Properties Post tab (Default or for Selected Groups), the "Copy follow-up messages to author via email" option is disabled.

•	There is no facility for sending a message as both a news message and an email message.  For example, when MAPI is enabled, Agent ignores the "To:", "Cc:", and "Bcc:" fields in news messages, as well as the Address Book "pick" and "check" functions when composing news messages.

•	Agent will not send any pending email messages that may have been stored in your outbox prior to enabling MAPI email.  You should be sure to send any pending messages via SMTP prior to enabling MAPI email.


User and System Profile dialog box, User tab
User and System Profile dialog box (Options menu)

User Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab defines information about you.

Email Address

Enter your email address.  When you send a message, this address appears in the "From" field.  For example: lance.boehm@forteinc.com.

Full Name

(Optional) Enter your full name.  This name is included with your email address in messages that you send.  It is helpful to include your full name if your email address does not contain your name.  Also, some programs, such as Agent, can display an author's full name rather than his/her email address.

Organization

(Optional) Enter the name of the organization to which you belong.  This name is sent in the "Organization" field of Usenet messages you post.  It is not included in your email messages.

Reply To

(Optional) Enter an email address here if you want people to send replies to an address that is different than your Email Address listed above.  For example, you may use your business address as your Email Address, but would prefer that replies be sent to a personal email address.

Note: Changing the Email Address, Full Name, Organization, or Reply To value here also changes the corresponding field on the Post tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.

No login is required

Select this option if your server does not require you to enter a user name and/or password to login.

Login with a username and password

Check this box if your news server requires a special user name and/or password to login.  When checked, Agent will automatically fill in your user name when requested by the news server.

User Name

Enter the user name required by your news server for logging in.

Remember password between sessions

Check this box if your news server requires a special password to login and you want Agent to automatically enter that password for you.

Password

Enter the password required by your news server for logging in.  For security, your password appears as asterisks (*) and is stored in an encrypted format in AGENT.INI.

Note: You must take Agent offline and then back online for changes to the user name or password to take effect.

Login with Secure Password Authentication

Select this option if the Secure Password Authentication protocol (or SPA) is required to log in to the server.  Note:  When you select this option, SPA will prompt you for credentials.  That is why the Username and Password are grayed.

Information about your incoming email server is defined on the System Profile tab of the Inbound Email dialog box.


Server Authorization Password dialog box

Use this dialog box to enter the password required to login to your news server.

Password

Enter the password required by your news server.

Remember password between sessions

Check this box if you want Agent to automatically enter that password for you each time you login to the news server.


User and System Profile dialog box, Dial-Up tab
User and System Profile dialog box (Options menu)

Dial-Up Tab

(Windows 95 and later)

Use this dialog box to define the settings for automatically dialing a specified Dial-Up Networking (DUN) connection.

Open dial-up connection before going online

Check this box to have Agent automatically dial the specified connection each time Agent goes online.

Prompt before connecting

Check this box to have Agent display the Connect To dialog box before trying to connect with the specified connection.  A possible reason for using this option is to require a password to be entered manually before connecting (for greater security), rather than having Agent supply it automatically.

If another connection is already open, use it instead

Check this box to have Agent use an open connection to your server, if you already have one, whenever attempting a connection.

Connection

From the list, highlight the name of the connection to be used.  The list contains all the connections currently defined by the DUN.

Properties

Press this button to open the standard DUN connection properties dialog box, where you can edit the properties of the selected connection.  (Not available in WinNT)

New connection...

Press this button to open the standard DUN wizard dialog box, where you can create a new DUN connection entry.  (Not available in WinNT)

User Name/Password

Enter the username and password to be used for the connection.  If you want Agent to prompt for a password each time you connect, leave the password blank and check the Prompt before connecting box above.

•	Windows 95 - A separate username and password are stored for each connection in the DUN database.  Changing the entries here changes the DUN entries.

•	Windows NT - There is no facility for accessing the DUN username and password.  For this reason, Agent stores a single name and password for use by all connections.

Close dial-up connection after going offline

Check this option to have Agent behave as follows, depending on how you have set up Dial-Up Networking.

•	Case 1 - If Agent is configured to open a DUN connection when it goes online, then Agent will close the connection automatically.

•	Case 2 - If no DUN connection is open before you run Agent, but the DUN system automatically opens a connection in response to Agent's request to go online, then Agent will close the connection automatically.

•	Case 3 - If you open a DUN connection before you run Agent, then Agent will not close the connection, even if you have configured to automatically close connections.

Note: This option works even if you have not selected the option to have Agent automatically open a dial-up connection.

Prompt before disconnecting

Check this option to have Agent prompt you before closing the connection.

Title of Connection Status Window

This option is only visible if you are running Windows 95 or Windows NT 3.5.  Use this option if you are running a non-English version of Windows 95 or NT 3.5.  When the Windows 95 DUN dialer (or NT 3.5 RAS dialer) completes a connection, it displays a window in the middle of the screen showing the connection status.  When Agent is configured to open a DUN connection automatically, after the connection has been established, Agent searches for the DUN window and minimizes it.  By default, Agent searches for a window title beginning with "Connected to."  If you are running a non-English version of Windows 95 or NT 3.5, you can enter the window's correct title here.

Start Dial-Up monitor on first connection attempt

This option is only visible if you are running Windows NT 4.0.  In Windows NT 4.0, Agent launches the Dial-Up Networking Monitor on the first connection attempt.  You will see the monitor icon on the task menu system tray.  Agent doesn't attempt to close the monitor when it hangs up, nor does it re-launch the monitor on subsequent connection attempts, should you close the monitor manually.  Uncheck this box if you don't want Agent to launch the monitor.


Manage Folder Menus dialog box

Use this dialog box to add your most frequently used folders to the Message menu's "Copy to Folder" and "Move to Folder" flyout menus.

Folders

This is a list of all the folders that are not on your Copy/Move to Folder flyout menus.

Add

Press this button to include the folder highlighted in the Folders list on your Copy/Move to Folder flyout menus.  This folder will be inserted above the one selected in the Menu list.

Delete

Press this button to remove the folder highlighted in the Menu list from your Copy/Move to Folder flyout menus.

Menu

This is a list of the folders that appear on your Copy/Move to Folder flyout menus.  You can have no more than 9 folders on your flyout menus.

See Also:

Filing Messages in Folders


Inbound Email dialog box, System tab
Inbound Email dialog box (Options menu)

System Tab

This dialog box contains settings Agent uses when receiving email.  Use this tab to specify the name of your mail server and other information required to receive mail.  If you don't have all the information required to complete this dialog box, check with your service provider or system administrator.

Receive email with POP

Select this radio button if your incoming email is stored on a POP3 mail server.

POP Server

Enter the name of your POP3 mail server or its IP address.  E.g., mail.mycompany.com.

Login with a username and password

Select this option if you require both a username and password to log in to your server.

Use APOP password encryption

Check this box to require Agent to use APOP when logging in to the server.  APOP encrypts your password so that it can't be seen as it travels from Agent to the server.  Your ISP will tell you whether you should use APOP.

If you select APOP and your POP server does not support it, Agent will report an error when you try to connect to the server to retrieve your email.  In that case, return to this dialog box and uncheck the Use APOP option.

Username

Enter the name used to log in to the mail server in order to receive new messages.  E.g., gbrown.

Note:  In some other email packages (Eudora, for instance), you enter the POP Server and POP Account together, separated by the "@" character.  E.g., gbrown@mycompany.com.  In Agent, you enter these settings separately.

Remember password between sessions

Check this box and type your password into the box below to have Agent automatically enter your password when checking for new mail.  When this box is unchecked, Agent will prompt you for your password the first time it checks for new mail in each session.

Password

Enter your email account's password if you want Agent to automatically log onto your mail server when checking for new mail.  For security, your password appears as asterisks (*) and is stored in an encrypted format in AGENT.INI.

Login with Secure Password Authentication

Select this option if the Secure Password Authentication protocol (or SPA) is required to log in to the server.  Note:  When you select this option, SPA will prompt you for credentials.  That is why the Username and Password are grayed.

Receive email with SMTP

Select this option if your incoming email is delivered via SMTP from an SMTP client.

Load winsock on startup

Check this box if you want to connect to your service provider immediately upon loading Agent.  This option allows Agent to receive new mail whenever it is running and online, even if you are using another Internet program.

When the box is unchecked, Agent will receive email only when it is online doing something else, such as communicating with your news server or sending messages.

See Also:

How to Receive Email


Inbound Email dialog box, Checking for Mail tab
Inbound Email dialog box (Options menu)

Checking Mail Tab

This dialog box contains settings Agent uses when receiving email.  Use this tab to define how often Agent checks for new mail and what it does when it finds some.

Automatically check for email every...

Check this box if you want Agent to periodically check for new mail.  Enter the frequency of these automatic checks in the associated entry field.  Note: Agent must be loaded in order to check for new mail.  If you receive mail from an SMTP server, this option is dim because Agent checks for new mail continually while online.

Check only when online

Select this option and Agent will check for new mail only if you are already online with your service provider.

Unload winsock (hang up) between checks

Select this option to have Agent hang up your modem after checking for new mail.

Leave winsock loaded between checks

Select this option to have Agent remain online after checking for new mail.

Leave messages on server

Check this box to prevent Agent from removing messages from your mail server after retrieving them.  Normally, Agent deletes messages from the server as they are retrieved.  This option is useful when you retrieve messages from the same email account with more than one computer.

Note: Once a message has been retrieved and left on the server, Agent will not retrieve the message again.  If you subsequently uncheck this box, Agent will delete all the old messages from the server the next time you check for new email.

Until retrieved at both of my sites

This option is grayed unless you select "Leave messages on server" above.  Check this box if you are retrieving messages at two sites and want Agent to leave your messages on your server until they have been retrieved at both sites.

If a message has already been retrieved, mark it read

This option is to help people who receive email at two sites.  When you check this box, if Agent retrieves an email message that the server indicates has already been retrieved (presumably at your other site), Agent will mark the message read.

Skip messages longer than...

Check this box to keep Agent from downloading long email messages.  In the associated entry field, enter the maximum size of messages Agent is allowed to retrieve.  When Agent encounters a message larger than the maximum size, it retrieves the first few lines of the message (see "Maximum lines to sample" below) and leaves the entire message on the server.  Thereafter, as long as this setting is in effect, Agent will leave the message on the server and not retrieve it again.  To force Agent to retrieve the message in full, uncheck this box and it will be retrieved the next time you check for new mail.

Maximum lines to sample

Enter the number of lines to retrieve from messages larger than the maximum message size specified above.

See Also:

Filing Messages in Folders


Inbound Email dialog box, Alerts tab
Inbound Email dialog box (Options menu)

Alerts Tab

Use this dialog box to tell Agent how you want to be alerted when your receive new mail.

Display message box

Check this box to have Agent pop up a message when new mail is retrieved.

Play sound

Check this box to have Agent beep or, if you have a sound card installed or the PC Speaker driver loaded, play a WAV file when new mail is retrieved.

Only if new messages were marked unread

Check this box if you want Agent to beep or play the specified WAV file only if new retrieved messages are marked unread.  Checking this box is useful if you've created message filters that automatically mark certain messages read when they are retrieved.  In such cases, you do not want Agent to beep or play a WAV file to notify you that there is new mail.

WAV file

Enter the location of the WAV file to play when new mail is retrieved.  If you leave this field blank but check the Play Sound box, Agent will play the Email Receive sound defined in the Sound module of your Windows Control Panel.

Browse

Press this button to search for a WAV file to play when new mail is retrieved.


Inbound Email dialog box, Folder tab
Inbound Email dialog box (Options menu)

Folder Tab

This dialog box selects the default folder to be used when no email filter match is found.

Put all messages that match no other filters in folder

Select the folder in which to route any incoming email that are not automatically being routed into other folders.

New Folder

Press this button to create a new folder.  The newly created folder name will be inserted in the previous field.

See Also:

Filing Messages in Folders


Window Layout dialog box
Window Layout dialog box (Options menu)

Use this dialog box to select the layout of the panes in the current window.  You can choose how the panes should be arranged and what the contents of each pane should be.

Layout of Panes

These buttons show all of the available pane layouts.  Press a button to choose a layout.

Contents of Panes

For the layout you have selected above, these buttons show all of the ways that you can organize the Groups/Folders pane, Message List pane, and Message pane.  The box with black text represents the Groups/Folders pane.  Red text represents the Message List pane.  The Message pane has blue text.  Click on a button to choose an organization.

After you have chosen a layout and pressed OK, the window will update to reflect your selection.  If you desire, resize the panes by dragging the border between the panes.

TIP:  To show only one pane at a time, select Zoom Window from the Navigate menu or press Z.

If you would like to have a particular layout be the one used when you start Agent or open a new Browser window, choose Save As Default Window Layout from the Options menu.  This command saves the pane layout, pane sizing, and whether or not a pane is zoomed.


Address Book window
Address Book Window (Window menu)

Use this window to view and modify Agent's address book.  For more information, see Adding People to the Address Book.

Names

This is a list of all the entries in your address book.  Highlight a name in the list and you will see the email addresses or comments associated with an entry.

TIP: You can quickly find a name in this list by typing the first few letters of the name.  For example, typing "ji" will skip over "Jeanne" and select "Jim."

Addresses

This is a list of all addresses associated with the highlighted name.  Individuals should have only one address in this box (if you have multiple addresses for a single person, you should create multiple address book entries).  Mailing lists (groups of people to whom you commonly send the same message) should include the email address of everyone on the list, each on a separate line, or with addresses separated by commas.

Comments

(Optional) Enter notes about the selected address book entry.

Field Text

(Optional) Enter the mailing list name that members of this list will see when they receive a message sent to members of that list.  When blank, everyone on the mailing list sees the email addresses of everyone else on the list.  When filled in, recipients see only this text.  For example, you might enter "Multiple recipients of list <multilists@forteinc.com>".  That is what the recipients will see in the To: field on the message they receive.  Note: The Field Text value should be a valid email address, since it will appear in the message in a header field that is normally expected to contain a valid address.  Some email systems may reject your message if it contains a field with an invalid email address.

TIP:  You may want to use the address to which recipients of your list should send replies.  For example:

My mailing list <reply-here@my.company.com>

See Also:

Adding People to the Address Book

How to Use the Address Book

How to Post Usenet Messages

How to Send Email

Confirm Edits

Confirm Deletes

Expand Addresses


New Addresses dialog box
New Address dialog box

Use this dialog box to add new names and addresses to the Agent address book.  You can also use this dialog box to create mailing lists.

Name

Enter the name to add to the address book.  If you are creating a mailing list, enter a name for the mailing list, such as "Agent Beta Testers, U.S.".

Addresses

Enter the address associated with the name entered above.  If you are creating a mailing list, enter the addresses for each person on the list, separated by commas (e.g., john.doe@acme.com,amy.doe@symco.com).

Comments

(Optional) Enter a description of the person or group being added.

Field Text

(Optional) Enter the mailing list name that members of this list will see when they receive a message sent to members of that list.  When blank, everyone on the mailing list sees the email addresses of everyone else on the list.  When filled in, recipients see only this text.  For example, you might enter "Multiple recipients of list <multilists@forteinc.com>".  That is what the recipients will see in the To: field on the message they receive.  Note: The Field Text value should be a valid email address, since it will appear in the message in a header field that is normally expected to contain a valid address.  Some email systems may reject your message if it contains a field with an invalid email address.

TIP:  You may want to use the address to which recipients of your list should send replies.  For example:

My mailing list <reply-here@my.company.com>

See Also:

How to Use the Address Book

Adding People to the Address Book

How to Create a Group Mailing List


Pick Address dialog box

Open this dialog box to select a name defined in the Agent address book and insert it into the "To:", "Cc:", or "Bcc:" fields on the message composition window (Usenet or email).

Names

The list of names defined in the address book.

TIP: You can type the first few letters of a name to rapidly skip to that name.

To

Press this button to insert the highlighted name(s) into the "To:" field on the composition window.

Cc

Press this button to insert the highlighted name(s) into the "Cc:" field on the composition window.

Bcc

Press this button to insert the highlighted name(s) into the "Bcc:" field on the composition window.

Find

Press this button to open the Find Address dialog box used to quickly search the address book for a desired name.

Edit

Press this button to open the address book, where you can edit the address for the selected entry in the Pick Address dialog box.  When the address book opens, the currently highlighted entry in the Pick Address window is highlighted in the address book.

Comments

The description for the highlighted name defined in the New Address dialog box.  This information is read-only.  To change it, you can press the Edit button to jump to the address book window.

Expand addresses

This option applies to Usenet and email messages you are sending.  Check this box to cause Agent to insert the actual email address(es) for an address book entry, rather than the name of the entry.  For example, if you select the name amya from the address book, it will be inserted into the composition window in its expanded format, amya@forteinc.com.

See Also:

How to Use the Address Book

Finding Addresses


Renaming Address dialog box
Rename Address dialog box (Address menu)

Use this dialog box to change the currently highlighted name in the Agent address book.

Old Name

The current address book name is displayed.

New Name

Enter the name with which you want to replace the "old name" in the address book.

See Also:

How to Use the Address Book


Select
Select WAV File dialog box (Checking for Mail tab)

If your PC has audio capability, use this dialog box to select a WAV file that Agent will play to let you know when new mail is in your mailbox.

For Windows 95 and later:

Look in

Select the location of the WAV file.

Open

Press this button to open a folder, when browsing for a file.

File Name

Select a file from the list or enter the name of the file, if you know it.

Files of Type

Select WAV Files (*.wav) as the type of file.

For Windows 3.1:

File Name

Enter the name of the WAV file, or browse the directories if you do not know the name.

Directories

Select the directory in which the WAV file is located.

List of File Types

Select WAV Files (*.wav) as the type of file.

Drives

Select the drive in which the WAV file is located.

Network

If your PC is part of a network, press this button to bring up the Network - Connections dialog box.  For further information, press Help on that dialog box.


Unable to Launch Attachment dialog box
Unable to Launch Attachment

If you attempt to launch an attachment for which no associated application has been defined, this dialog box appears and allows you to select an application.

Select Application

Press this button to open the Select MIME Application dialog box, used to locate the application associated with the type of file you're attempting to launch.


Send Email Now dialog box

This dialog box is letting you know that you have one or more messages ready to send and is querying whether you want to send them now.  Select one of the following options and press OK, or press Cancel to prevent Agent from closing or going offline.

Remind me to send the messages the next time I close Agent or go offline

Select this option if you want to leave the messages queued in the Outbox, ready to send, and be reminded later to send them.

Send the messages now

Select this option to send the messages immediately, prior to closing Agent or going offline.

Leave the message in the outbox, but no longer attempt to send them

If you select this option, Agent will leave the messages in the outbox, but change their status so that they are no longer marked ready to send.  In order to send them later, you will have to select them in the outbox, open them in the composition window, and then use one of the Message menu options to send them.

Open the outbox so that I can review the messages

Select this option to open the outbox immediately.  In the outbox, you can review the messages and decide what to do with them.

Delete the messages…

Select this option to delete the messages from the outbox.


Paste Header Fields dialog box
Paste Header Fields dialog box (Edit menu)

With the Paste Header Fields command, when replying to or forwarding a message, you can paste selected fields from the original message into any of the fields on the composition window, or directly into the text area of the message.  To perform a paste, first set the focus to the field into which you want to paste.  Then, select Paste Header Fields from the Edit menu (or press Ctrl-H), select the field(s) to be pasted, and press OK.

The Paste Header Fields command is available only when you are replying to, doing a follow-up to, or forwarding a message.

The following fields, if present in the original message, are available for pasting, in the following order:

FROM

REPLY_TO

SENDER

APPARENTLY_FROM

TO

CC

BCC

SUBJECT

DATE

NEWSGROUPS

FOLLOWUP_TO

ORGANIZATION

MESSAGE_ID

In addition, only those fields that are appropriate for pasting into a given field are displayed in the choice list:

For address fields (To, From, Cc, Bcc, Sender), only address fields can be pasted.

For the Newsgroups and Followup-To controls, only Newsgroups and Followup -To fields can be pasted.

For the Expires control, only the Date field can be pasted.

If you select more than one field to be pasted, Agent uses the following rules to separate the fields:

If both fields are address fields, Agent inserts a comma (,) between them.

Otherwise, Agent inserts a single space between them.

The following rules determine how the field text is pasted into the edit control:

If any text is selected in the control prior to pasting, the selected text is replaced.

Otherwise, if the caret is not at the end of the control text, the field text is inserted at the caret position.

Otherwise, if the edit control is an address field, a comma (,) is inserted at the end of the text, followed by the field text.

Otherwise, the field text is inserted at the end of the text with no additional punctuation.


Paste Signature dialog box
Paste Signature dialog box (Edit menu)

Normally, Agent automatically appends your signature to messages that you post when Agent sends the messages.  However, sometimes you may wish to insert your signature manually into the text of a message while you are composing the message.  For example, you may want to verify or modify your signature before sending it.  Or, you may want to use a tool like PGP to cryptographically sign your message, and include your signature in the signed text.

Using this dialog, select the signature you want to paste and press OK.  Agent will paste the signature into the body of the message, at the current cursor position.  To paste the signature at the end of the message, be sure that the caret is positioned at the end before opening the Paste Signature dialog.

After you paste a signature into a message, Agent changes the message's Signature setting to [None], to prevent Agent from appending the signature again when it sends the message.


SMTP Authentication Dialog Box

Use this dialog box to select settings for authenticating yourself when sending email.  (Check with your ISP for the necessary settings.)

Three authentication modes are available:

1.	No login is required.  Select this setting if your ISP does not require authentication for sending email.  This is the most common setting for most users.

2.	Login with a username and password.  With this setting, Agent will supply a username and password each time it connects to the ISP's mail server to send email.  The following information may be specified:

Use POP username and password.  Check this option if your ISP has specified that your SMTP authentication username and password are the same as the ones you use to log into your POP mailbox to check for inbound email.  To use this option, you must be sure that the settings on the Options | Inbound Email dialog are correct.

Username.  If you have not selected "Use POP username and password", enter your SMTP authentication username here.

Remember password between sessions and Password.  Check this option and enter a password if you want Agent to remember your SMTP authentication password and supply it automatically.  Uncheck this option if you want to have Agent prompt you for your password each time you use the program.

3.	Login with POP-before-SMTP.  (Available in Agent only) Some ISPs use "POP before SMTP" authentication.  With this method, the mail server allows you to send outbound email if you have recently logged into your POP mailbox to check for inbound email.  With this setting, Agent keeps track of when you last checked for email and automatically logs you into your POP mailbox prior to sending email, if you have not logged into your POP mailbox within 10 minutes.  (Note that these automatic POP logins do not actually retrieve any email.)

4.	Login with Secure Password Authentication.  Select this option if the Secure Password Authentication protocol (or SPA) is required to log in to the server.  Certain ISPs, such as MSN, require SPA to prevent unauthorized users from sending email.  Note:  When you select this option, SPA will prompt you for credentials.  That is why the Username and Password are grayed.


Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions and Errors

This topic answers some of the most common questions users have about Agent.  It also explains possible problems and error messages you might encounter.

CONFIGURATION QUESTIONS

Can I run multiple copies of Agent?

Can I configure Agent for multiple users and servers?

Can I configure Agent as the default web browser service for Internet Explorer?

Can I configure Agent as the default web browser service for Netscape or Mozilla?

Can I configure CuteFTP to handle URLs from Agent?

Can I configure WS_FTP to handle URLs from Agent?

How do I configure URL launching so that a second Agent window is not opened?

QUESTIONS ABOUT MESSAGES

How do I re-send a failed message?

How do I restore a deleted group?

Why are quoted lines treated as one long line?

Why can't I View the End of Some Messages?

QUESTIONS ABOUT ATTACHMENTS

Is there an easy way to change from MIME to uuencoded format?

What if Agent failed to decode a multipart attachment?

What if Agent miscategorizes message as incomplete multipart?

QUESTION ABOUT URLS IN MESSAGES

How Do I Launch a URL That Agent Doesn't Recognize as a URL?

MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS

What is the Log window?

Why doesn't Agent Burst Some Digests?

ERRORS

Agent forgets settings or loses all its data

Common POP generated error

Errors reported by the news server

Errors reported by Winsock

Headers/Messages are marked as read after performing an online task

Pressing any buttons while offline causes Agent to hang

Pressing (M)ark or (I)gnore causes Agent to jump around


Agent failed to decode a binary file
Agent Failed to Decode a Multipart Attachment

If Agent is unable to find all the parts of a multipart attachment you are attempting to launch, it inserts an incomplete attachment icon [image] in front of the message header.

You can have Agent automatically save incomplete attachments to file by selecting the "Save attachments automatically" option on the Receiving Files tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box, then selecting one of the options under "If a Decoding error occurs."  The options are "Save and leave in message", "Save and remove from message", and "Do not save (leave in message)."  If you attempt to manually save an attachment to a file and a decoding error occurs, the option selected for this field will be the initial value in the Save Attachment - Encoding Error dialog box which appears.


Agent Forgets Settings or Loses All Its Data

Agent expects to find its setting and data files in the directory in which it runs.  If it can't find them, it assumes it is being run for the first time and displays the license screen. It will also "forget" any preferences, properties, and subscribed groups you have saved.

To correct this problem, select (single click) the Agent icon on your Program Manager desktop.  On the Program Manager menu, select Properties from the File menu.  You will be presented with the Program Item Properties dialog box.  Make sure the Working Directory is set to the directory where Agent stored its data files (usually the same directory where Agent is installed).

If you run Agent from a program that doesn't allow you to specify the working directory, you can pass this information to Agent on its command line.  For example, the command to run Agent may look like this:

c:\agent\agent.exe c:\agent


How Do I Launch a URL That Agent Doesn't Recognize as a URL?

There are a variety of formats for URLs.  There may be instances where Agent does not recognize a URL in an uncommon format.  In such cases the URL will not be highlighted.  However, you can still launch it by dragging the mouse across the URL to select it, then double-clicking it.


Configuring CuteFTP to Handle URLs from Agent

CuteFTP handles ftp URLs very well, and even supports URLs that contain an imbedded username and password for accessing non-anonymous sites.  For example:

ftp://myname:mypassword@ftp.foobar.com/pub/file.zip

To configure CuteFTP to handle launched URLs:

1.	Select General Preferences from the Options menu and click the URL Types tab.

2.	Select "ftp: File Transfer Protocol" as the URL type.

3.	Under "How to launch the URL", select "Use Custom Settings".

4.	Under "Custom Settings", define the Application to be:

<path>\cuteftp.exe %1 local=<dir>

where...

<path> is the directory in which CuteFTP is located.

<dir> is the local directory in which you want retrieved files to be stored.

IMPORTANT!  Do not check the "Use DDE" option.

Here's a complete example, assuming that the Win95 version of CuteFTP is located in the c:\Program Files directory and you want files to be placed in the c:\stuff directory.  Note: The program name is enclosed in quotes, because the path has a space in it.

"c:\Program Files\cutftp32.exe" %1 local=c:\stuff


Configuring WS_FTP to Handle URLs from Agent

The following procedure tells you how to configure WS_FTP to handle URLs that you launch from Agent.  Note: This procedure has been tested with WS_FTP version 4.04.  It may not work with earlier versions.

Note: As of this writing, WS_FTP does not handle URLs that contain an imbedded username and password.  So, any URL you pass to the program is constrained to use the username and password that you define to be the default, as described below.

To configure WS_FTP to handle launched URLs:

1.	Define a generic profile in ws_ftp for anonymous connections.  You can name this profile anything you want and it doesn't matter what the host name is, but be sure to check "anonymous login".  For the sake of this explanation, we'll assume you name the profile "generic".

2.	Select General Preferences from the Options menu and click the URL Types tab.

3.	Select "ftp: File Transfer Protocol" as the URL type.

4.	Under "How to launch the URL", select "Use Custom Settings".

5.	Under "Custom Settings", define the Application to be:

<path>\ws_ftp.exe -p generic %1 local:<dir>

where...

<path> is the directory in which ws_ftp is located.

<dir> is the local directory in which you want retrieved files to be stored.

Note: The local <dir> must end with a \ backslash.

IMPORTANT!  Do not check the "Use DDE" option.

Here's a complete example, assuming that ws_ftp is located in the c:\programs directory and you want files to be placed in the c:\stuff directory:

"c:\programs\ws_ftp.exe" -p generic %1 local:c:\stuff\


Can I Run Multiple Copies of Agent?

You can run multiple copies of Agent, as long as the data files for each copy are in separate working directories.

Note for Windows 3.1: In order to run separate copies concurrently, the EXE file for each copy must be assigned a different name.  In other words, multiple copies can't share the same EXE file.

Running multiple instances of Agent is useful if you wish to have two separate configurations of Agent (e.g., one for email and one for Usenet messages, each in its own startup directory).

See Also:

How to Configure Agent for Multiple Users and Servers


Common POP Generated Error

Below is a common error that can occur, under certain conditions, when logging into a POP server.  This error is generated if the mail server thinks that you (or another user) are already connected to your mailbox.  A POP server allows only one user at a time to access a particular mailbox.  For example, if you aborted an earlier session, the POP server might not have noticed that you disconnected.  So, if you try to reconnect, the server will refuse the attempt.  When this error occurs, you should terminate the ISP session and start again.

Error Text:

Sorry!   An online error occurred.

When:	Logging into POP server.

Reason:	Error reported by Server: ERR Maildrop lock busy!  Is another session active?


Errors Reported by the News Server

This topic will help you track down errors reported by your news server and detected by Agent.

441 400 Bad file number Writing history file - Throttling

441 400 loadav [innwatch.load] 305 gt 300

441 Can't send connect request to server, No such File or Directory

These errors all mean that the news server has an internal problem unrelated to anything you are doing.  Contact your service provider to have it fixed.  When this happens, Agent saves the message you were trying to post in its Outbox.  This way, you can try to send it again later from the Outbox, after your news server is working properly.  (Select Open Outbox from the Window menu to bring up the Outbox.)

441 Can't generate Message-ID Error 0

The error is generated internally by the server if either the server is unable to obtain the current date and time (from itself), or if it is unable to find out its own host name.  All of this happens after Agent has posted the message to the server.  We recommend that you contact your service provider and tell them about the error, since it indicates a problem with their server.

441 Posted in the Future

This error means the date/time on the message, as sent by Agent, is more than 24 hours later than the current date/time on the news server.  You should double-check your PC's date and time.   If you are running the 16-bit version of Agent, also check the time zone setting on the Time Zone tab of the Preferences dialog box

480 Authentication required for command error trying to post

This error means that your news server requires you to provide authentication before you can post.  You need to check with your service provider to find out exactly what is required.  In most cases, you need to supply the server a user name and password.  Once you get this information from your provider, you can enter it on the User tab of the User and System Profile dialog box.

500 Command not Recognized

Your news server is not configured to handle a command issued by Agent (usually the XOVER or the XHDR commands for retrieving information about messages). Agent requires that the server accept one of these commands.  You will need to contact your service provider and see if they can provide a server that honors these commands.

500 Error trying to connect to server

This error  means that Agent is attempting to log you into your news server, but your server doesn't actually require a login.  Go to the User tab of the User and System Profile dialog box and uncheck the "Server requires authorization login" box.

502 Authentication Error

Check to see if your news server really requires authentication.  If it doesn't or if you are not sure, open the User and System Profile dialog box (Options menu), go to the User tab, and uncheck the "Server requires authorization login" option.  If you know that your server does require authentication, double-check your User Name and Password on this dialog box.

502 You are not in my access file

502 You only have permission to transfer

502 You have no permission to talk

These all indicate that you are not properly set up as an authorized user of the news server.  You will have to contact your service provider or news administrator to get this corrected.

550 Addressee unknown

Usually, this means you tried to send an email to someone whose email address was unknown to the email server, and the server refused to try to forward the mail to another server.


Errors Reported by Winsock

This topic will help you track down errors reported by your winsock driver and detected by Agent.

10014 WSAEFAULT

The system detected an invalid address in attempting to use an argument of a call. Specifically, v1.1 WinSock spec notes that this error occurs if the length of the buffer is too small, for instance if the length of a struct sockaddr is not equivalent to the sizeof(structaddr).  However, it also occurs when an application passes an invalid pointer value.

10055 WSAENOBUFS

There is not enough memory available for WINSOCK.DLL to create any buffers for Agent.  The problem is with low memory (memory below 640k), not overall memory.  Try to free up more conventional memory.

10060 WSAETIMEOUT

This may be a case where Agent loads the WINSOCK.DLL, but the winsock driver fails to load.  Try loading the driver prior to Agent.  If this works, then make sure the winsock driver is in the DOS path.  You may also need to free more conventional memory.

10061 Connection refused by server

This error means that the server is either too busy to accept more connections, or possibly has been taken down for maintenance.

11004 Host Name not Found

This error means that the Winsock driver was unable to find the host name for your news (NNTP) or mail (SMTP) server.  Double-check the names of these servers in the System tab of the User and System Profile dialog box.  Usually, they will be something like "news.company.com" and "mail.company.com", where "company.com" is your provider's domain name.  As a workaround, try entering the numeric (IP) address for the servers.

11004 No Data of Requested type

An error occurred during initialization of the Winsock driver. Check your Winsock driver setup.


Log Window
Log Window (Window menu)

Agent's Log window is for debugging problems with Agent, Winsock, and your servers.  Under normal circumstances, you should never have to open it.


Headers/Messages are Marked as Read after Performing an Online Task

By default, Agent automatically marks unwanted messages read whenever you retrieve message headers or bodies.  This makes it easy for you to find the new messages because they will be the only ones that are unread.  To change this behavior, uncheck the appropriate box on the Marking Read tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.


How to Configure URL Launching so that a Second Agent Window Isn't Opened
Configuring URL Launching so a Second Agent Window Isn't Opened

Below are the simple steps you can follow to prevent Agent from opening a second Agent window each time you launch a URL.

To prevent a second Agent window from being opened:

1.	Select General Preferences from the Options menu and click the URL Types tab.

2.	Make sure that your URL type is "http: Hypertext Transfer Protocol".

3.	Under "How to launch the URL", select "Use Custom Settings".

4.	Under Custom settings, check the "Use DDE" box.  This tells Agent what to do if an application is already running.  Most likely, you do not want Agent to start a new instance of an application if the program is already running.  When you check "Use DDE", the DDE fields to the right of the check box become active.

5.	Complete the DDE custom settings as described in the Help for the URL Types tab.  Most problems seem to be in using Netscape, so here are what your settings should be for Netscape:

Custom Settings

Application:	<pathname to your version of netscape.exe>

Use DDE:	checked

DDE Message	"%1",,0xFFFFFFFF,,,,,

Application:	netscape

Topic:	WWW_OpenURL

Method:	Request

Note: Agent will default to all values, except for the pathname for your application and application entry for DDE.


How to Re-send a Failed Message

By default, whenever you post a Usenet message or send an email, Agent saves it in the Outbox. This means that if the post fails for any reason, the message is still there and you can try to post it again. To do this, select the Post Usenet and Email Messages from the Online menu.

See Also:

Making Sure Messages Were Sent Properly

How to Re-send a Message You Created


How to Restore a Deleted Group

Select Refresh Groups List from the Online menu.  This will rebuild your groups list without affecting the unread counters for your remaining groups.  You won't lose any information by performing this action.

See Also:

Delete Group Command


Pressing Any Buttons While Offline Causes Agent to Hang

Agent is designed to make online and offline newsreading as convenient as possible.  When configured for offline use it will automatically connect to your service provider when it needs to go online and disconnect as soon as it is through.  To make this process as efficient as possible, you should have only one copy of the file WINSOCK.DLL on your drive.  Also, it's best to keep all of the Winsock files (e.g., WINSOCK.DLL, TCPMAN.EXE, etc.) in the same directory, and to make sure that this directory is in the PATH= statement of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.


Pressing (M)ark or (I)gnore Causes Agent to Jump Around

Agent automatically skips to the next unread message when you mark a message for retrieval or ignore a thread.  If you don't like this behavior, you can disable it from the Navigation tab of the General Preferences dialog box by unchecking the "Marking or ignoring a message skips to the next unread message" box.


Agent mistakes simple message for incomplete multipart message
What if Agent Miscategorizes a Message as an Incomplete Multipart?

In general, Agent is very good at finding the various parts of a multi-part message.  (You'd be surprised at the various ways messages are posted!)  However, there may be times when Agent incorrectly identifies something as a multi-part message.  If this happens, simply select the message and use the Join Sections command on the Message menu.  This tells Agent to assume that the message is complete (which it really is).  If you are reading a group in which you don't expect to get multi-part messages, you can turn off the auto-combining of messages for this group. (See the Receive Files tab of the Group Properties menu item, "Join multi-part messages automatically".)

There is also a Split command on the Message menu.  You can use this command to unjoin a message that Agent (or you) incorrectly joined.  You can also use this command to get the individual sections of an incomplete multi-part message.  Simply split the message and retrieve the sections one-by-one.  (For this latter case, you can also use the Join Sections to tell Agent to assume that the message is complete.  Once you do that, the incomplete message icon disappears and you can retrieve the available message sections.)

NOTE: Because the process of joining messages necessarily loses some information about the original sections, if you split a message that has a body, Agent does not split the body.  It simply leaves the body in the first section, with the other sections body-less.


Easy Way to Change from MIME to Uuencoded Format
Is There an Easy Way to Change from MIME to Uuencoded or yEnc?

The easiest way to change the message format from MIME to uuencoded or yEnc while you are in the message composition window is to bring up the Message Properties dialog box (Message menu).  This overrides the default format settings specified on the Group Properties Sending Files tab (Group menu).


Quoted Lines Created as One Long Line
Why are Quoted Lines Treated as One Long Line?

What does it mean, for example, if you receive a reply that quotes the message you originally sent, but treats the quoted lines as one long line?

It means that the quoted text was sent in "quoted-printable" format.  If you want quoted-printable messages to word-wrap, you need to check the option "Word-wrap quoted-printable messages" on the Posting Preferences General tab (Options menu).


Why Agent Doesn't Burst Some Digests
Why Doesn't Agent Burst Some Message Digests?

In order for Agent to burst a message or message section, it has to be of type "multipart/digest".  A text message that happens to contain other messages is not a digest and, thus, won't be burst by Agent.


Why Can't I View the End of Some Messages?

If a message contains uuencoded data, followed by text, Agent's new auto uuencode-detector sees the binary data and makes the assumption that the rest of the message is binary data, also.  One group where this is likely to occur is news.admin.net-abuse.misc, where people talk about binaries and include partial binary fragments.  One solution to this problem is to uncheck "Detect uuencoded files automatically" on the Group Properties Receiving Files tab.


Glossary of Common Terms

This glossary allows you to check the definition of any commonly used term no matter where you are in Agent.

TIP:  If you want to know more about individual menu commands, click the desired menu heading on the Help Contents page.  The list of commands for that menu will appear.  You can click any of these commands to find out what the command means and what it does.

A

Address

Address Book

AGENT.INI

APOP

Archive

ASCII character file

Attachments

B

Binary files

Body - See Message body

Boolean expressions

Burst

Browser window

C

Cache

Codepage - See Windows codepage.

Compact databases

Crosspost

D

DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange)

Decode

Default

Delete Messages

Dial-up

Dialog box

Digest

Domain

Download

Drag and Drop

DUN (Dial-Up Networking)

E

Email (electronic mail)

Email Filters window

Encode

Expressions - See Boolean expressions

Extensions

F

Field Text

File

File server

Filter expressions

Fixed-pitch font

Flame

Folders

Font

G

Gateway

H

Header - See Message Header

Hypertext

I

Icon

Inbox

Inline

Inline MIME section

Internet

Internet address

IP (Internet Protocol)

J

JPG file

K

Keep

Kill filters

L

Launch

Local addresses

M

Mail servers - See POP3 mail server and SMTP mail server

MAPI

MIME charset

MIME format

MIME message (Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extensions)

Multipart format

Multi-user

N

News server

Newsgroup

Newsrc file

Newsreader

O

Offline

Online

Outbox

P

Pane

POP3 mail server

Postings

Protocol

Purge messages

Q

Quoted-printable

R

RAS (Remote Access Services)

Raw message

Registry

ROT13 text

S

Save Message As

Save Message Section

Scroll

Server

Service provider

Session

Signatures

SMTP mail server

Sort (sorting)

Subscribe

T

Tasks

Thread

U

UIDL (Unique ID List)

URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

Usenet

Usenet filters - See Kill and watch filters

Usenet Filters window

UUEncoded format

V

Variable-pitch font

W

Watch filters

WAV file

Web - See WWW

Windows codepage

Winsock

Word wrap

Working directory

WWW (World Wide Web)

Y

yEnc format

Z

Zoom


Address

A unique identifier for each person or group on the Internet.  Each address must adhere to the Internet addressing protocol, which is <username>@<domain>.<top-domain>.


Address Book

A database for storing Internet addresses for people and groups that you use frequently.


AGENT.INI

The file containing the coded settings that control how Agent behaves and how text is displayed.


APOP

APOP stands for Authenticated Post Office Protocol.  This Internet standard transmits the password for logging in to the server in an encrypted format, which may be required by some servers.


Application

When you view the body of a received file, Agent looks up the MIME type in the MIME table to determine what application to launch when viewing non-text sections of the file.  This setting takes precedence over the file associations defined in Windows.  If Agent cannot find a particular MIME type in the MIME table, and if the section to be viewed has a filename, then Agent uses the Windows file associations to determine which application should be launched.


Archive

Categorize, compress, and store Usenet messages in a database.


ASCII character file

A file containing plain text.


Attachment

Any file (e.g., a spread sheet, a word document, a WAV audio file, and a GIF image file) appended to a message.  Attachments are encoded for the purposes of transferring the data.  When you receive an attachment, you can set up Agent to automatically save it as a file, or you can simply select the message and launch the encoded data (provided you have the software and equipment required to view or hear the data).


Binary data

Data in its raw format that may contain ASCII and non-ASCII characters (e.g., binary images posted in various binary groups on the Usenet).


Binary files

Files containing encoded data (usually graphic or audio), which must be decoded before the file can be viewed or heard.


Boolean expressions

A rule defining a word or phrase, or a Boolean combination of words or phrases (terms).  These terms are strung together by the operators 'and', 'or', and 'not', that tell Agent what and how to evaluate message information.  The filter expression can be solely word based, or it can also include more sophisticated regular expressions in its combination of operators and terms.


Burst

Breaking apart the messages contained in a digest and saving them as individual messages.


Browser window

Agent's main window in which you can browse through lists of groups and folders, lists of message headers, and lines of text in the body of a message.


Cache

A place where memory is set aside to hold the list of most recent message headers.  Here's how "caching" works:  when you retrieve messages and read them for the first time, Agent reads the data from the Usenet and adds the message headers to a list in the cache.  The next time a header is retrieved, Agent looks at the list in the cache and checks for any crossposted headers.


Compact databases

To remove wasted space that may accumulate in a message database.  You may want to compact your databases if disk space is at a premium.  Compare Purge message.


Crosspost

Post a message to more than one group.


Decode

To translate the code which makes up a binary attachment or an ROT13 text message, so that you can view the binary attachment or read the ROT13 text.


Delete Messages

Remove selected messages permanently from Agent's message databases by using one of the following equivalent methods:

Toolbar button:

Menu command:	Delete (Message menu)

Keyboard shortcut:	Del


DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange)

A protocol used in Windows to send messages between applications.  Many applications use DDE to launch URLs.


Default

A predefined setting, one of many group properties or preferences (i.e., on the Group Properties and Preferences dialog boxes).  You can accept the defaults that Agent provides, or you can change them if you like.  For example,


Dial-up

To connect your PC to another PC, using a regular modem to call it up on the telephone.


Dialog box

A box that Agent displays to request information or to report that it is waiting for a process to complete.


Digest

A digest is a group of messages that are combined into one MIME message of type "multipart/digest".  For example, a software manufacturer might wish to send, on a daily basis, one message that contains all the responses to the software testers' questions and comments.


Domain

The particular realm in which an address fits.  For example, in the address jdoe@acmeinc.com, the .com extension tells you this address is in the realm of commercial entities.


Download

To transfer files or information from one computer to another.


Drag and drop

To drag selected message headers to a new location in Agent, using the mouse.  Simply select the items you want to move, hold down the left mouse button, and drag the items to the desired destination (e.g., file folders).  When you release the button, the items will automatically move to that location.


DUN (Dial-Up Networking)

A connection between two computers (for example, your home and work computers) that uses a modem for dialing in to the other computer.  Both of the computers must have modems and must be set for Dial-Up Networking, in order for the connection to work.  This connection allows you to use any shared resource, such as a folder or printer, on the computer or network.


Email

An abbreviation for the term "electronic mail," a network service that enables users to send or receive messages via computer.  Electronic mail can be sent and received by users over the Internet via the modem and telephone lines.


Email Filters Window

This window contains the list of all email kill and watch filters.  For each filter listed, you will see the following information (starting from left to right):

•	Status (the [image] icon indicates a disabled filter, and the [image] icon indicates a global filter)

•	Priority (the higher-priority filters are processed first)

•	Αction (kill actions are red and watch actions are green)

•	Search expression (message subject or author filter criteria)

Double-clicking any item on the list opens the Edit Email Filter dialog box.


Encode

To convert readable text into coded text so that it can't be read unless it is first decoded.


Extensions

When you are sending a message and attach a file to it, Agent looks up the extension of the file in the MIME table to determine what MIME type to assign to the file.  If Agent cannot find a file's extension in the MIME table, it assumes the MIME type is "application/octet-stream", which is a generic type for unknown data.


Field Text

The text that mailing list recipients see in the "To" field of the message composition window.  By using Field Text to address the recipients as one group (e.g., "Mailing List Recipients of list <multilists@acmeinc.com>"), the sender avoids having the email address for every recipient inserted in the "To" field.


File

Any named, ordered collection of information stored on a disk.  Application programs and operating systems on disks are examples of files.  Agent creates message database files.


File server

A network device, usually consisting of a computer and one or more large capacity disks, on which network users can store files and applications in order to share them.


Filter expressions

A rule defining a word or phrase, or a Boolean combination of words or phrases (terms).  These terms are strung together by the operators 'and', 'or', and 'not', that tell Agent what and how to evaluate message information.  The filter expression can be solely word based, or it can also include more sophisticated regular expressions in its combination of operators and terms.


Fixed-pitch font

Font types where all characters are a fixed width and height, such as those found on a "daisy wheel" printer or other impact printer.


Flame

An emphatic and usually personal attack against the author of a Usenet message.


Folders

A place where you can store Usenet and email messages, as well as other folders.  Folders in Agent are represented by the folder icon [image].


Font

The complete collection of a language's characters in a given typeface (e.g., Arial and Times New Roman), including lowercase and uppercase letters, small capital letters (if available), accented characters, numerals, fractions, symbols, and punctuation.


Gateway

An electronic mail (email) transferal system that connects various email applications with dissimilar, often incompatible message formats.  The gateway's job is to reformat message data so that it is compatible from one application to the next.


GIF File

A specific graphic encoding scheme sent as a binary attachment in Usenet messages.  Agent allows users to decode and view GIF files.  See also, JPEG file.


Hypertext

Text that contains links, allowing users to jump from one document to another in the World Wide Web.


Icon

The graphical representation of a type of data (e.g., [image] represents Usenet messages with attachments) or a function (e.g., the Subscribe icon [image] for subscribing to groups that interest you).


Inbox folder

The default folder in which Agent stores all message that it receives.  You can rename this folder or route messages (e.g., those from specified authors) into different folders.


Inline

Message data viewed within Agent, rather than through a separate application.


Inline MIME section

When a section of a MIME message can be viewed directly from within the email client.


Inline MIME Section

Use this option when sending a MIME-message to someone who can display the section directly from within his or her email client.


Insert in text body

The file should be inserted into the body of the message, as if it had been typed directly into the body.


Internet

A network made up of two or more interconnected local area or wide area networks.


Internet Address

An address for a computer on a network.  The Internet address consists of a network number and a host number that is unique for the network.


IP (Internet Protocol)

The set of conventions for routing data (in packets) from one computer to another on the Internet.  These packets of data are passed along via bridges, routers and gateways.  The IP manages each message's addressing.  Compare other protocols:  FTP, NNTP, POP3, PPP, SLIP, SMTP, and TCP.


JPG file

A specific graphic encoding scheme sent as binary attachments in Usenet messages.  Agent allows users to decode and view JPEG files.


Keep

This command tags a message with the Keep icon and prevents Agent from purging (removing) the tagged message from the message database in which it's stored.  Agent will keep the tagged message until the Keep icon is removed by repeating the Keep command.  Below are three equivalent ways to invoke the Keep command:

Toolbar button:

Menu command:	Keep (Message menu)

Keyboard shortcut:	K


Kill and Watch filters

These two types of filters make up a filtering mechanism that Agent uses each time you retrieve new messages.  You can create Kill and Watch filters for both Usenet messages and inbound email.  Kill filters tell Agent to filter out messages with unwanted subjects or authors, and Watch filters tell Agent to keep track of messages with subjects or authors that interest you.

Usenet Filters for a specified group can be viewed and modified on the Usenet Filters window (Window menu -> Open Usenet Filters).  Email filters can be viewed and modified on the Email Filters window (Window menu -> Open Email Filters).


Launch

Translate the encoded attachment and open it with a specified application.  If it is a graphic attachment, launching will activate a viewer so that you can see the image.  If it is a sound file, launching will activate a player so that you can hear it.


Local addresses

Addresses that do not require a domain suffix (e.g., forteinc.com), because they are in the same domain (that is, they have the same service provider, which is set up to handle local addresses).

For example, Ginny might use the following addresses:

Local:  ginnyb

Full Internet:  ginnyb@forteinc.com


Local address

A local address is an email address without the "@domain" part.  Most email servers accept local addresses, and add the local domain automatically.  People can use local addresses when corresponding with other people within the same domain.

Local address:	barbara

Full address:	barbara@acme.com

or

Local address:	john.doe

Full address:	john.doe@marvelinc.com


MAPI (Mail Application Programming Interface)

MAPI is a Windows API that allows Windows programs to easily send email.  The email is then sent into whatever mail system is running at the user's site.  For example, if you're running cc:mail, a Windows program could use MAPI to post an email message.  The cc:mail implementation of the MAPI driver would then do whatever was necessary to send the message.


MIME charset

A character set that is compliant with the MIME protocol for sending and receiving messages over the Internet.


MIME multipart/partial format

The MIME multipart/partial format is used for MIME messages that are split into multiple messages.  It enables the receiving program to automatically reassemble the messages.


News server

A remote computer that supports only Usenet newsgroups and provides paying customers with access to these resources.


Offline

Not currently connected to the Internet service provider.  When Agent is in offline mode, you can review previously retrieved messages at your leisure, without being charged by the service provider.


Online

Currently connected to the Internet service provider.  You can tell Agent to go quickly online to retrieve messages, and then go offline to review message content.


Outbox

The window containing a list of saved messages which have been posted.


Pane

One of three sections of the browser window.  The default browser window layout includes Groups/Folders, Message List, and the Message panes.  These panes can be rearranged, resized, and zoomed to fill the whole screen.


POP3 mail server

Post Office Protocol, version 3.  The set of conventions used to pick up mail from the mail server (the drop point for your incoming mail).


Postings

To send a new Usenet message or a response to a Usenet message, which is then posted on Usenet, much like posting a note on a bulletin board.


Protocol

A set of rules defining how computers will act when talking to one another.


Purge messages

Agent "purges" (removes) messages from the message databases in which they're stored, under certain conditions.  You can modify the default purging conditions using the Group Properties What to Purge and When to Purge tabs (Group menu).  For example, you can tell Agent to purge all unread messages that are over 10 days old each time you exit Agent.  These properties can either be defined as defaults for all groups or properties for selected groups.  At any time, you can purge groups manually by selecting Purge Newsgroups from the Group menu, and checking the groups you want to purge (subscribed, selected, or all).

IMPORTANT!  Once messages are purged from Agent's message databases, you cannot get them back, if you change your mind, so make sure that you define your conditions with this in mind.

To keep messages from being purged indefinitely, use the Keep command [image].


Queue

To line up, such as queuing marked messages to be sent.


Quoted-Printable (MIME)

The text of messages will be encoded in 7-bit format.  If any characters require 8 bits (e.g., accented characters), they will be encoded in the format =<HH> so that they can be represented with 7 bits.


RAS (Remote Access Service)

A connection between two computers (for example, your home and work computers) that uses a modem for dialing in to the other computer.  Both of the computers must have modems and must be set for Remote Access Service, in order for the connection to work.  This connection allows you to use any shared resource, such as a folder or printer, on the computer or network.


Raw message

Agent allows you to view the original text of messages.  This view provides detailed information about the message in header fields (e.g., path, author, subject, and message-id) and displays the body of the message in an unformatted state.


Registry

The database in which all URLs are recorded.


ROT13 text

A scheme for encoding text so that it cannot be read without first being decoded.


Save Message As

Use the Save As command on the File menu to save a message as a file.  Using the Save Message As dialog box, you can save the file as any type (e.g., .txt is the default) and to any location in your PC.


Save Message Section

You can save any section of a message (e.g., text or an attachment) by pressing Save on the Message Index dialog box (Message menu).  Each section can be saved as a different type of file and to any desired location in your system.

Note: Each file must have a unique name.  For example, if you attempt to save a binary file as a name that already exists, Agent will automatically assign a unique name to that file without losing or damaging the data.


Scroll

To browse through data in Agent's panes by using the up, down, right, and left arrow keys.


Server

The PC on which server software runs, allowing that PC to provide a service to another PC.


Service provider

An organization that provides connections to a part of the Internet.  In order to connect your PC to the Internet, you must first obtain the services of a service provider.


Session

Each time you load Agent, you begin a new session.  The session ends when you close Agent.


Signatures

A signature is one or more lines of text that Agent automatically places at the bottom of messages you send.  You can define as many signatures as you wish.  When you create a new message, you can select which signature to use with that message.  For example, you can define a "personal" signature and a different "business" signature.


SMTP server (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)

The set of conventions that handles and transfers Internet mail.


Sort

The ordering of messages in the Message List pane.


Subscribe

To flag newsgroups in which you are interested with the Subscribe icon as a way of filtering out all the thousands of other newsgroups.  The Subscribe icon is as follows:


Tasks

Each of the commands on the Online menu (except Stop All Tasks and Online) invokes a task.  More than one task can be invoked at one time.  To stop all tasks, use the Stop All Tasks command.  Note:  You cannot just stop one of multiple tasks that are being performed simultaneously.  Below are the equivalent ways to stop all tasks:

Toolbar button:

Menu command:	Stop All Tasks (Online menu)

Keyboard shortcut:	Alt+O+T


TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)

The set of conventions used to separate information to be sent across the Internet into manageable chunks.  Each piece is numbered, so that the pieces can be put back together in the proper order on the receiving end.


UIDL (Unique ID List)

The list of unique message IDs for all the messages in your mailbox.


URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

The address used to locate a resource on the Internet.  URLs consist of a sequence of characters that identify the resource and its location.  The format of each URL conforms to an established protocol for URLs, based on a particular naming "scheme".  Below is an example:

http://www.acl.lanl.gov/URI/archive/uri-archive.index.html


URL prefix

The standard format that begins each web address (e.g., http://www.).


Usenet

The newsgroup portion of the Internet, where people can exchange "news" and converse with each other.  The Usenet contains thousands of different groups, covering a wide spectrum of topics.  The number of groups that you can access with a newsreader depends upon the number of groups that your service provider makes available.  (Some services provide more groups than others.)


Usenet Filters window

This window contains the list of all kill and watch filters that apply to the current group.  For each filter listed, you will see the following information (starting from left to right):

•	Status (the [image] icon indicates a disabled filter, and the [image] icon indicates a global filter)

•	Priority (the higher-priority filters are processed first)

•	Αction (kill actions are red and watch actions are green)

•	Search expression (message subject or author filter criteria)

Double-clicking any item on the list opens the Edit Usenet Filter dialog box.


Uuencoded format

One of several methods used to transmit non-text data (e.g., attached files) in messages.  This format is commonly used for message attachments posted in Usenet, but is gradually being superseded by the newer MIME formats, which are generally more reliable.


Variable-pitch font

Font types where characters vary in their width and height, such as Russian fonts.


WAV files

Audio files commonly attached to messages posted in the Usenet.


Windows codepage

The character set which is used for the internal representation of messages.


Winsock

A Windows Sockets 1.1 compatible program that manages SLIP and PPP connections and handles dialing scripts for logging in and out of your server.  The winsock is an essential component of standard networking applications (including Agent).


Word wrap

Wrap the text in a message so that it conforms to the size of your window.


Working Directory

This is the directory that contains the AGENT.EXE.


WWW (World Wide Web)

A hypertext-based system for finding and accessing Internet resources.


Zoom

Enlarge the selected pane so that it fills the entire Agent window.


How to Use Agent

Before you start using Agent, please take a quick look at Getting Started.

Once you're up and running, check out the topics below for more help using Agent.

Agent Configuration

How to Configure Agent for Multiple Users and Servers

Configuring Agent as the default Web Browser Service: Internet Explorer Users

Configuring Agent as the default Web Browser Service: Netscape Users

Offline/Online Use

How to Use Agent as an Offline Newsreader

How to Use Agent as an Online Newsreader

Online Menu Commands Explained

Usenet and Email Messages

How to Get All the Message Bodies in a Newsgroup

How to Receive Email

Importing Email Messages from Another Program

How to Send Email

About Agent's Dictionaries.

How to Post Usenet Messages

Making Sure Messages Were Sent Properly

How to Re-send a Message You Created

Color Coded Message Icons Explained

Receiving Email at Two Sites

Filters

How to Create Message Filters

How to Create View Filters

How to Filter Out Spam

Agent's Expression Language

Characters Used in Expressions

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples

Address Book

Adding People to the Address Book

How to Create a Group Mailing List

How to Use the Address Book

Navigation and Display

Navigating in Agent

Watching and Ignoring Threads

Marking Messages Read

Message Text Display Options

How to Use the Trash Folder

Finding Data

Finding Groups and Folders

Finding Messages

Finding Filters

Finding Addresses

Filing and Printing Messages

Filing Messages in Folders

Printing Messages

Languages

Configuring International Fonts

Crosspost Management

How Crosspost Management Works

Copying URLs

Launching and Copying URLs

Attachments

All About Attachments

How to Save and Launch Attachments

How to Send an Attachment

Attachment Placement in Outbound Messages

How to Retrieve an Attachment

How to Configure a GIF or JPG Viewer to Work with Agent

MIME

MIME Configuration Options

Using MIME Types

Using MIME Character Sets

Using MIME Quoted-Printable

Digests

Sending a Digest

Bursting a Digest

ROT13

ROT13 Encoding and Decoding

Purging and Compacting

About Usenet Message Purging

Compacting Agent's Database Files

Uninstalling

How to Uninstall Agent

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions


How Crosspost Management Works

Whenever you retrieve headers, Agent compares each header against a list of headers that have already been retrieved in all groups.  If the list indicates that a header has already been retrieved in another group, Agent can be configured either to mark the duplicate header read, or to skip it altogether.  Thus, a crossposted message will appear unread only in the first group in which it is retrieved, and will be either marked read or skipped in all subsequent groups.

The list of already-retrieved headers can contain up to 65,000 entries.  When the list fills up, Agent begins discarding the oldest entries to make room for new headers.  We think this limit should be sufficient for most users.

By default, Agent checks for crossposted messages only when you retrieve new headers (for example, when you retrieve new headers in all subscribed groups).  Thus, if you retrieve *all* headers in a particular group, Agent does not remove any crossposted messages.  This is to allow you to really retrieve all headers if you want to.  There is an option on the Group Properties dialog to enable crosspost checking for all header operations.

See Also:

Default Properties for All Groups Crossposts Tab

Properties for Selected Groups Crossposts Tab


How to Configure a GIF or JPG Viewer to Work With Agent

The Internet contains a wide variety of graphic images that are usually stored in GIF or JPG formatted files.  Although Agent doesn't display these images directly, you can view them from Agent if you have a GIF or JPG viewing program.  To configure your system for viewing graphics from Agent:

Windows 95 or NT4

1.	Run "My Computer".

Double-click the My Computer icon on the desktop.

2.	Open the Options dialog box.

On the View menu, click Options, then click the File Types tab.

3.	Create a new file type.

Press the New Type button to open the Add New File Type dialog box.  Complete the fields in this dialog box as follows:

•	Description of type - Enter a brief description of the file type (e.g., GIF image).

•	Associated extension - Enter the extension GIF or JPG.

4.	Configure the file type's action and associated application.

Press the New button to open the New Action dialog box.  Complete the dialog box as follows:

•	Action - Enter a brief description of what the file type does (e.g., open).

•	Associated extension - Enter the full path of the application used to perform the action or press Browse to search for the viewer on your hard drive.

Windows 3.1x or NT3.51

1.	Run File Manager.

From Program Manager, double-click the File Manager icon.

2.	Open the Associate dialog box.

Choose Associate from File Manager's File menu.

3.	Create an association.

In the Associate dialog box, enter GIF or JPG into the Files with Extension box.  Enter the full path of your graphics viewer into the Associate With box or press Browse to search for the viewer on your hard drive."

See Also:

How to Retrieve an Attachment


Configuring a New File Type and Application

Before a media file retrieved by Agent can be viewed of played, you must configure Windows to run the appropriate application (i.e., a viewer for image files and a player for audio files).  Below is the general procedure you will follow to configure Windows for a new file type.

Windows 95 or NT4

1.	Run "My Computer".

Double-click the My Computer icon on the desktop.

2.	Open the Options dialog box.

On the View menu, click Options, then click the File Types tab.

3.	Create a new file type.

Press the New Type button to open the Add New File Type dialog box.  Complete the fields in this dialog box as follows:

•	Description of type - Enter a brief description of the file type (e.g., audio file).

•	Associated extension - Enter the three letter file extension (e.g., wav).

4.	Configure the file type's action and associated application.

Press the New button to open the New Action dialog box.  Complete the dialog box as follows:

•	Action - Enter a brief description of what the file type does (e.g., open).

•	Application used to perform action: - Enter the full path of your graphics viewer, audio player, or other device, or press Browse to search for the application on your hard drive.

Windows 3.1x or NT3.51

1.	Run File Manager.

From Program Manager, double-click the File Manager icon.

2.	Open the Associate dialog box.

Choose Associate from File Manager's File menu.

3.	Create an association.

In the Associate dialog box, enter the three-letter extension of the new file type into the Files with Extension box (e.g., wav).  Enter the full path of your graphics viewer, audio player, or other associated device into the Associate With box or press Browse to search for the application on your hard drive.

See Also:

How to Retrieve an Attachment


How to Configure Agent for Multiple Users and Servers

In Windows 95 and later, Agent stores its settings and data files in the "Start in" folder specified in its Start Menu shortcut.  (In Windows 3.1, the information is stored in the working directory specified by Agent's Program Manager icon.) This allows a single copy of the program's common files (such as, the .exe, help, spell check files) to be used by several users or with several news servers.

To set up Agent for multiple users or servers:

Windows 95 or NT4

1.	Create a separate data folder for each user or news server (e.g., c:\agent\his and c:\agent\hers).  This folder will store the databases for the new instance of Agent.

2.	Copy file AGENT.INI from the original data folder to the folder you created in step (1).

3.	Create a shortcut for each user or news server with the program (e.g., c:\agent\agent.exe) specified as the Target, and the user's or news server's folder  (e.g., c:\agent\his and c:\agent\hers) in the \"Start in\" field.

Windows 3.1x or NT3.51

1.	Create a directory for the program files, including agent.exe, agent.hlp, *.cod, main*.clx, and main*.tlx.  (See Agent's Directories and Files.)

2.	Create a separate directory for each user or news server (e.g., c:\agent\his and c:\agent\hers).

3.	Create a Program Manager icon for each user or news server with the program Command Line pointing to the program itself (e.g., c:\agent\agent.exe), and the Working Directory pointing to the user's or news server's directory (e.g., c:\agent\his and c:\agent\hers).


How to Create a Group Mailing List

Agent allows you to combine multiple addresses to create a group mailing list.  Group mailing lists are helpful when you regularly mail information to a group of people (e.g., newsletters, meeting information, etc.).  This topic explains the basic procedure for creating a group mailing list.

To create a group mailing list:

1.	Select Open Address Book from the Windows menu to open the Address Book window.

2.	Select New from the Address menu, or press the New Address button [image] to bring up the New Address dialog box.

3.	In the Name field, enter the name of the mailing list (e.g., Surf Club Members).

4.	In the Address field, enter the addresses of the recipients on the group mailing list, separated by commas (e.g., jdoe@hang10.com, freddy@wavecity.com, msmith@surfsup.com).

5.	In the Field Text field, enter the name of the mailing list (e.g., "Surf Club Members <multilists@acme.com>").  That is what the recipients will see in the To: field on the message they receive.

Note:  The Field Text value should be a valid email address, since it will appear in the message in a header field that is normally expected to contain a valid address.  Some email systems may reject your message if it contains a field with an invalid email address.

TIP:  You may want to use the address to which recipients of your list should send replies.  For example:

My mailing list <reply-here@my.company.com>

6.	Press OK to close the New Address dialog box.  The new group mailing list is now listed in the address book.

See Also:

How to Use the Address Book


How to Get All the Message Bodies in a Newsgroup

Agent provides you with two ways to retrieve the bodies of all the messages in a newsgroup:

To always retrieve all the bodies in a particular group:

1.	Select the group(s) for which you want to retrieve bodies.

2.	Choose Properties for Selected Groups from the Group menu.

3.	Select the Retrieve tab on the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box.

4.	Make sure the "Override default settings" box is checked.

5.	Check the "Retrieve bodies for all new messages" box.

To retrieve all the bodies in a group on an ad-hoc basis:

1.	Select any message in the Message List pane of the group for which you want to retrieve bodies.

2.	Choose Select All from the Edit menu or press Ctrl+A.

3.	If you are online, choose Get Selected Message Bodies from the Online menu.  If you are offline, choose Mark for Retrieval from the Message menu.  You can later retrieve the marked messages by selecting Get Marked Message Bodies from the Online menu.

See Also:

How to Use Agent as an Offline Newsreader

How to Use Agent as an Online Newsreader

Online Menu Commands Explained


Configuring International Fonts

Many newsgroups conduct discussions in languages other than English, and many of these languages (e.g., Russian, Norwegian, and Japanese) use non-Latin character sets.  Agent allows you to read and compose messages using alternate fonts, on a per-group and per-message basis.  Here are the steps to follow:

1.	Install the font into your Windows system.

Follow the instructions for installing fonts in:

Windows 95 or NT4

Windows 3.1x or NT3.51

2.	Place the language's character set mapping (.cod) file into your Agent working directory.

For example, you might download the Russian character set, koi8.cod, from the Agent ftp site into your Agent directory c:\agent.

3.	Configure Agent's Preferences.

a.	Select General Preferences from the Options menu.

b.	Click the Languages tab.

c.	Press the Add button and add the language (e.g., Russian) to the list of languages.

d.	Select Display Preferences from the Options menu.

e.	Click the Fonts tab and select the language from the "Fonts for the language" drop-down list.

Note: For fonts that use non-Latin1 character sets (e.g., Russian, Japanese, Norwegian, and Swedish), you need to use variable-pitch fonts in the Message List and Message panes.  To do this, use the Variable-Pitch Body button, and check the two options "Use the variable-pitch body font" and the "Use the variable-pitch body font for Headers".

4.	Find and subscribe to the newsgroups using the font you installed.

For example, you might subscribe to the groups relcom.commerce.audio-video and soc.culture.russian, which have messages that use the Russian font.

5.	Define Group Properties for the selected groups.

a.	In the Groups/Folders pane, select the desired newsgroups.

b.	Select Properties from the Group menu to bring up the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box.

c.	Click the Language tab and do two things: check the "Override default settings" option and select the language associated with the newsgroups (e.g., Russian).


To install fonts:

1.	From the Start menu, select Settings and click the Control Panel icon on the flyout menu.

2.	On the Control Panel, double-click the Fonts icon.

3.	Select Install New Font from the File menu.

4.	On the Add Fonts dialog box, locate and add all the font styles.  For example, the bold style of the Russian font is "ER Bukinist KOI8 Bold".


To install fonts:

1.	On Program Manager, double-click the Control Panel icon.

2.	On the Control Panel, double-click the Fonts icon.

3.	Press the Add button.

4.	On the Add Fonts dialog box, locate and add all the font styles.  For example, the bold style of the Russian font is "ER Bukinist KOI8 Bold".


How to Post Usenet Messages

Reading newsgroups wouldn't be much fun if you couldn't contribute as well.  Fortunately, posting messages with Agent is just as easy as reading them.

1.	Select the group to which you wish to post.

A group is selected when it is highlighted in the Groups/Folders pane or when you are viewing messages for it in the Message List pane.

2.	(Optional) Select the message to which you are responding.

If your message is a follow up to another posting, select that message first so that your posting is properly formatted.

3.	Open a new Posting window.

From the Post menu, choose New Usenet Message or Follow Up Usenet Message, depending on the type of posting you want.

4.	Fill in the Posting window's fields.

If you selected a newsgroup (and message) before opening the Posting window, most of the fields will be filled in for you.  When posting a follow-up message, you might want to send a copy of your response via email to the original message's author.  To do this, simply select the author's email address from the Email To list.  If you want to override the default signature, press the All Fields button and select the desired signature in the Signature list.  For more information filling in this window, see the Compose Usenet Message window topic.  If you want to paste text from a previous message so that it appears as quoted text, you can use the Paste As Quote command.

5.	(Optional) Attach a file.

If you want to attach a file to the new message, press the Attachments button.  This will bring up the Attachments dialog box, which allows you to add, delete, and modify attachments in the message.  For more information on attaching files, see All About Attachments.

6.	Send the message.

If you use Agent online, press Send Now to immediately transmit your message to the Internet.

If you use Agent offline and you have other messages you want to compose, press Send Later.  Once you have composed all your messages, select Post Usenet and Email Messages from the Online menu to transmit them to the Internet.

Note: Agent does not make copies of attached files prior to sending them.  If you attach a file and press Send Later, make sure that the file stays around until you transmit the message.

See Also:

Reply to All command

Making Sure Messages Were Sent Properly

How to Re-send a Message You Created

How to Send Email

Message Fields


How to Receive Email

Receiving email with Agent is simple and straightforward.  You can check for new mail with the click of your mouse or you can have Agent periodically check for you.

If you receive your email from an SMTP server, Agent continually checks for new mail whenever you are online.  If you receive your email from a POP server, however, you must explicitly tell Agent to check for new mail.

To check for new mail:

•	If you receive mail from a POP server, choose Check for New Email from the Online menu.

•	If you receive mail from an SMTP server, choose Online from the Online menu.  Whenever you are online, Agent will receive new email from your SMTP server.

To have Agent periodically check for new mail from your POP server:

1.	Choose Inbound Email from the Options menu and click on the Checking for Mail tab.

2.	Check the "Automatically check for email every" box.

TIP:  A quick way to tell if you have received mail is to minimize the Agent window.  When you have new mail the Agent program icon will appear as follows:

See Also:

System Profile tab of the Inbound Email dialog box

Filing Messages in Folders


How to Re-send a Message You Created

Messages you send can be saved in the Outbox or a folder (see Posting tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box for details).  The process of re-sending a message you created is slightly different based on where the message is located.

To re-send a message from a folder:

1.	Highlight the message in the Message List pane.

2.	Choose New Copy of Message from the Post menu.

3.	(Optional) Change the message as required (e.g., change the recipient).

4.	Press either Send Now or Send Later to transmit the message to the Internet.

To re-send a message from the Outbox:

1.	Highlight the message in the Outbox.

2.	Choose Open from the Message menu.

3.	(Optional) Change the message as required (e.g., change the recipient).

4.	Press either Send Now or Send Later to transmit the message to the Internet.

See Also:

Compose Usenet Message window

Making Sure Messages Were Sent Properly


How to Retrieve an Attachment

Attachments to messages can contain a wide variety of media data, typically image and sound files.  Large media-files may need to be broken into several message attachments.  When you retrieve messages with attachments, Agent makes quick work of processing the attachments so that you can launch or save them effortlessly.

To retrieve an attachment:

1.	Select any message in the attachment.  Note: If you checked "Join multipart messages automatically" on the Receive Files tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box (or Default Properties dialog), then you select the joined message.  If you did not configure the group for automatic joining, then you must manually decode the attachment.  (See the procedure for manually decoding an attachment below.)

2.	Retrieve and/or view the attachment by selecting Launch Attachment from the File menu.  Alternatively, double-clicking the attachment will launch it if you have checked the option "Double-clicking launches attachments" on the Receive Files tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.  If you select Save All Attachments from the File menu, Agent will save all attachments in the directory entered in the Directory tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box.

If you are configured for online use (see the Online tab of the User and System Profile dialog box for details) and have checked "Save attachments automatically" on the Receive Files tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box (or Default Properties dialog), Agent will immediately begin downloading and decoding the attachment.  Also, if you selected the Launch option, once the file has been saved, Agent will run the Windows application associated with the attachment's file type (see below).

If you are configured for offline use and have checked "Save attachments automatically" on the Receive Files tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box (or Default Properties dialog), Agent will mark all parts of the attachment for retrieval.  The next time you select Get Marked Message Bodies from the Online menu, Agent will download and decode the selected attachments (but not automatically launch them).

Occasionally, you may find multi-part attachments whose subject lines do not match standard convention (e.g., they don't include the typical [1/2], [2/2] notation).  To decode such files, you must tell Agent about all of the attachments components.

To manually decode an attachment:

1.	Select all the messages that contain the attachment by clicking on one message and then, with the Control key pressed, clicking on the remaining messages.

2.	Select Join Sections from the Message menu.

3.	Make sure the messages are in order.  If they are not, use the Up and Down buttons in the Join Sections dialog box to order them.

4.	Launch or save the attachment by pressing the corresponding button.  If you are offline and have not yet retrieved the attachment's messages, Agent will immediately go online to download and decode the attachment.

This causes Agent to launch the application associated with the attachment's MIME or file type.  The file type is determined by the attachment's filename extension.  For example, "foo.gif" is a GIF file.  For more information, see How to Configure a GIF or JPG Viewer to Work with Agent.

After you have viewed an attachment, you may decide that you want to remove it from your hard drive.  Although you can obviously do this in another program such as File Manager, Agent makes it easy for you to remove attached files.

To delete an attachment:

1.	Select any message in the attachment.

2.	Choose Delete Saved Attachments from the File menu.

Important Note:  When you delete the attachment, Agent still retains the body of the message.  For example, you might see the Usenet message with attachments [image] icon next to the header, even though you have deleted the attachment.  For this reason, you might want to launch attachments from the message (using Launch Attachment) and decide whether or not you want to keep it before saving it to file.


How Agent finds all the parts of an attachment

Agent finds the sections of an attachment by searching the current group or folder for messages with identical subjects, except for the "[n/m]" or "n of m" part.  In most cases, this works quite well because people generally use automated tools (like Agent) to post attachments.  Unfortunately, some people assign different subjects to each message (e.g., "foo.jpg [8/8] -- last one!!").  When this happens, you can still save the attachment by selecting all of its sections and choosing Save All Attachments from the File menu.


How to Save and Launch Attachments

Agent allows for a lot of flexibility in deciding when and how attachments are saved.  You can have Agent save attachments automatically or you can save attachments manually.

Saving attachments automatically:

You can set up Agent to save attachments automatically while retrieving bodies or receiving email.  To do this, check the "Save attachments automatically" box on the Receive Files tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.  This approach is convenient if you know you'll always want to save all attachments as files.

Caveat: This approach makes downloading somewhat slower, since Agent must save each attachment to a file and also save it in the message (at least temporarily), in case an encoding error is detected.

Note: There is no option to prompt for instructions if an error is detected while auto-saving during message retrieval because it is difficult to stop an online task for a prompt and then resume it.

When choosing to save attachments automatically, you must also choose whether or not to leave the attachment data in the message.  These options are indented under the Save attachments automatically check box on the Receive Files tab.

Note: Leaving the data in the message increases disk space usage, but makes it easier to resend messages that contain attachments.

Saving attachments manually:

An alternate approach is to leave attachments in the message and save them manually.  This method has the advantage of making downloads somewhat faster and not cluttering your disk with files that you may choose not to save.

There are three ways to save attachments manually.  Use the one that is best for you:

•	Select one or more messages, then select Save All Attachments from the File menu and each attachment in the selected messages is saved to a file.  The settings from the Receive Files tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box are used.

Note: If a filename already exists or an encoding error is detected, Agent displays the Save Attachment dialog box (duplicate name) or Save Attachment dialog box (encoding error), allowing you to handle this situation in one of a few different ways.

•	Select a message, then select the Launch Attachment command from the File menu to launch the first non-text section of the message.  If the section has been saved to a file, Agent launches the saved file.  If the section has not been saved to a file, Agent saves the section to a file and then launches the file.

Note: The advantage of saving the attachment to a "real" file is that if you launch the same section again, Agent will not have to save the file again.  The advantage of using a temporary file (i.e., leaving the section in the message) is that you don't have to bother with managing separate files.

•	Select a message, then select Index from the Message menu.  The Message Index dialog box will appear, allowing you to view the message's index and to save or launch individual sections of the message.

Important Note!  At times, you may save an attachment (using Save all Attachments), then subsequently decide you no longer want it.  In such cases, you might want to use Delete Saved Attachments.  When you delete the attachment, however, keep in mind that Agent still retains the body of the message.  For example, you might see the Usenet message with attachments icon [image] next to the header, even though you've deleted the attachment.  To minimize the chances of this happening, it is better to launch attachments from the message (using Launch Attachment) and decide whether or not you want to keep it before saving it to file.

Setting the default directory to which attachments will be saved:

Use the Group Properties Directory tab, either for selected groups or for all groups.


How to Send an Attachment

Attaching files to messages with Agent is a breeze.  Since the Internet only supports text messages, Agent automatically translates all non-text attachments to a text-based format.  Follow the steps below to attach a file to a message:

1.	Create a new message.

Select one of the options on the Post menu to create the message.  Click here for more help sending Usenet messages and email.

2.	Attach the desired files.

Use any of these methods to add an attachment to a message:

•	Press the Attachments button to bring up the Attachments dialog box.  From this dialog box, you may add, delete, and modify attachments in the current message.

•	From Windows Explorer, drag the desired file onto any portion of Agents composition window.

•	From Windows Explorer, copy the desired file.  Press the Attachments button to open the Attachments dialog box.  Select Paste to attach the file.

You can control the default attachment options with the Send Files tab on the Default Group Properties dialog box.  On the Send Files tab, for example, you will define the format of the attachments as either MIME or uuencoded.  Click to see the rule of thumb for using these formats.

You may override the defaults for any message with the Message Properties dialog box.

3.	Add a text message (optional).

You can include a message along with the attachment.  The message appears before the attachment. If you include a message, Agent also includes your signature.

4.	Send the message.

If you use Agent online, press Send Now to immediately transmit your message to the Internet.

If you use Agent offline and you have other messages you want to send, press Send Later.  Once you have composed all your messages, select Post Usenet and Email Messages from the Online menu to transmit them to the Internet.

Note: Agent does not make a copy of the attached file prior to sending it.  If you press Send Later, make sure that the file stays around until you transmit it.

See Also:

All About Attachments

Attachment Placement in Outbound Messages

Making Sure Messages Were Sent Properly

How to Re-send a Message You Created


MIME versus UUEncoded

When selecting the format for messages with attachments, you must consider the hardware and software constraints of the message recipient.  It defeats the purpose of your message if the person receiving it cannot view (or hear) your MIME attachment.  Here's a good rule of thumb to follow:

•	For email messages - Most major email programs support the MIME format, so in many cases "MIME" would be the appropriate choice.  (The safest thing to do is to find out whether your recipient's email program supports MIME.)

•	For Usenet messages - At the present time, most newsreaders and participants in the Usenet use UUEncoded format, so currently it would be wise to choose "UUEncoded" when posting attachments.  Of course, this may change over time.  At some point, MIME may become the standard format supported and used on the Usenet.


How to Send Email

With Agent, sending email to people is a snap and sending email replies to messages is even easier.

1.	(Optional) Select the message you are responding to or forwarding.

If you're replying to or forwarding a posting, select that message first so that your email is properly formatted.

2.	Open a new Posting window.

From the Post menu, choose New Email Message, Reply via Email, or one of the Forward menu commands, depending on the type of email you want to send.

3.	Fill in the Posting window's fields.

If you selected Reply via Email, the required fields should be filled in for you.  Otherwise, fill in at least the To and Subject fields.  Press the All Fields button to send "carbon copies" to other people, select a different signature, or define other information associated with the message.  For more information filling in this window, see the Compose Email Message window topic. If you want to paste text from a previous message so that it appears as quoted text, you can use the Paste As Quote command.

4.	(Optional) Attach a file.

If you want to attach a file to the email, press the Attachments button.  This will bring up the Attachments dialog box, which allows you to add, delete, and modify attachments in the message.  For more information on attaching files, see All About Attachments.

5.	Send the email.

If you use Agent online, press Send Now to immediately transmit your message to the Internet.

If you use Agent offline and you have other messages you want to send, press Send Later.  Once you have composed all your messages, select Post Usenet and Email Messages from the Online menu to transmit them to the Internet.
Send Later Note: Agent does not make copies of attached files prior to sending them.  If you attach a file and press Send Later, make sure that the file stays around until you transmit the message.

See Also:

Reply to All command

Making Sure Messages Were Sent Properly

How to Re-send a Message You Created

How to Post Usenet Messages

How to Receive Email

Message Fields


How to Uninstall Agent

If you have used the Install program to install Agent and wish to uninstall it, use the procedure below for your particular operating system.

Windows 95 or NT4:

1.	Select General Preferences from the Options menu.

2.	On the General Preferences dialog box, select the URLs tab.

3.	Under "Make Agent the web browser service for", make sure that both the "Usenet" and "Email" boxes are unchecked.

4.	Close Agent.

5.	Double-click My Computer.

6.	Double-click the Control Panel icon.

7.	Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.

8.	Click the Install/Uninstall tab.

9.	Select Forte Agent from the list of applications.

10.	Press the Add/Remove button to activate the uninstall program and follow the directions that are given.

Windows 3.1x or NT3.51:

1.	Select General Preferences from the Options menu.

2.	On the General Preferences dialog box, select the URLs tab.

3.	Under "Make Agent the web browser service for", make sure that both the "Usenet" and "Email" boxes are unchecked.

4.	Close Agent.

5.	In the group containing the Agent program icon, look for the Uninstall icon and double-click it.

6.	Follow the directions that are given.

Note: If you don't find an entry for Forte Agent on the Install/Uninstall tab (first procedure above) or an Uninstall icon (second procedure above), look in the Agent directory for unwise.exe.  Unwise.exe is the uninstall executable file.  Simply run it and follow the directions that are given.


How to Use Agent as an Offline Newsreader

If you pay an hourly rate for your Internet connection, an offline newsreader can save you lots of money by minimizing the time you are connected to your service provider.  To use Agent as an offline reader, follow the steps below:

1.	Make sure you are configured for offline operation.

Choose User and System Profile from the Options menu and select the Online tab.  Press the Use Offline Defaults button and Agent will automatically configure itself for offline use.

2.	Get headers for new messages.

To retrieve the headers of all the new messages in all your subscribed groups, choose Get New Headers in Subscribed Groups from the Online menu.  If you only want the new headers in a particular group, select that group and choose Get New Headers in Selected Groups from the Online menu.

Agent will now go online and retrieve the new headers.  As soon as it is done, it will go offline so that you are no longer incurring connect charges.

All the message headers Agent retrieved will be colored red (assuming you're using Agent's default color scheme - see the General Preferences dialog box, Colors Tab).  This signifies that the message is new, or "unread."

3.	Mark messages for retrieval.

Browse through the message headers just retrieved and look for ones that interest you.  When you find one, highlight it and do any one of the following:

•	Click the Mark for Retrieval toolbar icon

•	Choose Mark for Retrieval from the Message menu

•	Press the M or Enter key

•	Double-click on the message

Repeat the above step for each message whose body you wish to retrieve.

4.	Get marked message bodies.

Once you've marked all the interesting messages in all your groups, choose Get Marked Message Bodies from the Online menu.

Agent will now go online to retrieve the full text of all your marked messages and go offline as soon as it's done.

5.	Read the retrieved messages.

Any messages you did not mark in the previous step will automatically have been marked read when you retrieved marked message bodies in the previous step (see Marking Messages Read for details).  You can now use the options on the Navigate menu to quickly find and read the messages you just retrieved.

See Also:

Navigating in Agent

How to Use Agent as an Online Newsreader

About Usenet Message Purging

Online Menu Commands Explained

Watching and Ignoring Threads

Properties for Selected Groups dialog box, Retrieve tab


How to Use Agent as an Online Newsreader

If you don't pay an hourly rate for your Internet connection, you probably want to remain connected to your service provider while using Agent.  To use Agent as an online reader, follow the steps below:

1.	Make sure you are configured for online operation.

Choose User and System Profile from the Options menu and select the Online tab.  Press the Use Online Defaults button and Agent will automatically configure itself to stay online.

2.	Get headers for new messages.

To retrieve the headers of all the new messages in all your subscribed groups, choose Get New Headers in Subscribed Groups from the Online menu.  If you only want the new headers in a particular group, select that group and choose Get New Headers in Selected Groups from the Online menu.

Agent will now go online if you're not currently connected.  It will remain online until you manually go offline (by exiting the program or deselecting Online from the Online menu) or until it detects an extended period of inactivity.

All the message headers Agent retrieved will be colored red (assuming you're using Agent's default color scheme - see the General Preferences dialog box, Colors Tab).  This signifies that the message is new, or "unread" (see Marking Messages Read for more information).

3.	Read messages.

To read a message, select it and choose View Selected Message from the Navigate menu.  You can also read a message by simply double-clicking on it or highlighting it and pressing Enter.  To read the next unread message, use the View Next Unread Message (Ctrl+N) or View Next Unread Message in Thread (Ctrl+T) commands on the Navigate menu.  These commands jump to the next unread message and retrieve its body at the same time.

See Also:

Navigating in Agent

How to Use Agent as an Offline Newsreader

About Usenet Message Purging

Online Menu Commands Explained

Watching and Ignoring Threads

Properties for Selected Groups dialog box, Retrieve tab


How to Use the Address Book

Agent allows you to customize an address book to contain your most frequently used addresses for people and groups.  Using the address book, you can efficiently address messages you send.  Select from the topics below to better understand how to use the address book:

To open the Address book:

Select Open Address Book  from the Window menu.

To add a person or group mailing list to the address book:

Select New from the Address menu and complete the dialog box.  (The address book must be open.)  Press the Help button for a description of each field.

For more information, see the topic Adding People to the Address Book.

To edit an address book entry in the address book:

1.	From the Address Book Window, select the entry in the Names list.

2.	Modify the entry's Addresses, Comments, or Field Text.

3.	Choose Save from the Address menu or click the Save Address icon on the tool bar.

Note: To abandon your changes, choose Reset from the Address menu.

To change an address book entry's name:

1.	Select the entry in the Names list.

2.	Choose Rename from the Address menu, or click the Rename icon on the tool bar.

To delete an address book entry:

1.	Select the entry in the Names list.

2.	Choose Delete from the Address menu, or click the Delete Address icon on the tool bar.

To find an address:

You have different options, depending on what you are doing.

•	To quickly find an address in the address book, select Find from the Edit menu and the Find Address dialog box will appear.  If you need help using this dialog box, press the Help button.

•	When you are composing a message, press the Pick Address button [image] in the composition window.  This opens the Pick Address dialog box, which lists all the addresses defined in the address book.  Select an address from the list and it is immediately inserted into the To, Cc, or Bcc fields.

To start a new message:

1.	From the address book, select the person or group to whom you wish to send the new message.

2.	Choose To, Cc, or Bcc from the Address menu to open a new Compose Email Message window, or click the To, Cc, or Bcc icon from the tool bar.


AGENT.INI

The AGENT.INI file is where you will find most of Agent's settings.  You can edit this file with any text editor, as AGENT.INI is a standard Windows INI file.

The default name is AGENT.INI and the default location is the directory C:\AGENT.  However, you can change the name and location of your Agent directory, if you wish.

Below are the major categories under which Agent's settings are classified.  Click on the section name below to jump directly to that section.

[Address]

[Article]

[Attachment]

[Browser]

[Colors]

[Confirm]

[Debugging]

[Directories]

[EMail]

[EmailFilters]

[FolderMenu]

[Filters]

[Groups]

[Languages]

[Language<x>]

[MAPI]

[Message]

[MIME]

[MIMETypes]

[Misc]

[Newsrc]

[Online]

[Print]

[Profile]

[Purging]

[SafeTypes]

[Search]

[Servers]

[Spelling]

[TimeZone]

[Timing]

[Toolbars]

[Trash]

[URL]

[View]

[ViewFilters]

[XPost]

[Profile]

Build="<build>"

This setting is the exact version and build you are running.

FullName="<full name>"

This setting is the full name as you want it to appear in your messages.  You may leave this blank.  In Agent, you can define this setting on the User tab of the User and System Profile dialog box.

EMailAddress="<email address>"

This setting is your email address.  In Agent, you can define this setting on the User tab of the User and System Profile dialog box.

ReplyTo="<email address>"

This setting is where replies to your messages should be sent,if different from your email address.  In Agent, you can define this  setting on the User tab of the User and System Profile dialog box.

Organization="<organization name>"

This setting is the name of your organization.  You may leave this  blank.  In Agent, you can define this setting on the User tab of the  User and System Profile dialog box.

DoAuthorization=0

When non-zero, Agent will perform authorization login to the news server.  In Agent, you can find this option, "Server requires  authorization login", on the User tab of the User and System Profile  dialog box.

SavePassword=1

When non-zero, Agent will save the authorization password between sessions.  In Agent, you can find this option, "Remember Password  between sessions" on the User tab of the User and System Profile  dialog box.

UserName="<username>"

This setting is the news server authorization username.  In Agent, you  can define this setting on the User tab of the User and System Profile  dialog box.

Password="<password>"

This setting is the news server authorization password (encrypted).   In Agent, you can define this setting on the User tab of the User and  System Profile dialog box.

IsRegistered=0

When non-zero, you have registered Agent.

IsRegistered19=0

When non-zero, you have visited the Forte web site to register Agent version 1.9x

IsLicensed=1

When non-zero, you have accepted the license agreement.

Key="<key>"

This setting is the registration key entered when you ran Agent for  the first time.  Do not edit or delete this value or you will not be  able to run Agent.

EnableSupportMenu=0

When non-zero, the Post Support Question command on the Help menu is  enabled.  This setting is to be used by System administrators for  site-based copies of Agent.

EMailAddressFormat=<n>

The following formats are available:

0 = Full Name user@domain

1 = user@domain (Full Name)

2 = user@domain

SMTPLoginProtocol=<n>.

The SMTP authentication protocol.

 0 - No login is required

1 - Login with a username and password

2 - Login with POP-before-SMTP

3 - Login with SPA

SMTPUsePOPLogin=<n>

When non zero, use the POP username and password for SMTP authentication logins.

SMTPUserName=<name>

The SMTP authentication login username, to be used when SMTPUsePOPLogin is false.

SMTPSavePassword=<n>

When non-zero, save the SMTP authentication login password between sessions.

SMTPPassword=<password>

The SMTP authentication login password to be used when SMTPSavePassword is true.

[Servers]

NewsServer="<news server name>"

This setting is the name or IP address of your NNTP news server.  In  Agent, you can define this setting, "News Server", on the System tab  of the User and System Profile dialog box.

MailServer="<mail server name>"

This setting is the name or IP address of your SMTP email server.  In  Agent, you can define this setting, "Email Server", on the System tab  of the User and System Profile dialog box.

NNTPPort=119

This setting controls the port to use for connecting to the NNTP news server.  When this value is the standard news server port number  (119), Agent first asks the winsock driver for the port number to use. If that call (getservbyname) fails, Agent then tries to use this port number.  When this value is *not* the standard news server port number, Agent uses it instead of the asking the winsock driver for the port number to use.

SMTPPort=25

This setting controls the port to use for connecting to the SMTP email server.  When this value is the standard email server port number (25), Agent first asks the winsock driver for the port number to use. If that call (getservbyname) fails, Agent then tries to use this port number.  When this value is *not* the standard email server port  number, Agent uses it instead of the asking the winsock driver for the port number to use.

PopServer="<POP server name>"

This setting is the name or IP address of your POP server.  In Agent,  you can define this setting, "POP Server", on the Inbound Email  System Profile tab.

POPPort=110

This setting controls the port to use for connecting to the POP server.  When this value is the standard POP server port number (110), Agent first asks the winsock driver for the port number to use.  If that call (getservbyname) fails, Agent then tries to use this port number.  When this value is *not* the standard email server port number, Agent uses it instead of the asking the winsock driver for the port number to use.

SMTPServerPort=25

This setting controls the port to use for listening for inbound SMTP  connections, used when receiving email via SMTP.  Default is 25.

[Groups]

LastUpdate=<date and time>

This setting shows the most recent date and time at which Agent  retrieved a list of new Usenet groups, in GMT.  When Agent retrieves a list of new groups, it asks for all groups created after this date. Setting this to blank forces Agent to retrieve a list of all  groups.

RefreshMode=1

This setting tells Agent what to do with extinct groups whenever you  choose to refresh the groups list in the Groups/Folders pane.   Selecting "Refresh Groups List" from the Online menu brings up the  Refresh Groups List dialog box.  The options on this dialog box are  associated with the following values:

0	Keep all extinct groups

1	Delete extinct groups that are Empty

2	Delete All extinct groups

RecordGaps=0

When non-zero, Agent always records any gaps in the list of messages that has been retrieved, so that it can check for new messages in the gaps the next time new headers are retrieved.

DemonDolt=1.2

When non-zero, Agent will do XHDR instead of LISTGROUP when retrieving  new headers.  This is only true if you have checked the "Server Creates messages out of order" setting on the User and System Profile  System tab.  When this setting is zero, Agent will do LISTGROUP when  retrieving new headers.

MinGapCount=5

This setting is the number of gaps in the list of messages beyond  which Agent will get all headers, because it is faster.

SampleMode=0

When non-zero, Agent will retrieve up to the specified number of headers.  In Agent, you can find this option, "Retrieve the most  recent messages, up to the specified number", on the dialog box Sample Headers from Selected Groups.

SampleCount=50

This setting controls the number of headers that Agent will retrieve when you press the Sample Headers button on the View Empty Groups dialog box.  In Agent, you can define this setting, "Maximum headers  to sample", on the Group Properties Retrieve tab.  When you enter a  value for this setting, it automatically changes the "Number to  sample" setting on the View Empty Group dialog box.

SampleDays=7

This setting controls the number of days of most recent message headers that Agent will retrieve when you sample headers for an empty group.  In Agent, you can define this setting, "Number of days to  retrieve", on the dialog box Sample Headers from Selected Groups.

ViewEmptyAction=<n>

This setting controls Agent's actions when you double-click an empty group.  In Agent, the options for "View Empty Action" can be found on  the Group Properties Retrieve tab.  The options are:

0 Do nothing

1 Get all headers

2 Get sample headers (up to the specified number)

3 Prompt for action

SampleNewCount=50

This setting controls the number of headers that Agent will retrieve  when you sample headers for an empty group.  In Agent, if you double- click an empty group, the View Empty Group dialog box displays.  You  can define this value in the "Number to sample" field.  When a new  number is entered here, it will also change the value on the Group  Properties Retrieve tab.

LastFolderSelection=<folder name>

This setting is the name of the last folder selected with the Copy/Move messages dialog (All Folders menu option).

SampleUpdateRanges=1

When non-zero, Agent will update the record of the messages retrieved when performing a "Sample Headers from Selected Groups" operation.

UnkeepUnavailable=1

When non-zero, if you attempt to retrieve the body for an unavailable message and if Agent marks this message with the "X" unavailable icon, then Agent will also clear any Keep flag for the message.  In Agent,  you can enable the option "Do not Keep unavailable messages" on the  Group Properties Retrieve tab.

Sorted=1

When non-zero (the default), Agent will perform a fast search to find  message-id URLs.  The only time you might want to set this option to  zero is if you have used a special third-party utility to reorder the  groups list (e.g., AGO).  The drawback to setting this to zero is that  you sacrifice performance.  The search process will be significantly  slower.

[Online]

AutoDisconnect=1

When non-zero, Agent will disconnect from news server after <NoActivityTimeout> seconds of inactivity.  When zero, Agent will  never disconnect.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Go offline  automatically after..." on the User and System Profile Online tab.

NoActivityTimeout=300

This setting controls the period of no activity (in seconds) after  which Agent should disconnect from the NNTP server.  In Agent, you can define the number of seconds in the entry box preceding "seconds of no  activity" on the User and System Profile Online tab.

MailAutoDisconnect=1

When non-zero, Agent will disconnect from the SMTP email server after  <MailNoActivityTimeout> seconds of inactivity.  When zero, Agent will never disconnect.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Go offline  automatically after..." on the User and System Profile Online tab.

MailNoActivityTimeout=5

This setting controls the period of no SMTP activity after which Agent should disconnect from the SMTP server (seconds).  In Agent, you can define the number of seconds in the entry box preceding "seconds of no  activity" on the User and System Profile Online tab.

SendKeepAliveMsgs=1

When non-zero, Agent will send "keep alive" messages to the news server.  This keeps the dial-up connection alive.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Send keep-alive messages every..." on the User and  System Profile Online tab.

KeepAlivePeriod=60

This setting controls how often (in seconds) to send a keep alive  message during periods of inactivity.  In Agent, you can define the  number of seconds in the entry box preceding "seconds" on the User and  System Profile Online tab.

XHdrOnly=1

When non-zero, Agent will use XHDR commands to request message header information from the news server, rather than XOVER.  Some servers do not support the newer XOVER command, which is faster than XHDR.  Agent will automatically detect whether the server recognizes XOVER and falls back to XHDR if it doesn't.  But, you can also use this option to force it to always use XHDR.

EnablePriorityTask=1

When non-zero, Agent will enable priority tasks for retrieving message bodies.  This allows the program to open two channels to the news server, with one reserved as a priority channel for retrieving  messages.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Enable priority  message retrieval" on the User and System Profile Online tab.

AutoView=0

This setting tells Agent what to do when you double-click a message without a body.  The options are:

0 Go online and Retrieve the message's body

1 Mark the message for later retrieval

2 Retrieve the body if online, mark for retrieval if offline

3 Do nothing In Agent, you can select one of these options on the User and System  Profile Online tab.

RetryGetHostName=0 When non-zero, Agent will retry connecting to the host PC, until Agent times out.  When zero, Agent will report an error after the first  attempt.

RetryConnectAttempts=0

This setting controls how many times to retry connecting to the server after getting any of the following errors:

-	Connection refused (winsock error 10061)

-	Operation timed out (winsock error 10060)

-	400 Service not available When zero, report an error after the first attempt. In Agent, you can define the number of times to have Agent retry in  the setting "Times to retry after server refuses connection" on the  User and System Profile Online tab.

RetryConnectPause=30

This setting controls how long to wait (in seconds) between connection  attempts when retrying.  In Agent, you can define the total seconds to  pause in the setting "Pause between retries..." on the User and System  Profile Online tab.

RetryConnectCloseWinsock=0

When non-zero, Agent will close winsock after each connection failure and reload it before retrying.  If you are using a winsock dialer, this causes the dialer to hang up the modem between connection  attempts.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Unload winsock (hang  up) between retries" on the User and System Profile Online tab.

UseGetHostName=0

When non-zero, Agent will use the function gethostname()to obtain the name of the host PC itself, for use when logging into SMTP servers. When zero, Agent will use the winsock function WSAAsyncGetHostByAddr() to obtain the name of the host PC.  Use this as a workaround for  winsock drivers that do not support WSAAsyncGetHostByAddr().

EnableMsgIdRetrieval=1

When non-zero, if Agent fails to retrieve a Usenet message body by message number, it will attempt to retrieve it by message ID.  Some news servers are slow in responding to message ID requests, so you can set this option to zero to disable message ID retrieval.

ErrorTimeout=300

This setting controls the amount of time (in seconds) that Agent waits  after displaying the online error dialog box before going offline  automatically.  Agent does not cancel any online tasks until you  confirm that you want to do so on the dialog.  If you choose to resume processing, Agent will go online again.  This parameter applies only if auto-disconnect is enabled (AutoDisconnect=1).  In Agent, you can  define the number of seconds in the entry box preceding "seconds of no  activity" on the User and System Profile Online tab.

PriorityAttachments=0

When non-zero, any attempt to launch an attachment that results in  Agent retrieving the message body will cause the retrieval to be done  as a priority task.  This setting is independent of the Enable  priority message retrieval option.  In Agent, you can enable the  setting "Enable priority retrieval for Attachments" on the User and  System Profile Online tab.

LoadWinsockOnStartup16=0

(16-bit Agent only) When non-zero, Agent will automatically load winsock when starting your PC.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Load winsock on  program startup..." on the User and System Profile Online tab.

LoadWinsockOnStartup32=0

(32-bit Agent only) When non-zero, Agent will automatically load winsock when starting your PC.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Load winsock on  program startup..." on the User and System Profile Online tab.

RasOpen=0

(32-bit Agent only) When non-zero, Agent will automatically establish a Remote Access Server (RAS) dial-up connection before going online.  In Agent,  you can enable the setting "Open dial-up connection..." on the  User and System Profile Dial-Up tab.

RasOpenPrompt=1

(32-bit Agent only) When non-zero, Agent will prompt before establishing a Remote Access Server (RAS)dial-up connection.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Prompt before connecting" on the User and System Profile Dial-Up tab.

RasConnection="<RAS connection name>"

(32-bit Agent only) This setting is the name of the Remote Access Server (RAS) dial-up connection to use.  In Agent, you can define the name of the  connection on the User and System Profile Dial-Up tab.

RASUseAny=1

(32-bit Agent only) When non-zero, Agent will use any connection that is available, when attempting to connect to the server.  In Agent, you can enable the  setting "If another connection is already open..." on the User and  System Profile Dial-Up tab.

RasClose=1

(32-bit Agent only) When non-zero, Agent will automatically close the Remote Access Server  (RAS) dial-up connection after going offline.  In Agent, you can  enable the setting "Close dial-up connection after going offline" on  the User and System Profile Dial-Up tab.

RasClosePrompt=1

(32-bit Agent only) When non-zero, Agent will prompt before closing the Remote Access Server (RAS)dial-up connection.  In Agent, you can enable the setting  "Prompt before disconnecting" on the User and System Profile  Dial-Up tab.

RasUserName="<RAS username>"

(32-bit Agent only) This setting is the username to be used for Dial-Up Networking (DUN)login (Windows NT only).  In Agent, you can define the name in  the "User Name" entry box on the User and System Profile  Dial-up tab.

RasPassword="<RAS password>"

(32-bit Agent only) This setting is the password to be used for Dial-Up Networking (DUN) login (Windows NT only).  In Agent, you can define the name in the "Password" entry box on the User and System Profile Dial-up tab.

RasConnectedTitle="Connected to"

(32-bit Agent only) This setting is the title of the "Connected to..." window that Dial- Up Networking(DUN) displays after a connection has been established. The window is always displayed in the middle of the screen; so, after establishing a dial-up connection, Agent searches for the window and automatically minimizes it to get it out of the way.  In Agent, you  can define the name in the "Title of Connection Status Window" on  on the User and System Profile Dial-up tab.

If this parameter is blank (the default), Agent uses a default title stored in AGENT.EXE or in the active language resources DLL.

RASRunMonitor=1

(32-bit Agent only) This setting applies only to Windows NT 4.0.  When non-zero, Agent  launches the Dial-Up Networking Monitor on the first connection  attempt.  The monitor appears as an icon on the task menu system tray.   Agent does not attempt to close the monitor when it hangs up, nor does  it re-launch the monitor on subsequent connection attempts, should you  close the monitor manually.  When zero, Agent prevents the monitor  from launching.  In Agent, you can set the option "Start Dial-Up  monitor on first connection attempt" on the System and User Profile  Dial-Up tab (Options menu).

RASMonitor="rasmon.exe"

(32-bit Agent only) This setting controls the executable that runs the Dial-Up Networking  RAS Monitor on the first connection attempt (see previous INI option).

HangUpOnStop=0

When non-zero, Agent will unload winsock and hangup the RAS connection  when you press the Stop button.  When zero, Agent will not unload  winsock or hangup the RAS connection.  Note: Agent itself will still  be offline, since it's no longer actually connected to the news  server.

ResumeAfterErrors=<n> (default is 0)

Controls Agent's action when an online error  occurs.  If zero, Agent stops to display a message  describing the error to the user, which the user  must acknowledge before Agent continues with the  next online operation.  If non-zero, Agent  continues processing without display a message.

LogErrors=<n> (default is 1)

When non-zero, Agent logs all online errors to the  file ERRORS.LOG in the data directory.

MinErrorLogSize=<n> (default is 90000)

MaxErrorLogSize=<n> (default is 100000)

When file ERRORS.LOG grows to be larger than  MaxErrorLogSize bytes, Agent removes the oldest  error messages from the file to reduce it to less  than MimErrorLogSize bytes.

ViewLogCmd32=<CommandLine> (default is "notepad.exe \"%1\"")

ViewLogCmd16=<CommandLine> (default is "notepad.exe %1")

The DOS command line Agent uses to launch a program  to view the online error log file.  Agent can be  configured to use different commands, depending on  whether you are running the 16- or 32-bit version.  ;If the parameter is left blank, Agent uses the ;Windows file association for .txt files.

[View]

UILanguage="<lng>"

A three-character language designator that specifies which language resources DLL to use for the user interface.

If the parameter is "exe", Agent uses the English language user interface contained within AGENT.EXE itself.

Otherwise, Agent searches for a language resources DLL from which to load the user interface.  Agent first searches in the DATA directory; then it searches in the SHARED directory.  Agent examines all files with names of the form RES*.DLL.

If the parameter is blank (the default), Agent uses the first DLL it finds.  Otherwise, Agent uses the first DLL that contains the language specified by the three-character designator.

If Agent finds no valid DLL, it reverts to using the AGENT.EXE language.

In Agent, you can control this setting on the Display Preferences Main Window tab .

AutoOpenMode=1

When non-zero, Agent, will automatically maintain positioning in  subsidiary browsers when the highlight in a browser changes.

ResDLL=<path>

The name of an optional resource-only DLL containing Agent's UI resources: menus, dialog boxes, accelerators, and strings.  If this parameter is non-empty, Agent attempts to load its UI resources from the specified DLL.  If the DLL does not exist, or if it not a valid Agent resource DLL, Agent uses the default UI resources contained in AGENT.EXE.

ShowToolBar=1

When non-zero, Agent will display the toolbar at the top of the screen.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Show Tool Bar" on the  Display Preferences Main Window tab.

ShowStatusBar=1

When non-zero, Agent will display the status bar at the bottom of the screen.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Show Status Bar" on the  Display Preferences Main Window tab.

ProgressStyle=0

This setting controls the format of the graphical online task  progress indicator in Agent's Status Bar.  The options are:

0	Display the progress indicator in its own box on the Status Bar.

1	Display the progress indicator in its own box, and include text showing the percentage of the task completed so far.

2	Display, in its own box, text showing the percentage of the task completed so far without a graphical progress indicator.

3	Display the graphical progress indicator over the text describing the current tas

4	Do not display the progress indicator.

ProgressDelay=1000

This setting controls how long to wait when the percent complete changes from a zero to a non-zero value, before updating the online task progress indicator display (milliseconds).  Once the delay threshold has been exceeded, Agent updates the display continuously. This delay causes Agent to not display the progress indicator for extremely short operations, such as downloading short message bodies.

InitialView=1

This setting controls what displays in the initial view for the Groups/Folders pane.  The options are:

0	All Groups

1	Subscribed Groups

2	New Groups

3	Folders

GroupPropTab=0

This setting shows the tab last displayed in the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box (Group menu).  The next time you open this dialog box, Agent will display this tab.

DefGroupPropTab=0

This setting shows the tab last displayed in the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box (Group menu).  The next time you open this dialog box, Agent will display this tab

ProfileTab=0

This setting shows the tab last displayed in the User and System Profile dialog box (Options menu).  The next time you open this dialog box, Agent will display this tab

PrefsTab=0

This setting shows the tab last displayed in the General Preferences dialog box (Options menu).  The next time you open this dialog box, Agent will display this tab

PostingTab=0

This setting shows the tab last displayed in the Posting Preferences dialog box (Options menu).  The next time you open this dialog box, Agent will display this tab.

InboundTab=0

This setting shows the tab last displayed in the Inbound Email dialog box (Options menu).  The next time you open this dialog box, Agent  will display this tab

DisplayTab=0

This setting shows the tab last displayed in the Display Preferences dialog box (Options menu).  The next time you open this dialog box, Agent will display this tab

MenusTab=0

This setting shows the tab last displayed in the Menus and Toolbars dialog box (Options menu).  The next time you open this dialog box, Agent will display this tab

URLTabItem=0

This setting shows the URL item last displayed in the General Preferences URL Types tab.  The next time you open this dialog box, Agent will display this URL item

MainWindowPosition="0 1 -1 -1 -4 -4 86 57 875 677"

The coordinates in this setting control the initial screen position  of Agent's main window.

BrowserPosition="3 3 94 347 -4 -23 15 18 663 348"

The coordinates in this setting control the initial screen position of  Agent's browser windows (e.g., the Usenet Filter window and Outbox).

Title="<title text>"

This setting controls the text that appears in the program title.  If  this is left blank, then Agent uses the canned title.

ReturnToMessage=1

When non-zero, Agent remembers the last message that was selected in the previous session and repositions itself on that message when Agent is restarted.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Reposition  on last message..." on the Display Preferences Main Window tab.

SelectedMessage="<fields>"

This setting controls which message is selected in the Message List  pane.  Whenever you close Agent, the program remembers the selected  message header and repositions you on that message whenever you reopen  Agent.

LastView="<view>"

This setting enables Agent to remember the view that was showing in  the previous session (e.g., All Groups or Subscribed Groups) and repositions itself on that view when the program is restarted

Win95=0

(32-bit Agent only) When running under Windows NT, Agent normally turns off all of its Windows 95 features.  But, if you set value to 1, Agent will pretend that it really is running under Windows 95.  This allows you to turn on the Windows 95 features if you are running the beta version of the Windows 95 shell for Windows NT.

StatusBarFont="MS Sans Serif, 80, 0, 0, 0,0,0"

This setting controls the font used for text in the status bar.  To  edit this setting, specify a new font type, as well as the style and  size attributes.  The attributes are: <fontname>, <points*10>, <bold>, <italic>, <red>,<green>,<blue>

ToolBarSize=100

This setting controls the size of the icons on the toolbar.  Icons are enlarged in increments of 5%.  In Agent, you can enter the  desired button size in the "Size of buttons" entry box on the Display  Preferences Main Window tab.

HeaderInfoFont=<font name, style, and size>

This setting controls the font used for status information on the pane  headers.  To edit this setting, specify a new font type (e.g., MS Sans  Serif), as well as the style and size attributes.

OldStyleBodyHeader=1

When non-zero, Agent will revert to the font style used previously for  the message body header.

[Browser]

NormalFont=Arial, 80, 0,0, 0,0,0

This setting controls the font for normal  items. Below is the  sequence of attributes for the font: <fontname>, <points*10>, <bold>, <italic>, <red>,<green>,<blue> In Agent, you can specify this font by pressing the Browser button  on the Display Preferences Fonts tab.

BoldFont=MS Sans Serif, 80, 1,0, 0,0,0

This setting controls the font for special items (e.g., first message in thread).  Below is the sequence of attributes for the font: <fontname>, <points*10>, <bold>, <italic>, <red>,<green>,<blue>

ScrollMargin=2

This setting controls the minimum number of lines to maintain above and below the highlighted item when scrolling with the cursor keys. This keeps the highlight from getting pinned at either the top or bottom screen rows.  In Agent, you can enter this value in the "Scroll  Margins" entry box on the Display Preferences Browsers tab.

FollowUpIndent=4

This setting controls the number of characters to indent follow-up  messages in the Message List pane.  In Agent, you can enter this  number in the "Follow-Up Indentation" entry box on the General  Preferences Message List tab.

MaxNestLevel=6

This setting controls the maximum indentation level in characters for  follow-up messages in the Message List pane.  The maximum level is 127.  In Agent, you can enter this number in the "Maximum Follow-Up Level"  entry box on the General Preferences Message List tab.

LineCountMode=<n>

This setting controls how to display line counts that are too large to fit in the message list display column.  Possible values:

0   Display in an abbreviated format
1   Display asterisks

In Agent, you can control this setting on the Display Preferences Messages tab .

CollapseThreads=0

This setting controls the state of threads in the Message List pane  when you open Agent.  In Agent, you can select the "Initial thread  setting" on the General Preferences Message List tab from the choices:

0	Collapse all threads

1	Expand all threads

2	Expand unread threads

3	Expand threads with unread bodies

ExpandNewThread=1

When non-zero, positioning on a new message automatically expands the thread if the message is a follow-up and if the first message in the thread has been retrieved, the thread is watched, or the unread  message being skipped to has a body.  In Agent, you can enable the  setting "Expand thread if necessary to highlight current body pane  message" on the General Preferences Message List tab.

SubjectThreading=1

When non-zero, Agent will use subjects to combine messages into threads, in addition to message references.  In Agent, you can enable  the setting "Enable threading by subject" on the General Preferences  Message List tab.

ArticleListColumns=<n>,<n>,<n>

This setting offsets the left edges of the columns in the Message List  pane (units of 10x the average character width).  The edge of the  left-most column is always 0, so is not included here.

OutBoxColumns=87,432,697

This setting offsets the left edges of the columns in the Outbox  browser (units of 10x the average character width).  The edge of the  left-most column is always 0, so is not included here.

NewSubjectStartsNewThread=1

When non-zero, a follow-up message that contains a different subject than its referenced message starts a new thread.  When zero, Agent will include the follow-up in its referenced message's thread.  In  Agent, you can enable the setting "Start a new thread when a follow-up  subject changes" on the General Preferences Message List tab.

NextStaysInPane=1

When non-zero, Agent will keep the focus in the same pane when skipping between messages in different groups or folders.  In Agent,  you can enable the setting "Skipping to next unread message..." on the  General Preferences Navigation tab.

MarkSkipsToNextUnread=1

When non-zero, marking a message causes Agent to skip to the next unread message.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Marking or  ignoring a message..." on the General Preferences Navigation tab.

WatchSkipsToNextUnread=1

When non-zero, watching an unread message causes Agent to skip to the next unread message.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Watching  an Unread message..." on the General Preferences Navigation tab.

SkipGroupMarksRead=1

When non-zero, skipping to the next unread group causes Agent to mark all messages in the current group read.  In Agent, you can enable the  setting "Skipping to next unread Group..." on the General Preferences  Navigation tab.

RightButtonSelects=1

When non-zero, clicking a group, folder, or message header with the right mouse button selects the item and displays a context sensitive  menu.

ShowUnreadOnly=0

When non-zero, Agent will show only unread messages in the Message  List pane.  In Agent, this is one of the choices on the default list  of views the Manage Views dialog box.

ShowBodiesOnly=0

When non-zero, Agent will show only messages with bodies in the  Message List pane.  In Agent, this is one of the choices on the  default list of views the Manage Views dialog box.

SortDateDescending=0

When non-zero, Agent sorts by descending dates (most recent first).   In Agent, you can enable the setting "Date sorts descending" on the  General Preferences Message List tab.

SortSizeDescending=0

When non-zero, Agent sorts by descending size (largest first).  In  Agent, you can enable the setting "Size sorts descending" on the  General Preferences Message List tab.

SortDateDeletedDescending=0

When non-zero, Agent sorts the date deleted sort by descending dates (most recent first).  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Date deleted sorts descending" on the General Preferences Message List tab.

ScrollLock=0

When non-zero, you can press the scroll lock key, allowing you to  navigate in the browser, using the arrow keys.  You can use this feature to edit text in the browser.

AuthorModeZoomed=0

This option is to be implemented in a future version.

AuthorModeUnZoomed=0

This option is to be implemented in a future version.

MarkReadMode=1

This setting controls when Agent automatically marks messages read.   The options are:

0	Whenever the message body is visible in the Message pane

1	Only when the Message pane is selected

2	Never mark read In Agent, you can select one of these options on the General  Preferences Navigation tab.

SingleKeyViewsBody=1

When non-zero, the speedkey (Space bar) is enabled, allowing you to  simply press the Space bar to view the next unread message body.   The effect of this speedkey (when the Groups or Message List panes  have the focus) is the same as View Next Unread Body command.  In  Agent, you can enable the setting "Single-Key Read..." on the General  Preferences Navigation tab.

ViewLaunchesOnRetrieve=0

When zero, if a message body has not been retrieved, double-clicking  the header simply retrieves the body, but does not launch.  When non- zero, double-clicking always launches, even when retrieving the body. In Agent, you can enable the setting "Double-clicking launches..." on  the Group Properties Receive Files tab.

LaunchInlineAttachments=0

This setting allows you to override the Launch command behavior on the File menu.  When zero, Agent will launch any attachment, even if it is  a text attachment and you have Agent configured to display it inline. When non-zero, in cases of multiple attachments, Agent launches non- text files ahead of text files.

BackupLimit=100

This setting specifies the number of times you can use the Backup key  to retrace the previous actions you have taken.

DefaultGroupView="<View Name>"

This setting indicates the default view for all groups at the time you close Agent.  Agent saves this view so that when you reopen Agent,  this will still be the default view for all groups.

DefaultFolderView="<View Name>"

This setting indicates the default view for all folders at the time  you close Agent.  Agent saves this view so that when you reopen Agent,  this will still be the default view for all folders.

ExpandFromBody=0

When non-zero, Agent will expand the thread in the Message List pane  so the current message is visible.  In Agent, you can enable the  setting "Expand thread if necessary..." on the General Preferences  Message List tab.

WheelButtonPagesDown=0

When non-zero, Agent allows you to use the middle button on a  Microsoft Intellimouse to jump to the next unread message (the same as  the single key-read behavior).  In Agent, you can enable the setting  "Clicking mouse wheel Button (middle button) does single-key read" on  the General Preferences Navigation tab.

EnableWheelButton=1

When non-zero, the middle button on a 3-button mouse is enabled, so  that when you press the button, Agent pages down before jumping to the next message.  In Agent, you can enable the setting, "Page down before  advancing to next message" on the General Preferences Navigation tab.

MarkReadReply=0

When non-zero, Agent marks a message read when replying to or  forwarding a message.  In Agent, you can enable the option "Mark  messages read when replying to or forwarding a message" on the General  Preferences Navigation tab.

AllowEditDrag=<n> (default is 1)

Allow drag-and-drop editing in the composition  window.  This option applies only to 32-bit Agent.

GotoFirstWhenDone=<n> (default is 0)

Controls Agent's action when you invoke a command  that jumps to the next unread message and there are  no more unread messages after the current position.   When non-zero, Agent moves the focus to the  groups/folders pane and jumps to the first group.

BackupTracksPane=<n> (default is 1)

Controls whether Agent should return to the original pane when  backing up.  When this option is 0, Agent stays in the current pane instead.

CopyMoveUndoLimit=<n> (default is 10)

Specifies the number of message move, copy, and delete operations that are queued for the Edit | Undo command.  This setting affects how much memory is used by the queue.

[Article]

UseFixedFont=1

When non-zero, Agent will use the fixed-pitch font for messages.  In Agent, you can specify this setting by pressing the Fixed-Pitch Body  button on the Display Preferences Fonts tab.

WordWrap=1

When non-zero, Agent will word wrap messages.  In Agent, you can

dde;select the setting "Word-wrap" on the Message menu, or you can press  the Word Wrap toolbar button.

ShowHeader=1

When non-zero, Agent will show all header fields in messages.  In  Agent, you can enable this setting by selecting "Show All Header  Fields" on the Message menu.

QuotedTextMarkers=>:|}

This setting controls the characters that mark a quoted line of text in a message.  If a line begins with any of these characters, it is assumed to be quoted.  In Agent, you can define the setting "Quoted  Text Markers" on the Display Preferences Messages tab.

URLPattern=[a-zA-Z]+:/[^ \t\r\n>)\]"']*[a-zA-Z0-9/]

This setting is the regular expression defining the pattern for URLs.

TabSpacing=3

This setting controls the tab spacing (in characters) for messages.   In Agent, you can specify the value in the "Tab Spacing" entry box on  the Display Preferences Messages tab.

SaveArticleFields=2

This setting controls which header fields to save when writing a message to a text file.  The options are:

0	No fields (Body only)

1	Selected fields

2	All fields In Agent, you can specify one of these options under "Header Fields  to Include" on the Save Messages As dialog box.

SaveArticleAppend=1

When non-zero, if the file to which a message being saved already exists, Agent will append to it.  When zero, Agent will overwrite the file after prompting for verification.  In Agent, you enable the  setting "Append to existing file" on the Save Messages As dialog box.

SaveArticleFormat=0

This setting controls formatting of the text file when saving messages.  The options are:

0	UNIX message file format

1	Include a separator line before each message

2	No separators before messages In Agent, you can specify one of these options under "File Format" on  the Save Messages As dialog box.

SaveArticleSeparator="========\n"

This setting controls the separator to be used when the setting SaveArticleFormat=1.  In Agent, you can either accept the default  separator or enter a different one under "Precede each message with"  on the Save Messages As dialog box.  Note: This setting must be  selected before you can use the entry box.

SaveArticleFieldList="To,Subject,From,Date,Cc,Bcc"

This setting shows a comma-separated list of fields to be included in saved messages when SaveArticleFields=1.  Agent includes a field only if it is actually defined in the message.  In Agent, the entry box  containing this list of fields is under the "Selected fields" setting  in the Save Messages As dialog box.

ImportUseXFolder=1

When non-zero, if a message being imported begins with an X-Folder field, Agent will place the message in the specified folder.  In  Agent, you can enable the setting "If a message contains an X-Folder  field..." is on the Import Messages dialog box (File menu).

ImportCreateFolders=1

When non-zero, Agent will automatically create a folder for messages imported with an X-Folder field.  In Agent, you can enable the setting  "Automatically create folders" on the Import Messages dialog box  (File menu).

ImportFileMode=0

This setting controls how Agent decides where to place imported messages.  Note: If ImportUseXFolder=1, any X-Folder field in a message overrides this setting.  When non-zero, Agent will file all  messages in the folder specified by the ImportFileFolder setting  below.  When zero, Agent's Filing filters to file messages based on  content.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Put all messages in  folder" on the Import Messages dialog box (File menu).

ImportFileFolder="<folder name>"

This setting is the name of the folder to be used when the setting ImportFileMode=1.  In Agent, you can specify the folder from the  drop down list following the "Put all messages..." setting on the   Import Messages dialog box (File menu).

PageDownMode=0 This setting controls the behavior of the Page Down key in the Message pane.  When non-zero, you cannot page down if the last line of the message is visible.  When zero, you can page down if the last line of the message is visible.

ShowFullAddress=0

When non-zero, Agent will show the full email address of the author in the Message pane and header.  In Agent, you can enable the setting  "Show Author's full email address" on the Display Preferences  Browsers tab.

NewsBaseFields="<fields>"

NewsAllFields="<fields>"

MailBaseFields=!to,!subject,!from,!date,cc,bcc

MailAllFields="<fields>"

These settings control which header fields are displayed at the top of the message body.  The News* params control Usenet messages, and the Mail* params control email messages.  The *Base* params control the fields that are displayed when "ShowHeader" is zero, and the *All*  params control the fields that are displayed when "ShowHeader" is non-  zero.  Each param may contain a list of comma-separated field names.   The fields are displayed in the order listed.  If a field name is  preceded with a !, then the field is always displayed.  Otherwise, the field is displayed only if it's actually contained in the message.  If  a *Base* param is empty, then no fields are displayed when  "ShowHeader" is zero.  If an *All* param is empty, then all fields are displayed when "ShowHeader" is non-zero.

ScrollLock=1

When non-zero, you can press the scroll lock key, allowing you to  navigate in the Message pane, using the arrow keys.  You can use this feature to edit messages.

ShowRaw=0

When non-zero, Agent will show all raw message information.  In Agent,  you can enable this setting by selecting "Show Raw Message" on the  Message menu.

SaveArticleRaw=0

When non-zero, Agent will save the message in its raw format.  In  Agent, you can enable the setting "Save raw (unformatted) message" on  the Save Messages As dialog box.

FilterAppleDouble=1

When sending attachments, most Macintosh systems use the multipart/ appledouble format.  This format consists of a multipart MIME section  that contains two imbedded sections: one for the so-called resources  fork, the other for the data fork.  The data fork contains the actual  file.  The resources fork contains Mac-specific info about the file. When non-zero, Agent collapses multipart messages into a single MIME  section that consists of just the data file, so that it looks like a  simple attachment. When zero, Agent displays all the details about  the multiple parts.

ShowDividers=1

When non-zero, Agent will show the horizontal divider line between  sections in messages.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Show  dividers between sections" on the Display Preferences Messages tab.

UseFixedFontRaw=0

When non-zero, Agent will use the fixed-pitch font when viewing raw  messages.

WordWrapRaw=0

When non-zero, Agent will word wrap when viewing raw messages.

ShowHeaderRaw=0

When non-zero, Agent will show all header fields when viewing  raw messages.

AttachedBaseFields="<fields>"

AttachedAllFields="<fields>"

These settings control which header fields are displayed at the top of the message body for messages with attachments.  The *Base* parameter controls the fields that are displayed when option ShowHeader is zero, and the *All* parameter controls the fields that are displayed when  the option is non-zero.  Each parameter may contain a list of comma- separated field names.  The fields are displayed in the order listed. If a field name is preceded with a !, then the field is always displayed.  Otherwise, the field is displayed only if it is actually contained in the message.  If a *Base* param is empty, then no fields are displayed when ShowHeader is zero.  If an *All* parameter is empty, then all fields are displayed when ShowHeader is non-zero.

FileMeansAttachment=0

When non-zero, if a MIME section has a filename, Agent treats it as an  attachment, even if it is declared to be an inline.

SaveNamedInlines=1

When non-zero, Agent will automatically save inline MIME sections that have a file name.  (This displays the yellow icon before the header).   When zero, you must manually save inline MIME sections using Save All  Attachments from the File menu.

DblClkOpensIndex=0

When non-zero, doubleclicking an attachment launches it.  In Agent,  you can enable the setting "Double-clicking launches attachments" on  the Group Properties Receive Files tab.

ContentMeansMime=1

When non-zero, Agent will assume that a message is a MIME message if  it contains a "Content-Type" field, even if it does not contain a  "Mime-Version" field.

SkipAlternatives=1

When non-zero, only the first of the alternative sections in a  multipart/alternative message is considered to be "launchable" or  "savable".  So, if a multiplart/alternative message consists of a  plain text section followed by an HTML attachment, the launch and save  operations will not operate and the message icon will be white,  indicating that the message doesn't really contain an attachment.

ReplyPrefixes="re"

This is a list of all reply prefixes that Agent will recognize.  Agent  uses these prefixes when processing the subject of messages.All  prefixes you enter should be separated by either a space or comma.  By  convention, most people use "Re:" to signify a reply.  However, some  people use language-specific prefixes other than Re:, such as the  German prefix "AN:".  (Note: entries can be either upper or lower-case  letters.  In Agent, you can enter these prefixes on the General  Preferences Message List tab.

Margins=<n>

This parameter sets the width of the left and right margins for displayed text in the message pane and the composition window. This is specified in Agent by the "Margins" entry on the Messages tab of the Display Preferences dialog box.

[Attachment]

PartitionMode=1

This setting controls how attachment messages are partitioned.  When  non-zero, do not partition (send as a single message). When zero,  partition into messages.

PartitionLines=10000

When attachment messages are partitioned, this setting controls the maximum number of lines of data to send per message.  Each line contains 45 bytes of data, and consists of 63 characters.

TextMode=0

This setting controls if and how text is sent with attachments.  The options are:

0	Send text as separate preface message

1	Include text at beginning of first partition message

2	Send no text

FileMode="644"

This setting controls the UNIX file mode for attachment files.  This is a string.  It is the mode that is included at the top of the  uuencoded file.

NameConversionMode=0

This setting controls how attachment filenames are converted.  The options are:

0	No conversion unless required

1	Convert when writing to a FAT volume, even if volume supports filenames

2	Always convert to 8.3 name

MaxTempFiles=10

This setting controls the maximum number of temp files Agent will use.

Executables="exe,bat,com,cmd"

This setting controls the executable applications recognized by Agent.

DeleteAfterJoin=1

When saving or launching an attachment, Agent joins all sections of  the message into one joined message.  This setting controls what is  done with the original sections.  When non-zero, Agent will delete the  original sections and leave just the joined message.  When zero, Agent  will leave the original sections as well as the new joined message.   In Agent, you can enable the setting "Join multipart messages when  saving or launching..." on the Group Properties Receive Files tab.

RequireFilenameWithTag=1

This option is enabled to make it less likely for Agent to mistakenly  identify a single message that has a (N/M) tag in its subject as a  section of a multipart message.  When you retrieve new message  headers, Agent scans the subject line to determine whether it's a  section of a multipart message.  All multipart messages are tagged  with [N/M] (e.g., [1/6] or [9/14]).  This setting controls whether  Agent should also include a filename before or after the [N/M] tag.   When non-zero, Agent will require a reasonable facsimile of a filename  before or after the [N/M] tag.

LastMimeApp="<application>"

After selecting an application for one attachment, Agent remembers  that application for the next time.

Executables2=<File Extensions> (default is "js,vbs,reg, scr")

Additional extensions for executable files.  Agent combines this  list with the list in parameter [Attachment]Executables.  Whenever  you attempt to launch an attachment, Agent checks to see if the  attachment filename extension matches any extension in the  combined list.  If it does, Agent displays a warning about viruses  and prompts for confirmation before launching the attachment.

RemoveAfterSave=<n> (default is 0)

Records the last setting of the "Remove from message after saving"  checkbox on the Save Message Section dialog box.

[Purging]

The parameters in this section can be modified within Agent from the Group Properties What to Purge tab and When to Purge tab.

PurgeByNumber=1

This setting controls how Agent's purge operation determines whether a message is no longer available. When non-zero, Agent will download headers and purge based on those. When zero, Agent will purge based on message range reported by the  server.

PurgeOnNewHeaders=1

When non-zero, Agent will purge messages when getting new headers.

PurgeOnExit=1

When non-zero, Agent will purge messages when exiting Agent.

CompressOnPurge=0

When non-zero, if Purge Messages is selected from the Group menu,  Agent will compact the databases being purged.  Note: A database is compacted only when the percent of disk space saved is greater than the value of the CompressPercent parameter.

CompressOnExit=0

When non-zero, Agent will compact all databases when Agent closes. Note: A database is compacted only when the percent of disk space saved is greater than the value entered in the "Compact only if wasted space at least..." field below.

CompressPercent=20

Before compacting a database, Agent will check to see how much disk space would be saved by the compact operation.  This setting allows you to bypass the operation if only a small amount of disk space would be saved.  Enter the minimum amount of disk space savings, as a percentage of the total size of the database, that will cause Agent to perform an automatic compaction after either a manual purge and/or an automatic purge during exit.

ConfirmPurgeOnExit=1

When non-zero, Agent will require confirmation before purging and/or compacting databases when program is closed. When zero, Agent will purge and/or compact the databases without asking first.  Note: To purge or compact databases on exit, be sure to enable PurgeOnExit and/or CompressOnExit.

AlwaysPurgeUnavailable=1

When non-zero, if one of the "When the message is no longer available" purge options is selected, Agent will purge messages that are no longer available during get new headers, even if the "Purge when retrieving new headers" setting is disabled (zero).  This setting can't be set within Agent.

[Message]

UseFixedFont=1

When non-zero, Agent will use the fixed-pitch font for outgoing  messages.  In Agent, you can enable this setting by selecting "Fixed  Pitch Font" on the Message menu.

WordWrap=1

When non-zero, Agent will word wrap outgoing messages in the display  window.  In Agent, you can enable this setting by selecting "Word  Wrap" on the Message menu when a composition window is open, or you  can press the Word Wrap toolbar icon.

IncludeOriginalText=1

When non-zero, Agent will automatically include the text of the original message when creating a follow-up message or email reply.  In  Agent, you can enable the setting "Include original text in follow-ups  and replies" on the Posting Preferences General tab.

QuoteForwardedText=1

When non-zero, Agent inserts the specified quote prefix in front of each line of a message's text when forwarding it via email.  In Agent  you can enable the setting "Quoted" under "Subject for forwarded  messages" on the Posting Preferences General tab.

QuotePrefix="> "

This setting is the string used to quote text from the original message when creating a follow-up message or email reply.  In Agent,  you can define the setting "Prefix for Quoted Lines" on the Posting  Preferences General tab.

CustomQuotePrefix="> "

This setting is the last string used to quote text when using the "Paste as Quote Custom" command.

FollowUpString="%from% wrote:\n"

This setting is the string used to generate the first line(s) of a follow-up message.  In Agent, you can define the "Followup usenet  message" setting on the Posting Preferences Introductions tab. Note: You should define this setting directly in Agent.  Some helpful notes:  If the string is blank, no first line is generated.  The text enclosed in %...% are the names of fields from the original message.  Two %% represent a single % literal.  In addition to the standard message fields, Agent supports this  special field: 	%Full-Name%	Full name of author  You may also use the following escape sequences:

\n	neline

\t	tab

\\	the backslash character itself

For more information, see the topic Composing an Introduction String.

ForwardMailString="In %newsgroups%, %from% wrote:\n"

This setting is the string used to generate the first line(s) of a forwarded Usenet message.  If the string is blank, no first line is generated.  Uses the same formatting commands as FollowupString.  In  Agent, you can define the "Forwarded email" setting on the Posting  Preferences Introductions tab.

MailReplyString="On %date%, you wrote:\n"

This setting is the string used to generate the first line(s) of an email reply.  If the string is blank, no first line is generated. The string uses the same formatting commands as FollowupString.  In  Agent, you can define the setting "Email reply to usenet message" on  the Posting Preferences Introductions tab.

MailReplyMailString="On %date%, you wrote:\n"

This setting is the introduction string for email replies to email messages.  If the string is blank, no first line is generated.  The string uses the same formatting commands as FollowupString.  In Agent,  you can define the setting "Reply to email" on the Posting Preferences  Introductions tab.

ForwardString="On %date%, %from% wrote:\n"

This setting is the introduction string for forwarded email messages. If the string is blank, no first line is generated.  The string uses the same formatting commands as FollowupString.  In Agent, you can  define the "Forwarded usenet message" setting on the Posting  Preferences Introductions tab.

LineLength=70

This setting controls the maximum line length for outgoing messages. Agent will word-wrap longer lines.  Setting this to zero disables  word-wrap in outgoing messages.  In Agent, you can define the setting "Line Length" (in characters) on the Posting Preferences General tab.

SaveSentMessages=1

When non-zero, Agent will save messages that have been successfully posted in the outbox.

SendTagLines=0

When non-zero, Agent will append a line to all posted messages which  advertises the Forté Agent product.

GMTDates2=0

When non-zero, Agent will post all messages and emails in GMT format rather than your local time zone.  The default is 0, with Agent using the local time and time zone for the Date: field in sent messages.

CurrentGroupOnly=1

This setting controls which newsgroups are included by default for follow-up posts.  Note: If the referenced message includes a Followup-To field, Agent will always list the groups from that field, independent of this option. When non-zero, if the referenced message does not contain a Followup- To field, Agent will include just the name of the group that was  selected when the follow-up message was created.  When zero, Agent  include all groups listed in the referenced message's Newsgroups  field.

AllFields=1

When non-zero, all fields will show in the message composition window.   In Agent, you can select the setting "All Fields" from the Message  menu when a composition window is open and in focus.

ValidateLocalAddresses=1

When non-zero, Agent will warn you when any address without the domain part is not in the address book.  You can either correct the address, if you entered it incorrectly, or tell Agent to assume that it is a local address and have Agent post the message unchanged.  In Agent,  you can enable the setting "Require that local addresses be in the  Address Book" on the Posting Preferences General tab.

ValidateAddresses=1

When non-zero, Agent will try to validate all email address fields (To:, Cc:, Bcc:, From:, Reply-to:, and Sender:) in messages that you send.  When non-zero, non-standard addresses may be entered.  In  Agent, you can enable the setting "Validate email addresses" on the  Posting Preferences General tab.

ShowAllFields=0

When non-zero, Agent will allow editing of the Control and Approved message fields.

ScrollLock=1

When non-zero, you can press the scroll lock key, allowing you to  navigate in the message composition window using the arrow keys.  You can use this feature to edit the message text in the composition  window.

Overwrite=0

When non-zero, the status bar on the message composition window will indicate that you are in the overwrite mode.

WrapQP=1

When non-zero, Agent will word-wrap quoted-printable messages.  In  Agent, you can enable the setting "Word-wrap quoted printable  messages" on the Posting Preferences General tab.

ForwardQuotedSubject="(fwd) %subject%"

This setting is the string that will appear in the subject field of forwarded quoted messages.  The "(fwd)" part of the string indicates  that it is a forwarded message.  You can replace this with anything  you like.  You should not change the "%subject%" part of the string.   This is required to generate the subject.  In Agent, the "Quoted"  setting is on the Posting Preferences General tab.

ForwardUnquotedSubject="(fwd) %subject%"

This setting is the string that will appear in the subject field of forwarded unquoted messages.  The "(fwd)" part of the string indicates  that it is a forwarded message.  You can replace this with anything  you like.  You should not change the "%subject%" part of the string.   This is required to generate the subject.  In Agent, the "Unquoted"  setting is on the Posting Preferences General tab.

ForwardVerbatimSubject="(fwd) %subject%"

This setting is the string that will appear in the subject field of messages forwarded verbatim.  The "(fwd)" part of the string indicates  that it is a forwarded message.  You can replace this with anything  you like.  You should not change the "%subject%" part of the string.   This is required to generate the subject.  In Agent, the "Verbatim"  setting is on the Posting Preferences General tab.

ShowButtons=0

When non-zero, Agent will show the row of buttons above the Text input window, including "Send Now", "Send Later", "Save", "All Fields",  "Cancel", and "Help".  This setting corresponds to the "Show buttons  on composition window" option on the Messages tab of the Display  Preferences dialog box.

XpostAction=2

This setting controls the action Agent will perform each time you post a reply to more than one newsgroup.  The options described below are found on the Posting Preferences General tab:

0	Post to all newsgroups

1	Post to selected newsgroups

2	Prompt for action

SaveCloses=1

When non-zero, Agent will automatically close the Composition window  when you save a message.  This option is found on the Posting  Preferences General tab (see "Saving message also Closes composition  window").

SignatureDelimiter="^--()?$"

This setting shows the characters preceding signatures that Agent  recognizes.  By using any of these characters as a delimiter in your  signature, Agent will be able to distinguish message text from you signature, so that it is not included when forwarding quoted text.

ValidateNewsSubject=1

When non-zero, Agent will prompt you when you attempt to send a Usenet message without a subject.  This option, "Warn if subject is blank for  Usenet messages", is found on the Posting Preferences General tab.

ValidateMailSubject=1

When non-zero, Agent will prompt you when you attempt to send an email message without a subject.  This option, "Warn if subject is blank for  Email messages", is found on the Posting Preferences General tab.

GenerateId=<n> (default is 2)

NewsIdFormat=<n> (default is 0)

MailIdFormat=<n> (default is 0)

These three parameters control how Agent generates message-ids for  outbound messages. Parameter GenerateId is obsolete, but is still supported for  backward compatibility with old installations. Parameter NewsIdFormat and MailIdFormat control the format of the  ids for usenet and email messages, respectively, and are normally used for new installations.

 Agent can generate three different formats:

 <md5>@4AX.COM <md5>

is a globally-unique string, generated from random state on  your PC and encoded using the MD5 algorithm.  4AX.COM is a domain  name owned by Forte for exclusive use by Agent for the purpose of  generating message-ids. This is the format recommended by Forte.

 <md5>@<server> <md5>

is the same globally-unique string described above.    <server> is the name of the nntp or smtp server to which the  message is being posted.  This format is available for users who  prefer to have message-ids contain the name of the posting server rather than the Forte-owned 4AX.COM domain name.

 <date.tic>@<server> <date.tic>

is a number generating by combining the current date  and time and the Windows tick count.  <server> is the name of the  nntp or smtp server to which the message is being posted. This is the format used by previous versions of Agent.  Forte  recommends that this format no longer be used, since it is more  likely to genereate non-unique ids.

 The following tables shows how the combination of GenerateId and  <x>IdFormat control the message-idformat:

 In previous versions, GenerateId could have a value of 0 (false) or 1 (true).  If an old copy of AGENT.INI has one  of these two values, Agent ignores the new <x>IDFormat parameters, and generates Ids using the format specified in the first table below.  As of version 1.6, the default value is 2, which tells Agent to use the new <x>IDFormat parameters instead, specified in the second table.

GenerateId	Format

----------  -------------------------------------------

0	Do not generate Ids

1	Generate <md5>@4AX.COM

2	Use the <x>IDFormat parameters <x>IDFormat

Format (when GenerateId=2)

------	-------------------

0	<md5>@4AX.COM

1	<md5>@<server>

2	Do not generate Ids

3	<date.tic>@<server>

SignatureDelimiter2=<regular expression> (default is "^(- )?--( )?$")

This parameter supersedes  [Message]SignatureDelimiter.  It specifies the regular expression that Agent should use when  searching the text of messages for the line that  marks the beginning of a signature.

PasteMsgFieldsSelection=<field> (default is "")

The most-recent field selected from the Paste  Header Fields dialog box.

TabToCC=1

When this parameter is set to 1 (the default), Agent will include "CC:" in the tab order when moving between fields using the TAB  key.  If zero, Agent will skip the "CC:" field when using TAB.

[Directories]

Attachments="C:\agent\, *.txt, 0"

This setting shows the last directory selected in the Attach Binary File dialog box.  The third parameter is the listbox index of the file-type filter (e.g.,"*.TXT") that was last selected in the dialog  box.

Files="C:\agent\, *.txt, 1"

This setting shows the last directory selected in the Save Messages As and the Import Messages dialog boxes.  The third parameter is the listbox index of the file-type filter (e.g., "*.TXT") that was last  selected in the dialog box.

Shared=<directory>

When installing Agent, the default directory for all of Agent's data  files, INI file. and dictionaries is C:\Agent.  If, however, you care  to have Agent files stored in a directory other than the one that  contains AGENT.INI, you can specify a "shared" directory using this  INI option.  For example, you might enter Shared=c:\newsread\agent.

Signatures="C:\AGENT\, *.txt, 1"

This setting shows the last directory selected in the Select Signature File dialog box.  The third parameter is the listbox index of the file-type filter (e.g.,"*.TXT") that was last selected in that dialog  box.

Home=<directory>

This setting shows the directory where Agent's database files, custom dictionaries, address book, and Usenet filters are stored.  If this parameter's value is blank (the default), Agent looks for these files in the directory containing AGENT.INI.  Note: Changing this setting does not move your files.  Use File Manager to move all the files (*.IDX, *.DAT, CUST*.TLX, and *.AAB) to the new location and then restart Agent for this change to take effect.

WAVFiles=<directory>

This setting shows the last directory selected in the Select WAV File  dialog box.

Newsrc=<x>

This setting shows the last directory used in the manual Import/Export dialog boxes.

Exe="<name of application>"

This setting shows the last directory used in the Select Application dialog box, which you get when you browse for an application in the General Preferences MIME Types tab.

Temp="temp"

This setting shows the directory where Agent temporarily stores file attachments that are launched.  When you close Agent, the temporary files are deleted.  In Agent, you can define the "Temporary directory"  setting on the Group Properties Directory tab.

SaveAttachments=<directory> (default is "")

The most-recent directory selected in the save  attachments dialog boxes.

[Colors]

BrowserNormalColor="0,0,0"

This setting controls the color for normal messages.  The default  values indicate black.  In Agent, you can select a color for the  setting "Normal Lines" on the Display Preferences Colors tab.

BrowserUnreadColor="128,0,0"

This setting controls the color for unread messages.  The default  values indicate red.  In Agent, you can select a color for the  setting "Browsers Unread Messages" on the Display Preferences Colors tab.

BrowserSelectedUnreadColor="255,255,0"

This setting controls the color for unread messages that are selected (highlighted).  Normally, this should be the inverse of the Control Panel's highlight color. The default values indicate yellow.  In  Agent, you can select a color for the setting "Highlighted Unread  Messages" on the Display Preferences Colors tab.

ArticleNormalColor="0,0,0"

This setting controls the color for normal text in messages.  The  default values indicate black.  In Agent, you can select a color  for the setting "Normal Text" on the Display Preferences Colors tab.

ArticleQuotedColor="0,0,255"

This setting controls the color for quoted text in messages. A line is quoted if it begins with one of the QuotedTextMarkers.  The  default values indicate blue.  In Agent, you can select a color  for the setting "Quoted Text" on the Display Preferences Colors tab.

URLColor="0,128,0"

This setting controls the color for URLs in messages.  A URL is an address used to locate a resource on the Internet.  The default  values indicate green.  In Agent, you can select a color for the  setting "URLs" on the Display Preferences Colors tab.

KillColor="128,0,0"

This setting controls the color that kill filter actions appear on the Usenet Filters window.  There is no setting in Agent's User Interface to change this color.  This must be done manually in the INI file.   The default value 128,0,0 indicates red.

WatchColor="0,128,0"

This setting controls the color that watch filter actions appear on the Usenet Filters window.  There is no setting in Agent's User  Interface to change this color.  This must be done manually in the INI  file.  The default value 0,128,0 indicates green.

HeaderUnreadColor="128,0,0"

This setting controls the color for the subject of unread messages ;when viewed in the message pane.  The default values indicate red.  In ;Agent, you can select a color for the setting "Message Pane Unread ;Messages" on the Display Preferences Colors tab.

[Confirm]

DeleteGroup=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm group deletions.  In Agent, you can  enable the setting "Delete Groups or Folders" on the General  Preferences Confirmations tab.

StopTasks=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm actions that would cancel active  online tasks.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Stop online  tasks" on the General Preferences Confirmations tab.

DeleteArticleToTrash=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm message deletions to the trash folder. In Agent, you  can enable the setting "Delete messages to Trash folder" on the General Preferences Confirmations tab.

DeleteArticle=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm permanent message deletions.  In Agent, you  can enable the setting "Delete messages permanently" on the General  Preferences Confirmations tab.

DeleteArticleBody=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm message body deletions.  In Agent, you  can enable the setting "Delete message Bodies" on the General Preferences Confirmations tab.

DeleteAttachments=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm attachment deletions in saved messages.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Delete saved  attachments" on the General Preferences Confirmations tab.

DeleteOpenMessage=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm closing the message composition window if you have modified the message.  In Agent, you can enable the  setting "Delete messages after Filtering" on the General Preferences  Confirmations tab.

DeleteOutboxMessageToTrash=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm outbox message deletions to the trash folder. In Agent, you can enable the setting "Delete Outbox messages to trash" on the  General Preferences Confirmations tab.

DeleteOutboxMessage=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm permanent message deletions in the outbox. In Agent, you can enable the setting "Delete Outbox messages permanently" on the  General Preferences Confirmations tab.

DeleteTrashMessage=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm permanent deletions of messages in the trash folder. In Agent, you can enable the setting "Delete Trash messages permanently" on the  General Preferences Confirmations tab.

EmptyTrash=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm the Group | Empty Trash command. In Agent, you can enable the setting "Empty trash" on the  General Preferences Confirmations tab.

CloseWithTasks=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm program close when tasks are  running.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Close Program..." on  the General Preferences Confirmations tab.

MarkAllRead=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm marking all messages from selected groups read.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Mark all messages  in selected groups read or unread" on the General Preferences  Confirmations tab.

MarkAllGroupsRead=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm marking all messages from all groups read.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Mark all messages in All  groups read or unread" on the General Preferences Confirmations tab.

SendOnClose=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm sending queued messages when you exit Agent.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Send Queued  messages when closing program" on the General Preferences  Confirmations tab.

LaunchEXE=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm the launching of executable  attachments.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Launch  executable..." on the General Preferences Confirmations tab.

EditAddress=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm any changes made to addresses.  In  Agent, you can select the "Confirm Edits" command from the Address  menu when the Address Book is open and in focus.

DeleteAddress=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm address deletions.  In Agent, you  can select the "Confirm Delete" command from the Address menu when the  Address Book is open and in focus.

DeleteFilter=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm filter deletions.  In Agent, you can  select the "Confirm Deletes" command from the Filter menu when the  Usenet Filter browser is open and in focus.

DeleteArticleByFilter=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm message deletions after a filter is applied.  In Agent, you can enable the option "Delete messages after  Filtering" on the General Preferences Confirmations tab.

DefaultAction=0

This setting controls the default button in confirmation dialog boxes. When zero, the default is No; when non-zero, the default is Yes.  In  Agent, you can enable the setting "Default action in confirmation  dialogs..." on the General Preferences Confirmations tab.

SendOnHangup=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm sending queued messages when you  go offline.  In Agent, you can enable the option "Send Queued message  when going offline" on the General Preferences Confirmations tab.

DeleteMailFilter=1

When non-zero, Agent will confirm any attempt you make to delete an  email filter.  In Agent, you can enable the "Confirm Deletes" option on the Filters menu when the Email Filters window is open.

[TimeZone]

AssumeLocal=1

When non-zero, Agent assumes local time if a downloaded message does not specify a time zone in its Date field. When zero, Agent assumes Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

MinutesFromGMT=-480

(16-bit Agent only) This setting controls the local time zone, in minutes from GMT. If ObserveDST (Daylight Savings) is true, this should be the offset for standard time.

ObserveDST=1

(16-bit Agent only) When non-zero, Agent will automatically adjust the time zone offset to account for Daylight Savings Time (DST) between April and October.

StandardDate=<bias>,<month>,<DOW>,<week>,<hour>,<minute>

   (default is 0, 10, 0, 5, 2, 0)

DaylightDate=<bias>,<month>,<DOW>,<week>,<hour>,<minute>

   (default is 60, 4, 0, 1, 2, 0)

(16-bit Agent only) The date and time at which standard time and daylight savings time start, respectively.

 <bias> is the number of minutes to add to or subtract from the  time during daylight savings time.  Usually, this value is 60. <month> is the number of the month in which the change takes place  (1-12) <DOW> is the day of the week (0=Sunday, ... , 6=Saturday) <week> is the week of the month (1=firstweek,...,4=fourth week,  5=last week)

<hour> is the hour of the day (0-23)

<minute> is the minute (0-59)

TimeZoneName=5

(16-bit Agent only) This setting is a number that uniquely identifies the time zone name as selected on the Preferences | System Profile dialog box, used to identify the particular name selected for zones with multiple choices.

[Print]

 All of the INI settings in this section can be found on Agent's Page Setup dialog box.

LeftMargin=75

TopMargin=75

RightMargin=75

BottomMargin=75

These settings control the margins for printing (1/100 inch increments).

Fields=1

This setting controls the header fields Agent will include in printed  messages.  The options are:

0	No fields

1	Subject, author, and date only

2	All fields

PageBreaks=0

This setting controls where to put page breaks.

0	None

1	Between messages

2	Between threads

FieldList="To,Newsgroups,Subject,From,Date,Cc,Bcc"

This setting controls what fields appear in the Fields list.

Raw=0

When non-zero, Agent will print the raw (unformatted) message.

[EMail]

Mode=<n>

This setting shows the type of server used to receive email.  The  options are:

0	SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)

1	POP (Post Office Protocol) In Agent, you specify one of these types when you first install Agent.

AutoCheck=1

When non-zero, Agent will automatically check for email periodically.   In Agent, you can enable the setting "Automatically check for email  every..." on the Checking for Email tab of the Inbound Email dialog.

POPAccount="<name of account>"

This setting shows the POP account name.  In Agent, you can specify  the POP Account on the Inbound Email System Profile tab.

SavePOPPassword=0

When non-zero, Agent will save the POP password between sessions.  In  Agent, you can enable the setting "Remember password between sessions"  on the Inbound Email System Profile tab.

POPPassword="<string>"

This setting shows the saved POP password.  In Agent, you can specify  a password in the "Password" entry box on the Inbound Email  System Profile tab.  This string is encrypted, for privacy purposes.

AlertBox=1

When non-zero, Agent will display a message box when new email  arrives.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Display message box"  on the Inbound Email Checking for Mail tab.

AlertSound=1

When non-zero, Agent will play sound when new email arrives.  In  Agent, you can enable the setting "Play sound" on the Inbound Email  Checking for Mail tab.

AlertSoundFile=<wav file name>

This setting controls the name of the WAV file to play for the email alert sound.  This may also be the name of a sound listed in the WIN.INI [Sounds] section.  If this is blank, Agent will simply beep.   In Agent, you can specify the "WAV file" on the Inbound Email  Checking for Mail tab.

AutoCheckPeriod=0

This setting controls how often to check for email (minutes).  In  Agent, you can specify the number of minutes Agent waits before automatically checking for email.  You can specify this value in the  entry box following the setting "Automatically check for email..." on the Inbound Email Checking for Mail tab.

AutoCheckMode=0

This setting controls the condition required to automatically check  for email.  The options are:

0	Only when online for some other reason.

1	All the time.  (Unload winsock between checks.)

2	All the time.  (Leave winsock loaded between checks.) In Agent, you can select from these options on the Inbound Email  Checking for Mail tab.

LeaveOnServer=0

When non-zero, Agent will leave email on the POP server after  retrieving it.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Leave messages  on server" on the Inbound Email Checking for Mail tab.

SkipLong=0

When non-zero, Agent will skip long email messages.  In Agent, you can  enable the setting "Skip messages longer than" on the Inbound Email  Checking for Mail tab.

SkipLongKBytes=64

This setting controls messages' size threshold for the SkipLong  setting (kilobytes).  In Agent, you can specify the number of  kilobytes for the setting "Skip messages longer than" on the Inbound  Email Checking for Mail tab.

SkipLongLines=20

This setting controls the number of body lines to retrieve for  messages being skipped.  In Agent, you can specify the "Maximum lines  to sample" on the Inbound Email Checking for Mail tab.

AutoDecode=1

This option is to be implemented in a future version.

AutoDecodeDirectory="<string>"

This option is to be implemented in a future version.

MaxSMTPSessions=2

This setting controls the number of clients Agent will allow to connect simultaneously when receiving email with an SMTP (Simple Mail  Transfer Protocol) server.

SMTPAlways=0

When non-zero, if you are configured to receive email with SMTP, Agent will load winsock immediately on program startup and start the SMTP  task.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Load winsock on  startup" on the Inbound Email System Profile tab.

UseUIDL=1

When non-zero, Agent will revert to its non-UIDL state after responding to a UIDL request.

POPLoginProtocol=0

When non-zero, Agent will use APOP, if it is supported by the server.

TwoSiteMode=0

When non-zero, Agent will leave email on the POP server until it has  been retrieved by two sites, at which point Agent will automatically  delete the email from the server.  In Agent, you can enable the  setting "Until retrieved at both of my sites" on the Inbound Email  Checking Mail tab.  Note:  This only works for two sites, not more  than two sites.

MarkOldRead=0

This option is designed to help people who receive email at two sites.   When non-zero, if Agent retrieves an email message that the server indicates has already been retrieved (presumably at your other site,  Agent will mark it read.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "If a  message has already been retrieved, mark it read" on the Inbound Email  Checking Mail tab.

AlertSoundUnreadOnly=1

When non-zero, Agent will beep or play the specified .WAV file only  when new messages that have been retrieved are marked unread.  This  option is useful if you've created message filters that automatically  mark newly retrieved messages as read.  In such cases, you would not  want Agent to notify you about new mail with a sound.  In Agent, you  can enable the setting "Only if new messages were marked unread" on  the Inbound Email Alerts tab.

StripServerFromAccount=<n> (default is 1)

Controls whether Agent should remove any @<server> suffix from the  POP username.  When zero, Agent leaves the username intact.  When  non-zero, Agent strips the suffix if the server portion is  identical to POP server name.

AllowYencFormat=<n> (default is 0)

When non-zero, Agent will allow the yEnc format to be selected for email messages.  By default, Agent disallows yEnc for email, because the format has not been generally accepted for email.

[Address]

Position="0 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 144 94 501 513"

This setting controls the position of the Pick Addresses dailog box  when it is opened.

Book="<book name>"

To be implemented in a future version, when Agent supports multiple address books.

Name="Jane Doe"

This setting shows the last name highlighted in the Address Book, used to reposition the list the next time you open the window.

FindText="<text string>"

This setting shows the last text string on which you have searched.   In Agent, you can specify this string in the "Find What" entry box  on the Find Address dialog box.

FindMode=4

This setting identifies the set of bits recording the checkbox settings for the last Find operation in the Address Book.

ImportReplace=0

When non-zero, Agent will automatically replace existing names in the address book with matching names in the import file.  In Agent, you  can enable the setting "Replace existing entries that match new names"  on the Import Addresses dialog box.

Expand=0

When non-zero, Agent will expand the selection in the Pick Address dialog box to the full address format.  This also enables the Expand option on the Address menu.  In Agent, you can enable the setting  "Expand addresses" on the Pick Addresses dialog box.

[Filters]

View="895 0"

This setting contains two numbers.  The first number indicates which  kill or watch options are selected on the Select View dialog.  (Access  this dialog box by opening the Usenet Filters window and choosing  "Select View" from the Filters window.)  The second number applies to  Email filters only.  It indicates the ID number of the folder being  viewed.  The different folder Ids are as follows: 0 is the view "All  Folders", 23774 is the ID for the first new folder created, 2377 is  the ID for the second new folder created, etc.

AuthorPasteMode=0

When non-zero, Agent will paste the author of the selected message in  the Usenet filter you are creating.  In Agent, you can press the Paste Author button on the Add Usenet Filter dialog box to do this.

ApplyNow=0

When non-zero, Agent will apply the filter you have just created.  In  Agent, you can enable the "Apply filters to group immediately" on  the Add Usenet Filter dialog box.

ApplyThisMessageOnly=0

When non-zero, Agent will apply the filter you have just created to  the currently selected message only.  In Agent, you can enable the  "This message only" option on the Add Email Filter dialog box.

[Spelling]

 The following settings can all be found on the Posting Preferences  Spelling tab."

AlwaysSuggest=1

When non-zero, the spell checker will automatically suggest possible replacement words.  The setting on the Spelling tab is "Always ;Suggest".

CheckRepeatedWords=1

When non-zero, the spell checker will stop when it finds the same word twice in a row.  The setting on the Spelling tab is "Check for  Repeated words".

IgnoreNumeric=1

When non-zero, the spell checker will ignore words containing numbers.   The setting on the Spelling tab is "Words with Numbers and  punctuation" (under Ignore).

IgnoreUpperCase=1

When non-zero, the spell checker will ignore words composed of all uppercase letters.  The setting on the Spelling tab is "Words in  UPPERCASE" (under Ignore).

IgnoreQuotedLines=1

When non-zero, the spell checker will ignore quoted text in messages. This setting on the Spelling tab is "Quoted lines" (under Ignore).

Installed="eng"

This setting controls the language of the spell checker that you have installed.  The setting on the Spelling tab is "Settings for  Language".

AutoCheck=0

When non-zero, the spell checker will automatically check your  composed message when you either send now or later.  The setting  on the Spelling tab is "Auto-check spelling on send".

OkMessage=1

When non-zero, Agent confirms that the spell check for a composed  message is successfully completed.  The setting on the Spelling tab  is "Display Message when done".

[Newsrc]

UpdateSubscribed=1

When non-zero, Agent will update the list of subscribed groups  when a newsrc file is imported.  In Agent, you can enable the setting  "Update List of subscribed groups" on the Import Newsrc File dialog.

UpdateCounts=1

When non-zero, Agent will update the message counts when a newsrc file is imported.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Update  retrieved message counts" on the Import Newsrc File dialog.

AddNew=1

When non-zero, Agent will add new groups when a newsrc file is  imported.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Add Newgroups" on the  Import Newsrc File dialog.

DeleteOld=0

When non-zero, Agent will delete all extinct groups when a newsrc file is imported.  In Agent, you can select the option "Delete All extinct  groups" on the Import Newsrc File dialog.

ImportOnStart=0

When non-zero, Agent will automatically import groups from the newsrc  file when you start Agent.  In Agent, you can enable the setting  "Import newsrc file on startup" on the General Preferences Newsrc tab.

ExportOnExit=0

When non-zero, Agent will export groups to the newsrc file when you close Agent.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Export newsrc file  on exit" on the General Preferences Newsrc tab.

AutoFile="<filename>"

This setting controls the name of the newsrc file that Agent will  import upon startup.  In Agent, you can enter the "File" name on the  General Preferences Newsrc tab.

AutoUpdateSubscribed=1

When non-zero, Agent will automatically update the list of subscribed groups when the newsrc file is imported. In Agent, you can enable the  setting "Update List of subscribed groups" on the General Preferences  Newsrc tab.

AutoUpdateCounts=1

When non-zero, Agent will automatically update retrieved message counts when a newsrc file is imported.  In Agent, you can enable the  setting "Update retrieved message counts" on the General Preferences  Newsrc tab.

AutoAddNew=1

When non-zero, Agent will automatically add new groups when a newsrc file is imported.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Add new  Groups" on the General Preferences Newsrc tab.

AutoDeleteOld=0

When non-zero, Agent will automatically delete all extinct groups when a newsrc file is imported.  In Agent, you can select the option  "Delete All extinct groups" on the General Preferences Newsrc tab.

ExportSubscribed=0

When non-zero, if you specify a newsrc file to export, Agent will export only subscribed groups.  In Agent, you can enable the setting  "Export subscribed groups only" on the Export Newsrc File dialog box.

AutoExportSubscribed=0

When non-zero, if you tell Agent to automatically export a newsrc file when you exit the program, Agent will export only subscribed groups.  In Agent, you can enable the setting "Export subscribed groups only"  on the General Preferences Newsrc tab.

MarkReadOnly=1

When non-zero, Agent uses the newsrc ranges to mark existing messages  read, but not to mark any messages unread.  When zero, Agent also  marks as unread any messages not listed in the newsrc range.  In  Agent, you can enable the setting "Mark messages read only" on the  Import Newsrc File dialog box.

AutoMarkReadOnly=1

When non-zero, Agent uses the newsrc ranges to automatically mark  existing messages read, but not to mark any messages unread when  exiting Agent.  When zero, Agent also marks as unread any messages not  listed in the newsrc range.  In Agent, you can enable the setting  "Mark messages read only" on the General Preferences Newsrc tab.

[Xpost]

Enable=1

This setting controls the global flag corresponding to the Enable checkbox on the Group Properties Crossposts tab.

CacheDim="65534"

This setting controls the number of messages to record in the most-recent list of message headers.  This number affects the size of  the XPOST.DAT file, but has a minimal effect on performance.  The  default value, 65534, handles approximately 2 MB of message data in  XPOST.DAT before clearing the cache.

CacheBuckets="131071"

This setting controls the number of lookup buckets to use in the hash  array.  For optimum performance, this value should be at least twice  as big as CacheDim.

MemBlocks=8

This setting controls the number of blocks to use for an in-memory  cache of the message list.  Each block is 8k.  Thus, the default value  of 8 causes Agent to reserve 64k of memory for the in-memory cache.   Increasing the number of blocks improves performance, at the cost of  more memory.  Although, a value over 8 doesn't increase performance  much.

SaveInterval=60

This setting controls how often (in seconds) to have Agent save cached  data to disk while retrieving headers.  Decreasing the value increases  the likelihood that you won't lose data if your system crashes, but it also reduces performance due to the increased number of disk accesses.

Method=0

This setting controls the criteria Agent uses when checking for crossposted messages.  When zero, Agent checks by subject, author, date, and lines.  When non-zero, Agent checks by message ID.  In  Agent, select from these "Detect crossposted messages by" options on  the Group Properties Crossposts tab.

MaxDateRange=1800

When the Method setting, above, is zero (i.e., Agent checks for  crossposts by subject, author, date, and lines), this setting controls  the maximum amount that the dates of the two messages can differ, in  seconds, for Agent to consider them to be the same message.  When set  to -1, Agent will ignore the dates.  The maximum possible value for  this param is 2147483647 seconds.

[URL]

Highlight=1

When non-zero, URLs that appear in messages are highlighted.  In  Agent, you can enable this option on the Display Preferences Messages tab.  You can define the color in which URLs are highlighted  on the Display Preferences Colors tab.

CopyToClipboard=0

When non-zero, doubleclicking a URL copies it to the clipboard when  launching it.  In Agent, you can enable this option on the URLs tab of  the General Preferences dialog box.

DbleClkLaunches=1

When non-zero, doubleclicking a URL launches it.  In Agent you can  enable this option on the URLs tab of the General Preferences dialog  box.

AmbigiousAction=0

Because there is potential ambiguity between an email address and a  news or email message ID, Agent provides different options to resolve  this ambiguity when it is encountered.  The options are:

0	Prompt (message prompting you to resolve each ambiguity manually)

1	Assume email address

2	Assume message-id

3	Guess (Agent will make an educated guess) In Agent, you can select from these options on the General Preferences  URLs tab.

SearchGroup=1

This setting indicates the groups in which Agent will search for URLs. The options are:

0	Current group

1	Subscribed groups

2	All groups In Agent, you can enable these options on the URLs tab of the General  Preferences dialog box.

SearchFolders=1

When non-zero, Agent will search for URLs in all of your folders.   These options are found on the URLs tab of the General Preferences  dialog box.

SearchServer=1

When non-zero, Agent will search in your news server for URLS in the range of groups specified in the "SearchGroup" setting above.  This option is found on the URLs tab of the General Preferences dialog  box.

WebEmailClient=0

When non-zero, you are indicating that you want Agent to be the default email application launched from your web browser.  This  option is found on the URLs tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

WebNewsClient=0

When non-zero, you are inidcating that you want Agent to be the default newsreader launched from your web browser.  This option is  found on the URLs tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

SearchServerPrompt=1

When non-zero, Agent will prompt you each time before going online to search for URLs.  This option is found on the URLs tab of the General  Preferences dialog box.

OpenNewBrowser=0

When non-zero, Agent will open a new browser whenever you launch  message-id URLs.  That way, you won't lose your place on the current  browser.  This option is found on the URLs tab of the General  Preferences dialog box.

FoldersCmd="explorer /e,/root,"%1/""

(32-bit Agent only) If Internet Explorer is your web browser, this setting lets you add a URL to the Favorites list.  In Agent, this setting corresponds to  the Add URL to Favorites command on the Edit menu.

ForceOneWindow=1

When non-zero and a Windows registry setting DDE WWW_OpenURL command topic is used to launch a URL, Agent will force the DDE message to be:

""%1",,0xFFFFFFFF,,,,,"

no matter what the registry says it should be.  So, if you are a  Netscape user and this is checked, you shouldn't have to make any  changes to Agent to cause Netscape to only load one copy of itself.   This option is found on the URLs tab of the General Preferences  dialog box.

Underline=1

When non-zero, URLs that appear in messages are underlined.  In Agent, the URL Underline setting is found on the Messages tab of the Display  Preferences dialog box.

Pattern6="<((url:|URL:) *)?(([a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9.+\-

]+:|www\.|WWW\.|ftp\.|FTP\.|icq#|ICQ#)[^>]*)>|(^|[>|:<

\t\(\[{"])(url:|URL:)?(([a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9.+\-

]+:|www\.|WWW\.|ftp\.|FTP\.|icq#|ICQ#)[^ \t<>"{}

|\^`()[\]]+|[^,:;@<> \t()[\]"]+@[^,:;@<> \t()[\]"]*)"

This setting specifies the regular expression used to match URLs. The expression consists of a union of subexpressions, each of which matches a particular URL format.  Each subexpression consists of a prefix pattern, followed by a parenthesized expression that matches the actual URL text.

PatternIndex6="3,7"

This setting specifies which parenthesized subexpressions of the regular expression identify the actual URL.  For example, the  index is 3 means that the URL can be identified by the 3rd  parenthesized expression.  When a URL match is found, Agent  extracts the actual URL by finding the first non-empty matching parenthesized expression.

Prefix6="^[a-zA-Z0-9.+\-]+:"

This regular expression specifies the syntax for URL prefixes. Agent uses this expression to identify and remove the prefix from URLs when launching them.

Terminators5=".,"

This setting indicates the characters that Agent recognizes as the end  of a URL.

HighlightComposition=1

When non-zero, URLs in the message composition window will be  highlighted. In Agent, you can enable the option "Highlight in  Composition window" on the Display Preferences Messages tab.

UseRegisterProtocol32=<n> (32-bit Agent; default is 0)
UseRegisterProtocol16=<n> (16-bit Agent; default is 1)

When non-zero, this setting causes Agent to use the DDE WWW_RegisterProtocol message to inform other programs that is is available as a client for news and email URLs.  The setting is controled by the "Support Netscape 4.x and older" checkbox on the the URLs tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

This was the method used by early versions of the Netscape browser to determine what client program should handle various types of URLs.  This method has been replaced by Windows Registry settings.

By default, Agent no longer uses the WWW_RegisterlProtocol method in Windows 95 and later.  We found that often another program would fail to respond to the DDE message sent by Agent, thereby causing Agent to freeze.  If necessary to support older versions of Netscape, you can re-enable it.

DdeServers32="netscape,mosaic" (32-bit Agent)
DdeServers16="netscape,mosaic,iexplore" (16-bit Agent)

The names of DDE servers to which Agent should send DDE WWW_RegisterProtocol messages.  The names should be separated by commas.

DdeRegisterDelay=5000

This setting controls the delay between the time any DDE server  announces its presence and Agent tries to register itself as a client.  The default is 5000 msec (or 5 seconds).

ForceAgentClient=<n> (default is 0)

When non-zero, each time Agent starts, it will  check to see if another program has forced itself  to be the default web news or email client,  replacing Agent as the default.  If a program has,  Agent will force itself to be the client again.

 UseShellExecute=<n> (default is 1)

(32-bit Agent only)  When this setting is non-zero, Agent uses the Windows ShellExecute() function to launch web and other URLs.  When this setting is zero, Agent performs the low-leverl operations necessary to launch the URL itself.  For a given URL type, this setting is used only when the "Use Windows registry settings" method is selected for that type.

In general, the ShellExecute() method is the most reliable way to launch a URL, since it leaves all of the details to the operating system.

[Timing]

GetHostByNameTimeout=30

This setting controls the timeout period for looking up the host's  name (seconds).

ConnectTimeout=10

This setting controls the timeout period for connecting to the host  (seconds).

ResponseTimeout=120

This setting controls the timeout period for waiting for a response  from the host (seconds).

SendTimeout=60

This setting controls the timeout period for sending a command to the server (seconds).  This is the maximum time the program will wait during a blocked transmission, not the total time allowed to send a  message.  In Agent, you can specify the setting "Send keep-alive  messages every..." on the User and System Profile Online tab.

PostTimeout=60

This setting controls the timeout period for posting a message or email message (seconds).  This is the maximum time the program will wait during a blocked transmission, not the total time allowed to send  a message.

SplashTime=5

In Free Agent, this setting controls the minimum time to display the splash screen.  In Agent, the splash screen disappears as soon as possible.

PostResponseTimeout=360

This setting controls how long Agent will wait for an acknowledgment from the server after posting a message or email  message (seconds).

SMTPSessionTimeout=300

This setting controls how many seconds of inactivity to allow on an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) receive email session before cancelling and closing the session.  In Agent, you can specify the value for the setting "Go offline automatically after" on the User and System Profile Online tab.

QuitResponseTimeout=30

This setting controls how many seconds Agent will wait for a Quit acknowledgement from the server.

POPBeforeSMTPTimeout=<n>

The maximum number of seconds to allow between POP  logins when POP-before-SMTP authentication is  enabled.  The default is 600 seconds (10 minutes).

PopBeforeSmtpDelay=<n>

This parameter is used for the POP-Before-SMTP  authentication method.  It specifies how long to  wait after a POP login before attempting to connect  to the SMTP server, in seconds.  The default delay  is 5 seconds.

[Debugging]

ShowUID=0

When non-zero, Agent will show the group/folder UIDS in the Groups pane.  This number is the base filename for each group's IDX and DAT  files.

VerboseLog=0

When non-zero, Agent will include extra information in the log window, including a script of Agent's conversation with the news server, and task state machine transitions.

AppendLog=0

When non-zero, Agent will append log output to an existing log.  In  Agent, you can enable the setting "Append to existing log" on the  Debug Log Options dialog box (Online menu).

TraceLog=0

When non-zero, Agent will send log output to the Windows debugging console, so that it appears in programs like DBWIN.

FileLog=0

When non-zero, Agent will write log output to AGENT.LOG.  The contents of this file are erased at the start of each Agent session.  In Agent,  you can enable the "Start log autmatically..." on the Debug Log  Options dialog box.

TraceHelp=0

When non-zero, Agent will send a debugging statement to the Windows debugging console each time Agent sends a request for online help.

ShowArticleDetail=0

When non-zero, Agent will show some detailed information about messages at the bottom of the Message pane.  In particular, this shows the message's number as reported by the news server.

EnableTrace=0

When non-zero, Agent will enable debugging trace statements to be sent to the Windows debugging port.

WinsockLog=0

When non-zero, all winsock calls are written to AGENT.LOG.  In Agent,  you can enable the setting "Log Winsock function calls" on the Debug  Log Options dialog box.

EnableMenu=0

When non-zero, Agent will display the debugging menu commands.  You can also toggle the display of debug options by pressing Ctrl+Shift+D in Agent.

ShowBuild=0

When non-zero, Agent will display the build number in the title bar and About dialog box.

ShowInternalFields=0

When non-zero, Agent will display internal fields in the Body pane.

[Languages]

enu=English (American)#,0,custenu.tlx,mainenu.tlx,mainenu.clx

eng=English (International)#,0,custeng.tlx,maineng.tlx,maineng.clx

frn=French#,1,custfrn.tlx,mainfrn.tlx,mainfrn.clx

ger=German#,0,custger.tlx,mainger.tlx,mainger.clx

spa=Spanish#,0,custspa.tlx,mainspa.tlx,mainspa.clx

itn=Italian#,0,custitn.tlx,mainitn.tlx,mainitn.clx

These settings allow you to customize the way text appears in the  panes.  It also allows you to customize spell checker's dictionaries. Each setting in this section has the following format:

<id>=<name>,<apostrophe-flag>,<custom>,<master1>[,...<masterN>]

<id> is a three-letter language ID, which uses the same convention as WIN.INI.

<name> is the name of the language as displayed in Agent.  If the name ends with an optional "#" character, Agent automatically converts the English name in the INI file into the corresponding translated name for the currently active user interface language.  At present, Agent can automatically translate the names English (American), English (International), French, German, Spanish, and Italian.

<0 or 1 flag> indicates whether an apostrophe should be considered a  word separator.  When set to 1, if a word containing embedded  apostrophes is not found in any dictionary, treat the apostrophe as a word separator and check each sub-word individually.  Note: Normally, this flag is set only for French, in which it is common to create new words by combining words with apostrophe.

<custom> is the name of the custom dictionary.   By convention, this file is named CUST<id>.TLX.  If the filename has no path, look for the file in the Home directory.  If the file does not exist, create it.

<master> is the name of one or more master dictionaries.  You can list up to 12 files.  When checking words, search the dictionaries in the order listed.  By convention, the common words file is named MAIN<id>.TLX and the compressed words file is named MAIN<id>.CLX.  If the filename has no path, look for the file in the shared directory. If none of the master dictionaries for a given language exist, assume that the language is unavailable, and remove it from the list of  available languages in the UI.

[Misc]

LastTrialNag=<n>

The last day (in Julian days) that Agent displayed the Forte Agent Trial nag dialog box.  Zero means the dialog box has not been displayed yet.

EnableWhatsNewNag=<n>

When non-zero, Agent periodically displays the What's New Reminder dialog box, to prompt the user to visit Forte's web site.  The default value is 1.

WhatsNewNagPeriod=<n>

How often to display the What's New Reminder dialog box, in days.  The default is 30 days.

LastWhatsNewNag=<n>

The last day (in Julian days) that Agent displayed the What's New Reminder dialog box.  Zero means the dialog has never been displayed.

WhatsNewNagTomorrow=<n>

If the user asked to be reminded tomorrow, this parameter contains the day (in Julian days) before the day on which the What's New Reminder dialog box should be displayed.  Agent displays the dialog box when the current days is at least one greater than this value.  If this param is zero, Agent ignores it.  The default value is zero.

NextFreeAgentRegNag=<n>

The next day (in Julian days) when Agent should display the Free Agent Registration dialog box, to prompt the user to visit Forte's web site to register.  A value of zero means the dialog has never been displayed.  A value less than zero means the user has required never to be reminded again.

FlushFileBuffers=1

When non-zero, Agent will flush the file buffers.  When zero, Agent  will not flush the file buffers, which may improve performance, but  will also increase the risk of losing data in the event of a computer  crash.

AllowDataDirIndexing=0

When zero, Agent will disable the Windows Indexing Service for Agent's database folder each time you start Agent.  This is to prevent the indexing service from corrupting Agent's database by accessing them at the same time they are being accessed by Agent.  Setting this param to non-zero prevents Agent from disabling the indexing service, which is something you do at your own risk.

[MIME]

UnicodeUTF7Charsets=<list of names> (default is "utf-7,unicode-1-1-utf-7")

UnicodeUTF8Charsets=<list of names> (default is "utf-8,unicode-1-1-utf-8")

A comma-separated list of names that may be used  for the Unicode UTF-7 and UTF-8 Mime Charset  encodings, respectively.  For inbound messages,  Agent recognizes any name in the list.  For  outbound messages, Agent always uses the first  name.

[MIMETypes]

Type<n>=<MIME Type>

For each MIME type defined on the MIME Types tab of the General  Preferences dialog box, you'll see a "Type<n>=<MIME Type>" setting,  listed in the order that they're defined.  Below is the default list  of MIME types you'll see when you install Agent.  As you define and  launch different MIME types, the order and content of the list may  change:

Type1=text|plain|txt

Type2=text|enriched|||1|0

Type3=text|html|htm

Type4=image|gif||gif

Type5=image|jpeg||jpg

Type6=message|rfc822

Type7=application|octet-stream||

 The fields for each type are described as follows: Type1: "text" is textual information, "plain" indicates plain  (unformatted) text that requires no special software to get the full  meaning of the text, and "txt" is the extension given when saving a  plain text message as a file.

 Type2: "text" refers to textual information, "enriched" means that  software is used to enhance the appearance of the text, and the 1 or 0  between vertical bars indicate that different options on the General  Preferences MIME Types tab are checked ("1" is on) or unchecked ("0"  is off).

 Type3: "text" refers to textual information, "html" is the format used  by special software to enhance the way text is viewed on Web pages,  and "htm" is the extension given when saving an html text file.

 Type4: "image" refers to image data that requires a display device  to view the information (e.g., a graphics program or a printer).  The  second field, "gif" is a common image format used in Internet mail  attachments, and the last field, "gif", is the extension given to  saved gif images.

 Type5: "image" refers to image data that requires a display device  to view the information (e.g., a graphics program or a printer).  The  second field, "jpeg" another common image format used in Internet  mail, and the last field, "jpg", is the extension given to saved jpeg  images.

 Type6: "message" refers to an encapsulated message and "rfc822" is the  protocol, or standard, to which the encapsulated message conforms.

 Type7: "application" refers to some other kind of data than those  mentioned previously and "octet-stream" is the parameter Agent uses  when it detects uninterpreted binary data.

 Note: For more information about each MIME type, see Using MIME Types.

[Language<x>]

Warning!  Do not modify this section manually, particularly the UID  value.

Name=%s

This setting controls the name of the currently selected language. If the name ends with an optional "#" character, Agent automatically converts the English name in the INI file into the corresponding translated name for the currently active user interface language.  At present, Agent can automatically translate the names English (American), English (International), French, German, Spanish, and Italian.

UID=<unique ID number>

This setting is the unique ID that Agent uses to identify the language being used.  Caution.  Changing this setting may cause the language functions not to work properly.

Spell=enu

This setting controls the language to be used for the Spellchecker.

OldSpell=enu

When you upgrade, Agent automatically creates a Language for each  Spellchecker that was installed.  The OldSpell setting is the name of the Spellchecker that was used to create that Language<x> entry.

Charset=<codepage>,<inbound>,<usenet>,<email>

This setting indicates the MIME character sets used by Agent when sending and receiving messages for this language.

<codepage> The Windows codepage used to display messages

<inbound> The default MIME charset to assume for messasges that have no charset declaration

<usenet> The name of the set of MIME charsets from which to choose when sending a usenet message

<email> The name of the set of MIME charsets from which to 	choose when sending an email message This setting can be changed on the General Preferences dialog, Languages tab.

UsenetEncoding=1

This setting controls the formatting of the text in Usenet messages being posted.  The choices are:

0	8-bit

1	Quoted printable If you use 1 (Quoted printable), Agent will not automatically wrap the  text of the message. In Agent, you can select the "Usenet Text" option on the General  Preferences Languages tab.

EmailEncoding=1

This setting controls the formatting of the text in EMail messages  being posted.  The choices are:

0	8-bit

1	Quoted printable If you use 1 (Quoted printable), Agent will not automatically wrap the  text of the message.  In Agent, you can select the "Email Text" option  on the General Preferences Languages tab.

ListUseVariable=0

When non-zero, Agent will use the font selected for message bodies  using a variable-pitch font.  In Agent, you can enable the "Use the variable-pitch body font" option on the Display Preferences Fonts tab.

SubjectUseList=0

When non-zero, Agent will use the bold version of the font selected for the Message List for the message subject.  In Agent, you  can enable the setting "Use the bold version of the message list font"  on the Display Preferences Fonts tab.

List=MS Sans Serif, 80, 0, 0, 0, 0

This setting controls the font used in the Message List pane.  In  Agent, you can specify the font used in the Message List on the  Message List Font dialog box.

Subject=MS Sans Serif, 80, 1, 0, 0, 0\

This setting controls the type of font used for subjects in the Message List pane.  In Agent, you can specify the font used for the  Message List subject on the Message List Subject Font dialog box.

Variable=MS Sans Serif, 100, 0, 0, 0, 0

This setting controls the variable-pitch font used in message bodies.   In Agent, you can specify the font used for the Message List subject  on the Variable-Pitch Body Font dialog box.

HeaderUseVariable=0

When non-zero, Agent uses a variable pitch font, such as Russian, in  the Message List pane. In Agent, you can enable the setting "Use the  variable-bitch body font for Headers" on the Display Preferences  Fonts tab.

Fixed=Fixedsys, 100, 0, 0, 0, 0

This setting controls the fixed-pitch font used in message bodies.  In  Agent, you can specify the font used for the message body on the  Fixed-Pitch Body Font dialog box.

EmailMimeHeaders=1

When non-zero, Agent checks all email message headers for MIME data.   In outbound messages, headers are encoded if they contain non-ASCII characters.  In inbound messages, Agent decodes any MIME sections it detects.

UsenetMIMEHeaders=0

When non-zero, Agent checks all Usenet message headers for MIME data.   In outbound messages, headers are encoded if they contain non-ASCII characters.  In inbound messages, Agent decodes any MIME sections it detects.

[FolderMenu]

Menu1=<folder name>

...

MenuN=<folder name>

This setting shows a list of the folders that appear on the Copy/Move to Folder flyouts.  The names of the options (Menu1, etc.) don't  matter.  To populate the flyouts, Agent simply uses the first nine  folders from the Folders list on the Folder Menus tab of the Menu and  Toolbars dialog box.

[Toolbars]

 The following settings identify the icons on the toolbars for Agent's  browsers and windows listed below.  For each window, you see the  identifiers for the default toolbar icons when you first install  Agent.  Whenever you customize the toolbars using the Toolbars tab on  the Menus and Toolbars dialog box, the changes are reflected here.

Note: Each icon identifier is separated by a comma, and groups of  related icons are separated by an added space (indicated by "s").

Browser="ognihisg,ognihiseg,s,ogmmb,ogsmb,s,pnum,pfuum,pnem,prve,s,nvnu

m,nvnumit,nstnum,nstnumit,nstnug,s,gs,s,ef,efn,s,mmfr,mwt,mk,mit,s,fla,

s,oo,sat"

This setting identifies the toolbar icons for Agent's main browser.

Outbox="mo,md,s,ef,efn,spnum,pnem,s,oo,osat"

This setting identifies the toolbar icons for Agent's Outbox window.

Composition="msn,msl,ms,mc,s,ecut,ec,ep,epaq,s,ef,efn,s,mfpf,mww,maf,s

oo,osat"

This setting identifies the toolbar icons for Agent's composition  window.

AddressBook="an,ar,ad,s,as,are,s,at,ac,ab,s,aca,s,ef,efn,s,oo,osat"

This setting identifies the toolbar icons for Agent's Address Book.

UsenetFilters="fakf,fawf,facof,fe,fd,s,ef,efn,s,oo,osat"

This setting identifies the toolbar icons for Agent's Usenet Filters  window.

Log="ognhisg,ogmmb,s,pnum,pnem,s,oo,osat"

This setting identifies the toolbar icons for Agent's log window.

EmailFilters="fakf,fawf,facof,fe,fd,s,ef,efn,s,oo,osat"

This setting identifies the toolbar icons for the Email Filters  window.

[MAPI]

UseMAPI=0

When non-zero, Agent will use a MAPI email system to compose and send an email message.  This setting correspondes to the "Send email  messages with MAPI" option on the System tab of the User and Profile  dialog box.

AddressFormat="[SMTP:%1]"

This setting specifies the address format Agent will used for messages  being sent with a MAPI email system.  Most MAPI-based email systems  require that Internet addresses be formatted in a special way to  identify them as Internet addresses versus addresses in a local email  system.  The default is [SMTP:%1], where %1 represents the actual  email address.  This setting corresponds to the "Address Format" field on the System tab.

LoginOnce=1

When non-zero, Agent will require you to log into your MAPI email  system once per Agent session.  When non-zero, Agent will require you  to log in each time you send an email message.  This setting  corresponds to the "Login once per session" option on the System tab.

UseFullAddress=0

With version 1.7, for MAPI use Agent formats the email address as local@domain, removing any other characters (e.g. the name).  To revert to the old format, set this parameter to 1.

[ViewFilters]

 View1 through View3 below indicate the default views shown on the  View flyout menu (Group menu). You can change the order of the views  by using the Up and Down buttons in the Manage Views dialog box.  The  ampersand (&) characters in the View expressions below indicate that  the character following it is a keyboard accelerator.  When you create  your own filter, you can enter the ampersand, also, to designate a  keyboard accelerator (see Naming Conventions for Views).

View0=dummy

This is a placeholder which tells Agent that zero or more views are  defined.  It must be the first item.  If the list of views is  completely empty, Agent assumes that it should define the default set  of initial views.

View1="-,not read,&Unread Messages"

This is the first default view listed on the View flyout menu (Group  menu).  This view shows only unread messages in the Message List pane.

View2="-,not read and body,U&nread Messages With Bodies"

This is the second default view listed on the View flyout menu (Group  menu).  This view shows only unread messages with bodies in the  Message List pane.

View3="-,body,Messages With &Bodies"

This is the third default view listed on the View flyout menu (Group  menu).  This view shows only messages with bodies (read or unread).

[EmailFilters]

DefaultFolder="23773"

This setting indicates the default folder in which all inbound  email messages are routed if they do not match any other filters (i.e., they aren't automatically filed in any other folders).  The  The default folder ID is 23773, which is the Inbox folder.  Folder ID  23774 is the first new folder created and ID 23775 is the second new folder created, etc.  In Agent, this setting corresponds to the field "Put all messages that match no other filters in folder" field on the  Inbound Email Folder tab in Agent.

View="559 0"

This setting indicates the folder(s) that you want to view in the  Email Filters window.  The default value, "559 0", corresponds to  the following two values on the Select View dialog box (choose Select  View from the Filter menu when the Email Filters window is open): Value 1 ("Leave on server"): 559 means that this option is enabled,   while 1583 means that the option is disabled. Value 2 ("File in folder"): 0=the view "All Folders", 23774=the ID for  the first new folder created, 2377 is the ID for the second new folder  created, etc.

KillDefaults="Any-Sender 1 1 0 23773 0 400 0 30 1"

This setting indicates the initial values Agent uses when adding a new  email kill filter.  The default values shown above correspond to the  default settings on the Inbound Email Kill tab.  These are the values  you can enter, moving from left to right (see default values above):

Value 1 ("Match"):  Any-Sender, Apparently-From, Apparently-To, Bcc,  Cc, Date, From, In-Reply-To, Keywords, Message-ID, Organization,  Received, References, Reply-To, Sender, Status, Subject, or To.

Value 2 ("Use"): 0=Name only, 1=Address only, 2=Entire field, 3=Domain

Value 3 ("Kill Action"): 0=Delete, 1=Mark Read, 2=Ignore thread

Value 4 ("File in Folder"): 23773=Inbox, 23774=1st new folder created, 23775=2nd new folder created, 23776=3rd new folder created, etc.

Value 5 ("Leave on server"): 0=disabled, 1=enabled

Value 6 ("Priority"): 400 is the default priority level each time you  add a new kill filter.  You can enter any value between 1 and 1000.

Value 7 ("Expire filter after"): 0=disabled, 1=enabled

Value 8 ("<x> days"): 30 is the default number of days after which a  filter will expire.  This setting is only available if value 7 is 1.

Value 9 ("of inactivity"): If value 7 is enabled (i.e., it is "1") and  you've entered the number of days in value 8, you can specify whether  it expires after "x" number of days of inactivity or not by enabling  or disabling this value.  1=enabled and 2=disabled.

WatchDefaults="Any-Sender 1 5 0 23773 0 600 0 30 1"

This setting indicates the initial values Agent uses when adding a new  email watch filter.  The default values shown above correspond to the  default settings on the Inbound Email Watch tab.  These are the values  you can enter, moving from left to right (see default values above):

Value 1 ("Match"):  Any-Sender, Apparently-From, Apparently-To, Bcc,  Cc, Date, From, In-Reply-To, Keywords, Message-ID, Organization,  Received, References, Reply-To, Sender, Status, Subject, or To.

Value 2 ("Use"): 0=Name only, 1=Address only, 2=Entire field, 3=Domain

Value 3 ("Watch Action"): 3=Save, 5=Watch thread

Value 4 ("Keep"): 1=enabled, 2=disabled

Value 5 ("File in Folder"): 23773=Inbox, 23774=1st new folder created, 23775=2nd new folder created, 23776=3rd new folder created, etc.

Value 6 ("Leave on server"): 0=disabled, 1=enabled

Value 7 ("Priority"): 600 is the default priority level each time you  add a new watch filter.  You can enter any value between 1 and 1000.

Value 8 ("Expire filter after"): 0=disabled, 1=enabled

Value 9 ("<x> days"): 30 is the default number of days after which a  filter will expire.  This setting is only available if value 7 is 1.

Value 10 ("of inactivity"): If value 7 is enabled (1) and you have  entered the number of days in value 8, you can specify whether it  expires after "x" number of days of inactivity or not by enabling or  disabling this value.  1=enabled and 2=disabled.

PasteFields="Any-Sender,From,Subject,To"

This setting indicates the common fields you are most likely to  want to paste into the Match field of a new email filter.  You can  choose from a number of fields other than the above defaults,  including: Received, Message-ID, Date, Reply-To, X-Mailer,  MIME-Version, Content-Type, and Content-Transfer-Encoding.  In Agent, you can find these fields on the Paste Field dialog box.

LastPasteField="Any-Sender (Name Only)"

This setting indicates the last field that you pasted into the Match  field, when a new email filter was created.

ApplyNow=0

When non-zero, Agent applies all your email filters to all the email messages you've received.  In Agent, you'll find this setting  on the Add Email Filter dialog box.

ApplyThisMsgOnly=0

When non-zero, Agent applies all your email filters to the currently  selected email message.  In Agent, you'll find this setting on the  Add Email Filter dialog box.

EstimateLines=1

When non-zero, Agent will estimate the line count (byte count divided  by the average number of characters per line) for email filters.

CharsPerLine=50

This setting indicates the total number of characters that constitute  one line, used by Agent to estimate the line count for email filters  (see previous setting, "EstimateLines=1").

[Search]

WindowPosition="<window position coordinates>"

This setting indicates the exact location on the screen that the  Global Search for Messages window appears each time you open this  window, either using the Global Search command on the Edit menu or the  keyboard shortcut Ctrl+G.

AllGroups=0

When non-zero, Agent will activate a search in all groups that are  visible in the Browser window.  In Agent, you'll find this setting on  the Global Search for Messages window (See the option "Search in All  Groups in view").

AllFolders=0

When non-zero, Agent will activate a search in all folders that are  visible in the Browser window.  In Agent, you'll find this setting on  the Global Search for Messages window (See the option "Search in All  folders in view").

FilteredMsgs=1

When non-zero, Agent will activate a search in only the messages that  are visible in the Browser window.  In Agent, you'll find this setting  on the Global Search for Messages window.  (See the option "Search in  Visible messages only".)

AutoClose=0

When non-zero, Agent will close the Global Search for Messages window when it is currently in focus and Agent has finished a successful search.  In Agent, you'll find this setting on the Global Search for  Messages window.  (See the option "Close when successful".)

LastPasteField="Subject"

This setting tells Agent to paste the specified field in currently  selected message on the Browser window into the "Search For" entry box  on the Global Search for Messages window.  In Agent, you can select  the desired field on the Paste Field dialog box.

LastAction=0

When non-zero, Agent will remember the last button that you pressed on  on the Global Search for Messages window and restore you to that  position.

[Trash]

All Trash parameters can be set on the Trash tab of the Options | General Preferences dialog box.

Enable=1

When non-zero, enable the trash folder feature.

Folder=<uid>

The UID of the trash folder.  When this param is zero or names a non-existent folder and the Enable param is non-zero, the next time you start Agent, it will display a dialog box that introduces the trash folder and allows you to configure it.

SaveGroupMsgs=1

When non-zero, messages deleted from newsgroup folders are copied to the trash folder. Otherwise, they are permanently deleted.

SaveFolderMsgs=1

When non-zero, messages deleted from ordinary folders are copied to the trash folder. Otherwise, they are permanently deleted.

SaveOutboxMsgs=1

When non-zero, messages deleted from the outbox are copied to the trash folder. Otherwise, they are permanently deleted.

MarkDeletedREad=1

When non-zero, all messages deleted to the trash folder are marked read. When zero, the unread state of deleted messages is preserved.

KeepMsgs=1

When non-zero, the empty trash operations do not remove recently-deleted messages.

DaysToKeepMsgs=30

When KeepMsgs is non-zero, this parameter controls which messages are retained by empty trash operations.  Messages deleted to the trash folder less than <n> days ago are retained.

EmptyOnExit=1

When non-zero, Agent empties the trash folder each time you close the program.

[SafeTypes]

A list of the MIME types and file extension for attachments that are considered safe for launching.

Type0=<type1>,<type2>,…<typeN>

Each type parameter consists of a comma-separated list of MIME types and file extensions.  Agent splits the complete list of types into a set of one-line Type<n>=<list> parameters, so that each parameter is about a line long.


How to Create Message Filters

Usenet and email message filters consist of the following components:

•	A filter expression.

•	One of the available kill actions or watch actions.

•	A priority between 0 (lowest) and 1000 (highest).  Filters are evaluated in priority order.  If more than one filter matches a message, the highest priority filter's action is performed.

•	An optional expiration date, expressed in the number of days the filter should be kept.  Agent automatically deletes expired filters.  This helps you keep the number of filters from getting out of hand.

•	An enabled/disabled flag.  This allows you to temporarily disable a filter without deleting it altogether.  You can also use the Group Properties dialogs to temporarily disable all filters for selected groups.

How to create kill and watch filters

There are two general procedures for creating message filters.  You can determine the one that best applies to what you are trying to accomplish.

To create a filter based on a message:

1.	Select a message.

2.	From the Message menu, open the Filters flyout menu.

3.	Open the Add Filter dialog box using one of the following equivalent methods to display the Add Email Filter dialog box:

Toolbar button:	 for kill filters or [image] for watch filters

Menu command:	Add Kill Filter or Add Watch Filter  (Filter menu)

Keyboard shortcut:	Ctrl+K for kill filters or Ctrl+W for watch filters

4.	Complete the settings in the Add Filter dialog box.  The Match entry box is already filled in, based on the currently selected message.  For a description of the settings, see the online help for this dialog box.

To create a filter from scratch:

If the filter is going to be for a specific group or folder, make sure the group is highlighted.

1.	Select Open Email Filters or Open Usenet Filters from the Window menu to open the Email or Usenet Filters window (depending on which type of filter you are creating).

2.	Open the Add Filter dialog box using one of the following equivalent methods to display the Add Email Filter dialog box:

Toolbar button:	 for kill filters or [image] for watch filters

Menu command:	Add Kill Filter or Add Watch Filter

Keyboard shortcut:	Ctrl+K for kill filters or Ctrl+W for watch filters

3.	Complete the settings in the Add Filter dialog box, as in the previous procedure.  However, in this procedure, the Match field is blank, requiring the user to enter a filter expression that uses the valid syntax required.

See Also:

Agent's Expression Language

Characters Used in Expressions

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples

How to Filter Out Spam

How to Create View Filters


Agent's Expression Language

When creating Usenet and email filters or performing global searches, you can use Agent's expression language to create Boolean expressions.  Agent applies these conditional statements to messages, searching for a match, when you run your filters or perform global searches.  Each time Agent finds a match for the criteria in an expression, it will perform the actions you have specified (e.g., delete the message or retrieve the message body and file the message in the appropriate folder).

Expressions consist of the following components:

•	One or more terms (word combinations on which to filter or search)

•	Optional operators (words with special meanings used to combine terms)

•	Optional qualifiers (symbols used to restrict the scope of filters or searches)

Agent's expression language is versatile.  You can either create solely word-based expressions, or you can also include "regular expression" phrases (a more sophisticated expression form developed by UNIX users).  Although regular expressions are less straightforward than using simple word-based expressions, they're much more powerful.  You can refer to the topic Regular Expressions Reference and try them out.  You might also want to look at some good Expression Examples to see some of the different things you can accomplish.

Words, Phrases, and Case Sensitivity

The simplest expression is a single word.  You can combine individual words to form phrases.  Finally, you can use operators, such as and and or to combine phrases into complex Boolean expressions.  (See the following section Operators in Expressions.)  When matching a phrase, Agent ignores all spaces and punctuation in both the filter expression and the message being tested.  Punctuation and whitespace are normalized to a single space.  For example, the punctuation in the following expression

subject: (money; or rich.) and not author: amos grinch

is ignored.

When words are all lowercase letters, matching is case-insensitive.  However, you can force an exact, case-sensitive match by capitalizing one or more letters in the word.  For example:

subject: shell

will match shell, Shell, sHell, or ShELl found in message subjects.

To force an exact, case-sensitive match, capitalize one or more letters in the word, such as:

subject: Shell

This would only match Shell.

Here's another example.  The word windows matches windows, Windows, or WINDOWS.

But, WinDows only matches WinDows.

Operators in Expressions

The three operators used to combine terms in an expression are and, or, and not, which have the following special meanings:

and	Agent must find all of the phrases separated by and in order to match the expression, for example subject: (green apples and oranges) matches a subject that contains both the phrase "green apples" and the word "oranges".

or	Agent needs only to find one of the words separated by or in order to match the expression, for example subject: (apples or juicy oranges) matches a subject that contains either the word "apples" or the phrase "juicy oranges".

not	Agent must find no occurrences of the specified word or phrase.  For example, the expression subject: (apple and not pies) matches all subjects that contain the word apple, but do not contain the word pies.

You can have Agent treat any operator as normal text by placing quotes around the word (i.e., "and", "or", "not").  This might be helpful if, for instance, the word and is an integral part of a subject in a kill filter you're adding.

For example, to match the phrase this and that, you can use either of the following expressions:

this "and" that

"this and that"

Note:  When you use any of the Paste Field buttons, quotes are automatically placed around any operators that are part of the field.

For each operator, there is an equivalent character that can be used.  For a list of all the characters used to create expressions see Characters Used in Expressions.

If you include more than one operator in an expression, Agent evaluates them in the following order, highest priority to lowest priority:

not

and

or

You can change the precedence by using parentheses (...).  For example,

subject: pink or rose and not author: tsmith

means match any message for which the subject contains the word pink, or match any message that contains rose in any field for which the author does not contain the word tsmith.

But...

subject: (pink or rose) and not author: tsmith

means match any message for which the subject contains the word pink or rose and the author does not contain the word tsmith.

Other Operators

Here are several operators other than "and", "or", or "not", described as follows:

*	The wildcard character (asterisk) in a word-based expression means match anything after the string (which must be at least 3 characters long).  The wildcard character in a regular expression means that Agent must find zero or more occurrences of the preceding term in order to match the expression.  For example, a* matches zero or more a's.

[L,H]	To match a range of numbers, enclose the lowest and highest numbers in the range (separated by a comma) in square brackets.

%	The percent character means that the following term should be case-sensitive.  Otherwise -- for word-match terms, the existing Usenet filter rule applies -- the match is case-insensitive unless a given word contains upper-case letters.  And, for regular expressions, the match is case insensitive.

=	An equal sign that precedes any term in an expression means that Agent must find an exact match of that term.

Expression Qualifiers

In general, Agent searches as much of the message as possible for the words or phrases in the expression.  How much of the message is searched depends on the type of search (Usenet, email, or global search).  In addition, you can use so-called expression qualifiers to limit the search to selected fields.

If a search expression contains no qualifies, the follow items are searched:

Usenet Filters:	The Subject and Author fields only (and not the message body)

Email Filters:   	All header fields (and not the message body)

Global Search: 	All header fields and the message body.

To limit the search to a particular message field, use a qualifier prefix, which is the name of the field to be searched, followed by a colon.  For example:

subject: testing

searches just the subject field for the word "testing"

subject: testing and from: tom gold

searches just the subject field for the word "testing" and just the from field for the phrase "tom gold".  Thus, it matches only those messages for which the subject contains the word "testing" and the from field contains the phrase "tom gold".

Usenet, email, and global search expressions all allow different qualifiers, as detailed below.

Usenet Filters may contain the following qualifiers:

subject: matches the subject header field

author: or from: match the author of the message, which is normally the From header field

Email Filters may use the name of any header field as a qualifier.  For example, you match all messages posted with Agent with the expression:

x-mailer: forte agent

In addition, email filters may use the following special qualifier words:

any-sender: matches any of the fields From, Apparently-From, Sender, Reply-To, or X-Sender.

any-recipient: matches any of the fields To, Apparently-To, Cc, or Bcc.

Global Search expressions allow all of the qualifiers allowed by email filters, and the following additional qualifiers:

body: matches the text sections of the message body.  IOW, it matches all of the text that you would normally read in the message if you were not viewing the raw, unformatted message.

raw-body: matches the complete, unformatted body of the message, including sections containing binary attachments and images.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Characters Used in Expressions

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples

How to Filter Out Spam

How to Create View Filters


Word-based expressions

Each word in an expression is any contiguous sequence of letters, numbers, and/or dollar sign characters.  These are strung together by operators (words with special meanings), and separated by punctuation and space (also with special meanings).


Characters Used in Expressions

The following list documents the special meaning attached to characters used expressions, other than the special case "regular expressions".  For the special characters used in regular expressions, see Regular Expressions Reference.

&	The "and" symbol is equivalent to the operator and.

|	The vertical pipe symbol is equivalent to the operator or.

!	The exclamation mark is equivalent to the operator not.

=	The equal sign indicates an exact match, when preceding a word sequence.

[...]	Square brackets in expressions can be used to represent a quantifiable range (e.g., [*,100] means 100 lines or less).

,	The comma is used within the square brackets (see above) to establish a line range.

( )	Parentheses are used to establish precedence of operators in compound expressions.

:	The colon is treated as a subject or author qualifier (i.e., subject:, author:).

*	The star character is treated as a wildcard.  When attached to words, it matches any additional characters attached to the word.  Alone, the wildcard matches anything.  (See Wildcard below for more details.)

Forcing an exact match using the equal sign

To force an exact match of a word or word sequence, you will precede the word or sequence of words with the  = character.  This will match messages that contain the exact word or sequence of words, including instances where the word sequence is followed by punctuation.  Here are a few examples:

Example 1 - subject: =apple

would match apple or APPLE!!!.

But it would not match red apple or apple pie or Orange.

Example 2 - If you want to force Agent to do an exact match, but also to include re: in the match (for responses), you can do something like the following:

subject: re and =apple

This filter will only match subjects which contain (exactly) apple and which also contain re.

Example 3 - For an exact match of the address: "jdoe@acmeinc.com(John Doe)", you need to use author:= "jdoe@acmeinc.com (John Doe)" instead of author:= John Doe.

Identical phrases with different punctuation and spacing

Other than the characters with special meaning listed above, Agent ignores all other punctuation and spacing in expressions.  Thus, the following phrases are all identical:

Mark F. Sidell <mark.sidell@forteinc.com>

Mark F Sidell mark sidell forteinc com

Mark-F-Sidell-mark-sidell-forteinc-com

Here's another example.  To match the following URL

http://www.forteinc.com/

you can use any of the expressions below:

http":"//www.forteinc.com/

http www forteinc com

http-www-forteinc-com

Qualifiers range

The expression subject: agent and forteinc searches for agent in the subject only, but searches for forteinc in both the subject and author.  You can define a field-qualified Boolean expression by enclosing it in parentheses (...).

For example, for the expression "subject: (agent and forteinc)", Agent searches for agent and forteinc in the subject only.

Line range

The range [10,20] matches all messages with at least 10 lines and no more than 20 lines.

A * in place of one of the numbers is a wildcard.  For example, [*,10] matches all messages with no more than 10 lines, and [15,*] matches all messages with at least 15 lines.

Pasted punctuation and symbols

When you use the Paste button on the Add Usenet Filters and Add Email Filters dialog box to paste subject or author of a message, the following punctuation and symbols are converted to a space:

& | ! = [ ] , ( ) { } * " : <tab> <space>

If there are more than one of these characters in a row, they'll all be converted to a single space.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Agent's Expression Language

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples

How to Filter Out Spam

How to Create View Filters


Regular Expressions Reference

If you are an advanced user who understands what "regular" expressions are, you can use this highly specific UNIX based expression to create complex filters.  (If you are a novice, you should first see the topic Agent's Expression Language for background about expressions.)

Note: Use Regular Expressions Only When Necessary.

Because of the extra computation required to evaluate regular expressions, we recommend that you use them only when necessary, especially in Usenet and email filters, where the time required to evaluate filters can significantly affect online performance.  If all you need to do is match words, then it is much faster to use Agent's simpler word-matching syntax.  For example, the following word-based filter:

subject: this is a test

is much faster than this regular expression filter, which is roughly equivalent

subject: { this is a test }

In general, you should find that you need to use regular expressions only if you need to:

•	match punctuation characters that are not normally treated as "words".

•	match text that appears inside of words.

How to Include Regular Expressions in Filter Expressions

Anywhere a sequence of words to be matched can appear in a filter expression, you can include a regular expression enclosed in {..} (curly braces).  Here's an example of a regular expression, combined with a sequence of words to be matched, as well:

subject: (this is a test and {[0-9]+})

This example matches any subject containing the phrase "this is a test" AND a regular expression consisting of any sequence of one or more digits.

Rules for Writing Regular Expressions

The simplest regular expression is called an "atom".  An atom can be any of the following:

•	Any character that doesn't otherwise have special meaning.  For example, the letter "a" is an atom that matches "a" or "A" in the field being tested.

•	The . (dot) character.  A dot matches any character.

•	The ^ (carat) character, which matches the beginning of the field being tested.

•	The $ (dollar sign) character, which matches the end of the field.

•	The \ (backslash) character, followed by any character.  You can use backslash to "quote" characters that otherwise have special meaning.  For example, to match the literal character ".", you would write "\.".  Without the backslash, the "." would match any character, not just ".".

•	Any more complex regular expression enclosed in parentheses (...).

•	A "range" of characters, enclosed in [...] square brackets.  A range is defined according to the following rules:

a.	A range may be a simple list of characters.  For example, the range [qwerty] matches a single occurrence of any of the characters q, w, e, r, t, or y.

b.	A range may be a character range, specified as x-z.  For example, the range [0-9] matches a single occurrence of any character in the range 0 through 9.

c.	More complex ranges may be built with the previous two rules.  For example, the range [a-z0-9] matches any letter or digit.  (Remember that Agent's regular expressions are normally case-insensitive.  That's why you don't need to include A-Z in the range.)

d.	If a range begins with a ^ character, it matches any character not in the specified range.  For example, the range [^a-z0-9] matches any character that is not a letter or a digit.

e.	To include the characters \, ^, [, ] , or - inside a range as literals, prefix them with a \ backslash.  For example, the range [^\^\]] matches any character that is not ^ or ].

Controlling the Extent of an Atom's Match

You can modify an atom by following it with special operators that control how much of the field the atom should match.  The special operators are:

*	This matches a sequence of zero or more matches of the atom.  For example, the expression {a*} matches zero or more occurrences of the letter a.

+	This matches a sequence of one or more matches of the atom.  For example, the expression {[0-9]+} matches one or more digits.

?	This matches zero or one occurrence of the atom.

Note: These operators apply the the entire preceeding sequence of characters.  (This behavior is different from other regular expression parsers with which you may be familiar.)  For example,

{abc*} matches zero or more occurrences of the sequence "abc".  Thus, it matches nothing, "abc", "abcabc", "abcabcabc", etc.

To apply an operator to a subset of the preceeding characters, enclose the desired subset in parentheses.  For example:

{ab(c)*} matches "ab" followed by zero or more occurrences of the letter "c".  Thus, it matches "ab", "abc", "abcc", "abccc", etc.

Concatenating Atoms

You can concatenate atoms to form more complex sequences to be matched.  Some examples:

{forte}	matches the sequence consisting of "f", followed by "o", followed by "r", followed by "t", followed by "e".

{a?b}	matches zero or one occurrences of the letter a, followed by one occurrence of the letter b.  Thus, it matches "ab" and "b".

{[0-9]+/[0-9]+}	matches one or more digits, followed by a "/" character, followed by another sequence of one or more digits.

{foo(bar)*}	matches the sequence "foo", followed by zero or more occurrences of the sequence "bar".  Thus, it matches, "foo", "foobar", "foobarbar", "foobarbarbar", etc.

{^foo.*bar}	matches the sequence "foo", followed a sequence of zero or more occurrences of any character, followed by the sequence "bar".  In addition, the ^ requires that the match occur at the beginning of the field.

Alternation

You can specify alternative matches, by combining sequences of atoms with the | operator.  For example,

{a|b}	matches either the letter "a" or the letter "b".

{foo|bar}	matches either the sequence "foo" or the sequence "bar".

Filter Operators Applied to Regular Expressions

You can apply the filter operators = (match entire field) and % (case-sensitive) to regular expressions in the same way that you can use them with word phrases.

= Exact Match Operator

If a regular expression is preceded by =, Agent must match the entire field.  For example, the following filter:

subject: ={begin.*end}

matches any subject that starts with the characters "begin", ends with the characters "end" and contains any characters in between.

As with word phrases, when the = operator is applied to a subject field, Agent first removes any "Re: " prefixes before performing the match.  For example, the filter

subject: ={testing}

matches both "testing" and "Re: testing".  But, it does not match "more testing", since the = operator requires an exact match of the entire field.

% Case Sensitive Operator

The % operator causes the entire regular expression to be case-sensitive.  Otherwise, regular expressions in Agent filters are case-insensitive.  For example, the filter

subject: %{[A-Z]+}

matches a subject containing a sequence of one or more CAPITAL LETTERS.

But, the filter

subject: {[a-z]+}

matches a subject containing a sequence of one or more letters, in any combination of lower-case or CAPITALS.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Agent's Expression Language

Characters Used in Expressions

Expression Examples

How to Filter Out Spam

How to Create View Filters


Expression Examples

People create filters for a variety of different reasons.  What follows is a sampling of different expressions you might want to refer to when creating your own filters.

Note:  To help you understand some of the examples that use the more advanced regular expressions, the key parts of the expression are indicated by a different color.  Then below the example, you can refer to the meaning of each part, according to its color.

To prevent "spam" from cluttering your database:

"Spam", is the cyber-term for unwanted messages of all sorts, from "get-rich-quick" schemes to offensive or sensitive subjects.  Spam infiltrates daily without your permission, cluttering your database and posing a potential problem for parents who don't want their children exposed to certain types of material.  Below are several examples of expressions used to "kill" spam:

Example 1:  To improve performance, you might want to combine a number of types of spam you wish to eliminate in one filter.  As other key words that offend you pop up, you can always add them to the expression.  Note that in the example below, the vertical bars are equivalent to the operator "or".

subject: ($ | $$ | $$$* | $money* | sex* | porn*| xxx*)

Example 2:  To prevent Agent from retrieving message headers that start with odd characters such as !, $, <, -, etc. (usually spam)

subject: ={^[^a-z"].*}

Note: Regular expressions in Agent are case-insensitive unless preceded by the % operator.  So, this will not filter out subjects that start with upper case letters, or those that start with lower case letters, or those that start with a quotation mark.  Also, this filter will match subjects such as "[Q] How do I fix…" and "(fwd) Answers to…".  So, you should use it with caution.

Red part: This "^" character says, "Match if the string is at the beginning of a line".

Blue part: This "^" character inside the brackets "[ ]" means "not these characters".  So the expression would read "match any character that is *not* any upper or lower case letter or quotation mark.

Example 3:  Many times spam mail is not directly addressed to you, that is, it does not have your actual address as the value in the "To:" field.  Here's an expression you can use in a kill filter that will match any message that does NOT contain your actual address, either at your work email address or home email address.  The example below shows the address for Jane Doe at work and at home.  The "any-recipient" qualifier tells Agent to search for the addresses in the To, Apparently-To, Cc, and Bcc fields.

not any-recipient: (janedoe@server1.com or jdoe@server2.com)

This will work for most spam.  However, you may find that your own mail system inserts an Apparently-To field to messages that are missing a To: or Cc: field.  The "any-recipient" filter matches the Apparently-To field.  If you'd prefer to have a filter that does not match that either, try using the following expression:

not any-recipient: (janedoe@abc.com or jdoe@xyz.com)

and not cc: (janedoe@abc.com or jdoe@xyz.com)

To filter on a particular word:

Example 1:  To match anything ending in "teen", followed by a space or the end of the field, you can use the following expression:

{teen( |$)}

This will match seventeen, or canteen, or just teen, but not teenager.

Example 2:  To match teen anywhere in the subject, you can use the following expression:

{teen}

This will match teenager or seventeen or just teen.

To eliminate "header-only" files with little or no body (especially useful in binary groups):

[1,2]

Note that the lower range is 1, rather than 0.  This is because some news servers fail to add a line count to messages, causing all messages to have a count of zero.

To prevent retrieving headers that use ALL CAPS:

Create a filter that matches subjects with all caps.  Use the filter to either delete all matching messages or place them in a "trash" folder.

subject: =%{[^a-z]+}

Note: Regular expressions in Agent are case-insensitive unless preceded by the % operator.  The % operator is needed here so that the filter will exclude subjects that have upper case letters but no lower case letters, as well as those with no letters at all.

Red part: The equal sign "=" means "must match entire field".  In other words, the field must consist entirely of characters that are not lower-case letters.

Blue part: This means "match any character that is *not* a lower case letter."

Green part: This means "there must be one or more of the preceding characters in the field."

To automatically file mail from people and mailing lists you know about:

Example 1:  You might use the following expression to automatically file known mailing lists, company domains, addressed specifically to you.

[>Inbox] To: jsmith AND Any-Sender: {@?.+\.no}

Everything else from the abroad or domestic not specifically addressed to you remains in >Unfiltered, which might be the default Inbox.

Red part: This means "match if there is an @ (at symbol), or even if there isn't one".

Blue part: This means "match one or more instances of any character".

Green part: This means "period".  The backslash takes away the special characteristics of the period, and the regular expression will match only the period character ".".

Magenta part: The "no" is the domain.  For example, if you lived in Canada, you would have the domain extension ".ca", and if you lived in the United Kingdom, it would be ".uk".  Other domains are .gov for government, edu for educational, and com for commercial.

Example 2:  if you are in the desktop publishing business and want all mail regarding this subject to be routed to a Desktop Publishing folder, you might use the following regular expression.

[>Desksystem] Subject: {desk.*sys}

This expression matches the string "desk" followed by any sequence of other characters, followed by the string "sys".

To filter out multipart messages in non-binary newsgroups:

This means matching message headers that contain (n/m).  Using the following expression:

subject: {[[(][0-9]+/[0-9]+[])]}

matches subjects with (n/m) or [n/m] in the headers.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Agent's Expression Language

Characters Used in Expressions

Regular Expressions Reference

How to Filter Out Spam


How to Filter Out Spam

Is your Message List pane being cluttered on a daily basis by unsolicited commercial email (UCE) and other offensive messages?  These types of messages, commonly referred to as "spam", are a major annoyance to many users.  To eliminate as much spam as possible, use this procedure:

1.	Set up three folders, as follows:

•	Create one folder is for email that you know you want to receive.  You might call it "inbox".  (Of course, you could create multiple folders to further categorize messages that you want to save.)

•	Create a second folder for UCE/spam.  You could call this folder "trash".  (Alternatively, you could configure your filters to delete spam immediately upon receipt.  The only problem with that approach is that you might inadvertently delete a message that you really wanted to keep.)

•	Create a third folder for mail that has not yet been categorized.  You could call this folder "uncategorized" or "to be sorted".

2.	Next, configure Agent's default email filter settings to use the three folders:

•	On the Inbound Email Folder tab (Options menu), select the default folder to be your "uncategorized" folder.  This will cause all email that is not processed by any other filter to be placed there.

•	On the Kill tab, set the File in Folder to be your "trash" folder.  You will probably find that the other dialog settings are already appropriate.

•	On the Watch tab, set the File in Folder to be your "inbox" folder.

3.	When you first start receiving email, all new messages will get filed in the "uncategorized" folder.  After you receive a batch of new messages, scan through them to decide how you want messages from the same senders to be processed in the future.

4.	For spam messages, press Ctrl+K to create a kill filter using the Add Email Filter dialog box.  The default filter settings will create a filter that will place all future messages from that sender in your "trash" folder.  For some good examples of expressions designed to eliminate spam, see the topics Expression Examples.

By default, the kill filter will match the sender's complete email address.  That will often be appropriate.  But, you might want to modify the filter if you want to match any messages from that domain.  For example, if you receive a message from "great-offer@savetrees.com", you could choose to trash all future messages from any address at the "savetrees.com" domain.  To modify the filter to match just the domain, press the Paste Field button, highlight the "Any-Sender (Domain only)" entry, and press OK.  (Of course, you could achieve the same result by manually editing the match expression; using the Paste Field button is just faster.)

TIP:  Many times spam mail is not directly addressed to you, that is, it does not have your actual address as the value in the "To:" field.  One handy way to eliminate this type of spam is to create a kill filter that will match any message that does NOT contain your actual address.  Here's an example for a user named Jane Doe:

not any-recipient:janedoe@abc.com

This will work for most spam.  However, you may find that your own mail system inserts an Apparently-To field into messages that are missing a To: or Cc: field.  The "any-recipient" filter matches the Apparently-To field.  If you'd prefer to have a filter that does not match that either, try the following example:

not to: janedoe@abc.com and not cc: janedoe@abc.com

For messages from senders you know and want to receive messages from in the future, press Ctrl+W to create a watch filter containing those individuals' addresses, for example:

from: (tsmith@acme.com or hank.lloyd@zsu.edu or mjones@abc.com )

When you create either a kill or watch filter, you can check the "Apply filters to folder immediately" option to cause Agent to reroute all matching messages immediately.  If you aren't sure that you want to reroute *all* matching messages in the folder, you can check "This message only".

As you define more kill and watch filters, you will find that Agent will get better at automatically routing your email, and there will be fewer "uncategorized" messages that you have to deal with.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Agent's Expression Language

Characters Used in Expressions

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples


Default Properties for All Groups dialog box, Filters tab
Default Properties dialog box (Group menu)

Filters Tab

Use this dialog box to define your default group settings.  This tab controls the default settings that appear in the Add Usenet Filter dialog box.

Disable filtering for all groups

Check this box to disable filtering for all groups.

Kill Action

Select the default Kill action for your filters.

Watch Action

Select the default Watch action for your filters.

Scope

Select Global if you want the filter to apply to all groups, or select Group: <newsgroup> if you want the filter to apply only to the current group.

Keep

Check this box if you want Agent to automatically insert a Keep icon [image] next to all messages retrieved for filters with watch actions.

Search For

Select whether you want Agent to search on the subject or author information, when evaluating filter criteria.

Kill Priority/Watch Priority

Enter default priorities for kill and watch filters.  This can be any value between 0 (lowest) and 1000 (highest).

Expire this filter in

Check this box if you want the filter to be automatically deleted after the number of days specified.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Agent's Expression Language

Characters Used in Expressions

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples

How to Filter Out Spam


Properties for Selected Groups dialog box, Filters tab
Properties for Selected Groups dialog box (Group menu)

Filters Tab

Use this dialog box to define the initial settings that will appear in the Add Usenet Filters dialog box for the selected group(s).

TIP:  If you highlight several groups before opening this dialog box, you will be changing the settings for all the selected groups at once.

Disable filtering for this group

Check this box to disable filtering for the selected group(s).

Override default settings

Check this box to use the settings defined on this tab instead of those defined on the Filters tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.

Kill Action

Select the default Kill action for the selected group's filters.

Watch Action

Select the default Watch action for the selected group's filters.

Scope

Select Global if you want the filter to apply to all groups, or select Group: <newsgroup> if you want the filter to apply only to the current group.  This will be the initial setting that appears when adding a Usenet filter for the selected group(s).

Keep

Check this box if you want Agent to automatically insert a Keep icon [image] next to all messages retrieved for filters with watch actions.

Search For

Select whether you want Agent to search on the subject or author information, when evaluating filter criteria.

Kill Priority/Watch Priority

Enter the values for the selected Kill and Watch actions above.  This can be any value between 0 and 1000.  Filters with higher priorities are applied first.

Expire this filter in

Check this box if you want to limit the number of days that this filter will be used, and enter the number of days that the filter will be valid.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Agent's Expression Language

Characters Used in Expressions

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples

How to Filter Out Spam


Add Usenet Filter dialog box

Open this dialog box to add a new kill or watch filter.  The default settings that appear in most of the fields are specified on the Filter tab of the Default Group Properties dialog box.

Search For

Enter the filter criteria on which you want Agent to search.  If a message header is selected in the Message List pane, Agent automatically inserts the selected message's subject or author into this field.  If you want to enter a certain expression and wish to refer to the reference topics about using expressions, click any of the following:

Agent's Expression Language

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples

Paste Subject

If a message header is selected in the Message List pane, you may press this button to paste the selected message's subject into the Search For field.

Paste Author

If a message header is selected in the Message List pane, you may press this button to paste the selected message's author into the Search For field.  You can choose three different formats for the author's information; either the name of the author, the author's email address, or the entire field, which includes both the author's name and email address.

Lower Case

Press this button to convert the selected text in the Search For field to lower case.

Kill Action

If you are creating a Kill filter, select the Kill action that you want Agent to perform.

Watch Action

If you are creating a Watch filter, select the Watch action that you want Agent to perform.

Scope

Select Global if you want the filter to apply to all groups, or select Group: <newsgroup> if you want the filter to apply only to the current group.

Priority

Enter the priority for this filter, between 0 (lowest) and 1000 (highest).  If a message matches more than one filter, the filter with the highest priority will be applied.

Expire this filter in

Check this box if you want this filter to be automatically deleted after the number of days specified.

Disable filter

Check this box to temporarily disable the filter.

Apply filters to group immediately

Check this box to apply all filters to the selected group when you add a new filter for that group.

This message only

Check this box to apply all filters to the currently selected message.

Important Note!  Click to see how Usenet filters work when you receive multipart messages.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Agent's Expression Language

Characters Used in Expressions

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples

How to Filter Out Spam


Kill actions
Usenet filter kill actions

There are three possible Kill actions:

•	Delete - Agent does retrieve the message header, but, when the filter is applied, that header never appears in your Message List pane.

•	Mark read - Agent will retrieve the header, but mark it read.

•	Ignore thread - Agent will retrieve the header, but mark its thread Ignore [image].


Kill actions
Email filter kill actions

There are three possible Kill actions:

•	Delete - Agent will delete the message and does not file it in a folder.

•	Mark read - Agent will file the message in the specified folder and mark it read.

•	Ignore thread - Agent will file the message in the specified folder and mark Ignore [image] and read.


Watch actions
Usenet filter watch actions

The following Watch actions are available:

•	Retrieve body immediately - Agent will retrieve the message body immediately.

•	Mark for later retrieval - Agent will mark the message for later retrieval.

•	Watch thread - Agent will watch the entire thread.  This action also retrieves the body.

•	Keep - Agent will mark the message keep.  Agent will not be purged until the Keep icon is removed.  This action is allowed for any other action you select.


Watch actions
Email filter watch actions

The following Watch actions are available to you:

•	Retrieve - Agent will retrieve the message, then file it in the specified folder and mark it unread.

•	Watch thread - Agent will file the message in the specified folder and mark it unread and watch.

•	Keep - Agent will mark the message keep.  Agent will not be purged until the Keep icon is removed.  This action is allowed for any other action except Delete.  For example, you can watch a thread and keep, or mark a message read and keep.  Note: You can select this option in addition to any one of the Kill actions or Watch actions.


Edit Usenet Filter dialog box

Open this dialog box to edit the highlighted kill or watch filter in the Usenet Filters window.  This dialog box is almost identical to the Add Usenet Filter dialog box.

Search For

Enter the subject or author information on which you want Agent to filter.

Lower Case

Press this button to convert the selected text in the Search For field to lower case.

Kill Action

If you are editing a Kill filter, select the Kill action that you want Agent to perform.

Watch Action

If you are editing a Watch filter, select the Watch action that you want Agent to perform.  Click to see an important note about how the watch action works when you receive multipart messages.

Scope

Select Global if you want the filter to apply to all groups, or select Group: <newsgroup> if you want the filter to apply only to the current group.

Priority

Enter a new priority value for the action selected above by entering a value between 0 (lowest) and 1000 (highest).  The higher-priority values are tested first.

Expire this filter in

Check this box if you want to limit the number of days that this filter will be used, and enter the number of days that you want to use the filter.

Disable filter

Check this box to temporarily disable the filter.

See Also:

Agent's Expression Language

Characters Used in Expressions

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples

How to Filter Out Spam


Usenet Filters and Multipart Messages

Agent applies Usenet filter actions as follows when multipart messages are received:

•	When the first section of a multipart message is received (no matter which section it is), Agent compares the specified filter actions to the message section.  If "Delete", "Mark read", "Ignore", or "Watch thread" are defined and they apply, Agent performs these actions.  (The actions "Mark for later retrieval" and "Retrieve body immediately" are not performed.)

•	When the final section of a multipart message is received, Agent compares the specified filter actions to the completed message.  This time, if the specified actions are "Mark for later retrieval" or "Retrieve", Agent performs them.  None of the other actions are performed, because they were already performed when the first section was retrieved.  If the specified action is "Watch thread", however, Agent marks it for later retrieval.

•	When the user applies a filter manually, Agent does not apply "Mark for later retrieval" or "Retrieve body immediately" actions for incomplete multipart messages.


Inbound Email dialog box, Watch tab
Inbound Email dialog box (Options menu)

Watch Tab

This dialog box contains settings Agent uses when receiving email.  Use this tab to define the default watch actions you will see whenever you open a new Add Watch Filter dialog box.

Match

Select from the list the field from the original message that you want to use as the initial value for the filter (e.g., From).  If you want to match a field that is not listed, you can enter the name of any field you like.

The fields Any-Sender and Any-Recipient have special meaning.  Any-Sender matches the first non-empty field from the set of fields (From, Apparently-From, Sender, Reply-To, X-Sender).  For example, the filter any-sender: tom.gold appears in any of the listed fields.  Similarly, any recipient matches the set (To, Apparently-To, Cc, Bcc).

Use

Select which portion of the field you want Agent to paste into the filter expression: the entire field, the address only, the domain, or the name only.

Kill Action

If you are creating a Kill filter, select the Kill action that you want Agent to perform.

Watch Action

If you are creating a Watch filter, select the Watch action that you want Agent to perform.

File in folder

Select the folder into which you want a message that matches this filter to be filed.

New Folder

Press this button to add a new folder in which matches for this filter will be filed.

Do not leave on server

Check this box if you want Agent to leave on the server any email messages that match this filter.

Priority

Enter the values for the selected kill or watch actions above.  This can be any value between 0 and 1000.  Filters with higher priorities are applied first.

Expire this filter in

Check this box if you want to limit the number of days that this filter will be used, and enter the number of days that the filter will be valid.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Agent's Expression Language

Characters Used in Expressions

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples

How to Filter Out Spam


Inbound Email dialog box, Kill tab
Inbound Email dialog box (Options menu)

Kill Tab

This dialog box contains settings Agent uses when receiving email.  Use this tab to define the default kill actions you will see whenever you open an Add Kill Filter dialog box.

Match

Select from the list the field from the original message that you want to use as the initial value for the filter (e.g., From).  If you want to match a field that is not listed, you can enter the name of any field you like.

The fields Any-Sender and Any-Recipient have special meaning.  Any-Sender matches the first non-empty field from the set of fields (From, Apparently-From, Sender, Reply-To, X-Sender).  For example, the filter any-sender: tom.gold appears in any of the listed fields.  Similarly, any recipient matches the set (To, Apparently-To, Cc, Bcc).

Use

Select which portion of the field you want Agent to paste into the filter expression: the entire field, the address only, the domain, or the name only.

Kill Action

If you are creating a Kill filter, select the Kill action that you want Agent to perform.

Watch Action

If you are creating a Watch filter, select the Watch action that you want Agent to perform.

File in folder

Select the folder into which you want a message that matches this filter to be filed.

New Folder

Press this button to add a new folder in which matches for this filter will be filed.

Do not leave on server

This option has an effect only if you also have checked the global "Leave on server" option.   It tells Agent to override the global setting for this particular message and to remove it from the server.  If you generally want to leave messages on the server, first check the global "Leave messages on server" option (Inbound Email Checking Mail tab), as in previous versions of Agent.  Check this box for particular messages that you always want to remove from the server and define a filter that has the "Do not leave on server" option checked.

Priority

Enter the values for the selected kill or watch actions above.  This can be any value between 0 and 1000.  Filters with higher priorities are applied first.

Expire this filter in

Check this box if you want to limit the number of days that this filter will be used, and enter the number of days that the filter will be valid.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Agent's Expression Language

Characters Used in Expressions

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples

How to Filter Out Spam


Inbound Email dialog box (Options menu)

Kill/Watch Tab

This dialog box contains settings Agent uses when receiving email.  Use this tab to define the default the kill or watch actions you will see whenever you open a new Add Watch Filter dialog box.

Match

Select from the list the field from the original message that you want to use as the initial value for the filter (e.g., From).  If you want to match a field that is not listed, you can enter the name of any field you like.

The fields Any-Sender and Any-Recipient have special meaning.  Any-Sender matches the first non-empty field from the set of fields (From, Apparently-From, Sender, Reply-To, X-Sender).  For example, the filter any-sender: tom.gold appears in any of the listed fields.  Similarly, any recipient matches the set (To, Apparently-To, Cc, Bcc).

Use

Select which portion of the field you want Agent to paste into the filter expression: the entire field, the address only, the domain, or the name only.

Kill Action

If you are creating a Kill filter, select the Kill action that you want Agent to perform.

Watch Action

If you are creating a Watch filter, select the Watch action that you want Agent to perform.

File in folder

Select the folder into which you want a message that matches this filter to be filed.

New Folder

Press this button to add a new folder in which matches for this filter will be filed.

Do not leave on server

This option has an effect only if you also have checked the global "Leave on server" option.   It tells Agent to override the global setting for this particular message and to remove it from the server.  If you generally want to leave messages on the server, first check the global "Leave messages on server" option (Inbound Email Checking Mail tab), as in previous versions of Agent.  Check this box for particular messages that you always want to remove from the server and define a filter that has the "Do not leave on server" option checked.

You will find this option to be useful, too, if you are receiving email at two sites (i.e., at work and at home).  If this situation applies to you, see the topic Receiving Email at Two Sites.

Priority

Enter the values for the selected kill or watch actions above.  This can be any value between 0 and 1000.  Filters with higher priorities are applied first.

Expire this filter in

Check this box if you want to limit the number of days that this filter will be used, and enter the number of days that the filter will be valid.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Agent's Expression Language

Characters Used in Expressions

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples

How to Filter Out Spam


Add Email Filter dialog box

Open this dialog box to add a new kill or watch email filter.

Match

Enter the filter criteria on which you want Agent to search.  By default, when an email message is selected, Agent inserts the Any-Sender field followed by the author of the selected message (e.g., Any-Sender: tgold@forteinc.com).  Note: Any field name you enter is legal, as well as the special names "any-sender" and "any-recipient".  If you want to enter a certain expression and wish to refer to the reference topics about using expressions, click any of the following:

Agent's Expression Language

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples

Paste Field

When an email message is selected, you can press this button to open the Paste Field dialog box and select a field that you want pasted into the Match entry box above.

Lower Case

Press this button to convert the selected text in the Match field to lower case.

Kill Action

If you are creating a Kill filter, select the Kill action that you want Agent to perform.

Watch Action

If you are creating a Watch filter, select the Watch action that you want Agent to perform.

File in folder

Select the folder into which you want a message that matches this filter to be filed.

Do not leave on server

If you have checked the global option "Leave on server" on the Inbound Email Checking Mail tab (Options menu), you can override this action for the filter you're creating by checking this box.  This is helpful for particular messages that you always want to remove from the server.  You will find this option to be useful, too, when you are receiving email at two sites (i.e., at work and at home).  If this situation applies to you, see the topic Receiving Email at Two Sites.

Priority

Enter the priority for this filter, between 0 (lowest) and 1000 (highest).  If a message matches more than one filter, the filter with the highest priority will be applied.

Expire this filter in

Check this box if you want this filter to be automatically deleted after the number of days specified.

Disable filter

Check this box to temporarily disable the filter.

Apply filters to group immediately

Check this box to apply all email filters to all of your email messages.

This message only

Check this box to apply all email filters to the selected email message, but not to any other email messages.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Agent's Expression Language

Characters Used in Expressions

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples

How to Filter Out Spam

How to Create View Filters


Receiving Email at Two Sites

If you have a single POP box and use Agent at two sites (i.e., at work and at home), you will receive both personal messages and professional messages in the same POP box.  That means you might receive personal mail at work and visa versa.  Agent makes it possible to receive only your professional messages at work and your personal messages at home.  Here's what to do:

1.	Open the Inbound Email Checking Mail tab from the Options menu and check the options "Leave message on server" and "Until retrieved at both my sites".  This way you'll get your professional and personal messages both at work and at home, and Agent will actually remove them from the server when they've been received at both sites.

2.	Now tell Agent to selectively retrieve certain types of messages in one location but not the other.  For example, say you receive a newsletter that is related to your work, but you are never interested in receiving this at home.

•	On your copy of Agent at work, create an email watch filter that retrieves the message, files it in a folder of your choice, and removes the message from the server.  (Checking "Do not leave on server" on the Add Email Filter dialog box does the latter action.)

•	On your copy of Agent at home, create an email kill filter for the same message (using any field appropriate to recognize the message), setting "Delete" as the kill action.  IMPORTANT! Make sure that you don't check "Do not leave on server" on the Add Email Filter dialog box, otherwise you'll never get the message at work if you first see it at home.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Agent's Expression Language

Characters Used in Expressions

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples

How to Filter Out Spam


Edit Email Filter dialog box

Open this dialog box to edit an existing kill or watch email filter.

Match

Change the existing filter criteria on which Agent will search.  Note: Any field name you enter is legal, as well as the special names "any-sender", "any-recipient", "body", and "raw-body".

Lower Case

Press this button to convert the selected text in the Match field to lower case.

Kill Action

If you are creating a Kill filter, select the Kill action that you want Agent to perform.

Watch Action

If you are creating a Watch filter, select the Watch action that you want Agent to perform.

File in folder

Select the folder into which you want a message that matches this filter to be filed.

Do not leave on server

If you have checked the global option "Leave on server" on the Inbound Email Checking Mail tab (Options menu), you can override this action for the filter you're creating by checking this box.  This is helpful for particular messages that you always want to remove from the server.  You will find this option to be useful, too, when you are receiving email at two sites, most commonly at work and at home.  If this situation applies to you, see the topic Receiving Email at Two Sites.

Priority

Enter the priority for this filter, between 0 (lowest) and 1000 (highest).  If a message matches more than one filter, the filter with the highest priority will be applied.

Expire this filter in

Check this box if you want this filter to be automatically deleted after the number of days specified.

Disable filter

Check this box to temporarily disable the filter.

Apply filters to group immediately

Check this box to apply all email filters to all of your email messages.

This message only

Check this box to apply all email filters to the selected email message, but not to any other email messages.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Agent's Expression Language

Characters Used in Expressions

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples

How to Filter Out Spam


Paste Field dialog box (from the Add Email Filter dialog box)

This dialog box lists all of the fields of the selected email message.  Select whichever field in the selected email message you want pasted into the Match field on the Add Email Filter dialog box.

Fields

Agent always lists a canned set of fields: first (the fields you are most likely to use in a filter), followed by all other fields.  The Any-Sender field is a special case, listing four different values to choose from, including Entire field, Address only, Domain only, and Name only.  This allows you to select the most appropriate portion of the address.  For example, if you are trying to set up a filter to screen out unsolicited messages, you might want to choose Any-Sender (Domain only), so that any future message from that domain is filtered.


Select View dialog box (Usenet filters)
Select View dialog box (Filter menu)

Use this dialog box to select which kill and watch filters will appear in the Usenet filter list.  Any combination of actions and scope may be selected.  You cannot select a view that is empty (i.e., at least one Action and one Scope below must always be selected).

Kill Actions

Check the box(es) for the Kill actions that you want to appear in the Usenet Filters window.

Watch Actions

Check the box(es) for the Watch actions that you want to appear in the Usenet Filters window.

Scope

Select which filters you want to view in the Usenet Filters window.  Select Global if you want to view only those filters that apply to all groups.  Select All group-specific filters if you want to view all non-global filters.  If you want to view all filters for all groups, select both Global and All Groups.  Select Group if you want to view only filters which apply to the current group.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Agent's Expression Language

Characters Used in Expressions

Regular Expressions Reference

Expression Examples

How to Filter Out Spam


Select View dialog box (Email filters)
Select View dialog box (Filter menu)

Use this dialog box to select which kill and watch filters will appear in the Email filter list.  Any combination of actions and scope may be selected.  You cannot select a view that is empty (i.e., at least one Action and one Scope below must always be selected).

Kill Actions/Watch Actions

Check the Kill and Watch actions that apply to the email filters listed in the Email Filters window.  The default is [All Actions].

File in folder

Select the folders for which you want to view all email filters in the Email Filters window.  The default is [All Folders].

Leave on server

Check this box to view all the filters that leave inbound email on the server.


How to Create View Filters

On the Manage Views dialog box, you can create your own filters by entering Boolean expressions to control what is viewed.  Boolean expressions are word-based conditions that consist of two parts: operands and operators.  Agent tests for these conditions when determining the messages to be displayed in a specified view.

Expression operands

The expression operands are conditions that can be tested.  They are:

•	Read (as in messages that have been read)

•	Body (as in message body)

•	Watch (as in watch a thread)

•	Ignore (as in ignore a thread)

•	Keep (as in prevent a message from being purged)

•	Mark (as in mark a message for later retrieval)

•	Incomplete (as in multipart messages with missing parts)

Expression operators

The expression operators that affect how the conditions are tested are listed below, in order of priority.  You can enter either the word or the symbol associated with the operand, as follows:

•	not (or !)

•	thread (or +)

•	and (or &)

•	or (or |)

•	[low,high]

The "not", "and", and "or" operators correspond to the standard Boolean operations.  The "thread" operator specifies that if the condition that follows is true, the complete thread containing the message that matched the condition should be displayed.  Also, "[low,high]" allows you to specify a range of lines in messages (e.g., [50,*] specifies messages that are 50 lines or more).

Examples of simple expressions

Below are a few common examples:

Expression	What Agent will do...

not read and not ignore and body	Display all unread message bodies.

not read and not ignore and not incomplete	Display all unread messages that are complete.

!read & !ignore | keep	Display all messages that are unread or kept.

Note:  When you include a "not read" expression, you should almost always include "not ignore", too.  That's because the ignore flag masks whether individual messages are still read or unread, and causes all messages in the thread, even those that are still individually marked unread, to be displayed as read.

Examples of advanced expressions

You can also create advanced compound expressions, using more than one phrase.  To establish precedence, you can surround one of the phrases with parentheses (...).  This changes the order in which Agent will evaluate the phrase.  Below are a few examples of compound expressions that use different operands and operators to create unique views:

Expression	What Agent will do...

not read or thread (not read and watch)	Display all unread messages.  Also, for all unread messages in watched threads, display the complete thread.

(thread (watch and keep)) & (not read and body)	Display only unread bodies in threads containing your own posts, if you also have created a Usenet filter to globally watch and keep any message where the author is you.

!ignore & !read & !incomplete & [50,*]	Display all messages that are not ignored, that are unread, that are not incomplete, and that are a minimum of 50 lines.

Note: When you switch from a simple to advanced filter on the Manage Views dialog box, Agent displays the Boolean expression that is equivalent to the simple filter that was defined.  When you switch back, Agent attempts to display the simple filter that is equivalent to the Boolean expression.  But, since expressions can define filters that cannot be defined in the simple way, the resulting simple filter may not be an exact match.


Simple watch filter

1.	Highlight the message header "How Does a Blimp Fly?"

2.	Select Usenet Filters -> Add Watch Filter from the Message menu.

3.	Complete the following settings in the Add Usenet Filter dialog box:

Search For:	subject: Blimp

Watch Action:	Retrieve Body immediately

Scope:	Group


Editing the filter to catch all upper or lower case instances

Make sure alt.aviation.methods is highlighted, then:

1.	Select Usenet Filters  from the Group menu to open the Usenet Filters window.

2.	Highlight the filter rule you want to edit and select Edit from the Filter menu.

3.	On the Edit Usenet Filter dialog box, edit the filter rule to say subject: blimp.

Removing all capital letters (i.e., changing the "B" to lowercase) tells Agent to filter on all instances of the word, whether they contain capital or lowercase letters.


Wildcard example

Edit the rule to say subject: blimp*.  The star is a wildcard that tells Agent to evaluate any character appended to blimp.


Line range filter and 'and' operator

Edit the filter rule to say subject: blimp* and [*,100].

This tells Agent to retrieve only messages about blimps that are 100 lines or less,


Author qualifier and 'not' operator

Edit the filter again to say subject: blimp* and not author: fester and [*,100].


Parentheses for precedence and the 'or' operator

Edit the filter rule to say subject: (blimp* or airship*) and not author: fester and [*,100].


Wildcard example

Create a new kill filter with the following settings:

Search For:	subject: *  (All headers will be evaluated.)

Kill Action:	Delete

Scope:	Group: alt.aviation.methods

Priority:	100  (Make this value lower than the watch filter.  That way, Agent first retrieves the messages about blimps because the watch filter has a higher priority, then this kill filter tells Agent to skip everything else.)


About Agent's Dictionaries

Agent's spell checker supports the following languages:

•	American English

•	International English

•	French

•	German

•	Italian

•	Spanish

To install a dictionary for another language:

1.	Download the desired language's dictionary file from our FTP site.  The dictionary files are located in ftp.forteinc.com/pub/agent/dictionaries.

2.	Unzip the dictionary file into your Agent directory.
(E.g., pkunzip german.zip c:\agent)

After restarting Agent, you can spell check messages in any of the installed languages.

To define a new language in Agent:

1.	From the Options menu, open the General Preferences Languages tab.

2.	Press the Add button to open the Add Language dialog box and enter the name for the new language in the Name field.  Then select the language on which the new language is based.  Agent will adopt all the properties of that language and use them for displaying fonts.

3.	When you press OK, the Add dialog box closes and the new language is added to the Languages list.

To define the language used for spell checking:

On the General Preferences Languages tab, select the language you want for spell checking from the Spell Checker list.

To spell check a message:

While composing the message, choose Spelling from the Message menu.

To set the default language displayed for all messages in all groups:

On the Language tab of the Default Properties for all Groups dialog box, pick the desired language from the Language drop-down list

To set the default language displayed for all messages in a particular group:

Select the group and then, on the Language tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box, pick the desired language from the Language drop-down list

To override the default language for a particular message:

Highlight the message for which you want to override the default language, and then open the Message Language dialog box by selecting Language from the Message menu.  Now, select the desired language from the Language drop-down list.

You can also add your own words to Agent's dictionaries.  The spell checker supports one custom dictionary for each language.

To remove words from your custom dictionary:

1.	Open the Spelling tab of the Posting Preferences dialog box (Options menu).

2.	In the Default Language drop-down list, choose the language associated with the custom dictionary.

3.	Select the word to delete in the Edit list.

4.	Press the Delete button.

See Also:

Compose Usenet Message window

Compose Email Message window

How to Post Usenet Messages

How to Send Email


Default Properties for All Groups dialog box, Language tab
Default Properties for All Groups dialog box (Group menu)

Language Tab

Use this dialog box to define the default language to be used for all groups.

Language

Select the default language to be used for all groups.

See Also:

General Preferences dialog box Languages tab

Properties for Selected Groups dialog box Language tab


Properties for Selected Groups dialog box, Language tab
Properties for Selected Groups dialog box (Group menu)

Language Tab

Use this dialog box to define the default language to be used for the selected group.

Override Default Settings

Check this box to use the language defined on this tab instead of the one defined in the Language tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.

Language

Select the default language to be used for the selected group.

See Also:

General Preferences dialog box Languages tab

Default Properties for All Groups Language tab


Message Language dialog box
Message Language dialog box (Message menu)

Use this dialog box to change the language for a message in the Message List pane or to override the default language for a message in the Composition window.

Language

Select the language you wish to use for the current message.

See Also:

General Preferences dialog box Languages tab

Default Properties for All Groups dialog box Language tab

Properties for Selected Groups dialog box Language tab


Spelling dialog box
Spelling dialog box (Message menu)

Use this dialog box to check the spelling of your message before sending it.

To spell check the entire message:

•	Make sure no text is highlighted in the message's body before starting the spell check.  Note: Agent only checks the body of the message for spelling errors.

To spell check only a portion of the message:

•	Highlight the desired text before starting the spell check.

Not in Dictionary / Repeated Word

This control shows the misspelled or repeated word.  The word will also be highlighted in the Compose window.  TIP: If you want to edit the word, click this box to copy it to the Change To box.

Change To

Enter the word's correct spelling or pick the correct spelling from the Suggestions list.  If you want to remove the word from the message, delete the text from this box and press the Delete button (which appears in place of the Change button when you delete all the text here).

Suggestions

This is a list of possible replacement words.  If the list is empty, press the Suggest button.  To have Agent automatically make suggestions, press the Options button and check the Always Suggest box.

Ignore

Press this button to leave the found word as-is and continue checking the message.  If you don't want Agent to flag this word again, press either the Ignore All or Add buttons (see below for a description).

Ignore All

Press this button to leave the found word and any other occurrences of it as-is.  Agent will not stop on this word again until you close the program and restart it or you press the Reset Ignore All button on the Spell Checking Options dialog box.  Note: Press Options to open the Spell Checking Options dialog box.

Start

Press this button to continue the spell check after editing the message.  Note: This button appears only after you edit the message.

Change / Delete

Press this button to replace the found word with the one in the Change To box.  Note: This button is labeled "Delete" when the Change To box is empty.

Change All / Delete All

Press this button to replace all occurrences of the found word with the word in the Change To box.  Note: This button is labeled Delete All when the Change To box is empty.

Add

Press this button to add the found word to your custom dictionary.  For more information about your custom dictionary, see About Agent's Dictionaries.

Suggest

Press this button to fill the Suggestions box with a list of possible replacement words.  To have Agent automatically make suggestions, press the Options button and check the Always Suggest box.

TIP: If you edit the Change To text, you can press this button to spell check the new word.

Options

Press this button to open the Spell Checking Options dialog box.  This dialog box allows you change the language dictionary, edit your custom dictionary, and modify other settings that affect how the spell checker behaves.


Spell Checking Options dialog box
Spell Checking Options dialog box (Spelling dialog box, Message menu)

Use this dialog box to define various settings that affect how the Agent spell checker behaves.  Except where noted, changing a setting on this dialog box also changes it on the Posting Preferences Spelling tab.

Language

Select the language dictionary to use while spell checking this message.  Note: Changing this setting only affects the current message.  To specify a default language for all messages, pick the desired language from the Default Language list on the Spelling tab of the Posting Preferences dialog box (Options menu).  For more information, see About Agent's Dictionaries.

Always Suggest

Check this box to have the spell checker automatically suggest possible replacements words.

Check for repeated words

When checked, the spell checker will stop when it finds the same word twice in a row.

Words in UPPERCASE

Check this box to have the spell checker ignore words composed of all uppercase letters.

Words with numbers

Check this box to have the spell checker ignore words containing numbers.

Quoted lines

Check this box to have the spell checker ignore words, which appear on lines beginning with a quoted text marker (as defined on the Display Preferences dialog box's Messages tab).

Reset Ignore All

When you press the Ignore All button during a spelling check, Agent adds the selected word to a temporary Ignore All dictionary so that it won't flag the word again.  Normally, this dictionary is cleared when you close Agent.  Press this button to immediately clear the Ignore All dictionary.

Custom Dictionary for...

The controls in this group allow you to add and remove words from your custom dictionary.  For more information, see About Agent's Dictionaries.

To add a word to your custom dictionary:

1.	Enter the word into the Edit box.

2.	Press the Add button.

To remove a word from your custom dictionary:

1.	Select the word from the list.

2.	Press the Delete button.

To remove all the words from your custom dictionary:

•	Press the Clear button.


Display Preferences dialog box, Fonts tab
Display Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

Fonts Tab

Use this dialog box to select the fonts you want Agent to use when displaying and printing browsers and messages.

Browser

Press this button to change the font for the Groups/Folders pane as well as for the Outbox, Usenet Filters, and Address Book windows.  Fonts for the Message List and Message panes are defined below.

Fonts for the Language

In the rest of the dialog box, you may select which fonts to use for each language that you have defined.  Use this combobox to select the language you may want to modify.

Variable-Pitch Body

Press this button to change the font to be used when displaying message bodies in a variable-pitch font.

Fixed-Pitch Body

Press this button to change the font to be used when displaying message bodies in a fixed-pitch font.

Message List

Press this button to change the font used in the Message List pane.

Use the variable pitch body font

Check this box if you want the font that was selected for the Variable-Pitch Body setting to be used in the Message List pane.

Message List Subject

Press this button to change the font of the message subjects in the Message List pane.

Use the bold version of the message list font

Check this box if you want the message subjects to be displayed in the bold version of the Message List font.

Printer

Press this button to change the font used when printing.

Use the variable-pitch body font for Headers

When this option is checked, Agent uses the variable-pitch body font for the body pane header and for the Subject field on the message composition window.  Otherwise, it uses the default system font.

Note:  You only need to check this box if you've selected a font that does not use the default Windows character set (e.g., a Cyrillic font for Russian), and you want the text in the different character set to be displayed correctly on the body pane header and/or subject edit field.


Posting Preferences dialog box, Spelling tab
Posting Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

Spelling Tab

Use this dialog box to define various settings that affect how the Agent spell checker behaves.

Settings for Language

Select the language whose settings you want to change.  The remaining fields in this dialog box display the settings for the selected language.

Always Suggest

Check this box to have the spell checker automatically suggest possible replacements words.

Check for Repeated words

Check this box to have the spell checker stop when it finds the same word twice in a row.

Auto-check spelling on send

Check this box to have the spell checker automatically do a spell check if you either select Send Now or Send Later when composing a message.

Display Message when done

Check this box to have Agent display a dialog box confirming that the spell check is done.  When this box is unchecked, a confirmation dialog box doesn't display.  Agent beeps instead.  If you select Auto-check (above), a confirmation dialog box will not display when using Send Now or Send Later.

Words in UPPERCASE

Check this box to have the spell checker ignore words composed of all uppercase letters.

Words with Numbers and punctuation

Check this box to have the spell checker ignore words containing numbers.

Quoted lines

Check this box to have the spell checker ignore words, which appear on lines beginning with a quoted text marker (defined on the Display Preferences Messages tab).

Reset Ignore All

When you press the Ignore All button during a spelling check, Agent adds the selected word to a temporary Ignore All dictionary so that it won't flag the word again.  Normally, this dictionary is cleared when you close Agent.  Press this button to immediately clear the Ignore All dictionary.

Custom Dictionary for...

The controls in this group allow you to add and remove words from your custom dictionary.  For more information, see About Agent's Dictionaries.

To add a word to your custom dictionary:

1.	Enter the word into the Edit box.

2.	Press the Add button.

To remove a word from your custom dictionary:

1.	Select the word from the list.

2.	Press the Delete button.

To remove all the words from your custom dictionary:

1.	Press the Clear button.


Browser Font dialog box

Use this dialog box to change the font for all the browser except the Message List pane.

Note: Message subjects are displayed in the font controlled by the Display Preferences Fonts tab.

Font

Type or select a font name.

Font Style

Select a style. To use the default type style for a given font, select Regular.

Size

Type or select a size.

Sample

Shows a sample of the font as it will appear in the window.

Script

(Windows 95 and later)

If the font you select has more than one international character sets associated with it, pick the one that you want to use.  For example, the True Type font, Courier New has Western, Greek, Turkish, Cyrillic, and Central European character sets available.

See Also:

Message Text Display Options


Variable-Pitch Body Font dialog box

Use this dialog box to change the variable pitch font in which the message bodies are normally displayed.

Font

Type or select a font name.

Font Style

Select a style. To use the default type style for a given font, select Regular.

Size

Type or select a size.

Sample

Shows a sample of the font as it will appear in the window.

Script

(Windows 95 and later)

If the font you select has more than one international character sets associated with it, pick the one that you want to use.  For example, the True Type font, Courier New has Western, Greek, Turkish, Cyrillic, and Central European character sets available.

See Also:

Message Text Display Options

Fixed-Pitch Body Font dialog box


Fixed-Pitch Body Font dialog box

Use this dialog box to change the fixed pitch font in which message bodies are displayed.  This dialog box is displayed when you choose Fixed-Pitch Body from the Display Preferences Fonts tab.

Font

Type or select a font name.

Font Style

Select a style. To use the default type style for a given font, select Regular.

Size

Type or select a size.

Sample

Shows a sample of the font as it will appear in the window.

Script

(Windows 95 and later)

If the font you select has more than one international character sets associated with it, pick the one that you want to use.  For example, the True Type font, Courier New has Western, Greek, Turkish, Cyrillic, and Central European character sets available.

See Also:

Message Text Display Options

Variable-Pitch Body Font dialog box


Message List Font dialog box

Use this dialog box to change the font of the message headers in the Message List pane.

Note: To specify the font for the subject in the Message List pane, press the Message List Subject button on the Display Preferences Fonts tab, which brings up the Message List Subject Font dialog box.

Font

Type or select a font name.

Font Style

Select a style. To use the default type style for a given font, select Regular.

Size

Type or select a size.

Sample

Shows a sample of the font as it will appear in the window.

Script

(Windows 95 and later)

If the font you select has more than one international character sets associated with it, pick the one that you want to use.  For example, the True Type font, Courier New has Western, Greek, Turkish, Cyrillic, and Central European character sets available.

See Also:

Message Text Display Options


Message Subject Font dialog box
Message List Subject Font dialog box

Use this dialog box to change the font of the message subjects in the Message List pane.

Note: To specify the other text in Message List pane (e.g., number of lines and author), press the Message List button on the Display Preferences Fonts tab, which brings up the Message List Font dialog box.

Font

Type or select a font name.

Font Style

Select a style. To use the default type style for a given font, select Regular.

Size

Type or select a size.

Sample

Shows a sample of the font as it will appear in the window.

Script

(Windows 95 and later)

If the font you select has more than one international character sets associated with it, pick the one that you want to use.  For example, the True Type font, Courier New has Western, Greek, Turkish, Cyrillic, and Central European character sets available.

See Also:

Message Text Display Options


Printer Font dialog box

Use this dialog box to change the font used when printing messages.  You bring up this dialog box by pressing the Printer button on the Display Preferences Fonts tab.

Font

Type or select a font name.

Font Style

Select a style. To use the default type style for a given font, select Regular.

Size

Type or select a size.

Sample

Shows a sample of the font as it will appear in the window.

Script

(Windows 95 and later)

If the font you select has more than one international character sets associated with it, pick the one that you want to use.  For example, the True Type font, Courier New has Western, Greek, Turkish, Cyrillic, and Central European character sets available.


File Menu
File Menu Commands

The File menu contains the commands that allow you to perform a variety of actions with your message data, such as printing, decoding, saving, and importing.  Select the commands below for explanations of their specific function or the dialog box help associated with them.

Print

Page Setup

Print Setup

__________________________

Save All Attachments

Launch Attachment

Delete Saved Attachments

__________________________

Save Message As

Import Messages

Addresses >

Newsrc >

__________________________

Insert Text File

__________________________

Compact Databases

__________________________

Exit


Addresses Flyout Menu

Import

Export


Newsrc Flyout Menu

Import

Export


Edit Menu
Edit Menu Commands

The Edit menu contains the commands that allow you to find and modify groups and messages in Agent.  Select the commands below for explanations of their specific function or the dialog box help associated with them.

Undo

Redo

__________________________

Cut

Copy

Paste

Paste as Quote

Paste as Quote Custom

Paste Signature

Paste Header Fields

Delete

__________________________

Select All

__________________________

Find

Find Next

__________________________

Global Search

__________________________

Launch URL

Add URL to Favorites (Windows 95 and later)

Add URL to Addresses

Select/Copy URL

Jump to Message URL

__________________________

Apply ROT13


Online Menu
Online Menu Commands

The Online menu contains the commands, which cause Agent to interact with the Internet.  Select the commands below for explanations of their specific function or the dialog box help associated with them.

Get New Headers in Subscribed Groups

Get New Headers in Selected Groups

__________________________

Get Marked Message Bodies

Get Selected Message Bodies

__________________________

Sample Headers from Selected Groups

Get All Headers in Selected Groups

Catch Up With Selected Groups

__________________________

Post Usenet and Email Messages

Check for New Email

__________________________

Get New Groups

Refresh Groups List

__________________________

Stop All Tasks

Online/Offline

__________________________

View Error Log

Zap Error Log


Post Menu
Post Menu Commands

The Post menu contains the commands you use for creating and posting messages.

Select the commands below for explanations of their specific function or the dialog box help associated with them.

New Usenet Message

Follow-Up Usenet Message

__________________________

New Email Message

__________________________

Reply via Email

Reply to All

__________________________

Forward Quoted

Forward Unquoted

Forward Verbatim

__________________________

New Copy of Message

__________________________

Cancel Usenet Message

__________________________

Support Question


Navigate Menu
Navigate Menu Commands

The Navigate menu contains the commands used to move around in panes, from group to group, message to message, and threads to thread.

Select the commands below for explanations of their specific function or the dialog box help associated with them.

View Selected Group/Message

Back Up

Forward

________________________________

View Next Unread Message

View Next Unread Message in Thread

View Next Unread Message Body

Single-Key Read

________________________________

Skip to Next Unread Message

Skip to Next Unread Message in Thread

Skip to Next Unread Message Body

________________________________

Skip to Next Unread Group

________________________________

Up to Previous Message

Down to Next Message

________________________________

Zoom Window

________________________________

Expand Thread

Expand All Threads

Collapse Thread

Collapse All Threads

________________________________

Goto Next Found Message

Show Full Thread


Group Menu
Group Menu Commands

The Group menu contains the commands for defining group properties and managing groups.

Select the commands below for explanations of their specific function or the dialog box help associated with them.

Properties

Default Properties

__________________________

Apply Filters

__________________________

Subscribe

__________________________

Show Groups and Folders >

Sort Messages by >

View Messages >

__________________________

New Folder

Rename Folder

__________________________

Delete

__________________________

Mark Selected Groups Read

Mark Selected Groups Unread

__________________________

Mark All Newsgroups Read

__________________________

Purge Newsgroups >

Empty Trash


Message Menu
Message Menu Commands

The Message menu contains the commands you use to manage messages.

Select the commands below for explanations of their specific function or the dialog box help associated with them.

Index

__________________________

Mark for Retrieval

Watch Thread

Ignore Thread

Keep

Mark Available

__________________________

Delete

Delete Body

Undelete

__________________________

Copy to Folder

Move to Folder

__________________________

Word Wrap

Fixed Pitch Font

Show All Header Fields

Show Raw Message

Language

__________________________

Filters >

__________________________

Add Author to Address Book

__________________________

Mark Read

Mark Unread

__________________________

Join Sections

Split Sections


Options Menu
Options Menu Commands

The Option menu contains a variety of options for setting up Agent to post messages and for arranging panes.

Select the commands below for explanations of their specific function or the dialog box help associated with them.

User and System Profile

General Preferences

Display Preferences

Posting Preferences

Inbound Email

Menus and Toolbars

__________________________

Window Layout

Save As Default Window Layout


Window Menu
Window Menu Commands

The Window menu contains the commands for opening and arranging windows in Agent.

Select the commands below for explanations of their specific function or the dialog box help associated with them.

Open New Browser

Open Outbox

Open Address Book

Open Usenet Filters

Open Email Filters

Open Log

Open Favorites Folder (Windows 95 and later)

__________________________

Cascade

Tile Horizontally

Tile Vertically

Arrange Icons

Close All


Help Menu
Help Menu Commands

The Help menu contains the commands that make your search for help topics easier and more efficient.

Select the commands below for explanations of their specific function or the dialog box help associated with them.

Contents

Index

Find

__________________________

How to Use Agent

Getting Started

Release Notes

__________________________

Agent Support on the Web

Post Support Question via Email (Agent only)

What's New

_________________________

Try Out Agent (Free Agent only)

Trial Status (Trial Agent only)

How to Order on the Web (Free and Trial Agent only)

Enter Registration Key (Free and Trial Agent only)

Update Registration Key (Agent only)

_________________________

About Agent


Print command (File menu)

Use this command to print the selected messages in the Message List pane.  Before using this command, you must install and select a printer.  To install a printer, see your Windows documentation.

On the standard Windows Print dialog box which appears when you select this command, you can specify which of the installed printers to use, the range of pages to be printed (e.g., all or pages 1 to 3), the number of copies, and whether you want the pages collated.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Ctrl+P


Print Setup command (File menu)

Use this command to bring up a standard Windows Print Setup dialog box, where you identify the default printer that has been installed, the paper size (e.g., Letter 8 1/2x11 in), the paper source (e.g., Auto select or Upper tray), and the page orientation (vertical or horizontal).  For most messages, the orientation will be Portrait (vertical).

For more information about the Print Setup dialog box, see your Windows documentation.


Save All Attachments command (File menu)

Use this command to save all attachments in all selected messages, using the settings defined in the Receive tab of the Group Properties dialog box (either for all groups or for selected groups).

If a filename already exists, Agent brings up a dialog box asking you for instructions.  Also, if Agent detects an encoding error, it brings up a pertinent dialog box asking for instructions.

Keyboard Shortcut:  A

Important Note:  At times, you may save an attachment and later decide that you no longer want it.  In such cases, you might use the Delete Saved Attachments command on the File menu.  When you delete the attachment, keep in mind that Agent still retains the body of the message.  For example, you might see the Usenet message with attachments icon [image] next to the header, even though you have deleted the attachment.  To minimize the need for deleting saved attachments, it is better to launch attachments from the message (using Launch Attachment) and decide whether or not you want to keep it before saving it as a file.


Launch Attachment command (File menu)

Use this command to launch the first non-text section of a selected message (e.g., show a GIF image).  "Launch Attachment" determines whether a section has already been saved to a file.  If it has, Agent launches the saved file.  If not, Agent saves the section to a file and then launches the file.

You can have Agent save the section to a "real" file (equivalent to selecting the Save All Attachments command), or saving it to a temporary file.

TIP: The advantage of using a temporary file (i.e., of leaving the section in the message) is that you don't have to bother with managing separate files.

Keyboard Shortcut:  L


Delete Saved Attachments command (File menu)

Use this command to delete all saved attachments in all selected messages.  You can also delete saved attachments using the Attachments dialog box.

Important Note:  When you delete the attachment, Agent still retains the body of the message.  So, for example, you might see the Usenet message with attachments icon [image] next to the header, even though the attachment has been deleted.  To minimize the chances of this happening, it is better to launch attachments from the message (using Launch Attachment) and decide whether or not you want to keep it before saving it to file.


Compact Databases command (File menu)

Use this command to save space in your database by purging old or obsolete messages.  Agent will compact all your databases, according to the settings on the Group Properties "When to Purge tab" (either for all groups or for selected groups).


Exit command (File menu)

Use this command to close Agent.  There are some alternative ways to exit Agent documented below.  Choose the one that is most efficient for you.

•	Mouse Accelerators:  Double-click the icon in the upper left-hand corner of Agent's main browser window.

Windows 95	Windows 3.x

  In Windows 95, click this icon in the upper right corner.

•	Keyboard Shortcut:  Press Alt+F4.


Undo_Redo
Undo / Redo Command (Edit Menu)

Any sequence of operations that modifies the text when composing a message can be undone:  typing, deleting, cutting, pasting, inserting a file, applying ROT13 encoding, and spell check corrections.  In addition, undone operations can be redone, if you undo too far.  There is no limit on the number of operations that can be undone.

Agent combines any sequence of equivalent typing or deletion operations into a single undo operation.  For example, if you type the sequence of characters "abcd" without any intervening operations, a subsequent undo will delete the entire sequence "abcd".  Likewise, if you press the Delete key 10 times in a row, the undo operation will undo the 10 deletions at once.


Cut command (Edit menu)

Use this command to remove the selected text and graphics from a message on to the Windows Clipboard for pasting into a new message Composition window.  Whatever is placed on the Clipboard remains there until you replace it with a new item.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Ctrl+X


Copy command (Edit menu)

Use this command to copy the selected message text to the Windows Clipboard for pasting into a message Composition window.  Any text you copy replaces the current contents of the Clipboard.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Ctrl+C


Paste command (Edit menu)

Use this command to paste whatever text is currently on the Windows Clipboard into a message Composition window.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Ctrl+V


Paste As Quote command
Paste as Quote command (Edit menu)

When replying to a posting or email message, you may want to copy some or all of the text from the message to which you're replying and insert it into your Composition window as quoted text.  To indicate that the text is quoted, use this command to automatically prepend each line of quoted text with a specified character(s) (e.g., ">").  You can define the prefix character(s) on the General tab of the Posting Preferences dialog box).  For example:

> Ask not what your country can do for you.

> Ask what you can do for your country.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Ctrl+Q


Paste As Quote Custom command
Paste as Quote Custom command (Edit menu)

This command works just like the Paste as Quote command, but allows you to specify at "paste time" the prefix that Agent will use when inserting the text.  Select the text you want to paste.  When you select "Paste as Quote Custom" Agent will ask you to enter the quoting prefix.  Enter the prefix and hit OK.  Agent will paste the selected text into your message using the specified prefix.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Shift+Ctrl+Q


Delete command (Edit menu)

Use this command to remove the selected text from a message Composition window.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Del


Select All command (Edit menu)

Use this command to select all text in the pane that is currently in focus.  Thus, if the focus is in the Groups/Folders pane, all groups are selected; if the focus is in the Message List pane, all messages are selected, and if the focus is in the Message pane, all sections of the message (e.g., the body text and each attachment) are selected.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Ctrl+A


Find Next command (Edit menu)

Use this command to find multiple instances of the text entered in the Find dialog box.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Ctrl+G


Launch URL command (Edit menu)

When you highlight a URL in a message, you can use this command to launch it.

Mouse Accelerator: Double-click a URL

Keyboard Shortcut:  Ctrl+U


Add URL to Favorites command (Edit menu)

(Windows 95 and later)

Select this option to add the currently selected URL to the "Favorites" folder in Microsoft Internet Explorer.  This command is not only convenient, but also extremely powerful and wide-ranging.  You can include ANY kind of URL on your Favorites list, including web pages, names of newsgroups, message Ids, email addresses, ftp files, etc.  When you launch a URL from the list, Windows will launch the appropriate program.  For example, launching a message-id URL will open the message in Agent.


Add URL to Addresses
Add URL to Addresses command (Edit menu)

Select this option to add an email URL to Agent's address book.  You can use this command to quickly add an email address from the text of a message as a new entry in the address book.  When you select this command, Agent opens a New Address dialog box New Address dialog box, with the selected email address already filled in.  All you have to do is complete the other fields in the dialog box and press OK to save the new entry.


Select/Copy URL command (Edit menu)

Use this command to select (highlight) the next URL.  This command also copies the selected URL to the clipboard.  You can then paste that URL into your web browser or into documents.  Also, you can use any of the other URL commands once the URL is selected.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Shift+Ctrl+U


Jump to Message URL command (Edit menu)

Use this command when you want to tell Agent to assume that the URL being launched is a message-id.  This is useful if you configured Agent to "make an educated guess" when interpreting a name@domain URL and it guesses wrong.  (See the "How to interpret a name..." setting on the URLs tab of the General Preferences dialog box.)

Keyboard Shortcut:  Ctrl+J


Apply ROT13 (Edit menu)

Use this command to decode ROT13 encoded text, or to apply ROT13 encoding to plain text.

To decode a ROT13 message:

1.	Select the encoded text.

2.	Select "Apply ROT13".

To encode a ROT13 message:

1.	Select the text to encode.

2.	Select "Apply ROT13".

Keyboard Shortcut:  Ctrl+R.


Get New Headers in Subscribed Groups command (Online menu)

This command retrieves all the message headers that have been posted to your subscribed groups since the last time you checked for new messages.  By default, Agent marks a group's existing messages read before it retrieves new headers for that group.  To change this behavior for all your groups, uncheck the "New message headers" box on the Mark Read tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.

Toolbar Button:


Get New Headers in Selected Groups command (Online menu)

This command retrieves all the message headers that have been posted to the selected groups since the last time you checked for new messages.  By default, Agent marks a group's existing messages read before it retrieves new headers for that group.  To change this behavior for a particular group, select that group and uncheck the "New message headers" box on the Mark Read tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box.

Toolbar Button:

See Also:

How to Get All the Message Bodies in a Newsgroup

Marking Messages Read

Retrieve tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box


Get Marked Message Bodies command (Online menu)

This command retrieves the bodies of all the messages you marked for retrieval.  Messages from all groups with marked messages are retrieved with this command (not just ones from the selected group).  Also, by default, messages that were not marked for retrieval are made read when Agent retrieves marked message bodies for that group. To change this behavior, uncheck the "Marked message bodies" box on the Mark Read tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.

Toolbar Button:

See Also:

How to Use Agent as an Offline Newsreader


Get Selected Message Bodies command (Online menu)

This command retrieves the full text of the selected message(s).  You can also retrieve a message's body by double-clicking on the message or by highlighting it and pressing Enter.  Note: Even if you are configured for offline use (see the Online tab of the General Preferences dialog box for details), selecting this menu command causes Agent to go online and retrieve the selected messages.

Toolbar Button:

See Also:

How to Use Agent as an Online Newsreader


Sample Headers From Selected Groups command (Online menu)

This command retrieves up to the defined maximum number of message headers from the most recently posted messages in the selected groups.  This command is useful when you are looking at new groups and don't want to get stuck retrieving hundreds of headers for a group in which you may not be interested.

Note:  When sampling headers, less than the number specified may be retrieved if there are gaps in the messages available on the server.

If, after sampling some of the headers, you decide that you are interested in the group, choose Get All Headers in Selected Groups to retrieve the remaining messages.

See Also:

View Empty Group dialog box


Get All Headers in Selected Groups command (Online menu)

This command retrieves message headers for every message in the selected groups.  In general, you should use one of the Get New Headers commands to retrieve messages because they retrieve only the messages you haven't seen.  This command is useful, however, after you've sampled some headers from a group and want to retrieve the remaining ones.  You can also use this command to retrieve messages that you manually deleted or that were automatically purged.

See Also:

About Usenet Message Purging


Catch Up With Select Groups command (Online menu)
Catch Up With Selected Groups command (Online menu)

This command retrieves the highest message number for the selected groups without retrieving any message headers.  The next time you get new headers for the groups, Agent will only retrieve messages posted after you did the catch up.

Note: Some other newsreaders employ a slightly different implementation of catch up.  When you "catch up" in those programs, they do not retrieve the highest message number.  Instead, they simply mark read the messages you previously retrieved.  You can achieve the same behavior in Agent with the Mark Selected Groups Read command on the Group menu.

See Also:

Marking Messages Read


Post Usenet and Email Messages command (Online menu)

This command transfers any queued messages to the Internet.

See Also:

How to Post Usenet Messages

How to Send Email

Making Sure Messages Were Sent Properly

How to Re-send a Message You Created


Check for New Email command (Online menu)

Check for New Email

This command retrieves new email messages from your POP server.  Note: This command is dim when you are configured to receive mail from an SMTP server because Agent automatically receives your SMTP mail whenever it goes online.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Ctrl+E

See Also:

How to Receive Email


Get New Groups command (Online menu)

This command retrieves all the newsgroups that were added to your news server since that last time you updated your group list.  The new groups Agent retrieves will have the New Group icon, [image], next to them until the next time you get new groups.  To view just the new groups, choose Show Only New Groups from the Group menu.  Note: On rare occasions, a group may be added to your news server in such a way that Get New Groups will not retrieve it.  For this reason, you may want to periodically use the Refresh Groups List action instead.


Refresh Groups List (Online menu)

Use this command to retrieve a complete list of groups from the news server.  Use this command when you want to recover a group you previously deleted or when you want to purge groups that are no longer available on the news server.

See Also:

Refresh Groups List dialog box


Stop All Tasks command (Online menu)

This command causes Agent to immediately abort the current and any pending online tasks.

Toolbar Button:

Keyboard shortcut:	Alt+O+T


Online/Offline command (Online menu)

Use this command to switch between Agent's Online and Offline status.  When this menu option is checked (the toolbar button appears illuminated), Agent is online and selecting it will take Agent offline.  When this menu option does not have a check mark next to it (the toolbar button appears as above), Agent is offline and selecting it will cause Agent to connect to your service provider.  You can also press the toolbar button to toggle Agent's online status.

Toolbar Button:

Keyboard Shortcut:  Ctrl+O


View/Zap Error Log
View/Zap Error Log (Online menu)

Select View Error Log to view the log of online errors encountered by Agent.  To enable logging, check option Log Online Errors on the Online Tab of the User and System Profile dialog box.

Select Zap Error Log to remove records from the log file.

Technical Note: The log file is named errorlog.txt and is displayed using the Windows file association for .txt files.  You can override the file association by specifying another application in the agent.ini parameter [Online]ViewLogCmd.  The file is located in the same directory as the groups and folders files (normally the "data" subdirectory).  You will have one errorlog.txt file for each instance of Agent you might be running.


Follow-Up Usenet Message (Post menu)

Use this command to open a follow-up Usenet message Composition window (Re: <message title>).  The "To:" and "Subject" fields are automatically filled in the name and subject from the message to which you are replying.

If you select part of the text from the currently selected message, Agent will automatically insert that selected portion of text in the new Composition window and show it as quoted text (i.e., the quoted prefix precedes each line of quoted text).

Keyboard Shortcut:  F

See Also:

Address Book window


Reply via Email Command (Post Menu)
Reply via Email (Post menu)

Use this command to open a reply Composition window (Re: <message title>).  The "To:" and "Subject" fields are automatically filled in the name and subject from the message to which you are replying.  If you select part of the text from the currently selected message, Agent will insert only that selected portion of text in the new Composition window and show it as quoted text (i.e., the quoted prefix precedes each line of quoted text).

Keyboard Shortcut:  R

See Also:

Address Book window


Reply to All command (Post menu)

Use this command to open a reply Composition window (Re: <message title>).  The To:, Cc:, and Bcc: fields are automatically filled in with all names from the message to which you are replying.  If you select part of the text from the currently selected message, Agent will insert only that selected portion of text in the new Composition window and show it as quoted text (i.e., the quoted prefix precedes each line of quoted text).

Keyboard Shortcut:  Shift+R

See Also:

Address Book window


Forward Quoted command (Post menu)

Selecting this command automatically opens up a new email Composition window containing quoted text from the selected message.  If you select part of the text from the selected message, Agent will insert only that selected portion of text in the new Composition window and show it as quoted text (i.e., the quoted prefix precedes each line of quoted text).  If you do not select any text, Agent will insert all of the text from the selected message.

The recipient can tell that the message has been forwarded, because of the "[fwd]" indicator in the Subject field of the message.  Note:  You can change the "[fwd]" string to anything you want in the General tab of the Posting Preferences dialog box.


Forward Unquoted command (Post menu)

Selecting this command automatically opens up a new email Composition window containing text (unquoted) from the selected message.  If you select part of the text from the selected message, Agent will insert only that selected portion of text in the new Composition window.  If you do not select any text, Agent will insert all of the text from the selected message.

The recipient can tell that the message has been forwarded, because of the "[fwd]" indicator in the Subject field of the message.  Note:  You can change the "[fwd]" string to anything you want in the General tab of the Posting Preferences dialog box.


Forward Verbatim command (Post menu)

Selecting this command automatically opens up a new email Composition window, if one is not already open, and attaches the selected messages to it.  For the subject, it uses the subject of the first of the selected messages.

If one or more Composition windows are open when you do a forward verbatim, Agent displays a dialog box listing the open Composition windows, and gives you two options:

•	Adding the selected messages to one of the Composition windows

•	Creating a new message

When the forwarded message is received, the recipient will see "[fwd]" preceding the subject in the Subject field of the message, indicating that it is a forwarded message.  Note:  You can change the "[fwd]" string to anything you want in the General tab of the Posting Preferences dialog box.


New Copy of Message (Post menu)

Use this command to open a new Composition window and automatically insert a copy of the selected email message that you have either sent or received.


Cancel Usenet Message command (Post menu)

Use this command to remove a Usenet message you posted.  Canceling a message sends a message to your news server asking it to delete the message.  This message is also passed along to the other news servers on the Internet so that they can delete the message as well.  Note: You cannot cancel email messages after sending them.

To cancel a Usenet message:

1.	Select the message and choose Cancel Usenet Message from the Post menu.  You can only cancel your own messages.  Note: Cross-posted messages only need to be canceled from one of the cross-posted groups.

2.	In the Compose Usenet Message window, press Send Now or Send later to transmit the message to your news server.  You should not make any other changes to the message.

After sending the message, the message will continue to appear in Agent until it's automatically pruned or you delete it (see About Usenet Message Purging for details).  Since some news servers do not accept cancel requests, you may want to verify that the posting was actually deleted.

To verify that the message was deleted:

1.	Highlight the message you canceled.

2.	Delete the message's body by selecting Delete Message Body from the Message menu.

3.	Try to retrieve the message's body again by choosing Get Selected Message Bodies from the Online menu.  If the cancel request was accepted, the Message Body Not Available icon [image] will appear next to the message.


View Selected Group/Message command (Navigate menu)

When a group in the Groups/Folders pane is selected, the "View Selected Group" command shifts the focus to the first message header in the Message List pane.

When a message header in the Message List pane is selected, the "View Selected Message" command shifts to the Message pane and the message body is retrieved so that you can read it.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Enter


Back Up Command
Back Up command (Navigate menu)

Use this command to backtrack to your previous selection.  This is quite handy if you have jumped to the next unread, then decide you want to reread the previously viewed message, but aren't sure which one that was.  This command automatically takes you there.  You can retrace your steps in a backwards direction for up to 100 moves.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Backspace


Forward Command
Forward command (Navigate menu)

If you've retraced your steps with the Back Up command to view previously selected messages, you can use this command to move forward from selection to selection, retracing your forward progress, until you reach where you originally started before using the Back Up command.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Shift+Backspace


View Next Unread Message command (Navigate menu)

Use this command to skip to the next unread message in the Message List pane, whether or not it has a body.  If the body has not yet been retrieved, Agent will then retrieve it (or mark it for retrieval).

Note: If the next unread message is in a different group or folder, this command causes Agent to open up that group or folder and select the first unread message.

The action is controlled by the same preference settings affecting the Skip to Next Unread Message command (see the Navigation tab of the General Preferences dialog box).

Toolbar Button:

Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl+N


View Next Unread Message in Thread command (Navigate menu)

Use this command to skip to the next unread message in the current thread and retrieve it (or mark it for retrieval).

Toolbar Button:

Keyboard Shortcut:  Ctrl+T


View Next Unread Message Body (Navigate menu)

Use this command to skip to the next unread message with a body and display its body text.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Ctrl+B


Single-Key Read command (Navigate menu)

This command is used in conjunction with the checkbox setting "Single-Key Read views next unread message body" on the General Preferences Navigation tab.  Agent will behave as follows when the Single-Key Read command on the Navigate menu is selected:

•	If the "Single-Key Read views next unread..." box is also checked - pressing the Space bar automatically views the next unread message body.  (The focus is in the Message pane.)

•	If the "Single-key Read views next unread..." box is unchecked - pressing the Space bar automatically skips to the next unread header.  (The focus is in the Message List pane.)

Keyboard Shortcut:  Space bar

Microsoft Intellimouse:  Pressing the wheel (middle button)


Skip to Next Unread Message (Navigate menu)

This command causes Agent to skip to the next unread message, regardless of whether or not you have already retrieved its body.

Toolbar Button:

Keyboard Shortcut:  N


Skip to Next Unread Message in Thread (Navigate menu)

By default, if the next unread message is in a different group or folder, this command causes Agent to open that group or folder and select the first unread message.

Note: If you would prefer Agent to move you to the Groups/Folders pane instead (so that you can more easily tell when you're done with a group or folder), uncheck the "Skipping to next unread message jumps to first unread message in next group" box on the Navigation tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

Toolbar Button:

Keyboard Shortcut:  T


Skip to Next Unread Message Body (Navigate menu)

This command causes Agent to skip to the next unread message with a body.

Toolbar Button:

Keyboard Shortcut:  B


Skip to Next Unread Group (Navigate menu)

This command causes Agent to skip to the first unread message in the next group or folder.  By default, this action marks all the unread messages in the current group or folder as read before skipping to the next one.  This is a convenient way to tell Agent that you have read all the interesting messages in the current group.  You can disable this behavior by unchecking the "Skipping to next unread group marks all messages in current group read" box on the Navigation tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

Toolbar Button:

Keyboard Shortcut:  S


Up To Previous Message command (Navigate menu)

When the focus is on the Message List pane, use this command to move from the currently selected message header to the one directly above it.

Keyboard Shortcut:  U


Down To Next Message command (Navigate menu)

When the focus is on the Message List pane, use this command to move from the currently selected message header to the one directly below it.

Keyboard Shortcut:  D


Zoom Window command (Navigate menu)

Use this command to switch between the three-pane mode and one pane that fills the Agent window.  The zoomed pane is whichever one had the focus when you used the command.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Z

Related mouse Controls:

When viewing all three panes, simply click on the desired pane.

When zoomed in on a pane, click the tab for the pane you wish to view:

Related Keyboard Controls:

•	Press the Tab key to move from the Groups/Folders pane to the Message List pane to the Message pane.

•	Press Shift+Tab or Escape to move in the reverse order.

•	Press the "1", "2", or "3" keys to move from pane to pane.  Pressing "1" places the focus in the Groups/Folders pane, "2" places the focus in the Message List pane, and "3" places the focus in the Message pane.


Expand Thread command (Navigate menu)

Message headers preceded by the Expand icon [image] indicate that there are hidden follow-up postings.  Use this command to show all follow-up postings indented beneath the selected message with responses.

Corresponding Icon:

Keyboard Shortcut:  +


Expand All Threads command (Navigate menu)

Message headers preceded by the Expand icon [image] indicate that there are hidden follow-up postings.  Use this command to show all follow-up postings indented beneath all messages with responses.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Shift+


Collapse Thread command (Navigate menu)

Use this command to hide all follow-up message headers indented beneath the selected message header preceded by the Collapse icon [image].

Corresponding Icon:

Keyboard Shortcut:  -


Collapse All Threads command (Navigate menu)

Use this command to hide all follow-up message headers indented beneath all message headers preceded by the Collapse icon [image].

Keyboard Shortcut:  Shift-


Goto Next Found Message

If you have a Global Search for Messages dialog box open before positioning on a found message in the Results list, using this command will jump to the second search hit.

Keyboard Shortcut:  G


Show Full Thread command (Navigate menu)

Use this command to expand the currently selected collapsed thread to view all the indented responses.

Keyboard Shortcut:  *


Properties command (Group menu)

Use this command to bring up the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box.  The tabs on this dialog box contain properties controlling various functions for selected groups.  These tabs are:

Directory

Filters

Language

Mark Read

Posting

Receive Files

Retrieve

Send Files

What to Purge

When to Purge

Keyboard Shortcut:  Alt+Enter


Default Properties command (Group menu)

Use this command to bring up the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.  The tabs on this dialog box contain properties controlling various functions for all groups.  These tabs are:

Directory

Filters

Language

Mark Read

Post

Receive Files

Retrieve

Send Files

What to Purge

When to Purge


Usenet Filters Window
Usenet Filter Window

This window contains the list of all kill and watch filters that apply to the current group.  For each filter listed, you will see the following information (starting from left to right):

•	Status (the [image] icon indicates a disabled filter, and the [image] icon indicates a global filter)

•	Priority (the higher-priority filters are processed first)

•	Αction (kill actions are red and watch actions are green)

•	Search expression (message subject or author filter criteria)

Double-clicking any item on the list opens the Edit Usenet Filter dialog box.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Expression Examples

Agent's Expression Language

Regular Expressions Reference


Apply Filters command
Apply Filters command (Group menu)

Use this command to apply all kill and watch filters to the selected groups and inbound email.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Expression Examples

Agent's Expression Language

Regular Expressions Reference


Subscribe command (Group menu)

When browsing the lengthy list of all the newsgroups or the new groups, use this command to flag a particular group in which you're interested with the Subscribed icon [image].  You can then view only these subscribed groups, thus eliminating the problem of laboriously searching for them each time in the list of all groups.  To view only subscribed groups, click the header in the Groups/Folders pane until you see "Subscribed Groups".

Toolbar Button:

Keyboard Shortcut:  Ctrl+S


Show Groups and Folders flyout (Group menu)

Use the commands on this flyout to show exactly what you want in the Groups/Folders pane.  Your choices are:

•	All groups and folders

•	Only subscribed groups and folders

•	Only new groups

•	Only your folders


Sort Messages by flyout (Group menu)

Use this command to sort messages in the Message List pane by any of the following criteria, depending on how you wish to view message headers:

•	By thread

•	By subject

•	By author

•	By date

•	By size

•	By date deleted (available in the Trash folder only)


View Messages Flyout (Group menu)

Use this command to control which messages are viewed in the Message List pane.

All Messages - The default view is All Messages.

List of Defined Views - If you want a view other than "All Messages", select any of the views listed.  If the type of view you want isn't listed, you can add new custom views by selecting the Manage Views command (see below).

Refresh command - To apply the attributes defined for new or edited views, select the Refresh command (or press F5).

Manage Views - This command brings up the Manage Views dialog box, where you can add and edit views.


Delete command (Group menu)

Use this command to remove a group or folder from Agent.

To remove a specific group or folder :

Select the group or folder and choose Delete from the Group menu.

To remove all extinct news groups:

Choose Refresh Group List from the Online menu.  On the Refresh Group List dialog box, select the "Delete all extinct groups" option.

To recover news groups you deleted:

Choose Refresh Group List from the Online menu.


Mark Selected Groups Read command (Group menu)

Use this command to mark all the messages for the selected groups as read.  By default, the message headers for messages that have not been read are red and the message headers for messages that have been read are black.  This means that the messages in the selected groups will change from red to black when you use this command.


Mark Selected Groups Unread command (Group menu)

Use this command to mark all the messages for the selected groups as unread.  By default, the message headers for messages that have not been read are red and the message headers for messages that have been read are black.  This means that the messages in the selected groups will change from black to red when you use this command.


Mark All Newsgroups Read command (Group menu)

Use this command to mark all the messages for all groups as read.  By default, the message headers for messages that have not been read are red and the message headers for messages that have been read are black.  This means that the messages in all groups will change from red to black when you use this command.


Purge Newsgroups flyout (Group menu)

This flyout menu allows you which messages you want to purge, from any of the following:

•	Subscribed groups

•	Selected groups

•	All groups


Mark for Retrieval command (Message menu)

Use this command to insert the Mark for Retrieval icon [image] in front of the selected message headers, indicating that they will be retrieved at a later time.  Select this command again to remove the icon.

Toolbar Button:

Keyboard Shortcut:  M


Watch Thread command (Message menu)

Use this command to insert the Watch Thread icon [image] in front of the selected message headers. Agent will then automatically retrieve the bodies of all responses to watched threads when retrieving message headers.  Select this command again to remove the icon.

Toolbar Button:

Keyboard Shortcut:  W

See Also:

Watching and Ignoring Threads


Ignore Thread command (Message menu)

Use this command to insert the Ignore Thread icon [image] in front of the selected message headers.  Agent will then insert the Ignore icon next to all the messages in the thread.  Agent automatically marks the message and any responses to it as read (even those retrieved in later sessions).  This can significantly reduce the number of new, unread messages presented to you each time you get new message headers..

Toolbar Button:

Keyboard Shortcut:  I

See Also:

Watching and Ignoring Threads


Keep command (Message menu)

Use this command to insert the Keep icon [image] in front of the selected message headers.  Agent will not purge (remove) these tagged messages from the message databases in which they're stored until the Keep icon is removed.  To remove the icon, select the command again.

Toolbar Button:

Keyboard Shortcut:  K


Mark Available command (Message menu)

Use this command to try again to find a message that was originally not available from their news provider.  (This happens when the news provider has multiple servers that may not be in synch.)  This command allows you to clear the "Unavailable" status for selected messages.  Once you "Mark Available" a message, you can then reattempt retrieval of its body.


Delete command (Message menu)

Use this command to delete the selected messages in the Message List pane.

If Agent's trash folder feature is enabled, Agent moves deleted messages to the trash folder so that you can undelete them if you change your mind.  If the trash folder is not enabled, Agent deletes the messages permanently.  Even with the trash folder enabled, you can force Agent to delete a message permanently by holding down the SHIFT key when you select the Delete menu option.  See How to Use the Trash Folder for more information.

Be careful when you delete messages permanently.  If you delete a Usenet message and change your mind, you can't always get it back.  You may be able to re-retrieve the header by using the Get All Headers in Selected Group command on the Online menu if it is still available on the server.  If you delete an email message, you cannot get it back.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Del


Delete Body command (Message menu)

Use this command to delete the bodies from the selected messages in the Message List pane.  If you delete a Usenet message body and change your mind, you can't always get it back.  You may be able to re-retrieve the message header by using the Get All Headers in Selected Group command on the Online menu if it is still available on the server.  If you delete an email message body, you cannot get it back.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Ctrl+Del


Undelete command (Message Menu)

This command is available only in the trash folder.  Use this command to move the selected message(s) from the trash folder back to the folder from which they were originally deleted.


Word Wrap command (Message menu)

Occasionally you will see messages with very long lines that don't fit on your screen.  Use this command to break the lines of the message body at the end of the window so that they display correctly.  You can also apply this to messages that you compose.

Toolbar Button:

Keyboard Shortcut:  O


Fixed Pitch Font command (Message menu)

Use this command to manually change the font of the selected message body to a fixed-pitch font.


Show All Header Fields command (Message menu)

Use this command to show the detailed header information preceding the message body.  Header fields you might see are the path of the message, who it was from, in which newsgroup it was posted, and the subject, date, and number of lines of the message, among others.  The header data is separated from the message body by a horizontal line.

Select this command again to hide all header information.

Toolbar Button:

Keyboard Shortcut:  H


Show Raw Message command (Message Command)
Show Raw Message command (Message menu)

Use this command to show the raw message, rather than the formatted sections.  Note: Even when a raw message is displayed, you can use Alt+Up and Alt+Down, and the Message Index dialog box to navigate between the sections.

Note: If "Show Raw Message" is checked, Agent will not convert quoted-printable (MIME) messages.

Toolbar Button:

Keyboard Shortcut:  Ctrl+R


Filters Flyout Menu

Add Kill Filter

Add Watch Filter


Mark Read command (Message menu)

Use this command to manually change the status of the selected message from unread to read.  By default, this would change the selected message with red text (unread) to black text (read).

You can also use the X key to toggle the read/unread state of the selected message, i.e. if the message is marked unread, hitting X will change it to read and if the message is marked as read, hitting X will change it to unread.


Mark Unread command (Message menu)

Use this command to manually change the status of the selected message from read to unread. By default, this would change the selected message with black text (read) to red text (unread).

You can also use the X key to toggle the read/unread state of the selected message, i.e. if the message is marked unread, hitting X will change it to read and if the message is marked as read, hitting X will change it to unread.


Split Sections Command
Split Sections command (Message menu)

For all selected messages that are multipart messages, use this command to split the message back into their individual sections, with a separate message for each section.  If the multipart message already has a body, Agent leaves the original message unchanged.  Otherwise, Agent deletes it.  The new sections that are created don't have bodies.


User and System Profile dialog box (Option menu)

Use this command to bring up the User and System Profile dialog box.  The tabs on this dialog box contain specific user, system, and connection parameters that must be defined for Agent to operate correctly.  The tabs in this dialog box are:

Dial-Up

Online

Time Zone

User


General Preferences dialog box (Option menu)

Use this command to bring up the General Preferences dialog box for defining a variety of user preferences.  The tabs in this dialog box include:

Confirmations

Languages

Message List

MIME Types

Navigation

Trash

URLs

URL Types


Display Preferences dialog box (Option menu)

Use this command to bring up the Display Preferences dialog box for defining settings pertinent to how Agent displays messages.  The tabs in this dialog box include:

Main Window

Browsers

Colors

Fonts

Messages


Posting Preferences dialog box (Option menu)

Use this command to bring up the Posting Preferences dialog box for defining settings pertinent to posting messages.  The tabs in this dialog box include:

General

Introductions

Signatures

Spelling


Inbound Email dialog box (Option menu)

Use this command to bring up the Inbound Email dialog box for defining settings pertinent to receiving messages.  The tabs in this dialog box include:

Checking Mail

System

Alerts

Folder

Kill

Watch


Menus and Toolbars dialog box (Option menu)

Use this command to bring up the Menus and Toolbars dialog box where you can customize your menus and toolbars to suit your needs.  The tabs in this dialog box include:

Toolbars

Folder Menus


Save as Default Window Layout command (Option menu)

Use this command to save a particular window layout as the one used whenever you start Agent or open a new Browser window (Agent's main window).  This command saves however you have configured the window, including the pane layout, pane sizing, and whether the pane is zoomed.

See Also:

Window Layout dialog box


Open Address Book (Window menu)

Use this command to open Agent's Address Book, where you can enter the email addresses that you use most frequently.


Open Usenet Filters command (Group menu)

Use this command to bring up the Usenet Filters window listing all kill and watch filters defined for the selected group.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Agent's Expression Language

Expression Examples

Regular Expressions Reference


Usenet Filters Window

This window contains the list of all kill and watch filters that apply to the current group.  For each filter listed, you will see the following information (starting from left to right):

•	Status (the [image] icon indicates a disabled filter, and the [image] icon indicates a global filter)

•	Priority (the higher-priority filters are processed first)

•	Αction (kill actions are red and watch actions are green)

•	Search expression (message subject or author filter criteria)

Double-clicking any item on the list opens the Edit Usenet Filter dialog box.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Agent's Expression Language

Expression Examples

Regular Expressions Reference


Open Email Filters (Window menu)

Use this command to open Agent's Email Filters Window, where are defined email filters are listed.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Agent's Expression Language

Expression Examples

Regular Expressions Reference


Email Filters Window

This window contains the list of all kill and watch filters that apply to the current group.  For each filter listed, you will see the following information (starting from left to right):

•	Status (the [image] icon indicates a disabled filter, and the [image] icon indicates a global filter)

•	Priority (the higher-priority filters are processed first)

•	Αction (kill actions are red and watch actions are green)

•	Search expression (message subject or author filter criteria)

Double-clicking any item on the list opens the Edit Email Filter dialog box.

See Also:

How to Create Message Filters

Expression Examples

Agent's Expression Language

Regular Expressions Reference


Open New Browser (Window menu)

Use this command to open another Browser window (Agent's main window).


Open Log command (Window menu)
Open Log (Window menu)

Use this command to open a log window that describes any problems that occur when communicating with the server.


Log Window

The Log window is provided for debugging purposes.  It lists any problems that occur when communicating with the server.  You can print out this log for future reference, if you like.


Open Outbox (Window menu)

Use this command to view the Outbox window.  For all messages you send that are not automatically filed into folders, you can check in the Outbox window to see if the messages were successfully sent.  You can use the Outbox:

•	To quickly determine the status of the message by viewing the icon preceding the message data (see Making Sure Messages Were Sent Properly).

•	To re-send a message from the Outbox (see How to Re-send a Message You Created).


Outbox Window

For all messages you send that are not automatically filed into folders, you can check in the Outbox window to see if the messages were successfully sent.  You can use the Outbox:

•	To quickly determine the status of the message by viewing the icon preceding the message data (see Making Sure Messages Were Sent Properly).

•	To re-send a message from the Outbox (see How to Re-send a Message You Created).


Open Favorites Folder

(Windows 95 and later)

Use this command to open Internet Explorer's list of Favorites.  From the list, you can select a folder to find a desired URL.


Cascade command (Window menu)

Use this command arrange open windows diagonally like a series of index cards, so the title of each is visible.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Shift+F5


Tile Horizontally command (Window menu)

Use this command to stack the open windows horizontally so that each title bar is visible and the active window is fully visible.


Tile Vertically command (Window menu)

Use this command to stack the open windows vertically so that each title bar is visible and the active window is fully visible.

Keyboard Shortcut:  Shift+F4


Arrange Icons command (Window menu)

Use this command to evenly arrange icons in Agent's main window.


Close All command (Window menu)

Use this command to close all Browser windows.


Find command (Help menu)

For Windows 95 and later:

Use this command to open the Help Topics window, Find tab.

For Windows 3.1:

Use this command to open the help Search dialog box.


About Agent command (Help menu)

Use this command to open the splash screen that provides license and copyright information.


Confirm Deletes command (Address menu)

When checked, Agent prompts you before deleting address book entries.

See Also:

Address Book window.


Confirm Edits command (Address menu)

When checked, Agent prompts you before automatically saving address book changes.  Note: Address book changes are automatically saved when you select another entry or close the Address Book window.


Expand Addresses Command
Expand Addresses command (Address menu)

This command applies to Usenet and email messages you are sending.  When checked, Agent automatically expands an address to its full address format, when it is inserted into the Composition window via the Address Book or Pick Addresses window.  For example, if you select the name ginnyb from the address book, it will be inserted into the Composition window in its expanded format, ginnyb@forteinc.com.

See Also:

Address Book window

Pick Address window

How to Use the Address Book


Confirm Deletes command (Filter menu)

When checked, Agent prompts you before deleting kill or watch filters in the Usenet Filters window.


Delete command (Filter menu)

Select this command to delete selected filters in the Usenet Filters window.


Delete command (Filter menu)
Edit command (Filter menu)

Select this command to edit selected filters in the Usenet Filters window.


Select View command (Filter menu for Usenet filters)
Select View command (Filter menu when Usenet Filters window is open)

Use this command to open the Select View dialog box.

Keyboard Shortcut:  V


Save Attachment dialog box (duplicate name)

This dialog box indicates that you tried to manually save or launch an attachment and one of the filenames already exists.  Use this dialog box to either save the attachment to a different file, overwrite the existing file, or else not save the attachment to file.

Note: When you are saving multiple attachments, the default action for the first error is the action defined on the Receive Files tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.  Thereafter it is whatever action you selected for the previous error.

This file already exists

Enter a different filename in this field, or select one of the options below.  Note:  If you choose to enter a different filename, you can browse for the location of the file by pressing the Browse button.  If you change the filename in this field and then decide you want it restored back to the original filename, press the Reset button.

Save with a different name, chosen automatically

Select this action if you want Agent to assign a different name to the file automatically.

Do not save (leave in message)

Select this action if you want Agent to leave the attachment in the message without saving it to file.

Overwrite existing file

Select this action if you want Agent to overwrite the existing file.

Use the same action for subsequent errors (do not prompt again)

Check this box if you want Agent to use the selected action to handle all instances of filenames that already exist without prompting you each time.

See Also:

How to Save and Launch Attachments


Save Attachment dialog box (encoding error)

This dialog box appears if Agent detects an error when you try to manually save or launch an attachment.  Use this dialog box to tell Agent whether to save the attachment to file anyway and whether to leave the attachment in the message.

Note: When you are saving multiple attachments, the default action for the first error is the action defined on the Receive Files tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.  Thereafter, it is whatever action you selected for the previous error.

Save and leave in message

Select this option to have Agent save the attachment to file and leave it in the message.

Save and remove from message

Select this option to have Agent save the attachment to file and remove it from the message.

Do not save (leave in message)

Select this option to have Agent not save the attachment to file and leave it in the message.

Use the same action for subsequent errors (do not prompt again)

Check this box if you want Agent to use the selected option whenever it encounters this type of error, without prompting you each time.

See Also:

How to Save and Launch Attachments


Message Index dialog box (Message menu)

This dialog box displays an index of all the sections in a message.

Subject/Author/Date

These read-only fields show you the subject, author, and date of the message.

Index

The index lists each section of the message, including a short description and type.  Below the list box is read-only detailed information about the highlighted section.

Save

Press this button to save the selected section to a file.  This will bring up the Save Message Section dialog box.

Launch

Press this button to launch the selected section using the associated application.  You can launch any non-header section, including the body of the message.

Copy

You can select any message sections listed in the dialog, and then press Copy to copy them to the clipboard.  The objects copied are:

File Data, containing the contents of the selected message sections, together with suggested filenames.  This object is provided only if the selected sections have not been deleted from the message.

File Links.  This object is provided only if the selected sections previously had been saved as files.

Simple Text.  This object is provided only if the selected section is text.  If multiple message sections are selected, the text of the first text section only is made available.

See Drag-and-Drop and Clipboard Operations for more details.

Delete File

If the selected section has been saved to a file, press this button to delete the file.

Goto

Press this button to scroll the Message pane to the selected section and close this dialog box.

See Also:

Disposition of a Message Section


Disposition of a Message Section

Messages may contain only text, or they may contain different types of attachments in addition to text.  For example, a retrieved message might have three sections: a few lines of introductory text, an image attachment, and a sound file.  For retrieved messages, you can view the "disposition", or placement of each section.  For messages you send, you can specify the disposition of any attachments you include.  The procedures are described below:

Retrieved Messages

You can view the disposition of each section in a retrieved message as follows:

Highlight the message and select Index from the Message menu to bring up the Message Index dialog box.  On this dialog box, you'll see a description of the currently selected section.  As part of the description, the "Disposition" field shows the type of disposition that applies to the selected section.  There are three types of disposition:

•	Attachment

•	Inline MIME Section

•	Insert in text body

Sent Messages

For all Usenet messages you send, you can define group properties that control the disposition of any possible attachments in these messages.

To define the disposition of attachments that applies to all groups:

Select Default Properties from the Group menu to bring up the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.  Then Click on the Send Files tab and select one of the three types of attachment disposition from the Attachment placement drop-down list.

To define the disposition of attachments that applies to selected groups:

Highlight the desired groups, then select Properties from the Group menu to bring up the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box.  Click on the Send Files tab and select one of the three types of attachment disposition from the Attachment placement drop-down list.  This disposition will then apply each time you send Usenet messages with attachments for those groups.

To specify the disposition of a particular attachment from the composition window:

Press the Attachments button to bring up the Attachment dialog box.  In the "Placement" field, select the type of disposition that applies to the attachment.


Save Message Section dialog box
Save Message Section dialog box (from Message Index dialog box)

Use this dialog box to save the selected section of a message in the message index to a file.

For Windows 95 and later:

Save in

Select the location in which to save the file.

File Name

Enter the name of the file.

Save as type

Specify the type of file you want to save.

For Windows 3.1:

File Name

Enter the name of the file.

Save File as type

Specify the type of file to save.

Directories

Select the directory in which to save the file.

Drives

Select the drive to which the file is to be saved.

Save

Press this button to save the specified file.

Remove from message after saving

Check this box to have Agent remove the section from the message after it is saved (by pressing Save on the Message Index dialog box).

Note: After you open the Message Index dialog box, the first time you save a section, the checkbox defaults to the "After saving an attachment, remove it from the message" setting on the Receive Files tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.  Thereafter, if you save additional sections, until you close the Message Index dialog box, the checkbox defaults to the setting from the last save.


Attachments dialog box
Attachments dialog box (from Compose Message Window)

Use this dialog box to view all attachments and information about the selected attachment.  You can also add or remove attachments using this dialog box.

Index

This is a list of all the attachments in the message being sent.

Add

Press this button to add an attachment to the message.

Delete

Press this button to delete an attachment from the message.

Up/Down

Press these buttons to change the order of the attachments.

Launch

Press this button to launch the selected attachment in the Index list box.

If you launch a file using the Launch button, it works the same way as other file launch commands.  Click to see a note about how Agent positions the window for the launched message.

Copy

Press this button to copy the attached file to the clipboard.

Paste

Press this button to add the attachment from the clipboard.  This can be a convenient way to add an attachment.  From Windows Explorer, select the file and copy it to the clipboard.  On the Attachments dialog, press Paste.

Source

This field shows the name of the source for the selected attachment.

Placement

This field shows the placement of the selected attachment in the message.  The choices are Attachment, Inline MIME Section, and Insert in text body.  The Inline MIME choice is not available for the uuencode or yEnc message formats.  (See Attachment Placement in Outbound Messages.)

Description

Text to be included in the MIME Content-Description field.  Note: This option is enabled only for MIME attachments that have "Attachment" or "Inline MIME Section" placement.

Filename

This field shows the filename to be included in the message.  Initially, this is the base part of the source filename.  For uuencoded attachments, this is the filename used in the "begin 644 <file>" line.  For MIME attachments, this is the filename parameter used in the Disposition field.  Note: Agent does not include the filename for inline MIME sections.

Type of data

Select the type of data in the attachment..  The initial value selected is based on the source filename's extension.  Note: This option is available only for MIME attachments that have "Attachment" or "Inline MIME Section" placement.

Language

This field shows the language to use for the attachment.  The language determines the character set to be used and the encoding (7-bit, 8-bit, or Quoted printable), as specified on the Languages tab of the General Preferences dialog box.  Note: This option is only available for MIME attachments when the type of data is text/<x>.

See Also:

All About Attachments

How to Send an Attachment


Positioning note:

If you launch a message, Agent opens a new browser window and positions the window on the selected message.

If a browser window is already the active window (as opposed to the composition window), Agent repositions the active browser on the selected message instead of opening a new window.  This makes it possible to scroll through a list of messages in the Attachments dialog box and view each one without opening a new browser for each one.


Add Attachments dialog box
Add Attachments dialog box (Compose window)

Use this dialog box to attach an attachment to a message.  Agent will automatically uuencode the file for you.  Note: If you want to insert a text file into the message, choose Insert Text File from the File menu instead.

File Name

Enter the name of the file to attach, or select a file from the list.

Directories

Select the directory from which you want to select the file.

List of File Types

Select the type of files you want to display in the files list.

Drives

Select the drive where you want to select the file from.

Network

If your PC is part of a network, press this button to browse and select your network drive connection.

See Also:

How to Post Usenet Messages

How to Send Email


Join Sections dialog box
Join Sections dialog box (Message menu)

Use this dialog box to manually combine message sections that Agent fails to detect automatically.  You can also use it to view and rearrange the sections in a message that Agent has already combined.  Note: Before using this dialog box, review the restrictions for joining messages.

Messages

This is a list of all the sections contained in all of the messages you selected before opening the dialog box.  If this list does not contain all the messages in the attachment, press Cancel and select the remaining messages by holding down the Control key and clicking on them.

Up / Down

If the messages are out of order, press the Up and Down buttons to move the selected message up or down in the list.  Before launching or saving an attachment, you must make sure that the messages are in the correct order.

Join

Press this button to join all the sections into a single message.  If multiple messages are selected, all but one are deleted.

Launch

Press this button to view the attachment.  Pressing Launch first joins the sections into a single message and then launches the file (equivalent to the "Launch" command on the File menu) for viewing.  Note: In order to view a file, an associated for the attachment's file type must be configured.  For more information, see How to Configure a GIF or JPG Viewer to Work with Agent.

Save

Press this button to save the attachment as a file.  This is equivalent to pressing the Join button to join all the sections, followed by selecting "Save All Attachments" from the File menu.

See Also:

How to Save and Launch Attachments

MIME Configuration Options


Restrictions for Joining Messages

When joining sets of messages using the Join Sections dialog box, the following restrictions apply:

•	You cannot mix messages that have and do not have bodies.  To join a set of messages, they must either all not have bodies or all have bodies.

•	If the messages being joined already have bodies, then Agent will not display the individual sections for multipart messages in the list box.

•	The selected messages must contain at least two sections total.


Message Properties dialog box
Message Properties dialog box (Message menu)

Use this dialog box to define specific format properties for the selected message.

Language

Select the language to be used for the message.

Override default settings

Check this box to override the default type of text encoding for the main body of the message.

Encoding for main body

Select the type of text encoding to use for the body of the message.  The choices are either 7bit/8bit or Quoted printable (MIME).  You should select Quoted printable (MIME) only for message recipients that have a MIME compatible system.

Use MIME for non-ASCII headers

Check this box to have Agent use MIME encoding for the header for the message you're composing.  This allows you to override the text encoding settings on the General Preferences Languages tab.

Charset

Select the character set to be used for encoding the message.  The default setting is "Best available", which directs Agent to choose the best charset from the General Preferences Languages settings "Send As" choices.

Note: The selection "[Alternate: <xxxx>]" will be available if an alternative charset was previously selected in the Query dialog.  The user can thus choose the default settings, the alternative charset selected previously, or can manually choose a charset.  If the user chooses a charset manually, Agent will still check to determine if the message can be encoded using the selected charset and will display the query dialog if the manually selected charset cannot encode the message.

Format

This option controls the overall format of messages that contain attachments.  The possible formats are MIME, uuencoded, and yEnc.

NOTE: The yEnc format is available only for usenet messages, not for email messages.  See About yEnc.

Include attachment filename in subject

This option applies only to messages that contain a single attachment with a non-blank filename.  When you check this box, Agent appends the filename to the message's subject.  (Generally, one would only use this option when uuencoding messages, to maintain backward-compatibility with the traditional method of posting binaries to newsgroups.)

Send Text as preface (0/N) section

When you check this box, Agent always splits any message with attachments into at least two messages.  The first message contains just the body of the message (including any files that have been inserted into the text body).  Additional messages contain the attachments.

Send attached messages as a Digest

Check this box to have Agent place the digest (containing all attached messages) after any attached files.  Note: This option is only valid for MIME messages.  For uuencoded messages, Agent ignores this option.

Send large message as multiple messages

When you check this box, Agent splits large messages into multiple messages, so that the size of each message is no larger than the specified number of characters.  For uuencoded messages, the body of the message is simply split into multiple messages.  For MIME messages, the message is split and then transmitted using the MIME multipart/partial format.  For yEnc messages, the messages is split into multiple yEnc sections.

Note:  When transmitting a MIME email message, Agent does not append the section number (N/M) to each message subject since the message itself contains the information required to reassemble the message.  When sending Usenet messages and uuencoded email messages, however, Agent will append the (N/M) information.

Maximum chars per message

Specify the maximum size of a message, in characters, before it is split into multiple messages.  (See the previous field, Send large messages as multiple messages.)

The approximate number of lines displayed is an estimate of the number of lines the final message body will contain.  The estimate is based on the assumption the message will consist mainly of a binary attachment encoded in the selected format (MIME, uuencode, or yEnc).  For the yEnc format, the actual number of lines in a message section will vary, depending on the data in the attachment.  The average number of lines is typical for most data, but a message could contain up to the maximum number.

See Also:

Using MIME Character Sets

Choosing an Alternative Charset


General Preferences dialog box, Languages tab
General Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

Languages Tab

Use this dialog box to define languages used in Agent.  You can define any number of languages (up to 255).  For each language, you can specify a MIME character set and spell check dictionary.  Also, you can specify fonts for each language on the Display Preferences Fonts tab.

Languages

This field shows all defined languages.

Add

Press this button to add a new language to the Languages list.

Rename

Press this button to rename the selected language.

Delete

Press this button to delete the selected language.  Because this action cannot be undone, Agent asks for confirmation before deleting the selected language.

Code Page

The Windows Codepage to use for storing and displaying the text of messages in this language.  Normally, you should select the codepage that Windows is using by default on your PC.  For example, the standard codepage for the US and Western Europe is 1252.  If you have installed fonts for other codepages, you can configure Agent with alternative languages that use these codepages.  For example, you can install a KOI-8 font for Cyrillic and create a Russian language in Agent to use the corresponding KOI-8 codepage.

Send <Usenet, Email> as

The list of MIME Charsets to be used when formatting outbound Usenet or Email messages in the language.  You may choose from any of the charset lists supported by the Code Page selected above.  When Agent formats an outbound message, it chooses a charset from the designated list, by picking the first charset that most completely encodes the text of the message.

Default charset

The MIME Charset to assume if an inbound message has no charset declaration.  Normally, you should choose ASCII.  However, you might want to choose a different default for certain languages if you commonly receive messages in those languages that use a charset other than ASCII and that do not properly declare the charset.  For example, many users in Russia send messages in the KOI-8 charset, but the messages don't include the declaration.

Spell Checker

Enter the spell checker to be used with the selected language.

Usenet Text Encoding

Select the format in which the text of Usenet messages is to be encoded.  The choices are 7bit/8bit and Quoted printable (MIME).

Email Text Encoding

Select the format in which the text of email messages is to be encoded.  The choices are 7bit/8bit and Quoted printable (MIME).

MIME Headers

If you check one or both of these options (for Usenet and/or email messages), then Agent behaves as follows:

Encoding outbound message fields - Five possible composition window fields are encoded if they have non-ASCII characters.  Agent also encodes the comment text of eight possible address fields (not the address proper).  If an encoded section is longer than 75 characters, Agent breaks it up into multiple blocks.  Each block is separated by a line break and space.

Decoding inbound message fields - When displaying, printing, saving, and processing received email, Agent decodes any MIME sections that it finds, in any header fields.

Note: Agent doesn't check headers in messages that were retrieved prior to selecting this option (i.e., old messages in folders).  Also, if Show Raw Message on the Message menu is checked, Agent will not convert quoted-printable (MIME) messages.

TIP:  If you know whether or not the recipients of your outbound messages have MIME compliant systems, you can easily customize Agent to flexibly adapt to either situation.  For example, if English (American) is your primary language, you might specify the Usenet and Email Text settings as "7bit/8bit" for that language.  This language would be appropriate than for outbound messages being received by non-MIME compliant systems.  Then, you might add a new language based on English (American) and call it English (MIME).  The only difference from English (American) is that you specify Quoted-printable (MIME) for these same fields.  You will always select this language, then, when sending messages to people with MIME-compliant systems.

See Also:

Using MIME Character Sets

COD Files

Choosing an Alternative Charset

Using MIME Quoted-Printable

MIME Configuration Options

Default Properties for All Groups Language tab

Properties for Selected Groups Language tab


Encoded composition window fields

•	Subject

•	Keywords

•	Summary

•	Organization

•	Content-Description


Encoded address fields (comment text)

•	From

•	Apparently-From

•	To

•	Apparently-To

•	Cc

•	Bcc

•	Sender

•	Reply-To


Add dialog box, Languages tab
Add Language dialog box

Use this dialog box to add a language to the Languages list on the Languages tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

Name

Enter the name you want to see in the Languages list.

Based on

Select the name of the language on which the language being added is based.  Agent will adopt all the properties of that language and use them for displaying fonts.


Rename dialog box, Languages tab
Rename Language dialog box

Use this dialog box to rename the selected language on the Languages tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

Old Name

This is the name of the currently selected language.

New Name

Enter the new name you wish to give to the selected language.


General Preferences dialog box, MIME Types tab
General Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

MIME Types Tab

Each section of a MIME message contains a Content-Type header field that specifies what type of data the section contains.  Use this dialog box to define and set options for different kinds of MIME content types.

Type/Subtype, Extensions, Application

This list box shows all defined MIME content types and subtypes, as well as their associated file extensions and applications.  The Extensions field is used when attaching a file to a message for sending.  The Application field is used when viewing a received message.

Add

Press this button to add a type/subtype to the list.

Delete

Press this button to delete the selected type/subtype.  Agent never lets you delete the types text/plain or application/octet-stream.

Extensions

This field allows you to edit the extensions associated with the selected type.  (If you want to enter multiple extensions, they must be separated by commas.)

Application

This field allows you to change the Windows application that will be used to view files of the selected type.

Browse

Press this button to browse for an application.

Display when Inline/Display when attachment

These options control whether or not Agent should display message sections of this type when the sections are, respectively, inline MIME sections and regular attachments.

At present, Agent can display only text sections inline.  So, these options are grayed for any MIME types except text.

See Also:

Using MIME Character Sets

Using MIME Types

MIME Configuration Options


Add MIME Type dialog box (MIME Types tab)
Add MIME Type dialog box (General Preferences MIME Types Tab)

Use this dialog box to add a MIME type to the Type/Subtype, Extensions, Applications list box.

Type

Enter the MIME type that you want to add to the "Type/Subtype..." list box.

Subtype

Enter the subtype that you want to add to the "Type/Subtype..." list box.


Select MIME Application dialog box (General Preferences MIME Types tab)
Select MIME Application dialog box

Use this dialog box to browse and select the directory containing the MIME application.

For Windows 95 and later:

Look in

Select the location of the MIME application.

Open

Press this button to open a folder, when browsing for an application.

File Name

Select the file name for the desired MIME application from the selected directory.

Files of Type

Select the type of file that the MIME application is.

For Windows 3.1:

File Name

Select the file name for the desired MIME application from the selected directory.

List Files of Type

Select the type of file that the MIME application is.

Directories

Select the directory from which you want to select the MIME application file.

Drives

Select the drive from which you want to select the MIME application file.

Network

If your PC is part of a network, press this button to browse and select your network drive connection.


Default Properties for All Groups dialog box, Receive Files tab
Default Properties for All Groups dialog box (Group menu)

Receive Files Tab

Use this dialog box to define your default group settings.  This tab controls how Agent handles attachments in received messages.

Save attachments automatically

When this box is checked, Agent automatically saves all uuencoded and MIME attachments to disk.  When this box is unchecked, Agent stores all attachments in the message, so that you can save them manually later.  Note: The options indented below this checkbox apply not only if attachments are saved automatically, but also if you manually save attachments using either "Save All Attachments" or "Launch Attachment" on the File menu.

If a Filename already exists

Select what you want Agent to do if a file already exists with the same name as the file being saved.  The options are "Save with a different name", "Do not save (leave in message)", and "Overwrite existing file".  If you choose "Save with a different name", Agent will generate a new filename by appending a number to the original filename.  If you attempt to manually save an attachment to a file which already exists, the option selected for this field will be the initial value in the Save Attachment-Duplicate Filename dialog box which appears.

If a decoding Error occurs

Select what you want Agent to do if data in the message is corrupted in some way.  The options are Save and leave in message, Save and remove from message, and Do not save (leave in message).  If you attempt to manually save an attachment to a file and a decoding error occurs, the option selected for this field will be the initial value in the Save Attachment - Encoding Error dialog box which appears.

After saving an attachment, remove it from the message

Unless overridden by some error event, this option controls whether Agent should leave data in the message after saving it to file.

Use the Message subject for name of first attachment in message

(Windows 95 and later)

When this box is checked, Agent will use the message's subject for the filename, rather than the filename suggested by the message.

Detect Uuencoded files automatically

This option controls whether Agent attempts to locate uuencoded files in messages.  This box must be checked if you want to be able to save uuencoded files.  Note: This option does not control when files are saved; it simply controls whether Agent detects uuencoded sections.

TIP: Most users should leave this option checked.  You might want to consider unchecking this on the Receive Files tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box for selected groups in which you know you won't receive uuencoded files, and you want to avoid the possibility of Agent mistaking a section of a message as being uuencoded when it isn't.

Note: Agent doesn't check for uuencoded files in messages that were retrieved prior to selecting this option (i.e., old messages in folders).

Ignore Fragments

If you check this option, Agent assumes that all text between a pair of uu "begin" and "end" lines (i.e., standard raw text at the beginning and end of a uuencoded file) is potentially file data.  If you uncheck this option, Agent assumes that it has reached the end of uu data (even if the "end" line is missing), if it encounters one of the following:

•	Any line that doesn't look like valid data

•	One of the standard CUT or other lines

TIP: In general, you should leave this option checked, and uncheck it only for those groups for which uuencoded fragments are commonly posted.

Detect YEnc files automatically

(Available in Agent only)

This option controls whether Agent attempts to locate yEnc-encoded files in messages.  This box must be checked if you want to be able to save yEnc-encoded files.  Note: This option does not control when files are saved; it simply controls whether Agent detects yEnc sections.

TIP: Most users should leave this option checked.  You might want to consider unchecking this on the Receive Files tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box for selected groups in which you know you won't receive yEnc files, and you want to avoid the possibility of Agent mistaking a section of a message as being yEnc-encoded when it isn't.

Note: Agent doesn't check for yEnc files in messages that were retrieved prior to selecting this option (i.e., old messages in folders).

Join multipart messages when retrieving headers

When this box is checked, Agent attempts to detect and automatically join multipart messages into single messages whenever you retrieve new headers.  If you know you'll never receive multipart messages, leave this box unchecked.

Note: Agent can sometimes mis-categorize a message as a section of a multipart message when it really isn't.  If this happens, simply select Join Sections from the Message menu to correct the mistake.

Join multipart messages when saving or launching attachments

When this box is checked, Agent will search for and attempt to join multipart messages when you either save attachments or launch.  Agent creates a single message with [*/N] in the message header, indicating how many parts have been joined.  The other sections are deleted.

When Launching an attachment, first save it as a file

This option applies if the attachment has not already been saved.  When this box is checked, Agent first saves the attachment, using the settings described above.  When this option is unchecked, Agent saves the section to a temporary file, and automatically deletes the temporary file when Agent is done with it.

Double-clicking launches attachments

When this box is checked, the following actions will apply:

•	If a message has been retrieved and contains any non-text sections, double-clicking the message launches the first non-text section (e.g., the first of several different GIF files).  If the focus is in the Message List pane and the message contains no non-text sections, double-clicking simply moves the focus to the Message pane.  If the focus is in the Message pane and the message contains no non-text sections, double-clicking brings up the Message Index dialog box, which describes the contents of the message.

•	If a message has not been retrieved, double-clicking is equivalent to a launch.  This means that Agent retrieves the body and then tries to launch it.  If the launch fails because the message turned out not to have a non-text section, Agent beeps.

Burst digests into separate messages

"Burst" describes the action of splitting digests of messages into individual messages.  When this box is checked, for each message that contains a digest of messages, Agent saves each message in the digest as its own message.

Filename conversions

(Windows 95 and later)

Select the filename conversion method you want Agent to use when saving an attachment.  Note:  Changing this setting here also changes the corresponding setting in the Directory tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box.

•	Retain original filename, if possible - Use the original filename from the message, to the extent allowed by the destination file system.  Various file systems disallow certain characters and limit the maximum filename length, in which case Agent makes the necessary adjustments.

•	Convert to DOS 8.3 filename when saving to a DOS volume - If the destination file system is a FAT volume (i.e., a DOS disk), convert the filename to the traditional 8.3 format.  Note: Windows 95 and Windows NT are capable of storing long filenames on FAT volumes.  When this option is selected, Agent uses the traditional format even if the file system is capable of storing long names.  This option is useful if you intend to copy the files to other systems where long filenames are not supported.

•	Always convert to DOS 8.3 filename - Always convert to the traditional 8.3 FAT filename format, even on file systems that support long filenames (e.g., Windows NT's NTFS), FAT with long filename support (e.g., Windows 95), and HPFS (e.g., OS/2).

See Also:

How to Save and Launch Attachments

All About Attachments

MIME Configuration Options


Default Properties for All Groups dialog box, Send Files tab
Default Properties for All Groups dialog box (Group menu)

Send Files Tab

Use this dialog box to define your default group settings.  This tab controls how message attachments are formatted for sending.  There are separate Usenet and email settings.

Usenet messages/Email messages

Select the type of messages you are defining the attachment format for: either Usenet or email messages.

Format

Select the format of messages that contain attachments.  The choices are MIME, uuencoded, and yEnc.

NOTE: The yEnc format is available only for usenet messages, not for email messages.  See About yEnc.

Attachment placement

Select the default placement when a new attachment is added to a message.  The choices are Attachment, Inline MIME Section, and Insert in text body.  The Inline MIME does not work for the uuencode or yEnc message formats.  If you select Inline MIME for one of those formats, Agent will use Attachment placement instead.  (See Attachment Placement in Outbound Messages.)

Include attachment filename in subject

This option applies only to messages that contain a single attachment with a non-blank filename.  When you check this box, Agent appends the filename to the message's subject.  (Generally, one would only use this option for uuencoded messages, to maintain backward-compatibility with the traditional method of posting binaries to newsgroups.)

Send Text as preface (0/N) section

When you check this box, Agent always splits any message with attachments into at least two messages.  The first message contains just the body of the message (including any files that have been inserted into the text body).  Additional messages contain the attachments.

Send attached messages as a Digest

When you check this box, all messages that you attach when creating a message will be treated as a digest.

Send large messages as multiple messages

When you check this box, Agent splits large messages into multiple messages, so that the size of each message is no larger than the specified number of characters.  For uuencoded messages, the body of the message is simply split into multiple messages.  For MIME messages, the message is split and then transmitted using the MIME multipart/partial format.  For yEnc messages, the messages is split into multiple yEnc sections.

Note:  When transmitting a MIME email message, Agent does not append the section number (N/M) to each message subject since the message itself contains the information required to reassemble the message.  When sending Usenet messages and uuencoded email messages, however, Agent will append the (N/M) information.

Maximum chars per message

Specify the maximum size of a message, in characters, before it is split into multiple messages.  (See the previous field, Send large messages as multiple messages.)

The approximate number of lines displayed is an estimate of the number of lines the final message body will contain.  The estimate is based on the assumption the message will consist mainly of a binary attachment encoded in the selected format (MIME, uuencode, or yEnc).  For the yEnc format, the actual number of lines in a message section will vary, depending on the data in the attachment.  The average number of lines is typical for most data, but a message could contain up to the maximum number.

See Also:

All About Attachments

How to Send an Attachment

MIME Configuration Options

Sending a Digest

Bursting a Digest


Properties for Selected Groups dialog box, Receive Files tab
Properties for Selected Groups dialog box (Group menu)

Receive Files Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings for the selected group.  This tab controls how Agent handles attachments in received messages.

Override default settings

Check this box to use the settings defined on this tab instead of those defined in the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.

Save attachments automatically

When this box is checked, Agent automatically saves all uuencoded and MIME attachments to disk.  When this box is unchecked, Agent stores all attachments in the message, so that you can save them manually later.  Note: The four options indented below this option apply not only if attachments are saved automatically, but they also apply if you manually save attachments using either the "Save All Attachments" command or "Launch Attachment" command on the File menu.

If a Filename already exists

Select what you want Agent to do if a file already exists with the same name as the file being saved.  The options are "Save with a different name", "Do not save (leave in message)", and "Overwrite existing file".  If you choose "Save with a different name", Agent will generate a new filename by appending a number to the original filename.  If you attempt to manually save an attachment to a file which already exists, the option selected for this field will be the initial value in the Save Attachment-Duplicate Filename dialog box which appears.

If a Decoding error occurs

Select what you want Agent to do if data in the message is corrupted in some way.  The options are Save and leave in message, Save and remove from message, and Do not save (leave in message).  If you attempt to manually save an attachment to a file and a decoding error occurs, the option selected for this field will be the initial value in the Save Attachment - Encoding Error dialog box which appears.

After saving an attachment, remove it from the message

Unless overridden by some error event, this option controls whether Agent should leave data in the message after saving it to file.

Use the Message subject for name of first attachment in message

When this box is checked, Agent will use the message's subject for the filename, rather than the filename suggested by the message.

Detect Uuencoded files automatically

This option controls whether Agent attempts to locate uuencoded files in messages.  This box must be checked if you want to be able to save uuencoded files.  Note: This option does not control when options are saved; it simply controls whether Agent detects uuencoded sections.

TIP: Most users should leave this option checked.  You might want to consider unchecking this on the Receive Files tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box for selected groups in which you know you won't receive uuencoded files, and you want to avoid the possibility of Agent mistaking a section of a message as being uuencoded when it isn't.

Note: Agent doesn't check for uuencoded files in messages that were retrieved prior to selecting this option (i.e., old messages in folders).

Ignore Fragments

If you check this option, Agent assumes that all text between a pair of uu "begin" and "end" lines (i.e., standard raw text at the beginning and end of a uuencoded file) is potentially file data.  If you uncheck this option, Agent assumes that it has reached the end of uu data (even if the "end" line is missing), if it encounters one of the following:

•	Any line that doesn't look like valid data

•	One of the standard CUT or other lines

TIP: In general, you should leave this option checked, and uncheck it only for those groups for which uuencoded fragments are commonly posted.

Detect YEnc files automatically

(Available in Agent only)

This option controls whether Agent attempts to locate yEnc-encoded files in messages.  This box must be checked if you want to be able to save yEnc-encoded files.  Note: This option does not control when files are saved; it simply controls whether Agent detects yEnc sections.

TIP: Most users should leave this option checked.  You might want to consider unchecking this on the Receive Files tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box for selected groups in which you know you won't receive yEnc files, and you want to avoid the possibility of Agent mistaking a section of a message as being yEnc-encoded when it isn't.

Note: Agent doesn't check for yEnc files in messages that were retrieved prior to selecting this option (i.e., old messages in folders).

Join multipart messages when retrieving headers

When this box is checked, Agent attempts to detect and automatically join multipart messages into single messages whenever you retrieve new headers.  If you know you'll never receive multipart messages, leave this box unchecked.

Note: Agent can sometimes mis-categorize a message as a section of a multipart message when it really isn't.  If this happens, simply select Join Sections from the Message menu to correct the mistake.

Join multipart messages when saving or launching attachments

When this box is checked, Agent will search for and attempt to join multipart messages when you either save attachments or launch.  Agent creates a single message with [*/N] in the message header, indicating how many parts have been joined.  The other sections are deleted.

When Launching an attachment, first save it as a file

This option applies if the attachment has not already been saved.  When this box is checked, Agent first saves the attachment, using the settings described above.  When this option is unchecked, Agent saves the section to a temporary file, and automatically deletes the temporary file when Agent is done with it.

Double-clicking launches attachments

When this box is checked, the following actions will apply:

•	If a message has been retrieved and contains any non-text sections, double-clicking the message launches the first non-text section (e.g., the first of several different GIF files).  If the focus is in the Message List pane and the message contains no non-text sections, double-clicking simply moves the focus to the Message pane.  If the focus is in the Message pane and the message contains no non-text sections, double-clicking brings up the Message Index dialog box, which describes the contents of the message.

•	If a message has not been retrieved, double-clicking is equivalent to a launch.  This means that Agent retrieves the body and then tries to launch it.  If the launch fails because the message turned out not to have a non-text section, Agent beeps.

Burst digests into separate messages

"Burst" describes the action of splitting digests of messages into individual messages.  When this box is checked, for each message that contains a digest of messages, Agent saves each message in the digest as its own message.

Filename conversions

Select the filename conversion method you want Agent to use when saving an attachment.  Note:  Changing this setting here also changes the corresponding setting in the Directory tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box.

•	Retain original filename, if possible - Use the original filename from the message, to the extent allowed by the destination file system.  Various file systems disallow certain characters and limit the maximum filename length, in which case Agent makes the necessary adjustments.

•	Convert to DOS 8.3 filename when saving to a DOS volume - If the destination file system is a FAT volume (i.e., a DOS disk), convert the filename to the traditional 8.3 format.  Note: Windows 95 and Windows NT are capable of storing long filenames on FAT volumes.  When this option is selected, Agent uses the traditional format even if the file system is capable of storing long names.  This option is useful if you intend to copy the files to other systems where long filenames are not supported.

•	Always convert to DOS 8.3 filename - Always convert to the traditional 8.3 FAT filename format, even on file systems that support long filenames (e.g., Windows NT's NTFS), FAT with long filename support (e.g., Windows 95), and HPFS (e.g., OS/2).

See Also:

How to Save and Launch Attachments

All About Attachments

MIME Configuration Options


Properties for Selected Groups dialog box, Send Files tab
Properties for Selected Groups dialog box (Group menu)

Send Files Tab

Use this dialog box to define your default group settings.  This tab controls how message attachments are formatted for sending.  There are separate Usenet and email settings.

Override default settings

Check this box to use the settings defined on this tab instead of those defined in the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.

Usenet messages/Email messages

Select the type of messages you are defining the attachment format for: either Usenet or email messages.

Format

Select the format of messages that contain attachments.  The choices are MIME, uuencoded, and yEnc.

NOTE: The yEnc format is available only for usenet messages, not for email messages.  See About yEnc.

Attachment placement

Select the default placement when a new attachment is added to a message.  The choices are Attachment, Inline MIME Section, and Insert in text body.  The Inline MIME does not work for the uuencode or yEnc message formats.  If you select Inline MIME for one of those formats, Agent will use Attachment placement instead.   (See Attachment Placement in Outbound Messages.)

Include attachment filename in subject

This option applies only to messages that contain a single attachment with a non-blank filename.  When you check this box, Agent appends the filename to the message's subject.  (Generally, one would only use this option for uuencoded messages, to maintain backward-compatibility with the traditional method of posting binaries to newsgroups.)

Send Text as preface (0/N) section

When you check this box, Agent always splits any message with attachments into at least two messages.  The first message contains just the body of the message (including any files that have been inserted into the text body).  Additional messages contain the attachments.

Send attached messages as a Digest

When you check this box, all messages that you attach when creating a message will be treated as a digest.

Send large messages as multiple messages

When you check this box, Agent splits large messages into multiple messages, so that the size of each message is no larger than the specified number of characters.  For uuencoded messages, the body of the message is simply split into multiple messages.  For MIME messages, the message is split and then transmitted using the MIME multipart/partial format, which enables receiving programs to automatically reassemble the message.  For yEnc messages, the messages is split into multiple yEnc sections.

Note:  When transmitting a MIME email message, Agent does not append the section number (N/M) to each message subject since the message itself contains the information required to reassemble the message.  When sending Usenet messages and uuencoded email messages, however, Agent will append the (N/M) information.

Maximum chars per message

Specify the maximum size of a message, in characters, before it is split into multiple messages.  (See the previous field, Send large messages as multiple messages.)

The approximate number of lines displayed is an estimate of the number of lines the final message body will contain.  The estimate is based on the assumption the message will consist mainly of a binary attachment encoded in the selected format (MIME, uuencode, or yEnc).  For the yEnc format, the actual number of lines in a message section will vary, depending on the data in the attachment.  The average number of lines is typical for most data, but a message could contain up to the maximum number.

See Also:

All About Attachments

MIME Configuration Options

Sending a Digest

Bursting a Digest


All About Attachments

A growing number of groups on the Usenet are devoted to posting messages with media attachments.  The types of media attached to messages are diverse - from images such as GIF and JPG files, to recorded sounds saved in WAV files.  There are two major formats used for messages with attachments: MIME and uuencoded.

MIME messages conform to this widely accepted message transferal protocol in which messages consist of one or more sections.  Each section is either text or one of many different types of media attachments.  (For more information, see Using MIME Types.)

Uuencoded messages contain attachments that are converted to a text-based format using "UUCode", a utility that is closely aligned to the Internet.

Fortunately, it doesn't matter which format is used for messages with attachments that you retrieve.  Agent is pre-configured to intelligently discern the format and launch or save message attachments seamlessly.  Also, Agent allows you to create simple or complex MIME messages with ease.  See MIME Message Examples.

Of course, there may be instances when you would like to take advantage of some special features, such as using different languages in MIME messages.  For this information, see MIME Configuration Options.

Choosing between MIME and uuencoded format

You can define which message format to use for Usenet and Email messages on the Send Files tab of the Default Group Properties dialog box (or for selected groups).  When selecting the format for messages with attachments, you must consider the hardware and software constraints of the message recipient.  It defeats the purpose of your message if the person receiving your MIME attachment cannot view (or hear) it.  Here's a good rule of thumb to follow:

•	For email messages - Most major email programs support the MIME format, so in many cases "MIME" would be the appropriate choice.  (The safest thing to do is to find out whether your recipient's email program supports MIME.)

•	For Usenet messages - At the present time, most newsreaders and participants in the Usenet use uuencoded format, so currently it would be wise to choose "uuencoded" when posting attachments.  Of course, this may change over time.  At some point, MIME may become the standard format supported and used on the Usenet.

Advantages of MIME:

•	Greater reliability in transferring data - The MIME format is a well defined, widely accepted message transferal protocol which makes it possible for gateways to interpret message data smoothly and efficiently.  Conversely, uuencoding comes in a number of "flavors", each with its own set of rules.  Some gateways may misinterpret or even damage uuencoded data during transfer.

•	Splitting long messages - Messages cannot be longer than 100k bytes.  Files that are bigger than that must be split into multiple messages.  Compared to the uuencoded mechanism, MIME allows for a more graceful way of splitting long messages and then reassembling the pieces when they are received.

Choosing between 8-bit and quoted-printable text encoding

On the Languages tab of the General Preference dialog box, you can decide how text in messages you send will be encoded: either 8-bit or quoted-printable (MIME).  For more information, see Using MIME Quoted-Printable.

Message index

When you receive a MIME message, each section is displayed separately in the Message pane (e.g., for a GIF attachment, you would see a box displaying an icon for the program used to view the GIF images).  Each section has a header that displays information about the section.

For both MIME and uuencoded messages, Agent builds a table of contents, listing the sections and types of data they contain.  You can view information about each section and launch any section on the Message Index dialog box.  To bring up this dialog box, select Index from the Message menu.

Color Coded Icons

You can easily distinguish email from Usenet messages, and plain text messages from those with attachments by looking at the icon preceding message headers in the Message List pane.  When you retrieve message bodies, Agent uses a color-coding scheme to help you identify the type and contents of the message.

See Also:

How to Retrieve Attachments

How to Save and Launch Attachments


Attachment Placement in Outbound Messages

When you have finished creating a message and are ready to send it, Agent will build it in the following order:

1.	Writes the main body of the message.

2.	Adds any "Insert in body" attachments in the main body, in the order in which these attachments appear in the Attachments dialog box.

3.	Adds the signature, if any.

4.	Adds all other attachments (i.e., all attachments which are not "Insert in text body") in the order in which they appear in the Attachments dialog box.

On the Attachments dialog box, you can use the Up and Down buttons to change the ordering of the attachments.

Two additional items to note:

•	Even if "Insert in text body" attachments are interspersed with other attachments, all "Insert in text body" attachments are inserted as a group, followed by all other attachments.

•	If you have checked "Send attached message as a Digest" on the Group Properties Send Files tab (either for all groups or the selected group), Agent places the digest at the end of the message, after all other attachments.  Otherwise, it places the messages along with the other attachments.  For uuencoded messages, Agent ignores the options.

See Also:

All About Attachments


MIME Configuration Options

Agent automatically handles MIME messages without you ever having to configure anything.  However, Agent does provide several settings that allow you to customize the way Agent sends and receives MIME messages.  Below are the different dialog boxes containing MIME options.

To customize Agent's configuration:

1.	Specify the language and MIME character set to be used on the Languages tab of the General Preferences dialog box.  For example, if a user is American and selects English (American) as the language, an appropriate choice for the Character Set setting would be Latin1 (MIME Charset ISO-8859-1).  For information about the character sets recognized by Agent, see Using MIME Character Sets.

2.	Click the MIME Types tab of the General Preferences dialog box and verify that the list of MIME types includes all the types of text and image files you anticipate using in MIME messages.  Agent comes with a set of default types and subtypes.  To add a new type, press the Add button and complete the Add MIME Type dialog box.

3.	Set up the default properties for sending MIME messages on the Send Files tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.  For Usenet messages and Email messages, you have the option of selecting the MIME format or uuencoded format.  To create a MIME message, select MIME.

4.	Set up the default properties for receiving MIME messages on the Receive Files tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.

Note: It is possible for Agent to mistake a date in the message header of a non-binary group as one section of a multipart attachment.  To prevent this from happening, select the non-binary groups to which you subscribe, then bring up the Receive Files tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box.  Make sure that the "Override default settings" box is checked and the "Join multipart messages automatically" box is unchecked.

TIP:  Whenever you receive messages, Agent helps you to easily distinguish plain text messages from those with attachments by noting the color of the text body icon.  Click to see the message body icon color-coding scheme.

See Also:

All About Attachments

How to Send an Attachment


MIME Message Examples

The content of a MIME message can be as simple as a single attachment; or it can include multiple attachments of varying types (e.g., image, audio, video, text).

Below are a few examples of MIME messages and how to create them.

Example 1:  One Image Attachment - A graphic artist wants to post an email message to a client, attaching the commissioned design, "sample.jpg", for the client's approval.  To create this message in MIME format, the artist must first set up Agent to send MIME messages.  Then the message is created using this procedure.

Example 2: Text, Image, Video, and Zip Attachments - A college professor is planning to go abroad.  Before leaving, he prepares materials to be used for the lecture/lab he will miss and sends them to the substitute instructor.  As in example 1, the professor must first set up Agent to send MIME messages.  Then the message is created using this procedure.

Example 3: A Digest Attachment - The president of the "Movie Critics Club" wants to post a monthly digest to all the club members, detailing what was reviewed each month and providing a clip of each film as attachments.  To set up Agent and create a digest, use this procedure.

See Also:

All About Attachments

Using MIME Types


MIME Message Setup

To set up Agent to send MIME messages

1.	Select General Preferences from the Options menu.

2.	Click the Languages tab and specify the language and MIME character set to be used.

3.	On the same dialog box, click the MIME Types tab and verify that the list of MIME types the types of files you want to attach.

4.	If the list does not include the type of file you want to attach, press the Add button to bring up the Add MIME Type dialog box.  Enter the type and subtype (e.g., image and jpg) and press OK.

5.	When all the MIME types you are using have been added to the MIME Types tab, press OK.

6.	Select Properties or Default Properties from the Group menu, depending on whether you want the settings to apply to a specific group or to all groups.

7.	Click the Send Files tab and specify the following settings:

•	In the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box, make sure that the Override default settings box is checked.

•	Set the Format field to MIME.

•	Choose the placement you want for the attachment: Attachment, Inline MIME section, or Insert in text body.

Note: You only need to perform this setup once if you anticipate sending all your messages in MIME format in the future.


One Image Attachment

To create the MIME message, the artist must:

1.	Select New Email Message from the Post menu to open a new message composition window.

2.	Address the email message to the client.

3.	Enter the message subject, such as Sample Graphic to be Reviewed.

4.	Press the Attachments button to bring up the Attachments dialog box.

5.	Press the Add button to bring up the Add Attachments dialog box.  Then browse the directories and highlight the image file, sample.jpg.  When you press OK, the Add Attachment dialog box closes and the file is listed in the Attachments dialog box.

6.	Press OK to close the Attachments dialog box.  The name of the attachment, sample.jpg, now appears to the right of the Attachments button in the composition window.

7.	(Optional) Enter any instructions or information to the client in the Text box.

8.	Press the Send Now button (or Send Later).


Text, Image, Video, and Zip Attachments

To create the MIME message, the professor must:

1.	Select New Email Message from the Post menu to open a new message composition window.

2.	Address the email message to the substitute instructor.

3.	Enter the message subject, such as July 16th Class Plans.

4.	Press the Attachments button to bring up the Attachments dialog box.

5.	Press the Add button to bring up the Add Attachments dialog box.  Then browse the directories and highlight the text file, such lecture.txt.  When you press OK, the Add Attachment dialog box closes and the file is listed in the Attachments dialog box.

6.	Repeat step 5 to add to the Attachments list the image file, such as example.gif, for the video file, such as how_to.mpg, and again for the zip file (containing several reference files), such as ref.zip.

Note: If all of the files are all in the same directory, you can select all four at once, without having to repeat step 5 four times.  (See Example 2.)

7.	Press OK to close the Attachments dialog box.  The name of the attachments lecture.txt, example.gif, and how_to.mpg, and ref.zip now appear to the right of the Attachments button in the composition window.

8.	(Optional) Enter a greeting and instructions to the substitute instructor in the Text box.

9.	Press the Send Now button (or Send Later).


A Digest and a Video Attachment

To create the MIME message, the club president must:

1.	Select General Preferences from the Options menu.

2.	Click the Languages tab and specify the language and MIME character set to be used.

3.	On the same dialog box, click the MIME Types tab.  In your digest, you will be including messages with video attachments (.mpg files) so check to see that this MIME subtype is listed for the MIME Type "video".

4.	If the list does not include the type "video", press the Add button to bring up the Add MIME Type dialog box.  Enter the video type, and subtype (e.g., video and basic) and press OK.

5.	In the Message List pane, select the group alt.movie.reviews.  Then select the messages to be included in the digest.  For this example, the messages are Big, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, and Philadelphia.  Each message reviews the film and has a video file attachment (big.mpg, gump.mpg, apollo.mpg, and phil.mpg).

2.	Check the "Send attached messages as a digest" option to indicate to Agent that you want attach the messages as a digest.  This option is available in three places, depending on what you are trying to accomplish:

•	On the Send Files tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box, check this option to have this action apply to all messages you post for all groups.

•	On the Send Files tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box, check this option to have this action apply to all messages you post for the selected group.  (Make sure the "Override default settings" box is also checked.)

•	On the Message Properties dialog box check this box to apply this action only to the message being created.  (To bring up this dialog box, open a message composition window and select Properties from the Message menu.)

3.	Select "Forward verbatim" from the Post menu.  Note: If you do not already have a composition window open, Agent will automatically open one and attach the selected messages to it.

Agent uses the subject of the first of the selected messages in the subject field of the composition window.

Note: If you do have one or more composition windows open when you select Forward verbatim, Agent displays a dialog box listing the open composition windows and gives you two options: either adding the selected messages to one of the composition windows, or creating a new message.  This way you can add additional messages to the message you are already composing.

4.	Address the message to the mailing list.  (See How to Create a Group Mailing List if you need more information about how to do this.)

5.	(Optional) Enter an introduction or instructions in the Text box.

6.	Press the Send Now (or Send Later) button to send the message with its attachments.


Using MIME Character Sets

Each text section of a MIME message is encoded using a particular character set, which specifies the numeric code for each character.  These character sets are known as "MIME Charsets".  In Windows, a particular character set is also used to represent text for storage and display.  These are commonly referred to as "Windows codepages".  Since a variety of character sets are in use on the Internet, Agent needs to be able to convert between various character sets when sending and receiving messages.

To perform these conversions, Agent uses COD files.  Each COD file describes how to convert a particular character set into the Unicode character set.  Unicode is a universal character set that encompasses all of the world's languages.  To convert the text of a message from one character set to another, Agent first converts the text into Unicode.  Then, it converts it from Unicode to the target character set.  In principle, this makes it possible to convert between any pair of character sets, simply by knowing how to convert each character set to and from Unicode.

Agent ships with a number of COD files, supporting most of the character sets currently in use around the world.  However, you can write your own COD files to support other character sets.  Refer to the detailed description in COD files.

All COD files are stored in Agent's shared directory, which is normally the directory where AGENT.EXE and other read-only files are stored.  On startup, Agent searches the shared directory for all files with a .COD extension and loads them into memory.

See Also:

COD Files

General Preferences Languages dialog


Code (COD) Files
COD Files

A COD file consists of a series of one-line header fields, followed by a single blank line, followed by an optional mapping table.  Agent ignores additional blank lines, and any text proceeded by a # (pound sign) or ; (semi-colon).

A header field consists of a field name, followed by a colon, followed by field-specific parameters.  Header fields may appear in any order.  Some fields are required; others are optional.

Note: Debugging Error Information

During initialization, Agent reads all COD files and checks that they are valid.  If it finds any errors, it writes descriptions of the errors to the file CODERROR.TXT, in the data directory.  You can use this file to help debug COD files that you write yourself.

Header Fields

Version: <version>

The version number of this file.  This field is required, and the <version> must be "1".

Example:  Version: 1

Name: <name>

The name of this character set.  A name may be any combination of characters, excluding spaces, commas, or tabs.  The name is used internally by Agent to refer to the character set, and does not necessarily have to be the same as the MIME Charset or Windows Codepage name.  (Required)

Example:  Name: cp1252

Description: <description>

The description of the character set to be displayed to the user (for example in the General Preferences Languages dialog).  A description may be any text.  (Required)

Example:  Description: Western Europe

Charset: <MIME charset>, [<Alternate charset1>, ... <Alternate charsetN>]

This field indicates that the character set is a MIME Charset, used in email and usenet messages.

The <MIME charset> is the primary charset name.  In addition, the field may contain alternative names in a comma-separated list, if other names are in use for this charset.  For example, the Windows codepage 1252 sometimes appears in messages as MIME Charset "cp1252" or "windows-1252".

Note that a Charset declaration does not mean that Agent will necessarily use this character set in outbound messages.  A character set is used only if it is listed as one of the allowed choices for a given codepage.

Examples:

Charset: ISO-8859-1

Charset: cp1252, windows-1252

Codepage: <Windows codepage>

The field indicates that the character set is a Windows Codepage, used by Windows internally to represent text.  For codepages officially supported by Windows, this field should be the numeric codepage value assigned by Microsoft.  For example, codepage "1252" is the codepage commonly used in the US and Western Europe.

It is also possible for users to install fonts that support non-standard codepages and define COD pages that will allow Agent to display messages using those fonts.  For these non-standard codepages, you may use any unique name that does not conflict with an existing codepage number.  For example, Agent is shipped with a COD file that defines the Cyrillic KOI-8 character set and uses the Codepage name "KOI8".

Example:  Codepage: 1252

Note: Each COD file must contain either a Charset or a Codepage field.  Also, a COD file may contain both fields if the character set it defines is used both internally by Windows and as a MIME charset in messages.

Inbound-Charsets: <name1>, <name2>, ...

This optional field should be included in COD files that define a Windows Codepage, and consist of a comma-separated list of character set names.  The field specifies which MIME charsets are known to map correctly to this codepage.

To display a message, Agent uses this list to determine which Windows codepage to use to represent the text of the message.  Agent also uses this list to allow the user to choose, on the General Preferences Languages dialog, a default MIME charset to be assumed for messages that do not contain a MIME charset declaration.

Example:

  Inbound-Charsets: ascii, iso-8859-1, iso-8859-15, utf7, utf8, norwegian, swedish

Outbound-Charsets: <name>, <description<, <charset1>, <charset2>, ...

This optional field should be included in COD files that define a Windows codepage, and consists of a comma-separated list of character set names.  You may include any number of Outbound-Charsets fields in the file.  Each field lists an ordered sequence of charsets to be selected from when Agent is formatting a message for transmission.  On the General Preferences Languages dialog, the user chooses which charset list should be used when formatting a message in a given language.  To format the message text, Agent searches through the list and selects the first character set that most-completely encodes the text.

Example:

Outbound-Charsets: latin1, Western Europe, ascii, iso-8859-1, iso-8859-15, utf8

Outbound-Charsets: latin1old, Western Europe no Euro, ascii, iso-8859-1

Outbound-Charsets: utf8, Unicode UTF-8, ascii, utf8

Outbound-Charsets: utf7, Unicode UTF-7, ascii, utf7

Outbound-Charsets: swedish, Swedish, ascii, swedish

Outbound-Charsets: norwegian, Norwegian, ascii, norwegian

Outbound-Charsets: ascii, ASCII Only, ascii

Support for Non-English Languages

All header strings that appear in the Agent UI use a special syntax so that Agent can translate the strings into the current UI language.  The strings that support this syntax are the Description field, and the <descirption> member of the Outbound-Charsets field.  The syntax is:

<EnglishString>#<SymbolicName>

The <EnglishString> is the English form the string, and is the string used when no translation for the string is available in the current language.  The <SymbolicName> is a language-independent identifier for the string.  Each language resource DLL contains a table that maps the identifier to the translation of the string for that language.  When Agent reads the COD file, it looks up the identifier in the resource table, and converts the string to the translated version.  If the identifier is missing from the table, Agent uses the default English string.

Mapping Table Format

The optional mapping table specifies how to map charset codes into Unicode codes.  Each map entry is a line consisting of a pair of numbers:

<code> <Unicode>

where <code> is a charset code, and <Unicode> is the corresponding Unicode code.

Numbers may be decimal, octal (prefixed with 0), or hex (prefixed with 0x).

Charset <code>s must be in the range 0x00-0xFF.

<Unicode> codes must be in the range 0x0000-0xFFFF.  In addition, adding the value 0x10000 to a Unicode code marks it for special treatment.  This flag indicates that Agent should assume that the code is not defined when transmitting messages, but that Agent should convert the code to the specified codepage code if it appears in a received message.  For example, this flag is used in the ISO-8859-1 COD file to mark codes 0x80 - 0x9F.  By strict definition these codes are undefined by ISO-8859-1.  However, many applications assume that they map to the corresponding codes for Windows codepage 1252.  The flag instructs Agent not to use these codes when transmitting messages encoded in ISO-8859-1, but to assume codepage 1252 values if the codes are present in received messages.

In most cases, Agent assumes that a character set consists of 256 code values.  If entries are omitted from the mapping table, Agent makes the following special assumptions:

If a code in the ASCII range 0x00-0x7F is omitted, Agent assumes that the code maps directly to the corresponding ASCII/Unicode value.  Since most character sets map directly to ASCII for codes 0x00-0x7F, this means that you can save space by omitting these entries from most tables.  Exceptions include the Swedish SEN_850200_B and Norwegian NS_4551-1 charsets, which replace uncommon ASCII codes with codes for Swedish- and Norwegian-specific characters.

If a code in the non-ASCII range 0x80-0xFF is omitted, Agent assumes that the code is undefined, except in the following cases:

If the COD page defines both a Windows Codepage and a MIME Charset, Agent assumes that there is a one-to-one mapping between codepage and charset codes.  This makes it possible for Agent to perform mappings for the double-byte character sets commonly used in Chinese and Japanese.  In these character sets, the codes 0x00-0x7F map to the standard ASCII codes, but codes 0x80-0xFF represent two-byte encodings, which must be transmitted as pairs.  By omitting the mapping table entries for these codes, you can force Agent to transmit the two-byte codes unchanged.

In Windows 95/98/2000/NT, Agent is able to use built-in Windows routines to convert between standard codepages and Unicode.  Thus, if a COD file contains no mapping table, and the COD file defines a standard Windows codepage, Agent will use the Windows routines to map between the codepage and Unicode.

Built-In Character Sets

Agent has built-in support for the following MIME charsets: US-ASCII (name ASCII), Unicode UTF-7 (name UTF7), and Unicode UTF-8 (name UTF8).

Agent is able to map between any codepage and the ASCII charset.

If the COD file for a given codepage has a mapping table, Agent is able to map between that codepage and the Unicode charsets.  Agent can also map a codepage to Unicode if all of the following are true: the COD file has no mapping table, the code page is a standard Windows codepage, and Agent is running in Windows 95/98/2000/NT.

Languages, Codepages and MIME Charsets

Agent uses its Language definitions to determine what Windows codepages to use for storing message text internally, and how to convert between the codepage encodings and MIME charset encodings when sending and receiving messages.  The General Preferences Languages dialog allows the user to specify the following character set attributes for each language:

What codepage to use internally to store and display the text of messages in the language.   This also determines what font to use.

What default MIME charset to assume when a received message omits the MIME charset declaration.  Normally, the default is ASCII, but for special situations, the user can select an alternative charset.  For example, users in Russia might commonly receive messages encoded in the KOI-8 charset, but which fail to include the proper declaration.

What MIME charsets to choose from when selecting the charset to use in transmitted messages.  Agent selects the first charset from the available list that most completely encodes the text of the message.

How Agent Selects a MIME Charset for Transmission

When formatting a message for transmission, Agent uses the following algorithm:

Use the message's defined Language to determine the Windows codepage that has been used to represent the message internally.  The Language also specifies which of the codepage's Outbound-Charsets lists is to be used to select a MIME charset.

Search through the Outbound-Charsets list to find the charset that encodes the largest number of characters in the message.  If more than one charset encode the same number of characters, select the first one.  Agent uses this method to try to select the charset that is likely to be readable by the largest number of receiving applications.  For example, it can be safely assumed that all usenet and mail programs can read ASCII-encoded messages.  So, if the message being sent can be encoded entirely in ASCII, Agent will normally choose ASCII.  Alternatively, if the message contains a small number of Latin accented characters, Agent may be able to encode it in ISO-8859-1, which is commonly used in the US and Europe.

When you Send (or Send Later) a message, Agent displays a warning message box if the text of the message (including the subject, body, signature, and any attachments to be included directly in the body) contains characters that cannot be encoded using the current Send As choice for the current Language.

The dialog displays a list of the characters that cannot be encoded.  It also allows the user to choose an alternative MIME Charset from a list of charsets that will correctly encode the message.  If the user chooses an alternative charset and presses either Yes or No, this sets the charset in the message's properties.  Pressing cancel prevents any changes.

Once the user has selected an alternative charset, either via the properties dialog or the warning message, Agent will not display the warning again, even if the user changes the message by adding characters that cannot be encoded using the alternative charset.  The theory here is that if the user explicitly selected a particular charset, then that's the one they want.

How Agent Determines the Language and Code Page for Displaying Received Messages

Each Agent group and folder has a default Language.  This language specifies the codepage that should be used by default for messages contained in that group or folder.  The user is also able to select a non-default Language for selected messages.  In addition, Agent can select an alternative display codepage on the fly if the default codepage is unable to represent the message text.

Agent uses the following algorithm to select the display codepage:

If the message declares a MIME Charset, Agent assumes that the text is encoded in that charset.  If the message contains no MIME Charset declaration, Agent assumes the default MIME Charset selected by the user for the message's selected language.  (Normally, this is ASCII.)

If the user has selected a non-default Language for the message, Agent uses that language to determine the preferred display codepage.  Otherwise, it uses the Group/Folders' default Language's codepage.

Agent searches the codepage's Inbound-Charsets list to see if the MIME Charset selected in step (1) is one of the charsets supported by the codepage.  If the charset is found in the list, Agent uses its COD file definitions to map the message text from the charset to the codepage.

If no charset was found in step (3), Agent searches all of its defined Languages, to find a codepage that supports the specified MIME charset.  If it finds one, it selects that codepage on the fly to display the message text.

If no codepage was found in step (4), Agent searches its list of known MIME charsets for the message's charset.  If the charset is found, Agent attempts to perform the best mapping possible between the charset and the message's selected codepage.

If the message charset is completely unknown, Agent uses the message's selected codepage and assumes a one-to-one mapping between the charset and the codepage.

See Also:

Using MIME Character Sets


Example

If the 10th line contains the value 0x81, it means that codepage 9 maps to MIME charset code 129.


Example

if the 130th line contains the value 0x9, it means that MIME charset code 129 maps to codepage 9.  The values in this section are limited to 0-0xFF.


Latin1 Character Set

MIME charset: ISO-8859-1

Windows codepage: 1252

ISO-8859-1 is identical to Windows codepage 1252, so the mapping between the two is trivial.  Characters in the range 0-127 are standard ASCII.  Characters in the range 128-255 are accented characters and additional punctuation.


ASCII Character Set

MIME charset: us-ascii

Windows codepage: 1252

This table is intended to be used if you want to force a message to use nothing but ASCII characters even if the original text contains characters from a language that uses other than ASCII characters.  Using this map guarantees that the message will use the 7-bit transfer encoding.

For mapping to MIME (outbound messages), the table maps all characters in the non-ASCII range (128-255) to the closest matching ASCII characters.  For example, accented é is mapped to plain ASCII e.  If a character has no ASCII match, it is mapped to question mark.

For mapping from MIME (inbound messages), the table makes no translations.  Thus, if a received message contains non-ASCII characters even though its declared charset is us-ascii, Agent leaves the non-ASCII characters unchanged.


Norwegian Character Set

MIMEcharset: NS_4551-1

Windows codepage: 1252

The Norwegian language uses three accented characters that are not in standard ASCII (for a total of six characters -- three lower case and three capital).  So, the MIME charset replaces six of the less common ASCII punctuation characters with the six accented characters.  In addition, the MIME charset replaces the ASCII tilde ~ with the macron character €.  This scheme has the nice characteristic that all codes are still in the 7-bit (0-127) code range.  Thus, messages transmitted with this map are guaranteed to use the 7-bit transfer encoding.

This table maps the seven character codes between their positions in the Windows codepage and their positions in the MIME charset.

In addition, where possible, the table maps all other non-ASCII characters in the codepage to the closest ASCII match.  For example, accented é (which is not used in Norwegian) is mapped to plain ASCII e.  For any characters that have no ASCII equivalents, the table maps to the question mark character.

Note that this map uses the special scheme for detecting non-ASCII characters in the ASCII code range.  If a message contains any of the seven Norwegian characters, the charset is declared to be NS_4551-1.  Otherwise, the message is declared to be us-ascii.  In either case the transfer encoding is always 7-bit.


Swedish Character Set

MIMEcharset: SEN_850200_B

Windows codepage: 1252

The Swedish language uses three accented characters that are not in standard ASCII (for a total of six characters -- three lower case and three capital).  So, the MIME charset replaces six of the less common ASCII punctuation characters with the six accented characters.  In addition, the MIME charset replaces two additional characters:

- The ASCII tilde ~ is replaced with the macron character €.

- The ASCII dollar sign $ is replaced with the currency sign ¤.

This scheme has the nice characteristic that all codes are still in the 7-bit (0-127) code range.  Thus, messages transmitted with this map are guaranteed to use the 7-bit transfer encoding.

This table maps the eight character codes between their positions in the Windows codepage and their positions in the MIME charset.

In addition, where possible, the table maps all other non-ASCII characters in the codepage to the closest ASCII match.  For example, accented é (which is not used in Swedish) is mapped to plain ASCII e.  For any characters that have no ASCII equivalents, the table maps to the question mark character.

Note that this map uses the special scheme for detecting non-ASCII characters in the ASCII code range.  If a message contains any of the eight Swedish characters, the charset is declared to be SEN_850200_B.  Otherwise, the message is declared to be us-ascii.  In either case the transfer encoding is always 7-bit.


KOI8 Russian Character Set

MIME charset: KOI8-R

Windows codepage: KOI8

This map should be used when you want to transmit messages in the Cyrillic KOI8 charset and are using a KOI8 Windows font for displaying message text in Agent.  Since the charset and codepage are identical, the map does no actual code translations.  However, the map does declare the charset for outbound message to be Russian.

Note that the KOI8 codes 0-127) are equivalent to ASCII.  So, if a message contains nothing but these codes, Agent will transmit it with a declared charset of us-ascii.


Windows Cyrillic Character Set

MIME charset: KOI8-R

Windows codepage: 1250

This map should be used when you want to transmit message in the Cyrillic KOI8 charset, but are using the Windows 1250 Cyrillic codepage and corresponding fonts for displaying message text in Agent.  The map translates between the two character sets.


Using MIME Quoted-Printable

Quoted-printable provides international character support (e.g., accented characters) via MIME.  The other type of text encoding commonly used when posting messages on the Usenet is 8-bit text encoding.  There are a few advantages for using quoted-printable versus 8-bit encoding:

1.	Quoted-printable uses only 7 bits to encode 8-bit characters.  Thus, information won't be lost when messages are transferred via 7-bit gateways.

2.	Quoted-printable correctly encodes non-ascii characters (such as accented characters).

3.	Quoted-printable allows lines of text to be arbitrarily long, by inserting invisible line breaks where necessary to keep the physical line lengths within prescribed limits.

On the Languages Tab of the General Preferences dialog box, you can choose either "7bit / 8bit" or "Quoted printable (MIME)".

Note: If Show Raw Message on the Message menu is checked, Agent will not convert quoted-printable messages.

Word-wrapping and quoted-printable

•	When you select "7bit / 8bit", Agent wraps the text of your messages so that no line is longer than the line length you have specified on the General Tab of the Posting Preferences dialog box.  Agent shows how the text will wrap as you type in the composition window.

•	When you select "Quoted printable (MIME)", Agent does not wrap the text of your messages.  Instead, Agent lets the lines be as long as you wish and includes breaks between the lines only where you insert hard line breaks yourself.  So, when you are typing a message that will be sent in quoted printable, Agent does not wrap the text on the display, unless you:

--	Enable "Word Wrap" on the Message menu, which causes the displayed text to wrap to fit your display, but leaves the original text unchanged.

--	Force quoted-printable to word wrap by checking "Word-wrap quoted-printable messages" on the General Tab of the Posting Preferences dialog box.

TIP: If you are sending messages to people who have MIME-capable email/newsreaders, you will probably find that quoted-printable is the best way to format your messages, since it allows you to type long paragraphs without having to worry about how they will be formatted.

If you are sending messages to people who don't have MIME-capable email/newsreaders, or if you are posting to newsgroups, where quoted-printable is not yet a universally accepted standard, you will probably find that 7bit / 8bit is the best way to format your messages.


Using MIME Types

If you've decided to use the MIME format to send messages, verify that the kinds of MIME attachments you will be using in your messages are listed on the MIME Types tab of the General Preferences dialog box.  If any types you will be using are not listed, you can add them to the list by pressing the Add button and completing the Add MIME Types dialog box.

Below is a brief description of the each of the MIME types and the default subtypes pre-configured for Agent.  Some common MIME types and subtypes you might add are also listed.

application

This refers to data that is either uninterpreted binary data, or information to be processed by a mail-based application.  On the MIME Types tab, the default subtype for application is "octet-stream", which is used to indicate uninterpreted binary data.  Other common applications you might add are "msword", "postscript", "wordperfect5.1", and "zip".

audio

This refers to data that invokes sounds.  Audio data requires an audio output device (i.e., a speaker or telephone) to hear the information.  The most common subtype is "basic".  Another subtype you might add is "32kadpcm".

image

This refers to graphic image data, which requires a graphical display, a printer, or a FAX machine to view the image.  The default image subtypes on the MIME Types tab are "gif" and "jpeg".  Another subtype you might add is "tiff".

message

This refers to a message within a message (encapsulated message).  The most common kind of encapsulated message is "rfc822".  Other subtypes you might add are "news" and "partial".

multipart

This refers to data consisting of multiple parts of two independent data types.  The most common kind of multipart message is "mixed".  Other subtypes you might add are "appledouble", "digest", and "report".

text

This refers to textual information.  The default subtype on the MIME Types tab is "plain".  Other subtypes you might add are "html" and "richtext".

video

This refers to images that are animated.  Video requires special equipment (typically a combination of hardware and software) to see the moving images.  The standard subtype is "mpeg".  Other subtypes you might add are "quicktime" and "vnd.vivo".

See Also:

All About Attachments


Sending a Digest

With Agent, you can create a digest and send it, usually to people on mailing lists.

To send a digest:

1.	In the Message List pane, select the messages to include in the digest.

2.	Select "Forward Verbatim" from the Post menu and press the button "Append to selected message".

Note: If you don't already have a composition window open, Agent will automatically open one and attach the messages to it.  In the subject field of the composition window, Agent uses the subject of the first of the selected messages.

3.	Select Properties from the Message Menu to bring up the Message Properties dialog box and make sure the Attachment format is MIME, and the option "Send attached messages as a Digest" is checked.

If you want to add more messages to the digest, you can return to the message list and select additional messages, choose Forward Verbatim, and append to the existing outgoing message.

Note: If you always want to send messages as a digest, you can check "Send attached messages as a Digest" on the Default Group Properties dialog box.  If you do this, you won't need to do step 3 above.

See Also:

Bursting a Digest


Bursting a Digest

If you are on a mailing list and expect to receive digests on a regular basis, you can set up Agent to burst the digests received, allowing you to see the contents of each digest as separate sections.

To have Agent burst a digest:

1.	From the Groups menu, select Properties (to apply bursting to a specific group) or Group Properties (to apply bursting to all groups).

2.	Click the Receive Files tab.

Note:  If you brought up the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box, make sure you check the Override default settings box.

3.	Check the box "Burst digests into separate messages" and press OK to close the dialog box.

The next time you receive a message with an attached digest, the digest will be separated into separate messages.

Note: After bursting a digest, Agent retains the complete original message so that you can:

•	access the message in its original form, in case something went wrong with the bursting

•	read any introductory text that might appear before the digest section.

•	forward or save the entire original message, if you wish.

Also, when Agent bursts a digest, it places all the messages in the same group or folder into which the original message is stored.  (Email filters are not applied to the individual files as they are stored.)

See Also:

Sending a Digest

Why doesn't Agent Burst Some Digests?


Choosing an Alternative Charset

When you Send (or Send Later) a message, Agent displays a warning message box if the text of the message (including the subject and other header fields, body, signature, and any attachments to be included directly in the body) contains characters that cannot be encoded using the current Send As choice for the current Language.

The dialog displays a list of the characters that cannot be encoded.  It also allows you to choose an alternative MIME Charset from a list of charsets that will correctly encode the message.  Pressing "Yes" tells Agent to send the message with the selected alternative charset.  Pressing "No" tells Agent to send the message with the default settings.  Pressing "Cancel" tells Agent not to send the message.

Once you have selected an alternative charset, either via the properties dialog or the warning dialog box, Agent will proceed through the parts of the message, encoding each part using either ASCII or the alternative character set selected.

If you send a message with an alternative charset selected in the Charset Query dialog, and then later resend the message, Agent will check the message and display the Query dialog if none of the default charsets nor the alternative charset selected previously can encode the message.  If either a default charset or the alternative charset can encode the message, Agent will send the message without any prompting.


RELEASE NOTES

Version 1.93

With version 1.93, we introduce customized versions of Agent for French, German, and Italian.  In these versions, the complete Agent user interface is translated.  (Sorry!  We haven't translated the online help yet.  We're working on it...)

For more information, see Using International Versions of Agent .

This release also includes the following improvements and bugs fixes:

•	In response to the complaints we received about version 1.92, we changed the way message line counts are stored and displayed:

-	Agent now stores exact line counts for values of less than 2 million lines.  For larger counts, Agent stores an approximate value that is accurate to 4 decimal digits.

-	You have the option to specify how Agent should display line counts that are too large to fit in the line count column.  On the Options | Display Preferences | Messages dialog box, you can choose either to display large counts in an abbreviated format (e.g. "123 M"), or to display "******".  You can also increase the width of the column to accommodate larger numbers.

-	If a line count is approximate (over 2 million), Agent displays the phrase "[Approximately <n> lines]" in the body pane.  In the message list pane, Agent rounds all but the most significant digits to zero.

•	We added an option to change the user interface language, on the Options | Display Preferences | Main Window dialog box.  This option allows you to choose which language Agent should use if you have downloaded and installed more than one international language resource DLL from Forte.

•	We added the name of the user interface language (e.g. "English (American)") to the Agent version number included in the X-Newsreader and X-Mailer header fields for messages that you send.  This additional information will make it easier for us to provide support to people using the international versions of Agent.

•	Agent now allows you to sample up to 1 million messages.  Previously, the limit was 32,767 messages.  (This change applies to 32-bit Agent only.)

•	When comparing subjects for threading, Agent now ignores leading and trailing space and tab characters, and treats sequences of more than one space or tab between words as a single space.  This should help Agent correctly group messages with subjects that differ only in the formatting of whitespace.

•	When composing a reply, Agent now uses the actual subject from the original message, not the subject retrieved in the message header. This ensures that the correct subject is used in the reply if there is some discrepancy between the two.

•	After you print multiple copies of a message, Agent now reverts the count to one copy the next time you print.  Agent used to retain the previous count.

•	If you unsubscribe from a newsgroup and tell Agent to purge all messages and properties, Agent now switches the group's sort back to Thread sort.

•	Because the UTF-7 MIME encoding is being phased out, we removed it from the choices available for the "Western Allow Unicode" language option.

•	We added a Getting Started option to the Help menu, to make it easier for new users to get the information they need.

•	Agent now allows the | vertical bar character to appear in email addresses.

•	We fixed a bug that could cause a database to become corrupted if it grew larger than 2 gigabytes.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to crash if you tried to save an attachment with a very long filename extension.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent sometimes to incorrectly format the Subject and other header fields when they were formatted with certain MIME encodings, such as UTF-7 and UTF-8.

•	We fixed a bug that could cause Agent to crash when encoding header fields with the UTF-7 character set.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to fail to mark messages read if you tested a new kill filter and selected the option not to have Agent delete the selected messages.

•	We fixed a bug that allowed a non-trash folder to continue using the Date Deleted sort if you selected a different folder to be the trash folder.

•	We fixed a bug that made it possible to inadvertently close the browser window after performing a spell check and sending a message from the composition window.

•	We fixed a bug that caused the status bar not to display descriptions for all top-level menus.

Version 1.92

Version 1.92 introduces a major upgrade of Free Agent.  Agent and Free Agent are now available as a single program, and Free Agent has many of the features that were previously available only in Agent, such as support for MIME attachments and non-English character sets.

When you first run Agent, you can choose to use it in one of three ways:

•	You can purchase a registration key from Forté to fully enable all of Agent's features.

•	You can try out all of Agent's features for 30 days free.  At the end of the trial, you can either purchase a registration key, or you can revert to running the program as Free Agent.

•	You can run the program as Free Agent, a newsreader-only version with fewer features.

This release also includes the following improvements and bugs fixes:

•	We increased the maximum size of the database file for each newsgroup and folder from 2 gigabytes to 4 gigabytes.

•	We increased the maximum thread nesting level that Agent can display from 15 to 127.

In previous versions, the maximum level that Agent would display by default was 6, although users could increase the level to 15.  So, if you are an existing user who is upgrading to version 1.92, you may want to increase the maximum level.  You can do that on the General Preferences dialog box, Message List tab.  On the same dialog box, you may want to decrease the Follow-Up Indentation value, so that more follow-ups fit on the screen.

If you are a new user, the default maximum nesting level is 30, and the default follow-up indentation is 3.  Of course, you can change these values if you wish.

•	Agent can now display message line counts of up to 4 billion lines.  In previous versions, the maximum count Agent could display was 500,000 lines.  Agent would display "******" for larger counts.

In the new version, for counts larger than 9999, the displayed value is only approximate.  And, so that large counts will fit in the "Lines" column, Agent uses the suffixes K for 1000 lines, M for 1 million lines, and G for 1 billion lines.

NOTE:  The K, M, and G suffixes indicate line counts, not message sizes in bytes.  To make this fact more obvious, we changed the name of the message list column header from "Size" to "Lines."

•	We added a Help | What's New menu option.  This command launches your web browser to visit Forté's web site to find out what's new with Agent.  Each time you visit the site, it automatically shows you what's happened since the last time you visited.

Agent also periodically displays a What's New Reminder dialog box, to remind you to visit our web site.  On the dialog box, you can change how often you want to be reminded, or disable the reminders altogether.

•	On the launch attachment confirmation dialog box, we made the default pushbutton No instead of Yes, to make it harder for users to accidentally launch an attachment that may contain a virus.

•	When MIME-encoding a message subject, Agent no longer encodes the initial "Re:" for replies.  We made this change because certain other programs fail to detect a reply when the "Re:" is encoded.

•	We added the option to disable automatic detection of yEnc-encoded attachments, either globally or for selected newsgroups.  This option is on the Receive Files tab of the Group Properties dialog box.

•	We improved Agent's parsing of subject lines for multipart binary posts, so that Agent is better able to detect and join multipart binaries.

•	We added an Update Registration Key option to the Help menu.  If you request a new registration key from Forté, you can use this option to update Agent with the new key.

•	Agent can now load its UI resources (menus, dialog boxes, accelerators, and strings) from a separate resource-only DLL.  This will make it easier for us to release non-English versions of Agent.

Version 1.91

Version 1.91 adds support for the new yEnc encoding method for binary attachments.  yEnc is similar to the traditional uuencoding method.  In the best case, it is 30% more efficient than uuencoding or MIME Base64; in the worst case, it is 50% less efficient.  yEnc also adds a mechanism for verifying the integrity of an attachment.  For more information, see About yEnc.

This release also includes the following improvements and bugs fixes:

•	We fixed an incompatibility with newer versions of Windows that sometimes caused Agent to freeze on startup or when launching a URL.

This bug fix may cause Agent to fail to function properly as the default web browser client for news and email URLs when operating with Netscape version 4.x or older.  To enable support for these earlier Netscape versions, check option "Support Netscape 4.x and older" on the URLs tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

NOTE:  Selecting the "Support Netscape 4.x" option may cause the freezing problem to recur.  If it does, we suggest upgrading to a newer version of Netscape instead.

•	We fixed a bug that could, in rare cases, cause the groups/folders list to become corrupted when you added, deleted, or renamed groups or folders.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to truncate extremely long URLs when launching a web browser.

•	We rearranged the Help menu to provide more direct access to the online help Contents, Index, and Find choices.  We also added a Post Support Question option, so that it's easier to find.  Finally, we added an option to go directly to our web site for support.

Version 1.9

Version 1.9 adds a Trash Folder feature that stores deleted messages for easy recovery.  For more information, see How to Use the Trash Folder.

This release also includes a number of improvements and bug fixes.

•	You can now use the Edit | Undo menu option to undo recent message move, copy, and delete operations.  Agent remembers and can undo the ten most recent operations.  Also, the Edit | Undo and Redo menu options now display what operation will be performed.

•	We improved Agent's handling of unknown attachment types, to better protect you against viruses.  Now, Agent assumes that most attachment types are potentially dangerous, and prompts for confirmation before launching them.  If you wish, you may declare specific types to be safe, if you don't want Agent to warn you before launching files of that type.

•	Agent now requires that you provide extra confirmation before deleting a group or folder, to better protect you from deleting one by mistake.

•	We improved the dialog box that pops up if  you have messages ready to send when you go offline or close Agent.  It now has various options for selecting what to do with the messages.

•	Agent now automatically disables the Windows Indexing Service for the folder containing Agent's databases.  We added this feature because under certain circumstances, the indexing service could corrupt Agent's databases.

•	In the Address Book and Pick Addresses dialog box, you can now press ESC to terminate the current incremental search, leaving the highlight on the current address book item.  This makes it easier to stop one search and begin a new one.

•	We updated the ISO 8859-7 charset COD file to include three characters recently added to the 8859-7 standard.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to crash during startup when certain versions of Netscape Navigator were installed on the computer.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to hang during startup when running under certain versions of Windows, especially Windows ME.

•	We fixed a bug that could cause Agent to fail to save a message being composed if you had saved the message, but Windows or Agent crashed before you closed Agent.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to report a "connection closed unexpectedly by server" error when the server reported an error immediately before closing the connection.  Now, Agent displays the actual error reported by the server.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to crash when display messages containing Japanese text with certain invalid escape sequences.

Version 1.8 Build 553 Interim Release

Version 1.8 Build 553 fixes problems that prevented users of MSN and Starband from sending email:

•	We added support for SMTP Secure Password Authentication (SPA), the new login method required by MSN for sending email.  To select SMTP SPA, open the Options | User and System Profile dialog box and select the System tab.  Next, click the SMTP Authentication button.  Finally, on the SMTP Authentication dialog box, select option "Login with Secure Password Authentication".

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to be unable to login to the Starband SMTP server for sending email.  When using Agent with Starband, you should select option "Login with a username and password" on the SMTP Authentication dialog box.

Version 1.8

Version 1.8 fixes several problems encountered in our previous release, version 1.7, as well as various other long-standing problems:

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to sometimes think that a news server did not require a login when it actually did.  This would cause Agent to disable future logins when it shouldn't.

•	We fixed a bug that caused the vertical scrollbar to work incorrectly when the number of items in the list exceed 64K.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to GPF after performing certain operations, while at the same time a message containing an attachment icon was displayed.

•	We fixed a bug that caused the Ctrl key to fail to invoke a copy operation when dragging messages from the Outbox.

•	We changed the name of one of the kill filter actions from "Skip" to "Delete", to be consistent with the name used elsewhere in the program.

•	We added logic to Agent to automatically search for its database files in the EXE directory and its DATA subdirectory when the files are not found in the "Start In" directory from which Agent is launched.  This change should prevent Agent from thinking it is performing a new installation when launched in the wrong directory.

•	We change the logic for handling the filenames for uuencoded attachments, to support quoted names.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to GPF if a message header field was longer than 4K characters.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to highlight the wrong text when the result of a Find operation was at the very beginning of the text.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to refuse to allow manual joins of multipart messages with fewer than three sections.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to lock up when retrieving new headers if the crosspost detection file, XPOST.DAT, was damaged.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to report a "DOS error 19" when database files became damaged in certain ways.  We also fixed a bug that caused Agent to damage the structure of a message when downloading certain multipart messages.

•	We increased the maximum length of a line in an imported newsrc file from 1024 to 30000 characters.

•	We added logic to Agent to correctly decode uuencoded files for which trailing spaces are incorrectly stripped by the encoding program.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to GPF when a DAT file exceeded the size limit of 2 gigabytes.  The limit still exists, but Agent now reports an error rather than crashing.

•	We added support for the Cyrillic KOI8-U and KOI8-RU MIME charsets.

•	We fixed a bug that caused the drag-and-drop caret to appear on the wrong line if the text has been scrolled.

•	We added a non-UTF option for the "Send As" choices for the Eastern European codepage.

•	We fixed a bug that sometimes caused an attachment copy operation from Agent to another application to fail.

•	We added support for SMTP authentication, for ISPs that require you to login to their mail server prior to sending email.  See the Options | User and System Profile | System dialog box for settings.

•	We added support for the Macintosh Western European MIME charset.

•	We added support for the new NEWGROUPS command syntax being used by some news servers, in which the year is specified using four digits.  Agent now tries the new syntax if the news server rejects a command using the old one.

Version 1.7

Version 1.7 fixes several problems encountered in our previous release, version 1.6:

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to read the entire GROUPS.IDX file once per second if the Online Get New Headers in Subscribed Groups button was on the toolbar.  This bug caused the slow operation reported by many users.

•	We fixed a bug that caused a stack overflow GPF when Agent encountered a file I/O error accessing its database.

•	We found that the charset warning message was confusing to many people.  It was especially confusing if you replied to a message that contained unencodable characters, and the warning was displayed because of the quoted text.  The essential problem is that common practice is to assume that the Windows 1252 codepage and charset iso-8859-1 are identical, even though they are not.  Since our attempt to wage a solitary fight for charset purity seems to have failed, we have added an option to Agent to have it follow common practice.  Thus, the default Languages Send As selection for codepage 1252 is now "Western Windows-compatible".  This selection causes Agent to assume that codepage 1252 and charset iso-88591-1 are identical, and to effectively eliminate the charset warning.  Charset purists are free to select one of the other "Western" options, which enforce strict RFC conformance.

•	Some 32-bit printer drivers report an erroneous result when asked to print multiple copies of a document.  This could cause Agent to go into an infinite loop, printing the same document forever.  We have added logic to Agent to detect this situation.

•	We fixed a bug that caused attachment filenames containing "&" to be displayed on the Composition Window with the "&" converted to an underscore.

•	We fixed a bug that caused a GPF if you pressed Ctrl+W or Ctrl+K when the Message Pane was empty.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to skip an unread message in the first group after a single-key-read operation caused Agent to return to the first group when no additional messages were unread.  This only happened when Options | General Preferences | Navigation "Skipping to next unread message jumps to first unread message in next group" was checked.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to prompt for the URL type when you did a Select/Copy URL on an email address or message-id.  Agent now always makes an educated guess.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to time out when sending the first section of a message containing a body long enough to cause the message to be sent in multiple sections.  This bug occurred only when 7bit/8bit encoding was selected.

•	We fixed two minor memory leaks.  (These leaks were present in Agent 1.5, too.)

•	We changed the encoding for the LHS of message-ids from base64 to base 32, to eliminate the % and = characters.  These characters were causing problems when people attempted to convert message-ids into URLs for lookups at DejaNews.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to URL-encode an email address in the form "Full Name <user@domain>" when you attempted to select and add the address to the Address Book.

•	Agent no longer converts the ESC character to a space when storing the subject in the message summary record in the database.  It turns out that Chinese charsets use the ESC character as an escape, and converting it to a space caused Chinese display utilities to fail.

•	We discovered an email server that formats the Status header field as "Status: OR", instead of the more common "Status: RO".  So, we modified the logic in Agent to assume that the message has already been retrieved if an "R" or "r" appears anywhere in the field.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to sometimes incorrectly decode messages using the utf-7 or utf-8 charsets when encoded with Quoted-Printable or Base64.  For example, the failure would occur if a message contained a single line at least 70 characters long and consisting of nothing but the character accented "e".

•	We added support for the Japanese iso-2022-jp MIME Charset.

•	We added support for the Chinese iso-2022-cn MIME Charset.  This Charset works with either of the two Chinese character sets, GB2312 and Big5.  If you expect to receive messages using both GB2312 and Big5, we recommend that you set up two Languages in Agent, one for codepage 936/GB2312 and the other for codepage 950/Big5.  One limitation in our implementation is that Agent cannot automatically determine which codepage to select for a message using iso-2022-cn.  So, when you receive a message encoded with iso-2022-cn, Agent will attempt to decode using the default Language for the group or folder in which the message is stored.  If the charset used in the message is for the other codepage, you must manually change the message's Language to the correct one.  (This situation should be obvious to you, because all of the Chinese characters will appear as "?" when the wrong codepage is selected.)

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to add an extra blank line to an outgoing message if a line ended with space characters and the spaces spanned the point at which Agent would wrap the line.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to remove certain control characters from the subject field of messages when inserting the subject in Agent's summary database.  It turns out that these control characters are used in certain Asian character sets.

•	We fixed a bug that caused the Message Pane display to become corrupted if you toggled raw mode or otherwise changed the format of the message display after performing a compaction operation that caused the absolute position of the message to change in the database file.

•	We fixed two bugs in the database compaction operation.  One bug caused the progress indicator to display invalid values when compacting large databases.  The other bug caused Agent to miscalculate the amount of free space on the disk when running under Windows 95 with disks larger that 2 gigabytes.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to fail to delete a temporary file if the automatic saving of an attachment failed during retrieval of a multipart message body.

•	Some MAPI systems cannot handle anything but simple email addresses of the form "user@domain".   So, we modified Agent to always convert addresses to the simple form when formatting messages to be sent via MAPI.  A new AGENT.INI option, [MAPI]UseFullAddress=<n> controls this behavior.  When the option is 0 (the default), Agent uses simple addresses; when it is non-zero, Agent uses full addresses, as in previous versions.

•	We fixed a bug that caused Agent to fail to display the icon for an attachment if the preceding text section ended without a final line break.

•	We fixed a bug that could cause Agent to save inbound email in a newsgroup rather than the default inbox folder if you moved AGENT.INI to a new database directory, in which the numeric IDs assigned to groups and folders were different.

•	We fixed a bug that caused the backspace command to sometimes fail to return to the correct pane.  Also, we added the INI option [Browser]BackupTracksPane to control whether Agent should return to the original pane when backing up.  When this option is 0, Agent stays in the current pane instead.

Version 1.6

Agent 1.6 provide enhancements and bug fixes in a number of areas:

•	Fixes for Y2K compliance, something important to everyone as the new millennium approaches.

•	Productivity enhancements in using Agent's composition window.

•	Improved behavior when errors occur.

•	Improved handling of international character sets, with support for the new Euro character and Unicode encodings.

Fixes for Y2K Compliance

1.	When displaying dates, the year was not padded for two-digit years less than 10.  This happened if you had the date format configured in your Windows control panel to display two-digit years. For years 2000-2009, the software failed to pad with the leading zero, and displayed the year portion of the date as 0 - 9 (e.g., 11/12/9, instead of 11/12/09 or 3/8/0, instead of 3/8/00.   This problem is cosmetic only, however, as messages would be displayed and purged correctly.

2.	Handling of certain two-digit years in a message's Date: field was incorrect.  If the Date: field in a message received by the software had a two-digit year, the software did not correctly interpret the year for values between 00 and 69. The software assumed the century was 1900, and subsequently incorrectly interpreted the date because it could not handle dates prior to 1970.  In addition, the software assigned the wrong time.  Messages affected by this problem were displayed and purged incorrectly. Note, however, that the vast majority of messages used four-digit dates, and were not affected.  Agent now correctly interprets the year value. Agent assumes that any year in the range 00-69 is in the 21st century, and any year in the range 70-99 is in the 20th century.

3.	When getting newsgroups (e.g. Get New Groups, Refresh Groups List...), Agent did not format the year correctly for years between 2000 and 2009.

Composing Messages

We've made a number of improvements to help you in composing messages and adding attachments.

1.	Edit and Undo/Redo for composition window

Previously, if you made a mistake (like deleting all the text you had just typed) when creating a message, you had no recourse, no chance of recovery.  We've fixed that, so that any sequence of operations that modifies the text of your message can be undone.  The list of operations that can be undone/redone includes typing, deleting, cutting, pasting, inserting a file, applying ROT13 encoding, and spell-check corrections.  In addition, undone operations can be redone, if you undo too far.  There is no limit to the number of operations that can be undone.

Agent combines any sequence of equivalent typing or deletion operations into a single undo operation.  For example, if you type the sequence of characters "abcd" without any intervening operations, a subsequent undo will delete the entire sequence "abcd".  Likewise, if you press the Delete key 10 times in a row, the undo operation will undo the 10 deletions at once.

See Undo/Redo.

2.	Paste Header Fields command

Previously, when you replied to or forwarded a message, Agent provided the option of selecting alternate entries for the To: and Cc: fields.  These selections were available through a drop-down combo box (i.e. click the arrow at the right of the field control to see your choices).  The new Edit | Paste Header Fields menu option replaces this functionality.

See Paste Header Fields for more details.

3.	Drag&Drop in the Composition Window

You can highlight and drag a block of text in the composition window, then drop it to another spot in the window.  Simply select the text to copy or move, then click on the text with your mouse and drag the text to its new desired location.  Release the mouse button and the text will drop into its new location.  If you drag and drop using the left mouse button, the text is dropped immediately.  If you use the right mouse button, the text is dropped under your control.  In this case, a dialog box appears and allows you to drop the text directly, or prefixed with the quoted-text character.

You can also drag and drop text between the composition window and other OLE-aware applications, such as Microsoft Word.

You can drag URLs to other applications, such as the desktop.  You can also copy URLs to the clipboard (e.g. right click on the URL and select "Copy") then past them into another application.  For example, if there is an email address to which you send messages regularly, you can copy this email URL to the desktop.  Double-clicking this URL on the desktop will open Agent's composition window, with the "To:" field filled in with this email address.

4.	Adding Attachments to Messages

You can now drag and drop a file onto the composition window.  The file is added to the list of attachments.  You can also drop a file onto the Attachments dialog box, with the same effect.

Perhaps even more simply, you can simply copy a file (say from Windows Explorer), and then paste it in one of two ways:

To paste the file as an attachment, open Agent's Attachments dialog box and click "Paste."

If the file contains text, you can paste the contents of the file directly into the text portion of the composition window by selecting Edit | Paste, Edit | Paste As Quote or Edit | Paste As Quote Custom (or right-clicking and selecting "Paste", "Paste As Quote" or "Paste As Quote Custom" from the context menu).

You can also drag attachments from received messages to other applications, and copy them to the clipboard for pasting into other applications.

For more information, see Drag&Drop and Clipboard Operations.

5.	Miscellaneous Improvements

Shift+Tab now works in the Text area of the Composition Window to move the focus backwards to the previous control.

The Cc: control on the Composition Window is now in the tab order immediately after the Subject: and before the Text: area.  This behavior is controlled by the new AGENT.INI param [Message]TabToCc=<n>, with a default value of 1.  Setting this to 0 restores the old tab order.

We added a new menu option, Edit | Paste As Quote Custom.  This option prompts you for the quote prefix to use.  We also added corresponding options to context menu that is displayed when you right-click and drag onto the Composition Window Text area.  The last prefix used is stored in INI param [Message]CustomQuotePrefix.

What Happens if an Error Occurs

Previously, when an online error occurred (e.g. the news server timed out), Agent would display a dialog box and not continue processing until you hit "Ok" on the dialog box.  This meant that any number of queued actions would be suspended until you realized an error had occurred.

Now, Agent will note and log the error, but continue processing.  To enable this new feature, use the Options | User and System Profile | Online tab.  Check the box "Continue processing after an online error occurs".  If you want to log online errors, check "Log online errors".  On this tab you can also set the maximum size and trimmed size of the log file.  What this means is that when the "Max size:" limit is reached, the file will be trimmed back to the "Trim to:" size.

When an online error occurs, the status bar at the bottom of Agent's window will display the current online status in red and the error message will be written to a log file.  To view the contents of the log file, simply select Online | View Error Log.  To remove the contents of the error file, select Online | Zap Error Log.

Improved Character Set Handling, including Support for the Euro Character

This release uses a new, more flexible, method for converting between character sets.  It also supports the Unicode UTF-7 and UTF-8 charsets.   See the help for the Options | General Preferences | Languages dialog and the COD File help for more information.

Unless you have written your own CSM file for a previous release of Agent, you don't have to do anything to enable this new feature, as Agent will handle everything automatically.  If you have written a CSM file for Agent, you may have to convert your file to the new COD format.  However, you may also find that the new version of Agent already supports your character set.

See Using Mime Character Sets and COD Files for details.

Other Enhancements

Users can no longer (the option is disabled) Get New Groups/Refresh Groups List if currently getting new groups or refreshing the groups list.  This is to help you avoid accidentally queuing the same groups command twice.

A wording change was made in the Observe no-archive option.  This option is found in the Group | Default Properties | Post tab.  To make the option less confusing, we changed it to read:  Observe X-No-Archive requests from original message in follow-ups.

Newer releases of some Web browsers and other applications force themselves to become the default news and mail clients.  Now, you can configure Agent to automatically override this behavior.  Use the Options | General Preferences | URL tab and check the "Override other clients automatically" box.

A navigation option was added allowing you to return to the first group after reading all unread messages.  When this option is turned on, Agent returns to the first news group when you invoke any navigation command and there are no unread messages below your current position.  To enable this behavior, use the Options | General Preferences | Navigation tab and check "Return to first group after reading all unread messages."

Agent now includes JS, VBS, SCR and REG files in the list of file types for which it issues a virus warning when you launch attachments.

The check for signature delimiters was modified to spot signatures that have been altered by PGP.  The change is in agent.ini: [Message]SignatureDelimiter is now [Message]SignatureDelimiter2 = "^(- )?--( )?$".

Agent will now support POP email user names that contain the "@" character.  Previously, Agent stripped the @domain portion from the name.  Now, it leaves the @domain intact unless the domain name is identical to the email server name.

Agent uses a new method to generate the message-id field, which should eliminate the possibility that Agent will ever generate the same ID twice.

The default formatting for the Date: field in outbound message from GMT time has been changed to local time.  To effect this change, the INI param [Message]GMTDates is superseded by GMTDate2, with a new default value of 0.

The time zone designator for GMT has been changed from "GMT" to "+0000".

You can now set the width of the left and right margins for displayed text in the Message Pane and Composition Window.  The margins are set with the new Options | Display Preferences | Messages tab, Margins setting.  A setting of zero (the default) sets the margins as they have been in previous versions of Agent.  The corresponding INI param is [Article]Margins=<n> (default is 0).

Agent now retains the group/folder selection highlight when the following dialogs are displayed: Group Properties, Delete group/folder confirmation, Unsubscribe confirmation.

Pressing the X button now toggles the unread state of the selected messages.  (Interim note: We did not add a corresponding menu option or toolbar button, because we decided that doing so would open a big can of worms.)

The subject for unread messages is now displayed in a different color on the Message Pane header.  This can be particularly useful when using the new "X" toggle described above and working in a zoomed Message Pane.  (Interim note: We decided to color the subject only, because it is bold and displays best when a color other than black.)  You can change the color on the Options | Display Preferences | Colors dialog.    The INI param is [Colors]HeaderUnreadColor=<...>.

The default format for the user's From: email address is now "Full Name <user@domain>".   The new INI param [Profile]EMailAddressFormat=<n> controls the format.  The following formats are available:

0 - Full Name <user@domain> (the default)

1 - user@domain (Full Name)

2 - user@domain

Agent now throws away the final blank line of imported messages.  This change was made to conform to the Unix file format standard, in which an extra blank line is appended to each message in the file.

Agent now fully handles the mailto URL syntax specified by RFC 2368.

Agent now recognizes attachment subject lines of the form <filename>(<n>/<m>), in which there is no whitespace between the filename and the parenthesized section numbers.

Agent now recognizes URLs of the form ICQ:<text> or ICQ#<text>.

For two-site email operation, Agent now recognizes both "Status: R" and Status: RO" header fields to indicate that a message has already been retrieved from the POP server.

Bug Fixes

Agent incorrectly allowed an email address to be in the Follow-Up To field in a newsgroup message.  Agent can now see an @ sign in this field and set the field to Poster.

If the Follow-Up To field contained more than one item, Agent assumed you were cross-posting and prompted accordingly.  Now, Agent parses the contents of the field to determine if it's an email address or newsgroup name.

When you performed a Reply To All, Agent failed to include the Bcc setting, if you had specified a Bcc address either manually or in the Group Properties.

It was possible in some situations that moving one of Agent's pane dividers while another operation was in place could cause the divider to become "stuck", not responding to further attempts to move it.

Agent could delete a group's messages if it was unable to open the group's .idx or .dat files.   Agent no longer erases newsgroup message files that can't be opened.

If the portion of the IDX file belonging to the currently displayed message became corrupted, Agent would GPF.

Pressing ESC on the Signature dialog caused the dialog box to appear blank.

Internet Explorer 4.x failed to launch mailto URLs in Agent if Internet Explorer was started before Agent.

Time zone conversion was incorrect when the date of the message was outside of current Daylight Savings / Standard Time period.  For example, if you received a message in January at 10:00 AM, during July Agent would incorrectly report that you had received it at 11:00 AM.  Now, the conversion is applied relative to the DST conversion in effect when the message was received.

Agent was not checking for certain syntactically invalid message-ids when adding the in-reply-to field to a message's references.  This check is required because some mail clients stick invalid ids in the field, causing the reply message to be rejected by the server when it was sent.

Eudora doesn't add the previous message into a reply message's References header.  Agent works around this by copying the Eudora message's Reply-To field to the References field when creating a reply message.

When pasting a signature manually (Ctrl+I) Agent added an extra blank line to the signature.

F3 did not work to "Find Next" in the Address Book.

When the first action performed after opening Agent was to select multiple items using the right mouse button, a bug caused Agent to clear all selections.

Sometimes Agent would GPF when you pressed backspace in the Composition Window.

Sometimes Agent would GPF when doing a Find for accented characters.

Agent displayed sent messages with the wrong font when a message was sent with a language different than the default language for the folder in which the message was saved.

Agent failed to recognize FAT32 disk volumes (which were introduced with Windows 98), and incorrectly eliminated all non-DOS/FAT16 characters from filenames when it saved attachments to FAT32 volumes.  For example, it converted spaces to underscores.

ROT13 was modifying hidden formatting text.


Display Preferences dialog box, Browsers tab
Display Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

Browsers Tab

Scroll Margins

Enter the number of rows you want to remain visible above or below the highlighted row when scrolling up or down in the Message List pane and Message pane.

Show Author's full email address

Check this box for Agent to show the author's full email address for each message header in the Message List pane.


Display Preferences dialog box, Colors tab
Display Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

Colors Tab

Use this dialog box to define the colors of text in Agent.

Normal Lines

Choose the color for groups, folders, and read message headers.

Unread Messages

Choose the color for unread message headers.

Highlighted Unread Messages

Choose the color for unread message headers when they are selected.  This is usually the inverse of the Unread Messages color.

Normal Text

Choose the color for body text.

Quoted Text

Choose the color for quoted text within a message's body.

URLs

Choose the color for URLs.

Unread Messages

Choose the color that will be used when showing the subject of a message that is marked unread while viewing the message in the Message Pane.  This can be especially useful when viewing the message in zoomed mode.  (Hit the X key to toggle the read/unread state of the message and observe the color change.)


Display Preferences dialog box, Main Window tab
Display Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

Main Window Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab controls how Agent's Browser window appears and behaves.

Show Toolbar

Check this box to display the Agent toolbar directly below the menubar.

Size of buttons

Specify the percentage to expand or shrink the buttons.  100% displays the buttons in the default, 20-pixel by 20-pixel size.  A number greater than 100% expands the buttons, less than 100% shrinks the buttons.  Size changes are effective in increments of 5%.  For example, any percent from 101% to 105% will cause the buttons to expand by 5%, to 105% percent of nominal size.

Show Status Bar

Check this box to display the Agent status bar at the bottom of the window.

Reposition on last message when restarting program

Check this box to have Agent reposition itself on the message that was selected at the time you last closed Agent.

Display Language

Use this option to select the language for Agent's user interface.  By default, Agent uses the English (American) user interface that is built into AGENT.EXE.  Forté makes available special resource DLL files for other languages.  If you have installed one of these files, Agent automatically uses the user interface from that file.  You can use this option to override the default selection and force Agent to use a particular language.

Note:  Changes to the display language take effect the next time you restart Agent.

For more information, see Using International Versions of Agent .


Display Preferences dialog box, Messages tab
Display Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

Messages Tab

Tab Spacing

Enter the length of tab stops, in characters.

Margins

Enter the size of the left and right margin (in characters) for displayed text in the Message Pane and the Composition Window.

Quoted Text Markers

Enter the characters that commonly appear in follow-up messages signifying that text on the same line is quoted from the original message.  Agent displays this text in the color defined by the Quoted Text setting on this dialog box's Colors tab.

Show Dividers between sections

Check this box to display a horizontal dividing line between the different sections of messages in the Message pane.  For example, if you have enabled "Show all Header Fields" on the Message menu, there will be a divider between the header fields and the body of the message.

How to display URLs

Highlight in a different color

the URL to be highlighted, you must also ensure that the "Enable highlighting and launching" Check this box if you want URLs to be highlighted in a different color than normal text.  For option on the General Preferences URL Types tab is checked.

Underline

Check this box if you want URLs to be underlined.

Highlight in Composition window

Check this box if you want all URLs that appear in the message composition window to be highlighted.

How to display line counts that are too large

These options control how line counts should be displayed in the message list pane when the numbers are too wide to fit in the display column.

Display in abbreviated format

Display large numbers in a shortened format.  Example: "123 M" .

Display as "******"

Instead of display the number, display a series of asterisks.

Note:  Another way to make large numbers visible is to make the column wider.  You can do that by clicking and dragging the right edge of the column header.

Show buttons on composition window

Checking this box shows the row of buttons "Send Now", "Send Later", "Save", "All Fields", "Cancel", and "Help" located above the Text input window.  The default toolbar icons at the top of the composition window include all of these functions already, so normally you'll want to uncheck this box to hide the buttons and provide more vertical space in the window.  (Space is a precious commodity here!)  However, if you customize the toolbar and replace the default icons with others, you can always check this box to again show these buttons.  The option is yours.


General Preferences dialog box, Confirmations tab
General Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

Confirmations Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab controls the confirmation messages Agent displays.  These messages warn you when you are about to perform an irreversible action.

Delete Groups or Folders

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when you manually delete a group or folder.

Delete messages to Trash folder

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when you manually delete a message to the trash folder.

Delete Messages permanently

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when you manually delete a message permanently.

Delete Trash messages permanently

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when you manually delete a message from the trash folder.

Delete Messages after Filtering

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message for deleting messages when after you apply a filter.

Stop online tasks

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when you cancel an online operation.

Close Program while online tasks are running

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when you exit Agent while it is communicating with the news server.

Send Queued messages when closing program

Check this box and Agent will give you the option of transmitting all Usenet messages (those for which you pressed the Send Later button) to the Internet when you exit the program.  When unchecked, your queued messages are not automatically sent.

Send Queued messages when going offline

Check this box and Agent will give you the option of transmitting all Usenet messages (those for which you pressed the Send Later button) to the Internet when switching from online to offline mode.

Delete saved attachments

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when you manually delete any saved attachments.

Delete message Bodies

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when you manually delete a message body.

Delete Outbox messages to trash

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when you manually delete a message from the Outbox window to the trash folder.

Delete Outbox messages permanently

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when you manually delete a message from the Outbox window permanently.

Close message composition window

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when you close a posting or email window without sending the message first.

Empty Trash

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message when select the Group | Empty Trash command.

Launch attachments

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message before running an executable attachment detached from a message.  This option protects you from launching attachments that may contain viruses.

Manage Launch Confirmations

Press this button to manage the list of attachment types that you consider to be safe to launch with a warning confirmation.

Mark all messages in selected groups read or unread

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message before marking all the messages in selected groups or folders read or unread.

Mark all messages in All newsgroups read or unread

Check this box and Agent will display a confirmation message before marking all the messages in all groups read or unread.

Default action in confirmation dialogs is YES

Check this box to make "Yes" the default button on all confirmation dialog boxes.  The default button is the one activated when you press the Enter key.


Connect To dialog box

(Windows 95 and later)

Use this dialog box to define the username and password that the user must enter manually before dialing-up a connection.

Connection

From the list, highlight the name of the connection to be used.  The list contains all the connections currently defined by the Dial-Up Networking (DUN).

User Name/Password

Enter the username and password to be used for the connection.

Save Password

Check this box to have Agent save the password for subsequent connections.  Agent will automatically enter your password for you, eliminating the need to reenter it each time a new connection is attempted.

Phone Number

Enter the phone number used to dial-up a connection.  If you leave this entry blank, Agent will use the default phone number stored in the DUN database for this connection.

Yes

Press this button to start dialing.

No

Press this button to cancel the dial-up connection, but still go online.  Note: If you have the Control Panel Internet Auto Dial option enabled, DUN will probably then display its own Connect To dialog box.

Cancel

Press this button to cancel the dial-up connection and not go online.


General Preferences dialog box, Message List tab
General Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

Message List Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab controls how messages are formatted.

Enable threading by subject

Check this box to have Agent include messages with the same subject under the same thread, even if the follow-up message doesn't contain a valid reference to the original.  People frequently mis-post responses and this helps match follow-ups with the message to which they are responses.

Checking this box will also cause Agent to thread your email messages.

Start a New thread...

Check this box to create a new thread when a follow-up Usenet message's subject is different than the main message's subject.  When unchecked, Agent attaches follow-up messages to the original even when the subject of the thread changes.

Expand thread if necessary to highlight current body pane message

Check this box to have Agent expand the thread in the Message List pane, so that the current message is visible.

Initial thread setting

Select the thread state you wish to see in the Message List pane whenever you open Agent.  The choices are collapse all threads, expand all threads, expand unread threads (i.e., any thread containing unread messages), and expand threads with unread bodies.

When skipping to unread follow-ups

Select the thread state you wish to see when you skip to an unread message.  The choices are to not expand the thread, expand the thread, or expand active threads.

These options are further modified by the following special cases:

•	If you use one of the View navigation commands to view the body of an unread message and the current setting is "Do not expand", then "Expand active threads" is used.

•	The View Next Unread Message Body command on the Navigate menu always expands the thread, even if the message is the first message in the thread.

Follow-Up Indentation

Enter the amount of space, in characters, that follow-up messages should be indented from their parent in the Message List pane.

Maximum Follow-Up Level

Enter maximum number of response levels (responses to responses) that you want displayed in the Message List pane.  Any responses deeper than this appear at the most indented level.

Reply Prefixes

This is a list of all the prefixes Agent will recognize.  Agent uses this prefix when processing message subjects.  There are times when Agent needs to identify and remove the reply prefix "Re:".  By convention, most people use "Re:" to signify a reply, though "Re" actually comes from the Latin "Res", which essentially means "Concerning the matter".  Other languages use different prefixes for the same purpose as "Re:".  For example, the prefix commonly used in German is "AN:".  In this entry box, enter any prefix not on the list that you want Agent to recognize.  Prefixes can be separated either by a space or comma.  Also, when Agent searches for prefixes, the match is case-insensitive, so it doesn't matter whether you enter prefixes in upper or lower-case.

Note:  Agent always assumes that a reply prefix ends with a ":" colon, so you should not include colons in the prefix list.

Date sorts most recent first

Check this box and Agent will display the newest messages at the top of the Message pane when it is sorted by date.  When this box is unchecked, the newest messages appear at the bottom of the pane.  Note: You must resort the Message pane for this change to take effect.

Size sorts largest first

Check this box and Agent will display the largest messages at the top of the Message pane when it is sorted by size.  When this box is unchecked, the largest messages appear at the bottom of the pane.  Note: You must resort the Message pane for this change to take effect.

Date deleted sorts most recent first

Check this box and Agent will display the most-recently deleted messages at the top of the Message pane when it is sorted by date deleted.  When this box is unchecked, the most-recently deleted messages appear at the bottom of the pane.  Note: You must resort the Message pane for this change to take effect.  (This sort is available on in the Trash folder.)


Expand active threads

This means Agent will expand the thread if any of the following are true:

•	The first message in the thread has a body and has been read.

•	The thread is watched.

•	The unread message being skipped to has a body.


General Preferences dialog box, Navigation tab
General Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

Navigation Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab controls how Agent behaves when you are navigating within a browser window.

Skipping to the next unread message...

Check this box and Agent will keep your focus in the same pane when you skip between messages in different groups or folders.

Return to first group after reading all unread messages

Check this box and Agent returns to the first news group when you invoke any navigation command and there are no unread messages below your current position.  This can be useful if you want to loop back to the beginning of the groups list after making a complete pass through all unread messages.

Marking or ignoring...

Check this box and Agent will automatically skip to the next unread message after you mark a Usenet message for retrieval or select a thread to be ignored.

Watching an Unread message skips to the next unread message

Check this box and Agent will automatically skip to the next unread message after you select Watch Thread (or press W) when an unread Usenet message is highlighted.

Skipping to the next unread Group marks all messages in current group read

Check this box to have Agent automatically mark all the messages in the current group or folder "read" when you choose Skip to Next Unread Group.

Single-Key Read views next unread message body

Checking this box enables you to view the next unread body by simply pressing the Space bar, while the Groups/Folders pane or Message List pane has the focus.  (This has the same effect as using the View Next Unread Body command.)

When unchecked, the behavior is as follows, depending on the current focus:

•	If the focus is in the Message pane, pressing Space bar causes Agent to skip to the next unread message in a thread.

•	If the focus is in the Message List pane or Groups/Folders pane, pressing the Space bar causes Agent to skip to the next unread message.

Clicking mouse wheel Button (middle button) does single-key read

If you are using Microsoft's Intellimouse, you can check this box to do a single-key read by clicking the mouse wheel (see previous option).

Page down before advancing to next message

If you're using a 3-button mouse, checking this box allows you to press the middle button to page-down before jumping to the next message.

Automatically mark messages read

These three options control when Agent will automatically mark messages read.  Select the desired behavior, as described below:

•	Whenever the message body is visible in the Message pane - When this option is selected in three-pane mode, Agent marks a message read whenever the body appears in the Message pane, no matter which pane has the focus.

•	Only when the Message pane is selected - When this option is selected, Agent will only mark a message read when the focus is on the Message pane.  This reduces the risk of accidentally marking a message read when just browsing in the Message List pane.

•	Never - When this option is selected, Agent will not automatically mark messages read when you are navigating in the panes.  In this case, you can manually mark messages read by highlighting the messages and selecting Mark Read from the Message menu.

•	When Replying to or forwarding a message - This option is self-explanatory.  When it's selected, Agent will automatically mark messages read when you reply to or forward a message.

See Also:

Navigating in Agent

Watching and Ignoring Threads


General Preferences dialog box, Newsrc tab
General Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

Newsrc Tab

Use this dialog box to control whether Agent should import a newsrc file on program startup and export a newsrc file on program exit.

Import newsrc file on startup

Check this box to automatically import groups from the newsrc file when you start Agent.  When this box is checked, the four import options below are activated.

Update retrieved message counts

Check this box to update retrieved message counts when groups from the newsrc file are imported.

Mark messages read only

Check this box for Agent to use the newsrc ranges to mark existing messages read, but not to mark any messages unread.  When you uncheck this box, Agent also marks as unread any messages not listed in the newsrc range.

Update List of subscribed groups

Check this box to update the list of subscribed groups when groups from the newsrc file are imported.

Add new Groups

Check this box to add new groups when importing a newsrc file.

What to do with Extinct Groups

Choose the way that you would like Agent to handle groups which are listed in Agent, but which are not in the newsrc file.  There are three options:  keep all extinct groups, delete extinct groups that are empty, or delete all extinct groups.

Export newsrc file on exit

Check this box to export groups to the newsrc file when you close Agent.

Export Subscribed groups only

Check this box to export only subscribed groups when you close Agent.

File

Enter the name of the file you want to import or export.  If you do not know the name of the file, you can browse for the file by pressing the Browse button.

Browse

If you do not know the name of the newsrc file that you want to import or export, press this button to browse your directories to find the desired file.

See Also:

About Newsrc Files


Select Newsrc File (Browser button on Newsrc tab)
Select Newsrc File

Use this dialog box to browse and select the directory in which the newsrc file to be exported resides.

Look in

Browse to find the folder in which the file is located.

File name

Enter the name of the text file to export.

Files of type

Select the type of files you want to display in the list of files.


General Preferences dialog box, URL Types tab
General Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

URL Types Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab controls how specific URL types are handled.

URL

Select a URL type for which you want to define launching settings.

Enable highlighting and launching

For any URL type you select, you can check this box to enable highlighting of that type of URL so that it can be launched.  For the URL to be highlighted, you must also ensure that the "Highlight in different color" option on the Display Preferences Messages tab is checked.

Share settings with the http protocol

If you check this box, the selected URL protocol above will share the settings of the http protocol.  (If the URL type selected is http, then this option becomes inactive.)

Remove URL prefix when launching

Check this box to have Agent remove the URL prefix when launching a URL in a message.

How to launch the URL

Select the way that you want Agent to launch the URL.  The choices are to use Windows' registry settings, use custom settings, and send URL to Agent.  If you select "Use Custom settings", you will define the custom settings in the fields below.

Application

Enter the application used to launch the URL and its location.  If you don't know what this is, press the Browse button and browse your directories to find the application.

Use DDE

Check this box to launch the URL by sending a DDE message to the application.  If you check this box, the remaining fields in the dialog box become active.  Complete these fields as described below.  You will need to refer to the application's documentation to determine how to define the DDE settings.

DDE Message

Enter the DDE command that should be sent to the application to launch the URL.  Place a %1 in the message to represent the actual URL.  Agent will replace the %1 with the URL when it sends the message.

Application

Enter the DDE name used by the application string used to respond to DDE messages.  For example, enter "Netscape" for Netscape Navigator.

Topic

Enter the DDE topic string used to request the application to launch a URL.

Method

Select the method that should be used to send the URL to the application.

The choices are Execute and Request.  If you are using the Topic "WWW_OpenURL", you should set the method to Request.  In most other cases, you should use Execute.  But, you'll have to refer to the application's documentation to be sure.

Settings for Specific Browsers

(For more information, see our FAQ at http://www.forteinc.com/support/faq.php.)

Netscape 4.x

DDE Message:	"%1",,-1,,,,,

Application:	Netscape

Topic:	WWW_OpenURL

Method:	Request

Netscape 6 and Mozilla .9x and later

DDE Message:	"%1"

Application:	Mozilla

Topic:	WWW_OpenURL

Method:	Execute

Opera 5.x and later

DDE Message:	%1

Application:	Opera

Topic:	WWW_OpenURL

Method:	Request

Internet Explorer 5.x and earlier

DDE Message:	"%1",,0xFFFFFFFF,,,,,

 Application:	IExplore

Topic:	WWW_OpenURL

Method:	Request

Internet Explorer 6.x SP1 and later

DDE Message:	"%1",,-1,0,,,,

 Application:	IExplore

Topic:	WWW_OpenURL

Method:	Request

See Also:

Configuring Agent as the default Web Browser Service: Internet Explorer Users

Configuring Agent as the default Web Browser Service: Netscape Users

Configuring CuteFTP to handle URLs from Agent

Configuring WS_FTP to handle URLs from Agent


URL Types

file: File

ftp: File Transfer Protocol

gopher: Gopher

http: Hypertext Transfer Protocol

https: Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol

mailto: Electronic Mail Address

news: Usenet News

nntp: Usenet News

snews: Secure Usenet News

telnet: Telnet

wais: Wide Area Information Servers


Example of DDE Settings

DDE Message:	\"%1"\",,0xFFFFFFFF,,,,,

Application:	Netscape

Topic:	WWW_OpenURL

Method:	Request


General Preferences dialog box, URLs tab
General Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

URLs Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab controls different Agent actions associated with URLs.

Make Agent the web browser service for

Check "Usenet news" and/or "Email" if you want your web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer or Netscape) to launch Agent as the default newsreader and/or email application.

If you are running under Windows 3.1, you don't need to do anything else.  If Agent is running, Internet Explorer will use Agent as the default newsreader/email application.

If you are running under Windows 95 or later, you must go to Internet Explorer and select Options from the View menu and click the Programs tab.  On the Programs dialog box, select Agent for the "Mail" and/or "News" settings.

IMPORTANT!  If you're running multiple copies of Agent (i.e., multiple directories containing AGENT.INI and Agent data files), it's important to note that you can only make one copy the default web browser service.  Leave these boxes unchecked for all other copies.

Override other clients automatically

Newer releases of some Web browsers and other applications force themselves to become the default news and mail clients.  Check the "Override other clients automatically" box to instruct Agent to make itself the client again without asking for confirmation.

Support Netscape 4.x and older

Check this box if you are running Netscape 4.x or older and Agent fails to respond to mail or news URLs launched from Netscape.  This option causes Agent to use an obsolete method to signal its presence to the web browser.  This option is turned off by default because on some Windows systems, the obsolete signalling method causes Agent to freeze on startup or when another application is started.

NOTE:  With certain versions of Windows, selecting the "Support Netscape 4.x" option may cause Agent to freeze on startup or when you launch other applications.  If it does, we suggest upgrading to a newer version of Netscape instead.

Double-click to launch

Checking this box allows you to launch a URL in a message by double-clicking the URL.  If you uncheck this box, double-clicking just selects the text (i.e., it does not launch the URL or copy it to the clipboard).

Note: There are a variety of formats for URLs.  Even if Agent does not seem to readily recognize a URL with an uncommon format, you can still launch it by dragging the mouse across the URL to select it, then right-clicking the selection and choosing "Launch URL" from the context menu that appears.

Copy to clipboard

Check this box to have Agent copy the URL to the clipboard at the same time as it launches the URL.  Note: This option only applies when you launch a URL.  (See the previous option.)

Force web browser to open a single Window

This option forces your web browser (e.g. Netscape or Internet Explorer) to use its current window for displaying URLs sent to it by Agent, even if the browser is normally configured to open a second window.

Technical Note: This option forces the argument passed via the WWW_OpenURL command to be:

"%1",,0xFFFFFFFF,,,,,

no matter what the settings for the given URL type say it should be.  So, if you're a Netscape user and this is checked, you shouldn't have to make any changes to Agent to cause Netscape to load one copy of itself.

NOTE: This option applies only when the setting "Use Custom Settings" is selected on the URL Types tab.  For "Use Windows registry settings", Agent launches the web browser as configured in the Windows registry.

How to interpret a name@domain URL

Select the way in which you want Agent to interpret URLs detected in a message.  Because there is a potential ambiguity between an email address and a news/email message ID, you need to tell Agent how to resolve the ambiguity when it is encountered.  By default, Agent uses a method that attempts to distinguish between the two, that is to "make an educated guess".  But you have the following options.

Search for message URLs in

Select the groups in which you want Agent to search for URLs either in the current group, subscribed groups, or all groups.

Folders

Check this box to have Agent search for the range of groups selected above in all of your folders.

News Server

Check this box to have Agent search for the range of groups selected above in your News Server.

Prompt before going online

Check this box if you want Agent to let you know when it's going online.

Open a new window in Agent to launch message-id URLs

Checking this box opens a new Agent window to launch message-id URLs so that you do not lose your place in the current browser.

See Also:

Launching and Copying URLs

Configuring Agent as the default Web Browser Service: Netscape Users


Choices for Interpreting URLs

Prompt for action - A dialog box will prompt you each time to allow you to choose an action.

Assume the URL is an email address - Agent will treat each URL that it detects as an email address (i.e., <name>@<domain>).

Assume the URL is a message-id - Agent will treat each URL that it detects as a message id.

Make an educated guess - A URL of the form "local@domain" can either be an email address or a message-id.  When you select "Make an educated guess", Agent examines the "local" part of the URL to guess which it is.  Agent assumes that the URL is a message-id if either of the following is true.

•	The local part contains at least 10 characters, at least half of which are digits.

•	The local part is in the format used by the INN news server to generate message-ids, using the following criteria:

--	The local part matches the regular expression shown below:

"^([0-9a-vA-V]+)\$([0-9a-vA-V]+)(_[0-9]+)?"

--	There are between 6 and 7 characters before the "$".

--	There are between 2 and 7 characters after the $ and before the optional _.


Launch URL dialog box
Launch URL

Use this dialog box to specify manually if a URL you wish to launch is an email address or message-id, rather than to have Agent automatically determine the difference.  This dialog box appears if you've selected "Prompt for action" on the URLs tab of the General Preferences dialog box as the way to interpret a name@domain and then double-click a URL in a message to launch it.

Email Address

Press this button if the URL you wish to launch is an email address.

Message-id

Press this button if the URL you wish to launch is a message-id.

In the future

Select one of four actions you want Agent to perform each time a URL is detected in messages.


Future actions for Agent to take:

Display the message again - Select this option if you want Agent to prompt you each time you double-click a URL, to allow you to manually specify the URL type.

Always assume the URL is an email address - Select this option if you want Agent to treat each URL that it detects as an email address (i.e., <name>@<domain>).

Always assume the URL is a message-id - Select this option if you want Agent to treat each URL that it detects as a message id.

Make an educated guess - A URL of the form "local@domain" can either be an email address or a message-id.  Select this option to have Agent examine the "local" part of the URL to guess which it is.  Agent assumes that the URL is a message-id if either of the following is true.

•	The local part contains at least 10 characters, at least half of which are digits.

•	The local part is in the format used by the INN news server to generate message-ids, using the following criteria:

--	The local part matches the regular expression shown below:

"^([0-9a-vA-V]+)\$([0-9a-vA-V]+)(_[0-9]+)?"

--	There are between 6 and 7 characters before the "$".

--	There are between 2 and 7 characters after the $ and before the optional _.


Configuring Agent as the Default Web Browser Service (Internet Explorer)
Configuring Agent as the Default Web Browser Service

Microsoft Internet Explorer Users

(Windows 95 and later)

You can define Agent as the newsgroup and/or email application to be used by your web browser whenever you launch a URL.  This topic tells you exactly how to do this if you are running Windows 95 and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

To configure Agent as the default web browser service:

1.	In Agent, select General Preferences from the Options menu to bring up the General Preferences dialog box and click the URLs tab.

2.	Under "Make Agent the web browser service for" field, check "Usenet news" and/or "Email", if you want one or both of these to be the default application used whenever you launch a newsgroup or email URL from Internet Explorer.

3.	In Internet Explorer, select Options from the View menu and click the Programs tab.  On the Programs dialog box, select Agent for the "Mail" and/or "News" settings.

And that's all there is to it!


Configuring Agent as the Default Web Browser Service (Netscape)
Configuring Agent as the Default Web Browser Service

Netscape

You can define Agent as the newsgroup and/or email application Netscape uses whenever you encounter a Usenet or email URL on a web page and attempt to launch it.  The procedure below assumes that you're running Netscape 3.x.

To configure Agent as the default web browser service:

Windows 3.1x or NT3.51

1.	In Agent, select General Preferences from the Options menu to bring up the General Preferences dialog box and click the URLs tab.

2.	Under "Make Agent the web browser service for", check "Usenet news" and/or "Email", if you want one or both of these to be the default application used whenever you launch a newsgroup or email URL from Netscape.

Windows 95 and NT4

1.	In Agent, select General Preferences from the Options menu to bring up the General Preferences dialog box and click the URLs tab.

2.	Under "Make Agent the web browser service for", check "Usenet news" and/or "Email", if you want one or both of these to be the default application.

3.	Still on the General Preferences dialog box, click the URL Types tab and select the "Use the Window Registry settings" option.  In many cases this is all that's required to have Netscape use Agent as its default service when a Usenet or email URL is launched on a web page.

And that's all there is to it!  You do not need to set anything in Netscape.  Just make sure that Agent is running when you attempt to launch the Usenet or email URL from the web browser.


Menus and Toolbars dialog box, Folder menus tab
Menus and Toolbars (Options menu)

Folder Menus Tab

Use this dialog box to add your most frequently used folders to the Message menu's "Copy to Folder" and "Move to Folder" flyout menus.  Here's how you use the settings:

Folders

This is the list of all the folders you have created.

Menu

This is the list of folders that will appear on the "Show Groups and Folders" flyout menu and the "Move to Folder" flyout menu.

Add

Pressing this button adds the currently highlighted item in the Folders list to the Menu list.  Then when you press OK on the tab, all items added to the Menu list will appear on the "Show Groups and Folders" flyout menu and the "Move to Folder" flyout menu in Agent.

Delete

Pressing this button deletes the currently highlighted folder in Menu list and places it back in the Folders list.  When you press OK on the tab, all items removed from the Menu list will also be removed on the "Copy to Folder" and "Move to Folder" flyout menus.

See Also:

Filing Messages in Folders


Menus and Toolbars dialog box, Toolbars tab
Menus and Toolbars (Options menu)

Toolbars Tab

This tab allows you to customize Agent's toolbars.  You can add the functions that you use most frequently and remove those that you don't use very much.

Window

Select the window for which you will customize the toolbar.  You can add and remove toolbar icons to the Main Browser, the Outbox, the Composition Window, the Address Book, the Usenet Filters Window, and the Log Window.

Commands

Select the icon that you want to add to the toolbar.

Add

Press this button to add the selected icon to the toolbar.  The icon then appears in the Toolbar and is removed from the Commands list.

Delete

Press this button to delete the selected icon in the Toolbar list.  The icon then is removed from the Toolbar list and reappears in the Commands list.

Separator

Press this button to insert a space between the selected icon and the next icon.  You can use the separator to group related icons.

Up

Press this button to move the selected icon to a higher position in the Toolbar list.  When you press OK, you will see that the location in the Toolbar list corresponds to the placement of the icon on the toolbar, viewing from left to right.  For example, the second icon in the Toolbar list is the second icon from the left on the toolbar.

Down

Press this button to move the selected icon to a lower position in the Toolbar list.  When you press OK, you can see that the location in the Toolbar list corresponds to the placement of the icon on the toolbar, viewing from left to right.  For example, the last icon in the Toolbar list is the last icon on the right end of the toolbar.

Reset

If you ever wish to return to the default set of toolbar icons for any of the windows, simply press this button.


Posting Preferences dialog box, General tab
Posting Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

General Tab

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab controls how messages that you send are formatted and what Agent does when you post replies to more than one newsgroup.

Word-wrap quoted printable messages

When checked, Agent word-wraps all quoted-printable messages.  Unchecking this box turns off the word-wrap function.

Line length

Enter the maximum number of characters that can appear on a single line.  Agent automatically word-wraps any lines longer than this.

Validate email addresses

When checked, Agent validates all email address fields (To:, Cc:, etc.) before sending messages.  Uncheck this box if you need to enter non-standard addresses.  Note: When checked, Agent does not verify that the email address exists.  It simply checks the format to make sure it is a valid Internet email address.

Require that local addresses be in Address Book

Local addresses are handy for corresponding with people in your own domain.  However, Agent cannot necessarily distinguish between a local address and the name of an address book entry.  You can use this option to eliminate this ambiguity.

Check this box to have Agent warn you when any address without the domain part is not in the address book.  You have the option of correcting the address, if you entered it incorrectly, or telling Agent to assume that it is a local address and transmit it unchanged.

If you uncheck this box, Agent assumes that any address without the @domain and which is not in the address book is a local address.

TIP:  Most of the time, you will probably want to leave this option checked.  If you ever want to force Agent to assume that an address is a local address, you can simply append an @ to it (e.g., barbara@).  This tells Agent that the address is definitely a local address.

Saving message also Closes composition window

When checked, pressing the Save button on the composition window also closes the window.  When unchecked, pressing the Save button saves the composed message but does not close the composition window.

Follow-up crosspost action

Specify what you want Agent to do each time you post a reply to more than one newsgroup:

•	Post the reply to all newsgroups.

•	Post the reply to selected newsgroups only.

•	Prompt you each time you post a reply, so that you can choose an action on a case-by-case basis.

Warn if subject is blank for Usenet Messages/Email Messages

Check either or both of these boxes if you want Agent to prompt you each time you attempt to send a message without a subject.

Warn if message contains characters that cannot be encoded

Check this box if you want Agent to prompt you if the text of the message contains characters that cannot be encoded using the current Send As choice for the current Language.  See Choosing an Alternative Charset for further explanation.

Include original text in follow-ups and replies

Check this box to include a copy of the original text in follow-up Usenet messages and email replies.

Prefix for Quoted Lines

For follow-up and reply messages, enter the character(s) that signify that the text on the same line is quoted from the original message.  (For more information, see Paste as Quote.)

Quoted

This is the string that will appear in the Subject field of your forwarded message when you use the Forward Quoted command on the Post menu.  The default is "[fwd] %subject%".  The "[fwd]" part of the string indicates that it is a forwarded message.  You can change this to anything you like (e.g., "forwarded msg:").  You should not change the "%subject%" part of the string, however.  It is required to automatically pull in the subject of the message being forwarded.

Unquoted

This is the string that will appear in the Subject field of your forwarded message when you use the Forward Unquoted command on the Post menu.  The default is "[fwd] %subject%".  The "[fwd]" part of the string indicates that it is a forwarded message.  You can change this to anything you like (e.g., "forwarded msg:").  You should not change the "%subject%" part of the string, however.  It is required to automatically pull in the subject of the message being forwarded.

Verbatim

This is the string that will appear in the Subject field of your forwarded message when you use the Forward Verbatim command on the Post menu.  The default is "[fwd] %subject%".  The "[fwd]" part of the string indicates that it is a forwarded message.  You can change this to anything you like (e.g., "forwarded msg:").  You should not change the "%subject%" part of the string, however.  It is required to automatically pull in the subject of the message being forwarded.


Posting Preferences dialog box, Introductions tab
Posting Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

Introductions Tab

Use this dialog box to define how the introductory text above quoted lines will look.

Followup usenet message

Enter the text to appear just above quoted lines when replying to a Usenet message with another Usenet message.

Email reply to usenet message

Enter the text to appear just above quoted lines when replying to a Usenet message with an email message.

Forwarded usenet message

Enter the text to appear just above quoted lines when forwarding a Usenet message to someone via email.

Reply to email

Enter the text to appear just above quoted lines when replying to an email message with another email message.

Forwarded email

Enter the text to appear just above quoted lines when forwarding an email message to someone via email.

See Also:

Composing an Introduction String


Posting Preferences dialog box, Signatures tab
Posting Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

Signatures Tab

Use this dialog box to define the signatures you wish to use in messages you send.

Names

This is a list of the signatures you have defined.  To edit a signature, select it in this list and enter the new text in the controls below.

Add

Press this button to create a new signature.

Rename

Press this button to rename the signature highlighted in the Names list.

Delete

Press this button to delete the signature highlighted in the Names list.  If you accidentally delete a signature, press the Cancel button to close the dialog box and cancel all of your changes.

Default Signature

Select the signature you wish to use by default.  Select [None] if you don't want to have a default signature.  When you post a message, Agent automatically uses your default signature.  You can choose a different signature to be the default for each newsgroup (see the Post tab of the Properties for Selected Groups dialog box) or override the signature used for a specific message (see the Compose Usenet Message window).  Note: Changing this setting here also changes the signature set on the Post tab of the Default Properties for All Groups dialog box.

Text

Enter the text of the signature highlighted in the Names list. If you want a blank line or other separator to appear between the rest of the message and the signature, you need to include it here.  To insert a TAB in the text, press Ctrl+TAB.

TIP:  A common convention on the Internet is to precede your signature with two hyphens and a space.  For example:

--<space>

Dave Chin

Forté

Use existing file

If you want to share a signature file with another program, enter the name of the file that contains the signature.  When you have entered a valid file name, the dialog will display the contents of the file in the Text field.  Any changes you make to the signature in this dialog box will be saved to the file, so changes here also affect any other program that is using the same file.

TIP: The name of the signature file for the Eudora email program is SIGNATUR.PCE, and it is stored in the directory where you installed Eudora.

Browse

Press this button to browse for a signature file.

See Also:

How to Post Usenet Messages

How to Send Email


Add Signature dialog box
Add Signature dialog box (Signatures dialog box, Options menu)

Use this dialog box to enter the name of a new signature.

Name

Enter the name of the new signature


Rename Signature dialog box
Rename Signature dialog box (Signatures dialog box, Options menu)

Use this dialog box to change the name of a signature.

New Name

Enter a new name for the signature.


Select Signature File dialog box
Select Signature File dialog box (Signatures dialog box, Options menu)

Use this dialog box to find a signature file on your hard disk.

File Name

Enter the name of the signature file, or select a file from the list.

Directories

Select the directory where you want to select the file from.

List of File Types

Select the type of files you want to display in the files list.

Drives

Select the drive where you want to select the file from.


User and System Profile dialog box (Options menu)

Time Zone tab

(Windows 3.1 only)

Use this dialog box to define settings that affect how Agent works.  This tab defines your time zone and when you observe daylight saving time.  Agent uses these settings to correctly display the dates and times of messages using your local time.

Time Zone

Select the time zone in which you reside.  Agent uses this setting to convert the times of messages to your own local time.  Also, when you post a message, Agent includes your time zone in the date.

Automatically adjust for daylight savings time

Check this box if you observe daylight saving time and you want Agent to adjust its date and time corrections accordingly.

Daylight savings time begins on the ...

Enter the date and time at which daylight savings time begins each year.  For example, in the United States, daylight savings time begins on the 1st Sunday of April, at 2:00 AM.

During daylight savings time add ...

Enter the number of minutes that are added, relative to standard time, when daylight savings time is in effect.  In most countries, this is 60 minutes (1 hour).

Standard time begins on the ...

Enter the date and time at which standard time resumes each year.  For example, in the United States, standard time begins on the last Sunday of October, at 2:00 AM.


Common Internet Acronyms

AFAIK	As far as I know
AUORFA	alt.usenet.offline.reader.forte-agent
<BG>	Big Grin
BOFH	Bastard Operator from Hell
<g>	Grin
BRB	Be right back
BTW	By the way
CP	Copy protection
FRE	Frequently requested enhancement
FUBAR	Fouled up beyond all recognition (or repair)
FWIW	For what it's worth
FYI	For your information
GD&WVVF	Grinning, ducking, and walking very, very fast
GR&D	Grinning, running, and ducking
IAE	In any event
IANAL	I am not a Lawyer
IMHO	In my humble opinion
IMO	In my opinion
IOW	In other words
LOL	Laughed out loud
LZ	Loser!
OIC	Oh, I see
OTOH	On the other hand
PITA	Pain in the A$$
PMJI	Pardon my jumping in
PMFJI	Pardon me for jumping in
ROFL	Rolling on floor, laughing
ROTFL	Rolling on the floor laughing
ROTFLMAO	Rolling on the floor laughing my a$$ off
RSN	Real soon now
RTFM	Read the f@%# manual (or message)
SNAFU	Situation normal, all fouled up
TIA	Thanks in advance
TPTB	The powers that be
TTFN	Ta ta for now


Composing an Introduction String

When you reply to a message, it's common practice on the Internet to include some of the text from the original message in the reply.  It is also common practice to precede the original text with a line such as "Jessye Lynn Sidell wrote:"  You define this introduction string on the General tab of the Posting Preferences dialog box.

The following table describes the different fields you can include in introduction strings.  When you include a field in an introduction string, Agent automatically replaces that field with its value from the original message.  To include a field in a string, enclose it within percent signs (e.g., %from%). To include the percent sign in the string, enter two of them next to each other (e.g., %%).

Field	Description

Date	The date the message was sent.

Reply-To	Where the author wanted replies sent.

From	The email address of the person who posted the message.  Note: When you use %from%, Agent includes the entire email address of the person who posted the message.

Sender	The sender of the message.  Note: This may be a different person than the one in the From field if the sender wasn't the one who actually posted the message.

Full-Name	The full name of the author, extracted from the From field.

Subject	The brief description of the message.

Message-Id	The message's unique message ID.

Newsgroups	The newsgroup to which this message was posted.  If the message was posted to more than one group, the current group is used.

Followup-To	The newsgroups where the sender of the message wants follow-up messages posted.

Expires	The date the message is scheduled to expire.

References	For follow-up messages, the message IDs of the messages to which this message refers.

Organization	The author's organization.

Keywords	Optional keywords included by the author to help categorize the message.

Summary	A summary description of the message.

Lines	The number of lines in the message.

You may also use the following to represent special characters:

Character	Description

\n	The newline character.

\t	A tab.

\\	The backslash character itself.


Message Fields

The following table describes the various fields available to you when composing messages.

Field	Description

Bcc	A list of email addresses (separated by commas) of people to receive a copy of the message without the primary recipients (the ones listed in the To and Cc fields) knowledge.  If you enter a value for this field when posting a message, it will cause Agent to also post an email message to the specified recipients.

Cc	A list of email addresses (separated by commas) of people to receive a copy of the message.  If you enter a value for this field when posting a message, it will cause Agent to also post an email message to the specified recipients.

Distribution	(Usenet messages only) This field is used to alter the distribution scope of the message.  It is a comma-separated list similar to the "Newsgroups" field.  User subscriptions are still controlled by "Newsgroups", but the message is sent to all systems subscribing to the newsgroups on the "Distribution" line in addition to the "Newsgroups" field.  For the message to be transmitted, the receiving site must normally receive one of the specified newsgroups AND must receive one of the specified distributions.  Thus, a message concerning a car for sale in New Jersey might have headers including:

Newsgroups: rec.auto,misc.forsale

Distribution: nj,ny

so that it would only go to persons subscribing to rec.auto or misc. for sale within New Jersey or New York.  The intent of this header is to restrict the distribution of a newsgroup further, not to increase it.  A local newsgroup, such as nj.crazy-eddie, will probably not be propagated by hosts outside New Jersey that do not show such a newsgroup as valid.  A follow-up message should default to the same "Distribution" line as the original message, but the user can change it to a more limited one, or escalate the distribution if it was originally restricted and a more widely distributed reply is appropriate.

Expires	(Usenet messages only) The date you want the message to expire.

Followup-To	(Usenet messages only) The newsgroups where you want follow-up messages posted.   Note: You can set this field to "poster" to force users to post email replies to you.

From	The email address and optional full name of the person who posted the message or sent the email.

Keywords	Optional keywords to help categorize the message or email message.

Organization	(Usenet messages only) Your organization, company, school, etc.

Reply-To	The email address where you want replies sent.  If you normally want replies sent to your From email address, you can leave this field blank.

Sender	The name of the entity responsible for submitting the message or email message to the network.  Normally, this field is blank, to indicate that the From field also names the submitting entity.  For example, if Rennie Mitchell is visiting George Mitchell and wishes to use his computer to post an email message, George would temporarily set his Sender field to his own email address and set the From field to Rennie's email address.  This indicates that George is submitting the messages on Rennie's behalf.

Summary	(Usenet messages only) An optional summary description of the message.

To	The email address and optional full name of the person to whom the Usenet message or email message was sent.

See Also:

Compose Usenet Message window

Compose Email Message window

How to Post Usenet Messages

How to Send Email


Import Message File Format

Agent can import messages from a text file in the standard UNIX message format (RFC-822).  If you were using Eudora or Pegasus for email, Forté provides converters for exporting messages from these programs into the standard UNIX format.  For more information, see Importing Email Messages from Another Program.

As a convenience to those not using Eudora or Pegasus, the following describes in some detail the standard UNIX message format Agent can import:

•	Each message must be preceded by a line of the form:

From <user>@<domain> <dow> <mon> <day> <hour>:<minute>:<second> <year>

Where:

<user>@<domain> is the email address of the sender of the message.  Agent actually ignores this address, so it can be any address.  For example, "???@???" is acceptable.

The rest of the line is the date of the message.  Agent requires that the date be in a legal format, but it ignores the date unless the message itself contains no Date: field.  The elements of the date are:

<dow> is one of: Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat (Agent ignores this).

<mon> is one of: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Nov, Dec.

<day> is the day of the month.

<hour>:<minute>:<second> is the time of day in 24-hour time, for example 16:21:53.

<year> is the year.

Example From line:

From ???@??? Fri Sep 8 13:21:43 1995

•	The message's header fields must follow immediately after the From line.  Each header field line must begin with the name of the field, without any preceding whitespace, followed by a colon and a space, followed by the value of the field.  For example:

To: mark.sidell@forteinc.com

A field value may be continued on subsequent lines.  Each continuation line must begin with at least one space character.  For example:

To: mark.sidell@forteinc.com,

   jon.berke@forteinc.com

•	The header fields must be followed by a single blank line, followed by the body of the message.  The blank line should contain no space characters.

•	If any line in the body is in the same format as the From line described above, it must be quoted with some other character, so that Agent does not think it is the beginning of the next message.  To quote the line, all that is required is that the word "From" not appear at the very beginning of the line.  By convention, these lines are quoted with '>'.  For example:

>From robin.mitchell Fri Sep 8 13:21:43 1995

Here's an example message:

From mark.sidell@forteinc.com Fri Sep 8 13:21:43 1995

From: mark.sidell@forteinc.com

To: jon.berke@forteinc.com

Subject: Import file formats

Date: 21 Aug 1995 19:47:12 GMT

Jon, here is an example of a quoted From line.  The following line looks just like a From line that begins a message, so I have quoted it.

>From robin.mitchell Fri Sep 8 13:21:43 1995

That's all for now!


Drag-and-Drop and Clipboard Operations

Note: Except where noted below, the following refers to 32-bit Agent only.

In Windows 95/98 and Windows NT, many different kinds of objects can be copied between programs, using either the clipboard or drag-and-drop.  When the user copies something to the clipboard, or initiates a drag operation, the application program determines what kinds of objects may be transferred, and makes those objects available to the other application that is the target of the transfer.  For example, when the user selects a range of text in a word processor and copies the selection to the clipboard, the word processor will normally make the copied selection available as simple text.  Alternatively, if a user selects a group of files in Windows Explorer and drags them to another application, Explorer makes available a list of links to the selected files.

The following are the kinds of objects Agent can handle during clipboard or drag-and-drop operations:

Simple Text.  For example, text selected in the Composition Window.

File Links.  A list of filenames.  For example, a group of files selected in Windows Explorer.

URLs.  For example, an email address selected in an email message.

File Data.  The contents of a file, together with a suggested filename.  For example, a message section selected in Agent's Message Index dialog box.

Initiating drag-and-drop operations.

The user may initiate a drag-and-drop operation in either the Message Pane, when viewing a received message, or in the Text Pane of the Composition Window, when composing an outbound message.

Clicking and holding either the left or right mouse button inside a text selection initiate a drag.  The drag operation is initiated only if the button is held for a short period of time, or if the cursor is moved a short distance while the button is held.  Agent indicates that a drag operation has begun by changing the cursor into an arrow with a small box attached to it.

If the button is clicked and released quickly and the cursor is not moved, no drag operation is initiated.  Instead, for the left button, the current selection is cleared and the caret is moved to the point at which the button was clicked.  For the right button, the selection is left unchanged and a context menu is displayed.

Types of drag-and-drop operations

A move drag-and-drop operation copies the selected item to the destination and then deletes it from the source.  A copy does not delete the source object.  A blank box attached to the cursor normally indicates a move.  A copy is indicate by a + symbol inside the box.  An in-process drag-and-drop can be toggled between a move and a copy by pressing the Shift key.

If the source object can be deleted, then the default drag operation is usually a move.  For example, if you select a range of text in Agent's Composition Window and drag it to another application, the selected text will be deleted in Agent once the drag has been completed.  In some cases, a source object cannot be deleted, which will cause the drag to default to a copy.  For example, it is not possible to delete text selected in Agent's Message Pane, where inbound messages are viewed.

When you drag with the left button, the default operation (copy or move) is performed, as modified by the Shift button.

When you drag with the right button, in most situations Agent displays a small menu when the button is released, allowing you to choose the type of operation to perform.

Agent drag-and-drop targets

The following Agent windows may be targets of drag-and-drop operations:

1.	The Text Pane of the Composition Window.  The following types of objects can be dropped onto the text window:

Simple Text.  Agent pastes the text at the drop location.

File Links.  Agent pastes the contents of the named files at the drop location.  Before performing the paste, Agent examines the filename extensions, to determine whether the named files are likely to contain text.  If the files appear not to be text, Agent prompts the user before pasting.  Agent only allows File Links to be copied, thereby preventing the corresponding files from being deleted.  (Note: this is available in 16-bit Agent.)

A right-button drag onto the text pane causes Agent to display a menu, for selecting the operation to be performed.  The available operations are:

Move Here.  Paste the selected item at the drop location and delete it from the source.

Copy Here.  Paste the selected item at the drop location

Move as Quote.  Paste the selected item at the drop location, inserting the quote marker ">" at the beginning of each line.  Delete the item from the source.

Copy as Quote.  Paste the selected item at the drop location, inserting the quote marker ">" at the beginning of each line.

Add as Attachment.  This operation is available only if the object being dropped is a File Link.  Add the named file to the message's list of attachments.

Cancel.  Cancel the drag-and-drop operation.

2.	Any other region of the Composition Window.

Only File Links may be dropped onto the Composition Window.  Dropping a File Link causes the named file to be added to the message's list of attachments.  Agent allows only copies of File Links.  (Note: this is available in 16-bit Agent.)

3.	The Composition Window Attachments dialog box.

Only File Links may be dropped onto the Attachments dialog.  Dropping a File Link causes the named file to be added to the message's list of attachments.  Agent allows only copies of File Links.

Agent drag-and-drop sources

The Message Pane and Composition Window Text Pane may be sources of drag-and-drop operations.  The types of objects that Agent makes available to be dropped depends on what is selected when the drag operation is initiated, as follows:

If plain text is selected, then Simple Text is made available.

If a URL (email address or other URL) is selected, then Agent makes available all of the following:

Simple Text

A URL

File Data that can be converted into a Windows URL link file.  For example, dragging a URL from Agent to the desktop causes Windows to create a Windows Link on the desktop, using the File Data provided by Agent.

If one or more icons are selected, representing non-viewable sections of an inbound message, then Agent makes available:

File Data, containing the contents of the selected message sections, together with suggested filenames.  This object is provided only if the selected sections have not been deleted from the message.

File Links.  This object is provided only if the selected sections previously had been saved as files.

Simple Text.  This object is provided only if the selected section is text.  If multiple message sections are selected, the text of the first text section only is made available.

Agent Clipboard Operations

You can use the clipboard to perform the same operations with Agent that you can perform with drag-and-drop.  For example, you can select an email address in the Message Pane, copy it to the clipboard, and then paste it onto the Windows desktop to create a URL shortcut for the address.

In addition, the following dialog boxes have buttons that support the clipboard:

The Message Index dialog has a Copy button.  You can select any message sections listed in the dialog, and then press Copy to copy them to the clipboard.  The objects copied are:

File Data, containing the contents of the selected message sections, together with suggested filenames.  This object is provided only if the selected sections have not been deleted from the message.

File Links.  This object is provided only if the selected sections previously had been saved as files.

Simple Text.  This object is provided only if the selected section is text.  If multiple message sections are selected, the text of the first text section only is made available.

The Composition Window Attachments dialog box has both Copy and Paste buttons, which may be used to copy and paste attachment files.


Message Text Display Options

The following settings control the appearance of message text:

Normal Font

The standard font used to display message text is defined in the Variable-Pitch Body Font dialog box.

Fixed Pitch Font

You can also display message text in a fixed-pitch font.  Many people on the Internet have fancy ASCII-graphic signatures.  These signatures will look like a jumble of lines and letters unless they are displayed in a fixed-pitch font.  To display messages you've retrieved in a fixed-pitch font, choose Fixed Pitch from the Message menu.  To display messages you're composing in a fixed-pitch font, choose Fixed Pitch from the Compose window's Message menu.  To return to the standard, variable-pitch font, select the Fixed Pitch menu option again.  You define which fixed-pitch font you want Agent to use in the Fixed-Pitch Body Font dialog box.

Word Wrap Lines

Occasionally you will see messages with very long lines that don't fit on your screen.  When this happens, simply select Word Wrap from the Message menu and Agent will break these lines at the end of the window.

Messages you send are automatically word wrapped at the length defined in the General tab of the Posting Preferences dialog box.  If your Compose window is narrower than this value, select Word Wrap from the Message menu and Agent will wrap your lines when they reach the end of the window.  Note: This wrapping is for your display only.  When the message is sent, each line is wrapped at the value defined in the General tab of the Posting Preferences dialog box.

Display Header Fields

Messages can have many fields associated with them, only a few of which are important (e.g., Subject and Author).  Since you generally don't care about the remaining fields, Agent hides them from you.  To see these remaining fields, select Show All Header Fields from the Message menu.  For a description of what these fields represent, see Message Fields.

See Also:

Compose Usenet Message window

Compose Email Message window


Multiple Selection of Groups and Message Headers

It's a breeze to select groups and headers using your mouse.

To select contiguous groups or headers:

1.	Left click the first header in the series (i.e., click the left mouse button).

2.	Drag the mouse down the last desired header.

To select non-contiguous groups or headers:

1.	Left click the first header in the series (i.e., click the left mouse button).

2.	Hold down the Ctrl key while you left click the other desired groups or headers.

Once the desired groups or headers are selected, you can perform the desired action, for example:

•	Retrieving the bodies of selected headers by selecting Get Selected Message Bodies from the Online menu.

•	Deleting selected groups by selecting Delete from the Group menu.

•	Deleting selected message headers by selecting Delete from the Message menu.


Naming Conventions for Views

You can create your own custom views of messages in the Message List pane by pressing the Add button on the Manage Views dialog box.  On the Add dialog box that appears, you can enter any name you like.  You can even designate any of the letters in the name as a keyboard accelerator using the ampersand "&" character in the name.  Here's how it works:

•	To make a letter in the name an accelerator, insert a single "&" in front of that letter.  This causes the next character to be underlined in the menu and behave as an accelerator.

•	If you want the ampersand "&" character to actually appear as part of the name, insert two "&&".  You will then see a single "&" in the name.


Navigating in Agent

Agent provides you with a rich set of tools for moving between newsgroups, folders, and messages.  Most of these tools can be accessed from the Navigate menu, the toolbar, and the keyboard.  Although you probably won't use all the available options, this topic will make you familiar with them so that you can choose which navigation techniques best suit you.  Note:  You might also want to refer to the topic Keyboard Shortcuts, a complete list of keyboard accelerators.

Moving between panes

As you probably already know, Agent is composed of three panes: the Groups/Folders pane, the Message List pane, and the Message pane.  You can view all three panes at the same time, or, to maximize the information you see on-screen, zoom the Browser window to expand the current pane to fill Agent's window.

To Zoom a Browser window:

•	Select Zoom Window from the Navigate menu.

•	Press "Z".

•	Click the Maximize icon [image] in the pane you wish to expand.

To view all three panes at the same time (turn Zoom off):

•	Select Zoom Window from the Navigate menu.

•	Press "Z".

•	Click the Restore icon [image].

You can easily move the focus between the panes with both the mouse and the keyboard.

To move between panes with the mouse:

•	When viewing all three panes, simply click on the desired pane.

•	When zoomed in on a pane, click the tab for the pane you wish to view:

To move between panes with Microsoft Intellimouse:

•	Shift+wheel forward to cycle clockwise through the panes (i.e., Groups/Folders pane to Message List pane to Message pane).

•	Shift+wheel back to cycle counter-clockwise through the panes.

To move between panes with the keyboard:

•	Press the Tab key to move from the Groups/Folders pane to the Message List pane to the Message pane.

•	Press Shift+Tab or Escape to move in the reverse order.

•	Press the "1", "2", or "3" keys to move from pane to pane.  Pressing "1" places the focus in the Groups/Folders pane, "2" places the focus in the Message List pane, and "3" places the focus in the Message pane.

Moving between messages

Moving between messages is probably the single most common action you perform in Agent.  That's why Agent provides you so many different ways to do this.

To move to the previous or next message:

•	With the focus in the Message List pane, you can use the up and down arrow keys to move between messages or you can use the mouse to scroll and highlight any message in the list.

•	With the focus in the Message or Message List pane, choose Up to Previous Message on the Navigate menu (or press "U") to move to the previous consecutive message header, whether it is read or unread.  Conversely, use the Down to Next Message command on the Navigate menu (or press "D") to move to the next consecutive message header.

•	You can use the Back Up command on the Navigate menu (or press the Backspace key) to move to your previous selection, whether it is contiguous or not.  Agent allows you to backtrack up to 100 moves.  If you've retraced your steps with the Backspace command, you then have the option of moving forward again through your previous selections using the Forward command on the Navigate menu (or by pressing Shift+Backspace).

•	Press Alt+LeftArrow to move to the previous message and Alt+RightArrow to move to the next message.

•	With Microsoft Intellimouse, you can move to the previous or next message by turning the wheel towards the screen or towards yourself, respectively.

To move to the next unread message:

You can use the desired command from the Navigate menu, its associated toolbar button, or the associated keyboard shortcut, documented as follows:

•	Either use the Skip to Next Unread Message command, or the toolbar button [image], or press "N" to skip to the next unread message, regardless of whether or not you have already retrieved its body.

•	Either use the Skip to Next Unread Message Body command or toolbar button [image], or press "B" to skip to the next unread message with a body and select it.

Note about Skipping to Next Unread:  By default, if the next unread message is in a different group or folder, pressing "N" or "B" causes Agent to open that group or folder and select the first unread message.  If you would prefer Agent to move you to the Groups/Folders pane instead (so that you can more easily tell when you're done with a group or folder), uncheck the "Skipping to next unread message jumps to first unread message in next group" box on the Navigation tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

•	Either use the Skip to Next Unread Message in Thread command or toolbar button [image], or press "T" to skip to the next unread message in the current thread.  This action is handy because when you reach the last follow-up message, Agent stops navigating, telling you that the thread is over.

•	Either use the Skip to Next Unread Group command or toolbar button [image], or press "S" to skip to the first unread message in the next group or folder.  By default, this action marks all the unread messages in the current group or folder as read before skipping to the next one.  This is a convenient way to tell Agent that you have read all the interesting messages in the current group.  You can disable this behavior by unchecking the "Skipping to next unread group marks all messages in current group read" box on the Navigation tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

•	Either use the View Next Unread Message Body command or toolbar button [image], or press Ctrl+B to skip to the next unread message with a body and display its body text.

To page down before jumping to the next message with Microsoft Intellimouse:

•	Click, then release the wheel button.  (It doesn't page down in the current message the way <spacebar> does, since you can use the wheel for that.)

Note:  If you click-turn-release, it ignores the click, in case you accidentally click while trying to turn the wheel.

To force a page scroll with Microsoft Intellimouse:

•	Press Ctrl+wheel forces a page scroll.

Note:  This is not "standard" behavior but works well with Agent.

Navigating and retrieving Usenet messages at the same time

Since you need to retrieve a Usenet message's body before you can read it, Agent allows you to skip to an unread message and retrieve it (or mark it for retrieval) in one step.  Note: Whether Agent retrieves the message or marks it for later retrieval is controlled by the Viewing Unretrieved Messages When Offline radio buttons on the Online tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

To retrieve the next unread message:

You can use the desired command from the Navigate menu, its associated toolbar button, or the associated keyboard shortcut, documented as follows:

•	Either use the View Next Unread Message command or toolbar button [image], or press Ctrl+N to skip to the next unread message and retrieve it (or mark it for retrieval).  Note: The action is controlled by the same preference settings affecting "N" (see above).

•	Either use the View Next Unread Message in Thread command or toolbar icon [image], or press Ctrl+T to skip to the next unread message in the current thread and retrieve it (or mark it for retrieval).

When configured for offline use (see the User and System Profile Online tab for details), you generally mark all the desired messages for retrieval and then retrieve marked message bodies.  By default, Agent skips to the next unread message (performs the "N" action) when you mark a message for retrieval.  You can turn this behavior off by unchecking the "Marking or ignoring a message skips to the next unread message" box on the Navigation tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

Using a single key to view the next unread message body

On the General Preferences Navigation tab (Options menu), you can check the Single Key Read views next unread message body option.  This allows you to view the next unread body by simply pressing the Space bar, while the Groups/Folders pane or Message List pane has the focus (exactly like using the View Next Unread Message Body command).

With Microsoft Intellimouse, click the mouse wheel &Button (middle button) does the single-key read action.  Note:  Some mouse drivers allow you to configure the middle button to simulate a left button double-click.  Others send a middle button click message to Agent in addition to the double-click message.  To allow for this different behavior, we added an option to disable the middle button: General Preferences Navigation tab.

Expanding and collapsing threads

Agent displays follow-up messages indented under the original message.  To save screen real estate, these threads are initially shown collapsed, so only the top-most message is visible.  When a thread is collapsed, the Expand Thread icon [image] appears next to it.

To expand a thread, do any of the following:

•	Click the Expand Thread icon.

•	Select the message and press the "+" key.

•	Press RightArrow.

To expand all threads in a group, do either of the following:

•	Press Shift+ "+" key.

•	Press Shift+RightArrow

When a thread is expanded, the Collapse Thread icon [image] appears next to it.

To collapse a thread, do any of the following:

•	Click the Collapse Thread icon.

•	Select the message and press the "-" key.

•	Press Left Arrow <-.

To collapse all threads in a group, do either of the following:

•	Hold down the Shift key while pressing the "-" key.

•	Press Shift+LeftArrow.

Agent can also automatically expand threads for you.  By default, Agent expands threads when you skip to them.

Note: Agent will automatically expand the thread when you skip to it only if you have already retrieved the body of the original message.  You can alter this behavior and customize how Agent expands threads by setting the appropriate options on the General Preferences Message List tab (Options menu).

See Also:

Keyboard Shortcuts

Watching and Ignoring Threads

Marking Messages Read

How to Use Agent as an Offline Newsreader

How to Use Agent as an Online Newsreader

Online Menu Commands Explained


Overwrite Behavior

When editing a message in the composition window, you can type over characters by switching from the "insert mode" to the "overwrite mode".  To do this, place your cursor at the point where you want to begin overwriting text, then press the Insert key until you see OVR on the far right side of the status bar.  Now you are ready to type over the text.  To return to the insert mode, press the Insert key again.  OVR will disappear from the status bar and you will no longer type over existing characters when you enter new text.


Scroll Lock Behavior

For each pane in Agent, there is a separate Scroll Lock status.  By repeatedly selecting the Scroll Lock key, you can enable and disable the scroll lock for each individual pane.  When the scroll lock state is enabled, you will see SCRL on the status bar.

Note: In Microsoft Windows 95, the keyboard scroll lock light is erratic, and in Microsoft Windows NT, an individual program cannot control the keyboard scroll lock light at all.  So, Agent does not try to keep its own SCRL indicator on the status bar in synch with the keyboard light.

For the reasons just described, you need not be surprised or alarmed if the scroll lock indicator light does not match the behavior in one of Agent's panes.  Always refer to the status bar to determine whether scroll lock is enabled or disabled for the pane in focus.

See Also:

Watching and Ignoring Threads


Progress Indicator

The progress indicator is located at the bottom of Agent's main window on the Status bar.  Whenever you retrieve new groups or headers, the progress indicator shows you what percentage of the total retrieval operation is done.

You can change the progress style and delay options in the VIEW section of AGENT.INI.


Agent's Directories and Files

This topic describes the different directories and files used by Agent.

Directories:

Data (home) - This is where Agent stores its database files (groups, folders, Usenet filters, etc.) and custom dictionaries.  Generally, the Data directory contains AGENT.EXE and AGENT.INI (generated the first time you run AGENT.EXE).  But this may not be the case if you've specified a different directory.  There are two ways to do this:

•	By using a using a command line parameter

•	By modifying the AGENT.INI file

When you start Agent, it looks for the AGENT.INI and the "Data" directory, following a methodical series of steps to determine where they are located.  (See How Agent Determines the Data Directory.)

Shared - This directory contains Agent's Help files, master dictionaries, and CSM files.  The Shared directory is specified in AGENT.INI's Directory section:

If you want the data files to go in a directory other than the one containing AGENT.INI, update the [Directories] section of AGENT.INI and fill in the Shared= setting.

For example:

[Directories]

Shared="C:\NEWSREAD\AGENT\"

This setting shows the directory where Agent's help file and master dictionaries are stored.

If it is not specified, Agent will use the working directory.

Files:

AGENT.EXE

AGENT.INI

AGENT.HLP

GROUPS.DAT & .IDX

<8 DIGIT HEX #>. DAT & .IDX

RANGES.DAT

GRPDAT, GRPIDX, & RANGES.BAK

GRPPROPS.DAT

LAYOUT.DAT

OUTBOX.DAT & .IDX

FILTERS.DAT & .IDX

WORDS.DAT & .IDX

MAILFILT.DAT

MAIN???.CLX & .TLX

cust???.tlx

??? = <LANGUAGE ID>

MAILUIDS.DAT

PERSONAL.AAB

SIG.DAT

*.CSM

MUTEX.TMP

XPOST.DAT

URLTYPE.DAT

RES<x>.DLL


Using a Command Line Parameter

You can tell Agent where to look for AGENT.INI and to store data files by using a command line parameter.

To specify a new location for the Data directory:

Windows 3.1 and NT 3.51

1.	In Program Manager, select the Agent program icon in whichever group it resides.

2.	Select "Properties" from the File menu.

3.	On the Properties dialog box, modify the "Command Line" field to specify AGENT.EXE <path>.  (The specified directory is in blue.)  Note: The optional <path> parameter can either be the directory containing AGENT.INI or the name of the INI file to use in AGENT.INI.  Below is an example:

Command Line: C:\AGENT.EXE C:\NEWSREAD\AGENT\AGENT.INI

Note: If the directory doesn't exist, Agent assumes that you are specifying a filename.  If you are just entering the directory path, you can prevent this from happening by appending a "\" character to the end of the directory name (e.g., C:\NEWSREAD\AGENT\).  This will force Agent to always treat it as a directory.

4.	Press OK.

Note: All data files will now go in the C:\NEWSREAD\AGENT directory.

Windows 95 and NT 4

1.	Right click "My Computer" and select "Explore".

2.	Locate and right click the Agent program icon.

3.	Select "Create Shortcut" to create a "Shortcut to..." icon.

4.	Right click the "Shortcut to" icon and select "Properties".

5.	Click the Shortcut tab and, in the "Target" field, specify AGENT.EXE <path>.  (The new location is in blue.)  Below is an example:

Target: C:\AGENT.EXE C:\NEWSREAD\AGENT\AGENT.INI

Note: If the directory doesn't exist, Agent assumes that you are specifying a filename.  If you are just entering the directory path, you can prevent this from happening by appending a "\" character to the end of the directory name (e.g., C:\NEWSREAD\AGENT\).  This will force Agent to always treat it as a directory.

6.	Press OK.

Note: All data files will now go in the C:\NEWSREAD\AGENT directory.


How Agent Determines the Data Directory

Below is the logical argument used to determine the Data directory in which your database files and custom dictionaries will be stored.

To determine the Data directory:

On startup, look in the working directory for AGENT.INI.

If it finds AGENT.INI in the working directory then

If AGENT.INI contains a valid "Home=" value then

Use that directory.

Else

Use the working directory for the data files.

Else

Look for a subdirectory called "Data" off the working directory.

If the Data subdirectory exists then

If AGENT.INI exists in the Data subdirectory then

If AGENT.INI contains a valid "Home=" value then

Use that directory.

Else

Use the Data subdirectory for the data files.

Else

Use the Data subdirectory for the data files.

Else

Use the working directory for the data files.


Modifying the INI File

To specify a new data directory in AGENT.INI:

If you want the data files to go in a directory other than the one containing AGENT.INI, update the [Directories] section of AGENT.INI and fill in the "Home=" setting.  Below is an example:

[Directories]

Home="C:\NEWSREAD\AGENT"

Agent will store all its database files, custom dictionaries, address book, and Usenet filters in C:\NEWSREAD\AGENT.  If you leave the parameter's value blank (the default), Agent looks for the data files in the directory containing AGENT.INI.

Note: Changing this setting does not move your files.  Use File Manager to move all the files (*.IDX, *.DAT, and CUST*.TLX) to the new location.  Then restart Agent for the change to take effect.


AGENT.EXE

This is the executable file that runs Agent.  When you first run the program, Agent creates AGENT.INI, the file containing miscellaneous settings and preferences.


AGENT.INI

This file contains miscellaneous settings and preferences.  Agent looks for AGENT.INI as described for the Data (home) directory.


AGENT.HLP

This is Agent's help file.  Agent looks for this in the Shared directory.  Note: Windows 95 will create AGENT.GID and maybe AGENT.FTS (if you build an index for the help).


GROUPS.DAT & .IDX

These files comprise the list of newsgroups.  They are stored in the Data directory.


<8 DIGIT HEX#>.DAT & .IDX

These are data files for individual groups/folders.  They are stored in the Data directory.


RANGES.DAT

This file contains ranges of messages Agent has retrieved in all groups.  It is stored in the Data directory.  Agent will rebuild this if it doesn't exist, but retrieved ranges will be lost.


GRPDAT, GRPIDX, & RANGES.BAK

These are backup files that Agent creates when you refresh or get new groups.  You can safely delete these if your data's OK in Agent.


GRPPROPS.DAT

This file contains default group properties data.  It is stored in the Data directory.  (Properties for individual groups are stored in the groups' data files.)


LAYOUT.DAT

This file contains window layout data.  It is stored in the Data directory.


OUTBOX.DAT & .IDX

These are Outbox data files.  They are stored in the Data directory.


FILTERS.DAT & .IDX

These are data files for Usenet filters.  They are stored in the Data directory.


WORDS.DAT & .IDX

These are also used for Usenet filtering and are stored in the Data directory.  Agent will rebuild these if they don't exist.


MAILFILT.DAT

This file contains email filter data, if you have any.  It is stored in the Data directory.


MAIN???.CLX & .TLX

These files contain the spellcheck dictionary for a given language.  For each language's dictionary there is a MAIN???.CLX and MAIN???.TLX file.  Agent looks for these files in the Shared directory, but you can specify a directory for each dictionary in the [Languages] section of AGENT.INI.


CUST???.TLX

These files contain custom dictionaries for a language.  Agent looks for these in the Data directory, but they can also be overridden in AGENT.INI.


???= <LANGUAGE ID>

The three character IDs for the installed languages are:

eng	International English

enu	American English

frn	French

ger	German

itn	Italian

spa	Spanish


MAILUIDS.DAT

This file stores message IDs of email left on the server.  It is stored in the Data directory.  It gets created if you use the Leave on Server option for email and your POP server doesn't support UIDL.


PERSONAL.AAB

This file contains data for the address book.  It is located in the Data directory.


SIG.DAT

This file contains Signature data, if you created or use one.  It is located in the Data directory.


*.CSM

These are character set map files for MIME.  They are located in the Shared directory.


MUTEX.TMP

This file gets created in the Data directory while 32-bit Agent is running.  If you see it around when Agent is not running, you can delete it.


XPOST.DAT

This file contains the list of retrieved headers used for crosspost management.


URLTYPE.DAT

This file contains URL definitions.  It is located in the Data directory.


Contents
Forté Agent Introduction  -  Version 1.93

Agent is a powerful and easy-to-use newsreader.  It allows you to browse newsgroups both online and offline.  You can use Agent in one of three ways:

•	You can purchase a registration key from Forté to fully enable all of Agent's features. For more information, see Ordering Agent.

•	You can try out all of Agent's features for 30 days free.  At the end of the trial, you can either purchase a registration key, or you can revert to running the program as Free Agent.

•	You can run the program as Free Agent, a newsreader-only version with fewer features.

Before you start using Agent, please take a quick look at Getting Started.  For more information about using Agent, see How to Use Agent.  If you're familiar with Free Agent and want to know more about Agent, see Agent Features.

If you have any comments, questions, or problems, see How to Receive Technical Support.

Agent's main window is divided into three panes (see below).  To familiarize yourself with the window and its contents, move the mouse over the picture.  When the cursor becomes a hand [image], click the mouse for pop-up help.  For example, when you click [image], you'll learn that this icon is color-coded (e.g., [image], [image]).  The popup box tells you what the colors indicate.

TIP:  You can click any menu header and command on that menu to find out what they do and when you might want to use them.

Copyrights

Credits

License Agreement


Binary Attachment Icon

This icon tells you that the message contains a binary attachment that has already been decoded.  Double-click the message to view the attachment.


Collapse Thread Icon

Click this icon to hide the message's responses.


Expand Thread Icon

Click this icon to show the message's responses.


Folder Icon

This icon represents a place where you can store messages.


Follow Up Message

A follow up message is a response to another posting.  Follow-ups generally have the same subject as the original and appear indented below it.


Response Message
Follow Up Messages

These messages are responses to the one above them.  Since follow-ups have the same subject as their parent, only the author is shown.


Groups
Groups and Folders

These are the Usenet newsgroups and folders you have created.  To retrieve message headers in a group, select the group and choose Get New Message Headers in Selected Groups from the Online menu.  To create a new folder, select New Folder from the Group menu.  Use the mouse to drag and drop messages between groups and folders.


Groups/Folders pane

This is where a list of newsgroups and folders are displayed.  In this pane you can view all newsgroups and folders, subscribed newsgroups and folders, only folders, or only new newsgroups.  To change what is displayed in this pane, choose the appropriate option from the Group menu.

TIP: You can also change what is displayed by clicking the header text on the top of this pane.


Ignore Thread Icon

When this icon appears next to a Usenet message, Agent will not retrieve new responses to it.  To switch between ignoring and not ignoring a thread, select Ignore Thread from the Message menu.


Keep Message Icon

This icon tells you that Agent will not automatically delete (purge) the message.  To prevent a Usenet message from being automatically purged, select Keep from the Message menu.  To undo the Keep status, select Keep Message again.

Agent never automatically purges messages from folders.


Mark for Retrieval Icon

This icon tells you that the body of the associated Usenet message will be retrieved the next time you select Retrieve Marked Messages from the Online menu.

When this icon appears next to a group, one or more messages in the group are marked for retrieval.

To mark or unmark a message, select Mark for Retrieval from the Message menu.


Message Body

The actual text of a message.  The other components of a message, such as its subject, author, etc., are called the message's "header."


Message Body Icon

This icon tells you that the body of the message has been retrieved.  The message body icons for Usenet and email messages are distinguished as follows:

=	Usenet messages with plain text

=	Usenet messages with attachments

=	Usenet messages for which all attachments have been saved

=	Email messages with plain text

=	Email messages with attachments

=	Email messages for which all attachments have been saved


Message Body Icon Color Coding

In the Message List pane, you can quickly distinguish between Usenet and email messages with plain text bodies, with attachments, or with saved attachments by noting the icon and its color.  The color-coding scheme is shown below:

=	Usenet messages with plain text

=	Usenet messages with attachments

=	Usenet messages for which all attachments have been saved

=	Email messages with plain text

=	Email messages with attachments

=	Email messages for which all attachments have been saved


Message Body Not Available Icon

This icon tells you that the message has been deleted from your news server and is no longer available for retrieval.


Message Header

A brief description of a message.  A message's header contains key information about the message, such as its author and subject, but does not include the text, or "body," of the message itself.


Message List pane

This is where the messages in the selected group or folder are displayed.  To view messages in another group or folder, select it in the Groups/Folders pane.

TIP: You can change the sort of the Message List by clicking the column headings.


Message pane

This is where a message's text is displayed.  To view a different message's body, select the message in the Message List pane.


Message with Attachment

This message contains an attachment.  To decode an attachment, choose Launch Attachment from the File menu.


New Group Icon

This icon appears next to new groups.  To get the list of groups that have been added to your news server since the last time you retrieved groups, select Get New Groups from the Online menu.


Number of Lines

This is the number of lines in the message.


Number of Responses

This is the number of responses to the message.  To view the responses, click the Expand Thread icon [image].


Part Missing
Incomplete Message Icon

This icon appears next to incomplete multipart messages.  Agent treats incomplete messages as if they were not available and, thus, won't allow you to retrieve their bodies or mark them for later retrieval.

You can use the Join Sections command on the Message menu to tell Agent to assume that an incomplete message is complete.  Once you do that, the incomplete message icon disappears and you can retrieve the available message sections.

The two icons indicating incomplete messages are:

=	incomplete Usenet message

=	incomplete email message


Unread Message

When a message header is displayed in this color it means that you have not yet viewed the message's body.


Read Message

When a message header is displayed in this color it means that you have already viewed the message's body.


Retrieval Icon

This icon tells you that the body of the message is currently being retrieved.


Status Bar

This area displays information about Agent such as the online status (online or offline), the current task, and the number of queued tasks.


Subscribed Group Icon

This icon appears next to subscribed groups.  To switch between subscribing and unsubscribing to a group, select Subscribe from the Group menu.  To view only your subscribed groups, select Subscribed Groups and Folders from the Show flyout on Group menu.


Thread

A thread is a series of related messages grouped together.  For example, when people post responses to a question, the question and all responses together are called a thread.


Toolbar

The toolbar contains buttons that give you fast access to the most common actions in Agent.

To see what a particular toolbar button does, move the mouse cursor over the button in Agent and a ToolTip box will appear with the button's name.


Unread Counter

This number shows you how many messages in the associated group or folder you have not yet read.


Watch Thread Icon

This icon tells you that Agent will automatically retrieve the bodies of new responses to this Usenet message when retrieving new message headers.  To switch between watching and not watching a thread, select Watch Thread from the Message menu.


Zoom Button

Press this button to maximize the Groups/Folders, Message List, or Message pane.  To restore the window back to showing all three panes, press the button that looks like this [image].


Credits

To meet Agent's illustrious Development and Support team, take a look at Forté's web site.  The URL is: www.forteinc.com/main/who.php.


Getting Started

Getting up and running with Agent is simple.  Just follow the steps below and you'll be reading messages in no time.

1.	Set your online preferences.

Choose User and System Profile from the Options menu and select the Online tab.  If you wish to stay online with your service provider while using Agent, press the Use Online Defaults button.  If you wish to minimize your time online, press the Use Offline Defaults button.

2.	Get a list of groups.

If you did not copy the list of newsgroups from another program or retrieve a complete list when you first started Agent, select Refresh Group List from the Online menu.  Since there are several thousand groups, this may take a while.  Once the groups are retrieved, Agent will display them in the Groups/Folders pane.

3.	Subscribe to groups.

Scan through the list of groups for ones you want to follow regularly.  To find a particular group, choose Find from the Edit menu.

When you find a group that may be of interest, double-click it and the View Empty Group dialog box will appear.

•	If you want to get a feel for the group before subscribing, press the Sample Message Headers button.

•	If you know you're interested in the group, press the Subscribe to Group button.

If you decide later that you're interested in a group, you can subscribe to it by selecting Subscribe from the Group menu.  A newspaper [image] appears next to each subscribed group.

To unsubscribe from the group, choose the Subscribe menu option again.

4.	View only subscribed groups.

From the Group menu, choose Subscribed Groups and Folders from the Show flyout menu.  Now your Groups/Folders pane is filtered to show only the groups you're interested in.  To view all groups again, select All Groups and Folders from the Show flyout on the Group menu.

5.	Retrieve message headers in your subscribed groups.

Choose Get New Headers in Subscribed Groups from the Online menu to download all the message headers in all your subscribed groups.

There may be several hundred new messages for each group so this operation may take a while.  But, since Agent retrieves messages in the background, you can use your computer for other tasks while Agent is working.

6.	Browse the message headers.

Once the message headers are retrieved, browse them to see which ones interest you.  If you're using the online defaults, simply double-click or press Enter on a message to retrieve it (see How to Use Agent as an Online Newsreader for more information).  If you're using the offline defaults, mark all the messages in which you're interested.  To mark a message, select it and press "M" or choose Mark for Retrieval from the Message menu.  When a message is marked, the download arrow [image] appears next to it.

7.	Retrieve marked messages.

If you're using the offline defaults, you marked several messages in the previous step.  To retrieve the full text of all marked messages, select Get Marked Message Bodies from the Online menu.  See How to Use Agent as an Offline Newsreader for more information.

TIP: Clicking the right mouse button in a window displays a Context menu, a context-sensitive list of common operations.  Simply select an option from the list to quickly perform that action.

See Also:

How to Use Agent

How to Receive Email


Agent Features

Agent is an award-winning newsreader with complete email functionality, designed to meet all of your personal communication needs on the Internet.  So what does Agent have that Free Agent doesn't?  Agent 1.93 includes all of the features and functionality of Free Agent 1.21, plus many more news and email feature enhancements.  Here are some of the many things you can do with Agent:

Handle all your email needs

•	Agent provides complete email functionality, including the ability to send and receive email messages.  Agent's address book is handy for keeping track or common addresses.

•	Use a multilingual spellchecker that will check your email (or news) message before it is sent.

•	Filter out unsolicited commercial email ("spam"), detecting messages from certain authors or with certain subjects, including those pesky subjects written in ALL CAPS or with unusual characters $$%Like This$$$.  We've made it really easy to set up these filters and you have several options for how to handle messages that meet filter criteria.

Organize your messages

•	Use Agent's folders to file news and email messages.

•	Use email filter routing to automatically place inbound messages in the folder of your choice.  Agent will look for authors, subjects or other information to find these messages for you and route them to where you want them.

Retrieve only the news messages you want

•	Use Agent's watch filters to retrieve interesting messages immediately.  Use kill filters to fend off unwanted messages ... by subject, author, or size.

•	Use crosspost management, so you won't have to retrieve and read the same message in more than one newsgroup.

View your messages

•	Sort by thread, subject, author, date, or size, to organize your message headers for easy browsing.

•	Use view filters to see only the headers you're interested in.  (e.g. unread messages, with bodies.)

Find message of interest to you

•	Use Agent's powerful global search feature to find messages and present them to you for your perusal and action.  Search in a single newsgroup or across multiple newsgroups.

Handle binary attachments with ease

•	Agent provides full support for MIME/Base 64 attachments, allowing you to handle any type of news or email attachment.

•	Detect incomplete binaries, so you know when you don't have all the pieces to an attachment.

•	Set up filters in binary newsgroups to eliminate "chatter" and retrieve only attachments.

Integrate with other Windows and Internet applications

•	Launch your current Web browser with a simple double-click of the mouse on any URL (which will be highlighted by Agent).

•	Share Agent data with other newsreaders (or with other copies of Agent!) using a standard newsrc file.

Customize Agent so it looks at works just right for you

•	Construct Agent's toolbar so the functions you want are a single-click away.

•	Tell Agent how to handle message threading and navigation to optimize how you sift through messages.

These are just the highlights.  There are many more things you can do with Agent.  For more information on Agent's features, see Forté's home page at www.forteinc.com.  To purchase your own copy of Agent, see Ordering Agent.


How to Receive Technical Support

Registered Agent users receive technical support via email for 90 days after the purchase of Agent 1.93. If you are experiencing a problem using Agent, you may send us an email by choosing Post Support Question from the Help menu.  This option correctly addresses your email to Agent Support.  If, for some reason, you cannot post a message to Agent Support, send your question to agent-support@forteinc.com. Please include your Agent serial number in the email if you did not select Post | Support Question in Agent to send your email to Agent Support.  The Agent serial number is in the About Agent window (Help | About Agent).

You can also get technical information about Agent and submit support questions at our web site, www.forteinc.com.  From Agent, use the menu option Help | Agent Support on the Web to jump directly to our web support pages.

If you have a site-based version of Agent, the Post Support Question menu option is not present.  Please contact your system administrator if you are having problems.

Information about the latest Agent release and answers to the most frequently asked questions are found on Forte, Inc. Web site at www.forteinc.com.  You may also receive Agent technical support through various newsgroups:

•	alt.usenet.offline-reader.forte-agent

•	comp.os.ms-windows.apps.winsock.news

See Also:

Frequently Asked Questions


Copyrights

Free Agent and Agent are trademarks and Forté is a registered trademark of Forté Internet Software, Inc.  Copyright © Forté Internet Software, Inc., 1995-2002.

The Sentry Spelling-Checker Engine -- Copyright © Wintertree Software Inc.

Eudora™ is a trademark of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, licensed to QUALCOMM Inc.

Microsoft is a registered trademark and Explorer, MS-DOS, and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Mosaic is a trademark of the University of Illinois.

Netscape is a trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation.

Pegasus is a trademark of David Harris, all rights reserved.

PKZIP is a trademark of PKWARE Inc.

UDEC is a trademark of Peter Liebel, all rights reserved.

Wincode is a trademark of Snappy, Inc.


License Agreement
 Forté Software License Agreement

1. License.  Forte Internet Software Inc. ("FORTE") grants to the ("LICENSEE") purchasing the Agent product a nonexclusive, nontransferable license to use the Agent software ("Software") and its documentation for use under the terms and conditions of this License. The Licensee owns the media on which the Software is recorded, but FORTE retains title to the Software and accompanying documentation. This License provides for the use of the Software by a single User and all Users for which add-on licenses have been purchased. "User" means an individual, or current employees of the Licensee, if Licensee is a corporation or other business or commercial entity or government agency which has purchased add-on Licenses.  For qualifying educational institutions, "User" means registered students or faculty and staff employed by Licensee. For Free Agent users, FORTE grants you the ("LICENSEE") subject to the conditions contained herein, a nonexclusive license to use this proprietary software product Free Agent ("Software") free of charge.  For Trialware users FORTE, subject to the conditions contained herein, grants you the ("LICENSEE") a nonexclusive license to use this proprietary software product Agent ("Software") free of charge on a trial basis for thirty (30) days in order to evaluate whether to purchase a licensed copy of the Agent Software. After the thirty (30) day trial period you may either purchase the Agent software, revert to Free Agent Software, or remove all Forte Agent Software from your computer.

2. Restrictions.  This License allows the Licensee to exercise the rights granted herein and must be retained by Licensee. Licensee may not rent, lease or otherwise transfer any part of the Software or its accompanying documentation without written consent from FORTE. Licensee may make a limited number of copies of the Software specified by the number of licensed Users as well as a reasonable number of back-up copies. The Software contains FORTE's copyrighted material, trade secrets and other proprietary material. Licensee must reproduce the FORTE copyright notice and any other proprietary notices found on the original Software on all copies of the Software. Licensee shall not, without prior written permission from FORTE, nor permit anyone else, to decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble or otherwise reduce the Software to a human perceivable form, or to rent, lease, modify, network, distribute, loan, or create derivative works based upon the Software or its documentation in whole or in part. Any and all information obtained during such unlawful reverse engineering and/or decompiling activities, including but not limited to, the organization, logic, algorithms and processes of the Software, shall be deemed to be confidential and proprietary information of FORTE. This License does not grant Licensee any right to receive enhancements or updates to the Software or accompanying documentation except those described in the original purchase offer. Enhancements and updates, if available, may be obtained by Licensee at FORTE's then-current standard pricing, terms, and conditions. Title, ownership rights, and intellectual property rights to content accessed through the Software is the property of the applicable content owner and may be protected by applicable copyright or other law. This License gives Licensee no rights to such content. FORTE may furnish the Software and On-Line Help to Licensee electronically or on media in machine-readable object code form.

AGENT

3. Technical Support.  For individual Agent Licenses a period of ninety (90) days commencing  with the date of FORTE's receipt of electronic mail registration ("Registration") of this License ("the Support Start Date"), Licensee will have access to technical support via electronic mail. Upgrades to the Software and its documentation, if any, are not included except as described in the original purchase offer and may be sold separately.  For Site Licenses, technical support will be available via telephone or electronic mail for the Designated Technical Contacts identified on the Order Form, subject to FORTE's verification procedure.  For Trialware users Technical Support may be provided for Trialware at the sole discretion of FORTE. FORTE may, at its discretion, provide updates to the Software. Upgrades to the Software and its documentation, if any, are not included as part of this agreement and may be sold separately.  For Free Agent users NO TECHNICAL SUPPORT is provided by FORTE for the product.  Technical Support may be provided by an Internet Service Provider distributing the product at the Internet Service Provider's option.  FORTE may, at its discretion, provide updates to the Software. Upgrades to the Software and its documentation, if any, are not included and may be sold separately.

4. Limited Warranty of Diskettes and CD-ROM. If FORTE provides the Software on diskettes or CD-ROM, it will warrant the Software diskettes or CD-ROM to be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of purchase. FORTE's entire liability and Licensee's exclusive remedy will be limited to replacement of the defective diskettes upon return to the place of purchase within the warranty period. FORTE will not be responsible for replacement of any diskette damaged by accident, abuse or misapplication.  ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES ON THE SOFTWARE DISKETTES INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE LIMITED IN DURATION TO NINETY (90) DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PURCHASE.

5. Disclaimer of Warranty.  Licensee acknowledges and agrees that the use of the Software and all accompanying documentation is at Licensee's sole risk. The Software and documentation are provided "AS IS" and without warranty of any kind. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER APPLICABLE LAWS, THE STATED WARRANTIES ARE IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, WRITTEN OR ORAL, STATUTORY, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION THERETO, THE WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, THE WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE,  AND NONINFRINGEMENT. FORTE DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE FUNCTIONS CONTAINED IN THE SOFTWARE WILL MEET LICENSEE'S REQUIREMENTS, OR THAT THE OPERATION OF THE SOFTWARE WILL BE FREE OF ERRORS. FORTE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY NATURE OR FOR ANY REASON, OR FOR COMMERCIAL LOSSES OF ANY CAUSE, WHETHER OR NOT FORTE HAS RECEIVED NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OR CERTAINTY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR LOSSES. CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDE ANY LOSS OF INFORMATION, DAMAGE TO COMPUTER OR MONITOR, LOSS OF PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTIONS AND ANY OTHER MONETARY LOSS.

6. Limitation of Liability.  TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER APPLICABLE LAWS, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE, SHALL FORTE AND ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION AND THE LIKE) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE OR ITS DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF FORTE OR ITS AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. In no event shall FORTE's total liability to Licensee for all damages, losses, and causes of action (whether in contract, tort, including negligence, or otherwise) exceed the amount paid by Licensee for the Software and its documentation.

7. No Waiver or Assignment.  This License may not be assigned, sublicensed or otherwise transferred by the Licensee, by operation of law or otherwise, without FORTE's prior written consent.

8. U.S. Government Restricted Rights: The Software and its documentation are provided with RESTRICTED RIGHTS. Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is subject to restriction as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013 or subparagraphs (c)(1) and (2) of the Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights at 48 CFR 52.227-19, as  applicable. Contractor/manufacturer is Forte Internet Software Inc., P.O. Box 131477, Carlsbad, CA  92013-1477.

9. Export Controls.  Licensee may not download or export the Software or its technology except in full compliance with all United States regulations and laws. The Software or technology may not be downloaded or exported to a national or resident from Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Sudan, or any other country subject to a United States embargo.

10. Termination.  This agreement may be terminated immediately by either party in the event of default by the other party. If this Agreement is terminated, Licensee will immediately discontinue use of the Software and shall return all copies of the Software and its documentation to FORTE within fourteen (14) days. Licensee may also terminate this Agreement at any time by destroying all copies of the Software and its documentation. Licensee's obligations to pay the agreed upon charges and fees will survive the termination of this Agreement.

11. General.  This Agreement represents the only statement of the terms relative to this license between the parties and supersedes any previous agreements or representations. This Agreement may only be amended in writing, and must be executed by both parties. FORTE IS NOT BOUND BY ANY PROVISION OF ANY PURCHASE ORDER, RECEIPT, ACCEPTANCE, CONFIRMATION, CORRESPONDENCE, OR OTHERWISE UNLESS FORTE SPECIFICALLY AGREES TO THE PROVISION IN WRITING. If any section of this Agreement is held to be unenforceable for any reason, the section shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable. This Agreement shall be governed by United States and California law.


Keyboard Shortcuts

A great way to use Agent more efficiently and save time is to use the available keyboard shortcuts to perform various functions.  Agent's shortcuts (also called "accelerators" or "speed keys") are listed as follows:

All Fields (in composition window)	Ctrl+D or Alt+D

Apply ROT13	Ctrl+3

Back Up (to previous msg.)	Backspace or Alt+LeftArrow

Cascade (windows/browsers)	Shift+F5

Check Addresses	F8

Check for New Mail	Ctrl+E

Collapse All Threads	Shift- or Shift LeftArrow

Collapse Thread	- or LeftArrow

Copy	Ctrl+C

Copy to Folder > All Folders	Shift+Ctrl+C

Select URL	Shift+Ctrl+U

Cut	Ctrl+X

Delete	Del

Delete permanently	Shift+Del

Delete Body	Ctrl+Del

Down to Next Message	D

Exit	Alt+F4

Expand All Threads	Shift+ or Shift RightArrow

Expand Thread	+ or RightArrow

Filters > Add Kill Filter	Ctrl+K

Filters > Add Watch Filter	Ctrl+W

Find	Ctrl+F

Find Next	F3

Follow-Up Usenet Msg.	F

Forward (to next msg.)	Shift+Backspace or Alt+RightArrow

Goto Next Found Message	G

Global Search	Ctrl+G

Ignore Thread	I

Index	Ctrl+I

Jump to Message URL	Ctrl+J

Keep	K

Launch Attachment	L

Launch URL	Ctrl+U

Mark for Retrieval	M

Move to Folders > All Folders	Ctrl+Shift+X

New Email Message	Ctrl+M

New Usenet Message	P

Online/Offline	Ctrl+O

Pane (Groups/Folders)	1

Pane (Message List)	2

Pane (Message)	3

Pane to Pane clockwise	Tab

Pane to Pane counter-clockwise	Shift+Tab

Paste	Ctrl+V

Paste as Quote	Ctrl+Q

Paste Signature	Ctrl+I

Pick Addresses	Ctrl+K

Print	Ctrl+P

Properties	Alt+Enter

Refresh (View)	F5

Reply to All	Shift+R

Reply via Email	R

Save (from Composition window)	Ctrl+S or Alt+V

Save All Attachments	A

Select All	Ctrl+A

Select/Copy URL	Shift+Ctrl+U

Select View	V

Send Later (from Compos. window)	Ctrl+L or Alt+L

Send Now (from Compos. window)	Ctrl+N or Alt+S

Show All Header Fields	H

Show Full Thread	*

Show Raw Message	Ctrl+R

Single-Key Read	Space

Skip to Next Unread Group	S

Skip to Next Unread Message	N

Skip to Next Unread Msg. Body	B

Skip to Next Unread Msg. in Thread	T

Spell Checking	F7

Subscribe	Ctrl+S

Tile Vertically (windows/browsers)	Shift+F4

Up to Previous Message	U

View Next Unread Message	Ctrl+N

View Next Unread Message Body	Ctrl+B

View Next Unread Msg.in Thread	Ctrl+T

View Selected Group/This Message	Enter

Watch Thread	W

Word Wrap	O

Zoom Window	Z

See Also:

Intellimouse Navigation


Intellimouse Navigation

You can quickly cycle through Agent's panes using the wheel on the Microsoft Intellimouse, as follows:

General scrolling in Agent	Move the mouse wheel towards screen to scroll up and towards yourself to scroll down.

Move clockwise through panes*	Shift+wheel forward (towards the screen)

Move counter-clockwise through panes**	Shift+wheel back (towards yourself)

Page up	Ctrl+wheel forward

Page down	Ctrl+wheel back

Single-key read jump to next message***	Clicking mouse wheel (middle button)

Note:  To page down before advancing to next message, check the option "Page down before advancing to next message" on the General Preferences Navigation tab.

*From the Groups/Folders pane, to the Message List pane, to the Message pane.

**From the Message pane, to Message List pane, to Groups/Folders pane.

***Note:  Some mouse drivers allow you to configure the middle button to simulate a left button double-click.  Others send a middle button click message to Agent in addition to the double-click message.  To allow for this different behavior, you can disable the middle button by selecting the option "Clicking mouse wheel Button (middle button) does single key read" on the General Preferences Navigation tab.

See Also:

Keyboard Shortcuts


Agent Trialware

Agent is offered to new users as trialware.  This means that you are allowed to use all the features of Agent free of charge for a 30-day trial period.  At the end of the trial period, if you wish to continue using Agent you must purchase a registration key.  If at the end of the 30-day trial period you choose not to order a registration key, you may read all messages that you have retrieved, but all online commands will be disabled.


Install Trash Folder dialog box

Use this dialog box to configure Agent's trash folder feature the first time you upgrade to Agent version 1.93.

Yes, enable the trash folder feature, configured as follows

Select this option to enable to the trash folder feature.  Then, use the options underneath to configure how you want the trash folder to work.

Create a new trash folder to store deleted messages

Select this option to have Agent create a new trash folder.

New Folder name

Enter the name you want to give to the new trash folder.  Agent suggests a possible name, but you can change it to anything you wish.

Use an existing folder to store deleted messages

Select this option to have Agent convert an existing folder to the trash folder.  We recommend selecting this option if you are already using a folder as a repository for unwanted messages, and you want to designate it as the official trash folder.

The folder you select will continue to operate as a normal folder, except that when you delete messages, they will be moved to the folder.  In addition, the empty trash commands will permanently delete messages from the folder.

Existing folder

Choose the existing folder you wish to use as the trash folder.

Empty the trash when closing Agent

Select this option to have Agent automatically empty the trash folder each time you close the program.

Prompt for confirmation first

Select this option to have Agent prompt you for confirmation before emptying the trash when you close the program.  This option also controls whether Agent will prompt for confirmation before purging newsgroups and compacting databases.

Do not remove messages put in the trash less than [  ] days ago

Select this option to have Agent retain recently deleted messages when you empty the trash.  Messages deleted to the trash folder less than the specified number of days ago are not deleted when you empty the trash.

No, do not enable the trash folder feature

Select this option if you don't want to enable Agent's trash folder feature.

Ask me again the next time I run Agent

Select this option if you want to put off deciding whether to enable the trash folder feature.

See Also:

How to Use the Trash Folder


General Preferences dialog box, Trash Tab
General Preferences dialog box (Options menu)

Trash Tab

Use this dialog box to configure Agent's trash folder.  When the trash folder is enabled, messages that you manually delete are moved to the trash folder instead of being permanently deleted.

Save deleted messages in a trash folder

Select this option to enable the trash folder feature.

Use folder

Select the folder you wish to use as the trash folder.  You can choose any existing folder, or press the New Folder button to create a new folder.  The folder you choose will continue to function as a normal folder, except that deleted messages will be moved to the folder.  Also, the Empty Trash command will permanently delete messages from the folder.

Use the trash folder to save messages deleted from:

Select which kinds of messages should be moved to the trash folder when you delete them.  Any message type you do not select here will be permanently deleted instead.

Newsgroups

Select this option to use the trash folder for messages deleted from newsgroups.

Folders

Select this option to use the trash folder for messages deleted from ordinary folders.  (Note: When you delete a message from the trash folder, it is always permanently deleted.)

Outbox

Select this option to use the trash folder for messages deleted from the outbox.

Emptying the Trash

These options control when and how the trash folder is emptied.

Empty the trash when closing Agent

Select this option to have Agent automatically empty the trash folder each time you close the program.

Ask before purging groups, emptying the trash, or compacting databases

Select this option to have Agent prompt you for confirmation before emptying the trash when you close the program.  This option also controls whether Agent will prompt for confirmation before purging newsgroups and compacting databases.

Do not remove messages put in the trash less than [  ] days ago

Select this option to have Agent retain recently deleted messages when you empty the trash.  Messages deleted to the trash folder less than the specified number of days ago are not deleted when you empty the trash.

See Also:

How to Use the Trash Folder


Launch Attachment Confirmation dialog box

Agent displays this dialog box when you launch an attachment that is considered unsafe and may contain a virus, to confirm that you really want to launch the file.

Yes

Select this option to launch the attachment.  You should choose Yes only if you are sure that the attachment contains no virus.

No

Select this option to cancel the launch.

Cancel

Select this if you have selected multiple attachments for launching and you want to cancel all of them.

Always prompt for files of type <x>

Uncheck this option if you do not want to be prompted for files of this type in the future.  You should uncheck this option only if you are sure that the type of file being launched will never contain a virus.

(You can use the Confirmations tab of the General Preferences dialog box to manage which file types require a confirmation before launching.)


Manage Launch Confirmations dialog

Use this dialog box to manage the list of attachment file types that you consider to be safe for launching without a warning confirmation.  For file type on this list, Agent will not prompt for confirmation before launching a message attachment.

Types

The list of file types that are safe to launch without confirmation.  This list can consist of MIME types (e.g. "text/plain") and filename extensions (e.g. "TXT").

Add

Press this button to add a new safe type.

Delete

Press this button to delete the currently selected types from the list.

Delete All

Press this button to delete all entries from the list, effectively declaring all file types as unsafe.

See Also:

Confirmations tab of the General Preferences dialog box


Add Safe Type dialog box

Enter a MIME type or filename extension that you want to be added to the list of safe file types.

MIME types are of the form "<primary>/<secondary>", for example "text/plain".

Filename extensions are three or four-character strings, for example "txt".  If you include a leading period, Agent removes it when adding the extension to the safe types list.

Both MIME types and filename extensions are case-insensitive.


Delete Group/Folder Confirmation dialog box

This dialog box is designed to help keep you from accidentally deleting a group or folder.  To delete the selected group(s) or folder(s), you must first click the Yes checkbox, and then click OK.

Please note that when you delete a group or folder, you will:

•	Delete all of the messages it contains.

•	Delete all group-specific properties you may have set.

•	Delete all usenet or email filters associated with the group or folder.

•	Delete all of the messages it contains.

If you delete the trash folder, you will also disable Agent's trash folder feature.

If you delete the folder designated as the default inbox for email, you will disable Agent's ability to receive email.


Delete Group/Folder Confirmation dialog box

This dialog box is designed to help keep you from accidentally deleting a group or folder.  To delete the selected group(s) or folder(s), you must first click the Yes checkbox, and then click OK.

Please note that when you delete a group or folder, you will:

•	Delete all of the messages it contains.

•	Delete all group-specific properties you may have set.

•	Delete all usenet or email filters associated with the group or folder.

•	Delete all of the messages it contains.

If you delete the trash folder, you will also disable Agent's trash folder feature.

If you delete the folder designated as the default inbox for email, you will disable Agent's ability to receive email.


Empty Trash Confirmation dialog box

Agent displays this confirmation dialog box when you select the Group | Empty Trash menu option, to confirm that you really want to empty the trash.

Do not remove messages put in the trash less than [  ] days ago

Select this option to have Agent retain recently deleted.  Messages deleted to the trash folder less than the specified number of days ago will not be removed.

You can change the default settings for this option on the Trash Tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

You can configure Agent not to prompt for confirmation when you empty the trash on the Confirmations tab of the General Preferences dialog box.

See Also:

How to Use the Trash Folder


How to Use the Trash Folder

The trash folder is Agent's repository for deleted messages.  With the trash folder, it easy to recover messages that you deleted by accident.  When you delete message(s) from other groups or folders, or from the Outbox, Agent moves the messages to the trash folder instead of permanently deleting them.

You can identify the trash folder in the Groups/Folders pane by its trashcan icon.

To delete messages to the trash folder, select the message(s) to be deleted and use menu option Message | Delete or press the DELETE key on your keyboard.

To permanently delete messages instead of moving them to the trash folder, hold down the SHIFT key while selecting menu option Message | Delete or pressing the DELETE key.

To undelete messages that you just deleted, select menu option Edit | Undo or press Ctrl+Z.  This will move the messages back to the group, folder, or outbox from which they were deleted.  Agent can undo up to the ten most recent message delete, move, or copy operations.

You can also undelete messages by viewing the contents of the trash folder, selecting the messages to undelete, and using menu option Message | Undelete.  This method works with any messages in the trash folder, no matter how long ago they were deleted.

In the trash folder, you can sort the messages by the date they were deleted, in addition to the other standard sorts.  To select the date deleted sort, use menu option Group | Sort Message by | Date Deleted.  You can also click the header of the Date column in the message list pane to toggle between the normal Date sort and Date Deleted.

To configure the operation of the trash folder, use the Trash tab of the General Preferences dialog box.  On this dialog, you can choose which kinds of messages should be saved in the trash folder when they are deleted.  For example, to save space you may choose not to save Usenet messages in the trash folder.

To select whether or not you are prompted for confirmation when you delete messages to the trash folder, use the Confirmations tab of the General Preferences dialog box.  For example, you may want to turn off confirmations for messages deleted to the trash folder, but keep them on for operations that permanently delete messages.


Empty Trash command (Group menu)

Use this command to empty the trash folder.  By default, Agent will prompt for confirmation before emptying the trash.  To turn confirmations on or off, use the Confirmations tab of the General Preferences dialog box.


Newsgroup

An electronic forum or bulletin board in which people can share ideas and information.  Each newsgroup is assigned a unique name, for example alt.usenet.offline-reader.forte-agent.  Names are governed by Usenet's naming protocol.


Newsreader

An application used to retrieve and view messages from newsgroups in the part of the Internet called the Usenet.  Agent is an "offline" newsreader, which means you can go online to retrieve messages and then read the messages offline at your leisure.


MIME format

A format for encoding attachments that conforms to a widely used standard for message transferal.  When you specify the MIME format in your Agent settings, Agent formats the message body and each attachment into individual sections, each separated by a special boundary line.  If, however, a MIME message consists of a single attachment and if the body is empty, Agent collapses the attachment into a single part message, thus providing for smoother launching at the receiving end.


MIME messages

MIME stands for Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extensions.  It is a specification used on the Internet and Usenet, which allows users:

•	to interchange text in languages with different character sets

•	to send and receive messages among different computer systems that use Internet mail standards

A MIME message consists of one or more sections.  Each section can be text or one of several other types of media (typically, images and sounds).  Each of these media categories has a number of subtypes.  For example, there are several kinds of image files.  The most common are "GIF" or "JPEG".


Newsrc File

A file that records the list of newsgroups.  For each group, the file also records whether the group is subscribed and the ranges of messages that have been retrieved and read for the group.


Multi-user

An operating system that can support several people using computers at once.


yEnc format

One of several methods used to transmit non-text data (e.g., attached files) in messages.  This format is similar to the uuencode format, but is 30% more efficient in the best case.  The yEnc format also includes a mechanism for verifying the integrity of the encoded data.


Trash Icon

This icon represents the trash folder, where Agent stores deleted messages until you empty the trash.


Contents command (Help Menu)

For Windows 95 and later:

Use this command to open the Help Topics window, Contents tab.

For Windows 3.1:

Use this command to open the help Contents page.


Index command (Help Menu)

(Windows 95 and later)

Use this command to open the Help Topics window, Index tab.


Agent Support on the Web
Agent Support on the Web (Help Menu)

Use this command to visit Forté's web site for technical support.  You can search the site for answers to your questions, and you can post questions to our support team directly from the web site.


Post Support Question via Email
Post Support Question via Email (Help Menu)

Use this option to compose a question about Agent and send it via email to Forté's support team.


About yEnc

yEnc is a method for encoding files so that they can be attached to Usenet messages.  yEnc is similar to the traditional uuencoding method, but offers the advantage of being approximately 30% more efficient that uuencoding or MIME Base64.  yEnc also provides a standard mechanism for splitting large files into multiple messages, to get around size restrictions on the size of Usenet messages.  In addition, yEnc provides a mechanism for checking whether the contents of a file were corrupted during transmission.

Agent fully supports yEnc for both sending and receiving Usenet messages.  At present Agent can receive email messages containing yEnc attachments, but does not support the sending of yEnc-formatted email.  We chose to disable yEnc in email messages that you send, because yEnc has not been generally accepted as an encoding standard for email.

There is nothing you have to do to configure Agent to receive yEnc messages.  Agent automatically detects and decodes yEnc messages the same way that it handles uuencoded and MIME messages.

If you wish to send attachments using yEnc, open the Send Files tab on the Default Group Properties dialog box and select "yEnc" in the Format drop-down list.  You can also select the yEnc format while composing a message, by opening the Message Properties dialog box (Message menu).

yEnc is a new standard, and we have found that some programs don't always format yEnc attachments correctly.  For example, many programs incorrectly calculate the CRC checksum that is used to check the integrity of the attachment.  Agent is strict about making sure that the messages it receives are formatted correctly, and will sometimes report that a yEnc attachment appears to be corrupt even though the data is valid.  Agent will always do its best to decode an attachment, but will warn you when the resulting file may be corrupt.  You'll have to use your own judgement when deciding whether to trust a file that Agent warns may be bad.


Support Question (Post Menu)

Use this option to compose a question about Agent and send it via email to Forté's support team.


Welcome to Forté Agent dialog box

When you run Agent for the first time, you must select a mode of operation.  Don't worry; you can always change your mind later on.  Here are your choices:

I've purchased Agent and I'd like to enter my Registration Key

Select this option if you've gone to our web site and purchased the full-featured version of Agent.  You will be prompted for your Registration Key.

For additional help, find out how to order on the Web at:

http://www.forteinc.com/help/order.php

(or select menu option Help | How to Order on the Web.)

I'd like to begin a free 30-day trial of Agent

Select this option if you'd like to sample the full-featured version of Agent (also known as Trialware) before making your final purchase decision.  Later on, if you purchase Agent, you can enter your Registration Key with the menu option, Help | Enter Registration Key.

HINT:  If you're not sure what to do, this is your best option.  You can always revert to Free Agent later if you decide not to buy Agent.

I'd like to use Free Agent, a free newsreader with fewer features

Select this option if you'd prefer to use our scaled-down newsreader, Free Agent.  For information about the differences between Agent and Free Agent, see our web site at:

http://www.forteinc.com/agent/features.php

When you select Free Agent, you will notice that some menu options are preceded by a dot.  These options are only available in the full-featured version of Agent.


Forté Agent Trial dialog box

During your 30-day trial period, Agent will remind you periodically about the number of remaining days.

The trial period is measured in calendar days.  In other words, the trial period ends exactly 30 days after the first day of the trial period -- whether or not you've used Agent during that period.

I've purchased Agent and I'd like to enter my Registration Key

Select this option if you've gone to our web site and purchased the full-featured version of Agent.  You will be prompted for your Registration Key.

For additional help, press the Find out How to Order on the Web button, below.

I'd like to continue evaluating Agent for more days

Select this option to continue your trial period.  Later on, if you purchase Agent, you can enter your Registration Key with the menu option Help | Enter Registration Key.

This option is disabled if your trial period has expired.

HINT:  If you're not sure what to do, this is your best option.

I'd like to use Free Agent, a free newsreader with fewer features

Select this option if you'd prefer to use our scaled-down newsreader, Free Agent.  For information about the differences between Agent and Free Agent, see the page on our web site at:

http://www.forteinc.com/agent/features.php

When you select Free Agent, you will notice that some menu options are preceded by a dot.  These options are only available in the full-featured version of Agent.


Trial Status dialog box

This dialog box shows you how many days are left in your trial, and provides options for entering your Registration Key or reverting to Free Agent mode.

The trial period is measured in calendar days.  In other words, the trial period ends exactly 30 days after the first day of the trial period -- whether or not you've used Agent during that period.

I've purchased Agent and I'd like to enter my Registration Key

Select this option if you've gone to our web site and purchased the full-featured version of Agent.  You will be prompted for your Registration Key.

For additional help, press the Find out How to Order on the Web button, below.

I'd like to continue evaluating Agent for more days

Select this option to continue your trial period.  Later on, if you purchase Agent, you can enter your Registration Key with the menu option Help | Enter Registration Key.

HINT:  If you're not sure what to do, this is your best option.

I'd like to use Free Agent, a free newsreader with fewer features

Select this option if you'd prefer to use our scaled-down newsreader, Free Agent.  For information about the differences between Agent and Free Agent, see the page on our web site at:

http://www.forteinc.com/agent/features.php

When you select Free Agent, you will notice that some menu options are preceded by a dot.  These options are only available in the full-featured version of Agent.


Command Not Available dialog box

You've selected a menu option that is not available in Free Agent.  Here are your options:

I'd like to start (or re-start) my free trial of Agent

If you've never run a trial of Agent on this computer, you can begin a 30-day trial.  If you began a trial and then reverted to Free Agent, you can re-start the trial for however many days are remaining.

The trial period is measured in calendar days.  In other words, the trial period ends exactly 30 days after the first day of the initial trial period -- whether or not you've used Agent during that period.

This option is disabled if your trial period has expired.

I'd like to continue using Free Agent without this feature

Select this option if you'd prefer to use our scaled-down newsreader, Free Agent.  For information about the differences between Agent and Free Agent, see the page on our web site at:

http://www.forteinc.com/agent/features.php

When you select Free Agent, you will notice that some menu optionss are preceded by a dot.  These options are only available in the full-featured version of Agent.

Later on, if you purchase Agent, you can enter your Registration Key with the menu option Help | Enter Registration Key.


Try Out Agent dialog box

Use this dialog box to enter your Registration Key after you have purchased Agent, or to begin a free 30-day trial of Agent.

I've purchased Agent and I'd like to enter my Registration Key

Select this option if you've gone to our web site and purchased the full-featured version of Agent.  You will be prompted for your Registration Key.

For additional help, press the Find out How to Order on the Web button, below.

I'd like to start (or re-start) my free trial of Agent

If you've never run a trial of Agent on this computer, you can begin a 30-day trial.  If you began a trial and then reverted to Free Agent, you can re-start the trial for however many days are remaining.

The trial period is measured in calendar days.  In other words, the trial period ends exactly 30 days after the first day of the initial trial period -- whether or not you've used Agent during that period.

This option is disabled if your trial period has expired.

I'd like to continue using Free Agent

Select this option if you'd prefer to use our scaled-down newsreader, Free Agent.  For information about the differences between Agent and Free Agent, see the page on our web site at:

http://www.forteinc.com/agent/features.php

When you select Free Agent, you will notice that some menu optionss are preceded by a dot.  These options are only available in the full-featured version of Agent.

Later on, if you purchase Agent, you can enter your Registration Key with the menu option Help | Enter Registration Key.


Update Registration Key dialog box

On certain occasions, you may wish to request a different registration key from Forté.  For example, you might want to get a new key if you ever change your name.

To request a new registration key, use the Post | Support Question menu option to send an email request to the Agent support team.

When you receive your new key from Forté, use this dialog box to enter it in Agent.


What's New Reminder dialog box

Our What's New web page is the best way to stay current with Agent and the Agent Community.  This page automatically informs you of:

•	New versions of Agent Software

•	Partnerships with other Usenet companies for add-on products and services

•	Survey data from the Agent Community

•	User profiles on key members of the Agent and Usenet Communities

•	Tips and Frequently Asked Questions from the Agent Team.

This best part about the What's New web page is that it remembers the last time you visited and only displays items that are new to you.

HINT:  At any time, you can find out what's new using the menu command, Help | What's New.

Show me the What's New web page right now

Select this option to display the What's New web page at:

http://www.forteinc.com/whatsnew

I'm busy.  Remind me again tomorrow

You'll be reminded again tomorrow.

I'm really busy.  Remind me again in 30 days.

You'll be reminded again in 30 days (or whatever value you enter below).

Remind me every [so many] days

Uncheck this box if you never want to be reminded again.

Or, enter the number of days that should elapse between reminders.


Free Agent Registration dialog box

Please register with us so we can keep you up-to-date on Agent and the Agent Community.

Rest assured, we never share user information with other companies.

Take me to the registration page right now

Select this option to display our web-based registration form.  It will be filled in automatically from your Agent settings.

I'm busy.  Remind me again tomorrow.

You'll be reminded again tomorrow.

I'm really busy.  Remind me again in 30 days.

You'll be reminded in 30 days.  Use this option if you aren't totally sure.

I'd prefer not to register

You won't be reminded again.  However, you can always go to our web-based form and register manually at:

http://www.forteinc.com/register/freeagent.php


RES<x>.DLL

An optional resource-only DLL that contains Agent's UI resources: menus, dialog boxes, accelerators, and strings.  Agent's UI can be easily translated into languages other than English by installing the appropriate resource DLL.

On startup, Agent searches for a resource DLL, and if it finds one, loads all of its UI resources from it.  Agent uses the following algorithm to find the resource DLL:

1.	If the INI param [View]ResDLL is defined and not null, Agent loads the DLL specified by the param.  If the DLL specified in the param does not exist or is not a valid Agent resource DLL, Agent uses its default EXE resources.

2.	If the INI param above is undefined or null, Agent first searches for a file with the name RES<x>.DLL in the DATA directory, where <x> is any filename text.  If a file is found and it is a valid resource DLL, Agent uses that file.

3.	Otherwise, Agent searches for a DLL in the SHARED directory.  If a file is found there and it is a valid resource DLL, Agent uses that file.

4.	Otherwise, Agent uses its default EXE resource.

Please contact Forté for additional technical information about the format of resource DLLs.


What's New (Help Menu)

This command launches your web browser to visit Forté's web site to find out what's new with Agent.  Each time you visit the site, we'll tell you about new developments since the last time you visited.


Try Out Agent (Help Menu)

This command is available only when you are running Free Agent.  It launches the Try Out Agent dialog box, where you can begin a free 30-day trial of all of Agent's advanced features.


How to Order on the Web (Help Menu)

This command is available only when you are running Free Agent or the free 30-day trial of Agent.  The command launches your web browser, to visit Forté's web site to find out how to order Agent.


Enter Registration Key (Help Menu)

This command is available only when you are running Free Agent or the free 30-day trial of Agent.  After you have purchased Agent, use this command to enter the registration key that Forté sends you.


Trial Status (Help Menu)

This command is available only when you are running the free 30-day trial of Agent.  It displays the Trial Status dialog, where you can see how many days are left in the trial, and revert to Free Agent mode if you wish.


Update Registration Key (Help Menu)

This command is available only when you are running a purchased copy of Agent.  On certain occasions, you may wish to request a new registration key from Forté.  For example, you might want a new key if you change your name.  To request a new key, use the Post | Support Question menu option to send an email to the Agent support team.  When you receive your new key from Forté, use the Update Registration Key menu option to enter it.


Ordering Agent

Forté offers Agent 1.93, our commercial news and mail reader product and is available in both 16-bit and 32-bit versions.  Agent includes all the features of Free Agent plus a host of additional features that give you tremendous power and flexibility in reading, composing and sending news and email messages.  Also, there is free technical support via email, for 90 days after the purchase of Agent 1.93.  Note:  Forté does not provide telephone support to individual customers.

You can purchase Agent 1.93 in any of the following ways:

1.	Through the World Wide Web.  This is the fastest and easiest way to get Agent.  Forté's ordering page is on a secure Netscape Commerce Server, ensuring that your confidential information remains confidential.  For details on ordering Agent through the Web, please see our home page at www.forteinc.com.

2.	If you don't have convenient Web access, the next best way to order Agent is by fax or mail.  Simply print out and complete the Agent Order Form and either fax it to Forté's Agent Order Desk in Del Mar, California at +1 919.969.2844 or mail it to:

Agent
c/o Forté Internet Software, Inc.
P.O. Box 131477
Carlsbad, CA 92013-1477

3.	Company Purchase Orders.  For information on purchasing Agent for your company, send an email message to agent-sales@forteinc.com.  Please note that the minimum order quantity for Purchase Orders is 10 units.

Visit our World Wide Web site at www.forteinc.com for more details.


Using International Versions of Agent

By installing a file known as a "language resources DLL" you can convert Agent's user interface to a language other than English.  Resource DLLs for a growing number of languages are available at Forté's web site.  See:

http://www.forteinc.com/international

After you download a resource a DLL, install it by copying the file to the folder containing file AGENT.EXE, which is normally "c:\Program Files\Agent".  Then, restart Agent.  Agent should automatically display the user interface from the newly-installed DLL.

You can install resource DLLs for more than one language.  By default, Agent uses the language for the first DLL it finds in either the DATA folder that contains Agent's database, or in the SHARED folder that contains AGENT.EXE.

To force Agent to use a particular language, or to revert to the English language, use the Display Language option on the Display Preferences dialog, Main Window tab .


Expand Active Threads

This means Agent will expand the thread if any of the following are true:

•	The first message in the thread has a body and has been read.

•	The thread is watched.

•	The unread message being skipped to has a body.