Using FirstClass. for Mac OS

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Using FirstClass

for Mac OS

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Copyright  1996 by SoftArc Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publi-cation may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, record-ing, or otherwise, without the express written permission of SoftArc Inc.

FirstClass is a registered trademark of SoftArc Inc. Tampering with a reg-istered trademark is a Federal offense.

Stuffit is a trademark of Aladdin Systems, Inc. AppleLink, AppleTalk, Mac-intosh, and Macintosh Quadra are registered trademarks of Apple Com-puter Inc. MacTCP is a trademark of Apple ComCom-puter Inc. DigiBoard is a registered trademark of Digi International. Hayes is a registered trademark of Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. ULTRA is a trademark of Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. Microsoft, MS, and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Windows and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other product names or brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Version 3.5

First Adobe Acrobat Edition Printed and bound in Canada

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1 Introduction

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The server and the client 11 FirstClass features 11

Who should read this guide 12 What’s new in this guide 12 Inside this guide 13

Symbols and conventions 15 Choosing commands 15 Entering data 16

Examples and illustrations 17 Viewing the status bar 17

2 Installing FirstClass

19

Assembling the things you need 19 Installing the software 19

Upgrading the FirstClass Client 21 Obtaining software upgrades 22

3 Getting started with FirstClass

23

Preparing to connect to your FirstClass Server 23 AppleTalk connections 23

TCP/IP connections 24 Modem connections 25

Preparing the settings document 25 Creating a settings document 26

Configuring the settings document for an AppleTalk connection 26 Configuring the settings document for a TCP/IP connection 29 Configuring the settings document for a modem connection 31 Configuring a TCP/IP connection 33

Configuring a modem connection 36

4 Connecting to FirstClass

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Logging into FirstClass 41 Auto-registering 42

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5 FirstClass basics

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Mailbox, conference, and folder windows 46 Message windows 47

Message symbols 47 Using the toolbar 48

6 Using e-mail

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Reading your messages 51

Finding unread messages automatically 52 Making messages unread 53

Creating new messages 53

Addressing a blind carbon copy 56 Addressing messages to gateways 57 Using other message forms 58 Editing messages 60

Using the spelling checker 61 Checking spelling 61

Setting the spelling checker preferences 63 Dictionary files 63

Requesting special message handling 64 Priority 64

Sensitivity 64 Receipt 64

Sending and unsending messages 65 Sending a message 65

Unsending a sent message 66 Replying to messages 67

Replying to all recipients 67 Replying to the sender only 68 Including quotations in your reply 69 Message threads 71

Forwarding messages 72

Viewing the history of messages 73 Keeping your mailbox tidy 74

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Using folders 75

7 Using conferences

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Viewing conferences 79 Browsing conferences 80 Replying to conference items 81

Replying to the conference 81 Replying to the sender only 82 Following message threads 83

Sending messages to a conference 84 Private conferences 86

8 Transferring files

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Transferring files to the server 87

Transferring a file by attaching it to a message 87 Transferring a file by uploading it directly 89 Transferring files to your computer 90

Previewing an attached file 91

Transferring a file attached to a message 91 Transferring an uploaded file 93

Resuming interrupted file transfers 94 Resuming a file transfer to the server 94 Resuming a file transfer to your computer 95

9 Searching

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Searching messages and documents 97 Searching conferences and folders 98 Searching external folders and drives 101

10 Chatting

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Initiating a private chat 103 Joining a public chat 106

Responding to chat invitations 107

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Customizing your Preferences form 109 Changing your password 112

Creating and editing your résumé 112 Using the address book 113

Creating a new personal mail list 113 Creating a new personal address form 116 Customizing your desktop 118

Making an alias of a conference 119

Viewing and changing object information 120 Organizing windows 122

Organizing items within a window 124 Customizing the toolbar 126

Adding buttons 126 Removing buttons 127 Sizing the toolbar buttons 128 Positioning the toolbar 128 Sizing the floating toolbar 129 Using the 3D Look command 129 Using the network notification utility 130

Installing the software 131

Upgrading the Network Notifier 132

Configuring the FirstClass Network Notifier 133

12 Beyond the basics

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Access to features and conferences 137 Privileges 137

Permissions 139

Finding out your session status 141 Refreshing your settings document 141 Finding out who’s online 142

Searching the FirstClass Directory 143 Accessing external folders and disk files 145

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13 Working offline

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A typical scenario 148

Installing FirstClass Personal 149 Installing the software 149

Configuring your settings document 151 Starting FirstClass Personal 151

Using e-mail 153

Reading and responding to mail 153 Sending mail 154

Using conferences 155

Setting up conference replication 155

Browsing and contributing to conferences 156 Customizing the configuration 157

Connecting to the server 161

Forcing an immediate connection to the server 161 Using alternate settings documents 161

FirstClass Personal post office 162

Backing up the FirstClass Personal post office 163

14 Troubleshooting

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Troubleshooting network connections 165 Troubleshooting modem connections 166

No response from the modem (error message 1034) 166 Modem returned an error (error message 1054) 166 No response from the server modem 167

Host does not appear to be a FirstClass Server 167 Communication failures while connected 168 Troubleshooting offline problems 168

Error messages 168 Possible problems 169 Troubleshooting tools 171

Troubleshooting using trace information 171 Offline troubleshooting tools 173

FirstClass error messages 174 Obtaining technical support 189

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A FirstClass folders

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The FirstClass Client folders 193 The Download folder 193 The FCP folder 193 The Modems folder 194 The Plugins folder 195 The Scripts folder 195 The Settings folder 195 The Tools folder 196

The FirstClass Client log file 197 The Client ReadMe file 197 The MODEMS.TXT file 197

B Standard forms

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Alternate Message form 199 File Transfer form 199 Phone Call form 200 Picture Message form 201 Quick Message form 201

Request for Information form 202 Requisition form 202

C Shortcuts

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Double-clicking shortcuts 205 Editable text 206

Shortcut menus 206

Drag-and-drop shortcuts 207 Addressing messages 208 Attaching files 208

Saving attachments 208 Moving text 208

Copying text 208

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Keyboard shortcuts 209 File menu shortcuts 209 Edit menu shortcuts 210

Message and conference shortcuts 210 Service menu shortcuts 211

View menu shortcuts 211

D Modem concepts and standards

213

Modem concepts 213

Flow control and handshaking 213 Baud Rate or Bits Per Second (bps) 214 Fall Back 214

Hardware carrier detection 215 DTR hangup 215

Modem standards 216

Modulation (speed) standards 216 Error correction standards 217 Data compression standards 217

E Modems: advanced information

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How FirstClass interacts with your modem 219 Editing a modem connection file (FCP file) 220

F The MDM file format

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Syntax rules 228

MDM file parameters 228

G Connection scripts

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Connection script commands 233 SEND 233

WAITFOR 234 DISPLAY 234 DELAY 235

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H Glossary

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1 Introduction

FirstClass integrates e-mail with group conferencing, access to existing cor-porate databases, forms processing, real-time discussions, and online com-munications functions. Its graphical user interface makes FirstClass easy to use. Because FirstClass automatically takes care of modem and file transfer protocols, remote access is as easy as network access.

The server and the client

FirstClass consists of two pieces of software: the FirstClass Server and the FirstClass Client. Your FirstClass administrator runs the FirstClass Server; you run the FirstClass Client to access the services provided by the server. The client can connect to the server using many communication methods, including modems and local area networks (LANs).

FirstClass features

The following table describes the features you can use in FirstClass.

Exchange e-mail with other users.

Exchange mail with users on other systems such as the Internet.

Engage in electronic conferencing with other users.

Depending on how your system is set up, use gateways to exchange mail with users on other systems such as Microsoft Mail and cc:Mail.

Transfer any number of files quickly using file attach-ments.

Dial in using a modem while retaining the full graphical Macintosh interface.

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Chapter 1 Introduction 12

In FirstClass you can read a message in one window, browse a conference in another, compose a message in a third, and chat with another user in yet another window, all while transferring files in the background.

Who should read this guide

Using FirstClass provides instructions for users running the FirstClass Client for Mac OS software on a computer running on Mac OS. It assumes that you are familiar with terminology such as mouse, drag, open, choose, file, and

double-click.

For more information about this terminology, refer to your Macintosh doc-umentation.

What’s new in this guide

Welcome to the latest release of the FirstClass Client. Several new features, enhancements, and changes have been added to the FirstClass Client since the last Using FirstClass was printed. Using FirstClass version 3.5, you can: • connect to FirstClass using a proxy server. For more information, refer

to “Configuring a TCP/IP connection” on page 33.

• use the customizable toolbar for many tasks. For more information, refer to “Using the toolbar” on page 48.

• use new Directory features to search for names in FirstClass and address messages. For more information on searching the Directory, refer to “Searching the FirstClass Directory” on page 143. For more

Engage in a chat with other users currently connected to the server.

Search for specific text in a message or document, or search a conference or folder for all the items that contain specific text.

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• send blind carbon copies. For more information, refer to “Addressing a blind carbon copy” on page 56.

• include quoted text when you send a reply to a message. For more information, refer to “Including quotations in your reply” on page 69. • check the spelling in your FirstClass messages and documents. For

more information, refer to “Using the spelling checker” on page 61. • use the new address book to create personal mail lists and address forms. For more information, refer to “Using the address book” on page 113.

• customize the appearance of your FirstClass account with the 3D Look command. For more information, refer to “Using the 3D Look com-mand” on page 129.

• update your settings document while you are working online. For more information, refer to “Refreshing your settings document” on page 141. • work offline, connecting only when you need to send and retrieve

mes-sages. For more information, refer to “Working offline” on page 147. • use drag-and-drop shortcuts to perform many tasks. For more

informa-tion, refer to “Drag-and-drop shortcuts” on page 207.

• perform most tasks more quickly using shortcut menus. For more infor-mation, refer to “Shortcut menus” on page 206.

FirstClass now automatically refreshes your desktop whenever new files or messages are added to the conferences on it.

Inside this guide

Installing FirstClass (Chapter 2) explains how to install the FirstClass Client software.

Getting started with FirstClass (Chapter 3) explains how to set up the con-nection to your FirstClass Server.

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Connecting to FirstClass (Chapter 4) explains how to connect to the FirstClass Server.

FirstClass basics (Chapter 5) describes the FirstClass windows and the FirstClass toolbar.

Using e-mail (Chapter 6) describes how to send e-mail, and how to read, reply to, and forward e-mail you receive.

Using conferences (Chapter 7) explains how to browse conferences, reply to conference items, and contribute to a conference.

Transferring files (Chapter 8) explains how to attach files to a message, how to upload them directly to a folder or conference, and how to down-load attached or updown-loaded files to your own computer.

Searching (Chapter 9) explains how to search messages, documents, con-ferences, and folders.

Chatting (Chapter 10) explains how to participate in real-time online con-versations.

Personalizing FirstClass (Chapter 11) explains how to personalize your FirstClass account to better suit your needs.

Beyond the basics (Chapter 12) describes advanced features of FirstClass, including privileges and permissions, how to find out who’s online, how to search the FirstClass Directory, and how to access external directories and disk files.

Working offline (Chapter 13) explains how to use FirstClass when you are not connected to the FirstClass Server.

Troubleshooting (Chapter 14) describes useful troubleshooting tools, explains how to troubleshoot problems with modem connections, explains the error messages that can be generated by FirstClass, and provides instructions for obtaining technical support.

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Standard forms (Appendix B) lists the standard forms provided with FirstClass.

Shortcuts (Appendix C) lists double-click, drag-and-drop, shortcut menu, and keyboard shortcuts you can use in FirstClass.

Modem concepts and standards (Appendix D) explains some of the stan-dards and concepts that you should understand when selecting, purchas-ing, and configuring a modem.

Modems: advanced information (Appendix E) explains how FirstClass interacts with your modem. It also provides more detailed information about the fields in the modem connection file.

The MDM file format (Appendix F) describes the format of the Modem (MDM) file.

Connection scripts (Appendix G) describes how to create a connection script.

Glossary (Appendix H) lists and defines terms used in this manual, and other related terms.

Symbols and conventions

Throughout this document, there are several symbols and conventions of which you should be aware.

Warning: Information that helps you prevent interruptions in ser-vice or loss of data. You should watch out for these warnings and make sure you understand them.

Note: Information important to the smooth running of your system.

Choosing commands

For many of the procedures in this manual, there are several different ways you can perform the same task. For example, to save a file attachment, you could select the attachment and then use any of the following methods. • On the menu bar, choose File _} Save Attachment.

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• Double-click the attached file.

• Drag the attached file from the message window and drop it onto your Macintosh desktop.

• Click and hold the mouse button, and select Save Attachment from the shortcut menu.

For other commands, you may also be able to click a button on the palette or use a keyboard shortcut.

In this guide we say: Choose File _} Save Attachment.

For the more complicated choices that arise from hierarchical menus, we simply extend the form. For example, we might want you to choose Italics using the following menus.

In this guide, we say: Choose Format } Style } Italic.

Entering data

To describe the data you have to enter, we use the following format: WAITFOR '<text1>' '<text2>' ... –T<nnn>

where:

• Text enclosed by angle brackets represent variables for which you must select a value. In the example, <text1>, <text2>, and <nnn> are variables. When entering variables, do not type the angle brackets.

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tation marks exactly as shown. An ellipsis (...) indicates that this list of variables can be as long as you need.

For example, to instruct the server to wait 20 seconds for the words “ser-vice”, “disconnect”, or “no carrier”, you might enter data such as the follow-ing:

WAITFOR 'service' 'disconnect' 'no carrier' –T1200

Examples and illustrations

To explain and illustrate the procedures in this manual, we’ve created a fic-titious company called Veritec Inc.

Veritec Inc. is a growing company with headquarters in Boston, a west coast sales office in Los Angeles, and a two-person office in San Francisco. It also has a Canadian sales office in Toronto, and a European headquarters in London. Veritec develops an advanced hardware and software product for the entertainment industry. It uses FirstClass for internal communication and to support its customers.

Viewing the status bar

The status bar runs across the bottom of your screen. As you move the mouse over menu commands or buttons, the status bar tells you what that command or button is for.

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2 Installing FirstClass

The first step in using FirstClass is to install the software on your computer. FirstClass can be installed on almost any Macintosh computer. This chapter describes the hardware and software requirements for the FirstClass Client, and provides installation instructions. To upgrade from an earlier version of FirstClass, follow the installation procedure in this chapter.

Assembling the things you need

To install the FirstClass Client, you need the following:

• a computer running Macintosh System 6.04 (or later) • 2 MB of memory (RAM) for 68K computers

• 3 MB of memory (RAM) for Power Macintosh computers • at least 8 MB of free space on your hard disk

To find out how much disk space is available, open your hard drive folder. The amount of available storage appears in the top right corner of the folder window.

In this example, there is 316.7 MB of free space.

Installing the software

The FirstClass Client is installed at the root of the volume selected, in a new folder named FirstClass 3.5. (If you have an older version of the FirstClass Client installed, it is not overwritten by version 3.5.) To install the FirstClass Client for Mac OS, follow these steps.

1) Insert the CD-ROM or diskette containing FirstClass 3.5 into a CD-ROM or diskette drive.

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Chapter 2 Installing FirstClass 20

2) Open the FirstClass Client folder. 3) Double-click FirstClass Client Install.

The splash screen appears.

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5) If you do not want to install the application in the location that FirstClass suggests, click Switch Disk and select the volume on which you want to install the software.

6) To install all components, click Install.

The Installation application installs the FirstClass Client.

7) To install only selected components, select Custom Install, and select the components you want to install. (For information about a compo-nent, click the information button beside the component.) Then click Install.

The Installation application installs the selected components.

The Installation progress dialog appears.

8) When installation is complete, the Installation Complete dialog appears. Click Quit.

Upgrading the FirstClass Client

To upgrade the FirstClass Client, follow the installation procedure in

“Installing the software” on page 19.

When you upgrade your software, your connection setup to the FirstClass Server should remain unaffected. However, if there is a problem, continue

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with Chapter 3, “Getting started with FirstClass” to set up the connection to your FirstClass Server again.

Warning: If you are upgrading the FirstClass Client version 2.6 or earlier, this version of FirstClass uses a different settings document format from your previous version. Since version 3.5 is installed into a new folder, your old settings documents are not overwritten. FirstClass automat-ically converts your old settings documents to work with version 3.5. How-ever, after you convert a settings document, you cannot use it with FirstClass version 2.6 or earlier.

Obtaining software upgrades

Upgrades of the FirstClass Client are distributed freely on SoftArc Online. To obtain the latest version of the software, log into SoftArc’s own FirstClass system, SoftArc Online.

Using the FirstClass Client, you can connect to SoftArc Online in two ways: • By modem: The FirstClass Client ships with a settings document that is configured to connect to SoftArc Online by modem. The phone num-ber for SoftArc Online is 905-415-7070.

• Over the Internet: For customers with connections to the Internet, the FirstClass Client ships with a settings document that is configured to connect to SoftArc Online using the TCP/IP protocol. SoftArc Online uses port 510, and its IP address is 198.133.37.10.

You can also connect to SoftArc Online with any VT100- or ANSI-compati-ble terminal emulator. Configure the application to use 8 data bits, no par-ity, 1 stop bit, and a speed of up to 28800 bps. Use the application to dial 905-415-7070. Although you won’t see the friendly FirstClass Client inter-face, you will be able to obtain the latest version of the software.

You can find the latest version of the FirstClass Client application on SoftArc Online in Conferences _} Software Libraries _} FirstClass Software.

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3 Getting started with FirstClass

To use FirstClass, you must connect to (or log into) a FirstClass Server. Before you can do so, you must perform the following tasks.

• Prepare a settings document for the server. You should have a settings document for each FirstClass system to which you connect. Usually, your FirstClass administrator provides you with a settings document. You just need to configure it.

• Configure a TCP/IP connection to the FirstClass system (if you are con-necting by TCP/IP). If you connect to multiple FirstClass Servers using TCP/IP, you must create a different connection file for each one. • Configure a modem connection to the FirstClass system (if you are

con-necting by modem). You must configure FirstClass to work with your modem. You only need to configure a modem connection once. All your settings documents use the same modem configuration.

You must change the modem configuration if you install a different type of modem or connect the modem to a different port.

Preparing to connect to your FirstClass Server

How you prepare for connection to the server on your FirstClass system var-ies depending on the type of connection you use. The FirstClass Server to which you are connecting might not support all connection types.

AppleTalk connections

For an AppleTalk network connection, follow these steps.

1) Install a network card or cables for AppleTalk, depending on the ver-sion of Macintosh you are using. For more information, refer to your Macintosh documentation.

2) From your Apple menu, choose one of the following control panels. a. If you are running AppleTalk with Open Transport, choose Control

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Chapter 3 Getting started with FirstClass 24

— For Connect Via, select Ethernet.

b. If you are not running AppleTalk with Open Transport, choose Con-trol Panels } Network.

— Select either LocalTalk or EtherTalk. For more information on these selections, refer to your Macintosh documentation.

3) Test your network connections before you set up the AppleTalk connec-tion in FirstClass.

TCP/IP connections

TCP/IP is a cross-platform networking protocol. It is also the protocol used on the Internet. For a TCP/IP connection, you require the following items: • MacTCP or Open Transport installed on your computer.

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• the IP address or domain name of the server • the TCP/IP port number on the server

If you are connecting through a proxy server, you need the IP address of the proxy server, and its port number.

The FirstClass Server to which you are connecting must be running the FirstClass Server application version 2.6 (or later).

Modem connections

For a modem connection, you need a 1200 bps (or faster) Hayes-compati-ble modem. If you are using an external modem, connect the modem to a serial port on your computer, using an appropriate cable. For detailed infor-mation about installing your modem and connecting it to your computer, refer to your modem documentation. If you have a high-speed modem, ensure that you are using a cable with hardware handshaking capability.

Although FirstClass minimizes the amount of interaction you have with your modem, SoftArc recommends that you read your modem documenta-tion for general informadocumenta-tion.

Preparing the settings document

You should have a settings document for every FirstClass system to which you connect. A settings document contains all the information the FirstClass Client needs to connect to the system. For example, if you are connecting by modem, the settings document must contain the phone num-ber of the server.

Often, your FirstClass administrator supplies a settings document, and all you need to do is configure it. If your administrator does not supply a set-tings document, you can create one. For more information, refer to “Creat-ing a sett“Creat-ings document” on page 26.

If your FirstClass administrator has supplied you with a settings document, use that document instead of creating a new one. The supplied document might contain customized forms, pictures, and sounds that help you get the most from the system.

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SoftArc supplies several settings documents with the FirstClass Client soft-ware. These documents are stored in the Settings folder in the FirstClass Client folder. SoftArc Online Via Internet and SoftArc Online Via Modem are the settings documents you use to connect to SoftArc Online, SoftArc’s own FirstClass system.

Creating a settings document

If you do not have a settings document for a system to which you want to connect, you can create one.The easiest way to create a settings document is to copy, and then modify, one of the generic settings documents—Generic Network or Generic Modem—provided with FirstClass. If this settings doc-ument will also be used with the FirstClass Client for Windows, its new file-name must have the extension “FC”.

You can also create a new settings document by choosing File_}New Set-tings while the FirstClass Client is running, but not connected to a FirstClass Server.

Configuring the settings document for an AppleTalk

connection

If you will be connecting to the FirstClass system across an AppleTalk net-work, you must configure your settings document to find the server on the network. To configure your settings document, follow these steps.

1) Make sure that you have your AppleTalk connection correctly installed and configured on your computer.

2) Double-click the settings document icon in the FirstClass Client Set-tings folder.

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The Login form appears. 3) Click Setup.

4) For Connect Via, select AppleTalk.FCP.

5) Enter information in the following fields:

User ID: Optional. The user ID you use to connect to the server. Enter

your user ID if you want to store it in the settings document. If other users have access to your computer, you might want to leave this field blank for security reasons.

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Password: Optional. The password you use to connect to the server.

Type your password if you want to store it in the settings document. If other users have access to your computer, you might want to leave this field blank for security reasons.

Login Automatically: If you complete both the User ID and Password

fields, you can select this option to log into FirstClass as soon as the set-tings document is opened. If you select this option, FirstClass displays the Login form briefly when you open the settings document, but then proceeds to open the desktop. (If you need to bypass the automatic login, press Option while you open the settings document.)

Server: The name of the FirstClass Server.

Network: The name of the AppleTalk zone in which your FirstClass

Server is located. If you are on a single zone network, or if your server is in the same zone as your Macintosh, you may specify an asterisk (*) for the zone name, meaning “my zone”. If you do not know what zone your server is in, contact your FirstClass administrator.

When you’re finished completing step 4 and step 5, the Service Setup form should look something like this.

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Configuring the settings document for a TCP/IP

connection

If you will be connecting to the FirstClass system across a TCP/IP network, you must configure your settings document to find the server on the net-work. To configure your settings document, follow these steps.

1) Make sure you have your TCP/IP connection correctly installed and configured on your computer. Double-click the settings document icon in the FirstClass Client Settings folder. The Login form appears.

2) Click Setup.

3) For Connect Via, select one of the following options:

— If you are connecting to the FirstClass Server directly, select TCP-IP.FCP.

— If you are connecting through a proxy server, select TCP-IP WAN.FCP.

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Server: The IP address or domain name of the FirstClass Server. Network: Leave this field blank.

When you’re finished completing step 3 to step 4, the Service Setup form should look something like this.

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Configuring the settings document for a modem

connection

If you will be connecting to the FirstClass system by modem, you must con-figure your settings document to use the modem. To concon-figure your settings document, follow these steps.

1) Make sure that your modem is correctly installed and configured on your computer.

2) Double-click the settings document icon in the FirstClass Client Set-tings folder. The Login form appears.

3) Click Setup.

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Retry Login and Retry Delay: Select these options to retry the call if the

line is busy. Specify how many times to retry, and how long to wait between retries. The maximum number of retries is 15.

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Phone #: Type the telephone number of the FirstClass Server. Be sure

to include any prefixes such as 9 or 1, as well as any necessary area codes.

When you’re finished completing step 4 and step 5, the Service Setup form should look something like this.

6) Click Save.

If you have not already done so, you must configure the modem connec-tion. Refer to “Configuring a modem connection” on page 36.

Configuring a TCP/IP connection

Before you connect to your FirstClass Server, ensure that the TCP/IP con-nection is configured correctly. You can configure the TCP/IP port through which you connect to the server and the size of the TCP/IP buffer. As well, if your network is protected by a firewall, you can connect to a FirstClass Server on an external network through a proxy server that supports the SOCKS4 protocol. A proxy server relays data from your computer to the FirstClass Server outside your firewall. Thus, it prevents users on the exter-nal network from accessing or gathering information about the computers on your network.

The TCP/IP connection configuration is stored in the files TCP-IP.FCP and TCP-IP WAN.FCP. Both are located in the FCP folder. TCP-IP.FCP is

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config-Chapter 3 Getting started with FirstClass 34

ured to connect to a FirstClass Server directly, using port 510; TCP-IP WAN.FCP is configured to connect through a proxy server.

To change the configuration for the TCP/IP connection, follow these steps. 1) Open the settings document, as described in “Configuring the settings

document for a TCP/IP connection” on page 29. 2) Click Setup.

3) For Connect Via, select either TCP-IP.FCP or TCP-IP WAN.FCP. (You may have already done so when you configured your settings document in

“Configuring the settings document for a TCP/IP connection” on page 29.)

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5) Click the arrow beside Advanced Settings.

6) Modify the following Advanced Settings options as required:

TCP Buffer: A value between 6000 and 64000. A larger buffer increases

download performance but requires more memory to be allocated to the client application. The default is 10000, which should be sufficient under most circumstances.

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TCP Port: The TCP/IP port on the server. However, keep in mind that if

you change the port for this connection file you also change it for every settings document that uses this file.

Proxy IP Address: If you connect to the FirstClass Server through a proxy

server, specify the IP address of the proxy server.

Proxy Port: If you connect to the FirstClass Server through a proxy

server, specify the port you use to connect to the proxy server. This is usually 1080.

The remaining fields do not apply to TCP/IP connections. 7) Click Save.

8) Click Save on the Service Setup form.

Configuring a modem connection

Before you start using FirstClass with a modem, ensure that you have set up FirstClass and your computer so that they work together correctly with your particular modem. To do this, you must configure the modem connec-tion file.

The modem connection file provided with FirstClass is named MODEM.FCP, and is in the FCP folder. All settings documents connecting to FirstClass using MODEM.FCP use the same modem configuration. You only need to change the modem configuration if you install a different type of modem or connect the modem to a different serial port. To configure the modem con-nection, follow these steps.

1) Make sure you have connected your modem to your computer as spec-ified in the modem documentation.

2) Open the settings document, as described in “Configuring the settings document for a modem connection” on page 31.

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4) For Connect Via, select MODEM.FCP. (You may have already done so when you configured your settings document in “Configuring the set-tings document for a modem connection” on page 31.)

5) Click Setup.

6) Set up the Connection options.

Modem: The type of modem installed on your computer. If your modem

does not appear in the list, select a compatible modem with the same speed as your modem. (For example, if your modem is a V.32bis modem, select Hayes-Compatible 14400.)

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If you cannot find a suitable modem type in this list, you may be able to find one in the Other file. This self-extracting archive, located on the installation disk, contains additional modem configuration files. Dou-ble-click to create an Other Modems folder which contains the addi-tional modem configuration files. To install an individual file from this folder for use by the FirstClass Client, drag it from the Other Modems folder into the Modems folder. Drag only the file you require, or the cli-ent will take a long time to produce the pop-up list of available modems.

If you cannot find a suitable modem type in the Other Modems folder, contact your FirstClass administrator for assistance.

Port: Select the port to which your modem is connected (for example,

Modem Port).

Phone: Select Pulse if you have a dial phone, Tone if you have a touch

tone phone.

Speaker: Optional. Turn your modem speaker on or off, if you want.

Some modems are not affected by this selection.

Script: Optional. If you require a special connection script to connect to

the FirstClass Server, select the appropriate connection script. For more information, refer to Appendix G, “Connection scripts”, or contact your FirstClass administrator.

7) In the Cable Options section, select On in the H/W Handshake field if your modem supports hardware handshaking, and if it is recom-mended in the Comments field on this form.

Do not change any other Cable and Speed options unless instructed to do so by your FirstClass administrator, or by SoftArc Technical Support. When you select a modem, the Cable and Speed options are automati-cally set to the value appropriate for that modem.

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The modem selected for this example is Hayes Ultra.

8) Click Save.

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4 Connecting to FirstClass

Before you can use any FirstClass features, you must connect to a FirstClass system and supply a user ID and password to identify yourself. This process is known as logging in. If you don’t have a user ID, contact your FirstClass administrator. You might also be able to auto-register with the FirstClass system. For more information, refer to “Auto-registering” on page 42.

Logging into FirstClass

To log into a FirstClass system, follow these steps.

1) Double-click the settings document for your FirstClass system.

The Login form appears. The following example includes a customized splash screen that shows you which system you are connecting to.

The Service field shows the name of the settings document you are using.

If you clicked login Automatically in your settings document, as described in “Preparing the settings document” on page 25, you log in automatically. If the login is successful, your FirstClass desktop appears.

2) For User ID, type the user ID you use to log into the FirstClass Server. If you have forgotten your user ID, contact your FirstClass administra-tor. (If your user ID was saved in the settings document, as described

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Chapter 4 Connecting to FirstClass 42

in “Preparing the settings document” on page 25, your user ID appears automatically in this field.)

If you have not logged into this FirstClass system before, and auto-reg-istration is permitted, you may auto-register. For more information, refer to “Auto-registering” on page 42.

3) For Password, type the password you use to log into the FirstClass Server. If you have forgotten your password, contact your FirstClass administrator. (If your password was saved in the settings document, as described in “Preparing the settings document” on page 25, your password appears automatically in this field.)

To change your password you must be logged into FirstClass. For instructions, refer to “Changing your password” on page 112. 4) Click Login to start the connection to the FirstClass Server.

Note: If the login was not successful, check that you have configured your settings document correctly. If your settings document is config-ured correctly for the protocol you selected, and you still cannot log in, your FirstClass system may not support the protocol you selected. For assistance, contact your FirstClass administrator.

Auto-registering

Your FirstClass administrator determines whether the system will allow auto-registration. If you do not have a user ID, you might be able to register yourself on the FirstClass system. To auto-register, follow these steps. 1) Double-click the settings document for the FirstClass system.

The Login form appears. The following example includes a customized splash screen that shows you which system you are connecting to.

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The Service field shows the name of the settings document you are using.

2) On the Login Form, for User ID, type the user ID you would like to use on this system.

3) Click Login.

FirstClass tries to connect to the server. If the connection is successful, and if auto-registration is permitted, a form such as the following appears.

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The user ID you typed on the Login form appears in the Requested User ID field.

4) Complete the form. 5) Click Register.

A dialog confirms your user ID and password.

6) Write your user ID and password down for future reference. 7) Click OK.

Your FirstClass desktop appears, and you are ready to use FirstClass. For information about the desktop and other FirstClass basics, refer to the next chapter.

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5 FirstClass basics

This chapter describes the FirstClass desktop and the basic operation of the FirstClass system. The way FirstClass works is the same whether you con-nect by modem or by network.

Once you have logged in, your FirstClass desktop appears. The standard FirstClass desktop looks like this.

Your FirstClass administrator may have customized the standard desktop. For example, let’s look at the desktop of Veritec Inc., the company used in the examples throughout this manual. The Veritec desktop is customized with a background picture of the company’s corporate logo and some useful information to guide people through the system. This user has also been given aliases of two of Veritec’s private conferences—Customer Support and Useful Software.

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Chapter 5 FirstClass basics 46

Each of these icons represents a folder or conference, which in turn can contain additional files, folders, conferences, and messages. There may also be other icons on your desktop.

Mailbox, conference, and folder windows

When you open any item in FirstClass, its contents appear in a new window. The window for a mailbox, conference, or folder icon is a summary list. The following is the summary list for a mailbox.

Mailbox: A folder that stores your incoming and outgoing

messages. (For more information about your mailbox, refer to Chapter 6, “Using e-mail”.)

News: A public area to which everyone on FirstClass has

access. It usually contains general announcements about the FirstClass system to which you are connected.

Conferences: A folder containing public conferences. Public

conferences are usually accessible by all FirstClass users. They are set up and maintained by your FirstClass admin-istrator. (For more information, refer to Chapter 7, “Using conferences”.)

Help: A folder containing documents with instructions for

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A split bar ( ) divides the window into two panes. To move the split bar, position the mouse on the bar, press the mouse button, and drag the bar to the desired location.

The upper pane contains folders or conferences, while the lower pane con-tains files, documents, or messages. If either pane is not large enough to display all its contents, you can move the split bar to enlarge the area, or use the scroll bar to scroll through the contents.

Message windows

When you open a message, it appears in a message window.

A split bar ( ) divides the window into two panes.

The upper pane contains envelope information, such as the From, Subject, and To fields. It can also contain the time and date the message was cre-ated, the postmark, and sometimes an attachments field. The lower pane contains the body of the message. You can move the split bar or scroll through each pane as you can with a summary list.

If you resize the message window, the next message you read is opened in a window of the new size.

Message symbols

The following table explains the symbols that appear beside certain mes-sages in a mailbox, folder, or conference. The unread flag also appears

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beside a conference in a summary list, if that conference contains an unread message.

In the following example, the first message in the mailbox is unread. The second message contains an attachment but remains unsent.

Using the toolbar

As described in “Choosing commands” on page 15, there are often several ways you can perform many of the procedures in this manual. For simplic-ity’s sake, we provide only one alternative in a procedure, usually the menu command.

ƒ

Unread flag: A red flag indicating that the message is unread; that is, you have not yet opened it.

Ï

Unsent flag: A white flag indicating that the message is unsent; that is, you have created the message, but not yet sent it.

å

File icon: An icon indicating that the message has one or more attached files. (For more information about attachments, refer to Chapter 8, “Transferring files”.)

bold Bold type: A type style applied to the subject of a message in a

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For example, if you are editing a message and would like to italicize some of the text, you can do so using the toolbar.

1) Choose View } Toolbar, if you have not already done so. 2) Select the text that you wish to italicize.

3) Click the Italic button on the toolbar.

For information on customizing the toolbar, refer to “Customizing the toolbar” on page 126.

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6 Using e-mail

The FirstClass e-mail system allows you to send messages to any other user on your FirstClass system. You may also, through a FirstClass gateway, be able to send messages to e-mail users all over the world. Contact your FirstClass administrator to find out if your system has a gateway to the Internet.

Note: Your FirstClass administrator determines the FirstClass functions that you can use in your system. You might not have the privileges and per-missions to perform all the procedures described in this chapter. For more information, refer to “Access to features and conferences” on page 137.

Reading your messages

To read your messages, follow these steps.

1) Double-click the Mailbox icon.

The top pane of the window contains any subfolders you have created to help organize your mailbox. (For more information, refer to “Orga-nizing windows” on page 122.) The lower pane contains a list of your incoming private mail and the messages you have composed. For each message, the list displays the name of the sender or recipient, the size, the subject, and the date the message was composed or received.

2) To read an individual message, double-click it. The message appears in a new window.

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Chapter 6 Using e-mail 52

3) To close the message window, click the close box in its upper left corner.

After you have read all the unread messages in your mailbox, the Unread flag beside the Mailbox icon disappears.

Finding unread messages automatically

Using the procedure in “Reading your messages” on page 51, you can read each unread message in your mailbox by scrolling through the list, and opening and closing each message individually. You can also use FirstClass to find and open any unread messages automatically.

To find and read your unread messages automatically, follow these steps. 1) Double-click the Mailbox icon.

2) Choose Conference } Open Next Unread. FirstClass opens the oldest unread message in your mailbox.

3) Choose Open Next Unread again to read the next unread message. 4) Continue choosing this command. When there are no more unread

messages in your mailbox, FirstClass notifies you with a beep.

After you have read all the unread messages in your mailbox, the Unread flag beside the Mailbox icon disappears.

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Making messages unread

As you have learned, before you read a message, an Unread flag (

_ƒ

) appears beside it in the folder or conference list. After you read it, the Unread flag disappears. If you want, you can reset the Unread flag beside the message. You might find this feature useful, for example, if you read a message, but want to restore the Unread flag so that it will attract your attention the next time you log in.

To make a message unread, select the message, and choose Message _} Unread.

The Unread flag (

_ƒ

) reappears beside the message.

Creating new messages

In addition to reading mail sent to you, you can also compose and send messages. You can use a custom form or the standard message form. To use a custom form, refer to “Using other message forms” on page 58. To use the standard message form, follow these steps.

1) From your FirstClass desktop or mailbox, choose Message _} New Mes-sage.

Your name appears automatically in the From field on the envelope of the new message.

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3) To address the message manually, type the names of the recipients in the To, Cc, or Bcc fields and skip to step 5.

4) To use the FirstClass Directory to address the message, follow these steps.

a. Choose Service } Directory.

b. Find and select the name of the person to whom you are sending the message. For more information on searching the FirstClass Directory, refer to “Searching the FirstClass Directory” on page 143.

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c. Click To, Cc, or Bcc to insert the name into the message. For more information on blind carbon copies, refer to “Addressing a blind carbon copy” on page 56.

d. Repeat step b and step c until you have finished addressing the message.

This method of addressing a message is convenient if you are send-ing a message to several recipients.

5) Click below the split bar and type your message. To edit the text or the appearance of your message, refer to “Editing messages” on page 60.

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6) To send the message, refer to “Sending and unsending messages” on page 65.

Addressing a blind carbon copy

When you address a message, you may be able to include a blind carbon copy (Bcc). This option is available if the FirstClass Server to which you connect is version 3.0 (or later). Consult your administrator to find out if this option is available to you.

A blind carbon copy is a copy of a message sent to a hidden recipient. Other recipients cannot see the addresses you specify in the Bcc field.

For example, Harold Lass, Accounts Receivable clerk at Veritec, reviews overdue accounts every week. When he discovers an account that is a week overdue, he sends a reminder letter to the customer, with a Bcc to the Col-lections Conference.

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This is the reminder letter as it appears to the customer.

The customer can’t tell that the Collections conference has received a copy of the reminder letter.

Although the names of Bcc recipients can be viewed in the message history by the sender and the Bcc recipients themselves, they are not visible to any-one else. (For more information about the message history feature, refer to

“Viewing the history of messages” on page 73.)

To display the Bcc field (which is normally hidden directly below the Cc field), choose Message _} Show Bcc. When the field is visible, you can enter a user name into it. If you want to hide the Bcc field again while you are editing the message (for privacy reasons, perhaps), choose Message _} Hide Bcc.

Addressing messages to gateways

If your FirstClass administrator has installed a gateway on your FirstClass Server, you can send mail through the gateway. Through a gateway, you can communicate with users on other FirstClass Servers, users on other e-mail systems, and other devices such as printers or fax machines.

To address a message to a user on another system, type the user’s address in the To field of the message window in the following format.

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where:

• <user name> is the user name or address of the person on the other system

• <gateway name> is the name of the gateway to the other system

Note: Make sure that you enter the comma between the two parameters, with no spaces on either side. Do not type the angle brackets.

For example, to send a message to Amanda Ho through the Veritec Toronto gateway, you would enter:

Amanda Ho,Veritec Toronto

To find out if any gateways are available to you, contact your FirstClass administrator.

Using other message forms

In addition to standard office memo-style messages, you can send messages using other types of forms. You compose and send forms just like you do normal messages, but forms might contain additional fields, checkboxes, list boxes, and other features. Each FirstClass system has standardized forms to choose from. For a complete list, refer to Appendix B, “Standard forms”. Your FirstClass administrator can also customize forms and make them available to you.

To use a different message form, follow these steps.

1) Choose Message _} New Form, and choose the form you want to send from the submenu. For example, to send a phone message form, choose Message _} New Form _} Phone Call.

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2) Complete the address and other fields on the form as you would for any message.

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Editing messages

Once you have created a new message and addressed it, type the body of the message. To do so, click in the bottom pane of the message window and begin typing.

When you type a message, you use the FirstClass editor. The FirstClass edi-tor provides a full-screen WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) inter-face that supports all the standard editing functions (Cut, Copy, Paste, and Clear).

FirstClass offers a powerful Undo/Redo function. To undo the last change in any text field, choose Edit } Undo. Continue choosing Edit } Undo to undo previous changes. Choose Edit _} Redo to redo a change you have just undone. You can continue to undo and redo changes in a field as long as you do not tab out of it.

FirstClass also allows you to vary the appearance of your text in several dif-ferent ways. First, select the text you want to change. To select a word, dou-ble-click it. To select the entire body of the message, choose Edit } Select All.

• To set the font, choose Edit } Font, and choose one of the listed fonts. • To set the font size, choose Edit _} Size, and choose one of the listed

sizes, or choose Smaller, Larger, or Other. If you choose Smaller, the text is automatically reduced in size by one point. If you choose Larger, the text is automatically enlarged by one point. If you choose Other, you can specify the exact point size in a dialog.

• To set the font style, choose Edit } Style, and choose Bold, Italic, Underline, Outline, Shadow, or Quoted. You can also combine font styles, if you want.

• To set the font color, choose Edit _} Color, and choose one of the listed colors, or choose Color Picker and select the exact color you want. The available colors will vary, depending on your setup in the Monitors

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con-Chapter 6 Using e-mail 61

The body of the message is saved to the server as you type it. If a problem (such as a communications failure or a power failure) occurs, the message is preserved in your mailbox on the server, and you can resume editing it when you reconnect.

Using the spelling checker

You can use FirstClass to check the spelling in your FirstClass messages and documents. This section provides instructions for checking and correcting your spelling and setting the spelling checker preferences.

Checking spelling

To check the spelling in a message or document, follow these steps.

1) Open the message or document whose spelling you want to check, if it is not already open.

2) Optional. Select the text that you want FirstClass to check. If no text is selected, FirstClass checks the spelling in the entire document.

3) Choose Edit } Check Spelling.

When the spelling checker encounters a word not found in one of its dictionaries, it displays the word in the Replace field. In the Sugges-tions field, FirstClass displays a list of alternative words, the first of which is also displayed in the With field.

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— To allow this occurrence of the word, click Skip.

— To allow any repeated occurrences of this word in this document, click Skip All.

— To allow repeated occurrences of this word in this, and future FirstClass documents, you must add the word to your personalized dictionary. To do so, click Add Word.

— To replace only this occurrence of the reported word with the word in the With field, click Replace.

— To replace any further occurrence of the reported word in your doc-ument with the word in the With field, click Replace All.

— To replace the word with one of the alternatives in the Suggestions field, click on the alternative to move it into the With field. Then click Replace or Replace All.

— To replace the word with an alternative not suggested by

FirstClass, select the word in the With field. In its place, enter the alternative. Then click Replace or Replace All.

When the spelling checker has reported every unknown word, the Spelling Check Complete dialog appears.

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Click Cancel to return to your message and continue editing it, or Send to send the message.

For more information on automatically checking the spelling of FirstClass messages and documents, refer to “Setting the spelling checker preferences” on page 63.

Setting the spelling checker preferences

To set the spelling checker preferences, choose Edit_}Check Spelling. You can set the following preferences in the Spelling Checker form:

• Check Spelling on Close/Send: To start the spelling check automatically

whenever you close or send a FirstClass message or document. If you want to check the spelling in all FirstClass documents that you create, you should select this option.

Note: The spelling checker only runs if the document has been edited since the last spelling check.

• Enable Suggestions: Whether FirstClass displays a list of suggested

spell-ings for the unknown words it reports to you. If you deselect this option, the spelling checker will run faster.

• Ignore Words with Numbers: Whether FirstClass reports words with

numbers (such as 3D) as unknown. When this option is selected, the spelling checker will ignore any word that contains one or more digits. • Ignore Words in UPPERCASE: Whether FirstClass reports words in

uppercase (such as CD-ROM) unknown. When this option is selected, the spelling checker will ignore words that are in uppercase.

Dictionary files

All of the dictionaries supplied with the FirstClass Client are stored in the Tools folder. The spelling checker refers to these dictionaries whenever you check the spelling in a FirstClass document or message. You can use as many dictionary files as you need.

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If you need to check spelling in a language other than English, contact your FirstClass administrator. He or she can provide you with the appropriate dictionaries, which you can then copy into the Tools folder.

The Tools folder is created at the time of installation. If you delete or rename it, the spelling checker will not run. Do not create any subfolders in the Tools directory.

Requesting special message handling

Although the default method that FirstClass uses to handle messages should be fine for most of your messages, you can request special handling, if necessary. You can change the way FirstClass handles an urgent or per-sonal message, and you can generate message receipts.

Priority

By default, all messages in FirstClass are assigned Normal priority. If your message is important, you can assign it Urgent priority. An urgent message appears in bold in the folder or conference list, and also invokes special gateway handling, if applicable. To designate a message as urgent, choose Message } Priority } Urgent.

If you are sending the message through a gateway, you may be able to set its priority to Bulk if the message is of low priority. Consult your adminis-trator to find out if this option is available to you. To designate a message as bulk, choose Message } Priority } Bulk.

Sensitivity

By default, all messages in FirstClass are assigned Normal sensitivity. This setting has no effect on the way the message is handled in FirstClass. It is provided as information for the recipient, and could be used by third-party gateways.

To designate a sensitivity other than Normal, choose Message_}Sensitivity and then choose Personal, Private, or Company.

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If you want a receipt when the recipient reads the message, choose Message _}Receipt _}on Read.

If you want a receipt when the message is delivered to the recipient (useful when the recipient is on another server), choose Message_}Receipt _}on Delivery.

If you want a receipt at each stage of the delivery of multi-hop mail (useful for detecting problems in multiserver mail systems), choose

Message_}Receipt _}on Route.

To prevent the generation of non-delivery notices (NDNs), choose Message_}Receipt _}Suppress NDN.

Sending and unsending messages

This section provides instruction on sending and unsending messages. You might want to unsend a message, for example, if you detect an error in a recently sent message and want to correct it.

Sending a message

When you are ready to send the message, choose Message _} Send. If you close the message without sending it, the following dialog appears.

Click one of the following buttons:

• Cancel: To return to the message window and continue editing.

• Send Now: To send the message.

• Don’t Send: If you don’t want to send the message (perhaps you want

to work on it later). The message stays in your mailbox with an Unsent flag beside it.

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When you send a message, FirstClass stamps a postmark on the top right corner of the envelope.

The postmark indicates that the FirstClass Server has received the message and has begun delivery to the recipients.

Unsending a sent message

You can retract a sent message by using the unsend feature. To unsend a sent message, select or open the message and choose Message } Unsend.

An unsent flag appears beside the message in your mailbox and the mes-sage history indicates the date and time that you unsent it.

Be aware, however, that the recipient may have already read the message. To see whether a recipient has read the message you want to unsend, open the message and choose Message _} History. For more information, refer to

“Viewing the history of messages” on page 73.

A message that has been deleted or moved by a recipient cannot be com-pletely unsent. For example, a message that has been filed (that is, moved into a folder) by a recipient before being unsent by the sender can still be opened and read by the recipient.

If, after unsending a message, you receive a warning from the post office that indicates that the message has been deleted, routed, or moved, be

Using FirstClass. for Mac OS