In the following list of help files those which are followed by a note in parentheses including a "~" are generally called tilde commands. Note that each consists of the tilde followed by a letter. Tilde commands may only be used in the compose area - not during editing in the edit area.
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Entering the edit command (~e) during composition of the message will transfer you to the edit mode. When you enter the "x" to leave the edit mode you will be returned to the composing mode. You can compose, edit, compose, etc. The command must be entered on a separate line with no other information on the line. It may be entered at any time during composition of the message. The command does not become a part of your message.
Return to Compose Help Files menu or go to Main Menu
For those users who do not have vt100 (or its equivalent) emulation with their terminal program the system provides a simple line editor which operates as follows:
The LineEditor (LE) edits messages line at a time. It prompts the user to enter a command by displaying a colon (":") at the left edge of the screen. Most commands are a single letter followed by the one or two line numbers which the command should work on.
LE allows the following commands:
h display help. (this text)
l#,# lists lines. Without any numbers it lists all
lines; with one number it lists that one line;
and with two numbers it lists the range of
lines.
i# insert lines. Inserts one or more new lines of
text in front of the designated line number.
LE reads the new lines from the user starting
on the line after the "i" command, and
indicates it is reading message lines and not
commands by not prompting with the ":".
To end the insertion type "###" on a line by
itself the "###" does not become part of the
text.
a# append lines. Same as "I"nsert] except the new
lines go after the designated line number.
c# change a line. LE displays the designated line
and reads the replacement line immediately
after it.
d#,# delete lines. With one number it deletes that
one line, and with two numbers it deletes the
range of lines (including both the first and
last numbers).
u undo last change. Reverses the effect of the
last command. Entering a second "u"ndo puts
the change back again.
f find a word or string. Asks the user to enter
the word to find, and displays the line number
and line containing the word.
s save and exit. Saves all the changes made and
exits LE. LE asks the user to verify before
saving.
p abandon changes and exit. Does NOT save any
changes made and exits LE. lt asks the user
to verify before losing all of their changes.
g#,# global substitution. Changes one word or string
into another word or string on the selected
lines. Without any numbers it makes changes
to all lines; with one number it makes changes
to that one line; and with two numbers it
makes changes to the range of lines. LE asks
the user to enter the existing word or string
("old word") and the word or string to change
it to ("new word"), and it lists all of the
lines it changes.
spell Displays all words not found in its
dictionary. Use the "Find command to find
them.
Return to Compose Help Files menu or
go to Main Menu
The CIX Editor is a full screen editor with word wrap. It requires that you have the capability to emulate VT100 with your terminal program.
The CIX Editor will be in effect whenever you enter the e to edit your messages. When you do so three things will appear on your screen. First will be your message. Second, on the first line after your message wil be "**EOF**" - this indicates the end of your message but will not be a part of your message. And, finally, on the very last line of your screen the following line will appear:
^Gethelp eXit Left Right Backpage Fwdpage Downline Upline Killine Other
These are reminders of the more important CIX Editor commands. For a complete list of the commands enter ^G (the ^ indicates that you should hold down the control key of your computer as you depress the letter key). The command help screen looks like this:
Hold down CONTROL key and press letter:
GENERAL TEXT ACTION
^G - get help ^E - erase one char
^X - exit ^H - erase previous char
^N - new (redraw) screen ^K - kill (delete) one line
^Y - yank back killed line
CURSOR MOTION (or use arrow keys) ^P - paragraph reflow (or ^OP)
^L - left one char - split (open) line
^R - right one char
^U - up one line OTHER (CONTROL-O then plain letter)
^D - down one line ^OC - checkpoint (save file)
^A - start of line ^OI - initialize (start over)
^Z - end of line (or ^OZ) ^OD - delete multiple lines
^B - back one screen ^OR - read ( include) file
^F - forward one screen ^OQ - quote (>include) file
^OF - find text string
Where appropriate, a message ^OS - spell check
number may be entered instead ^OW - toggle word wrap on/off
of a filename for ^OR and ^OQ ^OG - goto line #
Note that certain commands require a ^O followed by an additional letter - these are the less used commands. In all cases upper or lower case letters may be used although we have used only upper case in these instructions.
While the commands are generally self-explanatory a few notes on use of the editor follow.
When you first enter the editor the cursor will be under the first position of the **EOF** - this is fine if you want to start typing an addition to the message right away as this is where your typing will begin. However, if you want to perform actions in other parts of the message you will need to move the cursor around to a more convenient location. There are a number of cursor moving commands including using your arrow keys to move up, down, left or right. On some computers the arrow keys do not transmit the correct ascii codes to the editor and they cannot be used to move the cursor - for these cases other command codes have been provided as indicated in the help screen.
You can use ^A or your home key to move the cursor to the first position of the current line. You can also use ^Z or ^OZ or your end key to move the cursor to the last position of the current line - the ^OZ has been included because it has been found that on some computers the other two options do not work.
Finally, there is a command for moving the cursor to any line of your message - ^OG. As soon as you enter the ^O (this applies to all of the ^O commands) the bottom prompt line is replaced by the following:
Checkpnt Deletes Find Goto Initialize Quote Read Spell Wrap
When the cursor moves to the selected line it will remain in the same horizontal position as it was on the line from which you moved - if this is not correct you will have to use the cursor movement commands indicated above to move it to the correct position on the line.
Since the line numbers are not shown you will have to estimate which line number you want to go to.
If a message requires more than one screen there are two commands, ^F and ^B, to move forward or backward through your message a page at a time.
One additional command that you may find useful in getting your cursor to the desired position is the ^N command - this command redraws the entire screen. This is particularly useful if you have trouble with line noise.
One of the principal things you will want to do while editing is delete material in the message. This can be done with the delete key on some computers but in other cases it will be necessary to use the ^E or ^H command. Also entire lines can be deleted by using the ^K command while the cursor is on any position in the line to be deleted. Deletion of multiple lines is also possible using the ^OD command - position the cursor in the first line to be deleted before entering the command. The editor will ask you how many lines you want to delete.
A second important function of the editor is to insert additional material in the message. You merely position the cursor on the first position following where you want to insert and begin typing. The material to the right of where you start typing will be moved right to make room for the new material. However, during this operation the word wrap capabilities of the editor are not in effect. Should you require more space you merely position the cursor any place in the line and depress the return (or enter) key of your computer - this will split the line into two lines thus making space for the additional data.
When you delete material or when you split the line in order to make room for your inserts the paragraph may assume a chopped up look. To overcome this, position the cursor anywhere within the paragraph and execute the ^P (or the ^OP) command - this command will reformat the paragraph to a more pleasing appearance. There are two things that you must be careful of when using the reflow command. First, the editor looks for a blank in the first position of a line to determine the beginning or end of a paragraph so you must be sure that no line within the paragraph starts with a blank. In splitting lines, as described above, do not do the split while the cursor is sitting on a blank. The other thing to be careful of normally only applies to the first paragraph of a message. Usually the first line of the message will be the subject and if there is no blank line between the subject line and the first line of text the editor will consider the subject line as part of the first paragraph. Positioning the cursor in the first position of the first line of the paragraph and depressing the return (or enter) key will create the necessary blank line.
The third thing most people want to do during editing is check the spelling. If you use the ^OS command a list of words the editor does not recognize will appear at the bottom of the screen. If you want to change any you must find the word in the text. To do this position the cursor at the start of the message (position 1 of line 1) and use the ^OF command to find the first occurrence of the word. Using ^OF and entering = instead of a word will cause the editor to search for the next occurrence of the same word. unfortunately, the editor does not tell you how you should have spelled the word or what word you should have used.
There are also a few miscellaneous commands which you will probably find useful. How many times have you been in the middle of editing a message when for some mysterious reason you lose the system. When you come back you find you have a file called wip.txt which contains your message so you do not have to retype it. Unfortunately, the copy you have is the unedited version. With CIX Editor you can enter the command ^OC at any time during editing and the message, including changes you have made to that point, will be stored and should you run into the wip.txt message you will find it now contains the edited version. This can be very useful if you are typing a very long message on line.
The ^OR and ^OQ commands permit you to copy another message or a file from your filestore area into your message - the ^OR copies the message just as it appears on your screen while the ^OQ inserts a > at the beginning of each line. In both cases you may enter a message number (from the same CIX board that you are writing on) or a file name of a file in your filestore area. Entering a : wil be interpreted by the editor as the current message when you are responding to a message. If you want to include only a part of the message you must use the ^OR or ^OQ to copy the entire message and then delete the unwanted portions.
Finally the ^X command will take you back to the system where you can send, cancel, or list your message or even return it to the editor. There is one other feature that many users may find useful. Normally when you enter the CIX command to create a message you create your message in the the system area and then, when completed, you use the e option to enter the editor. In your user information area there is an item called the BRIEF-COMPOSE toggle. If this is set to 1 you will continue to operate just as described. However, if you change this to a 0 you will find that you will enter the editor as soon as you enter the CIX command to create a message - you will compose your message in the editor area rather than in the system area. This has the advantage of providing word wrap while composing your letter - a feature that a number of users have asked for in the past. However, while in the editor you cannot use the system functions to UPLOAD files from your own disk.
Return to Compose Help Files menu or go to Main Menu
In order to create a signature file for use in your messages to save the time of typing it each time you want such information on e-mail or messages to the boards create a file in your filestore area containing the information you want to appear in your signature.
When you want to append the signature to your message enter "~i
Some users may be used to systems where such signature files are automatically added to
every message they send. The CIX philosophy is that it is preferable for the user to retain
control over what is displayed as a signature (you may have multiple signature files) or whether
or not a signature is displayed at all.
It is considered bad netiquette to have excessively long signatures - as a general rule four lines
maximum is preferred although there may be legitimate cases where a user would want to have
a slightly larger signature file.
Return to Compose Help Files menu or
go to Main Menu
The list command (~l) will list your message and then
allow you to continue writing the message. The command
must be entered on a separate line with no other
information on the line. It may be entered at any time
during composition of the message except when in the
edit mode. The command does not become a part of your
message.
Return to Compose Help Files menu or
go to Main Menu
The quote command (~q) will allow you to include a file
from your filestore area or a message from the area in
which you are composing -prefaced with ">" to indicate
that the text shown is being quoted. Ifyou use this
command while responding to a previous message you can
enter ":" in lieu of the actual message number to quote
from the message to which you are responding. The
command must be entered on a separate line with no
other information on the line. It may be entered at
any time during composition of the message except when
in the edit mode. The command does not become a part
of your message.
Note that if the message being quoted has an attached
binary file the attached file is not included in the
message containing the quote.
Return to Compose Help Files menu or
go to Main Menu
The command to copy a file from your filestore area to
the message area (~i) may be entered at any time during
composition of a message except while in the edit mode.
The command must be on a separate line and must be
followed by the name of the file to be copied. A space
may or may not be placed between the command and the
file name. For example, if you have a file named
"wip.txt" in your files area and you want to copy it to
your message, you would enter "~iwip.txt". You could
enter the command using the full pathname
"~i/mail/(userID)/files/wip.txt", but by default it
looks in your filestore area, so you only need to enter
the name of the file after typing "~i". If you have
access to another files area you can copy a file from
that files area, but you will have to provide the full
pathname instead of just the name of the file. After
the file is copied you will be shown how many lines
have been added to your message but it will not display
the text at that time - You can use the list command to
read the full message including what has been copied.
After copying the file you can continue writing your
message. The command must be entered on a separate
line with no other information on the line. It may be
entered at any time during composition of the message
except when in the edit mode. The command does not
become a part of your message.
Return to Compose Help Files menu or
go to Main Menu
The upload command (~u) may be used to upload a file
from your system to be included in an e-mail message or
a system bb or qa board. At the point where you wish
to insert the file enter "~u" on a line by itself. You
will then be given the option to select the file
transfer protocol (xmodem, ymodem, zmodem or Kermit)
that you wish to use for the transfer. You must select
one that matches what you have available with your
terminal software. When you depress the RETURN (or
ENTER) key of your computer instructions will be
displayed of the necessary steps to complete the
transfer - the exact steps required will be dependent
upon your terminal software. If in doubt read the
instruction manual of your software.
Multiple files may be uploaded to the message by
repeating this process for each file to be included in
the message.
Return to Compose Help Files menu or
go to Main Menu
The readdress command (~r) may be used during
compostion of e-mail to change the addressee of your
message. The current addressee(s) will be displayed
and may be edited to change the existing addressee as
well as adding secondary addressees. Existing
secondary addressees may be deleted merely by erasing
them when they are displayed in this fashion. The use
of the backslash (\) to include multiple addressees is
described in the help file pertaining to extra copies.
Return to Compose Help Files menu or
go to Main Menu
LISTING MESSAGE DURING COMPOSITION
QUOTING FROM ANOTHER MESSAGE DURING COMPOSITION
ENTERING FILE FROM FILESTORE AREA TO A MESSAGE
UPLOADING FROM YOUR SYSTEM TO A MESSAGE
READDRESSING E-MAIL DURING COMPOSITION
Go to Main Menu