Overview

Pine is software for sending, receiving, and organizing electronic mail. It is easier to use than the standard UNIX mail reader because it offers on-screen menus and help. This help-file provides basic directions for using Pine. Other advanced features that can be learned through Pine's "Help" menu.

Starting Pine

1. Logon to your UNIX account.
2. Type pine and press return at the % prompt to start Pine.Note: Pine has a menu system to help you with commands. The ^ means "control." Therefore, ^C means you should press control and c together.

Sending E-mail

1. Type c (for compose) at Pine's Main Menu.
2. Type the e-mail address of the person you are writing to in the To: field. Press return.Note: The next three steps are optional. You may press return at any of the fields that are not applicable.
3. Type the address of anyone you want to send a copy to in the Cc: field. Press return. When sending a copy to more than one person, make sure and leave a space between each of the addresses.
4. Type the name of your file attachment in the Attchmnt: field. Press return.
5. Type the subject of your letter in the Subject: field. Press return.
6. Type your message below the Message Text line. You need only press return between paragraphs as pine will automatically wrap lines for you.
7. Press CNTRL-X to send the message. A prompt will appear asking if you want to send the message.
8. Type y (for yes) to send it; a message will appear indicating that the message is being sent. You will then return to the Main Menu. Or type n (for no) to continue editing the message.

Reading Mail

1. Type i at the Main Menu to display an index of the mail in your current mail folder.
2. Highlight the message you want to read. You can move the highlight bar up or down by typing either p (previous) or n (next) or using the up or down arrows.
3. Type v or press return to read the highlighted message. Other pages can be read by pressing the space bar (next page) or - (previous page). Type i to return the Mail Index.

Marking Messages For Deletion

To delete a message you are currently viewing:
1. Type d to mark the message for deletion. The message disappears and the next message in the Mail Index will be displayed (unless the message was the last message in the list).

To delete a message in the mail index:
1. Type p or n (up or down arrow) to highlight the message you want to delete.
2. Type d to mark the message.
In the Mail Index, you will see a D in the left column next to any messages marked for deletion. You can mark more than one message to be deleted. You will be asked to confirm message deletion when you quit Pine.

Unmarking Messages For Deletion

1. Type i to display the Mail Index.
2. Type p or n (up or down arrow) to highlight the message you want to unmark.
3. Type u to unmark the message for deletion.
The D next to the message in the Mail Index will disappear and a message will be displayed indicating it will no longer be deleted.

Spell Checking Your Message

1. Press CTRL-T to begin a spell checking session. The spell checker will highlight words it doesn't recognize in alphabetic order. A prompt will be displayed at the bottom of the screen asking if you want to edit the word. You have three options when an unrecognizable word is found:

* Press RETURN if you do not want to change the word. The spell checker will pass that word and highlight the next unrecognizable word.
* Edit the word in the command line at the bottom of the screen and press RETURN. The highlighted word will be replaced and the next unrecognizable word is found.
* Press CTRL-C to cancel the spell checking session.

Postponing A Message

1. Press CTRL-O . The mail message you are currently working on will be closed temporarily and saved for later editing. You will be returned to the Main Menu. Note: Only one message can be postponed at a time.
2. Type c when you are ready to edit the postponed message again. A prompt will be displayed asking if you want to "continue the postponed composition".
3. Type y (for yes) if you want to edit the postponed message or n (for no) to compose a new letter.

Quitting Pine

1. Type m to go to the Main Menu.
2. Type q to quit Pine. A prompt will be displayed asking if you really want \ to quit.
3. Type y to return to the % prompt or type n to remain in Pine.
4. If you marked messages for deletion, you will be asked if you wish to expunge the deleted messages before leaving. Type y to delete marked messages or type n if you don't want the marked messages deleted.