BulkRate is an offline reader for FirstClass BBSs. Using BulkRate, you can quickly capture all new mail and messages, then read and reply to them while "offline," or no longer connected to the BBS. This minimizes the amount of time you spend online, which has two benefits: one, if the BBS you call is a toll call for you, you save money. Two, if the BBS is a busy one, the line is freed up for another's use more quickly.
BulkRate works only with FirstClass BBSs. You must have an active account on a FirstClass BBS before using BulkRate with that BBS.
BulkRate currently reads only mail and conference messages. It will not upload or download files.
BulkRate connects to the FirstClass BBS via FirstClass's CLUI (Command Line User Interface). Not all FirstClass BBSs support this, though most do. If yours doesn't, you cannot use BulkRate with it.
Unlike some offline readers for use with other BBS systems, BulkRate does not compress messages and mail or employ error checking, so it is subject to line noise and random errors. If, however, you have a relatively clean phone line and/or a modem that supports data compression and error correction, this should not present much of a problem.
BulkRate 2.0 was created using Zedcor's FutureBasic and Staz Software's PG:PRO. FutureBasic is a BASIC compiler for the Macintosh, and PG:PRO is a interface designer/application framework/function library rolled into one.
*BulkRate Help Introduction Getting started
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GETTING STARTED
If you are a current user of BulkRate, you can skip to step 2 below.
1) Log on to your FirstClass BBS using FirstClass Client. When the Desktop window opens, choose "New folder" from the Conference menu. A new folder should appear on your (FirstClass) Desktop. Select the folder and choose "Get Info..." from the File menu. In the Get Info dialog, change the folder's name to "BulkRateToRead" -- make sure there are NO spaces in this name. If you want to use a different name, make sure it has no spaces in it, and be sure to enter this name under "Mail settings" in BulkRate.
Now, go find the conferences you are interested in having BulkRate read for you. Select them, then choose "Make alias" from the Conference menu. (These FirstClass aliases have nothing to do with System 7 file aliases.) This will create aliases of the selected conferences on the FirstClass Desktop. (You cannot and need not alias your Mailbox.) Once you have aliased all the desired conferences (make sure you get any sub-conferences that reside inside other conferences), return to the FirstClass Desktop.
To finish, drag all the aliased conferences into your new BulkRateToRead folder. Make sure to scroll around the FirstClass Desktop to be sure you have moved all the aliases. You can then log off the BBS.
2) Launch BulkRate by double-clicking on its icon. After the splash screen goes away, you'll see a standard files dialog. If you have used an older version of BulkRate, select a BulkRate 1.x settings file (now called a "Service file") via this dialog. Otherwise, you may select a FirstClass settings file.
BulkRate will convert the settings files to its own format. You'll see a window that shows the name of the BBS, your UserID, your password (in bullets), and the phone number or numbers of the BBS.
When BulkRate converts a FirstClass settings file, it converts only UserID, Password, and the phone number. It does not convert any modem information for two reasons: one, all the information is not stored in the settings file; and two, correct modem settings for FirstClass Client are not necessarily the correct modem settings for BulkRate.
3) Choose "Mail settings..." from the Service menu. A large dialog will open. To start, you can probably leave everything in this dialog as is. The "Services" section contains details on customizing this dialog.
4) Click the "Modem settings..." button. You'll see a dialog that allows you to set up BulkRate to properly communicate with your modem. Choose the port to which your modem is connected, dial type, and speed.
"Hayes-compatible modem" should almost always be checked; in fact, the only modem I am aware of that it needs to be unchecked is the old Apple 1200 modem.
"Hardware handshaking" must be checked if you are planning on using speeds above 9600; however, in order to use hardware handshaking, your modem must support it and you must have the proper cable. Most modems sold for use with a Macintosh that work at 14400 bps or above come with the correct cable.
Check "Modem speaker on" if you wish to hear the modem speaker while it dials and negotiates a connection.
"Adjust BPS after connect" is a bit more complicated. If your computer-to-modem speed can be set to a different speed than the modem-to-modem speed, you want to uncheck this option. Also, if you are using hardware handshaking, you probably want this option off. In most other cases, you will want to check this option. See the "Modems" section for more detail.
The last option in the Modem settings dialog is a field for a "Modem initialization string." This string is generally not the same as the setup or initialization string for FirstClass Client. In most cases, the default Macintosh string (see your modem manual) is the appropriate string. See the "Modems" section for more detail.
5) Click "OK" in the Modem settings dialog.
6) Choose "Save service as..." from the Service menu and give the file a name; perhaps the same as the BBS.
7) Click the "Exchange mail now" icon.
8) Once the exchange completes, you may click the "Incoming mail" icon to see a list of the mail BulkRate captured.
*BulkRate Help Introduction Reading your mail
816
READING YOUR MAIL
Reading your mail is simple. Click the "Incoming mail" icon in the Service window or choose "Incoming mail" from the View menu. A window will open, listing all the messages in that mailbox. Unread messages are flagged, just like in FirstClass Client. You may sort this list using the View menu. Double-click on a message to open it for reading.
Once you've read a message, you have several options. You may close it and choose another from the list. You may choose "Next unread" or "Next in thread" from the Mail menu. You may click any of several buttons on the Palette. (See the section on the Palette for a complete description of your options here.) Finally, you can simply advance to the next message by hitting the space bar, the return key, the enter key, or the right arrow key.
*BulkRate Help Introduction Replying mail
499
REPLYING TO MAIL
If you'd like to reply to a message you're reading, choose "Reply" from the Mail menu, or click the "REPLY" button on the Palette. A new outgoing message will be created, and the appropriate information will be entered for you. If you select some text in the incoming message before replying, the selected text will be copied to the outgoing message and formatted as a quote, depending on the options you've set in Quoting Preferences. (See the Preferences section for details.)
*BulkRate Help Introduction Forwarding mail
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FORWARDING MAIL
You may forward an incoming message to someone else by choosing "Forward" from the Mail menu or clicking the "FWD" button on the Palette. The entire text of the message will be copied to a new outgoing message, ready for you to add new addressing information.
*BulkRate Help Introduction Creating new mail
167
CREATING A NEW OUTGOING MESSAGE
You may create a new, blank outgoing message by choosing "Compose new" from the Mail menu or clicking the "NEW" button on the Palette.
*BulkRate Help Service files Service window
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SERVICES
A service file stores important information for each "service" or BBS. This information is divided over three windows:
Service window:
Host name:
The name of the service or BBS. For the Address Book to work correctly, it's important that this name match the Service name in any Address Book entries for that service. (If the BBS is gatewayed to other BBSs, use the name that appears after the comma on gated messages.)
UserID:
This is your unique account name on that BBS; it may be the same as your screen name, it may not. If you convert an existing FirstClass settings file, the UserID is automatically imported for you.
Password:
Your password on the FirstClass BBS. Again, this can be automatically imported from a FirstClass settings file. Note that passwords and UserIDs that use extended characters (characters generated by holding down the option key) cause problems with the CLUI, and thus with BulkRate.
Phone number(s):
You can enter multiple phone numbers for a BBS; if one is busy, BulkRate will dial the next number in the list.
*BulkRate Help Service files Mail settings window
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MAIL SETTINGS
"Conferences can be found in:" (Conference path list)
The conference path list is simply a list of paths to conferences. The default is:
Home
Home:BulkRateToRead
This default instructs BulkRate to read all flagged conferences on the Desktop (Home) and inside the "BulkRateToRead" folder, which can be found on the Desktop.
Do not put the names of actual conferences here unless you wish BulkRate to look for flagged conferences INSIDE those conferences. In other words, if there is a conference called "Member Forum" on the Desktop, "Home" is enough to get BulkRate to find it. "Home:Member Forum" would fail.
Do not make the mistake of putting "Home:Mailbox" in this list. This would cause BulkRate to open your Mailbox and look for flagged conferences INSIDE your mailbox. Instead, if you wish to have BulkRate read your Mailbox, the default entry of "Home" should do it for you, since your Mailbox is in the "Home" or Desktop level.
Note that due to a limitation of the FirstClass CLUI (Command Line User Interface), you cannot specify paths that include spaces. That's why the default "BulkRateToRead" folder has no spaces in its name.
You can create additional folders on your desktop and have BulkRate read what's in them simply by adding more lines to the conference path list; for example:
Home
Home:BulkRateToRead
Home:OtherToRead
"DON'T read these conferences:" (Don't read list)
This list simply tells BulkRate which conference not to read; this is especially useful if there are conferences on the Desktop you do not want BulkRate to read. (Otherwise, simply do not place their aliases in the BulkRateToRead folder.) In interests of speed, BulkRate simply looks for a simple match; if you tell it not to read "Russian Space News" it won't read "News" either, since "News" is a subset of "Russian Space News".
"DON'T read messages from these people:" (Kill list)
Similar in concept to the above list; this list targets certain people whose messages you do not want BulkRate to read. Besides putting annoying people in this list, you can also put yourself in this list to keep BulkRate from picking up mail you have just sent.
Incoming mail filename and Outgoing mail filename.
These two entries are very important. They determine which files BulkRate will use for incoming and outgoing mail for that BBS. Although you can type into the appropriate fields, I recommend that you use the "Create" buttons to create new files, this way you can choose the location of these files as well. (The location must be on a mounted volume; BulkRate will not mount network volumes for you.)
*BulkRate Help Mailbox files Mailboxes and archives
2637
MAIL BOXES AND ARCHIVES
BulkRate stores all mail in specially formatted text files which we are called mailboxes. There are two formats, one for incoming mail and another for outgoing mail. Each service has an incoming mailbox and an outgoing mailbox associated with it. You can set up or change this relationship by choosing "Mail settings..." under the Service menu.
On the right side of the Mail settings dialog are some fields and buttons that allow you to specify the name and location of the files you wish to use for Incoming and Outgoing mail. There are basically two strategies you can use. The first strategy is to use one incoming mail file and one outgoing mail file for all services. The second strategy is to use separate files for each service. For example, if you call LAMG BBS and Digital Popcorn, you might have the following files:
LAMG BBS
Outgoing mail filename: LAMG Outgoing
Incoming mail filename: LAMG Incoming
Digital Popcorn
Outgoing mail filename: DP Outgoing
Incoming mail filename: DP Incoming
There are two advantages to using separate files: one, better organization, since messages from multiple BBSs don't end up in the same list, and two; it's easier to use BulkRate to read and write messages for one BBS while BulkRate is exchanging mail with another BBS. The main disadvantages are that there are more files to keep track of, and it becomes easier to accidentally store replies or other outgoing mail in the wrong mailbox.
(A third strategy that would eliminate that last disadvantage would be to use separate Incoming mail files for each service, but a single Outgoing mail file for all services. The disadvantage to this strategy is that the Outgoing mail file is unavailable for your use at the beginning of each mail exchange; during an exchange with multiple services it might be frustrating to figure out exactly when the Outgoing mail file was available for your use.)
Archives are identical in format to mailboxes. Archives can simply be thought of as inactive mailboxes. If you choose "Save a copy as..." or "Archive selection..." under the File menu, you can create archives to store mail for later reading or printing. "Save a copy as..." copies the entire mailbox to a new archive, "Archive selection..." copies the selected items to a new archive, and "Append to archive..." copies the selected items to the end of an existing archive. (Note that since archives and mailboxes are really the same thing, you can append items to an "active" mailbox if you wish. This might be useful for copying outgoing mail to be sent to several different BBSs.)
*BulkRate Help Mailbox files Services and Mailboxes
1213
THE POTENTIALLY CONFUSING BUT VITALLY IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SERVICES AND MAILBOXES
It is very important to understand the relationship between Service files and Mailboxes. This relationship is defined under Mail settings... under the Services menu.
Each Service can be thought of as "owning" two files or mailboxes: an outgoing mailbox and incoming mailbox. When you click on the "Incoming mail" or "Outgoing mail" icons in the Service window, BulkRate opens the file that is listed in the "Mail settings" dialog. If you are reading incoming mail and decide to make a reply, the reply is created in the Outgoing mailbox that belongs to the currently open Service file. This is a very important concept to understand: if you happen to be reading mail in an incoming mailbox that belongs to LAMG BBS, but you have the Digital Popcorn service file open, the reply will be created in the Digital Popcorn outgoing mailbox, which is probably not what you want. The moral is that you should insure that the matching Service file is open when you are reading mail from a BBS. (Again, it might be possible to minimize this problem by using the third mailbox strategy outlined in "Mailboxes and archives".)
*BulkRate Help Windows Service window
1313
SERVICE WINDOW
This window contains information for the currently active Service, as well as clickable icons that act as shortcuts for exchanging mail and opening incoming or outgoing mail.
The host name is the name you wish to use to identify the BBS. If you call multiple BBSs, make sure each has a unique name. If you have multiple Service files for a single BBS, all files should have the same host name entered here.
The UserID and Password must be identical to those used in FirstClass Client. An easy way to insure this is to have BulkRate pull the UserID and Password from a FirstClass Settings file. Simply choose "Open service..." from the Service menu and choose a FirstClass settings file. BulkRate will create a new Service file and enter host name, UserID, password, and a phone number for you. You must still adjust your Mail settings and Modem settings.
When you type in a password, it will appear in readable text. Hit the tab key to convert it to "bullets" for security. Clicking back into the Password field will make the password readable again.
You may enter multiple phone numbers; BulkRate will dial each one in turn if it encounters a busy signal.
Click "Exchange mail now" to start a mail exchange. Click "Incoming mail" or "Outgoing mail" to view the respective mailboxes.
*BulkRate Help Windows Incoming message list
850
INCOMING MESSAGE LIST WINDOW
This window shows you a list of all messages in a incoming mailbox. You may read any item in the list by double-clicking on it. Option-clicking an item toggles the flag which indicates that a message has been read.
You can sort the list by Conference, Name, Subject, Date or read/unread Status using the View menu.
You may delete items by selecting them and choosing "Delete" from the Mail menu, or clicking the Delete button on the Palette.
Choosing Forward from the Mail menu, or clicking the Palette FWD button will allow you to forward a selected message to another recipient.
Choosing Reply from the Mail menu or clicking the Palette REPLY button will create a reply to a selected message. It's better to reply to a message that is open, however, as this allows you to quote text from the original message.
*BulkRate Help Windows Incoming mail
1201
INCOMING MESSAGE WINDOW
You may read an incoming mail item using this window. You may copy text and change the font and size of selected text, but you cannot edit or otherwise change the contents of this text. You may quickly advance to the next message by pressing the return, enter or left arrow keys. You can return to the previous message by pressing the right arrow key. You may also use the Mail menu or Palette for more navigation options.
The space bar can be used to intelligently step through messages: the current thread will be followed until there are no messages left in the thread, then it will read the first unread message in the list; follow its thread, if any, and so on until all unread messages are read.
Choosing Forward from the Mail menu, or clicking the Palette FWD button will allow you to forward this message to another recipient.
Choosing Reply from the Mail menu or clicking the Palette REPLY button will create a reply to this message. If you wish to quote part of the message text in the reply, select the text before choosing or clicking "Reply."
Clicking the Palette delete button or choosing Delete from the Mail menu will permanently delete this message.
*BulkRate Help Windows Outgoing mail list
1062
OUTGOING MAIL LIST WINDOW
This window is similar to the Incoming mail list window. It displays a list of all messages in an outgoing mailbox. Option-clicking an item toggles the sent flag, which looks like a postmark. This flag indicates that a message has been sent; unsent items will have no icon. Items that were attempted to be sent, but failed, will be indicated with a circle-with-a-slash icon. You can check the log for details as to why this message wasn't sent. BulkRate will also send you a "non-delivery notification" which will appear in your incoming mailbox. In most cases, the problem is an addressing problem.
You may sort the list by Host, Name, Subject, Date or sent/unsent Status by using the options available under the View menu.
Double-click an item to open it for reading or editing.
You may delete items from this list by selecting them (shift-click and command-click are supported) and choosing Delete from the Mail menu or clicking the Delete button on the Palette. This action is not undoable, so you'll get a warning alert.
*BulkRate Help Windows Outgoing mail
1162
OUTGOING MAIL WINDOW
Use this window to edit outgoing mail. Once you've created a new message, you can either Save it (under the File menu) or Queue to Send it (under the Mail menu). Both actions are equivalent; Queue to Send (or the Palette "Post" button) takes the additional step of closing the window after saving the message in the outgoing mailbox. Due to limitations of the FirstClass CLUI, outgoing messages over 5K in length will be automaticallt split into multiple parts when sent.
When editing an outgoing message, you can add addresses to the To or cc fields manually, or by using the Address Book.
"Host:" contains the host name of the BBS this message is to be sent to; usually BulkRate fills this in for you.
The "Message sent" checkbox will be checked if you are viewing or editing a message that has already been sent to the Host BBS. You can also manually toggle this to re-send the message or prevent an unfinished message from being sent. (BulkRate will not attempt to send messages with the Message Sent box checked.)
Clicking the Palette delete button or choosing Delete from the Mail menu will permanently delete this message.
*BulkRate Help Windows Address book
1577
ADDRESS BOOK WINDOW
This window simply contains a list of names, addresses, and services. If an outgoing message is directly under the Address Book window, double-clicking on an entry (or selecting an entry and clicking the "Use" button) will add that address to the To field, unless the cursor was in the cc field, in which case the address will be added to the cc field.
You may edit the items in the Address Book by clicking the Edit button, which expands the window to include the editor section.
You can add, delete, and replace Address Book items, open other address book files, or save the current Address Book as a new file. Any Address Book file that is open when you quit BulkRate becomes the default Address Book and will be re-opened the next time you launch BulkRate.
Address Book edit fields:
Name:
Stores the name of the addressee: you can put anything you want here, like "Dad", or "BulkRate tech support" - whatever name allows you to easily remember the entry.
Address:
This is the actual FirstClass address or gatewayed address.
Host service:
If the person is accessed through a gateway, this is the name of the gateway or FirstClass BBS accessed through a gateway.
For example: if you wanted to enter my address, and your FirstClass BBS has a gateway to Internet e-mail called "Internet", you could put "Greg Neagle" in the Name field, "greg_neagle@pop.com" in the Address field, and "Internet" in the Host service field.
Otherwise, this name should EXACTLY match the Host name in the Service window, or you can leave it blank.
*BulkRate Help Windows Palette
1983
PALETTE WINDOW
This windows serves much like FirstClass Client's palette window - it gives you easy one-click access to many message navigation and creation functions. Normally the Palette opens in a vertical configuration, but if you hold down the option key while choosing "Palette" from the View menu, it will open in a horizontal configuration. As long as the Palette is open while you quit BulkRate, it will re-open automatically in the same configuration when you re-launch BulkRate.
Palette buttons:
NEW: creates a new outgoing message in the outgoing mailbox for the currently open service.
POST: Queues an outgoing message to be sent. (The outgoing message is saved in the outgoing mailbox and the window is closed.) Note that this mail is not actually sent until you choose "Exchange mail now" or otherwise initiate a mail exchange.
REPLY: Creates a reply to the current incoming message. If you have selected text in the incoming message before clicking "REPLY," the text will be quoted in the outgoing message.
FWD: Creates a new outgoing message that forwards the text of the current incoming message to new recipient.
FIND: Allows you to find text in the currently open window. Find always searches from the current insertion point.
DEL: Deletes the currently open message, or any selected messages in a list window. You can skip the confirmation dialog by holding down the option key as you click "DEL".
PREV THRD: (Previous in Thread) Finds the first previous message with the same subject as the current message. This is not "true" threading, but is the best possible approximation.
NEXT THRD: (Next in Thread) Finds the next message with the same subject as the current message.
FIRST UNRD: (First Unread) Finds the first unread message in the list.
NEXT UNRD: (Next Unread) Finds the next unread message after the current message.
PREV MSG: (Previous message) Displays the previous message.
NEXT MSG: (Next message): Displays the next message.
*BulkRate Help Windows Mail log
295
MAIL LOG WINDOW
This window displays the contents of the BulkRate log, which can be useful for troubleshooting, reviewing the actions a script accomplished, determining why certain messages were not sent, or determining logon and logoff times. BulkRate saves only the last 30-32K of activity.
*BulkRate Help Windows Exchange status
200
EXCHANGE STATUS WINDOW
This window is visible whenever a mail exchange is in progress. It displays information about the current exchange. Click the Cancel button to cancel an exchange in progress.
*BulkRate Help Menus File menu
1307
FILE MENU
New:
Creates a new outgoing message in the Outgoing mailbox owned by the currently open Service.
Open:
Allows you to open any text file, which includes mailboxes, archives, the Address Book, the BulkRate log, and any other text file. A text file that is not of one of the above types will be opened as the text of a new outgoing message.
Close:
Closes the topmost open window. If you close a mailbox list window, all associated message windows will close as well.
Save:
This item is only active when there is a outgoing message in the top window. Use it to save outgoing mail in the outgoing mailbox.
Save a copy as.../Save as text...:
This item changes depending on which window is topmost; you can create a copy of a mailbox and all messages within, or you may save any message as a text file (creator type is TeachText).
Archive selection...:
If you have messages selected in a mailbox list window, you can use this command to save them in a separate archive.
Append to archive...:
Use this command to append selected mailbox list items to an existing archive or mailbox.
Page setup...:
Brings up a standard Page Setup dialog.
Print...:
Allows you to print the text of a message or the log.
Quit:
Quit BulkRate.
*BulkRate Help Menus Edit menu
1579
EDIT MENU
Undo:
Allows you to undo text changes. You cannot, however, undo the saving or deleting of a message.
Cut, Copy, Paste, Clear:
Allow you to do the standard editing functions on text.
Select all:
Use to select all text, or all messages in a list.
Font, Size:
Use these menus to temporarily change the font and/or size in an incoming message; this might be useful to line up columns in a message originally composed in a monospaced font. If you'd like to permanently change the default font and size of text in messages, use "Preferences..." under the Service menu.
Find text, Find text again:
Use these to find text in an open message window or the log. You cannot search a message list or find text in messages that aren't open for reading. The find function always searches from the current insertion point.
Preferences...
Opens a dialog allowing you to specify how BulkRate behaves in various situations. These are global settings and are not saved with each Service, but rather apply to every Service. See the Preferences section for more details.
Register...
Opens a dialog that allows you to register BulkRate. Remember: BulkRate is now shareware. I ask $20 US as a shareware payment. Once you enter the registration code, the "- sent by an evaluation copy of BulkRate (unregistered)" tagline will cease to be added to your outgoing messages. Instead, occasionally the tagline "- this copy of BulkRate is registered to <your name here>" will be appended to your messages, if you have taglines enabled.
*BulkRate Help Menus Mail menu
1712
MAIL MENU
Compose new
Creates a new outgoing message in the outgoing mailbox "owned" by the currently open Service file.
Queue to send
Saves an outgoing message in the outgoing mailbox, then closes the window. This does not actually send the message to the host BBS. You must initiate a mail exchange to actually send the message. Due to limitations of the FirstClass CLUI, any message that is over 5K in length will be automatically split into multiple parts when sent.
Reply
Creates a reply to an incoming message. If text is selected in the incoming message, it will be automatically "quoted" to the new outgoing message. You can customize how the text is quoted by selecting Preferences... under the Edit menu.
Forward
Allows you to forward an incoming message.
Next unread
Opens the next unread message in the list.
Next thread
Finds and opens the next message in the list with the same subject (or variation thereof) as the current message. This is not "true" threading, but is all that is possible with the CLUI interface.
Delete
Deletes the current message, or multiple messages if more than one is selected in a message list. You cannot delete any messages in a mailbox that is in use by an exchange underway. As soon as the exchange is complete, you'll be able to delete messages again.
Exchange mail now
Use this command to start a mail exchange with the currently open service.
Exchange mail later...
This command allows you to specify a future time for a mail exchange to begin.
Script...
Opens the script dialog, which allows you to create, edit, open, save, and run scripts. See the Scripting section for more details.
*BulkRate Help Menus Service menu
867
SERVICE MENU
New service
Creates a new empty Service file.
Open service...
Allows you to open a Service file, or convert an old BulkRate settings file, or a FirstClass settings file. Note that if you are "converting" a FirstClass settings file that the only information converted is Host name, UserID, Password, and Phone number. Modem settings and mail settings will have to be entered by you.
Save service...
Allows you to save changes to a Service file.
Save service as...
Allows you to save a Service file under a different name.
Mail settings...
Opens a dialog allowing you to set various options pertaining to the mail exchange. See the Mail settings section for more details.
Modem settings...
Opens a dialog allowing you to configure how BulkRate works with your modem. See the section on Modems for more details.
*BulkRate Help Menus View menu
1293
VIEW MENU
by Default through by Status:
This group of menu items allow you to sort a message list to your liking. "by Subject" does a pseudo-thread sort, grouping messages by Conference, Subject, and Date. "by Status" groups read/unread items or sent/unsent/can't send items.
Reverse sort
Reverses the direction of the selected sort.
Address book
Opens the Address book. See the BulkRate Windows:Address book section for more details.
Palette
Opens the Palette. See the BulkRate Windows:Palette section for more details. If you hold the option key down while opening the Palette, it will open in a horizontal configuration.
Log
Opens the log. The log is simply a text file detailing BulkRate's past actions. If it grows to over 32K in size, BulkRate deletes old material to bring it under 32K. You can cause BulkRate to write more detailed information to the log by checking "Include debugging info in log" under Preferences.
Incoming mail
Opens the incoming mailbox "owned" by the currently open Service file.
Outgoing mail
Opens the outgoing mailbox "owned" by the currently open Service file.
All other menu items in this menu are the names of currently open windows. You can quickly switch to another open window via these items.
*BulkRate Help Preferences General preferences
943
GENERAL PREFERENCES
Palette button sounds:
Turns on or off the sounds made when clicking a palette button.
Include debugging info in log:
When this option is chosen, virtually everything that comes over the modem port is written to the log file. This can be useful for determining why BulkRate isn't working as one would expect, since it allows you to see exactly what is being sent by the FirstClass CLUI.
Use a message tag line:
This allows you to add random one-line "tags" to the end of your messages. BulkRate will pick a single line at random from this list and add it to end of your outgoing messages.
Max redials/Redial delay
Use these to tell BulkRate how many times to try dialing a BBS before giving up, and the time in seconds to wait between attempts.
Default font/Size
Use these pop-up menus to choose the default font and size in which you would like incoming and outgoing mail to be displayed.
*BulkRate Help Preferences FirstClass preferences
1145
FIRSTCLASS PREFERENCES
These are related to the Preferences you can set in FirstClass Client. It's important to set these to the way you'd like them set when using FirstClass Client, as BulkRate changes the preferences to what it requires during a mail exchange. It uses the settings in this window to reset the FirstClass Preferences.
Show items in conferences in reverse order
This causes FirstClass to show list items with the newest items first. Set this to however you'd like it to be when using FirstClass Client.
Show only unread items in conference
This causes FirstClass to hide items you've already read. BulkRate automatically turns this setting on when it does a mail exchange; if you uncheck this, BulkRate will turn it back off as it logs off.
Don't accept invitations
This keeps chat requests from coming to you; BulkRate automatically turns this setting on when it does a mail exchange; if you uncheck this, BulkRate will turn it back off as it logs off.
Sounds during chat and invite
This controls sounds during a chat session. Set this to however you'd like it to be when using FirstClass Client.
*BulkRate Help Preferences Quoting preferences
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QUOTING PREFERENCES
New to BulkRate 2.0 is the ability to customize how BulkRate "quotes" text for use in replies.
Wrap text at ___ characters
Controls the width of quoted text. Set this to 0 if you don't want BulkRate to wrap quoted text at all. 70 works well because it allows quoted text to be requoted without going over 80 characters.
Include attribution line
This controls whether or not BulkRate precedes quoted text with a line giving attribution to the originator. It's good form to do so.
Quote characters
This group of controls allows you to customize what characters BulkRate uses to proceed each line of quoted text.
*BulkRate Help Scripting Editing scripts
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SCRIPTING
BulkRate 2.0 now supports a very basic version of scripting. You can create documents which tell BulkRate which BBS to exchange mail with, and then what to do afterward. These scripts can be run manually, or by double-clicking them from the Finder. To create a script, choose "Script..." from the Mail menu.
Run:
This section determines what will happen if the script if invoked by double-clicking it from the Finder. If "Manually" is selected, the script will wait for you to run it manually by clicking "Run now" in this window. If "Automatically when opened" is selected, the script will run immediately after being double-clicked. If "Wait until:" is chosen, the script will run as soon as the entered time is reached.
When finished:
BulkRate can do one of three things when a script completes: nothing (Wait); quit BulkRate (Quit), or shut down the Macintosh (Shut down).
Exchange mail with:
This list tells BulkRate which Services (BBSs) to exchange mail with when this script is run. BulkRate will call the first service; if it is busy, it will move on to the next service. Unless there is an error or the redials exceed the limit you set in Preferences, it will continue trying to exchange with every Service listed here until they've all been completed.
Add services to this list by clicking the Add... button; delete services from the list by selecting one, then clicking Delete.
Open...
Allows you to open a previously saved script.
Save as...
Allows you to save the current script.
Cancel
Exits this dialog without running the script.
Run now
Runs the script now.
*BulkRate Help Modems Serial ports
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MODEMS
Setting up your modem to work with BulkRate is usually very easy. Unfortunately, there are many, many modem manufacturers, and so-called "Hayes-compatible" modems are not terribly compatible with each other.
The following info may help you determine the best settings you use with your modem.
Serial ports
BulkRate currently works only with modems connected to the modem port or the printer port. In some cases, modems ship with software that makes them appear to the Mac to be connected to the modem port, even if they are actually connected to an internal slot, as in the PowerBooks, or to an ADB port, as in the case of some models of Global Village modems. BulkRate may or may not work with these types of modems.
*BulkRate Help Modems Modem speed
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Modem speed
BulkRate should work with any modem capable of a speed between 1200 bps and 28,800 bps. Typically, high-speed modems use a method of connection in which the computer-to-modem speed is higher than the modem-to-modem speed. With a modem that is rated at 14,400 bps it is usually recommended to raise the serial port speed to 19,200 or 38,400 bps to allow data compression to work. The speed you specify in the Modem settings dialog is the COMPUTER-TO-MODEM speed, not the modem-to-modem speed.
Upon connecting to the remote modem, your modem returns a "CONNECT" message. This message can report one of two values, the computer-to-modem speed (DTE speed) or the modem-to-modem speed (DCE speed). Often it is possible in the initialization string to tell the modem which type of speed report to make. If your modem is reporting the DCE speed and you are using hardware handshaking, you should uncheck the "Adjust BPS after connect" setting. If this is checked, BulkRate will readjust the serial port speed to match the speed reported by the CONNECT message. For low-speed modems, this is usually the right thing to do, but for high-speed modems, this is usually the wrong action to take.
*BulkRate Help Modems Hardware handshaking
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Hardware Handshaking
Most high-speed modems currently support hardware handshaking. If yours does, you may turn this feature on in the Modem settings dialog. In fact, BulkRate forces you to do so at serial port speeds greater than 9600 bps. Make sure you have a modem cable that is properly wired for hardware handshaking.
Note that due to the small number of pins in Macintosh serial ports, most modem cables use the same line to sense DTR (Data Terminal Ready) and to sense CTS (Clear To Send). The DTR line is often used to support "hardware hangup," in which a voltage transition causes the modem to immediately disconnect. CTS is one of the hardware handshaking lines. Since both lines are connected to the same cable pin, a voltage transition on one is indistinguishable from a voltage transition on the other. If your modem is transferring data too fast for the Mac and the Mac pulls the CTS line to tell the modem to pause a bit, the DTR line will go down as well. If the modem is set to disconnect on DTR transition, you'll be disconnected. The bottom line is that in most instances, if you turn hardware handshaking on, you must set the modem to ignore the status of the DTR line. (Typically the correct command is &D0, though your modem may vary.) Failure to do this will cause unwanted disconnects, especially when downloading or otherwise transferring a lot of data to your Mac.
Note also that this advice is not unique to BulkRate; it applies to all uses of high-speed modems with the Macintosh.
*BulkRate Help Modems Initialization strings
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Initialization strings
This can be a source of great confusion and frustration. In most cases, the default modem settings for use with the Mac are the appropriate ones. Some manufacturers use "ATZ" to restore these settings, others "AT&F" or "AT&F1". See your modem manual for details.
Specifically, your modem must be set up to echo local commands (typically "E1"), provide responses to commands (typically "Q0"), and provide responses in verbal format ( typically "V1"). If you wish BulkRate to properly respond to busy signals and no dialtone situations, the modem must support the "X4" command set. Given these parameters, a default setup string for a 2400 bps modem would be "ATE1Q0V1X4".
If you are using hardware handshaking, this must be turned on in the modem by the setup string, and the modem must be set to ignore DTR. Unfortunately, the commands to do these things vary incredibly from modem model to modem model, so I can't give you specific commands here. Your modem manual should be of some help here.
Here are some strings that are known to work:
SupraFAXModem: AT&F1
Global Village Teleport Gold: AT&F1
Generic 2400: ATE1Q0V1X4
Generic 1200: ATE1Q0V1
*BulkRate Help Limitations Limitations
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LIMITATIONS
Unlisted conferences
BulkRate cannot currently send mail to unlisted conferences. Unlisted conferences are conferences which you cannot post to from your mailbox.
Threaded Replies:
Due to the way the Command Line User Interface (CLUI) works, it is very difficult to support true threaded replies via BulkRate. BulkRate does not currently support this feature, but it may be possible in a future version.
File transfers:
BulkRate does not do file transfers. This may be added in a future release.
Styled text:
No style information is available via the CLUI, so BulkRate cannot support styled text.
SoftArc has indicated that they plan to eventually release a "Client Toolkit" or "Client API," which would eliminate many of the shortcomings of using the CLUI as BulkRate's interface with FirstClass. A Client API should allow support for threaded messages and replies, styled text, and extended characters.
*BulkRate Help Hints and tips Reading and editing during an exchange
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HINTS AND TIPS
Reading and editing during an exchange
Unlike earlier versions of BulkRate, you can actually do other things while a mail exchange is taking place. You can work in other open applications, or you can read mail from another BBS, or you can read mail as it comes in during an exchange. If you are reading and writing mail at the same time an exchange is taking place, there are some limitations involved.
If you are reading and writing to the same mailboxes that are being used in an active mail exchange, you won't be able to do anything that involves the outgoing mailbox until the exchange is done sending new mail to the BBS. Once that is complete, you can then read and edit outgoing mail as well as create new messages, replies, or forward messages.
You may not delete messages from an Incoming mailbox that is in use by an exchange in progress. Once the exchange is complete, you will be able to delete messages normally.
Try not to leave a dialog box or alert on the screen for too long while an exchange is in progress; they do not allow any processor time to be devoted to the exchange and certain actions can then timeout. In most cases, BulkRate allows a full minute before timing out, so as long as the dialog box or alert is acted upon in less than a minute, you should be fine.
*BulkRate Help Hints and tips Moving and renaming BulkRate files
454
MOVING FILES AROUND
BulkRate has to keep track of the location of a lot of files. If you move or rename mailboxes or settings files, BulkRate may not be able to find them when running an exchange or script. You can force BulkRate to update the location of mailboxes by using the "Mail settings..." dialog under the Service menu. To update the location of Service files in a Script, you must delete the Service file from the Script list and re-add it.
*BulkRate Help Hints and tips Adding a “signature” to your messages
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ADDING A “SIGNATURE” TO YOUR MESSAGES
BulkRate supports a “tagline” feature, in which randomly chosen single line “taglines” are appended to the end of your message. On the Internet, multi-line “signature” files are very popular ways to end messages and e-mail. You can have BulkRate automatically add a “signature” to the end of each outgoing message you send. To do so, you must create one or more text files and place them in the same folder as the BulkRate application.
The file names must end in “.sig”. When BulkRate sends a message, it first looks for a “.sig” file with the same name as the “Host name” of your Service file. If you have a Host name of “LAMG BBS”, BulkRate will look for a file named “LAMG BBS.sig”. If it doesn’t find a file with this name in the same folder as the BulkRate application, it then looks for a file named “BulkRate.sig”. Failing that, it does not append any .sig text to your outgoing message. You can use any word processor or even TeachText to create your “.sig” files; just make sure that the file is saved in “TEXT” format. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to create a .sig file from within BulkRate.
*BulkRate Help Registration Registering BulkRate
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REGISTERING BULKRATE
BulkRate is shareware. You may try BulkRate for free, and give copies of the unregistered application to your friends. I ask that all documentation be included if you pass it on to a friend or upload it to a BBS.
If you wish to continue using BulkRate, I ask a shareware fee of $20 US. You may mail a check or money order (or cash) to:
Greg Neagle
1924 Mentone Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91103
Include your name and return address. I will return a registration code that will turn off the "evaluation copy" messages.
If you include a blank floppy and a stamped, self-addressed envelope, I will send you a copy of the latest version of BulkRate.
*BulkRate Help Support BulkRate support
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SUPPORT
I am happy to help people with BulkRate. I am very bad at answering snail mail and I don't usually like to be called at home, which is why I recommend that you ask me questions online. You may post questions in the BulkRate conference available on OneNet, or send me questions at my Internet e-mail address: greg_neagle@pop.com.
*BulkRate Help Credits BulkRate credits and copyrights
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CREDITS
I'd like to thank the following people and organizations for their help and support:
my wife, Allison
DigitalPopcorn Online Services
Dori Smith
Jerry Klorman
Kevin Pfeiffer
Los Angeles Macintosh Group
MacValley Users Group
Paul Hampton
Pete Johnson
Reed Hutchinson
Scott Goldman
and all beta testers and users of previous versions of BulkRate, for their comments and suggestions.
