Subject: Command Line String for Folders

From: Paul O Bartlett <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 06:00:53 -0400

I am using Pine 3.94 under SunOS 4.1.4.  I dial in from a DOS PC
running Procomm Plus V2.  Procomm Plus allows one to set "meta" keys,
Alt key combinations which will automatically play back a set of
keystokes, invoke a prerecorded PCPlus script, etc.

    For instance, I have a meta key set up to play back the sequence

        pine -l -Il,i

From the shell prompt, this starts Pine with folder collections
expanded and goes directly into my INBOX.

    My problem is this.  I have two folder collections defined, the
first for mail folders and the second for newsgroups.  What I am trying
to do is set up a command line string analogous to the one above which
will start Pine from the shell prompt with folder collections expanded
and go to the first newsgroup ("folder," so to speak) in the second
(newsgroup) collection.  At this point I don't care whether it actually
opens the group or not.  I just want to save having to cursor all the
way down into the second collection.

    I did come up with one command line string which went where I
wanted and actually opened the first newsgroup in the collection.  The
only problem is that somehow my .newsrc file got bypassed, and the
group was opened with something like 871 items, all that were on my
news server for that group, rather than just the unread items.

    The solution may be right in front of my nose, but so far I haven't 
found it.  If anyone has any ideas, I will be grateful.

Thanks.
Paul                             <[email-masked]>
----------------------------------------------------------
Paul O. Bartlett, P.O. Box 857, Vienna, VA 22183-0857, USA
Finger, keyserver, or WWW for PGP 2.6.2 public key 
Home Page:  URL: http://www.access.digex.net/~pobart

---

From: "Hiram Lester Jr." <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 13:43:41 -0500 (CDT)

> expanded and goes directly into my INBOX.

I'm not sure about your other problems, but you DO realize that the
command line options you are specifying can be set up in the
configuration, don't you?  Look under S)etup, C)onfiguration on the main
menu, and check out expanded-view-of-folders.  There is also a setting for
initial keystrokes near the bottom of all the setup options.  This would
allow you to simply type 'pine' at the shell prompt instead of 'pine -whatever'
Also, if you use csh, tcsh, or another shell that allows aliases, try
aliasing the command to something like this: 

alias	pine	'pine -d0'

whenever you type pine, you actually get pine -d0.  I've also done this
for pico since it has no way to set default options.

As far as your other problem, you could try using the G)oto command in the
L)ist folder screen.  I think it has to be enabled in the configuration,
but give it a try and see if it will work for you.

   +------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
   | Hiram W. Lester, Jr.               | E-Mail: [email-masked]    |
   | Computer Science                   | Homepage:                     |
   | Middle Tennessee State University  |   http://pobox.com/~hwlester/ |
   +------------------------------------+-------------------------------+

---

From: Dudley Ames <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 14:18:57 -0500

Paul, if your your 2nd collection is your newsgroups, and you
want to start (for instance) with comp.mail.pine, the following
command line string will invoke Pine and open that folder:

	pine -c2 -f comp.mail.pine -i

The only problem with that is (at least when I do it) that Pine
opens with *all* messages in that newsgroup, disregarding the
ones I previously marked "D".  However, when I next open Pine,
and get into that folder from the Folder List screen, the
newsgroup opens as it has before, with only "New" messages
showing.  I don't quite understand this, but if you can refine
the procedure, I'd be happy to hear.

Regards,
--
Dudley Ames
University of Arkansas
[email-masked]
Quinquagenarian, but working to change the condition.

cc'd & posted
===============================================================
On Thu, 15 Aug 1996, Paul O Bartlett wrote:

]    I am using Pine 3.94 under SunOS 4.1.4.  I dial in from a DOS PC
]running Procomm Plus V2.  Procomm Plus allows one to set "meta" keys,
]Alt key combinations which will automatically play back a set of
]keystokes, invoke a prerecorded PCPlus script, etc.
]
]    For instance, I have a meta key set up to play back the sequence
]
]        pine -l -Il,i
]
]From the shell prompt, this starts Pine with folder collections
]expanded and goes directly into my INBOX.
]
]    My problem is this.  I have two folder collections defined, the
]first for mail folders and the second for newsgroups.  What I am trying
]to do is set up a command line string analogous to the one above which
]will start Pine from the shell prompt with folder collections expanded
]and go to the first newsgroup ("folder," so to speak) in the second
](newsgroup) collection.  At this point I don't care whether it actually
]opens the group or not.  I just want to save having to cursor all the
]way down into the second collection.
]
]    I did come up with one command line string which went where I
]wanted and actually opened the first newsgroup in the collection.  The
]only problem is that somehow my .newsrc file got bypassed, and the
]group was opened with something like 871 items, all that were on my
]news server for that group, rather than just the unread items.
]
]    The solution may be right in front of my nose, but so far I haven't 
]found it.  If anyone has any ideas, I will be grateful.
]
]Thanks.
]Paul                             <[email-masked]>
]----------------------------------------------------------
]Paul O. Bartlett, P.O. Box 857, Vienna, VA 22183-0857, USA
]Finger, keyserver, or WWW for PGP 2.6.2 public key 
]Home Page:  URL: http://www.access.digex.net/~pobart

---

From: Paul O Bartlett <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 20:32:46 -0400

On 15 Aug 1996, Hiram Lester Jr. wrote:

> configuration, don't you?  [...]

    Yes, I am aware of this as well as of the shell aliasing options
you memntioned.  However, I deliberately start Pine in different ways
at different times for reasons of my own, so I don't want any one
particular way hard coded.  That's why I use the meta key capability of
my software so that I can start Pine the way I want at any one time.

> but give it a try and see if it will work for you.

    As for the G)oto option, it only works (at least with my
configuration) within one folder collection, so when I start Pine and
display the collections, the highlight is in the first collection, and
I cannot G)oto a folder in the second collection.  (I've tried it.)

---

From: "Hiram Lester Jr." <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 01:02:44 -0500 (CDT)

> I cannot G)oto a folder in the second collection.  (I've tried it.)

Ok, try Ctrl-N and Ctrl-P to change folder collections in the G)oto
screen.  I just checked all the way back to 3.91, and it works there.

---

From: Paul O Bartlett <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 09:08:07 -0400 (EDT)

> screen.  I just checked all the way back to 3.91, and it works there.

    This works manually, and I appreciate the information.  I am still
having some trouble getting it setup on a playback (meta) key.  When I
include the name of the first newsgroup in the second folder
collection, Pine complains about bad keystrokes "sci.lang" (the name of
my first folder in the second collection) with a cryptic message about
a possible missing comma.  Then it puts me at the G)oto prompt for the
second collection rather than automatically opening the newsgroup. 
Probably I need to do a little more experimenting with it.