Getting
Started With Pine
September 16, 1994 University of Washington,
Computing & Communications
Pine(TM) is an electronic mail system created
and maintained by the Computing & Communications group
at the University of Washington. To help support Pine, a starter
version of this document was created by C&C in 1994 for
Pine 3.9. To meet local needs and conditions, modifications
may have been made to either Pine or this document or both
by local computer consultants. The local version of this document
is maintained by ___________________________________________.
Pine is a trademark of the University of
Washington. Permission to use this document for non-commercial
purposes, in original or modified form, is granted, provided
that the original source of the document is acknowledged as
University of Washington Computing & Communications and
that this paragraph, as well as the notice above, are retained
on the title page of any documentation based on this text.
Table of Contents
You can view this document by scrolling through it, or you
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About
Pine
Electronic mail (email) allows you to communicate quickly
and easily with colleagues on campus and around the world.
The use of email is rapidly increasing, changing teaching,
learning, research, health care, business, and administration.
Pine is a sophisticated yet easy-to-use email program that
was created at the University of Washington with the specific
goal of being responsive to new email users. Pine offers:
On-Screen Menus and Messages: Pine displays
your options in menus at the bottom of each screen, so you
do not need to memorize commands. On-screen messages appear
on a line above the command menu to give you warnings or information
as you make a choice.
Online HELP: Help is instantly available
to provide information about the task you are performing.
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About
This Document
This document should be read at your computer while you use
Pine. The text that follows does not tell you everything about
Pine. It only introduces Pine's main options and summarizes
basic email guidelines. The best way to learn to use Pine
is to explore it on your own. Pine was designed to make it
easy for you to learn to use email: there is information on
each screen and in the online help that shows you what to
do or answers your questions. Try the different options and
have fun experimenting with Pine.
Before
You Start Pine
Before you can use Pine to correspond by email, you need to
have a userid (an account) on a computer and log in. For details,
see the computing consultant for your department.
Starting
and Quitting Pine
To start: The details of how to start Pine
vary considerably from site to site. Consult your local support
staff for further information. After starting Pine, the Main
Menu screen appears. Each Pine screen has a similar layout:
the top line tells you the screen name and additional useful
information, below that is the work area (on the Main Menu
screen, the work area is a menu of options), then the message/prompt
line, and finally the menu of commands.
To quit: When you want to
leave Pine, type Q (Quit). For details, see "Quitting
Pine and Logging Out".
The Main Menu
The Main Menu lists Pine's main options (see
Figure 1). The letter you must type to enter your choice is
to the left of each option or command name. You can usually
type either uppercase or lowercase letters, and you should
not press <Return> to enter commands.
From the Main Menu, you can read online help,
write and send a message, look at an index of your mail messages,
open or maintain your mail folders, update your address book,
configure or update Pine, and quit Pine.
PINE 3.90 MAIN MENU Folder:INBOX 2 Messages
? HELP - Get help using Pine
C COMPOSE MESSAGE - Compose and send a message
I FOLDER INDEX - View messages in current
folder
L FOLDER LIST - Select a folder to view
A ADDRESS BOOK - Update address book
S SETUP - Configure or update Pine
Q QUIT - Exit the Pine program
Copyright 1989-1994. PINE is a trademark
of the University of Washington.
[Folder "INBOX" opened with 2 messages]
? Help P PrevCmd R RelNotes
O OTHER CMDS L [ListFldrs] N NextCmd
Figure 1. A Pine Main
Menu Screen
Now that you know how to start Pine, you can explore on your
own, or you can browse the rest of this document for a summary
of Pine's main features.
Getting Help in Pine
To read the online help, use the Help command
at the bottom of each screen. For example, at the Main Menu
screen, type ? (Help). Because the help text is context sensitive,
you never see all of it at once--only the part that relates
to the Pine feature you are using. To exit the online help,
type E (Exit Help).
Writing a Message in Pine
To write a message, type C (Compose) to see
the Compose Message screen.
PINE 3.90 COMPOSE MESSAGE Folder:INBOX 2
Messages
To :
Cc :
Attchmnt:
Subject :
----- Message Text -----
^G Get Help ^X Send ^R Rich Hdr ^Y PrvPg/Top ^K Cut Line ^O
Postpone
^C Cancel ^D Del Char ^J Attach ^V NxtPg/End ^U UnDel Line
^T To AddrBk
Figure 2. A Pine
Compose Message Screen
In the command menu above, the ^ character
is used to indicate the Control key. This means you must hold
down the Control key (written in this document as <Control>)
while you press the letter for each command.
Press <Control>G (Get
Help) to see additional commands. To move around, use the
arrow keys or <Control>N (Next line)
and <Control> P (Previous line). To
correct errors, use <Backspace> or
<Delete>.
You might start experimenting in Pine by
sending yourself a message. The following section shows you
how.
Writing and Sending a Test Message
to Yourself
To write and send a test message to yourself:
- Type C (Compose) to see the Compose Message
screen.
- In the To: field, type your email address
and press <Return>.
- In the Cc: field, press <Return>.
- In the Attachment: field, press <Return>.
- In the Subject: field, type Test and press
<Return>.
- Below the Message Text line, type
This is a test.
If a user Jean Hughes at site art.somewhere.edu whose userid
is jhughes were to compose such a test message, the completed
screen would look like the example below.
PINE 3.90 COMPOSE MESSAGE Folder:INBOX 2 Messages
To : Jean Hughes <jhughes@art.somewhere.edu>
Cc :
Attchmnt:
Subject : Test
----- Message Text -----
This is a test.
^G Get Help ^X Send ^R Read File ^Y Prev Pg ^K Cut Text
^O Postpone
^C Cancel ^J Justify ^W Where is ^V Next Pg ^U UnCut Text
^T To Spell
Figure 3. A Pine Compose Message Screen
- To send your message, press <Control>X
(Send).
You are asked:
Send message?
- Type y (yes) or press <Return>.
The message is sent, and a copy is saved to your sent-mail
folder. (If you type n (no) the message is not sent, and
you can continue to work on it.)
This test message is very simple. There are,
of course, other options you can use as you compose a message.
A few are summarized in the next section, and complete information
about options for the Compose Message screen is available
in online help. As you compose a message, you can press <Control>G
(Get Help) at any time to see details about your current task.
Hints for Writing a Message
To:
In this field, type the email addresses of your recipients.
Separate the addresses with commas. When you are finished,
press <Return>. Note that if you type in only the userid
(login name) of your recipient, the Pine program assumes that
the "right-hand part" of your recipient's address
is the same as yours (e.g., art.somewhere.edu), unless you
explicitly enter a different one. Always check the addresses
in both the To: and the Cc: fields for accuracy and completeness
before you send a message.
Finding and Formatting Addresses.
The best way to get a person's email address is to ask him
or her for it. For more information on finding and formatting
email addresses on local and remote computers, press <Control>G
(Get Help) in the To: field.
Using the Address Book.
In both the To: and the Cc: fields, you can enter a person's
email address manually, or you can use an entry from your
Pine Address Book. See "Using the Address Book".
Cc:
In this field, type the email addresses of the persons to
whom you want to send copies. Separate their addresses with
commas. When you are finished, or if you do not want to send
any copies, press <Return>.
Attchmnt:
This is an advanced Pine feature that allows you to attach
files, including word processing documents, spreadsheets,
or images that exist on the same computer where you are running
Pine. If you do not want to attach a file to your message,
press <Return>. For more information, with your cursor
in the Attchmnt: field, press <Control>G (Get Help).
Subject:
In this field, enter a one-line description of your message.
A short, pertinent description is appreciated by the recipients,
since this is what they see when they scan their email index.
When finished, press <Return>.
Message Text:
Type your message. To move around, use the arrow keys. To
delete characters, press <Backspace> or <Delete>.
To delete a line, press <Control>K. To justify your
text, press <Control>J. To check your spelling, press
<Control>T. To see other editing commands, press <Control>G
(Get Help).
Inserting a Plain Text File. If you want to send a "plain
text" file with your message, you can insert the file
in the body of your message using the <Control>R (Read
in a File) command. Plain text files are files created by
text editors such as Pico, the editor you use when you compose
a Pine message. For information about inserting files, with
your cursor in the Message Text: field, press <Control>G
(Get Help).
Hints for Sending a Message
Sending a Message.
After your message is composed, press <Control>X, and
then type y or press <Return>. Your message is sent
and a copy is saved to the sent-mail folder. If a message
cannot be delivered, it eventually is returned to you. If
you want to re-send a message, you can use the F (Forward)
command.
Changing Your Mind.
If you change your mind after typing <Control>X), type
n instead of y to continue to work on your message. While
you are writing your message, you can press <Control>O
(Postpone) to hold your message so you can work on it later,
or you can press <Control>C (Cancel) to delete your
message entirely. You are asked to confirm whether or not
you want to cancel a message.
Listing Messages
Pine stores messages sent to you (including
those you send to yourself) in your INBOX folder. Messages
remain in your INBOX folder until you delete them or save
them in other folders. (You will learn more about the INBOX
and other folders in "Pine Folders".)
To see a list of the messages you have received
in your INBOX folder:
At the Pine Main Menu, type I (Folder Index).
If you have any messages, they are listed as shown in the
following example for the user named "jhughes."
See "Moving Between Folders" if
you want to list the messages in a folder other than your
INBOX.
PINE 3.90 FOLDER INDEX
Folder:INBOX Message 3 of 3 NEW
D 1 Jan 10 Mu Li (486) Proposal
+ A 2 Jan 10 Christine Smith (500) NSF
+ N 3 Jan 11 To: jhughes (448) Test
? Help M Main Menu P PrevMsg - Prev Page D Delete R Reply
O OTHER CMDS V [ViewMsg] N NextMsg Spc Next Page U Undelete
F Forward
Figure 4. A Pine Folder
Index Screen
The selected message is highlighted. The
first column on the left shows the message status. It may
be blank, or it may contain "N" if the message is
new (unread), "+" if the message was sent directly
to you (it is not a copy or from a list), "A" if
you have answered the message (using the Reply command), or
"D" if you have marked the message for deletion.
The rest of the columns in the message line show you the message
number, date sent, sender, size, and subject. For details,
press ? (Help).
Most of the commands you need to handle your
messages are listed at the bottom of the screen. You can type
O (Other Commands) to see the additional commands that are
available. You do not need to see these commands on the screen
to use them. That is, you never need to type O as a prefix
for any other command.
Viewing a Message
To view a message:
- At the Folder Index screen, use the arrow
keys to highlight the message you want to view.
- Type V (ViewMsg) or press <Return>
to read a selected message.
To see the next message, press N (NextMsg).
To return to the index, press I (Index).
Replying to a Message
To reply to a message that you have selected
at the Folder Index screen or that you are viewing:
Type R (Reply).
You are asked whether you want to include the original message
in your reply. Also, if the original message was sent to more
than one person, you are asked if you want to reply to all
recipients. Think carefully before you answer--it may be that
you do not want your reply to be sent to more than just the
author of the message. It is always a good idea to verify
that the addresses in the To: and Cc: fields are correct before
you send a message.
Pine Folders
Incoming messages may quickly accumulate
in your INBOX folder. Imagine what it would be like to find
one hundred messages there. If you use email often, this may
happen sooner than you expect. How should you organize the
messages you wish to save?
Organizing Messages With Folders
A Pine folder, like a folder in your file
cabinet, is a storage place for messages. As you use email,
you accumulate many messages and can organize them into different
folders by topic, correspondent, date, or any other category
that is meaningful to you. You can create your own folders,
and Pine automatically provides three:
- The INBOX folder--messages
sent to you are listed in this folder. When you first start
Pine and go to the Folder Index screen, you are looking
at the list of messages in your INBOX folder. Every incoming
message remains in your INBOX until you delete it or save
it in another folder.
- The saved-messages folder--copies
of messages you save are stored in this folder unless you
save them to other folders you create yourself. See "Saving
a Message".
- The sent-mail folder--copies
of messages you send are automatically stored in this folder.
This is convenient if you cannot remember whether you actually
sent a message or if you want to send a message again.
Keeping Folders Clean
Messages--whether they are in your INBOX or your other Pine
folders--occupy storage space, and your storage space is limited.
- Check your email frequently to see if
you have any new messages.
- Do not keep too many messages in your
INBOX folder. A large INBOX reduces performance: it takes
longer to display large lists of messages when you start
Pine, and it requires more time to move between messages.
- Delete your incoming messages right away
if you do not want them, or save them to other folders if
you do.
- Routinely delete obsolete messages from
all of your Pine folders.
- You will get a monthly message via Pine
that asks if you want to delete entire sent-mail folders
(and all the messages they contain) from previous months.
To conserve space, it is a good idea to do this. If you
choose to delete such sent mail, type y.
Moving Between Folders
When you start Pine and press I (Index) at
the Main Menu, you see a list of messages in your INBOX folder.
If you want to see the messages in another folder, you need
to go to that folder. The following text shows you two ways
to go to another folder from nearly anywhere in Pine.
To access your folders and the messages that
are stored in them:
- Type L (Folder List).
You see a Folder List screen like the following, in which
your current folder is highlighted. (When you start Pine,
the current folder is your INBOX.)
PINE 3.90 FOLDER LIST Folder:INBOX 3 Messages
INBOX sent-mail saved-messages 101class
? Help M Main Menu P PrevFldr - PrevPage D Delete R Rename
O OTHER CMDS V [ViewFldr] N NextFldr Spc NextPage A Add
Figure 5. A Pine Folder List Screen
- Use the arrow keys to highlight a folder.
- To see an index of the messages in that
folder, type V (ViewFldr) or press <Return>.
Note that this method of moving between folders
takes you to the Folder List screen, which has a menu of commands
that enable you to do such things as add, delete, and rename
folders. If you simply want to move to and list the massages
in another folder, try the method below.
To move most quickly to the index
of another folder:
- Type G (Goto Fldr). You are prompted for
the name of a folder.
- Type the folder name.
If you forget the name of the folder, press <Control>T
(ToFldrs) and select a folder using the commands at the
bottom of the screen.
- Press <Return>.
You see the list of messages in the folder.
Deleting a Folder
To delete a folder and all of the messages it contains:
- Type L (Folder List).
- Use the arrow keys to highlight a folder.
- To delete the entire folder of messages,
type D (Delete).
You are asked:
Really delete "folder"?
- Type y (yes) if you want to delete the
folder and all of its messages.
The folder disappears. There is no way to undelete a deleted
folder.
Saving a Message
When you save a message, you are given a
choice: you can store it in the saved- messages folder, or
you can specify another folder.
Once you save a message, the copy in the
INBOX folder is automatically marked for deletion so that
you will only have one copy. When you quit Pine, you are asked
to confirm whether or not you want to expunge the copy from
the INBOX folder. To conserve space, it is a good idea to
do this.
Saving a Message to the Saved-Messages
Folder
To save a message to the saved-messages
folder:
- At the Index screen, use the arrow keys
to [Folder "INBOX" opened with 2 messages] the
message you want to save, or, at the Message Text screen
as you view a message:
Type S (Save).
You are asked if you want to save the message to the saved-messages
folder or to another folder:
SAVE to folder [saved-messages]:
- Press <Return> to choose the default
folder: ["saved-messages"].
Pine saves your message, and you see the following:
- [Message "#" copied to folder
"saved-messages" and marked deleted]
Saving a Message to a Folder You
Specify
You will find it useful to create additional folders for storing
messages on particular subjects.
To save a message to a folder you specify:
- At the Folder Index screen, use the arrow
keys to highlight the message you want to save, or, at the
Message Text screen as you view a message:
Type S (Save) to save a message.
You are asked if you want to save it to the saved-messages
folder or another folder:
SAVE to folder [saved-messages]:
- Type a foldername and press <Return>.
For example, to save a message to a folder named "papers,"
type papers and press <Return>.
If this is the first time you have named this folder, you
see the message:
Folder "papers" doesn't exist. Create?
Type y or press <Return> to create the folder.
Once you have created the folder, or whenever you type the
name of a folder that already exists, you see a message
like this one:
[Message "#" copied to folder "papers"
and marked deleted]
Forwarding a Message
To forward to a message that you have selected
at the Folder Index screen or that you are viewing:
- Type F (Forward).
A copy of the message opens and the To: field is highlighted.
- Enter the address of your recipient and
send the message as usual. Note that you can modify the
original message if you wish, for example, to forward only
a portion of it or to add a message or notes of your own.
Deleting a Message
You keep your Pine folders clean by routinely
deleting messages. There are two steps to deleting a message:
marking it for deletion, then expunging it.
To mark for deletion a message you do not
want:
- Select and open the folder that contains
the message you wish to mark for deletion. If you are a
Pine beginner, this is probably your INBOX folder. See "Moving
Between Folders", if the message you want to mark for
deletion is in a folder other than your INBOX.
- At the Folder Index screen, select the
message you want to mark for deletion, or simply view the
message.
- Type D (Delete).
If you are looking at the Folder Index screen when you mark
a message for deletion, a "D" appears in the left-hand
column of the message line.
If you are looking at the Message Text screen when you mark
a message for deletion, a "DEL appears in the upper
right corner of your screen. The next message, if there
is one, appears.
Repeat this process to mark additional messages
for deletion.
Undeleting a Message
If you change your mind about a message you
have marked for deletion, use the U (Undelete) command to
remove the deletion mark any time before you expunge a message.
After you expunge a message, Pine cannot get it back.
Expunging a Message
A message that is marked for deletion remains
in Pine until you expunge it. You can expunge a message that
is marked for deletion at any time, or you can wait until
you quit Pine. Once you have a few messages marked for deletion,
you may want to expunge them before you continue to work,
because it is easier to look through a folder index that contains
fewer messages.
To expunge a message:
- At the Folder Index screen, type X (Expunge).
You are asked:
Expunge "#" message(s) from "folder"?
- Type y (yes) or press <Return>.
Messages marked for deletion disappear.
Note that you will be asked whether you want
to expunge messages that are marked for deletion when you
leave a folder (other than the INBOX) that contains messages
marked for deletion, or when you quit your Pine session.
Using the Address Book
As you use email, you build a list of email
correspondents. Some of their addresses may be difficult to
type or remember. You can use the Pine Address Book to store
email addresses for individuals or groups, to create easily
remembered "nicknames" for these addresses, and
to quickly retrieve an email address when you are composing
a message. Here is a sample page from an Address Book:
PINE 3.90 ADDRESS BOOK
Folder:INBOX Message 1 of 3
gomez Gonzalez, George ggonz@unixz.university.ca
mu Li, Mu muli@u.university.edu
chris Smith, Christine K. cksmith@art.somewhere.edu
rt Research Team DISTRIBUTION LIST:
gomez
chris
jhughes@art.somewhere.edu
? Help M MainMenu P PrevEntry - PrevPage D Delete S CreateList
O OTHER CMDS E [Edit] N NextEntry Spc NextPage A Add Z AddToList
Figure 6. A Pine Address
Book Screen
There are two ways to set up an individual address in your
Address Book. You can add an address manually or take it more
easily from an incoming message. With either method, you specify
nicknames for your correspondents. You can also set up a group
(list) address in your Address Book, but only manually.
Adding an Individual Address
To add an individual address manually:
- Note the address.
- At the Pine Main Menu, type A (Address
Book).
- Type A (Add).
- Follow the instructions. (Press <Control>G
if you need help.)
Taking an Individual Address From
an Incoming Message
To take an individual address from a message you are viewing
or have selected in the index:
- Type T (Take Address). The T command is
not visible on your screen unless you type O (Other Commands),
but you need not see it to use it.
- Follow the instructions. (Press <Control>G
if you need help.)
Adding a Group (List) Address
If you routinely send messages to a group, you can create
a list address. That way you do not need to type each personÕs
address every time you send a message to the group.
To create a list address:
- At the Pine Main Menu, type A (Address
Book).
- Type S (CreateList).
- Follow the instructions. (Press <Control>G
if you need help.)
Using Address Book Entries When Composing
Email
When composing a message, at the To: or the Cc: (Carbon Copy)
fields you can enter an email address in any of the following
ways:
- Type the entire email address.
- Type a nickname you have set up in the
Address Book.
For example, if your Address Book looked like the one in
Figure 6, you could type the following nickname in the To:
field:
mu
After you pressed <Return>, Pine would provide the
full address for Mu from the Address Book as follows:
To: Mu Li <muli@u.university.edu>
- Select a name from the Address Book:
Move to the Address Book (with your cursor
in the To: or Cc: field press <Control>T) and use the
arrow keys to highlight the name you want. Type S (Select)
or press <Return>.
Additional Pine Options
Pine offers other options. To use them, at
the Pine Main Menu, type S (Setup). You see a message asking
you to choose from the options below or cancel:
- Printer--Choose a printer for Pine messages.
- Newpassword--Change your account password
while still in Pine.
- Config (Setup Configuration)--Select additional
options.
- Update--Update Pine. Includes technical
notes and PC-Pine information.
The option allowing you to choose a printer
is especially useful and is described in the following section.
Choosing Printer Variables
Pine provides three options for printing. When choosing
the appropriate option, you should contact your departmental
computer consultant for advice.
To choose the printing method for Pine:
- At the Pine Main Menu, type S (Setup).
- Type P (Printer).
- Follow the instructions. (Press <Control>G
if you need help.)
Printing a Message
Once you have chosen the printer variables, to print messages
from either the Folder Index screen or the View Message screen,
type Y (Print). You will be asked to confirm your choice.
Note that you can also use this command to
print Pine's online help text.
Pine Can Do More
Pine has other useful features that have
not been covered in this introductory document. Although originally
designed for novice email users, Pine has evolved to support
many advanced features. It has become an easy-to-use program
for sending, receiving, and filing Internet electronic mail
messages and bulletin board (Netnews) messages including multimedia
attachments. There is also a PC version of Pine for use with
IMAP mail servers. If you would like to learn more about Pine:
- Try all of the commands at the bottom
of each Pine screen, including the ones that appear when
you type O (OTHER CMDS).
- Read Pine's online help often. It contains
tips to help you at every stage of learning Pine. Read about
different functions, even those you do not use yet.
- For more advanced information, see the
online Unix Manual entries for Pine and Pico. In addition,
at the Pine Main Menu, choose R for release notes.
Your local system managers may have customized
Pine to suit specific needs, and they may or may not offer
all of Pine's ever-growing set of configuration and personal-preference
options. Thus, your local system managers are a good source
of information about additional Pine features.
Guidelines for Using Email
Electronic mail is a unique medium of communication.
Messages can be replied to or forwarded with speed and ease,
and email has the potential to reach a wide audience. These
features can also be misused. There are a few basic guidelines
for the responsible use of email that can help you avoid common
mistakes while you enjoy the full benefits of this technology.
The privacy of an email message cannot be
guaranteed. An email message may be forwarded, printed, or
permanently stored by any recipient. Email can be misdirected,
even when you are careful. Do not put something in an email
message that you would not want read by everybody. And if
you receive a message intended for someone else, let the sender
know.
Email does not show the subtleties of voice
or body language. Avoid attempts at irony or sarcasm. The
most effective email is short, clear, and relevant. If you
receive a message that makes you upset, do not respond immediately,
and in any case, avoid "flaming," that is, sending
an angry or rude message.
Email Tips
As you use email, keep the following tips
in mind:
- Email is easily forwarded to someone else.
Although this is convenient, it is not always appropriate.
If you are unsure, ask the sender before you forward a message.
- Email replies may go to more people than
you realize. When replying to a message, be sure to look
at the list of recipients.
- Email can be junk mail, so avoid unnecessary
proliferation of messages.
- Email takes up computer space, so delete
messages you no longer need.
- The integrity of an email message cannot
be guaranteed. If a received message seems out of character
for the sender, double-check before taking it seriously.
- Email is meant for informal correspondence
as well as scholarly, scientific, and clinical communications.
You should not use email for official record purposes where
a memo would be required (e.g., personnel actions, organization
changes, contracts, and policy statements).
- Email should not be considered private.
Confidential information should not be sent by email.
Quitting Pine and Logging Out
To quit Pine:
- At almost any place in Pine, type Q (Quit).
You are asked:
Really quit pine?
- Type y (yes) or press <Return> to
quit.
It is a good idea to log off your computer
whenever you are through with it or when you must leave it
unattended.
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