[comp.soft-sys.andrew] Searching for AMS User documentation

usenet@nlm.nih.gov (usenet news poster) (04/10/91)

	Does anyone know where I can find user documentation for
	AMS?  Is there any that comes with it?  I stress the word USER
	documentation.  Stuff that will show how one goes about
	using the special features (and even the simple features)
	of the "messages" program.

	We have just brought AMS up here at NIH.  I have looked through
	the demo folder but there is not much info on how to actually
	use the mailing system (ie including images, spreadsheets,
	animations, etc in mail messages).

			Rob,
			aka "AMS: A Male Specimen"

Craig_Everhart@TRANSARC.COM (04/10/91)

There are two classes of glitz in the demo folder:
	- document content glitz (images, spreadsheets, animations)
	- AMS-proper glitz (votes, confirmations, WP validation)

Document-content glitz is available not only in Messages, but in any ATK
application.  Principally, you can use the ``ez'' editor, which by
default will create a text object (editing a text file), and you can
insert new glitz-objects (``insets'') at any point with the esc-tab
sequence.  Once you pick an inset (raster (image), table (spreadsheet),
fad (animation)), you get to use all the facilities of that inset's
editor.

I don't know if there's a listing of all the insets that can be included
via esc-tab.  But once you've picked one to insert, you can either fool
around with the input editor or look at its documentation (generally
installed under ANDREWDIR/doc/atk; there's a ``Readme.doc'' file in that
directory).

As for the AMS-specific glitz, you generally get at that in Messages by
selecting the ``Add Special Headers'' menu item on the ``Other'' card
within the message-composition window in Messages or Sendmessage. 
Selecting this menu item brings up a dialog box that asks which option
you wish that the message you're composing use (e.g. asking for receipt
confirmation, asking for a multiple-choice (``vote'') response,
describing an enclosure, inviting receivers to subscribe to a folder, or
inviting receivers to redistribute a message to additional recipients). 
After you select one of these, you're asked one or more questions
appropriate to the desired action.

Does this help?

		Craig