1 :Info:  Introduction:
  2 
  3 The Executive Forum system works with menus.  The menu options refer to
  4 explanations of certain basic parts of Executive Forum.  To get one of
  5 these explanations, just type the number of the menu option you want --
  6 there is NO need to press the RETURN key (or the equivalent of carriage
  7 return on your terminal).  You should start by going through all the
  8 options in this menu.  To begin attending forum meetings, select the
  9 option to display the "Executive Forum" menu.
 10 
 11 
 12 :Info:  Getting_To_Know_Your_Terminal:  Getting To Know Your Terminal
 13 
 14 Your terminal has basically two parts, the screen and the keyboard.
 15 The screen looks much like a television, which is divided into three
 16 parts.  The upper portion contains the menus you work from and status
 17 information, or a comment if you are replying to a comment.  The middle
 18 portion displays explanations like this one, lists of various kinds,
 19 and comments made by you and others in meetings.  The bottom portion is
 20 a one or two line help display with instructions on how to invoke
 21 general functions associated with the current activity.
 22 
 23 On your screen you will see a light that moves around.  As this
 24 explanation was being displayed, this light moved ahead of each
 25 character as it was displayed.  This light is in the form of a box or a
 26 little line that moves under the lines of text.  This light is called
 27 the "cursor," and it marks your current position on the screen.  When
 28 it is in the menu portion of the screen, you can select one of the menu
 29 options.  When it is in the lower portion of the screen, it marks the
 30 place where anything you type will be displayed.
 31 
 32 The keyboard is much like the keyboard on a typewriter, except that
 33 there are a few extra keys.  The terminal keyboard, like standard
 34 electric typewriter keyboards, has a carriage return key.  On some
 35 keyboards it is labelled RETURN, on others CARRIAGE RETURN or CR, and
 36 on yet other keyboards it is labelled ENTER.
 37 
 38 One of the extra keys is the BREAK (or "BRK") key.  It is often colored
 39 red because it is a kind of alarm key that you press to signal Multics
 40 to stop immediately and return the cursor to the menu.
 41 
 42 Most, but not all terminals have a series of extra keys called function
 43 keys.  These are usually located along the top of your keyboard and are
 44 labelled F1, F2, etc.  These keys work in Executive Forum only when the
 45 cursor is in the menu portion of the screen.  They perform special
 46 functions in Executive Forum.  Their functions are usually displayed at
 47 the bottom of the screen when they are applicable.
 48 
 49 If your keyboard does not have function keys, you can perform the
 50 function key operations by using the key marked "ESC" in combination
 51 with other keys (e.g., "ESC q").  Anytime you want to operate the "ESC"
 52 key, press and release it quickly, and then type the key you are using
 53 in combination with it.
 54 
 55 The last extra key you must learn is the one labelled "CTL".  Like the
 56 ESC key, it is used in combination with other keys.  Unlike the ESC
 57 key, the CTL key must be held down while typing the key to be used in
 58 combination with it.
 59 
 60 
 61 :Info:  How_To_Exit_Executive_Forum:  How To Exit Executive Forum
 62 
 63 When you are ready to stop attending meetings in Executive Forum, press
 64 function key F4 (or "ESC q" if your terminal does not have function
 65 keys).  Before you execute this, be sure the cursor is in the menu
 66 portion of the screen.  Otherwise, pressing F4 (or "ESC q") has no
 67 effect.
 68 
 69 If the cursor is not in the top menu, you must move it back before you
 70 can get out of Executive Forum.  This can be done in several ways.  You
 71 can finish what you are doing in the bottom portion of the screen, or
 72 you can press the BREAK (or "BRK") key, which aborts whatever you are
 73 doing in the bottom portion of the screen and returns the cursor to the
 74 top menu.
 75 
 76 
 77 :Info:  How_To_Get_Help:  How To Get Help
 78 
 79 The menu now displayed at the top of your screen provides the first
 80 stage of help with Executive Forum.  It is the first menu you see when
 81 entering Executive Forum for the first time, although after this
 82 session, the first menu seen upon reentering is the one titled
 83 "Executive Forum."  One of the options in that menu enables you to
 84 select the Getting Started menu, the one now being used, if you wish to
 85 go through any part of it again.
 86 
 87 When you are not working with the Getting Started menu, you can get
 88 help in four ways.  The first is to use function key F1 (or "ESC ?"  if
 89 you are not using function keys).  You can use the F1 key whenever the
 90 cursor is in the menu at the top of the screen.  After pressing it, you
 91 will be asked what specifically you want help with.  If you want to
 92 know what one of the options in the menu does, type its number or
 93 letter, but do NOT press RETURN, and the explanation is displayed below
 94 the menu.  To get an explanation of one of the function keys, press
 95 that function key, (again, do NOT press RETURN).
 96 
 97 If you inadvertently press RETURN when it is not called for, the system
 98 responds with a beep to notify you that an unexpected action occurred.
 99 Furthermore, if you inadvertently press RETURN while the system is
100 displaying, or getting ready to display a message, and the message
101 requires more than one screen to display, then you may find that some
102 data is lost (scrolled off the top of the screen).  In this case, you
103 would have to request the information a second time.
104 
105 If you are using escape sequences instead of function keys, type the
106 two character escape sequence (ESC followed by another character) that
107 is used in place of the particular function key you want (as mentioned
108 above, do NOT press RETURN).  Finally, if you want to know about
109 something other than a menu option or a function key, how to correct
110 mistakes for example, you can respond to the request for the specific
111 help desired by typing two question marks (??).  That will get you a
112 menu containing general information items from which you can choose the
113 specific explanation you need.
114 
115 The second way of getting help is used when your cursor is not in the
116 menu at the top of the screen.  Whenever you are asked to supply
117 information for an operation within a menu, you can type a single
118 question mark (?)  followed by RETURN to get an explanation of exactly
119 what it is you are being asked for.
120 
121 Whenever you are asked to supply the name or number of some item from a
122 list of names, meetings, or comments, you can display the list as a
123 menu by typing two question marks (??)  followed by RETURN.  You can
124 then select an item from that menu by typing the number or letter
125 assigned to it, just as you select an option from a menu.
126 
127 Finally, help is available in the form of brief reminders at the bottom
128 of the screen.  The bottom line always displays keystrokes that can be
129 used for certain functions that are relevant to the menu currently
130 displayed.
131 
132 
133 :Info:  Responding_To_Prompts:  Responding To Prompts
134 
135 A "prompt" is a system question (or request) for more information.
136 When you select a menu option, the Executive Forum facility often
137 replies with a prompt to ask you more specifically what you want to do.
138 If, for instance, you were selecting a comment in a meeting, you would
139 supply a number.
140 
141 Anytime you are prompted for a response while using Executive Forum,
142 you can type a question mark (?)  followed by RETURN to get an
143 explanation of what you are being asked for.
144 
145 If your terminal is missing a key, check the documentation for the
146 terminal emulator you are using to find the key or key sequence which
147 maps to the missing key.  For example, some keyboards do not have the
148 DEL key which is used to discard info in response to the "MORE?"
149 prompt.  You would have to check the documentation and see which key or
150 keys is equal to the "pad" character, ASCII 177.
151 
152 If you are asked to provide a number or name from an undisplayed list,
153 you can display a menu by responding with two question marks (??)
154 followed by RETURN.
155 
156 If you wish to correct a response to a prompt, you can use the same
157 keystrokes you use when editing a comment.  Since responses are made on
158 a single line, not all of the editing-comment controls are applicable.
159 Those that are, are listed below.  When using control keystrokes that
160 employ the CTL key, hold the CTL key down while typing the associated
161 character.  With keystrokes that use the ESC key, press and immediately
162 release the ESC key followed by the associated character key.  No space
163 is required after the CTL or ESC key and the associated character key.
164 
165 CTL f     moves the cursor right one character.
166 ESC f     moves the cursor right one word.
167 CTL e     moves the cursor to the end of the line.
168 CTL a     moves the cursor to the beginning of the line.
169 CTL b     moves the cursor left one character.
170 ESC b     moves the cursor left one word.
171 CTL d     deletes the one character the cursor is under or covering.
172 ESC d     deletes one word to the right of the cursor.
173 BACKSPACE deletes one character to the left of the cursor (the DEL key
174           also does this).
175 ESC BACKSPACE deletes one word to the left of the cursor (ESC DEL also
176           does this).
177 CTL k     erases all text between the cursor and the end of the line.
178 @         erases all text between the cursor and the beginning of the
179           line.
180 CTL Y     retrieves any piece of erased text, longer than one
181           character, and inserts it at the current cursor position.
182 
183 
184 :Info:  How_To_Correct_Typos:  How To Correct Typos
185 
186 Typing mistakes are inevitable, so the Executive Forum system provides
187 a number of ways for you to change what was typed.
188 
189 Whenever you are either typing a response to a prompt or entering
190 comments, you can move the cursor to different points in the text and
191 erase, change, or add to what was typed.  This is done with keystrokes
192 that use either the ESC or CTL key.  When using the CTL key, hold it
193 down while you type the associated character key.  When using the ESC
194 key, press and release it before typing the the associated character
195 key.
196 
197 Listed below are the keystrokes that can be used, both in changing a
198 response to a prompt and when working in the comment editor.
199 
200 CTL f     moves the cursor right one character.
201 ESC f     moves the cursor right one word.
202 CTL e     moves the cursor to the end of the line.
203 CTL a     moves the cursor to the beginning of the line.
204 CTL b     moves the cursor left one character.
205 ESC b     moves the cursor left one word.
206 CTL d     deletes the one character the cursor is under or covering.
207 ESC d     deletes one word to the right of the cursor.
208 BACKSPACE deletes one character to the left of the cursor (the DEL key
209           also does this).
210 ESC BACKSPACE deletes one word to the left of the cursor (ESC DEL also
211           does this).
212 CTL k     erases all text between the cursor and the end of the line.
213 @         erases all text between the cursor and the beginning of the
214           line.
215 CTL Y     retrieves any piece of erased text, longer than one
216           character, and inserts it at the current cursor position.
217 
218 
219 :Info:  Getting_Around_The_Menus:  Getting Around The Menus
220 
221 When you enter Executive Forum, the first menu displayed is the one
222 titled "Executive Forum" (except the very first time you use the
223 system, when the Getting Started menu is displayed).  The Executive
224 Forum menu lets you select meetings to attend; personalize certain
225 aspects of Executive Forum; and select the Getting Started menu.
226 
227 The F3 function key is one of several function keys used for getting
228 around in Executive Forum.  F3 is used to display the previous menu at
229 the top the screen.  The F2 function key (or "ESC f") displays the
230 Executive Forum menu.
231 
232 The F6 (or "ESC 1") and F7 (or "ESC h") function keys are used to
233 display, respectively, the next and the previous portions of a menu
234 that is being displayed in the bottom portion of the screen.  Usually,
235 the menus in the bottom portion of the screen are lists of names,
236 subjects, or comments that can be quite long, longer than can be
237 displayed on the screen at one time.
238 
239 The BREAK (or "BRK") key can be used to return the cursor to the menu
240 at the top of the screen anytime you are working in the space beneath
241 that menu.
242 
243 
244 :Info:  The_2_Attending_Menus:  The 2 Attending Menus
245 
246 There are two ways to read comments in meetings (by entry number or
247 subject) and each has a menu designed for its specific approach.  The
248 entry number menu for attending meetings treats each comment in the
249 meeting separately, so you select, read, and reply to comments by
250 number.  The subject oriented menu, by contrast, groups comments by
251 subject, so you select, read, and reply to comments by subject.  In the
252 latter menu, entry numbers are referred to, but almost all options in
253 the menu process comments according to subject groups.
254 
255 You can choose which you want to use when attending meetings by
256 selecting the "Read Comments by Subject" option in the Personalize
257 Executive Forum menu.  The approach you choose is used for all meetings
258 you attend, though you can change the approach used whenever you wish.
259 If you make no choice, the entry subject-oriented approach is used.
260 (Default)
261 
262 
263 :Info:  What_Are_Eligible_Meetings:  What Are Eligible Meetings
264 
265 Eligible meetings are meetings that you are eligible to attend.  All
266 meetings have lists of people or projects who are eligible to attend
267 them.  Some meetings are "public," which means that everyone can attend
268 them.  To be eligible for a meeting, you must have your name, or the
269 name of the project you work under, on the eligible list, or the
270 meeting must be public.
271 
272 
273 :Info:  What_Are_Attended_Meetings:  What Are Attended Meetings
274 
275 Attended meetings are meetings that you have attended and have not
276 resigned from.  You can attend any eligible meeting, and once you
277 attend, that meeting is placed on your personal meeting list.  It
278 remains on that list until you remove it.
279 
280 
281 :Info:  What_Are_Changed_Meetings:  What Are Changed Meetings
282 
283 A changed meeting is a meeting on your list of attended meetings that
284 contain comments that you have not yet read.
285 
286 
287 :Info:  What_Is_The_Current_Comment:  What Is The Current Comment
288 
289 The current comment is the comment or group of comments that the menu
290 options operate on when they are selected.  The current comment or
291 comments is always indicated by a number or other specification
292 displayed near the top of the Attending Meeting menu, and there are
293 options in that menu that enable you to specify which comments are to
294 be current.
295 
296 
297 :Info:  Selecting_The_Current_Comment:  Selecting The Current Comment
298 
299 Both Attending Meeting menus contain options that enable you to specify
300 which comment or comments is to be current.
301 
302 The Attending Meeting menu that works with comments according to the
303 number by which they are listed in the meeting has the following
304 options available for selecting the current comment.  The "Select ...
305 Next Comment" option makes the next highest numbered comment in the
306 meeting the current one.  "Select ...  Next Unread Comment" option
307 makes the next highest comment that you have not yet read, the current
308 comment.  The "Select ...  Comment(s)" option is the most flexible
309 because it enables you to specify exactly which comment or group of
310 comments to make current.  You can specify comments by number or by
311 keyword.  Numbers for different comments must be separated by space
312 (e.g., 14 23 25).  To specify by keyword, you use one of the following
313 (short names are in parentheses):  all (a), first (f), last (l), new,
314 next (n), previous (p), highest, allref, (aref), firstref (fref),
315 lastref (lref), nextref (nref), priorref (pref), restref (rref), search
316 (s).
317 
318 If you use the Attending Meeting menu that works with comments in a
319 meeting according to the subject they are grouped by, the following
320 options are available for selecting the current comment.  But unlike
321 the number-oriented menu, you can have only one current comment at a
322 time.  The "Next Subject with Unread Comments" option finds the first
323 comment in the list of comments that you have not yet read and makes
324 that comment and its subject current.  The "Select Subject" option
325 enables you to select another subject to be the current subject.
326 Finally, the "Select/Display Comment Number" option enables you to
327 select a current comment by number, rather than by subject.  Since only
328 one comment at a time can be current, you can select a comment only by
329 number.  Keywords cannot be used.
330 
331 
332 :Info:  Entering_Comments:  Entering Comments
333 
334 You can enter comments in a meeting anytime you are attending that
335 meeting.  To do so you use the "Start New Discussion" and "Reply to
336 Current Comment" options in the Attending Meeting menu.  When you make
337 a comment with the "Start New Discussion" option, you are asked to
338 specify a subject for the comment.  When you comment using the "Reply
339 to Current Comment" option, the subject of your comment is
340 automatically the same as that of the so-called current comment.  The
341  "current" comment is always indicated by number near the top of the
342 Attending Meeting menu.  It is the comment or group of comments that
343 the menu options operate on when they are selected.  There are options
344 in the Attending Meetings menu that enable you to specify which
345 comments are to be current.
346 
347 When you select one of the options for making a comment, a text editor
348 is set up on your screen so that you can type in and edit your comment.
349 When you are finished and wish to enter the comment, type "ESC q".
350 This keystroke and others that are appropriate to typing and editing
351 are listed at the bottom of the screen for your convenience.
352 
353 
354 :Info:  Personalizing_The_System:  Personalizing The System
355 
356 The Personalize Executive Forum menu lets you set several aspects of
357 Executive Forum to work the way you want them to.  First of all, you
358 can specify whether you want to read comments in meetings by subject or
359 by comment number.  You can also arrange to use escape sequences
360 instead of function keys, to display certain information in menu form,
361 to remove the menu from the upper portion of the screen while working
362 in the editor, and to have messages processed by your own message
363 handler.  Finally, you can arrange to go to Multics command level while
364 attending meetings in Executive Forum.
365 
366 
367 :Info:  Multics_Command_Level_Mode:  Multics Command Level Mode
368 
369 You can arrange the Executive Forum system to let you leave the system
370 temporarily to go to Multics command level and then return to the place
371 from which you left.  This is done by selecting the "Multics Command
372 Mode" option in the Personalize Executive Forum meeting.  If you choose
373 to have this function available, it is connected to function key F8.
374 If you use escape sequences instead of function keys, command level
375 mode is activated by the "ESC e" sequence.
376 
377 
378 :Info: Changes_Between_Version_1_And_2: Changes Between Version 1 And 2
379 
380 The principle changes between version 1.0 of Executive Forum
381 (distributed with Multics Release 11) and version 2.0 (distributed with
382 Multics Release 12) are the implementation of the subject oriented
383 "Attending Meeting" menu and the "Personalization" menu.  Refer to the
384 "The 2 Attending Menus" option of the "Getting Started" menu or
385 "General Help Topics" menu for an explanation of the subject oriented
386 "Attending Meeting" menu.  The "Personalizing The System" option of
387 those two menus contains an explanation of how to personalize Executive
388 Forum.  The control arguments that were used to control personalization
389 options are obsolete.  They still work in MR12 but their use will
390 result in a warning message.  The only control arguments that are not
391 obsolete are -force (-fc) and -no_force (-nfc).
392 
393 Another major change is the ability to select a disjoint set of
394 comments while in the entry order "Attending Meeting" menu.  This may
395 be done by either enumerating the set in response to the "What
396 comment(s) do you wish to select" prompt (i.e., "6 28 496" or by
397 entering the keyword "search").  If "search" is entered you are
398 prompted for the text to search for.  If there are currently multiple
399 comments selected, then the search is applied ONLY to those comments.
400 If there is currently only one comment selected then all the comments
401 in the meeting are searched.  A "?"  response to either prompt provides
402 more help.
403 
404 In order to improve selection from a "Choices" menu (i.e., the menu of
405 meeting names) the "ENTER NAME" option now appears as the last option
406 on each submenu instead of only on the last submenu.
407 
408 The "General Help Topics" menu was moved from the bottom of the screen
409 to the top.
410 
411 Finally, whenever you use a new version of Executive Forum you receive
412 a warning message.  In addition, an option on the "General Help Topics"
413 menu can be selected to describe the differences between the previous
414 version of Executive Forum and the current version.