PDSnet Frequently Asked Questions
Attachments:
Controlling the privileges people have in your conferences. Do you want them to read only, read messages and post them, or alter messsages?
How do I access PDSnet through a web browser?
Point your web browser to: http://mail.pds.org Look for a desktop icon at the bottom of the page to access your PDSnet account.
How do I attach files to my messages?
After you have created a new message, choose File...Attach File. A window will appear where you can choose which file to attach. If you want to attach several files at once, open the folder where they are on your hard drive, select them all and drag them to the top half of an open unsent message.
How do I view and save attachments which I receive?
WARNING: Never download an attachment unless you know the person who sent it and are expecting a file from that person. Viruses are often sent to everyone in a user's address book, and may appear to be real messages from that person.
If you just want to view a file and not save it for later use, double-click on the attachment. It will be automatically downloaded to your hard drive and the correct program on your hard drive (if it is installed) will open the file. If you want to save the file where you can access it later, the above method won't work. Double-clicking on an attachment will cause it to be downloaded in a location which may be unpredictable. Sometimes it will go to an invisible folder. It will often be deleted automatically after you close the document.
If you want to control where you save an attachment, just right-click (PC) or hold your mouse down for 2 seconds (Mac) on the attachment. A menu will pop up. Choose "Save Attachment". A window will appear so that you can choose where to save the file. You can also select the attachment and choose File...Save Attachment.
A third method is to simply drag the attached file from the message to your desktop or other folder.
What do I do if I can't view an attachment?
There are two reasons why you may not be able to download an attachment:
1. It may be of a file type which is blocked by our anti-virus protection. For a complete list of such files click here.
2. It may also mean that the program needed to view it is not installed on your computer. If so, you will need to find the correct program and install it. The file type is usually determined by the last three letters of the filename. Some common file types are listed below:
Files ending in: Need this program:
.doc Microsoft Word
.psd Adobe Photoshop
Note: With files created on a Mac, the three final letters are optional. Sometimes you need to guess which program is needed. You may end up having to ask the person who sent the file to you.
How do I store files in my PDSnet account so that I can work on them at home and at school?
There are two ways to store files in your PDSnet account:
1) You can attach them to a message. Just create a new message and choose File...Attach File. You don't need to send the message to anyone. It will stay in your mailbox as an unsent message. When you want to use the file again, just download it following the instructions above.
2) You can also just drag files to your PDSnet desktop. First, go to your PDSnet desktop and choose. View...Split...Split Horizontal.
This will create a top area for conferences and folders, and a bottom area where individual files can be stored. To store a file there, just drag it from your computer to the PDSnet desktop. If you have a later version of First Class Client (6 or 7), you can drag whole folders, too. When you want to use the file again, just download it following the instructions above. Don't double-click on it to get it to your hard drive. You may also be able to just drag it from the PDSnet desktop to a location on your computer.
How do I create conferences for special groups like advisees, classes, clubs, etc and how to give people access to the conference?
Go to your PDSnet desktop. Choose File...New...New Conference (note: students cannot do this). A conference will appear on your desktop named "New Conference". You can rename it by clicking once on the name, waiting a second, and then clicking again on the name. Once you have renamed it, choose Collaborate...Permissions. (If you have an older version of First Class Client, it will be Conferencing...Permisssions). A window will appear. Find the "List of Subscribers". If you add a person's name there, they will get a copy of the conference on their desktop and they will be able to read and post messages there. In the example below six students have access to the "Java 1" conference. No one else will be able to see the conference (except the person who created
the original conference). For more information about conferences, click here.
How do I set permissions for conferences?
Controlling the privileges people have in your conferences. Do you want them to read only, read messages and post them, or alter messsages?
First of all, you can only change permissions on conferences you create yourself, or on conferences where you have been made a "controller". Everyone who can see a copy of the conference is by default a "contributor". They can post messages, read them, download attachments, and delete their own messages. If you want to give them a different set of privileges, you need to first go to the conference permissions form (choose Collaborate...Permissions, or if you have an older version of First Class Client, it will be Conferencing...Permisssions). Above the "List of Subscribers" are three columns - Who, Access, and Permissions. If you want a person to have permissions different from a "Contributor", enter their name under who, and choose a diffferent category under
"Access". In the example below, Scott is a controller, Matt a reader, and Ken has no access at all to the conference. See below for a description of each category.
There are many choices, but the most frequently used are:
Disallowed - cannot even open the conference.
Reader - can read but not post
Contributor - the default - can post messages, read them, download attachments, and delete own messages
Moderator - if the conference is set so that messages need approval, a Moderator can approve messages.
Controller - has permissions to do anything
If you want a person to be able to edit messages, make him a contributor, and then check the "edit messages" icon for him. (Mousing over each icon will reveal the function)
For more detailed information about the conference permissions form, click here.
How do I use the calendars built into PDSnet?
If you have never used your calendar, it will not show up on your desktop. Choose File...Open...Calendar to access it.
Double-click on a day to add a calendar event. This window will pop up:
Type in a description and adjust the starting and ending time.
The repeat tab will let you schedule repeated meetings.
You can schedule a weekly meeting and leave out one week if you wish.
The reminders tab is something I find very useful:
The calendar will send you an email an hour, day, week, etc before your event.
Sharing your calendar
If you want to share your calendar with others, you need to first go to the calendar permissions form (choose Collaborate...Permissions, or if you have an older version of First Class Client, it will be Conferencing...Permisssions) This permissions form is similar to the Conferencing Permissions form above. People on the list of subscribers will have a copy of your calendar. In the example below, Scott and Matt each have a copy of my calendar. I have all the privileges there are. Scott can only see times, but Matt can add events to the calendar and see times. (Maybe I should change that...)
For more detailed information about calendar permissions click here.
For more detailed information about calendars in general click here.
How do I use my address book?
If you have never used your address book, it will not show up on your desktop. Choose File...Open...Address Book to access it.
Here is a sample address book:
To add people to your address book, click on the "New Mail List" link shown above. A window will pop up like the one below:
Fill in the person's name in the top space, and the email address below that. Now when you address a new message, you can type "George Bush" in the To: field of your message without having to remember his email address.
You can also make a personal mail list for several people. Just add all the names where it says "Members". You can use a mixture of local PDS addresses and internet addresses if you wish.
Shortcut: When you receive a message from someone whom you want to add to your address book, just right-click (PC) or hold your mouse down for 2 seconds (Mac) on the person's name in the "From:" field of the message. A menu will pop up. Choose "Add to Address Book" from the menu.
You can also import a list of names into your address book. Click here for more details.
How do I publish to the web using PDSnet?
First you must open your Home Page folder. If you have never used your Home Page folder, it will not show up on your desktop. Choose File...Open...Home Page to access it.
Any web page you put in your Home Page folder will be accessible over the internet through a web browser. You can put HTML files in the folder which you have created with a web editing program. If you put a file there named "mypage.html" it will be accessible through this URL: http://pdsnet.pds.org/~steve_bailey/mypage.html (substitute your name here)
You can also create web pages using PDSnet - with no knowledge of HTML. Here are the steps:
1. Open your Home Page folder (File...Open...Home Page)
2. Choose File...New...New Document Special...Personal Home Page (it is under Message menu in client version 6)
3. A blank page will come up. The name field is for the file name. Make sure you do not end the name in "html" (if you do, it will need to contain literal html code).
4. The subject field will become the title of your web page window. Abstract and keywords don't seem to have any effect.
5. Type in your web page, using whatever fonts, colors and sizes that you want. They will be rendered correctly on your web page.
6. To make a link, highlight the link text and click the link icon on the formatting toolbar. Type in the URL of the link in the window which appears. You can choose to have the link open a new window or use the same window which contains it. You can also test the link with the "test" button.
7. With the insert menu, you can insert markers (anchors), image files, horizontal rules, etc. The images will go into an invisible file in your home page folder. You can also copy and paste images into the page. Those images will also go into the invisible folder.
8. You cannot generate tables on these web pages, but you can make the table with a web editor and then paste the HTML code into your web page. Make sure you highlight the text you have pasted in and choose Format...Style...Literal HTML. This will work with any HTML code you paste in.
9. Close the document, and you are all set.
For more detailed information about web publishing, click here.
