net.Thread Help

net.Thread is a thread-based discussion server that allows interactive forums on World Wide Web sites. net.Thread combines the functionality of a USENET newsgroup with an easy to use graphical, hierarchical interface.

Contents:

Logging In
Navigating the Discussion
Posting New Messages
Replying to Existing Messages
Button Reference

Logging In

The net.Thread login form request three pieces of information:

Login Name
Maximum Display Depth
Last Login

Your Login Name can be your real name, your email address, or an alias. No default login name is offered, although we recommend that you be consistent with your login name so that all of your posts originate from the same username. Note that you are not required to enter a password with your username.

The Maximum Display Depth specifies how much of the hierarchy is visible at a time. The default setting is "3", meaning that net.Thread will display the message hierarchy up to 3 levels deep. Beyond 3 levels, a note appears stating the number of replies beneath the 3rd level message. The Maximum Display Depth can be set to any integer greater than or equal to one. Note that the display depth can also be modified using the Depth + and Depth - buttons.

The Last Login field specifies the date of your last login to this installation of net.Thread. The default value is the current date. Any messages which have been posted after to the Last Login date will be marked as "NEW!".

Navigating the Discussion

The net.Thread discussion hierarchy can be navigated by using:

Links to message Titles
The Next and Previous buttons
The Thread button

Clicking on individual message titles is the easiest and fastest way to navigate the discussion. When you click on a message title, the text of the message is displayed, as well as it's parent and children messages. To move to the top of the discussion area, click on the topmost parent message. This message always represents the discussion groups's root message.

The Next button views the next message in the thread hierarchy. Similarly, the Previous button views the previous message in the thread hierarchy. The Next and Previous Buttons are useful for easily following specific discussions.

The Thread button returns you to the top level of the net.Thread installation. From this "root" directory, all discussion areas on the site are accessible.

Posting New Messages

To post a new message to the discussion, press the Post button. The Post form will then appear, with fields for entering the message Title, Sender, and Body. The Title and Body fields will be blank, and your Login Name will be the deafult value in the Sender field.

Type in the message title and body text. Beneath the body field are three radio buttons which control how net.Thread will interpret the body text.

Normal text automatically formats your post. This setting will display double-blank lines as HTML paragraphs, words surrounded by asterisks as "strong" (*strong* = strong ), and words surrounded by underscores as "emphasized" (_emphasized_ = emphasized).
HTML assumes that HTML codes are already included in the message.
Preformat displays the message in a fixed-pitch font exactly as entered by the user.

Beneath these radio buttons is the Preview checkbox. The default button position allows you to preview your post before it is actually posted in the discussion. This is particularly useful for checking for typographical errors as well as "HTML" messages which might not display as expected. If you need to change your posting, use your browser's "Back" function to return to the Post form.

When you are ready to submit your post, press the Post button.

Replying to Existing Messages

To respond to an existing message, press the Reply button while viewing the message text. The Reply form is identical to the Post form in both function and appearance. After previewing and submitting your reply, your message's header information will appear indented beneath the original message in the hierarchy.

Button Reference

This area gives brief explanations of each net.Thread button.

Post: Creates a new message or group as a "child" of the currently viewed group. Note that the "Post" button is only available when viewing the top level of a discussion forum.

Reply: Creates a new message as the next "child" of the currently viewed message. Note that the "Reply" button is only available when viewing a message. The "Post" and "Reply" buttons appear under different circumstances but function identically.

Next: Views the next message (goes down one message in the outline display) from the message currently viewed. The "Next" button is only available when a next message exists.

Previous: Views the previous message (goes up one message in the outline display) from the message currently viewed. The "Previous" button is only available when a previous message exists.

Thread: Views the very top level of the site's thread hierarchy. Note that the "Thread" button is not available at the top level of the hierarchy.

Help: Views this help display.

Depth +: Increases the display depth (the number of levels of hierarchy shown in the outline below the current message) by one unit. Note that the "Depth +" button is only available when viewing a message or a discussion forum.

Depth -: Reduces the display depth (the number of levels of hierarchy shown in the outline below the current message) by one unit. Note that the "Depth -" button is only available when viewing a message or a discussion forum.

Settings: Accesses the login screen so that the login name, display depth, and last login date can be modified. After this procedure, net.Thread returns to currently viewed message after settings are changed.