Tips for Using the Discon Web-Based
Discussion Board
This page answers questions about the operations and features of the
Discon newsgroup Web interface. Included in this page are instructions
for:
Accessing Discussion Boards
Operating the Message Tree
Searching Discussion Groups
Reading Messages
Composing Messages
Composing a New Message
Composing a Reply
Accessing Discussion Boards
The table of contents (TOC) is on the left side of the Discon
Discussion Board Web interface and lists the topics covered in the
boards. When a discussion board name is clicked, the
corresponding discussion board opens in the upper-right frame of the interface.
Operating the Message Tree
A message tree interface in the upper right frame is used to group the
individual conversation threads in the discussion board . Click on a plus sign
next to a message to expand the conversation thread beneath it. To collapse the
thread, click on the minus sign. A message with no sign has no replies.
Searching Discussion Groups
Discussion boards can be searched for specific messages by up to three
criteria: From line, Subject line, and Message body. When you click the
Click
to Search link at the top or bottom of the discussion board, the interface
presents a search form. By default, the current discussion board appears in the
Look in field. Enter your desired search criteria, choose a date range,
and click the
Search Now link at the top of the page. Messages that match
your criteria will be displayed in a form similar to that of the sorted boards.
Clicking the
New Search link will clear the From line, Subject line, and
Message body fields for a new search.
Reading Messages
You can read a message at any time by clicking the subject of the message.
When you click a subject, the body of the message appears in the lower-right
frame. Included in this frame are buttons that give you the option to
compose a new message,
compose a reply, reply to the author directly via e-mail, or
forward the message via e-mail.
Composing Messages
Choose a discussion group in the TOC so that the messages appear in the
upper-right frame of the interface. Click the
New Post button in the
lower-right frame and a new message window will appear. In this window, a form
will allow you to compose a new message with fields for the subject, and body.
By default, the currently selected newsgroup appears in the Discussion Board
field. Once you have filled out the
message fields and clicked the
Send link, your message will be processed
and posted to the discussion board.
You can reply to individual messages by clicking the
Post Reply button
in the lower-right frame. In the new message window, a form will allow you to
compose a reply with fields for the subject (already filled in), and body. Once you have filled out the message fields and clicked the
Send
link, your message will be processed and posted.