Synopsis:
Using Pine 4.64 at Princeton, Online Manual

Solution:
For instructions on how to connect to an OIT Unix Server, please see Solution 2748.

The URL of the University of Washington's Pine Information Center is: www.washington.edu/pine

Pine - accessing your e-mail in Unix

To use Pine, you need to open a connection to a Princeton OIT Unix server and run Pine from the server using a command line interface. For this reason alone it is not the first choice of users who want a graphical user interface to their e-mail, but for those who like speed and are nimble of finger, Pine is very popular.

For instructions on how to connect to an OIT Unix server using an SSH client on your Windows or Macintosh computer, please see Solution 4104.

Using Pine

Pine is an e-mail package on the OIT UNIX machines on campus. To open the program Pine once connected to an OIT Unix server, type pine at the UNIX prompt (which usually looks like: tucson.princeton.edu%).

After starting Pine, the Main Menu appears. Each Pine screen has a similar layout: the top line tells you the screen name and additional useful information, below that is the work area (on the Main Menu screen, the work area is a menu of options), then the message/prompt line, and finally the menu of commands.
To quit: When you want to leave Pine, type Q (Quit).

The Main Menu
The Main Menu lists Pine's main options. The letter you must type to enter your choice is to the left of each option or command name. You can usually type either uppercase or lowercase letters, and you should not press to enter commands. From the Main Menu, you can read online help, write and send a message, look at an index of your mail messages, open or maintain your mail folders, update your address book, configure or update Pine, and quit Pine.

Listing Messages
Pine stores messages sent to you (including those you send to yourself) in your Inbox. Messages remain in your Inbox until you delete them or save them in other folders. To see a list of the messages you have received in your Inbox:

1. At the Pine Main Menu, type I (Folder Index).
2. If you have any messages, they are listed on the screen.

Viewing Messages
The first column on the left shows the message status. It may be blank, or it may contain

• "N" if the message is new (unread)
• "+" if the message was sent directly to you (it is not a copy or from a list)
• "A" if you have answered the message (using the Reply command)
• "D" if you have marked the message for deletion

The rest of the columns in the message line show you the message number, date sent, sender, size, and
subject. For details, press ? (Help). Most of the commands you need to handle your messages are listed at the bottom of the screen. You can type O (Other Commands) to see the additional commands that are available.
To view a message:

1. Highlight the message you want to view by using the arrow keys.
2. Type V (ViewMsg) or press to read a selected message.
3. To see the next message, press N (NextMsg). To return to the index, press I (Index).

Replying to a Message

1. To reply to a message that you have selected at the Folder Index screen or that you are viewing, type R (Reply).
2. You will be asked whether you want to include the original message in your reply.

Sending a Mail Message

1. To write a message, type C (Compose) to see the Compose Message screen.
2. Enter the recipient's e-mail address and the subject.
3. Compose the body of the message.
4. To send your message, press X (Send).
5. You will be prompted: Send message?
6. Type Y (yes) or press .The message is sent, and a copy is saved to your sent-mail folder. (If you type N (no) the message is not sent, and you can continue to work on it.)

Sorting Your Mail
You can create your own folders, and Pine automatically provides three:

1. The Inbox folder--messages sent to you are listed in this folder. When you first start Pine and go to the Folder Index screen, you are looking at the list of messages in your Inbox folder. Every incoming message remains in your Inbox until you delete it or save it in another folder.
2. The saved-messages folder--copies of messages you save are stored in this folder unless you save them to other folders you create yourself.
3. The sent-mail folder--copies of messages you send are automatically stored in this folder. This is convenient if you cannot remember whether you actually sent a message or if you want to send a message again.

When you save a message, you are given a choice: you can store it in the saved- messages folder, or you can specify another folder. Once you save a message, the copy in the Inbox folder is automatically marked for deletion so that you will only have one copy. When you quit Pine, you are asked to confirm whether or not you want to expunge the copy from the Inbox folder.

To save a message:

1. At the Index screen, use the arrow keys to view the message you want to save.
2. Type S (Save). You will be asked if you want to save the message to the saved-messages folder or to another folder.
3. Press to choose the saved-messages folder, or type a folder name and press to save to a folder you create on the fly.

Deleting a Message
There are two steps to deleting a message:

1. Marking it for deletion.
   • Select and open the folder that contains the message you wish to mark for deletion.
   • At the Folder Index screen, select the message you want to mark for deletion, or simply view the message.
   • Type D (Delete).
2. Expunging it. A message that is marked for deletion remains in Pine until you expunge it. You can expunge a message that is marked for deletion at any time, or you can wait until you quit Pine.
   • At the Folder Index screen, type X (Expunge).
   • You will be asked: Expunge "#" message(s) from "folder"?
   • Type Y (yes) or press . Messages marked for deletion disappear.

Quitting Pine and Logging Out

1. At almost any place in Pine, type Q (Quit).
2. You will be prompted: Really quit pine?
3. Type Y (yes) or press to quit.
4. You will be prompted: Expunge "#" message(s) from "folder"?
5. Type Y (yes) or press . Messages marked for deletion disappear.
6. Pine will then quit and you will be returned to a UNIX prompt.

How to View and Save Attachments

For instructions on how to handle attachments in Pine, please see:
http://kb.princeton.edu/3106

For More Pine Info
See:
University of Washington Pine Tutorial
University of Washington Pine FAQ