FAQ categories
Technical questions
Q: Is it possible to set Fidolook as default mail and news client?
-
- A: Yes. Fidolook will be used as default mail/news client '''while any
Fidollok window is open'''. Outlook Express should be set as default
mail client for it. It will process all e-mail links clicks,
opening .eml - .nws files from Windows Explorer, context menu,
new messages from address book and all create/open message events
in Fidolook Express.
Q: Is it possible to download messages from several newsgroups or
mailboxes simultaneously?
-
- A: There are such (or similar) "hidden" possibilities: in contrast to
OE, FidoLook? SL allows several own instances to run at the same
time. So, you can run multiple FL instances and use them to
synchronize different newsgroups. But not the same group - it's
the only limitation.
Q: Is it possible to use Fidolook with Outlook (not with '''Outlook
Express''')
-
- A: _IP_: Due to scarce fantasy of _Microsoft_ with regard to its
product names, some additional comments are required:
- Outlook Express - is a program which's distributed with
Internet Explorer;
- Outlook - is an absolutely different program which's a part of
Microsoft Office.
Fidolook is created to work with Outlook Express, not with
Outlook. Partly, it's possible to use Fidolook with Outlook
(see next question/answer), but only for reading of newsgroups
(it's described there how to make Outlook use Fidolook with
Outlook Express for news reading).
Q: How to set up Fidolook for Microsoft Outlook 2000?
-
- A: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft
Outlook\shell\open\command Put full path to FL here and add the
/outnews option.
Q: How to view message without colors?
-
- A: Hold ALT button while clicking on a message you want to view
without colors - and it will be shown in the "original" OE view.
Q: How to view messages using DOS-866 encoding?
-
- A: This encoding is not availible "by default" in "Select encoding"
menu under "Select encoding" Fidolook Express toolbar button. But
it's possible to add it in a simple way: Misc-> Auto Enc Setup...
Clear all checkboxes in this dialog except for '''The corresponding
encoding is supported on the system'''.
Q: Is it possible to remove a space before named quoting or change
quoting marker?
-
- A: Yes - open Template options, select the tab "Original" and choose
corresponding options.
Q: How to activate X-Face support in Fidolook and where to find full
information about it?
-
- A: _AJS_: X-Face support currently is not included in the program
distributive, that's why you have to download an archive
Fl_xface.zip (http://www.fidolook.org/download/Fl_xface.zip),
which contains an additional DLL that provides X-Face support.
Extract this DLL to the Fidolook program folder, and then use
/Templates->General->Show-X-Face/ to set this feature on.
Q: How to add custom icon to message (X-Face) ?
-
- A: _AJS_: First of all, please, prepare the picture you want to add
in the BMP-format with 48x48 size + 2 colors. Then, go to
http://www.xs4all.nl/~walterln/winface/ and download the latest
version of WinFace?. Run it, open prepared icon (press the Open
button) and the corresponding X-Face string will be generated.
Then, in your template add new _Header_ "X-Face" and the generated
string as a value.
Q: Due to unknown reasons, the font used in preview pane header has
changed, and now it looks like fixed.sys. Also, the "Attachment"
button (Clip) disapeared... How to restore preview pane header to
its normal layout?
-
- A: _AN_: Just open /Misc->DocHost?/ and remove the check from _Use IE
Browser Option Key Path_ option.
Q: After installation of the secure update for IE6? (q321232), SL
stopped to show attached HTMLs? while option "Frame HTML" in
Templates options is chosen. The only way to overcome it is
converting to plain text. What to do?
-
- A:_MLS_: Try this: /Templates->Settings->General->Inline/
-
- A:_AN_: Also you may try to deactivate the
/Misc->DocHost?->Enable-Controlling/ option and set _Internet Zone_
in OE security settings (/Tools->Options->Security/).
Q: What is the best way to automatically insert password for Fido7
every time a new message (aimed at this server) is created?
-
- A: 1. Open Templates Settings.
2. Choose Templates tab.
3. Choose New Post.
4. Choose Headers tab.
5. Create Keywords header and set as its default value:
%if(%match(%cngrp,fido7.'''))%then(_MY-NUMBER-PASSWORD_).
6. Do not forget about Reply News and Forward News templates.
7. Also do the same things for all the templates which are used to
send messages in Fido.
Q: What do /Misc->DocHost?->Controlling-Download-and-Execution/
settings mean and how can I use them to prevent virus penetrations
(to protect PC against viruses)?
-
- A: _SP_: The settings are responsible for controlling the process of
downloading the parts of messages which are not attached and
require downloading from web-server, and for controlling the
HTML-code execution (both attached and downloaded from the server).
Important: The settings of this tab override all similar
settings both in IE and OE. These settings affect templates and
HTML messages viewed without templates.
/Enable controlling/ - turns on/off the Download controlling mode.
/IMAGES, VIDEOS, BGSOUNDS/ - turn on these options to allow
downloading and displaying them. If you turn off these options,
images, videos and bgsounds will not be downloaded and you won't
see them in the message.
/NO SCRIPTS and NO JAVA/ - Scripts and Java-applets are not
executed.
/NO ACTIVEX/ - ActiveX? objects are not downloaded.
/NO RUN ACTIVEX/ - ActiveX? objects are not executed.
/DOWNLOAD ONLY/ - the code of the page is downloaded (e.g., into
the cache), but it isn't displayed.
/NO FRAME DOWNLOAD/ - frames (the spammers' weapon :)) are not
downloaded from the server (only the message contents is
downloaded).
/RESYNCHRONIZE/ - this option will request the page's changes from
the server: if the page has changed, it'll be reloaded.
/NO CACHE/ - caching is not allowed (the data are reloaded each
time the message is being viewed).
/NO BEHAVIOURS/ - sorry, the information isn't available at the
present moment
/NO METACHARSET/ - the encoding stated in meta-tags is ignored
/NO CLIENTPULL/ - sorry, the information isn't available at the
present moment
/SILENT/ - only for advanced users - suppresses all confirmation
(warning) dialogs during download.
/FORCE OFFLINE/ - always view documents in local offline mode. The
document is isolated from the Internet without disconnection and
stopping other online operations.
/OFFLINE IF NOT CONNECTED/ - doesn't show the suggestion to
connect, if there's no connection at the moment
Q: What do /Templates->Settings->General/ settings mean and how to
use them as a protection against virus attacks?
-
- A: _SP_: hese settings are used to adjust HTML-viewing mode:
/Totally DO NOT use templates./ Templates aren't used at all -
everything looks in the same way as in OE.
/Do not use templates for messages in HTML format./ Templates
aren't used for HTML-messages.
The first 2 options actually disable Fidolook SL controlling
features - all the responsibility is shouldered by OE, IE and the
system.
Then, there are advanced Fidolook SLsettings of HTML-viewing
mode:
/Show PlainText? part instead HTML./ (100% safe variant) If this
option is selected, only text (instead of whole HTML) is shown.
It's important to mention, that not all the HTML-messages have
text - but in the most cases those messages, which don't have it,
contain dangerous attachments or try to do some illegal actions
like downloading unknown pages and so on. Plain text mode is the
simplest variant, which usually is quite enough - after you saw
text view it's easy to decide what to do with this message - to
delete or to see with more details.
/Show HTML-code instead HTML./ (also 100% safe variant) It might
be more suitable for advanced user because it allows to take a
look on pure HTML code.
/Show HTML frame and set Highest security level./ This variant is
less safe than previous two, but more safe than OE's. Its
disadvantage is that security level depends on Microsoft' mood.
One may set the highest level (Restricted Zone), but it provides
the same security level as it Internet Zone does.
/Inline/ "Built-in" HTML. This is the least secure level, meaning
that user absolutely trust system's security level (roughly
speaking, it's something like /HTML Frame/ without /Set Highest
security level/). But "the least secure" doesn't mean "absolutely
unprotected" :).
All variants have important advantage in comparison with OE's
variant: Wed 02 June 2004 by reading in off-line or
corresponding settings in
/Misc->DocHost?->Controlling-Download-and-Execution/, like
_No-run-ActiveX?_, _No-Java_ and so on. In this case, it's assumed
that if Microsoft said that for instance ActiveX? won't be executed
under such settigns, then it really will be so :).
Q: How to set up Templates so that a certain template is used for
answering a concrete addressee, and another template is used for
all other answers? The question is that when I mark an account
check-box in the first template, this setting is automatically
disabled for the other template.
-
- A: _AN_: You can do that by specifying an advanced criterion
(/Templates->Templates->Edit...->Criteria->/[Build]) in the
following way:
%if(%match(%faddreml(From),andrey_no <at> mail.primorye.ru))
%then(use this template)
You don't have to type all this in, just press [Build] and
Fidolook SL will build it.
_Note_, that this template will be chosen if the condition is
matched and the expression is not empty, i.e. %then(use this
template) or %then(1) or %then(blah-blah-blah) etc., but not
%then() - the last one is an empty expression.
The subsequent actions are based on the following logic:
Q: What template is then used?
/A:/ First of all, we'll seek the template with advanced criteria,
then, if not found - with an account criterion, then, if not found
again, the default one.
Q: And if this template is used by default?
/A:/ It'd be used.
Q: And what if there's no default?
/A:/ Then any to the discretion of Fidolook author.
Q: And what if I don't have templates at all?
/A:/ Then, what do you want from me? :)
Setting the criterion of using a template from the list of
accounts is the simplest type of criteria, which works as follows:
each account may have only one corresponding template. It's 100%
logically, because other conditions cannot be taken into account
in this case.
_Note:_ if the advanced criterion is set, then account criteria
_are ignored_, and the condition of using the template is fully
defined by the expression.
Q: I add my header to the template, but I cannot see it there. What
should I do?
-
- A: _AJS_: The header in the template should not end with : ,i.e. it
is necessary to write "NewHeader?" instead of "NewHeader?:" (without
quotation marks).
Q: How to transfer Fidolook (Outlook Express) settings to another
PC?
-
- A:_GH_: For Outlook Express, Fidolook - in the following way:
1. /Options->Maintenance->Store folder/, specify smth different
from /Documents and Settings\folder\.../. For example,
/c:\folder\mail/. Wait till the files are transferred.
2. run regedit /ea MySettings?.reg HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities.
After installing Windows 2000 the first thing to do is to
execute this reg-file from Explorer or in any other way (do
not run Outlook Express). This guarantees the preservation of
all your settings: both Outlook Express and Fidolook.
3. Find '''.wab files in your profile (in XP by default that is:
\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book\'''.wab)
and save them - these are your address books.
-
- A:_AEV_: As an addition to previous answer, it's also useful to
transfer Fidolook settings stored in a file.
-
- A:_MLS_: Or you can use bat-files like that:
begin of SaveSettingsSL?.bat
@echo off
rem This batch file saves SL settings from the registry
rem to files SLSave1.reg and SLSave2.reg
regedit /ea SLSave1.reg HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities
regedit /ea SLSave2.reg
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Account Manager"
end of SaveSettingsSL?.bat
begin of RestoreSettingsSL?.bat
@echo off
rem This batch file restores SL settings from previously saved
rem files SLSave1.reg and SLSave2.reg to the registry
if not exist SLSave?.reg goto noexist
echo REGEDIT4 > "%TEMP%\$DelOld$.reg"
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities] >> "%TEMP%\$DelOld$.reg"
echo [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Account
Manager] >> "%TEMP%\$DelOld$.reg"
start /wait regedit -s "%TEMP%\$DelOld$.reg"
del "%TEMP%\$DelOld$.reg" > nul
:import
start /wait regedit -s SLSave1.reg SLSave2.reg
goto exit
:noexist
echo Files SLSave1.reg and SLSave2.reg not exist in current
directory.
:exit
end of RestoreSettingsSL?.bat
The file SaveSettingsSL?.bat saves Fidolook settings to files
SLSave1?.reg and SLSave2?.reg.
The file RestoreSettingsSL?.bat restores the settings using
SLSave1?.reg and SLSave2?.reg, if existent.
Q: Tell me please, what headers change standard Outlook Express
fields?
-
- A: _AN_: The values of those headers are registered to the '''Outlook
Express''' envelope It concerns only part of standard
_editable_Outlook Express headers: To, Cc, Bcc, Reply-To,
Newsgroups, Followup-To, Distribution, Keywords, and Subject. It's
actual only in Fidolook SL.
To change an account you should use the header:
/att:athena-account-name/ (that's so-called account's "Display
Name"). /att:athena-account-id/ (that's the account identifier,
you can acquire the value from /Headers->Enum-Props/ or from the
registry).
It's sufficient to specify one of the above headers (the correct
one, of course), then Fidolook will act itself. The headers that
were put to the label from the Fidolook Headers window are
deleted.
/FL-Draft-Attach/ - here you can specify one or several files to
be attached. The separator is a semicolon(;) or a comma (,).
_For example:_
C:\SL diagnostic report.txt; C:\SL.exe, C:\report.zip
In addition:
1. You can specify a folder - in this case all files from the
folder will be attached.
2. You can use ''' and ? symbols to find files (as in system dialog
Search) corresponding the conditions defined, e.g.:
c:\SL.''' - all files named SL with any extension will be attached;
c:\'''.txt - all txt-files will be attached et cetera.
/FL-Draft-Charset/ - specify charset as type: koi8-ru or utf-8 or
iso-8859-1.
Generally speaking, these headers are artificial. As time goes by,
the corresponding tabs will be added to the templates, with more
options.
Q: Why does Fidolook cut the first and last paragraphs of the
source message while answering? How to avoid it? Also, sometimes
when I press the "Reply" button, I see only several lines of the
source message (and it has more than 10 lines :-( ) - so, actually
the quoting doesn't work. Are there any ways to correct it?
-
- A: It looks like you have _GoldEd like quoter_ as a default quoter.
In this case, the first paragraph is considered to be a greeting,
and the last paragraph - a signature. To turn this off, go to
/Templates(Ctrl+7)->Golded-like-color-quoter/ and turn off the
option /[ ] Suppress greeting and signature./
Q: Why do they answer my e-mail?
-
- A: _VP_: Many people, that write to fido-newsgroups via Demos gate,
may notice, that fido-answers to their messages are frequently
addressed not to a person, but to its e-mail ("Hello,
vasya <at> mail.ru !"). It may annoy you. But don't be offended by
people writing from FIDO and their soft.
As a rule, it's not their fault: many echo-hubs use ifmail as a
mailing soft. This program derives the author's name from the
kludge <at> REPLYADDR, and not from the header From:. And in
<at> REPLYADDR header created by gate, there's only a e-mail address,
without the name.
So, if you don't want to see e-mail instead of your name in
answers to your messages, you should add a new header
/X-FTN-REPLYADDR/ with a default value: %cacceml (%caccuser) to
all templates you use for posting to newsgroups.
If you use "plain" Outlook Express, you can just add your e-mail
(without name!) to the field Reply-To in your news-account
properties. But the first way, which uses X-FTN-REPLYADDR, is
preferable.
In the aforecited cases the kludge <at> REPLYADDR created by Demos
gate (2:5020/400) will contain your name and e-mail.
Q: I'd like to see something like "On Wednesday, September the 1-st,
... " in the greeting. How can I do it via using templates?
-
- A: _AN_: That's an example of the template:
%if (%match(%cWWWR,mn))%then(On Monday)
%else(%if (%match(%cWWWR,tu))%then(On Tuesday)
%else(%if (%match(%cWWWR,we))%then(On Wednesday)
%else(%if (%match(%cWWWR,th))%then(On Thursday)
%else(%if (%match(%cWWWR,fr))%then(On Friday)
%else(%if (%match(%cWWWR,sa))%then(On Saturday)
%else(%if (%match(%cWWWR,su))%then(On Sunday)
%else(It's not known when))))))),
cDDDDFR of the year %cYYYY, when the clocks show
%ctime:
There's a general recommendation for the case of such complicated
expressions: we recommend writing such expressions in HTML in case
to evidently indicate spaces and divisions. The plain-text variant
exists basically for backward compatibility and for simple
expressions.
Q: How to activate yEnc http://www.yenc.org/ support in Fidolook ?
-
- A: _KZ_: Download archive _FLyEnc.dll_
http://www.fidolook.org/download/Fl_yEnc.zip, which contains
additional DLL. Extract this DLL to the Fidolook program folder,
and then check /Misc->Other/[x]/Enable yEnc support/ is on.
Required Fidolook a/69 and above.
Q: What is External Mask Handler (EMH)?
-
- A: _AV_: External Mask Handler (EMH) - plugins (add-ons) for
Fidolook that adding new masks. Information about that plugin
available in it's distributive. General using:
1. Create new folder named EMHS in Fidolook's folder.
2. Unpack plugin in that folder (or any other specially created
subfolder).
3. On Fidolook open Setting, Extended tab, press Refresh button.
Your newly added plugin appears in the plugin list.
4. Now that new mask is available in any edit field that allows
mask entering due popup menu, External Masks.
Required Fidolook a/77 and above.
Q: I can't see pictures attached to a message in Fidolook, but I
can see them if this message is being viewed without a template?
-
- A: _AJS_: If in the message's tags ([Ctrl][F3]) this picture is
declared as:
Content-Type: application/octet-stream;
name="/tetrapak.jpg"
then Fidolook won't show such an attachment because it might be
not safe. Otherwise, if it's declared as:
Content-Type: image/jpeg
name="/tetrapak.jpg"
but the attached picture is not shown anyway, then you may try to
restore Content-Type settings on your computer by the means of the
next file:
begin of RestoreContentType?.reg
REGEDIT4?
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.jpg]
"Content Type"="image/jpeg"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.jpeg]
"Content Type"="image/jpeg"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.jpe]
"Content Type"="image/jpeg"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.gif]
"Content Type"="image/gif"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.bmp]
"Content Type"="image/bmp"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.gif]
"Content Type"="image/gif"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.png]
"Content Type"="image/png"
end of RestoreContentType?.reg
If you often receive such messages with attached pictures and
wrong Content-Type (i.e. application/octet-stream), then you
need to ask the sender of those letters to correct Content-Type
settings on his computer.
Q: My name in the field From is written in my native language, but
not in English. Naturally, it's not good. How to correct it? How
to set up Fidolook SL if I want it to send my messages to the
newsgroups from some special account I want to use (or fido7
server requires)?
-
- A: _AJS_: Actually, this problem appeals in general to '''Outlook
Express''' settings:
See: /Tools -> Accounts... -> |News| -> your account [Properties]
-> |General| -> User Information:/
Name - contains your name that will be placed in the field "From"
Organization - contains name of your organization (corresponding
FIDO standart field is "Origin")
E-mail address - contains your e-mail (by default) which will be
added to the field "From".
Reply address - contains e-mail that will be used to reply you
(if this field's empty, your "by default" e-mail, mentioned above,
will be used)
Also, it's possible to add your name in your native language to
all the messages you send. To do this, add special header
X-FTN-RealName? to all the templates related with newsgroups and
place your name in native language in this field.
See corresponding Fidolok SL settings: /[Ctrl]+[7] ->
|Templates| -> your template [Edit...] -> |Headers|/
Q: Is it possible in Fidolook to edit and then send (or simply to
re-send) a message which has already been sent?
-
- A: _AEV_: Yes, it's. Go to Newssaver settings, press [Advanced]
button and activate /Make editable Readonly message/ option. As a
result, you will see an item /Make Editable/ in Newssaver
drop-down menu. So, all you need now, is to select a message you
want to re-send and then to choose /Make Editable/ from the menu.
After that you'll be able to open and to edit this message and to
send it again.
Author's list:
_AEV_ : Alexander E.Volkov
_AJS_ : Andrew J.Swan
_AN_ : Andrey No.
_AV_ : Anthony Vendzylovych
_DT_ : Dmitry Tader
_GH_ : George Hazan
_IP_ : Igor Paikin
_KZ_ : Konstantin Zadorozhny
_MLS_ : Michael L. Stepuchev
_SP_ : Sergey Pushnyakov
_VI_ : Vladimir Ilyashenko
_VP_ : Vladimir Polukonov
