When logged into PCBoard, you use commands to accomplish yourtasks online. When you are reading messages or downloading files, you are simply executing the appropriate commands to accomplish these tasks. Most commands also have subcommands which is what you use to enter the message number to read, the file to download, etc. In other words, these subcommands allow you to be more specific about what you want to accomplish with the command that you are executing.

You will enter commands at what is known as the conference command prompt which usually resembles the following examples:

(39 min. left) Main Board Command?
(112 min. left) Chatter (1) Conference Command?

The first example shows you what the Main Board conference command prompt (conference 0) would look like. The second example shows you what the prompt would look like if you defined conference 1 to be called Chatter.

When you enter a command at the conference prompt, PCBoard will execute it if possible. If additional information is required, an additional prompt will be displayed to you. It is at this prompt that you would normally enter the subcommands you wish to use. If you decided you wish to read messages and entered R at the conference command prompt, you would see something similar to the following prompt:

(H)elp, (3262-8623), Message Read Command?

PCBoard knows you want to read messages, but it has no clue as to what messages you want to read. By using the appropriate subcommands for the R user command, you will be able to select the messages that you wish to read.

One of the major advantages to PCBoard is that you can save time by stacking commands and subcommands together. To stack commands and subcommands together you separate each by a space or a semicolon. For example, if you decide that you want to read the new messages in the current conference you could enter R;S at the command prompt and bypass the Message Read Command prompt. As you become more accustomed to PCBoard and the various commands that are available, you will find that stacking gives you the ability to navigate the system as quickly as possible.

Throughout this chapter, all examples will make use of command stacking. This will help you become more familiar with the concept of stacking and how much time it can save you.