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FirstClass Features
FIRSTCLASS DOCUMENTATION LIST: |
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Bookmarks 
A bookmark is a link to a web page, a FirstClass
conference, or a FirstClass message. You can create bookmarks
to objects that you open frequently. FirstClass provides a
folder for these on your Desktop. If there is no Bookmarks
icon on your FirstClass Desktop, from the menu choose File > Open > Bookmarks.
Bookmarks added to this folder are set by default not to expire.
The first time you open this folder, you may see a message asking
if you want to be able to add web site links to your bookmarks
folder directly from your browser. Click the No button.
Creating a bookmark to a web page
The simplest method for Windows users is to
navigate to the web page you want to bookmark then drag the
icon in the address or location bar from the web browser
to your open Bookmarks folder. The icon may look like one
this in Internet Explorer  or
it may be a special one for that web page. This method will
not work in Safari (the default web browser for Macintosh).
The following method works for all browsers including
Safari and also lets you assign a name and subject to a
bookmark:
- If there is no Bookmarks folder on your FirstClass
desktop, File > Open > Bookmarks (After
you do this, the Bookmarks folder will be on your desktop
unless you delete it. You don't need to repeat this step
next time you create a bookmark.)
- From the dropdown menu next to the New button, choose New Bookmark to
open a bookmark window.
- Open a web browser to the page you want to bookmark.
- Drag the icon from the address or location bar of
the browser to the URL field of the bookmark window.
- Enter an appropriate name in the Name field
of the bookmark window. You can enter a subject if you
like.
- Close the bookmark window and open your Bookmarks folder
on your desktop. You will find your bookmark there. The
bookmark can be dragged to your Desktop or another location
in FirstClass.
Creating a bookmark to an object in FirstClass
- Highlight the icon for the object you want to bookmark.
- From the Collaborate menu choose Add to Bookmarks.
- The Info window opens with a description of the bookmark.
Rename the bookmark, if you wish, by changing the text
in the Name field.
- Close the Info window and save any changes.
Using a bookmark
Open the Bookmarks folder, find the icon of your choice
and double-click on it. You can arrange your bookmarks
into subfolders.
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Contacts 
The Contacts folder on your
desktop allows you to assign names for individual addresses
(contacts) and lists of addresses (mail lists) that you use
frequently. Your contact entries
will appear in the directory but they can be seen only by you.
 Your Contacts Folder
belongs on your FirstClass Desktop. It will not work properly
if you move it to another location such as inside your
Mailbox.
 Setting the view for your Contacts folder
Either
index card view or list view will work well with your contacts.
Click the toolbar buttons to switch between them. In either
view, buttons on the right side of the screen allow you to
jump to entries beginning with a certain letter.
 You can select a sort order for your contacts by choosing from the Quick Sort menu. This allows you to easily sort by last name rather than first name. The sorting uses the First Name, Last Name and Company fields in the contact records to do this sorting so be sure that they are filled out as you wish them to be sorted.
Creating a new contact
- Open your Contacts folder and click the New button on
the toolbar.
- Type the name and any other information you want to save
for the new contact.
- Click the Email/URL tab and enter
a FirstClass name or an Internet email address in the business email field. You may enter one address only. Press ENTER or RETURN
after typing an address and a FirstClass
 or
Internet icon  will
appear.
- Click the Address tab and enter postal
mail information if you like. This is optional.
- Click the Notes tab. The first and last
name you entered on the first tab will appear in the Quick
name field. This is the name that will appear in
the directory and that you will use when addressing email
to this contact. You can change the quick name if you like.
- Click the Save and Close button. This
entry will now appear in your Contacts Folder.
- To send a message to this person, open a new message as
usual and enter the quick name in the To field.
 Creating a new mail list
- Open your Contacts folder. From the pull-down menu next to the New button on your toolbar choose New Mail List.
- In the Name field, replace Personal Mail List with
the name you would like to use when addressing email to
this group. You will probably want to use a short nickname
for your convenience.
- In the Members field you can enter either FirstClass
names or Internet email addresses. Press
ENTER or RETURN after typing each address and a FirstClass or
Internet icon will
appear.
- Click OK and the saved mail list will
appear in your Contacts folder.
- To send a message to this list, open a new message as usual
and enter the mail list name in the To field.
There
is a limit to the number of addresses to which you
can send a message. The limit for students is 100 addresses.
The limit for faculty and staff is 700 (because some
administrators routinely need to send messages to a
large number of their supervisees).
Editing addresses
Open the Contacts folder and double-click
the contact or mail list you want to change. After editing, close the window to save your changes.
Deleting addresses
Select
the address you want to delete, then ether press the DELETE key
or click the delete button  on
the toolbar.
Sharing address lists with
other FirstClass users
Contacts and Mail Lists can be attached to messages so that
other FirstClass users can add them to their own Contacts
folders. To do this, open your Contacts folder/Address Book
and drag the entry you want to share into the header of a
message. It will appear in the Attachments field.
Send the message to the other person who can drag the entry
to her/his own Contacts folder/Address Book.
Importing
and exporting contacts
Contacts can be imported and exported
in vCard or CSV (for Outlook, Blackberry or FirstClass)
format. CSV files can be imported into Excel. Export of contacts does not include address lists.
- To import, File > Import > Import
Contacts. In the Files of Type field choose
.vcf or .csv. Then navigate to your file and click Open.
- To export your entire Contacts folder/Address Book,
open it and select File > Export. Check the box next to All Contacts and
then choose the format. Click OK and navigate
to the location where you want to save the file.
- To export particular contacts, open your Contacts folder/Address
Book, select the addresses you want to export, File > Export Contacts.
Check the box next to Selected Contacts then
select the format. Click OK and navigate
to the location where you want to save the file.
Moving a mail
list to and from Excel
A FirstClass FAQ explains how to copy a list of names to and from Excel.
Printing contacts
Contacts can be
printed in several formats including labels.
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Directory 
To see a list of all FirstClass names, click the
Directory button on the toolbar. A
Directory window will appear.
In the Show section there
are checkboxes labeled Contacts, Conferences, Local, and Remote.
(You won't need the Remote checkbox.)
 If
the Contacts box is checked, your Personal
Addresses and Personal Mail Lists (from your Address Book/Contacts
folder) appear marked in alphabetical order with an index card
icon  .
These names can not be seen by anyone else. - If the Conferences box is checked, Wellesley FirstClass
conference names appear in alphabetical order with a conference
icon
- If the Local box is checked, FirstClass names of individual
users appear in alphabetical order and are marked with a personal
email icon .
If you begin to type a name into the Search field at
the top of the Directory window, the long Directory list will
shorten to include only those names that match the pattern you
have typed.
If a user's name appears in bold letters, he/she is currently
logged into FirstClass.
If a person's name appears in italics, he/she is currently logged
into FirstClass but has set preferences to automatically decline
chat invitations.
If a user has a resume defined you can see it by double-clicking
on the name or selecting the name then clicking the Resume button.
You can use the directory to send messages. See the New
Message section.
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Instant
Message (Chat) 
FirstClass includes the ability to have a real-time
dialog with other FirstClass users. This feature is now called
Instant Messaging in FirstClass, however the term "chat" is
also used. During a chat session, each user can type text that
is displayed for everyone participating in the same session. Some
conferences include chat room icons to allow for subject-specific
chats among users of that conference, however, you can invite
other FirstClass users to temporary sessions that last until
the last participant leaves.
For more details about using the Instant Messaging
feature, read the Help files. Help > Contents then
open Client Help and look up or search for the specific help
you need. If you have a chat window open, Help > About
this Window.
Initiating an instant message session
- To initiate a temporary session, click the Instant Message
button on
your FirstClass Desktop side bar or Collaborate > Instant
Message . An Instant Message window will appear.
- On the right side of the window is the Participants list.
Click Invite at the bottom of the window
for a list those who are currently logged in to FirstClass.
The list will not be in order because people log in and
out, however you can sort the list if you click the Name column
heading. (The list will alphabetize by full name.) If a
person's name appears in italics they have set their preferences
to automatically decline chat invitations. Click the name
of the person with whom you want to chat then click Select.
- At the other person's computer a window will appear and
a tone will sound, inviting her/him to chat. If the person
accepts the invitation, this name will appear in the Participants list.
Anyone participating in the chat can invite others during
the chat.
- The space in the lower left is where you will enter text.
The other participants can not see what you have typed
until you decide to submit, but an icon
 next
to your name in the participant list indicates that you
are in the process of typing. To submit your input either
click Send or press RETURN or ENTER on
your keyboard.
- After you have submitted your input it will appear in
the space at the top left of the window along with the
combined conversation of all participants.
- To allow future participants to read what they missed,
the host (person who initiated the chat) may click the Setup tab
and check Enable catch up. The text that
any participant types will be stored from the time Enable
catch up was checked until the host unchecks the
box, and the stored text can be read by any person participating
in the chat regardless of when they join. If a participant
other than the host checks the Enable catch up box,
there is no action.
- Only the chat's host can save a transcript. To save
a transcript, click the Setup tab and
check the Save transcript box. This will
save everything from the point the Save transcript box
was checked. When the last participant leaves, a private
instant message transcript will be sent to the Mailbox
of the host. (A chat room transcript will be saved in the
chat room's transcript pane.)
- To exit, first announce to the other participants that
you are leaving, then close the Instant Message window.
Instant message setup
The default chat name is Instant Message for
the host and Chat for other participants. This name appears
at the top of the window. If you would like to give it another
name, click the Setup tab and enter a new
name in the Name field.
If the host checks the Moderated box
under the Setup tab, other users can only send a message
to the chat if the moderator selects them. Participants
signal that they would like to speak by clicking the Hand
Up button.
Participants
To temporarily stop participating in a session
without leaving, click the Pause button.
A coffee cup icon will appear next to your name.
To ignore a participant, select her/his name in the participants
list then click Ignore. The name will
change to gray. Messages from this participant will not
appear in the top window on your computer. To reverse this,
select the name and click Ignore again.
If you reverse the ignore status, all of that person's
past input will appear in the message window.
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Presentations 
You can use FirstClass to create a slide presentation.
The entire set of slides will be in the same document divided
by page breaks.
When you are creating your presentation,
be sure your monitor is set at the lowest resolution that
you expect to use when viewing the presentation. If you
do not do this, you may find that your content does not
fit properly in the presentation slides.
Creating a presentation file
- If you want to set a default font for presentation text, Edit > Preferences.
Click the Content tab and make your selections in Presentation
Text section.
- Open either your FirstClass Desktop or your Mailbox,
depending on where you want to save the presentation.
- File > New > New
Presentation
- Set the document to Presentation View if it is not set
already. View > Content View > Presentation
View.
- Enter your text and images. Formatting is done the same
way as for any message. See Message
editing features. Note that you can add a background
image or color. Editing
and resizing of images can be done using the keyserved
version of Fireworks on campus.
- Separate the slides of your presentation with page breaks. Edit > Insert > Insert
Page Break or hold down the CTRL key while you
type the ENTER key. To move from one slide to another
while editing, use either the up and down arrow keys
or the PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys.
- To identify the presentation you can add a name and title
to the header. To expose the hidden header, click the downward
facing pointer shown circled below. You will be able to
see the header fields and enter identifying information.
 When
you enter a name, use the word "presentation" to
distinguish the file from other items.
e.g. Biology presentation.
- When you close the presentation it will be saved in the
window where you opened it.
Viewing a presentation file
- Double-click the presentation file to open it.
- View > Show Presentation.
- To move from slide to slide either
- click the mouse button
- type the SPACEBAR
- type the up and down arrow keys
- type the PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys
- When you are done, type the ESC key.
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Resume 
You can provide information about yourself to
other FirstClass users by creating a resume. Unless you have
been told that your account was set up otherwise, your resume
can only be seen by other FirstClass users on campus. Resumes
are a useful way to identify yourself to the community and
to provide contact information. If you have a name that is
similar to someone else's, a resume will allow users to check
that they are contacting the individual they intend to contact.
 Editing your resume
- From the menu choose File > Open > Resume.
- Type your name in area provided at the top of the resume
as shown in this illustration.
- To hide the top header area, drag the separator bar circled in the picture. If you drag the bar downward, more fields and tabs will be revealed where you can enter your contact information (optional). The tabs (Voice/Fax, Email/URL, Address, Notes, Attachments)
are the same as the ones the Contacts form. You can enter
information here that other FirstClass users will see.
- Type any information you think would be useful to other
users in the bottom rectangle of the resume. You can select
the font, color and size of your text. You may experience
problems editing your resume if you include several images
and lots of formatting.
- If you like, you can paste a picture in the top left
square of the resume. Use either JPG or PNG format. If
pasting does not work, you may need to drag the picture
to the body of the resume first and then to the square.
If the picture is very wide or high, only a corner of the
picture may be visible in the main resume window; however,
you (and others) can double-click on the picture to see
it in its entirety.
- Close the resume to save your changes.
- You can edit your resume at any time by following this
same procedure.
Sound files and other attachments in resumes
To add an attached file to your resume, reveal the tabs by dragging down the separator bar indicated in the picture. Click
the Attachments tab then click the Browse button
and navigate to the file you would like to attach. To delete
an attachment, select it from the list and type the DELETE key.
Previous versions of FirstClass allowed users to add sound
files to the header of their resume. If your resume had
a sound file in a previous version, you will find it in
the Attachments tab.
Viewing another FirstClass user's resume
- One method is to find the user's name in any message
header then double-click on the person's name to see the
resume.
- You can view resumes by choosing names from the Directory.
See the Directory section in this
document for instructions.
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Search/Find 
To make your search as quick as possible, use the checkboxes
to limit the search to a period of time, certain locations
etc.
 Open
the window that you would like to search through. (If you
would like to search through your entire Mailbox, open
your Mailbox. If you would like to search through just
a particular mail folder, open that folder. If you would
like to search through a conference open that conference.)- Edit > Find...
- If the search window is abbreviated and you want to use
additional options, click the More options checkbox
to expand it so that it looks like this picture.
- In the Find field, type in the text (e.g., a word
or a name) you would like to search for. You can search
for the name of an item or person, text in message headers,
in the body of messages and in message history.
- In the Look for field, specify the type of item
you are looking for: container (conference or folder),
message, document or file. Another option is Everything.
- In the field labeled Only items created or modified
in the last, choose the shortest period of time
that will produce a successful search. Choosing the blank
-- will expand the search for any date. Another option is to choose a range of dates in the next two fields.
- If the folder, conference or mailbox that you are searching
contains other folders or conferences, you can choose to
search inside of these as well. If so, check the Subcontainers box
and in the Max depth field specify how many levels
deep you want to search. One option is No Limit.
- If you want to search through items on your desktop but
don't want to search through Wellesley Conferences or other
conferences that don't belong to you, check the box labeled My
containers only.
- Many folders and conferences display items in lists.
If you want the search to match the text you entered in
the Find field with an item that has this text
in the Name, Subject or another list field, check the box
labeled Subject/name and other list fields. If
you are searching for a folder or conference, check this
box.
- If you are searching for a message, in the Content
search field specify which parts of the message
you want the Find function to match with the text you
entered in the Find field.
- You can save this set of search criteria to use again
by clicking the Save Search button. The
search will be saved in the mailbox, conference or folder
where you are now searching. Note that you can't save a
search if you don't have permission to save items in this
area, such as a conference that you don't control.
- In most cases, do not check the box labeled Use
layout from searched container for results window.
Doing so may prevent you from seeing in which sub-folder
or sub-conference your searched item is in, because most
folders and conferences do not include an "in folder" column.
- The items matching your search criteria will be listed
in a new window. You can double-click on any item in this
window to open it. If any of the messages is in a sub-conference
or sub-folder below the one you were searching, the In
Folder field of this window will tell you where it
is located. (You might have to scroll to the right of the
window to find the In Folder field.) You can delete
items from this window or drag them to other locations.
- If you want to save the search, click the Save
Search button. The search will be saved in the
conference or folder you have been searching, but you
can drag it to the toolbar if you prefer. If your folder
or conference is in a split window, the saved search
will be on the top or left pane.
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Who's Online 
To see a list of users who are currently logged
in to FirstClass, click the Who's Online button on the toolbar . If
a person's name appears in italics, she/he is logged into FirstClass
but has set preferences to automatically decline chat invitations.
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- Becky Atwood, ratwood@wellesley.edu
- Information services
- Modified:
28 August, 2009
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