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eXpress messages ("Xes" or "X messages" for short) are instant messages. They are short messages sent from one user to another (or one to many in the case of broadcast messages). The messages are 790 characters maximum, consisting of up to ten 79-character lines of text. The messages are delivered to the recipient more or less immediately -- users may choose whether or not to delay reception of messages while doing activities such as posting. See Conspire Requirements Specification/Config menu.

Sending Xes

The user initiates a normal X by typing <x> at nearly all prompts on the BBS: short prompt, read prompt, more (pagination) prompt -- any prompt which accepts single characters and is not a specific submenu prompt like the <c>onfig menu. He is given a chance to type the name of the user to X, with the name of the last user that Xed him prefilled.

Message eXpress
Recipient (Khelair):

Hitting return will send the message to the prefilled user. Typing a name will send the meessage to the selected user or display an error message if the user is offline or invalid or has messages disabled.

Message eXpress
Recipient (Khelair): Frasier
User is not online.

Message eXpress
Recipient (Khelair): Sioux
User has eXpress messages disabled.

Message eXpress
Recipient (Khelair): Sfsadf
There is no user Sfsadf on this BBS.

Message eXpress
Recipient (Khelair): Badboy
You can't X a twit!

Users may not send messages to others not on their enable list (see Conspire Requirements Specification/Config menu/eXpress config with Xes disabled. This is to prevent abuse.

Message eXpress
Recipient: Neurophyre
You can't X someone not on your enable list while disabled!

The user may get into X entry mode in other ways; see reply eXpress and QuickX in appropriate sections.

X message entry

When the user has gotten into X entry mode, he is presented with a ">" prompt for each line. He may then type text. Words are automatically wrapped at the end of a line.

Hitting return on a blank line sends the X immediately. Hitting return on the 10th line of text sends the X immediately. After the X is sent, the user is then presented with a status message letting them know of the outcome before being returned to whatever he was doing (read prompt, short prompt, more prompt during messag read, etc.).

Entering "ABORT" in all caps at the beginning of a line as the only contents of the line cancels the X.

>yeah dude, here's some text.  a message if you will.
>
Message received by Khelair.

>Are you STILL typing that long post?
>
Khelair is busy and will receive your message when done.

>blah blah blah
>ABORT
eXpress message aborted.

In the next example the user puts a space character on the "empty" lines -- this is allowable. He is cut off on the tenth line though.

>I am going to
>send ten plus one lines of foul
>text as haiku poems.
>
>see? this is the most
>annoying thing ever done.
>I will make some waves.
>
>You will bow to my
>great and terrible wrath and
Message received by Khelair.

After an X is sent, the user's busy status is displayed, either:

Khelair is busy and will receive your message when done.
Message received by Khelair.

If an empty message was sent (to ping a user):

Khelair is busy.
Khelair is not busy.

Users are busy (in the stock client) during any state where their reception of X messages is turned off for reasons other than the disable list, for example writing a message (if configured), in the config menu, etc.

Missed Xes

If the recipient of an X logs off while the sender is still typing, the sender is prompted to forward the X to the recipient's Mail:

>Here's a little message.
>
Khelair logged off while you were sending your message.

Forward the message to Khelair's mail? (Y/N) ->

The message is then pasted into a mail message to the user like so (viewed from Khelair's mail):

Jan 10, 2007 9:55 from Neurophyre to Khelair
Subject: Forwarded eXpress message

You logged off before Neurophyre could send this eXpress message:

>Here's a little message.

[Mail> msg #75977 (0 remaining)] Read cmd ->

Receiving Xes

When the user is at the short prompt, read prompt, or a more (pagination) prompt, incoming eXpress messages arrive immediately.

When the user is entering a post, eXpress messages are deferred in a queue until she is done at which point all of them are displayed at once. The user can configure to have Xes delivered immediately while posting; see Conspire Requirements Specification/Config menu/eXpress config.

When the user is entering an X or is in a menu such as the <c>onfig menu or <a>ide menu, eXpress messages are deferred in a queue. This behavior is not configurable.

When a user is not busy, Xes are simply displayed:

*** Message (#125) from Khelair at 16:46 on Jun 10, 2006 ***
>what drama

When a user was busy and Xes were deferred:

These X messages were held for you while you were busy:

*** Message (#128) from Cat at 18:12 on Jun 10, 2006 ***
>ouah