sbbs.el has three main views/states:
Board View
After invoking M-x sbbs, the "board view" is loaded. This is implemented using Emacs' tabulated-list-mode, so you can sort the columns (either by using the mouse or tabulated-list-sort). A thread is opened by pressing the Enter key.
If you wish to refresh to thread-list, just invoke revert-buffer (bound to "g").
Thread View
After opening a thread and waiting for it to load, you can navigate it using the default movement keys of your Emacs installation (ie. Usually arrow keys, C-n/C-p/C-v/M-v/...). Beyond these, the thread view offers a few more options for easier navigation:
| Default Key | Command | Description |
|---|---|---|
| n | sbbs-read-next |
Move point to next thread |
| p | sbbs-read-previous |
Move point to previous thread |
| Tab | forward-button |
Move to next link or reference |
| Return | push-button |
Open link or show only referenced posts |
| a | sbbs-show-pop |
Undo last hiding |
| A | sbbs-show-all |
Undo all hiding |
| g | revert-buffer |
Reload a thread |
Post-hiding supports references such as >>3, but also multiple posts >>5,6,9 and ranges >>14-18.
Compose View
If you want to reply to a thread, or create a new one in sbbs, you will need to use to compose view. This is invoked by pressing "c" (sbbs-view-compose) in the board view, or "r" (sbbs-read-reply) in the thread view. Both open a new editable buffer, that supports markup and a few markup keybindings (they are quite straightforward, and similar to AucTeX. Use "C-h b" for more details).
When you want to submit your thread or reply, press "C-c C-c" (sbbs-compose-create), and you're done.