Forums / General / Searching newsgroups without affecting current article pointers

Searching newsgroups without affecting current article pointers

by Stoner @
I've been using a copy of my standard .lst file to use anytime I'm not just downloading new articles. I'm doing this because I wasn't sure if using the "regular" lst file would get screwed-up with indepenent searches, and miss files that I want to get when I run a usual session to get all new.

Do I need to do this, or is there a better way to do the same thing?

I also have BB default to a "dummy" server address so I can reset all the search parameters without actually downloading anything. I guess I haven't figured out how to change search parameters for temporary searches, without changing what happens when I involk BB from my regular batch file (which names the group list to use), or mucking with my "standard" download script.
 

BinaryBoy's reply to Stoner #241 @

To avoid updating the article pointers, set the Remember option to "Highest scanned". Then use either Last or All for the Starting Point. In all other situations the article pointers could be updated.

I don't understand the second part of your message. Are you changing the search/filter strings? If that's the case then the only other way to do it without opening a search session would be to edit the registry.
 

Stoner's reply to Stoner #244 @

Sorry, I should have been more clear.

The more things I have to change to do a search for a particular file(s), the more things I have to change back before I let my automated procedure run. I haven't defined search/filter criteria in the group list(s), because the filter list changes, and I didn't want to try and keep multiple group lists up to date, especially when the group list editor wasn't working properly. So, I've resorted to only using the search/filter criteria on the Search tab, which has to be set correctly before an "automated" search runs with no search/filter criteria in the group list(s).

Typically, if the server is reliable, and if I haven't screwed-things up with BB, I rarely have a need to manually use BB to go find missing files. But, when I do, I don't want to mess-up my automated searches. Also, my "search" lst includes repost newgroups, which are not included in my automated search.

When I do have to manually search for files, I select my "search" lst, change the "Search For" criteria to the file(s) I'm looking for, disable auto, change the starting point to all, do the search, highlight the ones I want, and then download, ignoring history. Then I change everything back to search for everything (*), enable auto, change the starting point back to new, start a search to save the parameters, and then stop it. I'm just trying to find a simpler way to do all that.

I created the "dummy" server entry to remind me, duing manual searches, to select a server, and also to allow me to reset all the search criteria back to automated mode, without downloading anything after I start it to reset the search parameters.
 

BinaryBoy's reply to Stoner #245 @

I think you'll be in better shape when group list editing is working again. The primary reason group lists exist is so you can do different searches simply by loading a different list.
 

Stoner's reply to Stoner #246 @

I agree - I'm just doin the best I can with what I have - and I know you're working on it.

I guess I still don't understand what alternate groups lists are really gonna do for me if they don't contain all the search criteria, like starting point, auto, loop, etc. If a group list included everything I could select with a manual search, I would totally understand. But they don't, so while they would make things a bit easier, I'd still have worry about how I left things before my automated procedures ran.

I guess I'm missing something here; I just don't get it.
 

BinaryBoy's reply to Stoner #247 @

No, it won't solve everything. It does allow you to use different search strings and have two different sets of article pointers so you can do your manual search without messing up your 'new' searches.

Would you like to see all options stored in the .lst file in a future version?
 

Stoner's reply to Stoner #248 @

I definitely would! I would think that most users of your product use it for automating attachment downloads, but also need the ability to easily do manual searches when things don't go as expected. That's why I use it ... maybe I'm just crazy! I don't view BB as a simple newsgroup browser - if I want to waste my time doing that, I don't need BB.

If I could start BB manually, select a group list that contained all of my manual search critera, and just change the filter to find what I need ... I'd be in heaven! Of course, group lists named on the command line would also have to incorporate all the manual search criteria, as well.

Automated use, with easy manual searches --- what more could anyone want!!!