overview.fmt - format of news overview database

The file <pathetc in inn.conf>/overview.fmt specifies the organization of the news overview database. Blank lines and lines beginning with a number sign (``#'') are ignored. The order of lines in this file is important; it determines the order in which the fields will appear in the database.

Most lines will consist of an article header name, optionally followed by a colon. A trailing set of lines can have the word ``full'' appear after the colon; this indicates that the header should appear as well as its value.

If this file is changed, new overview records will be constructed with the modified format. If it is desired that existing records be updated to the new format, it is necessary to rebuild the overview database using makehistory(8) after removing all existing overview files.

``Xref:full'' must be included, or innd(8) and other programs which utilize overview method cannot start.

The default file, show below, is compatible with Geoff Collyer's ``nov'' package:

Subject:
From:
Date:
Message-ID:
References:
Bytes:
Lines:
Xref:full

Usually the only modifications which should be made to the default file are additions of new fields to the end of the file; all such fields should have ``full'' after the colon. The first eight fields should remain in the same order as above.

Written by Rich $alz <rsalz@uunet.uu.net> for InterNetNews. Intended to be compatible with the nov package written by Geoff Collyer <geoff@world.std.com>.

inn.conf(5)