Clear Decoded Files List

On the Decoding tab, there is a new option that lets you control how often the list of decoded files should be cleared. In previous versions, the only way to clear the list was to click the Clear List button. If you ran NewsHunter unattended, the list would get very long indeed. This would eventually slow down the program. The new option lets you configure how often to clear the list and keeps NewsHunter humming along.

Compact Database Command

The Utilities menu now has a Compact Database command. Long time users have voiced concern over the ever-expanding NewsHunterDB file. The Compact Database command allays that concern.

Bug Fixes

There have also been some bug fixes. Chief among these is the stomping of a bug that caused NewsHunter to forget to create the Decoded Files folder under certain situations.

What's New in NewsHunter 2.0.6

Improved Filter Engine

The filter engine has had even more work done to it and we think it is running correctly now.

Improved Error Handling

We have inspected almost all of the code in NewsHunter and have implemented error handling where it was missing. This should greatly reduce the number of crashes some people have reported.

What's New in NewsHunter 2.0.5

Improved Friend Filters

The Friend Filter mechanism now functions better. You no longer have to use Friend Filter separately from other filters.

Default Folder Preference Improved

Earlier releases allowed you to alter the location of certain folders that NewsHunter uses to download and process Files. However, if you modified this information it affected only newly added newsgroups. NewsHunter 2.0.5 now automatically applies the new information to all newsgroups.

Load File / Analyze File Error Fixed

Occasionally NewsHunter would throw an error when it was unable to locate a file. This error has been fixed.

Improved Database

A great deal of work has gone into improving NewsHunter's database engine. You will not notice anything different when running the program but internally, things are much better organized.

Smaller Footprint

Even with all the changes and improvements, we have been able to reduce NewsHunters footprint by almost one megabyte.

What's New in NewsHunter 2.0.4

Regular Expressions Implemented in Download Engine

NewsHunter 2.0.4 now sports a newer, more efficient download engine. In previous releases the download engine would, for example, try to determine the current part and the total parts of a multi-part post by looking for a specific sequence of characters. Sadly, if the author of the article used identifying strings somewhere else in the subject line, NewsHunter was prone to missing the attached binary. If an article had a subject line like this: "(This is a great Song) - CeilingUnlimited.mp3 (01/10)", NewsHunter would be confused because of the presence of "(" and ")" characters that do not signify the part number information. This would result in Newshunter thinking the article was a single part file and then trying to decode it. Now, however, NewsHunter looks for patterns in the subject line instead of strings. When a particular pattern is matched, then NewsHunter knows how to extract the part information regardless of what else appears in the subject line.

Text Tags Now Supported in the Picture Posting Window

The Picture Posting window now supports text tags for images that are posted to newsgroups. You can have text that appears before an image, text that appears after the image, or both. Entering text tags for images is very easy. Simply use the CURSOR LEFT and CURSOR RIGHT keys to move through the gallery of thumbnails. When you reach the desired image, hit the TAB key. You are moved to the entry field for the text that will appear before the image. Hit the TAB key again and you are moved to the entry field for the text that appears after the images. Hit the TAB key once more and you are moved back to the gallery of thumbnails. You can process a very large number of images very quickly because everything is controlled through the keyboard. The text you enter is automatically saved so there is no OK button to slow you down.

Friend Filters

Normally, you use filters to filter out articles. However, many people want to set up "friend" filters. Friend filters are the opposite of regular filters. To create a friend filter, simply make a new filter as you normally would then click the Friend Filter checkbox. This reverses the behavior of the filter. You can use friend filters to, for example, scan an entire newsgroup and download only the files whose email address matches the one in your filter.

Creating a Friend Filter Example:
Say you wanted to download all the files that contain the string "Maggio" in the subject line from the alt.binaries.mp3.zappa newsgroup. All you need to do is:
- open the Filter Manager
- click the New... button
- enter a name for the filter
- enter a description if desired
- select Subject from the popup menu
- enter "Maggio" into the text field
- click the Friend Filter check box
- click the OK button
- subscribe to the alt.binaries.mp3.zappa newsgroup
- turn all the other newsgroups off
- click the Document Options button
- click the Article Queues tab
- uncheck the "Download only the articles I have queued." check box if needed.
- click the Downloading tab
- uncheck the "Cycle Through Newsgroups" checkbox if needed
- select 500 from the "Get this many headers" popup
- click the Close button
- click the Start Downloading button
- NewsHunter will scan the alt.binaries.mp3.zappa newsgroup downloading only the files that contain "Maggio" in the subject header.

Recent Documents Menu

NewsHunter now has a Recent Documents menu. This menu provides access to the last 5 NewsHunter documents you opened. There is also a Clear Recent menu item which will clear the list of recent documents.

Bug Fixes

Several bugs have been fixed in this release:
NewsHunter 2.0.3 introduced a bug that caused the Decoding tab to be less responsive than desirable. This has been fixed and the Decoding tab now exhibits its usual responsiveness.

There was also a bug introduced in version 2.0.3 that caused the MasterSplitter utility to decode files incorrectly. This has been fixed.

What's New in NewsHunter 2.0.3

Article Queue Window Completely Rewritten

We know. We know. It seems like this window will never get fully settled down. Even now, we find plenty to dislike about this particular window and will no doubt continue to improve it as time goes by. So get used to it!

Spam Detection Preference

Open the NewsHunter Preferences window and there you will find the new Spam Detection Preference. Turn this option on to have a good deal of spam removed.

Long Filename Support

Lots of files on usenet have very long filenames. NewsHunter 2.0.3 knows how to handle these.

Improved Interface

You will see nicer looking alert boxes, windows re-size correctly when the Dock is visible, and more extensive use of Sheets.

The text in the data entry field on the Download Overview dialog is now automatically selected when the dialog opens.

When switching to the Subscribe to Newsgroups tab, focus is automatically set to the search field. After the search is completed, the text in the search field is automatically selected.

Bug Fixes

Several bugs have been fixed in this release:
Fixed - a bug that caused the Set Up window to open for no reason
Fixed - a bug that caused folder to not properly self-heal
Fixed - a bug that caused some files to be named incorrectly

What's New in NewsHunter 2.0.2

Don't Decode Files Bug Fixed

There was a bug that would prevent NewsHunter from saving files when the Don't Decode Files option was enabled. This no longer happens and files are now saved correctly.

Overview Not Loading Bug Fixed

There was a bug that would prevent the overview from being loaded properly. This happened because the overview files where being assigned to the wrong newsgroup or a non-existent newsgroup. This bug has been fixed and the overview files now download and display properly. This affected the "Download Overview and Select Files" and the "Select Files" commands.

Still More Article Queue Improvements

The Article Queue window now has a new layout and improved functionality. In previous releases, when a search was conducted, the matching articles had their Status changed. This release not only changes the Status field but also removes articles that don't match. Once you have queued the files you are interested in, you can click the Show All button to reload the overview file.

What's New in NewsHunter 2.0.1

Improved Queue Articles Window

NewsHunter has an improved Queue Articles window. The window is now split into two lists. The top list shows the list of articles and the bottom list shows the articles you have queued for download.

You can now perform multiple searches. Each search is then saved for future use. To run a saved search all you have to do is select it from the handy popup menu.

Download Queued Articles Only

You can now tell NewsHunter to download only the articles you have queued and then stop. This new feature can be accessed by clicking the Document Options... button on your NewsHunter document and clicking on the Article Queues tab.

Please note that while NewsHunter is in this mode, newsgroup cycling and news server cycling will be disabled.

Disable Decoding

The Decoding tab now has a checkbox that lets you turn off NewsHunter's internal decoding methods. When you do this, NewsHunter will simply download everything to the Raw Files folder associated with the newsgroup. You are then free to decode the files in any manner you like.

Improved Rendering in Player Windows

NewsHunter Player windows, accessed by selecting New Player from the Player menu or by selecting a newsgroup and clicking the the Open Image Viewer for Selected Group... button, now have improved rendering. We realized that threaded rendering in this particular instance was not such a good idea.

Connect Bug Fixed

Earlier releases of NewsHunter had a bug that would cause connection problems after an overview file had been downloaded. This would have the effect of causing NewsHunter to not want to connect to the news server right away. This bug has been fixed.

What's New in NewsHunter 2.0.0

Re-Designed Interface

NewsHunter has a new, easier to use, tabbed interface. Everything you need to retrieve, view, and manage the files you download is only a couple of clicks away.

Threaded Decoding and Assembly

NewsHunter no longer has to wait for a file to be decoded and/or assembled before moving on the the next article. The new threaded decoding system allows files to be decoded while NewsHunter continues to download from the newsgroup. Multi-part files are also assembled and decoded in their own threads.

Automatic Folder Creation

NewsHunter now automatically creates folders based on the name of the newsgroups you download from. Inside the Decoded Files folder (which is in the same folder as your NewsHunter application by default) you will now find a folder that is named after each newsgroup. If you subscribe to alt.binaries.pictures.astro you will find a folder named abp.astro in the Decoded Files folder. All the files downloaded from alt.binaries.pictures.astro will be found in the abp.astro folder.

Archer Technology

Once you have images in the folders associated with each newsgroup, it is only a matter of clicking a button to instantly create an Archer-style multimedia player. Every command found in Archer is directly supported in NewsHunter players. Naturally, you can also create slide shows from any other folder on your system just like you can in Archer: just select New Player from the Player menu.

Self Healing Folders

NewsHunter can now recreate the path to any folder in real time. This means you can drag the entire Raw Files folder to the trash and NewsHunter will re-create it - and any child folders - as they become needed.

Improved File Management

Using the Decoding tab of NewsHunter it is now possible for you to go though a list of each file that has been downloaded. You can cursor through the list and display each image. While viewing images, you can quickly delete a file simply by hitting the "D" key.

Synchronize Newsgroups

You can now quickly update the stats for all your newsgroups.

Subscribing to Newsgroups Easier

NewsHunter now allows you to manage your newsgroup subscriptions using the Newsgroup Subscription tab. This tab lets you build newsgroup lists and subscribe to and unsubscribe from newsgroups. There is no longer a separate window for this functionality.

Easier Set Up

First-time users should now find it easier than ever to get going with NewsHunter thanks to the new set up procedure. NewsHunter gathers all the information it needs from either you or the operating system, creates your first document, and downloads the list of newsgroups. All you have to do is subscribe to one or more newsgroups and click the Start Downloading button.

Simple News Reading

NewsHunter now provides an independently threaded news reader. This allows you to do some light news reading while you download binaries. The News Reader tab lets you quickly read any newsgroup listed on the Home tab. You can also post articles.

Support for StuffIt Expander

NewsHunter 2.0.0 now allows you to use Stuffit Expander as a helper application for decoding MIME files.

yEnc Support

NewsHunter supports yEnc decoding.

Disable MIME Decoding

You can now disable or enable MIME decoding from the Preferences window.

Disable yEnc Decoding

You can now disable or enable yEnc decoding from the Preferences window.

And More!

There are over 300 improvements, changes, and fixes in NewsHunter 2.0. It's practically a brand new program!

Features of NewsHunter

Newsgroup Cycling

Each NewsHunter document has its own option settings. One of these options is newsgroup cycling. This option lets you download a certain number of articles from a newsgroup and then move to the next newsgroup in the list. When the last newsgroup is completed, the cycle begins all over again with the first newsgroup.

Persistent Article Queues

NewsHunter lets you queue articles you want to download. After you download the newsgroup overview, simply use the Queue Articles window to select the files you want to download. Then, the next time you click the Start button, NewsHunter will automatically begin downloading the files. However, unlike many news readers, NewsHunter remembers all the articles you have queued in all the newsgroups and on all the news servers you access. This lets you build queues for as many newsgroups as you like without having to worry about losing all your hard work because of something that disrupts your downloading activities.

On/Off Option

Sometimes you may not want to download from certain newsgroups. Fortunately, NewsHunter allows you to turn newsgroups on or off.

News Server Cycling

If you access several news servers, you can have NewsHunter cycle through each one. Used in conjunction with newsgroup cycling, this feature allows you to download from a list of newsgroups on one server, move to the next news server and repeat the process all over again.

Image Preview

The image preview feature allows you to see images that have been downloaded. The image preview also displays informational pictures under certain conditions such as when a damaged file is detected or when a part of a multi-part post has been downloaded.

Filter Button

The filter button lets you quickly make filters without having to open the Filter Manager window. If you see a picture in the image preview that you don't like, click the Filter button and all future posts by the offending author will be ignored.

Filter Manager

In addition to the single-click filters, NewsHunter provides an easy-to-user filtering tool. This lets you filter out articles based on author, size, cross-posts, subject, and reply-to headers. You can also create filters that filter out articles based on something contained in any header.

Error Recovery

If NewsHunter encounters a problem it will not simply stop what it is doing and display a dialog box. NewsHunter will aggressively try to recover from the problem and resume downloading. NewsHunter will automatically re-connect if a timeout is detected. NewsHunter will automatically skip an article if it fails to download after two tries.

Suppress Error Dialogs

Even NewsHunter encounters problems it doesn't know how to handle. When this happens NewsHunter has no choice but to display an error dialog. Or does it? Simply enable the Suppress Error Dialogs options and all but the most serious errors will be handled silently.

MasterSplitter Support

Many multimedia files are broken into smaller parts suitable for posting to news servers using an application called MasterSplitter. Since MasterSplitter is a Windows-only application, NewsHunter includes a MasterSplitter utility that lets you assemble and decode these files with relative ease.

Multi-Part File Support

Sometimes a file is broken into several parts for posting. Then each part is posted as a separate article. NewsHunter will automatically assemble and decode multi-part posts. Even if the parts arrive out of order or days apart, NewsHunter will patiently wait until it has received all the parts and then assemble and decode the file without you ever having to lift a finger.

MIME Decoding

NewsHunter allows you select any helper application you desire to handle the decoding of MIME files.

Multiple News Servers

Support for multiple news servers is also provided. If you have accounts with several news providers, then this feature will be very handy. When you switch news servers, your NewsHunter document will automatically loads the list of newsgroups to which you have subscribed.

Search for Newsgroups

Once you have downloaded the list of newsgroups, you will be able to search for newsgroups and subscribe to them simply by double-clicking.

NewsHunter also supports manual subscriptions. If you know the name of the newsgroup, you can simply type it in and hit the Add button.

Set Starting Point

This feature lets you set the article number where want NewsHunter to begin. You can skip over a bunch of articles or go back and re-download a section of the newsgroup simply by adjust the starting point.

Error and Event Logging

NewsHunter provides as way to log all errors and events to an on screen display as well as a text file. These files can be used by tech support for locating bugs so they can be quickly fixed.

Shrinkable Window

You can re-size your NewsHunter window to a small size and all the essential controls are still available. You will be able to start and stop downloading, adjust the feedback rate as well as see the progress indicator, the current article being examined, and the status line.

Window Memory

NewsHunter remember the size and location of all your windows.