.\" $Revision: 5909 $
.TH OVERVIEW.FMT 5
.SH NAME
overview.fmt \- format of news overview database
.SH DESCRIPTION
The file
.I <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.
.PP
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.
.PP
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
.IR makehistory (8)
after removing all existing overview files.
.PP
\&``Xref:full'' must be included, or
.IR innd (8)
and other programs which utilize overview method cannot start.
.PP
The default file, show below, is compatible with Geoff Collyer's ``nov''
package:
.PP
.RS
.nf
Subject:
From:
Date:
Message-ID:
References:
Bytes:
Lines:
Xref:full
.fi
.RE
.PP
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.
.SH HISTORY
Written by Rich $alz <rsalz@uunet.uu.net> for InterNetNews.
Intended to be compatible with the
.I nov
package written by Geoff Collyer <geoff@world.std.com>.
.de R$
This is revision \\$3, dated \\$4.
..
.R$ $Id: overview.fmt.5 5909 2002-12-03 05:17:18Z vinocur $
.SH "SEE ALSO"
inn.conf(5)