distrib.pats  -  default  values  for  Usenet Distribution
       header


DESCRIPTION

       The file <pathetc in  inn.conf>/distrib.pats  is  used  to
       determine  the  default  value of the Distribution header.
       It consists of a series of lines; blank  lines  and  lines
       beginning  with  a  number  sign (``#'') are ignored.  All
       other lines consist of three fields separated by a colon:
              weight:pattern:value

       The first field is the weight to assign to this match.  If
       a  newsgroup  matches  multiple  lines,  the line with the
       highest weight is used.  This should be an arbitrary  num­
       ber  greater than zero.  Unlike other INN files, the order
       of lines in this file is not important.

       The second field is the name of the newsgroup or  a  wild­
       mat(3)-style pattern to specify a set of newsgroups.  Mul­
       tiple patterns are not allowed.

       The third field is the value that should be used  if  this
       line  is  picked  as  the  best match.  It can be an empty
       string.

       Programs such as inews(1) that process  a  user's  posting
       should  consult  this  file,  typically by using the DDxxx
       routines, documented in libinn(3).  The intent is that all
       newsgroups  to which an article is posted be used to index
       into this file, and the  value  with  the  highest  weight
       should be used as the value of the Distribution header, if
       none was specified.


HISTORY

       Written by Rich $alz  <rsalz@uunet.uu.net>  for  InterNet­
       News.  This is revision 1.6, dated 1998/05/20.


SEE ALSO

       inews(1), inn.conf(5), libinn(3).


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