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From: gwc@root.co.uk (Geoff Clare)
Newsgroups: news.newusers.questions
Subject: Re: RN kill-filing of all but certain subjects
Message-ID: <1223@root44.co.uk>
Date: 15 Feb 90 14:18:13 GMT
References: <1990Feb3.213343.27579@athena.mit.edu> <34108@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <1990Feb4.191613.16386@athena.mit.edu> <19340@grebyn.com> <1990Feb6.032448.20062@athena.mit.edu>
Reply-To: gwc@root.co.uk (Geoff Clare)
Organization: UniSoft Ltd, London, England
Lines: 17

Summary of previous articles: wdstarr@athena.mit.edu (William December Starr)
wants to junk all articles, except those which match a pattern, from rn KILL
files.  He has tried suggested methods with a "/pattern/:M" or "/pattern/M:"
in the KILL file, using "cy" to clear out all the other articles after the
KILL file has been processed, but finds that these methods bring back old
articles as well.

The explanation lies buried in the depths of the rn manual, which says that
if the first command is "m" or "M", then the "r" modifier is assumed.

So the solution is not to have your "M" command as the first command.  I
suggest using "/pattern/:=:M" as this has the useful side effect of listing
the subjects which are going to return.
-- 
Geoff Clare, UniSoft Limited, Saunderson House, Hayne Street, London EC1A 9HH
gwc@root.co.uk  (Dumb mailers: ...!uunet!root.co.uk!gwc)  Tel: +44-1-315-6600
                                         (from 6th May 1990): +44-71-315-6600