Class NNTPClient


public class NNTPClient extends NNTP
NNTPClient encapsulates all the functionality necessary to post and retrieve articles from an NNTP server. As with all classes derived from SocketClient, you must first connect to the server with connect before doing anything, and finally disconnect() after you're completely finished interacting with the server. Remember that the isAllowedToPost() method is defined in NNTP.

You should keep in mind that the NNTP server may choose to prematurely close a connection if the client has been idle for longer than a given time period or if the server is being shutdown by the operator or some other reason. The NNTP class will detect a premature NNTP server connection closing when it receives a NNTPReply.SERVICE_DISCONTINUED response to a command. When that occurs, the NNTP class method encountering that reply will throw an NNTPConnectionClosedException . NNTPConectionClosedException is a subclass of IOException and therefore need not be caught separately, but if you are going to catch it separately, its catch block must appear before the more general IOException catch block. When you encounter an NNTPConnectionClosedException , you must disconnect the connection with disconnect() to properly clean up the system resources used by NNTP. Before disconnecting, you may check the last reply code and text with getReplyCode and getReplyString .

Rather than list it separately for each method, we mention here that every method communicating with the server and throwing an IOException can also throw a MalformedServerReplyException , which is a subclass of IOException. A MalformedServerReplyException will be thrown when the reply received from the server deviates enough from the protocol specification that it cannot be interpreted in a useful manner despite attempts to be as lenient as possible.

See Also:
  • Constructor Details

  • Method Details

    • authenticate

      public boolean authenticate(String user, String password) throws IOException
      Log into a news server by sending the AUTHINFO USER/AUTHINFO PASS command sequence. This is usually sent in response to a 480 reply code from the NNTP server.
      Parameters:
      user - a valid user name
      password - the corresponding password
      Returns:
      True for successful login, false for a failure
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • completePendingCommand

      public boolean completePendingCommand() throws IOException
      There are a few NNTPClient methods that do not complete the entire sequence of NNTP commands to complete a transaction. These commands require some action by the programmer after the reception of a positive preliminary command. After the programmer's code completes its actions, it must call this method to receive the completion reply from the server and verify the success of the entire transaction.

      For example

       writer = client.postArticle();
       if (writer == null) // failure
           return false;
       header = new SimpleNNTPHeader("foobar@foo.com", "Just testing");
       header.addNewsgroup("alt.test");
       writer.write(header.toString());
       writer.write("This is just a test");
       writer.close();
       if (!client.completePendingCommand()) // failure
           return false;
       
      Returns:
      True if successfully completed, false if not.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
    • forwardArticle

      public Writer forwardArticle(String articleId) throws IOException
      Throws:
      IOException
    • iterateArticleInfo

      public Iterable<Article> iterateArticleInfo(long lowArticleNumber, long highArticleNumber) throws IOException
      Return article headers for all articles between lowArticleNumber and highArticleNumber, inclusively, using the XOVER command.
      Parameters:
      lowArticleNumber - low
      highArticleNumber - high
      Returns:
      an Iterable of Articles
      Throws:
      IOException - if the command failed
      Since:
      3.0
    • iterateNewNews

      List all new articles added to the NNTP server since a particular date subject to the conditions of the specified query. If no new news is found, no entries will be returned. This uses the "NEWNEWS" command. You must add at least one newsgroup to the query, else the command will fail. Each String which is returned is a unique message identifier including the enclosing < and >.
      Parameters:
      query - The query restricting how to search for new news. You must add at least one newsgroup to the query.
      Returns:
      An iterator of String instances containing the unique message identifiers for each new article added to the NNTP server. If no new news is found, no strings will be returned.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
      Since:
      3.0
    • iterateNewNewsgroupListing

      List all new newsgroups added to the NNTP server since a particular date subject to the conditions of the specified query. If no new newsgroups were added, no entries will be returned. This uses the "NEWGROUPS" command.
      Parameters:
      query - The query restricting how to search for new newsgroups.
      Returns:
      An iterable of Strings containing the raw information for each new newsgroup added to the NNTP server. If no newsgroups were added, no entries will be returned.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
      Since:
      3.0
    • iterateNewNewsgroups

      List all new newsgroups added to the NNTP server since a particular date subject to the conditions of the specified query. If no new newsgroups were added, no entries will be returned. This uses the "NEWGROUPS" command.
      Parameters:
      query - The query restricting how to search for new newsgroups.
      Returns:
      An iterable of NewsgroupInfo instances containing the information for each new newsgroup added to the NNTP server. If no newsgroups were added, no entries will be returned.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
      Since:
      3.0
    • iterateNewsgroupListing

      List all newsgroups served by the NNTP server. If no newsgroups are served, no entries will be returned. The method uses the "LIST" command.
      Returns:
      An iterable of NewsgroupInfo instances containing the information for each newsgroup served by the NNTP server. If no newsgroups are served, no entries will be returned.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
      Since:
      3.0
    • iterateNewsgroupListing

      List the newsgroups that match a given pattern. Uses the "LIST ACTIVE" command.
      Parameters:
      wildmat - a pseudo-regex pattern (cf. RFC 2980)
      Returns:
      An iterable of Strings containing the raw information for each newsgroup served by the NNTP server corresponding to the supplied pattern. If no such newsgroups are served, no entries will be returned.
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
      Since:
      3.0
    • iterateNewsgroups

      List all newsgroups served by the NNTP server. If no newsgroups are served, no entries will be returned. The method uses the "LIST" command.
      Returns:
      An iterable of Strings containing the raw information for each newsgroup served by the NNTP server. If no newsgroups are served, no entries will be returned.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
      Since:
      3.0
    • iterateNewsgroups

      List the newsgroups that match a given pattern. Uses the "LIST ACTIVE" command.
      Parameters:
      wildmat - a pseudo-regex pattern (cf. RFC 2980)
      Returns:
      An iterable NewsgroupInfo instances containing the information for each newsgroup served by the NNTP server corresponding to the supplied pattern. If no such newsgroups are served, no entries will be returned.
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
      Since:
      3.0
    • listHelp

      public String listHelp() throws IOException
      List the command help from the server.
      Returns:
      The sever help information.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
    • listNewNews

      List all new articles added to the NNTP server since a particular date subject to the conditions of the specified query. If no new news is found, a zero length array will be returned. If the command fails, null will be returned. You must add at least one newsgroup to the query, else the command will fail. Each String in the returned array is a unique message identifier including the enclosing < and >. This uses the "NEWNEWS" command.
      Parameters:
      query - The query restricting how to search for new news. You must add at least one newsgroup to the query.
      Returns:
      An array of String instances containing the unique message identifiers for each new article added to the NNTP server. If no new news is found, a zero length array will be returned. If the command fails, null will be returned.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
      See Also:
    • listNewNewsgroups

      List all new newsgroups added to the NNTP server since a particular date subject to the conditions of the specified query. If no new newsgroups were added, a zero length array will be returned. If the command fails, null will be returned. This uses the "NEWGROUPS" command.
      Parameters:
      query - The query restricting how to search for new newsgroups.
      Returns:
      An array of NewsgroupInfo instances containing the information for each new newsgroup added to the NNTP server. If no newsgroups were added, a zero length array will be returned. If the command fails, null will be returned.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
      See Also:
    • listNewsgroups

      List all newsgroups served by the NNTP server. If no newsgroups are served, a zero length array will be returned. If the command fails, null will be returned. The method uses the "LIST" command.
      Returns:
      An array of NewsgroupInfo instances containing the information for each newsgroup served by the NNTP server. If no newsgroups are served, a zero length array will be returned. If the command fails, null will be returned.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
      See Also:
    • listNewsgroups

      public NewsgroupInfo[] listNewsgroups(String wildmat) throws IOException
      List the newsgroups that match a given pattern. Uses the "LIST ACTIVE" command.
      Parameters:
      wildmat - a pseudo-regex pattern (cf. RFC 2980)
      Returns:
      An array of NewsgroupInfo instances containing the information for each newsgroup served by the NNTP server corresponding to the supplied pattern. If no such newsgroups are served, a zero length array will be returned. If the command fails, null will be returned.
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
      See Also:
    • listOverviewFmt

      public String[] listOverviewFmt() throws IOException
      Send a "LIST OVERVIEW.FMT" command to the server.
      Returns:
      the contents of the Overview format, of null if the command failed
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • logout

      public boolean logout() throws IOException
      Logs out of the news server gracefully by sending the QUIT command. However, you must still disconnect from the server before you can open a new connection.
      Returns:
      True if successfully completed, false if not.
      Throws:
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
    • postArticle

      public Writer postArticle() throws IOException
      Post an article to the NNTP server. This method returns a DotTerminatedMessageWriter instance to which the article can be written. Null is returned if the posting attempt fails. You should check isAllowedToPost() before trying to post. However, a posting attempt can fail due to malformed headers.

      You must not issue any commands to the NNTP server (i.e., call any (other methods) until you finish writing to the returned Writer instance and close it. The NNTP protocol uses the same stream for issuing commands as it does for returning results. Therefore, the returned Writer actually writes directly to the NNTP connection. After you close the writer, you can execute new commands. If you do not follow these requirements your program will not work properly.

      Different NNTP servers will require different header formats, but you can use the provided SimpleNNTPHeader class to construct the bare minimum acceptable header for most newsreaders. To construct more complicated headers you should refer to RFC 822. When the Java Mail API is finalized, you will be able to use it to compose fully compliant Internet text messages. The DotTerminatedMessageWriter takes care of doubling line-leading dots and ending the message with a single dot upon closing, so all you have to worry about is writing the header and the message.

      Upon closing the returned Writer, you need to call completePendingCommand() to finalize the posting and verify its success or failure from the server reply.

      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageWriter to which the article (including header) can be written. Returns null if the command fails.
      Throws:
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
    • retrieveArticle

      Same as retrieveArticle((String) null) Note: the return can be cast to a BufferedReader
      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageReader instance from which the article can be read. null if the article does not exist.
      Throws:
      IOException - if an IO error occurs
    • retrieveArticle

      @Deprecated public Reader retrieveArticle(int articleNumber) throws IOException
      Deprecated.
      3.0 use retrieveArticle(long) instead
      Parameters:
      articleNumber - The number of the article to retrieve
      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageReader instance from which the article can be read. null if the article does not exist.
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • retrieveArticle

      @Deprecated public Reader retrieveArticle(int articleNumber, ArticlePointer pointer) throws IOException
      Deprecated.
      Parameters:
      articleNumber - The number of the article to retrieve.
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id
      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageReader instance from which the article can be read. null if the article does not exist.
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • retrieveArticle

      public BufferedReader retrieveArticle(long articleNumber) throws IOException
      Same as retrieveArticle(articleNumber, null)
      Parameters:
      articleNumber - the article number to fetch
      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageReader instance from which the article can be read. null if the article does not exist.
      Throws:
      IOException - if an IO error occurs
    • retrieveArticle

      public BufferedReader retrieveArticle(long articleNumber, ArticleInfo pointer) throws IOException
      Retrieves an article from the currently selected newsgroup. The article is referenced by its article number. The article number and identifier contained in the server reply are returned through an ArticleInfo. The articleId field of the ArticleInfo cannot always be trusted because some NNTP servers do not correctly follow the RFC 977 reply format.

      A DotTerminatedMessageReader is returned from which the article can be read. If the article does not exist, null is returned.

      You must not issue any commands to the NNTP server (i.e., call any other methods) until you finish reading the message from the returned BufferedReader instance. The NNTP protocol uses the same stream for issuing commands as it does for returning results. Therefore, the returned BufferedReader actually reads directly from the NNTP connection. After the end of message has been reached, new commands can be executed and their replies read. If you do not follow these requirements, your program will not work properly.

      Parameters:
      articleNumber - The number of the article to retrieve.
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id. The articleId field cannot always be trusted because of server deviations from RFC 977 reply formats. You may set this parameter to null if you do not desire to retrieve the returned article information.
      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageReader instance from which the article can be read. null if the article does not exist.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
    • retrieveArticle

      public Reader retrieveArticle(String articleId) throws IOException
      Same as retrieveArticle(articleId, (ArticleInfo) null) Note: the return can be cast to a BufferedReader
      Parameters:
      articleId - the article id to retrieve
      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageReader instance from which the article can be read. null if the article does not exist.
      Throws:
      IOException - if an IO error occurs
    • retrieveArticle

      public BufferedReader retrieveArticle(String articleId, ArticleInfo pointer) throws IOException
      Retrieves an article from the NNTP server. The article is referenced by its unique article identifier (including the enclosing < and >). The article number and identifier contained in the server reply are returned through an ArticleInfo. The articleId field of the ArticleInfo cannot always be trusted because some NNTP servers do not correctly follow the RFC 977 reply format.

      A DotTerminatedMessageReader is returned from which the article can be read. If the article does not exist, null is returned.

      You must not issue any commands to the NNTP server (i.e., call any other methods) until you finish reading the message from the returned BufferedReader instance. The NNTP protocol uses the same stream for issuing commands as it does for returning results. Therefore, the returned BufferedReader actually reads directly from the NNTP connection. After the end of message has been reached, new commands can be executed and their replies read. If you do not follow these requirements, your program will not work properly.

      Parameters:
      articleId - The unique article identifier of the article to retrieve. If this parameter is null, the currently selected article is retrieved.
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id. The articleId field cannot always be trusted because of server deviations from RFC 977 reply formats. You may set this parameter to null if you do not desire to retrieve the returned article information.
      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageReader instance from which the article can be read. null if the article does not exist.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
    • retrieveArticle

      @Deprecated public Reader retrieveArticle(String articleId, ArticlePointer pointer) throws IOException
      Deprecated.
      Parameters:
      articleId - The unique article identifier of the article to retrieve
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id
      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageReader instance from which the article can be read. null if the article does not exist.
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • retrieveArticleBody

      Same as retrieveArticleBody(null) Note: the return can be cast to a BufferedReader
      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageReader instance from which the article body can be read. null if the article does not exist.
      Throws:
      IOException - if an error occurs
    • retrieveArticleBody

      Deprecated.
      Parameters:
      a - tba
      Returns:
      tba
      Throws:
      IOException - tba
    • retrieveArticleBody

      Deprecated.
      Parameters:
      a - tba
      ap - tba
      Returns:
      tba
      Throws:
      IOException - tba
    • retrieveArticleBody

      public BufferedReader retrieveArticleBody(long articleNumber) throws IOException
      Same as retrieveArticleBody(articleNumber, null)
      Parameters:
      articleNumber - the article number
      Returns:
      the reader
      Throws:
      IOException - if an error occurs
    • retrieveArticleBody

      public BufferedReader retrieveArticleBody(long articleNumber, ArticleInfo pointer) throws IOException
      Retrieves an article body from the currently selected newsgroup. The article is referenced by its article number. The article number and identifier contained in the server reply are returned through an ArticleInfo. The articleId field of the ArticleInfo cannot always be trusted because some NNTP servers do not correctly follow the RFC 977 reply format.

      A DotTerminatedMessageReader is returned from which the article can be read. If the article does not exist, null is returned.

      You must not issue any commands to the NNTP server (i.e., call any other methods) until you finish reading the message from the returned BufferedReader instance. The NNTP protocol uses the same stream for issuing commands as it does for returning results. Therefore, the returned BufferedReader actually reads directly from the NNTP connection. After the end of message has been reached, new commands can be executed and their replies read. If you do not follow these requirements, your program will not work properly.

      Parameters:
      articleNumber - The number of the article whose body is being retrieved.
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id. The articleId field cannot always be trusted because of server deviations from RFC 977 reply formats. You may set this parameter to null if you do not desire to retrieve the returned article information.
      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageReader instance from which the article body can be read. null if the article does not exist.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
    • retrieveArticleBody

      public Reader retrieveArticleBody(String articleId) throws IOException
      Same as retrieveArticleBody(articleId, (ArticleInfo) null) Note: the return can be cast to a BufferedReader
      Parameters:
      articleId - the article id
      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageReader instance from which the article body can be read. null if the article does not exist.
      Throws:
      IOException - if an error occurs
    • retrieveArticleBody

      public BufferedReader retrieveArticleBody(String articleId, ArticleInfo pointer) throws IOException
      Retrieves an article body from the NNTP server. The article is referenced by its unique article identifier (including the enclosing < and >). The article number and identifier contained in the server reply are returned through an ArticleInfo. The articleId field of the ArticleInfo cannot always be trusted because some NNTP servers do not correctly follow the RFC 977 reply format.

      A DotTerminatedMessageReader is returned from which the article can be read. If the article does not exist, null is returned.

      You must not issue any commands to the NNTP server (i.e., call any other methods) until you finish reading the message from the returned BufferedReader instance. The NNTP protocol uses the same stream for issuing commands as it does for returning results. Therefore, the returned BufferedReader actually reads directly from the NNTP connection. After the end of message has been reached, new commands can be executed and their replies read. If you do not follow these requirements, your program will not work properly.

      Parameters:
      articleId - The unique article identifier of the article whose body is being retrieved. If this parameter is null, the body of the currently selected article is retrieved.
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id. The articleId field cannot always be trusted because of server deviations from RFC 977 reply formats. You may set this parameter to null if you do not desire to retrieve the returned article information.
      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageReader instance from which the article body can be read. null if the article does not exist.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
    • retrieveArticleBody

      Deprecated.
      Parameters:
      articleId - The unique article identifier of the article to retrieve
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id
      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageReader instance from which the article body can be read. null if the article does not exist.
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • retrieveArticleHeader

      Same as retrieveArticleHeader((String) null) Note: the return can be cast to a BufferedReader
      Returns:
      the reader
      Throws:
      IOException - if an error occurs
    • retrieveArticleHeader

      Deprecated.
      Parameters:
      a - tba
      Returns:
      tba
      Throws:
      IOException - tba
    • retrieveArticleHeader

      Deprecated.
      Parameters:
      a - tba
      ap - tba
      Returns:
      tba
      Throws:
      IOException - tba
    • retrieveArticleHeader

      public BufferedReader retrieveArticleHeader(long articleNumber) throws IOException
      Same as retrieveArticleHeader(articleNumber, null)
      Parameters:
      articleNumber - the article number
      Returns:
      the reader
      Throws:
      IOException - if an error occurs
    • retrieveArticleHeader

      public BufferedReader retrieveArticleHeader(long articleNumber, ArticleInfo pointer) throws IOException
      Retrieves an article header from the currently selected newsgroup. The article is referenced by its article number. The article number and identifier contained in the server reply are returned through an ArticleInfo. The articleId field of the ArticleInfo cannot always be trusted because some NNTP servers do not correctly follow the RFC 977 reply format.

      A DotTerminatedMessageReader is returned from which the article can be read. If the article does not exist, null is returned.

      You must not issue any commands to the NNTP server (i.e., call any other methods) until you finish reading the message from the returned BufferedReader instance. The NNTP protocol uses the same stream for issuing commands as it does for returning results. Therefore, the returned BufferedReader actually reads directly from the NNTP connection. After the end of message has been reached, new commands can be executed and their replies read. If you do not follow these requirements, your program will not work properly.

      Parameters:
      articleNumber - The number of the article whose header is being retrieved.
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id. The articleId field cannot always be trusted because of server deviations from RFC 977 reply formats. You may set this parameter to null if you do not desire to retrieve the returned article information.
      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageReader instance from which the article header can be read. null if the article does not exist.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
    • retrieveArticleHeader

      public Reader retrieveArticleHeader(String articleId) throws IOException
      Same as retrieveArticleHeader(articleId, (ArticleInfo) null) Note: the return can be cast to a BufferedReader
      Parameters:
      articleId - the article id to fetch
      Returns:
      the reader
      Throws:
      IOException - if an error occurs
    • retrieveArticleHeader

      public BufferedReader retrieveArticleHeader(String articleId, ArticleInfo pointer) throws IOException
      Retrieves an article header from the NNTP server. The article is referenced by its unique article identifier (including the enclosing < and >). The article number and identifier contained in the server reply are returned through an ArticleInfo. The articleId field of the ArticleInfo cannot always be trusted because some NNTP servers do not correctly follow the RFC 977 reply format.

      A DotTerminatedMessageReader is returned from which the article can be read. If the article does not exist, null is returned.

      You must not issue any commands to the NNTP server (i.e., call any other methods) until you finish reading the message from the returned BufferedReader instance. The NNTP protocol uses the same stream for issuing commands as it does for returning results. Therefore, the returned BufferedReader actually reads directly from the NNTP connection. After the end of message has been reached, new commands can be executed and their replies read. If you do not follow these requirements, your program will not work properly.

      Parameters:
      articleId - The unique article identifier of the article whose header is being retrieved. If this parameter is null, the header of the currently selected article is retrieved.
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id. The articleId field cannot always be trusted because of server deviations from RFC 977 reply formats. You may set this parameter to null if you do not desire to retrieve the returned article information.
      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageReader instance from which the article header can be read. null if the article does not exist.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
    • retrieveArticleHeader

      Deprecated.
      Parameters:
      articleId - The unique article identifier of the article to retrieve
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id
      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageReader instance from which the article body can be read. null if the article does not exist.
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • retrieveArticleInfo

      @Deprecated public Reader retrieveArticleInfo(int lowArticleNumber) throws IOException
      Deprecated.
      Parameters:
      lowArticleNumber - to fetch
      Returns:
      a DotTerminatedReader if successful, null otherwise
      Throws:
      IOException - tba
    • retrieveArticleInfo

      @Deprecated public Reader retrieveArticleInfo(int lowArticleNumber, int highArticleNumber) throws IOException
      Deprecated.
      Parameters:
      lowArticleNumber - to fetch
      highArticleNumber - to fetch
      Returns:
      a DotTerminatedReader if successful, null otherwise
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • retrieveArticleInfo

      public BufferedReader retrieveArticleInfo(long articleNumber) throws IOException
      Return article headers for a specified post.
      Parameters:
      articleNumber - the article to retrieve headers for
      Returns:
      a DotTerminatedReader if successful, null otherwise
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • retrieveArticleInfo

      public BufferedReader retrieveArticleInfo(long lowArticleNumber, long highArticleNumber) throws IOException
      Return article headers for all articles between lowArticleNumber and highArticleNumber, inclusively. Uses the XOVER command.
      Parameters:
      lowArticleNumber - low number
      highArticleNumber - high number
      Returns:
      a DotTerminatedReader if successful, null otherwise
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • retrieveHeader

      @Deprecated public Reader retrieveHeader(String a, int b) throws IOException
      Deprecated.
      Parameters:
      a - tba
      b - tba
      Returns:
      tba
      Throws:
      IOException - tba
    • retrieveHeader

      @Deprecated public Reader retrieveHeader(String header, int lowArticleNumber, int highArticleNumber) throws IOException
      Deprecated.
      Parameters:
      header - the header
      lowArticleNumber - to fetch
      highArticleNumber - to fetch
      Returns:
      a DotTerminatedReader if successful, null otherwise
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • retrieveHeader

      public BufferedReader retrieveHeader(String header, long articleNumber) throws IOException
      Return an article header for a specified post.
      Parameters:
      header - the header to retrieve
      articleNumber - the article to retrieve the header for
      Returns:
      a DotTerminatedReader if successful, null otherwise
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • retrieveHeader

      public BufferedReader retrieveHeader(String header, long lowArticleNumber, long highArticleNumber) throws IOException
      Return an article header for all articles between lowArticleNumber and highArticleNumber, inclusively.
      Parameters:
      header - the header
      lowArticleNumber - to fetch
      highArticleNumber - to fetch
      Returns:
      a DotTerminatedReader if successful, null otherwise
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • selectArticle

      public boolean selectArticle(ArticleInfo pointer) throws IOException
      Same as selectArticle((String) null, articleId) . Useful for retrieving the current article number.
      Parameters:
      pointer - to the article
      Returns:
      true if OK
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • selectArticle

      @Deprecated public boolean selectArticle(ArticlePointer pointer) throws IOException
      Deprecated.
      Parameters:
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id
      Returns:
      True if successful, false if not.
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • selectArticle

      @Deprecated public boolean selectArticle(int a) throws IOException
      Deprecated.
      3.0 use selectArticle(long) instead
      Parameters:
      a - tba
      Returns:
      tba
      Throws:
      IOException - tba
    • selectArticle

      @Deprecated public boolean selectArticle(int a, ArticlePointer ap) throws IOException
      Deprecated.
      Parameters:
      a - tba
      ap - tba
      Returns:
      tba
      Throws:
      IOException - tba
    • selectArticle

      public boolean selectArticle(long articleNumber) throws IOException
      Same as selectArticle(articleNumber, null)
      Parameters:
      articleNumber - the numger
      Returns:
      true if successful
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • selectArticle

      public boolean selectArticle(long articleNumber, ArticleInfo pointer) throws IOException
      Select an article in the currently selected newsgroup by its number. and return its article number and id through the pointer parameter. This is achieved through the STAT command. According to RFC 977, this WILL set the current article pointer on the server. Use this command to select an article before retrieving it, or to obtain an article's unique identifier given its number.
      Parameters:
      articleNumber - The number of the article to select from the currently selected newsgroup.
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id. Although the articleId field cannot always be trusted because of server deviations from RFC 977 reply formats, we haven't found a server that misformats this information in response to this particular command. You may set this parameter to null if you do not desire to retrieve the returned article information.
      Returns:
      True if successful, false if not.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
    • selectArticle

      public boolean selectArticle(String articleId) throws IOException
      Same as selectArticle(articleId, (ArticleInfo) null)
      Parameters:
      articleId - the article's Id
      Returns:
      true if successful
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • selectArticle

      public boolean selectArticle(String articleId, ArticleInfo pointer) throws IOException
      Select an article by its unique identifier (including enclosing < and >) and return its article number and id through the pointer parameter. This is achieved through the STAT command. According to RFC 977, this will NOT set the current article pointer on the server. To do that, you must reference the article by its number.
      Parameters:
      articleId - The unique article identifier of the article that is being selectedd. If this parameter is null, the body of the current article is selected
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id. The articleId field cannot always be trusted because of server deviations from RFC 977 reply formats. You may set this parameter to null if you do not desire to retrieve the returned article information.
      Returns:
      True if successful, false if not.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
    • selectArticle

      @Deprecated public boolean selectArticle(String articleId, ArticlePointer pointer) throws IOException
      Deprecated.
      Parameters:
      articleId - The unique article identifier of the article to retrieve
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id
      Returns:
      A DotTerminatedMessageReader instance from which the article body can be read. null if the article does not exist.
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • selectNewsgroup

      public boolean selectNewsgroup(String newsgroup) throws IOException
      Same as selectNewsgroup(newsgroup, null)
      Parameters:
      newsgroup - the newsgroup name
      Returns:
      true if newsgroup exist and was selected
      Throws:
      IOException - if an error occurs
    • selectNewsgroup

      public boolean selectNewsgroup(String newsgroup, NewsgroupInfo info) throws IOException
      Select the specified newsgroup to be the target of for future article retrieval and posting operations. Also return the newsgroup information contained in the server reply through the info parameter.
      Parameters:
      newsgroup - The newsgroup to select.
      info - A parameter through which the newsgroup information of the selected newsgroup contained in the server reply is returned. Set this to null if you do not desire this information.
      Returns:
      True if the newsgroup exists and was selected, false otherwise.
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
    • selectNextArticle

      public boolean selectNextArticle() throws IOException
      Same as selectNextArticle((ArticleInfo) null)
      Returns:
      true if successful
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • selectNextArticle

      public boolean selectNextArticle(ArticleInfo pointer) throws IOException
      Select the article following the currently selected article in the currently selected newsgroup and return its number and unique id through the pointer parameter. Because of deviating server implementations, the articleId information cannot be trusted. To obtain the article identifier, issue a selectArticle(pointer.articleNumber, pointer) immediately afterward.
      Parameters:
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id. The articleId field cannot always be trusted because of server deviations from RFC 977 reply formats. You may set this parameter to null if you do not desire to retrieve the returned article information.
      Returns:
      True if successful, false if not (e.g., there is no following article).
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
    • selectNextArticle

      @Deprecated public boolean selectNextArticle(ArticlePointer pointer) throws IOException
      Deprecated.
      Parameters:
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id
      Returns:
      True if successful, false if not.
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • selectPreviousArticle

      public boolean selectPreviousArticle() throws IOException
      Same as selectPreviousArticle((ArticleInfo) null)
      Returns:
      true if successful
      Throws:
      IOException - on error
    • selectPreviousArticle

      public boolean selectPreviousArticle(ArticleInfo pointer) throws IOException
      Select the article preceding the currently selected article in the currently selected newsgroup and return its number and unique id through the pointer parameter. Because of deviating server implementations, the articleId information cannot be trusted. To obtain the article identifier, issue a selectArticle(pointer.articleNumber, pointer) immediately afterward.
      Parameters:
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id. The articleId field cannot always be trusted because of server deviations from RFC 977 reply formats. You may set this parameter to null if you do not desire to retrieve the returned article information.
      Returns:
      True if successful, false if not (e.g., there is no previous article).
      Throws:
      NNTPConnectionClosedException - If the NNTP server prematurely closes the connection as a result of the client being idle or some other reason causing the server to send NNTP reply code 400. This exception may be caught either as an IOException or independently as itself.
      IOException - If an I/O error occurs while either sending a command to the server or receiving a reply from the server.
    • selectPreviousArticle

      Deprecated.
      Parameters:
      pointer - A parameter through which to return the article's number and unique id
      Returns:
      True if successful, false if not.
      Throws:
      IOException - on error