CHECKNEWS(1)             USER COMMANDS               CHECKNEWS(1)



NAME
     checknews - check to see if user has news

SYNOPSIS
     checknews [ -ynqevvN ]   [  newsgroup  list  ]   [  readnews
     options ]

DESCRIPTION
     Checknews reports whether or not the user has news.

     -y        reports There is news if  the  user  has  news  to
               read.   If  the  -N  flag is given, then the news-
               groups requested are also printed.

     -n        reports No news if there isn't any news to read.

     -q        causes checknews to be quiet.  Instead of printing
               a  message,  the  exit  status  indicates news.  A
               status of 0 means no news, 1 means there is news.

     -v        alters the -y message to  show  the  name  of  the
               first  newsgroup containing unread news.  Doubling
               v (e.g.  -vv) will cause  an  explanation  of  any
               claim  of new news, and is useful if checknews and
               readnews(1) disagree on whether there is news.

     -e        executes readnews if there is news.

     -N        causes the next argument to  be  read  and  inter-
               preted  as a comma-separated list of newsgroups to
               be checked.

     If there are no options, -y is the default.

FILES
     ~/.newsrc                               Active newsgroups
     /usr/lib/news/active                    Options and list  of
                                             previously      read
                                             articles
SEE ALSO
     inews(8),  postnews(1),  readnews(1),   vnews(1),   news(5),
     newsrc(5), expire(8), recnews(8), sendnews(8), uurec(8)
BUGS
     The -N flag should really be named -n to be consistent  with
     other  news  programs,  but  -n was already used.  If the -v
     flag is used with the -N flag, the first  newsgroup  in  the
     list  where  there  is news should be printed instead of the
     entire list.  If the -N flag is used and readnews is invoked
     (with  -e) it does not restrict news reading to those groups
     checked, but reads all newsgroups where there is new news.





Version B 2.11    Last change: October 19, 1986                 1