Watch list: "Rescan Topic" timeframe

[astrax]

To filter out NZB files from a group of groups, I set up a watch list.
To get older files from those groups I regularly add older posts. But each time, I use "rescan topic" to scan for new files for that list, NB goes through all the data it already went through.
Especially with a large number of header this can take sometimes hours, or even days.
Is there a way (or could there be in the future?), only to scan from a certain point on, so NB doesn't have to go through all those headers again? Like saying, "only scan headers from xx month ago to oldest availabe".

THX.

[Quade]

The question is why are you even doing a "rescan topic" in the first place? It's intended to pre-load your watch list from existing headers then you never have to do it again because new header downloads automatically feed to the watch list.

[astrax]

It never occured to me, it works this way. Never noticed either. OK, now that you say it...
I thought, the watch list would only scan headers that had already been loaded and the new ones, that would be added with every update. Not the ones that are loaded via "load xxxxx older posts".

So, in what case would one use "rescan topic"?

[Quade]

So, in what case would one use "rescan topic"?

1 - You make a new watch list and want to feed it from the headers you already have on disk.

2 - You make a change to how your current watch list filters and you want to re-scan and pick up the changes.

3 - You delete everything from an existing watch list maybe because of 2 and you want to re-feed the list.

[astrax]

I have to revisit this topic, because a watch list I set up (mentioned in a recent thread) does not "automatic download" older files, that are already in that list.

When I go into that watch list, there's lots of relevant posts. But the automatic download does not work on them. Only on new files that get added. Even a rescan does nothing, but add more files to the list/watch topic.
Is it supposed to wok that way?

[Quade]

I'm not sure what you're expecting. Once something is in the watch list, it's in the watch list. There's one opportunity for it to be automatically downloaded, that's when it was initially added to the watch list.

So say:

1 - You make a watch list and it's not in automatic download mode.
2 - The watch list fills with some results over time.
3 - You decide to put it into automatic download move.
4 - Now new results are getting automatically downloaded as they're added to the watch list.

The fact the old results don't get automatically downloaded is because they were added before you enabled automatic download. Automatic download doesn't scan an existing watch list looking for something to download. Instead automatic mode adds downloads at the same time it's adding elements to the watch list.

In this case, you just need to manually add these old results to download made prior to you turning on automatic mode one time. Then normally automatic download applies to all subsequent entries.

[astrax]

The fact the old results don't get automatically downloaded is because they were added before you enabled automatic download. Automatic download doesn't scan an existing watch list looking for something to download. Instead automatic mode adds downloads at the same time it's adding elements to the watch list.

That's the answer I was looking for. I didn't know how it all worked. Makes sense. Thank you!