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Groups > alt.comp.software.thunderbird > #21198

Re: Message Filter List Import

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On 26/07/02 04:20 AM, John C. wrote:
> Paul wrote:
>> John C. wrote:
>>> jaugustine@verizon.net wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Hi,
>>>> If I install Thunderbird on another PC, can I Import the Message Filter
>>>> list from an Exported profile Zip file I created on my other PC?
>>>> Thank you in advance, John
>>>
>>> Coincidence: I just went through this issue this morning, because I
>>> created a new newsfeed account (Solani) as a backup for when
>>> Eternal-September servers fail. So if you're talking about filters for
>>> Usenet newsgroups, I can tell you that they are stored here:
>>>
>>> "C:\Users\(Windows user account
>>> name)\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\(Thunderbird profile
>>> name)\News\(usenet account server name)"
>>>
>>> Contrary to popular belief, filter rules are NOT stored in the
>>> msgFilterRules.dat file. Instead, they are stored in the .dat files for
>>> each newsgroup that you're subscribed to in that newsfeed. For example,
>>> the filter rules for this newsgroup are in:
>>>
>>> "C:\Users\(Windows user account
>>> name)\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\(Thunderbird profile
>>> name)\News\(usenet account server name)\alt.comp.software.thunderbird.dat"
>>>
>>> If you don't believe me, close TB and open that file in a text editor.
>>>
>>> What I did this morning was to copy those .dat files (four of them, one
>>> for each newsgroup that I'm subscribed to) from my
>>> news.eternal-september.org folder to my news.solani.org. Then I
>>> restarted TB and *VOILA* there were the rules in my Solani account. I
>>> even tried the filters and yes, they worked.
>>>
>>> I see no reason why this technique shouldn't work for you as long as you
>>> copy the correct files.
> 
> Everything I said above is absolutely the truth about my experience
> copying filter rules from one usenet account to another. My tactic
> simply just worked.
> 
>> It's possible the filter files have "scope".
>>
>> A file at the newsgroup level, affects one newsgroup.
>> A file at the news server level, affects all newsgroups under it.
>> A file at the profile level, affects all servers/newsgroups under it.
> 
> Good additional info, Paul. I wasn't aware of this. I don't have any of
> the last two on my system though, only ones at the newsgroup level.
> 
>> You would expect the file extension to be .dat , but have
>> a look around. The "empty" files of that genera, tended
>> to be 27 bytes long.
> 
> Not sure what you mean here. The "empty" files are probably just
> placeholders for newsgroups that have no filters set up for them.
> 
>> The trick then, is for you to examine the filter design dialog and
>> see what options it has for defining the scope. Whether the dialog
>> only allows individual newsgroups, or it has other entries
>> (like the server names) in it.
>>
>> We can make up one. On the AIOE server,
> 
> The AIOE.org public Usenet news server has been offline and out of
> service for several years.
> 
>> I find a lot of annoying
>> posts from ServerName1 and ServerName2. By using a filter at
>> server scope, all the newsgroups on the AIOE server, have the
>> servername1 and servername2 items removed.
>>
>> News\nntp.aioe.org
>>    msgFilterRules.dat
>>
>> version="9"
>> logging="yes"
>>                                                      <=== (added for legibility here)
>> name="ServerName1.org"
>> enabled="no"                                              (filter was switched off, by me)
>> type="20"
>> action="Delete"
>> condition="AND (\"path\",contains,servername1.org)"
>>                                                       <=== (added for legibility here)
>> name="ServerName2.org"
>> enabled="no"                                               (filter was switched off, by me)
>> type="20"
>> action="Delete"
>> condition="AND (\"path\",contains,servername2.org)"
>>
>> That's not a good filter, but I took a look and
>> that's about the only "live" sample I could find
>> of a server-level filter. This would be considered
>> a "demo" filter, for testing at one time.
>>
>> I also had a filter defined, when a bridged BBS went
>> nuts and started looping posts into USENET, and so I
>> had to remove that garbage for a few days, until the
>> bridge operator pulled the plug for good.
>>
>> That's an example of how a user might have set something
>> like that up. AIOE actually had some path preload agreements
>> with certain "sewer" servers, and you didn't even need to be
>> filtering them with your own filter. AIOE set this up, a few months
>> before "something happened" to the AIOE server. It was "blamed on
>> a RAID issue", but I don't think that is what really happened.
>
> I don't understand why you replied with all this additional stuff. I was
> simply trying to answer the OP's question and provide a simple way to
> accomplish what he was asking. Copying the filter FILES the way I did
> should work from one system to another just like it did when copying
> from one account to another. That is, as long as the same newsgroups are
> subscribed to from one source to a destination.

Okay. after reading the other two replies to my reply, I see what you
were doing. Yes, it is definitely important to understand the level of
application for filter rules and where different levels are stored.

Since I never apply any filters to at server or profile levels, I never
bothered to figure out how to do that. Maybe the OP actually *does*
create filters at those levels.

Thanks for the additional information.

-- 
John C. No ad, CD, cripple, demo, nag, pay, pirated, share, spy,
time-limited, trial or web wares for me please. I filter crossposts,
various trolls & dizum.com. This makes ACF easier to read. Take back
tech corporations from India & industry back from China.

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Message Filter List Import jaugustine@verizon.net - 2026-06-28 11:30 -0400
  Re: Message Filter List Import Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2026-06-28 16:49 +0100
  Re: Message Filter List Import "s|b" <me@privacy.invalid> - 2026-06-28 17:57 +0200
  Re: Message Filter List Import "Mr. Man-wai Chang" <toylet.toylet@gmail.com> - 2026-06-29 00:44 +0800
    Re: Message Filter List Import jaugustine@verizon.net - 2026-06-30 12:03 -0400
  Re: Message Filter List Import "John C." <r9jmg0@yahoo.com> - 2026-07-01 06:41 -0700
    Re: Message Filter List Import Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> - 2026-07-01 10:30 -0400
      Re: Message Filter List Import "John C." <r9jmg0@yahoo.com> - 2026-07-02 04:20 -0700
        Re: Message Filter List Import "John C." <r9jmg0@yahoo.com> - 2026-07-02 04:25 -0700
    Re: Message Filter List Import sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> - 2026-07-01 09:37 -0500
      Re: Message Filter List Import "John C." <r9jmg0@yahoo.com> - 2026-07-02 04:27 -0700
    Re: Message Filter List Import Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2026-07-01 17:39 +0100
      Re: Message Filter List Import "John C." <r9jmg0@yahoo.com> - 2026-07-02 04:27 -0700

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