Thanks for the reply.

Here's a little background.  I am building a VB.NET News Reader and can
successfully list news groups, and messages in each newsgroup.  A response
from the server for a posted message will look like below.

I am trying to display the posts in a thread, much like you see in outlook
or any other news reader.  There References Header seems to be the only
thing that relates the post to one another.  I was trying to use the check
command which requires authentication, to look up the corresponding
crossposts.  It seems that the only way I can cross reference the post is to
do this:

Query the news server for a list of posts in a group, and then use the HXDR
command to gets the message-id for every post.  Once I have the headers, I
need to loop through all the headers and match the reference ID to the
Article ID.  Once I have the Article ID for each referenced post I can then
lookup each post listed in the references header.  This seems like a pain
with lots of uneccesary communication between the client and the server.
Does anyone know of an easier way to do this?

Client: group microsoft.public.dotnet.framework.aspnet
Server: 211 11566 471296 483110 microsoft.public.dotnet.framework.aspnet
Client: Article 483080
Server:
220 483080 <OGQVaSQ$HHA.1188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl>
From: "Juan T. Llibre" <nomailreplies@nowhere.com>
References: <1190453779.348600.241630@57g2000hsv.googlegroups.com>
<e0BVi3P$HHA.5360@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>
Subject: Re: NNTP Login
Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 06:37:19 -0400
Lines: 35
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.3790.2725
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.3790.4073
X-RFC2646: Format=Flowed; Response
Message-ID: <OGQVaSQ$HHA.1188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl>
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.dotnet.framework.aspnet
NNTP-Posting-Host: 123stb62.codetel.net.do 66.98.12.123
Path: TK2MSFTNGP01.phx.gbl!TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl
Xref: TK2MSFTNGP01.phx.gbl microsoft.public.dotnet.framework.aspnet:483080

The microsoft news server does not require a password to be sent to login to
it.
Why don't you login directly to the Microsoft news server (
msnews.microsoft.com ) ?

Just create an account for msnews.microsoft.com in Outlook Express...and
login.
I wouldn't include a real email address, though.

Either garble it a bit...or use a fake one.

Juan T. Llibre, asp.net MVP
asp.net faq : http://asp.net.do/faq/
foros de asp.net, en espa?ol : http://asp.net.do/foros/
======================================

Shortened for brevity, this will get the last one hundred headers, in
actuality you may have to query thousands of headers.
Client: xhdr message-id 483010-483110
221 Xhdr information follows
483010 <ut#moVI$HHA.5948@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl>
483011 <#olYJeI$HHA.1900@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl>
483012 <FECEBE4E-6613-40AE-93BB-5FA1EC740982@microsoft.com>
483013 <#OsX$hI$HHA.5164@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl>
483014 <#nR#BoI$HHA.4836@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl>
483015 <ehCeppI$HHA.4476@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl>
483016 <OImtmrI$HHA.4828@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl>
483017 <1190405316.060486.49390@50g2000hsm.googlegroups.com>
483018 <#TeGzsI$HHA.3848@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl>
483019 <#70DhuI$HHA.600@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl>
483020 <OAxrbwI$HHA.700@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl>
483021 <1190405693.529960.163960@57g2000hsv.googlegroups.com>
483022 <84979611-AAC5-4187-93A7-31E5F03DF67B@microsoft.com>
483023 <eS#Kc1I$HHA.4784@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl>
483024 <#j0#Z1I$HHA.5840@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>
483025 <eGOqi4I$HHA.3548@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl>
483026 <u3Xci4I$HHA.4460@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl>
483027 <epuWa8I$HHA.1900@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl>
483028 <%2WIi.100443$jH3.10157@bignews6.bellsouth.net>
483029 <#di6LCJ$HHA.5840@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>
483030 <1190408723.916458.250640@19g2000hsx.googlegroups.com>
483031 <OdVTEcJ$HHA.3900@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl>
483032 <O2sJRdJ$HHA.484@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl>
483033 <ubyDSkJ$HHA.920@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl>
483034 <13f8jnf6up3ro0a@corp.supernews.com>
483035 <13f8jpl6t04ll36@corp.supernews.com>
483036 <13f8k3mj15rd2ea@corp.supernews.com>
483037 <1190418359.786744.35660@22g2000hsm.googlegroups.com>
483038 <1190418456.029384.121730@57g2000hsv.googlegroups.com>
483039 <AEF56BAA-EBA3-4D70-8133-EA3B0E908DF0@microsoft.com>
483040 <1190420456.630059.119590@o80g2000hse.googlegroups.com>
483041 <1190423575.809642.293180@o80g2000hse.googlegroups.com>
483042 <1190425370.002510.160530@y42g2000hsy.googlegroups.com>
483043 <#23qHvL$HHA.2268@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl>
483044 <1190433660.458972.39950@n39g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>
483045 <73363B42-3F39-461A-9425-4F7CD84B72AA@microsoft.com>
483046 <7895594e80f1a@uwe>
483047 <upOB$0N$HHA.4956@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl>
483048 <294D70C7-9FBF-487C-B24B-C52F28B09F07@microsoft.com>
483049 <845F279B-1A0A-47A7-A5BB-26E6FD32BFB5@microsoft.com>
483050 <1190444991.855340.184730@w3g2000hsg.googlegroups.com>
483051 <OUAl6vO$HHA.5164@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl>
483052 <OPeADxO$HHA.4836@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl>
483053 <#bxBBzO$HHA.4460@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl>
483054 <14418196-C68F-43AA-86E5-29489860C2A4@microsoft.com>
483055 <D65BDFAB-F5A2-4DE2-A35B-EF7945700714@microsoft.com>
483056 <027810F0-39D0-48F3-92CE-907D4BA2B427@microsoft.com>
483057 <urrK20O$HHA.3848@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl>
483058 <#YP581O$HHA.536@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl>
483059 <#Pyrt4O$HHA.536@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl>
483060 <wY3Ji.2142$Hv4.0@amstwist00>
483061 <O9#p28O$HHA.4584@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>
483062 <347AE5E1-637F-4F8D-8B91-35A41E4B573D@microsoft.com>
483063 <1190448914.758793.92210@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com>
483064 <#kOuEGP$HHA.320@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl>
483065 <1190449302.328212.259630@n39g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>
483066 <OQTgFIP$HHA.3548@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl>
483067 <1190449547.729012.49080@g4g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>
483068 <OyZR2JP$HHA.1188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl>
483069 <1190451984.621245.170400@o80g2000hse.googlegroups.com>
483070 <#2HzPgP$HHA.4612@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>
483071 <#vYLcnP$HHA.4880@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>
483072 <3d9fba1a739b8c9cb658f49a8d0@msnews.microsoft.com>
483073 <3d9fba1a739e8c9cb6612fc9070@msnews.microsoft.com>
483074 <1190453779.348600.241630@57g2000hsv.googlegroups.com>
483075 <e0BVi3P$HHA.5360@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>
483076 <utquG9P$HHA.5164@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl>
483077 <#Z#VDFQ$HHA.4568@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl>
483078 <OCEGeOQ$HHA.5160@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl>
483079 <uHMhARQ$HHA.5980@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl>
483080 <OGQVaSQ$HHA.1188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl>
483081 <OvxHzTQ$HHA.1184@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl>
483082 <eTvgjUQ$HHA.5980@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl>
483083 <eNvFSaQ$HHA.1900@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl>
483084 <#NeGBwQ$HHA.3848@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl>
483085 <OuLGszQ$HHA.5360@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>
483086 <#S154LR$HHA.4584@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>
483087 <uNKmrcR$HHA.1168@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl>
483088 <1190465491.988939.189480@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com>
483089 <eEumkeR$HHA.2004@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl>
483090 <O5KbOnR$HHA.3900@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl>
483091 <1190468210.426015.213820@y42g2000hsy.googlegroups.com>
483092 <3d9fba1a73f38c9cb8c7fac3ec0@msnews.microsoft.com>
483093 <OZ3SXUS$HHA.5464@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl>
483094 <uLPPEeS$HHA.1416@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>
483095 <eH0X5jS$HHA.1164@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl>
483096 <13fagfqas9i0afc@corp.supernews.com>
483097 <94BF0107-A096-43DF-9825-25B0BDE0CBD8@microsoft.com>
483098 <uW3THUU$HHA.4956@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl>
483099 <#Lzy9aU$HHA.5328@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl>
483100 <1190489207.718929.130430@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com>
483101 <OauaAMV$HHA.536@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl>
483102 <F19B8062-F5DD-4211-96AF-93F901C6FECF@microsoft.com>
483103 <30E78118-5EA0-4D03-8FE0-95984E3F5D45@microsoft.com>
483104 <OwU$cZV$HHA.4612@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>
483105 <1190493100.872109.238120@r29g2000hsg.googlegroups.com>
483106 <9599837B-E7B2-498B-B945-3290445FE0E3@microsoft.com>
483107 <1A787789-DAB9-4B00-970B-4B3E349C547D@microsoft.com>
483108 <9F053D37-900A-4E29-8C95-0987AD47E068@microsoft.com>
483109 <1190504759.211756.193180@n39g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>
483110 <#dh9RNX$HHA.1416@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>

Now that I have the message-id of the last 100 posts, loolp through each
until I find the reference id's

Dim References() as string = new string()
{"<1190453779.348600.241630@57g2000hsv.googlegroups.com>",
"<e0BVi3P$HHA.5360@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>"}

for I as integer = 0 to ubound(split(XHDR, vbnewline))
for j as integer = 0 to ubound(references)
if split(XHDR, vbnewline)(i).split(" ")(1) = referenences(j) then
References(j) = split(XHDR, vbnewline)(i).split(" ")(0)
next
next
return references

Now There references *should* contain the corrersponding articleID
   ' References(0) = 483074 References(1) = 483075
For I as integer =0 to ubound(references)
   Dim article as string = GetArticle(references(i)
next

Function GetArticle(byval ArticleID as integer)
NNTP.Query("Article " & articleID & environment.newline)
End function

Client: Article 483075
Server: ----- Returns Articles similar to that above.

As you can see, there seems to be a lot of overhead head here going back and
forth.  Is this how it needs to be done or is there a simpler way?