Getting Started

We have prepared several Flash© Video tutorials for new users. These videos can be accessed from our forums by following this link: http://www.newsmanpro.com/phpbb2/viewforum.php?f=16

When starting Newsman Pro for the first time, you will be prompted for the database engine to be used. If you want to use the built-in database engine, select "Advantage Database Server" and click "OK. Otherwise, make sure that you have already installed MySQL or MS-SQL before selecting either of these two options (Note: When using MySQL or MS-SQL, it is very important that the user you specify for Newsman Pro to use have sufficient rights to create/insert/update/delete database objects.)

After the database engine has been selected, Newsman Pro will attempt to connect to the database. If Newsman Pro can connect successfully, you will be asked whether it is okay for a new database to be created. Click "Yes" and Newsman Pro will create its database, tables and stored procedures. After the initial database is created, Newsman Pro will update the database to the current version.

Immediately after the database has been prepared, you will be prompted to create your first news server. After entering your news server account details, click "OK" and Newsman Pro will ask if it can retrieve the newsgroup list for your new server. Click "Yes" and a job will be created in the Queue? to retrieve the group list. In the "Connections" view at the bottom of Newsman Pro, you will see a connection open to your news server and the progress of the job.

After creating your first news server, you will be prompted to create another server or create your first Workgroup. If you want to add another news server, select that option and click "OK". If you are ready to create your first Workgroup, select that option and click "OK".

If the server group list is still being retrieved, you will not yet see any available newsgroups. Wait until the job is finished and the newsgroup list will be automatically refreshed. Once the group list is visible (if you have more than one server, you may have to select the appropriate server from the "Servers" combo box), you can subscribe to newsgroups by double-clicking on them.



The newsgroup list is sorted by the newsgroup name by default, but you can also sort on the "Count" column to place the busiest newsgroups at the top. As you add newsgroups to the "Subscribed Groups" list, you will notice that the group name is colored red. This makes it easy to see which groups have already been added to your subscription list. Clicking a newsgroup in the subscription list will automatically select the group in the newsgroup list. To add groups from different servers to the ((Workgroups|Workgroup), simply change the current server. You can add groups from more than one server to a single Workgroup and even add the same newsgroup from ((Servers|multiple servers). However, it should be noted that splitting a newsgroup from multiple servers into different Workgroups is not recommended and can cause problem with message completion.

After adding your newsgroup subscriptions, give your new Workgroup a name and click "OK".

You are now ready to select your Workgroup and get headers. Use the "Get Headers..." option to get specific headers, or simply click "Get New Headers" to get the most recent headers.