#!/usr/bin/env python

import nntplib
import socket

HOST = 'your.nntp.sersper'
GRNM = 'comp.lang.python'
USER = 'wesley'
PASS = "you'llNeverGuess"

def main():

    try:
        n = nntplib.NNTP(HOST)
        #user=USER, password=PASS)
    except socket.gaierror, e:
        print 'ERROR: cannot reach host "%s"' % HOST
        print '    ("%s")' % eval(str(e))[1]
        return 
    except nntplib.NNTPPermanentError, e:
        print 'ERROR: access denied on "%s"' % HOST
        print '    ("%s")' % str(e)
        return 
    print '*** Connected to host "%s"' % HOST

    try:
        rsp, ct, fst, lst, grp = n.group(GRNM)
    except nntplib.NNTPTemporaryError, e:
        print 'ERROR: cannot connect to group "%s"' % GRNM
        print '    ("%s")' % str(e)
        print '    Server may require authentication'
        print '    Uncomment/edit login line above'
        n.quit()
        return 
    except nntplib.NNTPTemporaryError, e:
        print 'ERROR: group "%s" unavailable' % GRNM
        print '    ("%s")' % str(e)
        n.quit()
        return 
    print '*** Found newsgroup "%s"' % GRNM

    rng = '%s-%s' % (lst, lst)
    rsp, frm = n.xhdr('from', rng)
    rsp, sub = n.xhdr('subject', rng)
    rsp, dat = n.xhdr('date', rng)
    print '''*** Found last article (#%s):

    From: %s
    Subject: %s
    Date: %s
'''% (lst, frm[0][1], sub[0][1], dat[0][1])

    rsp, anum, mid, data = n.body(lst)
        displayFirst20(data)
    n.quit()

def displayFirst20(data):
    print '*** First (<= 20) meaningful lines:\n'
    count = 0
    lines = (line.rstrip() for line in data)
    lastBlank = True
    for line in lines:
        if line:
            lower = line.lower()
            if (lower.startswith('>') and not \
                                lower.startswith('>>>')) or \
                lower.startswith('|') or \
                lower.startswith('in article') or \
                lower.endswith('writes:') or \
                lower.endswith('wrote:'):
                continue
        if not lastBlank or (lastBlank and line):
            print '    %s' % line
            if line:
                count += 1
                lastBlank = False
            else:
                lastBlank = True
        if count == 20:
            break

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()