How to construct a Google Groups non-redundant URL for reference purposes

Danny D.

unread,

Feb 15, 2017, 1:10:03 PM2/15/17

to

Here is how I just now figured out how to construct a non-redundant Google
Groups URL to a Usenet post from years ago. If you have a better method,
please share, as I post this merely to share to help others use Usenet as a
reference.

I just did this today for the alt-home-repair newsgroup, so all I'm doing
is documenting the steps for others to be able to leverage in the future.

1. I needed to look up an old URL on how to wind garage door torsion
springs so that I could cut and paste a short Google URL as a reference.

2. I knew the original thread was posted to alt.home.repair by me on Usenet
years ago, so I searched using this easily remembered URL.
http://tinyurl.com/alt-home-repair

3. That easily remembered URL, of course, takes you to the canonical GG
search URL which is the one to use (but it's harder to remember):
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/alt.home.repair

4. My search was "Danny garage torsion" which came up with four thread
titles:
a. Lessons learned installing a torsion spring in a typical
residential garage
b. Update to the "lessons learned" garage door torsion spring DIY thread
(new lessons learned)
c. Garage door torsion spring relocation project (Status = Not going well)
d. Garage door torsion spring broken ... and ... I have no questions! :)

5. The initial URLs are messy because they include redundant terms:
a.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/alt.home.repair/738YR8CPsLI/BRHYK3X71BAJ;context-place=forum/alt.home.repair
b.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/alt.home.repair/AGrGZc4i-RA/8Ff3HsrmASEJ;context-place=forum/alt.home.repair
c.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/alt.home.repair/ifuMBLOoGXY/Hk0mfwDsQooJ;context-place=forum/alt.home.repair
d.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/alt.home.repair/s0zBJNaT89Q/I0TP541gGk4J;context-place=forum/alt.home.repair

6. Notice the unique ultimate characters:
a. LASTID=BRHYK3X71BAJ
b. LASTID=8Ff3HsrmASEJ
c. LASTID=Hk0mfwDsQooJ
d. LASTID=I0TP541gGk4J

7. Now you need a normal short URL, where a "normal" URL can be gotten
simply by looking up the *latest* page and choosing any URL found on that
latest page as of the current date.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/alt.home.repair

The first URL (at the moment) uses this non-redundant syntax:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.home.repair/i9nfxKFjZE0

8. You'd think you can just cut the *last* argument out, to reconstruct the
desired non-redundant Google URLs (but you can't). So these won't work:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.home.repair/<cut this out>
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.home.repair/<insert LASTID>

a. https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.home.repair/BRHYK3X71BAJ
b. https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.home.repair/8Ff3HsrmASEJ
c. https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.home.repair/Hk0mfwDsQooJ
d. https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.home.repair/I0TP541gGk4J

But that doesn't work.

9. What you can do though, is cut TWO ID sections out:
a. LAST2IDs=738YR8CPsLI/BRHYK3X71BAJ
b. LAST2IDs=AGrGZc4i-RA/8Ff3HsrmASEJ
c. LAST2IDs=ifuMBLOoGXY/Hk0mfwDsQooJ
d. LAST2IDs=s0zBJNaT89Q/I0TP541gGk4J

10. Using those two sections, you reconstruct a Google URL:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.home.repair/ + <LAST2IDs>
a.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.home.repair/738YR8CPsLI/BRHYK3X71BAJ
b.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.home.repair/AGrGZc4i-RA/8Ff3HsrmASEJ
c.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.home.repair/ifuMBLOoGXY/Hk0mfwDsQooJ
d.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.home.repair/s0zBJNaT89Q/I0TP541gGk4J

11. When you go to those four URLs, you get *new* Google URLs for each:
a. https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.home.repair/738YR8CPsLI
b. https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.home.repair/AGrGZc4i-RA
c. https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.home.repair/ifuMBLOoGXY
d. https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.home.repair/s0zBJNaT89Q

12. So, one way to reconstruct a non-redundant Google Groups URL is to put
these three syntactical items together:
A. The base URL (https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/)
B. The newsgroup (alt.home.repair)
C. The penultimate ID

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/ + alt.home.repair/ + PENULTIMATEID

pf...@aol.com

unread,

Feb 15, 2017, 1:18:40 PM2/15/17

to

The Troll is back.

Please do not feed the Troll.

Danny D.

unread,

Feb 17, 2017, 1:03:36 PM2/17/17

to

Colonel Edmund J. Burke

unread,

Feb 17, 2017, 1:24:05 PM2/17/17

to

On 2/15/2017 10:08 AM, Danny D. wrote:
> Here is how I just now figured out how to construct a non-redundant Google
> Groups URL to a Usenet post from years ago. If you have a better method,
> please share, as I post this merely to share to help others use Usenet as a
> reference.

Piss orf.

Snit

unread,

Feb 17, 2017, 4:55:09 PM2/17/17

to

On 2/15/17, 11:08 AM, in article o825ea$vvb$1...@dont-email.me, "Danny D."

Any good method to go from Message-ID to a Google Groups link?

--
Personal attacks from those who troll show their own insecurity. They cannot
use reason to show the message to be wrong so they try to feel somehow
superior by attacking the messenger.

They cling to their attacks and ignore the message time and time again.