* gnus.el (gnus-agent-covered-methods): Documented use of

	named servers, not methods, to identity agentized groups.
	Users may now change their server configurations without having
	the server become "unagentized".
	(gnus-agent-covered-methods): Removed from gnus-variable-list to
	avoid storing two copies of gnus-agent-covered-methods, one in
	.newsrc.eld and the other in agent/lib/servers.
	(gnus-server-to-method): Do not cache server for the nil method.
	(gnus-method-to-server): New function.  Associate named server
	with all, even foreign, methods.
	(gnus-agent-method-p, gnus-agent-method-p-cache): Incorporated
	simple last-response cache to offset performance lose of having to
	always convert methods to named servers.

diff --git a/lisp/gnus.el b/lisp/gnus.el
index 236fdac..bc7248a 100644 (file)
--- a/lisp/gnus.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus.el
@@ -2225,6 +2225,10 @@ This should be an alist for Emacs, or a plist for XEmacs."
 
 (defvar gnus-agent-gcc-header "X-Gnus-Agent-Gcc")
 (defvar gnus-agent-meta-information-header "X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information")
+(defvar gnus-agent-method-p-cache nil
+  ; Reset each time gnus-agent-covered-methods is changed else
+  ; gnus-agent-method-p may mis-report a methods status.
+  )
 (defvar gnus-agent-target-move-group-header "X-Gnus-Agent-Move-To")
 (defvar gnus-draft-meta-information-header "X-Draft-From")
 (defvar gnus-group-get-parameter-function 'gnus-group-get-parameter)
@@ -2236,7 +2240,8 @@ This should be an alist for Emacs, or a plist for XEmacs."
 (defvar gnus-agent-fetching nil
   "Whether Gnus agent is in fetching mode.")
 
-(defvar gnus-agent-covered-methods nil)
+(defvar gnus-agent-covered-methods nil
+  "A list of servers, NOT methods, showing which servers are covered by the agent.")
 
 (defvar gnus-command-method nil
   "Dynamically bound variable that says what the current back end is.")
@@ -2348,7 +2353,7 @@ such as a mark that says whether an article is stored in the cache
                        gnus-newsrc-alist gnus-server-alist
                        gnus-killed-list gnus-zombie-list
                        gnus-topic-topology gnus-topic-alist
-                       gnus-agent-covered-methods gnus-format-specs)
+                       gnus-format-specs)
   "Gnus variables saved in the quick startup file.")
 
 (defvar gnus-newsrc-alist nil
@@ -3149,9 +3154,42 @@ that that variable is buffer-local to the summary buffers."
                                                       (cadar servers)))))
                  (pop servers))
                (car servers)))))
-       (push (cons server result) gnus-server-method-cache)
+        (when result
+          (push (cons server result) gnus-server-method-cache))
        result)))
 
+(defsubst gnus-method-to-server (method)
+  (catch 'server-name
+    (setq method (or method gnus-select-method))
+
+    ;; Perhaps it is already in the cache.
+    (mapc (lambda (name-method)
+            (if (equal (cdr name-method) method)
+                (throw 'server-name (car name-method))))
+          gnus-server-method-cache)
+
+    (mapc
+     (lambda (server-alist)
+       (mapc (lambda (name-method)
+               (when (gnus-methods-equal-p (cdr name-method) method)
+                 (unless (member name-method gnus-server-method-cache)
+                   (push name-method gnus-server-method-cache))
+                 (throw 'server-name (car name-method))))
+             server-alist))
+     (let ((alists (list gnus-server-alist
+                         gnus-predefined-server-alist)))
+       (if gnus-select-method
+           (push (list (cons "native" gnus-select-method)) alists))
+       alists))
+
+    (let* ((name (if (member (cadr method) '(nil ""))
+                     (format "%s" (car method))
+                   (format "%s:%s" (car method) (cadr method))))
+           (name-method (cons name method)))
+      (unless (member name-method gnus-server-method-cache)
+        (push name-method gnus-server-method-cache))
+      name)))
+
 (defsubst gnus-server-get-method (group method)
   ;; Input either a server name, and extended server name, or a
   ;; select method, and return a select method.
@@ -3801,7 +3839,11 @@ Allow completion over sensible values."
 
 (defun gnus-agent-method-p (method)
   "Say whether METHOD is covered by the agent."
-  (member method gnus-agent-covered-methods))
+  (or (eq (car gnus-agent-method-p-cache) method)
+      (setq gnus-agent-method-p-cache 
+            (cons method
+                  (member (gnus-method-to-server method) gnus-agent-covered-methods))))
+  (cdr gnus-agent-method-p-cache))
 
 (defun gnus-online (method)
   (not