$oldprivate?? i'm confused...

i have a problem understanding this code segment in admin/forum.php:

  $perms=getpermissions($forumid,0,2);
  if ($perms[canview]==1) {
    $oldprivate=0;
  } else {
    $oldprivate=1;
  }

thanks for explaining to me what how the variable is manipulated. i did a search in all the VB files and there is no reference to it.

[Admin]

It check the Registered's forum permission for $forumid, and if they have access to that forum $oldprivate is 0. If they don't, it's 1. Then if $oldprivate isn't equal to $private (the next line), it means the forum's "privateness" (is that a word?!) was changed (i.e it was either 0 and it's now 1, or it's now 0 but was 1).

[TECK]

ahaaa.. thanks firefly. i asked about this because i want to add a new option in a news hack (vbHome, you guessed). so basically i try to do this:
in /admin/forum.php, add:

makeyesnocode("News forum<br>(Invisible to all except journalists, super moderators and admins; user access masks must be on!)","privatenews",0);

and with all the changes that refers to $private (or private), you know what they are, i also add above or below [high]privatenews[/high]... if i add this:

  if ($perms[canview]==1) {
    $oldprivate=0;
    $oldprivatenews=0;
  } else {
    $oldprivate=1;
    $oldprivatenews=1;
  }
  if ($oldprivate!=$private and $oldprivatenews!=$privatenews) {

(you get the idea, i don't post here the hole changes), if i check the YES button, it will mark it as NO all the time. could i use only $oldprivate variable and referr to it like that?

if ($oldprivate!=$private or $oldprivate!=$privatenews)

let me know what you think. is gotta be a new table field that i have to add, let me know. thanks.