code: def how_many(self):
          
          if self.linkdates != []:
              # What follows is a quick sanity check: if the entry date is in the
              # future, this is probably a mistake, and we just count the entry
              # date as right now.
              if max(self.linkdates) <= list(time.localtime()):
                  currentdate = max(self.linkdates)
              else:
                  currentdate = list(time.localtime())
                  print(("This entry has its date set in the future. "
                         "I will use your current local time as its date "
                         "instead."),
                        file=sys.stderr, flush=True)
              stop = sys.maxsize
          else:
              currentdate = [1, 1, 1, 0, 0]
              firstsync = self.retrieve_config('firstsync', '1')
              if firstsync == 'all':
                  stop = sys.maxsize
              else:
                  stop = int(firstsync)
          return currentdate, stop
docs: Ascertain where to start downloading, and how many entries.