Definitions
- A list server is a system for managing one of more mailing lists. Your list server will have an email address that you can use to send and receive commands relating to your mailing lists. The email address for your list server will be in the format of listserv@yourdomain.com
- A mailing list is a list of one or more email addresses called subscribers. Each mailing list will have its own email address in the format of listname@yourdomain.com. When you or another subscriber send an email to the list email address that email will be distributed to all of the subscribers on that mailing list.
- A moderator is administrative user with an email address to which a list server belongs. If your list server is moderated, a moderator password must be supplied before commands such as adding a new subscriber can be processed. This would prevent unwanted subscribers from adding themselves to your mailing lists.
List Server Commands¶
To send a command to the list server you should send an email to the list server address. One or more commands can be specified in the main body of your email. One command should be specified per line and be followed by a carriage return. Emails sent to the list server should be in a plaintext format and should not contain a signature or any other text.
JOIN Command¶
The join command will add a subscriber to a mailing list. In the body of your email, use the command format:
JOIN
password list email address,
subscriber email,
subscriber nameThe subscriber name is optional, and the password is only required if your list server is moderated. If you do not specify a subscriber email then the list server will add the sending email address as a subscriber
Example:
JOIN yourpassword listname@yourdomain.com, subscriber@webvault.com.au
JOIN yourpassword listname@yourdomain.com, subscriber@hotmail.com
The above example will add two subscribers to the listname@yourdomain.com mailing list. Note carefully the comma after the list email address and the subscribers email address.
LEAVE Command¶
The leave command will remove a subscriber from your mailing list. In the body of your email, use the command format:
LEAVE
password list email address,
subscriber emailExample:
LEAVE yourpassword listname@yourdomain.com, subscriber@webvault.com.au
LEAVE yourpassword listname@yourdomain.com, subscriber@hotmail.com
This example would remove two subscribers from the listname@yourdomain.com mailing list. Note carefully the comma after the list email address.
REVIEW Command¶
The review command will email you a complete list of all the subscribers belonging to a particular mailing list. In the body of your email, use the command format:
REVIEW
password list email addressExample:
REVIEW yourpassword listname@yourdomain.com
WHICH Command¶
The which command will email you a listing of all the mailing lists to which a particular email address is currently subscribed. In the body of your email, use the command format:
WHICH
password subscriber email addressExample:
WHICH yourpassword subscriber@webvault.com.au
LISTS Command¶
The lists command will email you a listing of all the mailing lists for which the receiving list server currently manages. In the body of your email, use the command format:
LISTS
passwordExample:
LISTS yourpassword
HELP Command¶
The help command will email you the list server help file, which contains the information contained within this document. In the body of your email, use the command format:
HELP
passwordExample:
HELP yourpassword
Using a Mailing List
To email content to mailing list subscribers simply send your email to the mailing list email address. Your email can be in any format and can contain attachments. A limit may apply to the size of the email you can send and will depend on your mailing list settings.
If your mailing list is moderated you will need to either approve the email or supply a password when you send your email to the mailing list address. The two moderation schemes are as follows.
Client Moderated Mailing List
You must supply the mailing list password at the start of the subject line of the email you want to send out to mailing list subscribers. The mailing list server will remove the password before your email is sent to subscribers.
Server Moderated Mailing List
Using this scheme the specified moderator will receive an email back requesting authorisation for the senders email to be distributed to the mailing list subscribers. The subject line of the confirmation email will look similar to the following:
$$Msg-Id:200412131847440C65.tmp$$Test Email
The body of the confirmation email will also contain a copy of the email text to be sent out to subscribers. To approve an email for distribution simply reply to the confirmation request and edit the beginning of the subject line by adding your mailing list password. To delete an unauthorised email rather than sending it to the list subscribers, append –DELETE after your password. It is important that you do not edit the subject line any other way. The Msg-Id text is required in your reply to the mailing list address.
Example:
Approve an Email
yourpassword$$Msg-Id:200412131847440C65.tmp$$Test Email
Delete an Email
yourpassword-DELETE$$Msg-Id:200412131847440C65.tmp$$Test Email