list

The primary function of LISTSERV is to operate mailing lists (also referred to as distribution lists). Mailing lists are used to distribute the e-mail sent to them to a list a recipients. They provide the means for a group of users to establish an e-mail forum on any topic or area of common interest. For example, quantum physicists who are interested in particle acceleration can request that a mailing list be created for them at one of the LISTSERV servers. This request must be directed to the LISTSERV administrator at a computer site operating a server. Once the list has been established, any user from across the EARN/BITNET network (or from any other network that can reach the EARN/BITNET network) can apply to join it. This may be done by sending a list subscription request to the LISTSERV server managing the list. Their name and e-mail address will subsequently be added to the list membership. LISTSERV will distribute copies of all e-mail sent to a mailing list to all of the members of that list. This service provides an extremely convenient means for the exchange of ideas and information between list members since LISTSERV (and not the mail sender) manages the distribution of e-mail to all of its final recipients. Users need only to remember one list address to which they send their mail in order to communicate to a potentially large number of users. Due to the efficiency with which LISTSERV distributes e-mail to list members, discussions or debates with a world-wide audience may be conducted.

Note that sending mail to a mailing list is not the same as sending mail to a LISTSERV server itself. To distribute mail to a mailing list, it should be sent to that list's address (for example, the Canadian adult education list ADLTED-L at node UREGINA1). Send e-mail to a LISTSERV server only if it contains a series of LISTSERV commands you want that server to execute (for example, command mail sent to LISTSERV at UREGINA1). See the section Sending Commands to LISTSERV for more information.

Locating LISTSERV LISTS

A LISTSERV server may manage any number of mailing lists. Each mailing list will have a list name of up to thirty two characters in length. However, most lists have only eight characters in their name and these commonly end with '-L' (to readily identify them as LISTSERV mailing lists). A list's name goes to make up its e-mail address. For example, the Biomechanics and Movement Science list has a list name of BIOMCH-L and is located at the node HEARN. The list therefore has an e-mail address of BIOMCH-L@HEARN, which should be used when sending mail to that list for distribution. The LISTSERV server at node HEARN will manage the list and it is to this server that all user commands related to the list (such as subscription requests) should be sent. Most LISTSERV servers can provide you with up-to-date information on all known mailing lists across the network in response to the following command:

LIST GLOBAL

You will receive a file called LISTSERV LISTS which contains the names, addresses and titles of all LISTSERV mailing lists. This is a very large file, so make sure you have the necessary resources to accommodate its size before you use this command. You may then browse this file to find the names and addresses of any lists that may interest you. This command is described in full in the section Command for LISTS.

Commands for LISTS

The following commands are designed for use with LISTSERV mailing lists. With them you may do things such as finding the names and addresses of lists, signing on to or off lists, reviewing lists or changing your personal options for any mailing list to which you are subscribed. Note that the F= and CLASS= command keywords may be used optionally with any of the commands where they appear (see the section LISTSERV Command Keywords for more information).

---

SUBscribe   Sign on to a mailing list
SIGNUP      A synonym for the SUBscribe command
UNSubscribe Sign off a mailing list
SIGNOFF     A synonym for the UNSubscribe command
List        Receive a listing of all the mailing lists at a server
REView      Receive details of a mailing list
Query       Review your optional settings for a mailing list
SET         Change your optional setting for a mailing list
CONFIRM     Confirm your subscription to a mailing list
STats       Display statistical information about a mailing list
REGister    Register your name at a LISTSERV server

---

SUBscribe

Use the SUBscribe (or SIGNUP) command to join a mailing list. You can also use this command to alter the name (but not e-mail address) by which you are known on a mailing list you have already joined. The format of the command is:

---

SUBscribe  list-name  < full-name >

---

Where list-name is the name of the list to which you want to subscribe. For example, the EARN User Group list located at the node IRLEARN has a list name of EARN-UG. Do not confuse this with the list's address (EARN-UG@IRLEARN) which should not be used. The optional full-name parameter allows you to give a name by which you want to be known on a mailing list. If specified, it should be your full, real name (at least your first name and last name) and not your e-mail address. If you send this command to LISTSERV via command mail, the name for the full-name option will be taken from the name given in the From: mail header should it be omitted from the command text. For example, the following command would subscribe you to the EARN-UG mailing list under the name of Alan C. Border:

SUBSCRIBE  EARN-UG  Alan C. Border

Since the EARN-UG list is located at the node IRLEARN, the above command should be sent to the LISTSERV server at the same node.

A request to join a mailing list can be processed in three ways: subscription to a list may be OPEN, CLOSED, or BY-OWNER. If it is OPEN, you will be automatically added to the list and sent notification. If it is CLOSED, you will not be added to the list, and LISTSERV will send you a message telling you that your request has been rejected. If it is BY-OWNER, your subscription request will be forwarded to the list owner(s), who will decide whether or not to add you to the list (LISTSERV will inform you to whom your request has been forwarded). To see what kind of subscription a list has, use the REView command.

You can send your SUBscribe command to the LISTSERV server that manages the list you wish to join, or to any backbone LISTSERV server. All backbone servers have an up-to-date listing of all non-confidential lists at every other LISTSERV. A backbone LISTSERV will automatically forward your request to the appropriate site. If there are several servers with (unconnected) lists of the same name, then LISTSERV will send you a list of these sites and advise you to send your SUBscribe command directly to the appropriate server.

When you join a list, LISTSERV at that site adds your name and e-mail address to its signup file. Once you have joined a list at a particular LISTSERV, you need not include your name in subsequent SUBscribe commands for lists at that server. Unless you do provide your name in the full-name option, LISTSERV will search for and use the name it has for you in its signup file. If you send a SUBscribe command for a list to which you already belong, then LISTSERV will interpret the command as a request to change your full-name on the list.

 

UNSubscribe

Use the UNSubscribe (or SIGNOFF) command to leave a mailing list. The format of the command is:

---

UNSubscribe  list-name  |  *  < (NETWIDE >

---

where list-name is the name of a mailing list from which you want to remove your subscription. For example, the MacIntosh Digest list located at the node CEARN has the name INFO-MAC. Do not confuse this with the list's address (INFO-MAC@CEARN) which should not be used. You can signoff all the lists to which you are a member at any particular LISTSERV site by using the '*' (asterisk) character in the place of a list name. If you want your UNSubscribe command to be propagated to all LISTSERV servers on the network, include the (NETWIDE option. For example, use the following command to leave the INFO-MAC list at node CEARN:

UNSUBSCRIBE INFO-MAC

It should be sent to LISTSERV at CEARN which manages the INFO-MAC list. To leave all the LISTSERV lists you belong to throughout the network, send the following command to your nearest (or any) LISTSERV:

UNSUBSCRIBE * (NETWIDE

Use this option if you are changing your e-mail address or are leaving your computer for an extended period.

 

List

Use this command to get a listing of available mailing lists at a LISTSERV server. The format of the command is:

---

List  < options >  < F= format >  < CLASS= class >

---

Where options may be any of the following:

Short

This option displays a summary of all the lists managed by a LISTSERV in a brief, one line description. This is the default.

Long

The Long (or Detailed) option will send a file (called node-name LISTS) to you that contains a comprehensive description of the lists managed by a LISTSERV server.

Detailed

This is a synonym for the Long option.

Global < pattern >

This option gives a complete list of all known LISTSERV mailing lists at all servers at the time the command is issued. A file (called LISTSERV LISTS) will be sent to you containing the names, titles and e-mail addresses of these lists. This is a very large file, so make sure you have the necessary disk space to accommodate its size before you use the Global option. The optional pattern parameter can be used to match any string in the list name, list title or list address. So if, for example, you wanted details of all mailing lists related to chemistry, you could use the following command:

LIST GLOBAL CHEM

SUMmary < node | ALL | TOTAL >

This option displays the number of lists managed by a LISTSERV server and the total number of users that are subscribed to them. This will be given for the server to which the command is sent or for the LISTSERV at any node given in the optional node parameter. Using the ALL parameter will provide the same information but for all LISTSERV servers across the network. The output with this option will be broken down on a server by server basis. The TOTAL optional parameter provides similar information except that you are only given an overall summary of the number of mailing lists and list members at all LISTSERVs and are not shown the figures from individual servers.

REView

Use this command to receive a listing of a mailing list. It will be sent to you as a file called list-name LIST (or list-name node-name for peered lists). A mailing list is comprised of two parts: a control section and a subscription section. The control section holds the definition parameters for a list which includes information such as who is authorized to review or join a list and whether or not it is archived. The subscription section holds the e-mail addresses and names of all list members. The REView command allows you to receive a listing of either or both of these sections (the default is both) for any list, provided you are authorized to do so. Note that at the discretion of the list owner(s), the REView command can be restricted in use to list members only. In this case, you will not be authorized to review a mailing list if you are not a member of that list yourself. Also, individual list members can restrict the appearance of their e-mail address and name in response to a REView command if they have set the CONCEAL mailing list option (see the SET command for more details). The format of the command is:

---

REView  list-name  < ( >  < options >

---

Where list-name is the name of the LISTSERV list you wish to review. The options follow the list name and can be:

Short

This option restricts the information you receive to the control section of a list (giving its definition parameters) and does not return the subscription section of a list (giving the list members).

NOHeader

This option is the converse of the Short option. You will receive the listing of list members, but not the list's definition parameters.

Msg

Use this option to have LISTSERV send you the output of your REView command as interactive messages (that will appear on your screen) rather than in a file. Note that this option is valid for EARN/BITNET users only.

Countries

If you use this option, the list of members will be organized by the nationality given in their e-mail addresses. This is similar to using the BY Country sort option of the REView command (see below).

LOCal

If the list is peered (that is, it is linked to other mailing lists of the same name but on different LISTSERV servers), you will receive listings of all of these mailing lists in response to a REView command. The LOCal option can be used to suppress the propagation of the REView command to the LISTSERV servers hosting these peered mailing lists. In this case, you will receive a listing only from the server to which you send the REView command and not the others. For example:

REVIEW XMAILER LOCAL

BY sort-fields

This option is used to specify a presentation for the members of a list you are reviewing. The sort-fields parameter indicates the way in which you want the list members to be sorted. If the BY option is not given in a REView command, the list members will be sorted by the computer node name given in their e-mail addresses. This is equivalent to using the the NODEid parameter with the BY option (see below). The sort-fields can be:

Country

Sort list members by the country of origin given in their e-mail addresses.

Name

Sort list members by their names (last, then first). Note that this is not the e-mail address but the full name that they provided when they subscribed to a list.

NODEid

Sort list members by their computer node. That is, the name that comes after the '@' (at sign) in their e-mail addresses.

Userid

Sort list members by their userids. That is, the name that comes before the '@' (at sign) in their e-mail addresses.

For example, if you wished to have the membership of a mailing list presented to you sorted by their userids:

REVIEW XMAILER LOCAL BY USERID

Note that more than one sort field may be specified when using the BY option. If this is the case, then the sort fields given must be enclosed in parentheses and the optional parenthesis that separates the list-name from the options of the REView command must also be present (although this will not be obligatory in future releases of the LISTSERV server). The list members will then be sorted on all the given sort fields (in order from left to right). For example, if you wanted the list members to be sorted by their countries and then by their names, your REView command would have the following format:

REVIEW XMAILER (LOCAL BY (COUNTRY NAME)

Query

When you join any mailing list, you will be assigned a default set of list options that control such things as way you received mail when it is distributed and the type of notification LISTSERV will give you when it distributes mail you have sent to a list. These are the personal list options that may be altered on any mailing list to which you are subscribed to suite your circumstances. See the SET command for a complete descriptions of these options. The Query command can be used to review the personal list options you have in effect at any mailing list. It has the format:

---

Query  list-name  |  *

---

where list-name is the name of a list to which you are subscribed. If you use an '*' (asterisk) character instead of a list name, you will receive information about your personal options for all lists to which you belong at the LISTSERV to which you send the command.

 

SET

Use the SET command to change your personal options for a mailing list. These options will remain in effect until they are explicitly changed. The Query command can be used to display your current optional settings for any list to which you are subscribed. The format of the SET command is:

---

SET  list-name  |  *   options

---

where list-name is the name of the mailing list for which you are changing your options. You may change your options for a specific list or for all the lists you belong to at a particular LISTSERV by using the '*' (asterisk) character in place of a list name. After processing your SET command, LISTSERV will send you conformation of the successful alteration of your mailing list options via e-mail. Note that only the options you specify with this command are altered while the rest remain unchanged. The options are:

Mail | DIGests | INDex | NOMail

These options of the SET command alter the way in which you receive mail from a mailing list. The Mail option means that you wish to have list mail distributed to you as mail. This is the default. The DIGests and INDex options are available only if a list has had these features enabled by its owner(s). Digests hold all the mail messages sent to a list over a certain period of time. Instead of receiving each mail individually as it is distributed to list members, you will receive all the mail in one batch for a given day, week or month. You may then browse through these mail messages at your leisure. Note that mail is not edited with the DIGests option, you will receive copies of all the mail messages in their entirety. The INDex option will provide you with only the date, time, subject, number of lines and the sender's name and address for all mail messages sent to a list. The text of the mail message will not be included. You may then select and retrieve any mail that interests you from the list archive (see the chapter LISTSERV DATABASE Functions for more information on how to do this). Both the DIGests and INDex options provide a means of listening in to discussions on mailing lists without having to deal with large quantities of incoming mail messages. The NOMail option means that mail sent to the list will not be distributed to you. This is useful when you are leaving your computer for an extended period of time and you do not want mail from the list to fill your mailbox. When you return, you can send the SET command with the Mail option to restore mail service. For example, if you want to stop receiving mail from all the lists at SEARN to which you belong, send the following command to LISTSERV at SEARN:

SET * NOMAIL

Files | NOFiles

Mailing lists may be used to distribute files that have been sent to them via NJE file transfer. This is the file transfer system used by users on EARN/BITNET network. Note that is it not possible to send files to a mailing list via FTP or the file transfer systems of any other networks. Transferring a file to a mailing list can be used when your computer does not have a mail system installed (so you cannot send e-mail) or for sending executable files to mailing lists. When a file is transferred to a mailing list, LISTSERV will distribute it to EARN/BITNET list members in the same format in which it was originally sent and to non-EARN/BITNET list members, as e-mail. This option of the SET command allows you to specify whether or you want to receive any files that were sent to a mailing list via NJE file transfer. The default is Files.

ACK | MSGAck | NOACK

This indicates the kind of acknowledgement you want to receive from a LISTSERV server when it distributes any mail you have sent to a list. ACK means that you want to receive a mail message from LISTSERV indicating that your message was successfully distributed. MSGAck means that you want this confirmation via interactive messages rather than by e-mail. NOACK specifies that you want just a short, one line interactive message from LISTSERV. Note that MSGAck and NOACK acknowledgments are not sent to non-EARN/BITNET users. The default for this option is determined by the owner(s) of a list.

REPro | NOREPro

Indicates whether or not you yourself want to receive a copy of any mail which you send to a list. The default is NOREPro, meaning that mail which you send to a list will be distributed to all members of the list except you. For example, if you want to get a copy of your own mail messages sent to list EARN-UG at IRLEARN, send the following command to LISTSERV at IRLEARN:

SET EARN-UG REPRO

SHORThdr | FULLhdr | IETFhdr | DUALhdr

All mail messages are comprised of header and body sections. The header section provides details such as the recipients, the original sender and the date ant time a mail message was sent. The mail body section contains the text of a mail message. These options of the SET command indicate the type of mail headers you want to receive in the mail distributed from a mailing list. SHORThdr means that the mail header will include only the essential informational headers (for instance the Date:, To:, From:, Subject:, Sender: and Reply-to: headers). This is the default. You may change this to FULLhdr, which means that all (including non-essential) mail headers will be present in e-mail. The IETFhdr option means that LISTSERV will not change the headers of a mail message it distributes to you other than to add a Received: mail header (and also a Message-id: and Sender: headers if either of these were not already present). This option is designed specifically for compatibility with SMTP exploders (as used, for instance, on the Internet network). Lastly, DUALhdr is very similar to the SHORThdr option except that LISTSERV will also insert mail headers at the beginning of the mail body. Therefore, when the mail is received and read by a recipient using this option, it will start with this information (for instance, the first three lines of a mail message may contain the To:, From: and Subject: mail headers). This option is useful for users of some PC based mail packages that will not display this information from the real mail headers.

CONCEAL | NOCONCEAL

Indicates whether or not you want your name and mail address to appear in the display of list members which is given in response to a REView command. The default is NOCONCEAL. Note that a complete list of members is always given to list owners and LISTSERV administrators regardless of this option.

TOPICS: < + | - > topic-names

A mailing list to which you are subscribed may support the separation of its mail into a set of topics. If a list owner has defined a variety of different discussion topics for a list, you may use the TOPICS: option to select those that are of interest to you and exclude all others. You will then receive only those mail messages posted to the list that relate to the one or more topics you have chosen. If you do not select any topics for such a list, you will receive all the e-mail sent to it. Note that you must have the Mail option enabled for a mailing list before you can then use the TOPICS: option since the DIGests and INDex options to not support topic selection and the NOMail option will stop all mail from a list being sent to you (see these options of the SET command for more information). Additionally, a list owner must have enabled topic support for a mailing list before you can use the SET TOPICS: command on that list. This is done at a list owner's discretion. You may use the REView command to determine if topics have been enabled on any particular mailing list.

A mailing list may have up to eleven topics defined for it. You may select one or more of these topics by including their names in the topic-names parameter. For example, if a mailing list called NUCHEM-L had the topics neutron, proton and electron defined, you could send the command:

SET NUCHEM-L TOPICS: NEUTRON PROTON

to receive list mail related to only the neutron and proton topics. Once you have subscribed to various topics, they may be changed by using the '+' (add) or '-' (minus) symbols to increase or decrease the topics you wish to receive from a mailing list. This is useful when you do not want to retype a long list of topic names with the TOPICS: option. For example, to add the topic electron and remove the topic neutron from the NUCHEM-L list:

SET NUCHEM-L TOPICS: +ELECTRON -NEUTRON

You would now be subscribed to the topics of proton and electron for the NUCHEM-L mailing list. Note that you can review the topics which you have selected for any mailing list through the Query command. You may also use the special topic name of ALL to select all the topics available on a mailing list. This is useful when used in conjunction with the '-' (minus) symbol to select all but a few of the topics available on a mailing list. For example, to subscribe to every topic except neutron on the NUCHEM-L list, you could use the command:

SET NUCHEM-L TOPICS: ALL -NEUTRON

To send mail to one or more topics defined on mailing list, the topic names must be present in the Subject: mail header when the mail is posted. If more than one topic name is given, they must be separated by commas. The topic names section should then be finished with a ':' (semi-colon), after which the normal contents of the Subject mail header can be entered. For example, to send mail to the users subscribed to the proton and electron topics on the NUCHEM-L list, the Subject: mail header would look like this:

Subject: proton,electron: Hydrogen Nucleus Results.

You may also use the topic name of ALL to send mail to all of the available topics on a mailing list. If topic names were incorrect or were not included in the Subject: mail header, then this mail is distributed to the special topic name of OTHER. You may also subscribe to this topic to receive mail that is distributed under this topic name (note that a subscription to the topic ALL will receive mail distributed to the topic OTHER).

CONFIRM

Use the CONFIRM command to renew your subscription to a list. Some mailing lists require subscription renewal at regular intervals (usually once a year). A mail message is automatically sent to list members indicating that they must send a CONFIRM command within a given number of days or they will be removed from the list. This command must be sent from the same e-mail address that received the confirmation notice. The syntax of the CONFIRM command is:

---

CONFIRM  list-name

---

where list-name is the name of the mailing list to which you are confirming your subscription. LISTSERV will send a message that your subscription has been confirmed. For example, if you receive a message from LISTSERV at IRLEARN to confirm your subscription to the EARN-UG list, then send the following command to that server:

CONFIRM EARN-UG

STats

This command will cause a statistical report for a specific mailing list to be sent to you. Note, however, that statistics may not be collected for some lists or they may not be available to everybody. The format of the command is:

---

STats  list-name  < (LOCal >  < F= format >  < CLASS= class

---

where list-name is the name of the list for which you are requesting statistics. The (LOCal option can be used to indicate that only local statistics are wanted and not the statistics from other LISTSERVs if the list happens to be peered. You will be sent a file (called list-name STATREP) containing the relevant statistics. It will give details such as the name or address and number of mail messages each sender has posted to the list and the network load (in hundreds of bytes) that the list contributes to the network traffic.

REGister

The REGister command can be used to register your full name at any LISTSERV server (note that this is your name and not your e-mail address). Once you have registered your name at a LISTSERV, that server will then always refer to you with that name (unless you provide a name in a mailing list subscription request). The command has the format:

---

REGister  full-name  |  OFF

---

Where full-name is your name. For example, the command:

REGISTER Mark A. Taylor

sent to any LISTSERV will cause that server to always refer to you with the given name. This can be removed by using the OFF option.