Majordomo mailing lists
This FAQ section covers the following points:
What is a Majordomo mailing list?
Majordomo is an automated system which allows users to subscribe and unsubscribe to mailing lists, and to retrieve files from list archives. The main use of mailing lists is to circulate information: Once you have subscribed to the list, you can "Post" to the list (i.e. send the list an email message). Your email (and any attachments) will be then sent to all list members.
You can also send Majordomo commands by email. The most used commands are "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" to join or leave a mailing list. Other commands allow you to get a list of available mailing lists, or perhaps find out who the members of your own mailing list are.
There are three types of mailing list: An Open list is one which is available for anyone to join, anyone can see the list, and (usually) anyone can post to the list. Open lists are of a general nature, for example, sailing, photography, etc. This is the default list type. A Closed (or private) list only allows members of the list to mail to it, and see who else is on the list. The list owner controls membership to a closed list. A Restricted list is used in special circumstances. The list is split into two parts; one is the list of members, and the other is the list of people who can send messages to the list. For example, a group of students and lecturers may share a mailing list. The list could be set up to only allow the lecturers to Post to the list.
List Owners and List Moderators
A list owner is the person responsible for a particular mailing list. Usually they are the person requesting that the list be created in the first place. They can, amongst other things, decide who may join the list, who may see the list, what (broadly) the list subject areas are, provide new list members with introductory information, and non-list members with information regarding the list.
If the list is moderated, this means that all messages sent to the list must be passed to the Moderator for approval before they are circulated to the members. The list owner often takes the role of the moderator too. Most lists are not moderated.
You can send instructions to Majordomo by sending commands (which are specific and predefined keywords) in the body (the main section) of email messages addressed to "Majordomo@plymouth.ac.uk".
*** Note that Majordomo does not process commands in the subject line. ***
You may put multiple Majordomo commands in the same mail message, but
ensure that each command is on a line by itself.
If you use a "signature block" at the end of your mail, Majordomo may mistakenly
believe each line of your signature is a command; you will then receive spurious error
messages (and a help file by return!). To keep this from happening, put the word end
after your command words. This will stop the Majordomo software from
processing your signature as bad commands.
Subscribing and Unsubscribing from lists
Once you've decided to subscribe to a list, you need to send a 'subscribe' command to
Majordomo. There are two ways to do this: To receive list mail at the address
from which you're sending your email request, send a message to
majordomo@plymouth.ac.uk with the word
"subscribe" followed by the list's name in the body of the
message as follows:
subscribe <name of the list>
However, you can subscribe requesting that your mail from the list goes to a different
address than the one you are sending the request from. To do this, add the different
email address to the subscription request.
subscribe <name of the list> <alternative email account>
If you have requested a subscription to an open list, you will probably be automatically and immediately added to the list. For closed or restricted lists, your request may be passed to the list owner for approval. Most lists will automatically send you a welcome message when you join, and some will request that you confirm who you are before your membership is activated. (This is important- you might have spotted that it is possible to request a subscription for anyone using the commands above!)
To leave the list, use the term unsubscribe in the same way described above. For example, if I wanted to unsubscribe from a mailing list called LTHE, I would send
unsubscribe lthe jdyorke@plymouth.ac.uk
Other commands work in the same way- Send a message to majordomo@plymouth.ac.uk with the command word followed by the list's name in the body of the message. The results of the command are returned to you by email.
| help | To get a list of all the current commands, together with general advice, send the help command. |
| lists | To get a list of all of the lists held on Majordomo, send the lists command. |
| info <name of list> | To retrieve the information details for a particular list, send the info command. This information is open to everyone, whether they are a member of the list or not. |
| intro <name of list> | To retrieve the introduction section for a particular list, send the intro command. (Non members might not be permitted to retrieve this section.) |
| who <name of list> | To get a list of the members addresses for a particular list, use the who command, followed by the name of the list. (Only members of the list can do this.) |
| which <email name> | To see which lists you are subscribed to, send the which command. |
| index <name of list> | Many list owners keep archives of associated files, such as help files, archive back issues etc. To find out if a list has any associated files, send the index command. |
| get <name of list> <name of file> | After using the index command, you see a file you want to retrieve, send the get command, specifying the list name and archive filename. |
Majordomo commands for list owners
The commands for list owners work in the same way- Send a message to majordomo@plymouth.ac.uk with the command word followed by the list's name in the body of the message. The results of the command are returned to you by email.
| passwd <name of list> <old password> <new password> | To reset the administrator password, send the passwd command. |
| newinfo <name of list> <password> information text about the list goes here... EOF |
Send the newinfo command to upload new information about the list. Information can be seen by everyone, whether they are a member or not. Include a blank line above and below the information text, and send the command EOF on a line by itself to signal the end of the information text. |
| newintro <name of list> <password> introductory text about the list goes here... EOF |
Send the newintro command to upload welcoming information about the list for new members. Introductions can only be seen by members of the list. Include a blank line above and below the introductory text, and send the command EOF on a line by itself to denote the end of the text. |
| approve <password> subscribe <name of list> <address> | To subscribe and approve the new member in one action, send the approve and subscribe command. This will add the user's email address to the list of members, and send them the introductory welcoming message. |
| approve <password> unsubscribe <name of list> <address> | To unsubscribe a member in one action, send the approve and unsubscribe command. This will remove this user's email address from the list of members. |