Kavi Help CenterKavi Mailing List Manager Help
| Chapter 6. Email Commands | ||
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Part I. Concepts | 
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Table of Contents
KaviŪ Mailing List Manager uses ezmlm mailing list software. One of the great features of ezmlm is that it provides a set of email address commands that can be used to subscribe or unsubscribe and get information about a mailing list via email. These commands can also be used to retrieve messages from the list's raw mail archives by message ID if archiving is enabled.
The ability to use each of these commands is configurable, so the rules governing which email commands are accepted depends on the list. Public lists are most open to email commands while more private lists restrict their usage or disallow them altogether.
Restrictions on the use of email commands are dependent on who sends the email, or more correctly, on whether the sender's email address is on a Subscriber list, and if so, which Subscriber list. Different rules can apply to different levels of list users, from public addresses (i.e., unsubscribed accounts) which are the most likely to be restricted, to regular subscriber addresses which can use ezmlm email commands on most lists, to moderator addresses which enjoy the highest level of access. For example, a moderation command is only accepted if the sender's email address is on the Moderators list.
If you send an email command and it is rejected by the list, you will receive an email notification.
Back to topTo use email commands, simply enter the "command address" into the email To: field and send the message. The address works like a command. When a mailing list receives an email addressed to a command address, it automatically responds to the command.
For instance, you might send a request for the list of all available commands. To do this, you would send an email to the command address <listname-help@example.org>. The mailing list automatically processes your request and sends you an email listing all its email address commands.
Remember:
For best results, send the message from your subscribed email address. Note that ezmlm ignores the From and Reply-To fields, so you can't fool it by entering the subscribed address in these fields.
Be sure to paste or type the email commands in the To: field rather than the Subject field, so it goes to the appropriate administrative address instead of the main mailing list mailbox. Not only is this much more effective, it's a good way to avoid getting flamed by other list subscribers.
You must confirm all emailed subscription requests to prove that the owner of the email account really wants to subscribe or unsubscribe. When you email a subscribe or unsubscribe request for one of your email addresses, the mailing list automatically emails a confirmation request to this same email address. You must confirm the request by replying from the email address that you want to be subscribed or unsubscribed before the requested action will be taken. This protects you and other subscribers from people who might maliciously subscribe or unsubscribe your email address without your consent.
When using email commands, the email subject line and body can be left blank. Once the system reads the command in the To: line it sends the email into a mailbox where it can be processed automatically, so no human reads this email. The two exceptions are 1) messages sent to the listowner (i.e., the real, live human being who "owns" the list), and 2) messages to be posted to the list.
The following conventions are observed in the sample commands:
- listname
The name of the list.
- username
The username portion of your email account.
- host.tld
The domain name portion of your email account. This may belong to your ISP or to your employer, depending on whether this is a personal or company email account. Your email account takes the form of 'username@host.tld', where '.tld' is a top-level domain such as '.net' or '.com', etc.
- example.org
The domain name of the organization. This may also take the form 'example.com'.
Table 6.1. Email Commands
| Task | Command Address | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Get the list of email commands | <listname-help@example.org> | Responds by sending you an email containing a list of all available commands. The list may or may not accept every one of these commands based on configured list rule and the sender's list user level. |
| Get info | <listname-info@example.org> | Responds by sending you an email containing information about the list. |
| Get FAQ | <listname-faq@example.org> | Responds by sending you an email containing the list's Frequently Asked Questions, if any are available. |
| Subscribe | <listname-subscribe@example.org> |
Responds by sending you an email asking you to confirm the subscription request. You must send a reply from this same email address before a subscription will be added. This prevents others from subscribing you via email without your permission. This request adds you as a regular subscriber, so you receive each message sent to the list as a separate email. If you would rather receive messages in digest form, see Subscribe to digest. If you want to subscribe under a different email address, see Subscribe alternate address. Unless this is a public list, this command will probably be rejected unless you are already a digest subscriber. |
| Unsubscribe | <listname-unsubscribe@example.org> |
Responds by sending you an email asking you to confirm the request to unsubscribe. You must send a reply from the same email address before the subscription will be removed. This prevents others from unsubscribing you via email without your permission. If you want to unsubscribe a subscription you hold under a different email address, see Unsubscribe alternate address. You can initiate the subscription to another address through this command, but the confirmation request will go to the other account This request only works if you are a regular subscriber, if you are a digest subscriber, see Unsubscribe from digest. You can also unsubscribe by clicking on the 'List-Unsubscribe' link in any list message. Most lists accept this command, even those that don't accept the Subscribe request. |
| Subscribe to digest | <listname-digest-subscribe@example.org> |
Responds by sending you an email asking you to confirm the subscription request. You must send the confirmation from this same email address before a subscription will be added. This prevents others from subscribing you via email without your permission. Unless this is a public list, this command will probably be rejected unless you are already a regular subscriber. |
| Unsubscribe from digest | <listname-digest-unsubscribe@example.org> |
Responds by sending you an email asking you to confirm the request to unsubscribe. You must send this confirmation from the same email address before the subscription will be removed. This prevents others from unsubscribing you via email without your permission. You can also unsubscribe by clicking on the 'List-Unsubscribe' link in any list message. Most lists accept this command, even those that don't accept the Subscribe to digest command. |
| Subscribe alternate address | <listname-subscribe-username=host.tld@example.org> |
You can use this address command to initiate a subscription for a different address than the one from which you send the email containing the command, but the confirmation request will be sent to the account being subscribed before a subscription will be added. This prevents others from subscribing you via email without your permission. The command begins with the familiar 'listname-subscribe' command address described previously, but you also need to provide the address of the alternate account. Just add a hyphen and your address (substituting an equal sign ('=') instead of an at sign ('@')) after the command. Unless this is a public list, this command will probably be rejected. |
| Unsubscribe alternate address | <listname-unsubscribe-username=host.tld@example.org> |
You can use this address command to remove an address from the subscription lists that is different than the one you use to send this command. The confirmation request will be sent to the account being unsubscribed before the subscription is removed to prevent others from unsubscribing you without your permission. The command begins with the familiar 'listname-subscribe' command address described previously, but you also need to provide the address of the alternate account. Just add a hyphen and your address (substituting an equal sign ('=') instead of an at sign ('@')) after the command. Most lists accept this command, even those that don't accept Subscribe commands. |
| Get archived messages by number | <listname-get.123_145@example.org> |
To get archived messages, use the command listname-get. Just add a period ('.') and a range of numbers representing the IDs of the messages you'd like to see, using an underscore ('_') as a delimiter. A maximum of 100 messages can be retrieved per request. The list would respond to the above command by returning an email containing messages 123 through 145 (a total of 23 messages). If you send the email command from an unsubscribed address this command will usually be accepted only if this is a public list. Most lists accept archive retrieval commands from subscribed addresses, but some do not. Some mailing lists don't have archives. |
| Get archive index | <listname-index.123_456@example.org> |
To get a subject and author index of the archived messages retrieved in by the previous command, use the command listname-index, adding a period ('.') and the range of message IDs you'd like to have indexed, using an underscore ('_') as a delimiter. A maximum of 100 messages can be indexed per request. The Mailing List Manager would respond to the above command by returning an email containing a subject and author index for messages 123 through 145. If you send the email command from an unsubscribed address this command will usually be accepted only if this is a public list. Most lists accept archive retrieval commands from subscribed addresses, but some do not. Some mailing lists don't have archives. |
| Get archived messages by subject | <listname-thread.12345@example.org> |
To get all messages that have the same subject as a particular message, use the command listname-index, adding a period ('.') and the message ID. The Mailing List Manager would respond to the above command by returning an email containing all messages with the same subject as message 12345. If you send the email command from an unsubscribed address this command will usually be accepted only if this is a public list. Most lists accept archive retrieval commands from subscribed addresses, but some do not. Some mailing lists don't have archives. |
| Send email to listowner | <listname-owner@example.org> | If you want to send a message to the human owner of this list, send an email to this address. Remember to provide a human-readable subject and message (body). |
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| Chapter 5. Composing Email to Post to a List |  |
Chapter 7. How Email Really Works |