The University of Iowa ITS Campus Services - E-mail Support

UI List Owners Guide for LISTSERV

Follow these steps to get your list ready for subscribers:

Do I have a password assigned? Is it the same as my HawkID password?
How do I manage my list?
How can I see who is subscribed to my list?
How can I create Welcome, Farewell and INFO messages?
Do I need to subscribe to my own list?
I do (don't) want my list displayed in the public online archives. How can I change that?
What is the "Descriptive Title" and how do I change it?
How can I change the standard "You are now subscribed" message that gets sent to new subscribers?
How can I add a bottom banner?
How can I view, add to or delete subscribers from my list?
How can I add or delete many addresses ( bulk add) at one time?
Some mail to my list gets bounced because of a bad address, but I don't find the bad address on my list. What can I do?
How can I stop my list from sending messages (prevent new postings from being processed)?
How can I subscribe one list to another or set up nested lists (sub-lists)?
How can I delete a list?
What URL can I use to go directly to the list archives?
What are the mostly commonly changed configuration settings?

List Owners - Guide

Do I have a password assigned? Is it the same as my HawkID password?

LISTSERV associates your password with your e-mail address and uses that e-mail address for authenticaton. This password is not associated with your HawkID password. You set your own LISTSERV password. To get or change your LISTSERV password:

On the LISTSERV Home Page <http://list.uiowa.edu>
Click Get Password
The Register LISTSERV Password screen will open.
Enter your Email Address and Password. When your password registratio is accepted, a confirmation email will be sent to you. You will have to activate your password by responding to the email or clicking the link it contains.

Top of list

List Owners - Guide

How do I manage my list?

We recommend that you use the web interface to maintain your list.

Review the Getting Started Guide.
Review How do I use the web interface?
Go to the LISTSERV Home Page <http://list.uiowa.edu>
Click Log In
On the Login Required screen, enter your e-mail address and password.
We recommend that you scroll down and select Login without setting a cookie, especially in public areas.
Click the Log In button.
When you login the first time you will be returned to the main list archives page, but with a different toolbar at the top - with more options.
From the List Management dropdown menu select List Dashboard.

The List Dashboard shows all of your lists.

The List Dashboard Moderation section alerts you of any messages that are awaiting moderation.

The reports table at the bottom of the screen shows list configuration and list activity.

To add or remove columns from the table, click the Edit Table option.
Many list configuration options are available directly from the Dashboard. From here you can configure your lists and view, add or delete subscribers.
Lists can be configured using a wizard, which guides you step-by-step through the configuration process. To open the List Configuration Wizard, click the List Management menu, click List Configuration, and then click List Configuration Wizard:

or
Lists can be configured manually. To configure your list manually, click the List Management menu, click List Configuration, and click Manual List Configuration.
We recommend that you create a Info, Welcome, and Farewell messages (see below for details).
Select Log Out when you are finished with your LISTSERV session.

You can also maintain your list via e-mail. Please refer to the "Introductory List Owner's Manual" and "List Owner's Manual" which are available from L-Soft Documentation.

Address an e-mail message to listserv@list.uiowa.edu
Put the command in the body of the message.

Top of list

List Owners - Guide

How can I see who is subscribed to my list?

You can view your list subscribers on the web by using the List Dashboard - click List Management > List Dashboard

or clicking List Management > List Reports > Subscriber Reports.

Or via e-mail:

Address an e-mail message to listserv@list.uiowa.edu
Put the following in the body of the message:
review listname

Top of list

List Owners - Guide

How can I create Welcome, Farewell and INFO messages?

We recommend that the list owner create Welcome, Farewell and INFO messages for their list.

To create or change your Welcome, Farewell and INFO messages:

Log In to LISTSERV. <http://list.uiowa.edu>
Select List Mangement > List Configuration > List Configuration Tasks
If you own more than one list, use the drop down arrow in Select List: to select your list.
Select the Mail Templates tab
Follow the on-screen instructions.

Top of list

List Owners - Guide

Do I need to subscribe to my own list?

Yes. If you want to see the messages you need to subscribe to your own list. We recommend that you create the Welcome message first, so you can see your own Welcome message.

See How do I subscribe to (join) a list? in the Getting Started Guide.

Top of list

List Owners - Guide

I do (don't) want my list displayed in the public online archives. How can I change that?

Do you want to advertise your list on the public online archives web site and make the listname available via e-mail on the list-of-lists?

This convenience to your users may increase the risk of receiving spam on this list.

To change the configuration setting for displaying the list:

Log In to LISTSERV. <http://list.uiowa.edu>
Select List Dashboard > Configure > Edit Manually or List Management > List Configuration > Manual List Configuration.
Set Confidential = Yes to hide your list, or Confidential = No to display your list.
Select Submit from the bottom of the screen.
You should see the message "The header of the listname list has been successfully replaced."
Select log off when you are finished with your LISTSERV session.

You can always access the online archives and other list information directly:

Go to UI LISTSERV Documentation.
Select the Unlisted archive form
Type in the listname
Select Submit

Top of list

List Owners - Guide

What is the "Descriptive Title" and how do I change it?

The Descriptive Title is a one line description, maximum of 100 characters, of the list which is assigned when the list is created. This description is automatically included in the mail message sent to new subscribers. This description also appears in the online web archives listing.

To change the Descriptive Title:

Log In to LISTSERV. <http://list.uiowa.edu>
Select List Dashboard > Configure > Edit Manually or List Management > List Configuration > Manual List Configuration.
This first line in the list header is the "Descriptive Title".
Type in your new Descriptive Title.
Select Submit from the bottom of the screen.
You should see the message "The header of the listname list has been successfully replaced."
Select log off when you are finished with your LISTSERV session.

Top of list

List Owners - Guide

How can I change the standard "You are now subscribed" message that gets sent to new subscribers?

There are actually three possible places to change this message.

The SIGNUP1 or "You are now subscribed to the &LISTNAME list" template which includes/imbeds the $SIGNUP template.
The ADD1 or "You have been added to the &LISTNAME list" template which includes/imbeds the $SIGNUP template.
The $SIGNUP or "Standard message to new subscribers " template.

When a user subscribes to a list, LISTSERV sends the SIGNUP1 message.

When a list owner manually adds a subscriber to a list, LISTSERV sends the ADD1 message, unless "quiet" or "do not notify the user" has been selected.

By default, both the SIGNUP1 and the ADD1 messages imbed the $SIGNUP message by including a .im $SIGNUP command in those message templates.

To completely eliminate the SIGNUP1 and the ADD1 messages, edit those messages as described below. Add the .QQ command as the first line of each template. This will cancel the message.

To change these messages:

Log In to LISTSERV. <http://list.uiowa.edu>
Select List Mangement > List Configuration > List Configuration Tasks
If you own more than one list, use the drop down arrow in Select List: to select your list.
Select the Mail Templates tab
Follow the on-screen instructions.

You can also maintain your list via e-mail. Please refer to the "List Owner's Guide" and "List Owner's Quick Start Guide" which are available from UI LISTSERV Documentation.

Address an e-mail message to listserv@list.uiowa.edu
Put the command in the body of the message.

Top of list

List Owners - Guide

How can I add a bottom banner?

When the bottom banner is present, it will be added to the bottom of every message posted to the list. The bottom banner usually gives the name of the list, instructions for signing off the list and possibly the URL of the web archives.

We recommend that you use the web interface to maintain your list.

To create or change your bottom banner :

Log In to LISTSERV. <http://list.uiowa.edu>
Select List Mangement > List Configuration > List Configuration Tasks
If you own more than one list, use the drop down arrow in Select List: to select your list.
Select the Banners tab
Follow the on-screen instructions.

Below is an example plain text message:

The archives for &listname; are available at http://list.uiowa.edu/archives/&listname;.html See http://cs.its.uiowa.edu/email/listserv/ for details about LISTSERV" To leave this list, send the command "unsubscribe &listname;" to "listserv@list.uiowa.edu"

Below is an example HTML message:

<p>===================================
<br>SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE/CHANGE E-MAIL
<br>To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your e-mail address
<br>go to: <a href="http://list.uiowa.edu/archives/&listname.html">
http://list.uiowa.edu/archives/&listname.html</a>

Top of list

List Owners - Guide

How can I view, add to or delete subscribers from my list?

There are several ways to view, add or delete subscribers.

Log In to LISTSERV. <http://list.uiowa.edu>
Select List Management > Subscriber Management & then select the Single Subscriber tab.
Follow the directions on the screen.
Don't forget to log off at the end of your session.

Log In to LISTSERV. <http://list.uiowa.edu>
Select List Management > List Dashboard.
Click View in the Subscribers column.
Follow the directions on the screen.

To add many subscribers at once (bulk add) see How can I add or delete several addresses (bulk add) at one time? below.

Top of list

List Owners - Guide

How can I add or delete many addresses (bulk add) at one time?

One way to delete or add many addresses use the bulk add option.

Log In to LISTSERV. <http://list.uiowa.edu>
Select List Management > Subscriber Management & then select the Bulk Operations tab.
Follow the directions on the screen.

The input file must be a plain text file (with the extension of .txt) and must contain one address per line, optionally followed with a space (or TAB) and the subscriber's name. The input file can not contain quotes. For example:

emailaddress firstname lastname
emailaddress

Click the Help button in the upper right for more information.

To add subscribers to lists in bulk, using e-mail commands

Address a message to: listserv@list.uiowa.edu
In the body of the message type:
quiet add listname dd=ddname import pw=yourlistservpassword
//ddname dd *
emailaddress1 firstname lastname
emailaddress2
emailaddress3
/*

To remove/delete subscribers from lists in bulk, using e-mail commands:

Address a message to: listserv@list.uiowa.edu
In the body of the message type:
quiet del listname dd=ddname brief pw=yourlistservpassword
//ddname dd *
emailaddress1
emailaddress2
emailaddress3
/*

A second method for adding subscribers to lists, using e-mail commands:

Address a message to: listserv@list.uiowa.edu
In the body of the message type:
quiet add listname emailaddress1 firstname lastname pw=yourlistservpassword
quiet add listname emailaddress2 * pw=yourlistservpassword
quiet add listname emailaddress1 firstname lastname pw=yourlistservpassword

A second method to remove/delete subscribers from lists, using e-mail commands:

Address a message to: listserv@list.uiowa.edu
In the body of the message type:
quiet del listname emailaddress1
quiet del listname emailaddress2
quiet del listname emailaddress3

Top of list

List Owners - Guide

Some mail to my list gets bounced because of a bad address, but I don't find the bad address on my list. What can I do?

You probably have at least one e-mail address of the form firstname-lastname@uiowa.edu in your list which has a bad routing address, such as someone@aol.com or someonelse@yahoo.com. To find the bad address:

Go to The University of Iowa Phonebook and E-mail Directory <http://www.uiowa.edu/homepage/directories/index.html>
Select Advanced People Search
Scroll down to the field labeled E-mail Routing Address
Type in the bad address (address you can not find in the list).
Click Search for Faculty, Staff, Students
If you see a screen called "Query Results", look for "Send Mail to"
This will be the bad address in your list.
If instead you get "Sorry there were no matches to your query" then a bad routing address here at The University of Iowa is not the problem.

Top of list

List Owners - Guide

How can I stop my list from sending messages (prevent new postings from being processed)?

My list keeps sending the same message over and over again (looping). How can I stop my list from sending any messages until I get the problem fixed?

You can prevent new posting from being processed by issuing "hold" command. This will hold all messages until a "free" command is issued.

Log In to LISTSERV. <http://list.uiowa.edu>
Select List Management > LISTSERV Command
If you own more than one list, use the drop down arrow in Select List: to select your list.
Under Useful Commands: select Hold listname

Top of list

List Owners - Guide

How can I subscribe one list to another or set up nested lists (sub-lists)?

LISTSERV offers a robust facility for creating nested lists by using "super-lists" and "sub-lists".

"With a super-list, the membership of all the sub-lists is added (recursively) and duplicates are suppressed. The super-list is a normal list with its own archives, access controls, etc." - List Owner's Manual by L-Soft.

Only the LISTSERV maintainer can create a super-list. If you have the need for a super-list, contact the ITS Helpdesk [E-mail: its-helpdesk@uiowa.edu, (319) 384-Help (4357)]

For more information see L-Soft Documentation > List Owner's Manual > Section 2.13.12 Super-Lists and Sub-Lists.

Top of list

List Owners - Guide

How can I delete a list?

Send email to its-helpdesk@uiowa.edu

Include the listname and your name, dept and phone number. You will receive a confirmation request by e-mail.

Top of list

List Owners - Guide

What URL can I use to go directly to my list archives?

http://list.uiowa.edu/archives/listname.html

Top of list

List Owners - Guide

What are the most commonly changed configuration keywords/settings?

New Lists: Your settings will be created from the New List Request Form that you submit. You should not need to change any of the settings.

Detailed information can be found in the L-Soft List Keyword Reference.

Help can also be found by selecting List Management > Alphabetic Keyword List

The most commonly changed settings include (these match the selections on the New List Request Form):

List Owner Information?

To change the list owner, simply modify the owner keyword.

Owner = EmailAddressOne,EmailAddressTwo....

A. Who can subscribe to the list?

Subscription = keyword

Open,Confirm -> Anyone can subscribe to the list. They must confirm their address with an "OK" response. No list owner intervention is required.
By_Owner -> New users are not allowed to subscribe. Their requests are forwarded to the list owner.
By_Owner,Confirm -> Same as "By_ Owner" with the addition that the subscriber must first confirm their address with an "OK" response.
Closed -> New users are not allowed to subscribe. Their requests are "bounced" back to the sender, i.e., the list owner does not see the requests.

B. Who can post (send) messages to the list?

Send = keyword

Public,Confirm -> Anyone can send to the list.
Private,Confirm -> Only list members can send to the list.
Owner,Confirm -> Only the owner can send to the list. Messages are "bounced" back to the sender.
Editor,Hold, Confirm
Editor = editorsemailaddress -> All messages are sent to the editor for approval.

C. Should the listname be shown on the online archives web page and the e-mail list-of-lists?

Confidential =

No -> Display the listname.
Yes -> Keep the listname confidential.

D. Who can view the online archives?

This is the last setting in Notebook =

Public -> Anyone can view the online archives.
Private -> Only list members can view the online archives.
Owner -> Only the list owner can view the online archives.

E. Who can review the list of subscribers?

Review =

Public -> Anyone can view the list of subscribers.
Private -> Only list members can view the list of subscribers.
Owner -> Only the list owner can view the list of subscribers.

F. To whom should the replies go?

Reply-to =

Sender,Respect -> Replies are directed to the original sender. The original "Reply-to", if any, is kept.
List,Ignore -> Replies are directed to the list address. The original "Reply-to", if any, is ignored and discarded.

Top of list