Introduction to the mailtraq-support list

The Mailtraq Web Site - The Mailtraq Support Group - Home


There is only one absolute rule: No binaries.

There is only one exhortation: No flaming, please.

Note also that this list is closed to protect the privacy of subscribers and replies are set to the list address. The list archive is available to current subscribers only.


Posting to the mailtraq-support list

Send messages which you wish to be distributed by the list to

mailto:mailtraq-support@mtq.org.uk

Please do NOT send command messages, such as subscribe and unsubscribe, to the list address.

The list prevents most inappropriate messages from being distributed by ensuring that only subscribers are permitted to post. Messages with blank subject headers or with subject headers which commence with certain keywords are filtered out. The poster is notified so that a modified message can be reposted with minimum inconvenience. Please note that only messages which start a new thread are affected by this filter mechanism.

List Command filters:

Conceal, Digest, DigestMd, DigestText, Help, Info, Members, Name, NoConceal, NoDigest, NoMail, NoPublic, NoRecBin, Password, Public, Rec, RecBin, Resume, Set, Status, Suspend

Archive Command filters:

Add, Index, Send, Template

Invalid (Un)Subscribe filters:

Subscibe, Subsribe, Unsubscibe, Unsubsribe, Leave, Remove

Miscellaneous filters:

Test Please use the test autoresponder (see below) for test posts to the list host Automat* Traps many holiday programs and autoresponders


The command set for the mailtraq-support list

Mailing List Commands

... are case insensitive unless otherwise stated ... MUST be sent to <mailserver@mtq.org.uk> ... MUST be placed in the body of the message ... MUST be followed by at least one blank line ... MUST be sent from your normal posting address

The contents of the Subject: header are ignored.

An unlimited number of commands, one per line in the message body, may be sent in a single message to mailserver@mtq.org.uk. Each command may refer to a different mailing list or archive if required.


SUBSCRIBE

Use only when joining the list

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SUBSCRIBE mailtraq-support

This subscribes the sender, subject to the satisfactory conclusion of any security checks, to the mailtraq-support mailing list using the defaults set by the list administrator. The defaults are that the subscriber will ...

.... post messages from the address in their From: header .... receive mail (REC) at the address in their Reply-To: header .... have their details (NAME) parsed from the From: header .... not be permitted to send mime binaries .... receive ordinary mail (MAIL) .... not receive digests (DIGEST) .... not receive binaries (RECBIN) .... not conceal their identity (CONCEAL) .... not be included in membership lists (PUBLIC)

The full syntax of the SUBSCRIBE command is as follows ...

> SUBSCRIBE mailtraq-support "User Name" send@from rcpt@to [DIGEST] [NODIGEST] [MAIL] [NOMAIL]

.... for example ...

> SUBSCRIBE mailtraq-support "Joe Soap" joe@home.com joe@work.com DIGEST NOMAIL

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SUBSCRIBE mailtraq-support %22Joe Soap%22 joe@home.com joe@work.com DIGEST NOMAIL

.... and can also be used to override the list defaults when making individual subscriptions. In the above example, Joe Soap has elected to post messages to the list from home (joe@home) and to have the digest sent to his work address (joe@work).

Multiple subscriptions can be made in the same message to obtain copies of distributed messages to other addresses or to enable posts to be sent from multiple locations.


UNSUBSCRIBE

Use only when leaving the list

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=UNSUBSCRIBE mailtraq-support

The normal subscriber posting address should be used to send this command.


HELP

Returns a message to the address specified in the From: or Reply-To: header giving additional information about the list

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=HELP mailtraq-support


SUSPEND RESUME

Suspends or resumes your subscription to the list. This is the preferred command during short absences from the list because your current subscription settings are held unchanged. The list responds to both keywords by returning a STATUS message which details the current settings of your subscription.

While SUSPEND is active mail and digests are not distributed to the subscriber until the RESUME keyword is received by the list.

Use SUSPEND to place your subscription on hold

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SUSPEND mailtraq-support

Use RESUME to reactivate your subscription with unchanged settings

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=RESUME mailtraq-support


MEMBERS

Returns a formatted list of current subscribers

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=MEMBERS mailtraq-support

Only those subscribers who have chosen to make their subscription PUBLIC will be listed.


STATUS

Returns a message showing the subscription status of the subscriber shown in the From: header.

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=STATUS mailtraq-support

Many of the settings revealed by the status report may be changed by the subscriber using the general SET keyword followed by a topic specific flag.


HELP

Returns this message giving information about the mailing list

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=HELP mailtraq-support


SET

This keyword MUST precede all the following flags in the subject line and MUST be the first word on each line. SET is included automatically in the new messages generated by the mailto: syntax used in the examples.


MAIL NOMAIL

Halts or activates normal mail distribution from the list and must be preceded by the keyword SET.

Use SET mailtraq-support MAIL to activate normal mail distribution

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SET mailtraq-support MAIL

Use SET mailtraq-support NOMAIL to halt normal mail distribution

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SET mailtraq-support NOMAIL

During holidays or similar absences the SUSPEND keyword should be used by preference.


DIGEST DIGESTMD DIGESTTEXT NODIGEST

Halts or activates one of three types of digest and MUST be preceded by the SET keyword. Note that only one digest type can be active for any one subscriber - including multiple digest types in a single control message will result in the last used digest type being set.

Use SET mailtraq-support DIGEST to receive Multipart/Mixed digests

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SET mailtraq-support DIGEST

Use SET mailtraq-support DIGESTMD to receive Multipart/Digest digests ...

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SET mailtraq-support DIGESTMD

.... which is the preferred format for Agent users because it can be burst into individual messages on receipt. The other digest types cannot be burst by Agent.

Use SET mailtraq-support DIGESTTEXT to receive Multipart/Text digests

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SET mailtraq-support DIGESTTEXT

Use SET mailtraq-support NODIGEST to stop receiving any of the digests

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SET mailtraq-support NODIGEST


RECBIN NORECBIN

Stops or enables the receipt of mime binaries in messages distributed by the list and MUST be preceded by the keyword SET.

Use SET mailtraq-support RECBIN to enable binary receipt

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SET mailtraq-support RECBIN

Use SET mailtraq-support NORECBIN to halt binary receipt

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SET mailtraq-support NORECBIN


CONCEAL NOCONCEAL

Conceals subscriber personal details in messages and MUST be preceded by the keyword SET.

Use SET mailtraq-support CONCEAL to hide your identity

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SET mailtraq-support CONCEAL

Use SET mailtraq-support NOCONCEAL to reveal your identity

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SET mailtraq-support NOCONCEAL

This command anonymises posts completely, including removal of Received: lines from headers to ensure that the subscriber's location is hidden. A subscriber may still inadvertantly reveal their identity within the body of a message.


PUBLIC NOPUBLIC

Includes or excludes subscriber name and address from the public membership list and MUST be preceded by the keyword SET.

Use SET mailtraq-support PUBLIC to include details in the membership list

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SET mailtraq-support PUBLIC

Use SET mailtraq-support NOPUBLIC to remove details from the membership list

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SET mailtraq-support NOPUBLIC


NAME="text"

Changes the subscriber's name to the string shown in text.

Use SET mailtraq-support NAME="Qwerty" to change your name to Qwerty

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SET mailtraq-support NAME="Qwerty"


REC=<address>

Changes the address to which the subscriber receives messages distributed by the list.

Use SET mailtraq-support REC=<joe@home> to change your receive address to joe@home

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SET mailtraq-support REC=<cjoe@home>


Archive Commands


Archive Commands

... are case insensitive unless otherwise stated ... MUST be addressed to <mailserver@mtq.org.uk> ... MUST be in the body of the message ... MUST be followed by at least one blank line ... MUST be sent from the normal posting address

The contents of the Subject: header are ignored.

An unlimited number of commands, one per line, may be sent in a single message to mailserver@mtq.org.uk. Each command may refer to a different mailing list or archive if required.


The following field appears in the headers of every message distributed by the list ...

List-Archive: <mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SEND mailtraq-support-archive n>

.... where n is the filename of the message stored in the mailing list archive. The numbers of missing messages may be interpolated by reference to that header field in other messages.


INDEX

Retrieves a list of the contents of the archive. Messages are listed in order of arrival.

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=INDEX mailtraq-support-archive

At year-end, list messages for the previous year are transferred to an archive named mailtraq-support-yyyy. See the mailserver entry below for further instructions.


SEND

Retrieves the specified message number from the archive. The following retrieves message number 100.

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SEND mailtraq-support-archive 100

The message number specified for SEND may also be a range of numbers instead of a single number. To retrieve messages numbered 1 through 10 plus numbers 12 and 15, for example, a syntax similar to the print page ranges command in Windows programs may be employed:

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=SEND mailtraq-support-archive 1-10,12,15


DIGEST

Retrieves the specified message numbers from the archive in the form of a digest (multipart/mixed only) instead of individual messages. The syntax is the same as the SEND command

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=DIGEST mailtraq-support-archive 1-10,12,15


HELP

Returns a message giving information about the archive

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=HELP mailtraq-support-archive


mailserver address


You can obtain a list of publicly available resources on the list host by sending the HELP command to <mailserver@mtq.org.uk> without a qualifying list or archive name, for example:

mailto:mailserver@mtq.org.uk?Body=HELP

If the syntax of a command sent to mailserver@mtq.org.uk is invalid, an error message is returned to the sender.


If at first you don't succeed, please give up and ask the list administrator for help rather than send invalid commands which might be distributed to all the subscribers.

You're always welcome to write to ...

mailto:list-owner@mtq.org.uk

.... if assistance or clarification is needed with any of the above.

-- list-owner@mtq.org.uk


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