Sending Commands to LISTSERV
Most list management operations may be more easily, and safely, accomplished using the LISTSERV List Management Web interface. For this reason, list owners are encouraged to use the web interface to manage their lists.
However, it is useful to know that the list management functions you can do using the List Management Web interface can also be accomplished by sending commands to LISTSERV. In fact, before the Web interface was available, the only way to communicate with LISTSERV was via e-mailed commands. If you prefer, you may still use e-mailed commands to interact with the NIH LISTSERV facility.
You can also transmit commands to LISTSERV by typing them into the Command Screen on the List Management Web Interface. See The List Management Web Interface: Sending Commands.
This section contains a very limited set of LISTSERV commands. It is not intended to be comprehensive. For comprehensive information on these and other LISTSERV commands, please consult the List Owner's Manual for LISTSERV from L-Soft:
http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8d/owner/appenda.htmlThe Importance of Your E-mail "From:" Address
When you communicate with LISTSERV via e-mail, e.g., to add a subscriber to a list, or to confirm a command, LISTSERV identifies you by the address that appears on the "From:" line in your e-mail message. This address, which we call your e-mail "From:" address, is generally set by your e-mail administrator (although some e-mail software, such as Eudora Mail, allows you to choose your "From:" address).
NOTE: Your "From:" address must exactly match the owner address defined in your list header, or LISTSERV will not recognize you as a list owner. If this problem occurs, use the Web interface to modify your list header and include your e-mail "From:" address as a second owner address. (You may wish to make the second address a "quiet" owner to avoid receiving duplicate copies of administrative mail.)
How to E-mail a Command to LISTSERV
To e-mail a LISTSERV command, type it in the body of an e-mail message and send it to listserv@list.nih.gov. Leave the subject line blank. If your e-mail software appends a signature to your e-mail messages, turn this feature off before sending commands to LISTSERV.
The QUIET Prefix
QUIET command-text
This special prefix suppresses notification mail for the specified command. For example, a "QUIET ADD" command would prevent notification from being sent to the person being added to the list. Note that this does not disable future mail to the user, or any future ADD notifications. In addition, it will not suppress severe error messages, which are usually sent via mail.Command Conventions
Commands are listed in alphabetical order. The minimum acceptable abbreviation appears in capital letters (e.g., DELete). Square brackets [ ] are used to indicate optional keywords. A vertical bar | indicates a choice. Italics show that a value is to be filled in, e.g., listname. Commands that support the QUIET prefix are marked (‡).
General Commands
CHANGE (‡) listname|* user@oldhost|pattern user@newhost|pattern
Allows the list owner to change user addresses with a single command (this previously required two commands, ADD and DELETE). If the wildcard character (*) is used in place of the list name, the change will be made in all lists owned by the sender. Use of the wildcard character in the address allows all addresses fitting a particular pattern to be changed to a new pattern. For example, if the oldhost.nih.gov server were being renamed to newhost.nih.gov, you might use the following CHANGE command:
Quiet change mylist *@oldhost.nih.gov *@newhost.nih.gov
FREE listname [PW=password]
Release a held list
FREE negates a previous HOLD command and releases mail files that may have been previously placed in HOLD status (see HOLD command, below).
LISTSERV will automatically HOLD a list that exceeds the list's "daily threshold" -- i.e., the maximum number of postings allowed per day (an additional safeguard against mail loops -- see HOLD command, below). At NIH, the default maximum is 50. Use the FREE command to release the hold. (The value for the Daily-Threshold keyword may be modified.
HOLD listname [PW=password]
Hold a list, preventing new postings from being processed until a FREE command is sent
Causes LISTSERV to hold all mail sent to the list after sending an appropriate message to the sender. This effectively suspends all postings to the specified list without purging the files and without affecting any other lists (postmasters have access to a similar command that suspends mailing activity for ALL lists). Useful when a list is suddenly flooded with mail and a mail loop is suspected.
If you suspect a loop, issue the hold command, then send e-mail to listmaster@list.nih.gov. Once you and the LISTSERV Administrators have stopped the loop or determined that there is none, you can issue the FREE command to release the hold on the list. Mail that was held will be released to the list at that time. To review (and possibly delete) backlogged mail after a list has been held, modify the header and designate a temporary editor for the list, before you issue the FREE command. This will cause the backlogged mail to be sent to the editor for review before it is posted. For instructions on making your existing list an edited list, see "Making Your List an Edited List."
Query listname FOR user@host
Query subscription options for one or more users
List owners are authorized to query the distribution options of list subscribers by appending "FOR user@host" to the command text. Wildcards may be used to designate multiple users -- e.g., FOR *@*niaid.nih.gov will query distribution options for all list subscribers whose address ends in niaid.nih.gov. No password is required on this command, and no notification is sent to the target user.
REView listname [(options]
Get information about a list
Options restricted to list owners:
NOHEADER
causes LISTSERV to omit the list header from the output of the command
BY NAME
sorts the subscriber list by name
BY HOST
sorts the subscriber list by host name
When sent by the list owner, the command returns a copy of the list header and the subscriber list. NOTE: This command is the only way to get a full copy of your subscriber list to print or save in a file.
SET(‡) listname [options] FOR user@host [PW=password]
Alter subscription options for the list, or for one or more users
Options restricted to list owners:
POST/NOPOST
enable/prevent user from posting to list (useful for screening out postings from troublesome subscribers)
REVIEW/NOREVIEW
postings from the specified user go to list owner or editor for review/postings from user receive no special review. (The REVIEW option can be useful for screening out postings from troublesome subscribers.)
Other options (not restricted to list owners):
MAIL/NOMAIL
user receives list mail/user's list mail is suspended
DIGEST/NODIGEST
user receives list mail in digest form (i.e., combined into one or two messages per day)/user receives list mail as separate postings
ACK/NOACK/MSGack
user receives/doesn't receive. ackn. of postings
CONCEAL/NOCONCEAL
user's subscription is hidden from/visible to REVIEW
REPro/NOREPro
user receives/doesn't receive a copy of his/her own postings
INDex/NOINDex
user receives postings in index format (i.e., summarized into one message per day containing a list of subjects, with info on how to retrieve full text)/user receives list mail as separate postings
Options for mail headers of incoming postings (choose one):
FULLhdr
"full" mail headers
IETFhdr
Internet-style headers
SHORThdr
short (default) headers
DUALhdr
LISTSERV copies the mail headers into the body of the e-mail. Useful for e-mail software that doesn't show complete header info
SUBJecthdr
"full" headers, except LISTSERV adds the name of list to the subject line
The SET command is used to modify the subscription options for one or more users. The optional FOR clause allows list owners to modify options for list subscribers. Wildcards may be used to designate groups of users with like addresses -- e.g., FOR *@*niaid.nih.gov will set subscription options for all list subscribers whose address ends in niaid.nih.gov. Notification will be sent to the target users after their options have been modified, unless the QUIET prefix is used. The options of all current subscribers can be set by the following command (using the wildcard *@*):
QUIET SET listname option FOR *@*
To set the default subscription options for all new users, you must modify the Default-Options keyword in the list header. For details concerning this and other list control keywords, please see the List Owner's Manual for LISTSERV from L-Soft:
http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8d/owner/appendb.html
Archive Commands
LISTSERV allows list owners to specify that archives be kept for each list. List archives (also known as notebook files) are stored files containing copies of all list postings. If these files have been set up for public use by the list owner, users may access them.
To find out what archive files are available for a specific list, use the INDEX command. The format is:
INDEX listname
The INDEX command causes a FILELIST to be sent back to the requestor, listing the available files and their access limitations. For example, the command "INDEX TLC-L" would get the following mail as a response:
TLC-L FILELIST for LISTSERV@LIST.NIH.GOV
****************************************************************
TLC-L files
****************************************************************
The GET/PUT authorization codes shown with each file
entry describe who is authorized to GET or PUT the file:
N/A = Not Applicable
OWN = List owners
PRV = Private, i.e., list members only
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
rec last - change
filename filetype GET PUT -fm lrecl nrecs date time
* -------- -------- ---- --- --- ----- ----- ---- -----
TLC-L GETLOG OWN N/A . . 0 .... ....
TLC-L WELCOME PRV OWN . . 0 .... ....
*
NOTEBOOK archives for the list(monthly notebook)
rec last change
filename filetype GET PUT -fm lrecl nrecs date time Remarks
-------- -------- --- --- --- ----- ----- ---- ---- -------
TLC-L LOG9507 ALL OWN V 73 23 95/07/31 22:34:32 Started
TLC-L LOG9508 ALL OWN V 78 173 95/08/24 11:43:54 Started
TLC-L LOG9509 ALL OWN V 79 384 95/09/25 12:51:13 Started
END/
Each entry in the FILELIST specifies the name of the file, its format and size, a brief comment, and the identities of those users who can store and retrieve, or PUT and GET, the file.
The GET command is used to request a file from a particular FILELIST. In order to get the archive file for the month of July 1995 listed in the above example, the following command would be issued:
GET TLC-L LOG9507
This would result in the archive file for the month of July 1995 being sent to you by LISTSERV.
Searching List Archives for Specific Terms or Topics
To search the archives of a specific list for one or more key terms, you can use the SEARCH command:
SEARCH term1 [term2 term3 etc.] in listname
For example, to search the archives for the NSBLOG list for references to the term POWER OUTAGE, you would type:
search power outage in nsblog
LISTSERV will mail you back a response that will look something like this:
>SEARCH POWER OUTAGE IN NSBLOG -> 4 matches. Item # Date Time Recs Subject ------ ---- ---- ---- ------- 007482 97/03/16 14:48 60 Another power outage Sat evening 007491 97/03/18 10:52 39 B15F 007492 97/03/18 12:11 15 Power outages around campus today 4-5pm 007497 97/03/19 09:58 16 Building 31 B wing power on 3/22
To actually obtain a copy of the message, send the GETPOST command to LISTSERV, substituting the item number(s) from LISTSERV's response to your search (column 1):
GETPOST listname #
For example, to request the file with Subject "B15F" from the example above, you would send the following command to LISTSERV:
GETPOST NSBLOG 7491