Hello, I am new here and to smartlist, please excuse the newbie questions. I just signed on with a new provider that has SmartList installed. Unfortunately they provide no technical support with the list software, and the FAQ isnt quite clear to me. I hope someone can answer my few questions. I am trying to customize the rc.custom file. But it doesnt seem to be doing anything when done. Specifically I am trying to change the reply-to to go back to the list, instead of the individual. No matter what I try, it doesnt seem to work. Ive uncommented the line and tried using reply_to = "Reply-To: $listaddr" And it doesnt seem to do anything. Ive changed both the rc.custom file, the rc.init file and nothing seems to be changing. (Im under the impression rc.custom is supposed to override the rc.init file per list. But since I have only one list at the moment, I figured I could try and change both..) ?? I also noticed there are two directories where my mailing list is located. One is called "mailinglist" and the other is "mailinglist-d". What is the difference? I should note that I dont have the ability to telnet in and use utilities like "delink". Is this important since I am only creating one mailing list at this time? Thank you Rick
Rick, Welcome... I can relate to what you are saying.... I had the very same experience when I started using SmartList that was presented by my web host provider. I too, do not have telnet access and suspected that perhaps the MSDOS editor was not compatible or inserted extra characters. Fortunately, I had another PC loaded with Linux OS, so I FTP'd the rc.custom file to my Linux machine. I used VI to massage the rc.custom file and FTP'd it back to Smartlist. It worked! I believe the mailinglist-d deals with the folks who wish to subscribe to the digest version. Just my 2 cents worth, Harlan Olson -----Original Message----- From: smartlist-admin@Lists.RWTH-Aachen.DE [mailto:smartlist-admin@Lists.RWTH-Aachen.DE]On Behalf Of Rick May Sent: Monday, August 28, 2000 9:50 PM To: smartlist@Lists.RWTH-Aachen.DE Subject: smartlist questions Hello, I am new here and to smartlist, please excuse the newbie questions. I just signed on with a new provider that has SmartList installed. Unfortunately they provide no technical support with the list software, and the FAQ isnt quite clear to me. I hope someone can answer my few questions. I am trying to customize the rc.custom file. But it doesnt seem to be doing anything when done. Specifically I am trying to change the reply-to to go back to the list, instead of the individual. No matter what I try, it doesnt seem to work. Ive uncommented the line and tried using reply_to = "Reply-To: $listaddr" And it doesnt seem to do anything. Ive changed both the rc.custom file, the rc.init file and nothing seems to be changing. (Im under the impression rc.custom is supposed to override the rc.init file per list. But since I have only one list at the moment, I figured I could try and change both..) ?? I also noticed there are two directories where my mailing list is located. One is called "mailinglist" and the other is "mailinglist-d". What is the difference? I should note that I dont have the ability to telnet in and use utilities like "delink". Is this important since I am only creating one mailing list at this time? Thank you Rick _______________________________________________ Smartlist mailing list Smartlist@lists.RWTH-Aachen.DE http://MailMan.RWTH-Aachen.DE/mailman/listinfo/smartlist
Bingo! That solved it. Thanks a million. Rick
I had the very same experience when I started using SmartList that was presented by my web host provider. I too, do not have telnet access and suspected that perhaps the MSDOS editor was not compatible or inserted extra characters. Fortunately, I had another PC loaded with Linux OS, so I FTP'd the rc.custom file to my Linux machine. I used VI to massage the rc.custom file and FTP'd it back to Smartlist. It worked!
I have an additional question hopefully someone can help me with. My web hosting company has a web form to perform X-Commands. Unfortunately, when I try to perform one, it doesnt work (they do not offer support on SmartList). And if I inspect the headers, I can see: X-Diagnostic: Mail coming from a daemon, ignored Im not sure what that means. Anyone have any advice on what I can do to make this work? Thanks, Rick
At 10:10 AM -0400 8/29/00, Rick May is rumored to have typed:
X-Diagnostic: Mail coming from a daemon, ignored
Im not sure what that means. Anyone have any advice on what I can do to make this work?
I can guess; I bet you're using an address like postmaster@, admin@, etc. Try using a different address to send the X-Command from. (Please see the recent discussion about the FROM_DAEMON macro, subjected "Sub and Unsub problems.") Charlie
At 10:10 AM -0400 8/29/00, Rick May is rumored to have typed:
X-Diagnostic: Mail coming from a daemon, ignored
Im not sure what that means. Anyone have any advice on what I can do to make this work?
I can guess; I bet you're using an address like postmaster@, admin@, etc. Try using a different address to send the X-Command from. (Please see the recent discussion about the FROM_DAEMON macro, subjected "Sub and Unsub problems.")
No, that doesnt fit me at all.. Another related question.. After reading some of the list archives, it appears that I should be able to send an email from the maintaining list account with "X-command email@mydomain.com password showdist" and expect it to work? That doesnt seem to do anything either. I just get a blank message back with the following in the header.. X-Diagnostic: Suspicious X-Command format X-Diagnostic: Already on the subscriber list Any ideas? Thanks
Quoting Rick May <rick@toonstruck.com>:
No, that doesnt fit me at all..
Another related question.. After reading some of the list archives, it appears that I should be able to send an email from the maintaining
If you don't provide enough information help is impossible. You should also ask your provider at first to give you the necessary help or sufficient access rights. If you can't get it, change your provider. list
account with "X-command email@mydomain.com password showdist" and expect it to work?
You need to prepend a colon after "X-command". Please read the Smartlist Manual and don't rely on messages send to this list. Werner -- Pure NetworX GmbH voice: +41 78 6047538 Viktoriastr. 15 http://www.pure.ch CH-8057 Zurich
Quoting Rick May <rick@toonstruck.com>:
No, that doesnt fit me at all..
If you don't provide enough information help is impossible. You should also ask your provider at first to give you the necessary help or sufficient access rights. If you can't get it, change your provider.
I provided all the information in an earlier message. I dont know what else I can provide. Im hoping someone had a similiar problem and can point me in the right direction. As far as my provider, I also previously stated that they provide no tech support for smartlist. Changing providers at this time is not an option.
You need to prepend a colon after "X-command". Please read the Smartlist Manual and don't rely on messages send to this list.
I did try with a colon after the X-command. Unfortunately I forgot to put that in my email to this mailing list. As far as the manual, all links to it from various FAQs dont seem to work. Rick
At 12:18 PM -0400 8/29/00, Rick May is rumored to have typed:
I provided all the information in an earlier message. I dont know what else I can provide. Im hoping someone had a similiar problem and can point me in the right direction.
No, sir, you did NOT provide all the information...you provided darned little info, which is forcing us to guess that yours is one of the routine newbie mistakes. When I suggest you are using a DAEMON address, you _say,_ "No, that doesnt fit me at all," but don't bother to mention exactly what address you _ARE_ using (there are a bunch of addresses that will get caught in the FROM_DAEMON macro). You told us what the X-Diagnostic: header said, but did _not_ give us any additional information. You didn't tell us what address you _are_ using, nor did you exerpt the log, nor did you even bother to copy the message you received with the X-Diagnostic: header, which might have allowed us to figure out what you're doing wrong. (And I'm betting you ARE doing something wrong.) You are asking us to help you while not telling us everything we need to know. Did you set VERBOSE and check the log? Did you check the log at all? Do you even know you HAVE a log?
As far as my provider, I also previously stated that they provide no tech support for smartlist. Changing providers at this time is not an option.
That's fine...but you are going to have to do _some_ of this yourself before coming to the list for help; that's all Werner was telling you. We are not to replace the paid support staff - we all have jobs, businesses, and lives of our own, and so need you to do at least _some_ of the trouble-shooting yourself.
I did try with a colon after the X-command. Unfortunately I forgot to put that in my email to this mailing list.
How were we to know that? (And why do I have the feeling you're not adding a new X-Command: header field, but just dropping it in the body of an email message without applying the .examples/rc.local.r00 recipe...better question - do you even understand what an X-Command header field is?)
As far as the manual, all links to it from various FAQs dont seem to work.
(*sigh*) There is a file in the .etc directory of the standard distribution named Manual...you don't need "links...from various FAQs," it's part of the distribution. (But since you didn't tell us what your provider installed for you, or even whether your provider supplies you a list under their install or provides you one of your own, we can't be a lot of help here, either. Honest, we can't read minds, nor divine the structure of your install.) Please read the Manual file first, and if this doesn't help feel free to ask specific questions giving us the information we need to avoid playing 20-questions and guessing at each step of the way. Charlie
Obviously I have struck a nerve with more than one person. That was not my intention. I am simply trying to find answers to questions. I didnt know exactly what info to provide anyone with. I got several very nice responses privately, and I appreciate those. No need to get touchy.. After all, like you said, I dont know a lot about smart list, and what Im supposed to ask or tell you. I read through the FAQ's and the manual and it didnt answer my questions. That is why I am here.. Now that you have asked me what info I need to provide, I can do that. I didnt know what you would or anyone would want. As far as your remarks, yes I know there is a log, yes I know you have to send through the header, yes I know you cant read minds.. --------
At 3:08 PM -0400 8/29/00, Rick May is rumored to have typed:
Obviously I have struck a nerve with more than one person.
It happens; you say your provider doesn't supply support, yet you expect us to do so, and when we are forced to guess based on the scanty available information, we get incomplete replies. It can get...frustrating somedays.
It works fine when I comment out the reply-to line in rc.custom. Why would it work commented out, but stop working when it isnt commented out?
Not a clue; set VERBOSE=yes, and run one X-Command: with the reply-to munged. Provide both the complete mail returned to the maintainer (feel free to munge the list password, but don't muck with anything else!) and the relevant section of log file (which will be considerably larger than that available without VERBOSE). Oh, yeah...you've referenced the Reply-To: a couple of times, but you never did get around to telling us the value of $listaddr... Charlie
It happens; you say your provider doesn't supply support, yet you
expect
us to do so, and when we are forced to guess based on the scanty available information, we get incomplete replies. It can get...frustrating somedays.
I never said or implied I expected support. Only looking/asking for help. My information may be scanty, but the reason being is that I frankly dont know exactly (until now) what information I should give you. For all I know this is a common problem and everyone would know exactly what I was talking about immediately. Just like you cant read my mind, I cant read yours.. Nevermind about the problems, I figured it out.
First Id like to thank everyone who has been helping with my issues. Second Id like to apologize for the continuing questions. (I will be out of your hair shortly.. :) Im having continuing problems with Smartlist. But after a ton of trial and error, I have narrowed down the problems. 1) I can issue X-Commands from the web based form that is supplied from my hosting company ONLY if I comment out the "reply-to" in rc.custom Another words. X-commands work just fine until I try to change the reply-to so that replies go back to the mailing list. As soon as I do this (reply-to goes back mailing list), x-command starts giving me the following errors in the header X-Diagnostic: Mail coming from a daemon, ignored Im not sure what is causing this, and why it would make a difference if I had the reply-to set (I have it set to Reply-To: $listaddr) as it is. Any ideas? Thanks
participants (4)
-
Charlie Summers -
Harlan Olson -
Rick May -
Werner Reisberger