Tips for List Owners
This is a quick guide to the use of Listserv here at the University of Illinois, For more detailed information, please refer to lsoft.com's quick start online manual and owners manual.
All commands should be sent to listserv@listserv.illinois.edu. The commands are included in the body of the message. Listserv ignores the subject line.
User commands
| Command | Description |
| subscribe a-list full-name | Subscribe yourself to the list 'a-list' using this email account. |
| signoff a-list | Unsubscribe yourself from a-list. |
| set a-list digest | Receive your messages as digests. (Digesting allows you to get multiple messages in one posting.) With rare exceptions, most campus listserv digests are compiled from all the messages sent to that list in one day. |
| set a-list mail | Change from digests to receiving each posting as a separate piece of mail. |
| set a-list norepro | Cancel getting copies of the messages that you send to a mailing list. |
| query * | Find out which lists served by listserv.illinois.edu you are subscribed to. |
| query a-list | Find out the subscription options that you have selected for a-list. |
| review a-list | Get info about the list, including (if allowed) a list of the subscribers to the list. |
| lists | Get a list of the listserv.illinois.edu mailing lists that you are allowed to see. |
| index a-list | Get a directory of archive files (if the list is archived). This will show you what files/archives are available for a-list. |
| help | Retrieve a help message from LISTSERV. The output of help is shown below. |
Owner commands
Most lists on listserv.illinois.edu require a password to be given for these commands. Please add pw=password to the end of the following commands.
For example, to remove a user from a-list, you would send the following command in the body of an email with a blank subject line:
quiet del a-list user@uiuc.edu pw=list-password
| Command | Description |
add a-list user@node full name |
Add a user to a-list. You may replace first name and last name with a *, giving them the name "no name available". |
quiet add a-list user@node full name |
Add without telling the user. |
del a-list user@node |
Delete user from a-list |
quiet del a-list user@node |
Delete with out telling the user |
get a-list (header |
Get a copy of the list header info so the info can be updated and sent back |
get a-list (nolock |
Get a copy of the list to look for hidden subscribers, but not to update |
get a-list |
Get a copy of the list (header and and list of subscribers). Puts a hold on the list |
put a-list |
Update a list from changes made to the file returned by a get command. |
set a-list mail for user@node |
Send list messages in email form rather than digest form to user@node. |
quiet set a-list mail for user@node |
Do the above without telling the user. |
set a-list digest for * |
Send list messages in digest form to all subscribers. |
Listserv's help command
If you send a help request to listserv, you will receive the following information:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LISTSERV version 1.8b - most commonly used commands (output from help 12/1/98)
| Info | <topic|listname> | Order documentation |
| Lists | <Detail|Short|Global> | Get a description of all lists |
| SUBscribe | listname <full name> | Subscribe to a list |
| SIGNOFF | listname | Sign off from a list |
| SIGNOFF | * (NETWIDE | - from all lists on all servers |
| REView | listname <options> | Review a list |
| Query | listname | Query your subscription options |
| SET | listname options | Update your subscription options |
| INDex | <filelist_name> | Order a list of LISTSERV files |
| GET | filename filetype | Order a file from LISTSERV |
| REGister | full_name|OFF | Tell LISTSERV about your name |
There are more commands (AFD, FUI, PW, etc). Send an INFO REFCARD for a comprehensive reference card, or just INFO for a list of available documentation files.