lister

Running

./lister.pl <list_name> <full_list_name>

list_name is a short name for mailing list (mail alias - e.g. mlist) full_list_name is list_name with domain (e.g. mlist@domain.com)

Mail is expected on standard input. How it is processed is defined in configuration file /etc/mail/lister.conf.<list_name> (can be changed on top of lister.pl, like any other system setting).

Configuration file format

Except for empty lines and comment lines starting with '#', it has lines in the format:

• archive filename
  • processed mails are appended to this file
• msg_help filename
  • text file with help
• msg_welcome filename
  • text file with new subscriber invitation
• msg_kickoff filename
  • text file with kickoff user message
• msg_notify filename
  • text file with user status changed message
• subscribe_free 0(default)|1
  • 1 if anyone can subscribe themself
• send_free 0(default)|1
  • 1 if anyone can send a mail to the list
• sender_nosend 0(default)|1
  • 1 if sender does not want his own mail to be sent to him
• list_all 0|1(default)
  • 1 if command list should list all subscribers
• listfile filename
  • file with list of users
• logfile filename
  • log file
• filter command with args
  • this command will be run with mail on standard input, standard output and standard error output will be redirected to logfile
• max_mail_size size
  • max mail size in bytes, default is 100000, hardcoded max is 1000000
• subject_prefix text
  • prefix of the subject of all sent mails

The only required item is listfile. If archive is not specified mails are not archived, if logfile is not specified, no logging is done (only to syslog), if some of the msg_ is not specified, then brief English message is used. There can be multiple filters and they are executed in the order in which they are written.

Then listfile must be created with the lines in the format:

• sender mail
  • address which can send mail
• receiver mail
  • address which will receive mail
• admin mail
  • address of the administrator

Listfile contents can be changed by administrator by control mails. One address can appear on multiple lines.

User subscription if subscribe_free is permitted is done by sending mail to the mailing list address with subject '*list-subscribe' (w/o apostrophes).

If mail with subject '*list-control' (w/o apostrophes) is sent to the mailing list address all commands enclosed in the mail body are executed.

• commands which don't require any rights:

  • help
    • returns to sender mail with help (msg_help)
  • del
    • deletes sender and sends him msg_kickoff

• commands which require sender, receiver or admin:

  • list
    • returns to sender mail with list of all participants, if list_all is not set only sender rights are included
  • list mail
    • returns to sender mail with rights of given participant

• commands which require admin:

  • add mail
    • adds mail as sender and receiver and sends msg_welcome
  • add_sender mail
    • adds mail as sender and sends msg_notify
  • add_receiver mail
    • adds mail as receiver and sends msg_notify
  • add_admin mail
    • adds mail as admin and sends msg_notify
  • del mail
    • removes mail from everywhere and sends msg_kickoff
  • del_sender mail
    • removes mail as sender and sends msg_notify
  • del_receiver mail
    • removes mail as receiver and sends msg_notify
  • del_admin mail
    • removes mail as admin and sends msg_notify
  • replace old_mail new_mail
    • replaces old mail with new mail, old one gets msg_kickoff, new one msg_welcome