The Sympa Mailing List server - List configuration parameters

Listowners can set a large number of differing parameters to set up their list. These parameters can be grouped into seven main categories. These are :

List definition
Parameters that describe the list - it's description, who the owners/moderators are, it's visibility...
Sending/reception
Who can send/receive messages (eg. members only, anyone, is list moderated?), frequency of digests, default settings for new users....
Privileges
Access restrictions on the list (eg. who can subscribe/unsubscribe, review themembership, invite others to join, access shared files/documents)...
Archives
Parameters that describe the list archives (eg. are archives allowed?, who can access them? weekly or monthly archives?)
Bounces
Parameters that allow the listowner to set threshold values associated with the bounce management functions within Sympa
Data sources
Controls where the membership of the list is sourced from. (eg. an external database, another list). This is where you would define any sub-lists of a superlist.
Miscellaneous
Anything else.
List definition parameters
Parameter Meaning
Subject of the list (subject) The subject of the list, (sent in response to the LISTS mail command). This is a free form text limited to one line.
Visibility of the list (visibility) Controls whether the list should appear in the list of lists on the web interface, or in the output of a LISTS email command.
Owner (owner) Defines the listowner(s) for the list. Owners may review subscribers and add or delete email addresses from the mailing list. The profile can be either 'privileged' or 'normal'. Privileged owners of a list can add other owners for the mailing list. Privileged owners may edit a few more options than other owners. (This parameter is only editable by 'privileged' owners).
Moderators (editor) Moderators (aka editors) are responsible for moderating messages. If the mailing list is a moderated one, messages posted to the list will first be passed to the moderators, who decide whether to distribute or reject it.

NOTE: Simply defining moderators does not make the list moderated ; you also have to set the "send" parameter (see the 'sending/reception' parameters) appropriately.

NOTE: If the list is moderated, any moderator can distribute or reject a message without the knowledge or consent of the other moderators. Messages that have not been distributed or rejected will remain in the moderation spool until they are acted on, or until they expire after a set period of time (see the 'miscellaneous' parameter list).

Only a 'privileged' listowner can add or delete moderators.
Topics for the list (topics) This parameter allows you to add your list to a list category. You may add your list to multiple list categories as well as hierarchical ones. The web interface groups lists of public lists into list categories on the homepage using this parameter. (If in doubt, use the 'Other' category).

Only a 'privileged' listowner can modify this parameter.

Sending/reception parameters
Parameter Meaning
Who can send messages (send) This parameter specifies who can send messages to the list.
Digest frequency (digest) Allows the user to define when digest messages (where messages are grouped together and sent out in batches) are sent out to members. If this parameter is set, subscribers can select the option of receiving messages in either a multipart/digest MIME format (recognisable by most popular email clients - each message within a digest is sent as a separate attachment), or as a plain text digest. Listowners can select the time of day when messages are sent as well as the day(s) of the week.
Digest maximum number of messages (digest_max_messages) The maximum number of messages to be sent per digest. If this number is exceeded, then multiple digests will be sent.
Available subscription options (available_user_options) The available_user_options parameter allows a listowner to define available reception modes for the list's subscribers. (eg. mail, notice, digest, digestplain, summary, nomail)
Reply address (reply_to_header) Allows the listowner to set the Reply-To: setting for the list - either the sender of the message (sender), the list itself (list), both list and sender (all) or an arbitrary e-mail address (defined by the other email address field).

Note: it is inadvisable to change this parameter, and particularly inadvisable to set it to list. Experience has shown it to be almost inevitable that users, mistakenly believing that they are replying only to the sender, will send private messages to a list. This can lead, at the very least, to embarrassment, and sometimes to more serious consequences.

The 'respect of existing header' field is a further refinement, whereby you can honour the existing Reply-To setting if an incoming message has an SMTP "Reply-To:" header set.
Subject tagging (custom_subject) Allows a listowner to specify a string which is added to the subject header of distributed messages (intended to help users filter list mail). This string will be surrounded by [] characters. It is common practice to set this to the listname.

Privileges Parameters
Parameter Meaning
Who can view list information (info) Allows the listowner to control who can view the list settings, either anyone, or members only.
Who can subscribe to the list (subscribe) Allows the listowner to define who can subscribe to the list, as well as other restrictions (eg. if authentication is required first)
Who can unsubscribe (unsubscribe) Allows the listowner to define rules for who can unsubscribe from the list. Listowners should select either 'open_notify' or 'auth_notify' if they require notification of a user's unsubscription.
Who can invite people (invite) Allows a listowner to define who can send out invitations to subscribe to the list (ie. add a member with confirmation required) - either listowners, members, or anyone (not recommended!).
Who can review subscribers (review) Allows the listowner to specify who can see the list of members. Since subscriber addresses can be abused by spammers, it is strongly recommended that you only authorise listowners or subscribers to access the subscriber list.
Shared documents (shared_doc) Control read and edit access to the shared document repository.

Archives Parameters
Parameter Meaning
Web archives (web_archive) Controls who has access to browse the list archives on the web interface. (eg. public access, members only, listowner only, nobody)
Text archives (archive) Controls who can access list archives by email (using the GET/LAST/INDEX email commands). Also controls how archiving is organised - daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly.
Archive encrypted mails as cleartext (archive_crypted_msg) Allows the listowner to define how Sympa handles S/MIME encrypted messages while archiving them. If set to 'original' then the original encrypted form of the message will be archived; if set to 'decrypted' then a decrypted version will be archived. It is recommended that this be left alone - it is unusual that S/MIME encrypted messages are set to lists in the first place.

Bounces Parameters
Parameter Meaning
Bounces management (bounce) Controls the bounce management settings for the list in question. There are two values you can set : a 'warn rate' - when the number of bouncing addresses exceeds this value, the listowner is sent a warning email; a 'halt rate' - when the number of bouncing addresses exceeds this value, then messages to the list will be halted (they get queued for moderation). These values are expressed as a percentage of the total number of members on the list.
Management of bouncers, 1st level (bouncers_level1) Allows the listowner to deal with individual bouncing addresses. A 'score' (from 0 to 100) is maintained for each bouncing user. There are 3 values to set : a 'threshold' value - the lower score for an address to be considered a "level 1 bouncer"; an 'action' setting - what to do about a "level 1 bouncer" (notify the user, or remove the address); a 'notification' setting - who to notify in the event of an above action being executed (eg listowner, listmaster). (You may wish for example to 'notify' for a level 1 bouncer, and 'remove' for a level 2 bouncer).
Management of bouncers, 2nd level (bouncers_level2) Allows the listowner to deal with individual bouncing addresses. A 'score' (from 0 to 100) is maintained for each bouncing user. There are 3 values to set : a 'threshold' value - the lower score for an address to be considered a "level 2 bouncer"; an 'action' setting - what to do about a "level 2 bouncer" (notify the user, or remove the address); a 'notification' setting - who to notify in the event of an above action being executed (eg listowner, listmaster). (You may wish for example to 'notify' for a level 1 bouncer, and 'remove' for a level 2 bouncer).

Data Sources Parameters
Parameter Meaning
User data source (user_data_source) Allows the listowner to choose how Sympa loads list member data. In the context of the service offered here at Newcastle, it is required in order to enable the setting up of superlists - for a list to be a superlist, it needs to be set to the value 'include2' and the sublists need to be entered into the 'List Inclusion' parameter settings (see below). Only privileged listowners can edit this setting.

NOTE: The Sympa software allows the inclusion of addresses from a number of different types of data source, such as remote SQL databases, LDAP queries, etc. Settings for these data sources are hidden from the user by default. If you have a requirement for including addresses from a remote source, then ISS are happy to discuss a 'custom' setup. (Email : listmaster@newcastle.ac.uk).
List inclusion (include_list) This parameter will be interpreted only if the 'User data source' parameter (see above) is set to 'include' and allows a listowner to include sub-lists of a superlist. All subscribers of list listname become subscribers of the current list. You may include as many lists as required, using one include_list listname line for each included list. Any list at all may be included; the user_data_source definition of the included list is irrelevant, and you may therefore include lists which are also defined by the inclusion of other lists.

NOTE: Be careful, however, not to include list A in list B and then list B in list A, since this will give rise a mail loop!

Miscellaneous Parameters
Parameter Meaning
Remind task (remind_task) Allows the listowner to specify when membership reminders are sent out to subscribers. Values allowed are undefiined (no reminder sent), monthly, 2-monthly, or yearly.
Creation of the list (creation) Read-only value. Tells the listowner, who created the list (e-mail address) and when.
Last update of config (update) Read-only value. Tells the listowner when the last time a configuration change was made to the list, and the e-mail address of who made the change.
Status of the list (status) Read-only value. Tells the listowner whether the list is currently active (open), suspended (closed), or awaiting approval (pending).
Serial number of the config (serial) Read-only value. The serial number of this list's configuration. This number will be incremented each time a configuration change is made.