Managing your Listserv via Email

You may manage your listserv by issuing commands via email to the listserv server. Below are some basic instructions for using this email method.

Reviewing Your Listserv Information

If you would like to review the configuration information of your listserv and see a list of all the subscribers, the listserv owner may do the following:

Send an email with no subject to: listserv@listsrv.ucsf.edu
The one line of the message should be: review listname

The file that will be sent to you can be viewed, saved or printed, but this file cannot be used to edit or update your listserv. It's meant to only provide you with the list information.

Editing Your Listserv Configuration

For information on editing or updating your listserv's configuration information via email, i.e., owner, subscription type, editor, etc., go to the vendor's site at http://www.lsoft.com/resources/listserv15.0-docs.asp and select either the "LISTSERV 15.0 Introductory List Owner's Manual" link or the "LISTSERV 15.0 List Owner's Manual" link.

Uploading Your Listserv Subscribers

Adding users to the list:

To add one user, or a group of users at one time, send an email with no subject to: listserv@listsrv.ucsf.edu
The message will include one line for each person to be added. The format for each line is: add listname emailaddress firstname lastname

Deleting users from the list:

To delete one user, or a group of users at one time, send an email with no subject to: listserv@listsrv.ucsf.edu
The message will include one line for each person to be deleted. The format for each line is: delete listname emailaddress

You can have both adds and deletes in the same email message if you prefer.

Example of email message:

                                                add listname tomj@itsa.ucsf.edu Tom Jones
                                                add listname jcool@itsa.ucsf.edu Joe Cool
                                                delete listname jmsmith@itsa.ucsf.edu

Special Notes

Inserting the command word "quiet" before any listserv command that you issue on behalf of a subscriber causes listserv to suppress any notification to the subscriber of the changes made. This is particularly helpful when deleting subscribers whose email accounts have expired or when adding new subscribers when you do not want them to receive a notification that they have been added.

For example:

quiet add listname tomj@itsa.ucsf.edu Tom Jones
quiet delete listname jmsmith@itsa.ucsf.edu

If your list is set up with an open subscription, which allows people to subscribe and unsubscribe themselves, you may let potential or current subscribers know the following subscribing and unsubscribing information.

To subscribe to an open listserv, send a one line email message from the address that you want added to the subscription list.

Send an email with no subject to: listserv@listsrv.ucsf.edu

The one line of the message is: subscribe listname firstname lastname

The server will pull your email address from the FROM field of your email

To unsubscribe from an open listserv, send a one line email message from the address that you want removed from the subscription list.

Send an email with no subject to: listserv@listsrv.ucsf.edu

The one line of the message is: signoff listname

The server will pull your email address from the FROM field of your email

NOTE: This command will only work when sent from the email address that you want removed from the subscription list. If the person in question has left the University or the email address has been turned off, only the owner of the listserv can remove the address from the subscription list.

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Managing your Listserv via Email