List Help

Welcome
Sympa Terminology
Web Interface Overview
1. Main Menu Items
2. User Menus
Frequently Asked Questions
1. General Questions
2. List Owner Questions
Other Sites and Links

Welcome

This server is powered by Sympa. Sympa provides a user-friendly web interface to interact with the mailing list server.

Using the Sympa web, you can search for and view various mailing lists, manage the lists you're subscribed to, manage lists you own or are a moderator of, and a small host of other functions.

These help documents are intended to provide you with general instructions and direction in finding your way through the complex and powerful capabilities that the Sympa web interface offers you. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Support Center via an email to support@jhmi.edu.

Sympa Terminology

Here are some commonly used terms in Sympa and mailing lists in general along with their definitions.

Sympa

Sympa is a piece of software called a mailing list manager. It provides a mailing list service on a host, allowing groups of people to communicate with one another via email without having to know who all the members of the group are and all their individual addresses.

Sympa web provides you with a clean, easy to use interface with which you can manage your lists and subscriptions.

Mailing List

A mailing list, often referred to with the shorthand "list," is a means of sending electronic mail to many different addresses at once. The sender does not need to know the addresses of everyone on the list in order to ensure that the mail gets to all of them.

Of course, regular electronic mail may be sent to multiple addresses. However, a mailing list is superior to this approach in several ways. In the multiple-address approach, each person who wants to send to the entire list must know all of the addresses on the list. Since there is a need for the list of addresses to be kept in many places, it may be difficult to keep all of the lists the same. For example, suppose that Alex, Betty, Charlie, and Darlene write mail to each other regularly. Later, if they wish to include Earnest in their group, then each of the first four must know that Earnest has been added and they must all know his email address.

When you send mail to a mailing list, you address the mail to the mailing list's name. When the mailing list server receives the message, it expands the name of the mailing list into each of the individual addresses currently on the list and it redirects your message to each of those people, called subscribers. Then, should the membership of the list change, there is only one file containing the addresses of the subscribers which must be updated.

Mailing lists can alternately be referred to by their name or their address; a list's name is everything before the @ sign in its address.

Listmaster

The listmasters are the system administrators and help desk personnel who actually manage and maintain the Sympa system. A listmaster is the one who installed the Sympa software running on this host and is the one responsible for its functionality, as well as any site-specific modifications that have been made to better suit the needs of this site's users.

If you need to reach the listmasters, please submit a request via an email to listmaster@lists.johnshopkins.edu.

List Owner

Often referred to as simply an "owner," a list Owner is a person who has nearly full control over a list. They are the list's stewards, bouncers, mothers or fathers, and benevolent dictators. They handle all subscription and unsubscription requests, along with managing the list's settings and permisssions.

Note: A list owner, does not necessarily need to be subscribed to a list. ownership and subscription are separate things, and if you are a list's owner you may wish to subscribe yourself to it or you will not see any of the messages which get sent to the list.

To reach a list's owners, send an email to LISTNAME-request@lists.johnshopkins.edu, replacing LISTNAME with the list's actual name (e.g. to reach the owners of the bluejays@lists.johnsopkins.edu mailing list, send an email to bluejays-request@lists.johnshopkins.edu).

Moderator

Used interchangably with the term "editor," a list moderator is someone whose job it is to approve or decline messages sent to moderated lists.

Often a list will be set to only allow specific people to post and require everyone else to be moderated, or it will simply require everyone's posts to be moderated. This means when a user sends a message to the list it doesn't go out to the list's subscribers straight away. Instead, it enters a holding queue and a moderator is notified. They then view the message, determine if its content is appropriate to the list, and either approve it or deny it based on that decision. On high-volume lists, several moderators may be in place to help lighten each one's individual load.

Note: Like ownership, being a moderator does not necessarily mean you're a subscriber. If you are a list moderator and you wish to see postings to the list then you must explicitly subscribe yourself to the list, or have a list owner do it for you.

Subscriber

A list's subscribers are all the people who are on the list and likely should receive a message that gets sent to the list; in practice this is not always the case as some users' addresses are invalid, or the list may be moderated and thus the message won't go straight to the list, or they may have their preferences set to not receive mail from a given list. Subscribers make up the bulk of users of a system, and as each list has many subscribers each subscriber can be on many lists. Some lists are set up such that anyone who's interested can look at the list's homepage and click a link to become a subscriber, whereas others require the owner's approval before being allowed on the list, and still others have different ways for getting their bundle of subscribers.

Some lists will also let anyone post, and some are set to only allow subscribers to post, regardless of whether the list is moderated or not.

Digest

Normally a mailing list will send all messages to its subscribers as it receives them, and users will then receive the individual messages at various times throughout the day. For some users, or in some cases, this is less than desirable — it can interrupt your workflow, can cause you to get far more email than you'd like, and can just generally be annoying. Some people prefer to get their messages in what's called a digest, where the mailing list gathers up all the messages over a span of time (usually one day) and then sends them out as a single bundle to subscribers who've elected to only receive digests. This allows them to read through the mail (or ignore it entirely) at a more leisurely pace.

Sympa supports two types of digests: multi-part MIME digests and regular plain-text digests. For most people the former will work, where Sympa sends you a digest made of multiple messages in a specialized mail format called MIME, but older email clients may not support that and for those users we recommend the plain-text digest, where Sympa just compiles all the messages in the digest into one text message and sends that out.

List Info File

Each list has an "info file," which contains basic information about the list. This file is sent to people on request, as well as in the welcome message sent out to new subscribers. The list owner controls its content.

Generally a list owner will want to include such information in the info file as what the list is for and what it's about, appropriate posting guidelines and restrictions, information on who the owners are, etc. Basically anything that you'd want a new subscriber to know.

List owners can change the list's info file via the following menu choices in the List Operations menu: List Administration → Edit Message Templates → choose "list description" in the drop-down menu and click the Edit File button.

List Subject

Not to be confused with the subject of a message sent to the list, the list's subject is a brief, one-line description about the list. Basically, it should describe the list as best it can in one sentence.

List owners can change the list's subject by choosing the following menu items in the List Operations menu: List Administration → Edit List Configuration → List Definition.

Web Interface Overview

Sympa uses a common look across all its pages, so familiarizing yourself with the general layout of the system will allow you to more easily use all of its functions.

Main Menu Items

Along the top of the page, just beneath the main title, is the main Sympa menu. It contains the following links:

Home

This link will take you to the main page.

On the main page, you'll see a welcome and overview message, along with a list of the categories of mailing lists available on the system. Each list is organized into one or more categories, and you can browse for lists which might interest you through these links.

You may also search for a list by name.

Index of Lists

This link will take you to a listing of all the publicly viewable lists that are hosted at this site. Note that if a list of yours is not displayed and you'd like it to be, odds are that it's set to be a hidden or concealed list. Check the list options help for more information.

Help

This link takes you to the page you're currently reading, with help information that applies to the entire Sympa web site and the Sympa mailing list manager in general.

User Menus

Along the left side of the page are the user menus, the precise contents of which change based on what you're currently looking at or doing in WWSympa.

Login/User Information

Starting at the top is the login or user menu; if you're not logged in you'll see a "LOGIN" button. Upon clicking that button, you will taken to the Enterprise Authentication page so you can enter your JHED Login ID (LID) and password.

If you are logged in, you'll see the email address of the account with which you're logged in, which is where mail will be sent when you subscribe to a list and a link letting you logout. You may also see, when looking at a list, your role listed just below your email address — this describes your current role with regard to the list you're looking at and thus what privileges and access levels you'll have.

Your Lists

Beneath the user or login menu is the "Your Lists" menu. Here are all the lists to which you're subscribed or of which you are an owner.

For each list which you either subscribe to or own an entry will be shown here with a link to take you to the list's homepage; if you are a list owner then you'll also have a link called "Owner" that will take you to the list's administration page. Note: because of the separation between being a list owner and being a subscriber, if you're an owner you'll see the list here regardless of whether or not you're subscribed to it. Check the list's subscribers to see if you're on it to find out if you're subscribed, if you're unsure.

List Overview

If you're looking at a list's page, include its homepage, then the Your Lists menu will be replaced with one giving you an overview of the list's basic information, including:

List Name

This is the list's name, which also happens to be the left-hand side (everything before the @) of its address.

List Address

The list's address. Sending an email to this address will, depending on the list's configuration, send it to everyone on the list.

List Subject

The brief, one-line description of what the list is about. The list's purpose summarized into one or two sentences.

Subscribers

How many subscribers are on the list. If you're one of the list's owners then you'll also see how many of those addresses are bouncing or refusing mail.

If the list is configured to allow you to see who all the subscribers are then the word "Subscribers" in this menu item will be a link to the page where you can browse or search for subscribers of the list.

Owners

This shows you who the owner or owners of the list are. The "Owners" menu entry itself is also a link you can click to send an email to the list owners using your default mail client.

Moderators

This shows you who the list's moderators are.

List Operations

If you're looking at one of a list's pages, including its homepage, then you will see the List Operations menu. Its options allow you to view the list's homepage, subscribe to or unsubscribe from the list, change your subscription options if you are a subscriber, access the list's archives or shared documents, and a few other choices. More information about these menu options follows:

List Home

Takes you to the list's homepage.

List Administration

Shown only to list owners, this link will take you to the list administration section where you can change various parameters of the list's configuration, alter and update different list templates, manage subscribers, and perform other functions related to managing the list.

List Moderation

Shown only to list moderators and owners, beneath it are three sub-items allowing a list moderator or owner to access currently pending message, document, or subscription requests.

Subscribe

If you're not already subscribed to the list, this link will either add you as a subscriber (if the list is set to allow anyone to subscribe) or dispatch a request to the list owners asking them to either approve or decline your subscription.

If there is no Subscribe link shown in the List Operations menu then it means subscription to this list is closed and you can only be added by the owner manually adding you.

Subscription Options

If you are a subscriber then the Subscribe link will be replaced with Subscription Options where you can change some aspects of your subscription to the list.

Unsubscribe

If you're subscribed to a list you'll have this link in your List Operations menu. You may use it to unsubscribe from the list.

Contact Owners

This link will open a new email to the list owners in your default mail client.

Post to List

If you are allowed to post messages to the list then this link will take you to a page where you can compose an email to be sent to the list.

List Archives

If the list has archives of messages that have been sent to it and you have the appropriate privileges to view the archives then this link will take you to a page where you can browse through or search the list's archives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are various frequently asked questions or commonly seen problems that people have about or with Sympa. If you have any questions not covered here, please let the Sympa Listmasters know.

General Questions

How do I request a new mailing list?

First, new mailing lists can only be requested by members of the Johns Hopkins community. Go to the Hopkins Portal and login using your JHED LID and Password. Click on MyJHED and under "Service and Access Request" click on "Request a Mailing List". You will need to accept a List Owner's Agreement, and answer a few configuration questions for the proposed list. Within three (3) working days you will receive notification on the status of your new list.

How do I search a list's archives?

When you're viewing a page for a list, and assuming the list has archives and the owner has it set to allow you to access them, you'll see a link in the "List Operations" section along the left hand side to access the "List Archives."

On the list's archive page, you'll see a simple search box in the upper right corner of the page. Input the text you want to search for and click the "Search" button.

For more advanced searches, click the "Advanced Search" button beneath the search text input field.

How does Sympa know what my email address is when I log in with my JHED Lid?

Sympa looks up your preferred email address from the Hopkins online directory. Whenever you subscribe to a mailing list, Sympa will use this address to add your subscription to the list. Sympa also uses it to determine which lists you're on and whether not you're an owner or moderator of any lists.

If you are not receiving any messages from any lists you're subscribed to in Sympa, it's possible that this address is incorrect or is forwarding to an account you're not checking. The best way to find out what email address Sympa is using is to login into JHED, http://my.johnshopkins.edu and under MyInfo check to see what email address is displayed for you. If this is incorrect, you should change it to your prefered or primary email alias/address. If the correct email address is displayed, then you should check the Enterprise Address Book within JHED by clicking on "Email Alias" and at the bottom of the page see what alias has been selected for the Enterprise Address book. Note: Changes made to your alias can take up to 15 minutes to process.

I changed my preferred email address and now I can't see any of my lists. Why not?

Unfortunately this is a drawback with how Sympa currently works. If you change your email address in JHED, then Sympa will no longer recognize you as being subscribed to, owner of, or moderator of any of your previous lists. A Sympa listmaster will have to go through and update your subscriptions, so please submit a request to the Sympa Listmaster. Include in that help request both your old and new preferred email address. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

What commands are available for the email interface?

You can run some commands and operations with Sympa through the “email interface.” By sending a message to Sympa Server with nothing in the body but the word HELP you'll be sent a help guide that covers how to run commands via email.

Please make sure you're either sending out plain-text messages, or are including minimal formatting (no special fonts or colors and no images) in any rich-text messages.

Why can't I post to a subscribers-only list to which I'm subscribed?

If your postings are being rejected by the list and returned to you, it's highly likely that you're posting using an address that's not on the list. Mail clients like Notes, Outlook, Thunderbird, or Mac OS X's Mail can be configureed to report a “From:” address — usually it's the address associated with the account, but some mail clients allow you to set up multiple or alternate “From:” addreses for one account. When you send mail using the client, it reports the message as being from the account's “From:” address. This is what Sympa checks to determine whether or not you're allowed to post to a list, for most lists configured to only allow subscribers or any other select group of people to post.

Precise instructions for how to check or change your “From:” address are beyond the scope of this document, but there are instructions for the most commonly used and supported mail clients on the IT EMail Site specifically for JHEM account holders. If you use Groupwise or some other departmental email system, you should contact your LAN Admin or Departmental IT Support person..

List Owner Questions

What's the best way to add subscribers to my new list?

Once your list has been approved, you're left with the task of filling it with the right people. Under older systems like Majordomo, you'd simply add a bunch of email addresses to the list and hope that they were valid and correct. With Sympa, especially because of its integration with the Hopkins online directory, this isn't always the best way — for instance, if you added a user to the list as lid@jhu.edu and their preferred email address as listed in the directory is firstname.lastname@jhu.edu then when they log in with their JHED Lid they won't see their subscription (see this FAQ entry on “From:” addresses for more info). With Sympa, the best way to invite users to join a list is to do just that — invite them. There are two ways to do this.

You can either use the email interface and send an email to Sympa with the following in the body of the message:

INVITE LISTNAME EMAIL

Replace LISTNAME with the mailing list's name and EMAIL with the user's email address in the above. You may repeat that line for multiple users, substituting a different EMAIL for each user. Alternatively, you can send a normal email using whatever email client you prefer, inviting your intended subscribers to visit a URL similar to the following:

https://lists.johnshopkins.edu/sympa/subscribe/LISTNAME

Replace LISTNAME in the above with the actual mailing list's name. When users visit that link they'll be given two choices for subscribing. For JHU affiliates (i.e., they have a JHED login ID), they can click on the "Go" button and will then be asked to log in with their Hopkins JHED Lid. Once they've logged in, their subscription request is submitted and either automatically approved or submitted to the list owners for approval, depending on that specific list's configuration. For non-JHU affiliates, the page will give instructions for how to send an email message to the list server in order to subscribe to your list.

Using these methods to add users to a list, rather than inputting many addresses, means that the users will be able to subscribe with their primary email address, thus making it easier for them to use the Sympa system and to change where their mail is routed in the future.

Note: Users may have additional problems with their email client not being configured to properly report the address that Sympa recognizes as theirs, and thus rejecting their messages to the list. Please refer them to this FAQ entry on posting and “From:” addresses for more information.

How do I add or remove a list owner?

From the list's home page, click "List Administration" (on the left side of the page) and then choose "Edit List Configuration." Next click "List Definition" and then you should see a section beginning with “Owner.” Here are all the owners belonging to the list, along with an empty set of entry fields with which you can add new ones. To add a new owner, simply fill out the empty fields. Only the email address is required, though you may want to put their name in so that users see it instead of their address.

To remove an owner, simply delete out their email address (and name if it exists).

After you've made all your changes, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the "Update List Configuration" button to save the new settings.

How do I add or remove a moderator/editor?

Adding or removing a list moderator requires you be the owner of the list. From the list's home page, click “List Administration” in the “List Operations” menu section, along the left side of the page. Then click “Edit List Configuration,” and finally click “List Definition.”

Scrolling down, you should see a section beginning with “Moderators.” Here are all the moderators of the list, along with an empty set of entry fields with which you can add new ones. To add a new moderator, simply fill out the empty fields. Only the email address is required, though you may want to put their name in so that users see it instead of their address. Removing a moderator is simply a matter of deleting their email address, and namen.

Once you've made your changes, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the “Update List Configuration” button to save the new settings.

How do I add a bunch of subscribers at once?

If you've got a list of subscribers' addresses and you'd like to add them all in one go, that's a fairly simple process. Assuming you've got the appropriate privileges to add subscribers to a list and you're looking at any of the list's pages, including its homepage, simply click the "Subscribers" link in the "List Overview" menu section along the left side of the page. From the "Manage Subscribers" page, click the "Bulk Add Addresses" link.

On the "Bulk Add Addresses" page you'll see a text box with some example addresses and names in it. Replace the contents of this text box with the addresses, one per line, of the users you wish to subscribe to the list. You may follow an address with a space and the user's real name if you so choose. When you're done, you may check the "Don't send welcome message" option to prevent sending the new subscribers any notification or welcome message when they're added to the list; while users generally prefer to receive the welcome message, in some cases it may not be desirable such as if you're migrating users from an old list. Then simply click the "Add Subscribers" button and you're all set.

How do I review and clear bouncing subscribers?

When you look at your mailing list's subscribers, some of them may have a red (bouncing) warning next to their email address. This means that the Sympa server received at least one reply message back when sending to this subscriber over the past 10 days. Sympa cannot distinguish between different types of messages it receives, so it is possible that the user's email is not actually bouncing. To view the last bounce report that was received for a subscriber, click on their email address. Then select the "View Last Bounce Report" link. This report will help you to detemine whether the subscriber's email address is really incorrect or whether there was some other problem in delivering the subscriber's message.

Since Sympa keeps bounce information for 10 days, you might want to manually clear the (bouncing) warning for a subscriber. To do this click the "Reset Bounce Errors" button at the bottom of their Edit Subscriber Information page. You can also reset bounce errors for a group of subscribers at the same time. Select "Review Bouncing Addresses" in the List Administration section. Click the check box next to the subscribers' email addresses and then click the "Reset Errors for Selected Users" button at the bottom of the page. Be careful not to use the "Delete Selected Addresses" button unless you really want to unsubscribe those users from your mailing list.

How do I change the list's info file?

Only a list's owner may change the info fileFrom the list's homepage (or any page for the list, really), click "List Administration" in the "List Options" section, along the left side of the page. From there, click "Edit Message Templates." From the drop-down menu select "list description" and click the "Edit File" button.

You'll be presented with the file editor, where you can make the changes to the description. When you're done click the "Save Changes" button to commit the changes you've made, or if you'd like to revert the file to the way it was when you began editing it.

Messages sent to my list have a footer attached - what is this and can I change it?

For all new lists on this server, a footer will be added by the administrator to provide easy unsubscribe options to the subscribers. Even though these instructions are available to the subscribers, the list configuration will determine whether the subscriber can remove themselves from the list, or if the request will go to the list owner for approval and follow-through.

List owners are not allowed to changed this footer. Owners do have permission to create/edit the Info for the list, the welcome message, and other parameters. These can be found under the List Administration link and then click "Edit Message Templates."

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