Note: The list header lines below are displayed as they exist internally in the list file, and as you would see them if you managed the list header via email.  Header lines formally begin with an asterisk and (usually) a space.  When using the LISTSERV web administration interface, however, the list header editor when running in the "edit manually" mode does not display or require the asterisks; they are automatically included for your convenience when you store the list header back on the server.

List header keyword settings can be defined in any of the following formats (we are using three parameters for our examples; note that some keyword settings have more then three parameters and adjust accordingly):

* Keyword= parameter1,parameter2,parameter3

* Keyword=parameter1,parameter2,parameter3

* Keyword= parameter1, parameter2, parameter3

* Keyword = parameter1,parameter2,parameter3

* Keyword= parameter1
* Keyword= parameter2
* Keyword= parameter3

The last example above is useful when defining a keyword setting (for instance, Notebook=) which may contain a long directory path.  When using this format, note carefully that the last parameter on the line MUST NOT be followed by a comma. LISTSERV will properly concatentate the parameters internally as if they had commas.  For instance,

* Keyword= parameter1,parameter2
* Keyword= parameter3

and variations are also supported; for instance,

* Notebook= Yes
* Notebook= /home/listserv/archives/english101-fall2002
* Notebook= Weekly,Private

is perfectly legal.

LISTSERV reads list headers one line at a time, assuming that any word followed by an equal sign is a keyword, and then, starting at the equal sign, reads keyword parameter settings either until it encounters a space that is not preceded by a comma (the first parameter excepted), or until it reaches the next word in the line which it evaluates as being a keyword. Thus LISTSERV will completely ignore a keyword setting coded as follows:

* Keyword parameter1, parameter2, parameter3

because there is no equal sign following the keyword. (This is one way to comment out a keyword setting if you do not want to completely remove it from the list header.) Likewise, while LISTSERV will recognize the following as a keyword setting:

* Keyword= parameter1, parameter2 parameter3

it will read only to the second parameter because the second parameter is not followed by a comma.

It is also possible to define multiple keywords on a single line, so long as the line does not wrap and does not exceed 100 characters.  For instance,

* Send= Private     Confidential= Yes     Review= Owners

is a legal LISTSERV header line containing settings for the Send=, Confidential=, and Review= list header keywords.

Keyword settings are always evaluated in a case-insensitive manner.  Under unix, where case sensitivity is an important issue, file and directory paths defined in the list header are always converted to lower-case for LISTSERV's use.  Thus all data files written to or read from by LISTSERV under unix must be named in lower case, regardless of the case used in the list header keyword setting.