LISTSERV Command Reference for LISTSERV 17.5

GETPost listname post_number [post_number [...]] [NOMIME]

GETPost is used after receiving the output of a SEARch command to retrieve the postings you want from the SEARch output. For instance, if you want postings numbered 1730, 1731, 1732, and 1840 from the MYLIST list, send the command

GETPost MYLIST 1730-1732 1840

GETPost is analogous to the z/VM database command PRINT.

Attachments returned in messages by way of the GETPost command display as inline clickable links in the individual messages.  This allows users with modern email clients to  download MIME attachments associated with the messages, and view them in the appropriate application.

Users of certain email clients (specifically Pine and its successor Alpine, which handle attachments in a secondary viewing area) may find the this format difficult to use. If preferred, these users may override the generation of clickable links by specifying NOMIME as the last parameter of the GETPost command.

The NOMIME parameter tells LISTSERV to return messages containing MIME attachments in their “raw” form, which cannot not be extracted automatically by MIME-aware mail clients. 

Search

For lists running on z/VM servers, see also below at DATABASE.

The Search command syntax is similar to that of the SEARCH/SELECT commands in the “old” database functions. A very basic Search command for list MYLIST would look like this:

Search search_string IN MYLIST

You can also restrict your search by date, sender, or other criteria, for example,

Search search_string IN MYLIST SINCE 96/01/01

Search search_string IN MYLIST WHERE SENDER CONTAINS ERIC

The full syntax is outlined in section 11 of the Advanced Topics Manual for LISTSERV. 

SERVE user

Restore service to a user whose access to LISTSERV has been disabled. This generally occurs when a user has sent 51 incorrect commands in a row to LISTSERV, which LISTSERV interprets as a possible mail loop.

Note also that certain mail packages that send “Read:/Not Read:” notifications back to LISTSERV will trigger this scenario after 51 iterations. The best solution would be for the user to disable receipt notifications.

The user in question cannot restore his or her own service; this command must be issued from another userid.

Note that if the user has been manually served out by a privileged user (a LISTSERV maintainer), the SERVE command must be issued either by that same privileged user, or by a similarly-privileged user (who must also be a LISTSERV maintainer).

THANKs

You can send this command to check to see if the server is alive. If it is, the server politely responds, “You’re welcome!”.

DATAbase function

This command is only available on z/VM servers:

Access LISTSERV database(s). The functions are explained in detail in the version of LISTDB MEMO available from z/VM servers, but the basic syntax is:

Note that the much simpler Search command (see above) may also be used on z/VM servers.

Dbase

This command is only available on z/VM servers:

Same as DATABASE