ezmlm-request(1)                                 ezmlm-request(1)

NAME
       ezmlm-request  -  Process subject line and body ezmlm com-
       mands

SYNOPSIS
       ezmlm-request [ -f config ] dir

DESCRIPTION
       ezmlm-request processes ezmlm commands in the subject line
       or message body.  ezmlm-request enables these uses to send
       the message to list-request@host with the complete command
       address  line  in  the subject field, or with commands and
       arguments separated by white  space.   ezmlm-request  uses
       the text to construct a ezmlm command message to the list.
       If the subject does not start with a letter, ezmlm-request
       instead  uses  the first body line that starts with a let-
       ter. Processing terminates if a line with a hyphen in  the
       first position is encountered.

       All  commands  are expected to be in ezmlm command address
       format or formatted as:

       command[list@listhost[user@userhost]]

       ezmlm-request when invoked with the -f switch and  a  con-
       figuration  file (see below), ignores the subject and pro-
       cesses the first body line (per rules above)  in  conjunc-
       tion  with  the  configuration  file. It also services the
       lists and which commands. This can be used to construct  a
       global  list interface, similar to that used by some other
       mailing list managers.

       Messages at the list-request@host are  restricted  to  the
       local list. When ezmlm-request is invoked with the -f con-
       fig switch, command messages are limited to lists in  con-
       fig or at the local host.

       Invalid requests for an existing ezmlm list will lead to a
       ``help'' message from ezmlm-manage(1).

OPTIONS
       -f config
              Function as a global interface to  ezmlm  lists  in
              accordance  with  config.   This  file  consists of
              lines  starting  in   the   first   position   with
              ``list@host:listdir:description''.  Lines  that are
              blank or start
               with ``#'' are ignored. ``listdir'' and ``descrip-
              tion''  are  optional.  If  only  ``list@host''  is
              given, the list is used to restrict  commands  (see
              below),  but  not  listed.  To allow the list to be
              shown by a ``list'' command, use ``list@host:''. To
              specify  only  the  list  name and description, use
              ``list@host::description''.   If   ``listdir''   is

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ezmlm-request(1)                                 ezmlm-request(1)

              present, the which command attempts to determine if
              the user is a subscriber of the list.   NOTE:  this
              will  work  only  if the user running ezmlm-request
              has read access to the lists subscriber database.

              If ``listhost''  is  not  specified,  ezmlm-request
              will  use  the  ``listhost''  from the first config
              entry matching ``listlocal''.  If  ``listhost''  is
              specified,  but  not  found in config, it is set to
              the contents of dir/outhost.

USAGE
       Place an invocation of ezmlm-request in  dir/manager  any-
       where before the ezmlm-manage(1) line.

       Alternatively,  set  up  dir/request with an invocation of
       ezmlm-request.  Make a link from ~/.qmail-list-request  to
       this file.

       For  the  global  interface,  place /path/ezmlm-request -f
       config dir into a file.  Link ~/.qmail-ezmlm and ~/.qmail-
       ezmlm-default  to  this  file.  The  latter  allows ezmlm-
       request to handle its own bounces as well as to  reply  to
       messages  to  e.g.  ``user-ezmlm-lists@listhost''.  Create
       dir/inlocal and dir/outlocal with ``user-ezmlm'', dir/out-
       host  with  ``listhost'', dir/headerremove with headers to
       be   stripped   (copy   from   a   list),   dir/text/help,
       dir/text/top,  and  dir/text/bottom  with  the appropriate
       texts.  Also, create config with the appropriate contents.

       Mail  to  ``user-ezmlm@listhost''  will now be answered by
       ezmlm-request.

RECOGNIZED COMMANDS
       Any command not recognized by ezmlm-request is assumed  to
       be valid, as long as it consists of only letters, numbers,
       hyphen, underscore, period, and ``+''. This allows  ezmlm-
       request  to  correctly  handle  commands added by the list
       owner.

       A number of commands are recognized by  ezmlm-request  but
       not  processed.  Instead  they  are mapped to help without
       arguments. These are: system, put, and set.

       ezmlm-request also handles a number of aliases  for  ezmlm
       commands.  Since  ezmlm-request only passes on requests to
       the list, local restrictions  apply.   For  commands  that
       have aliases, accepted aliases are listed:

       subscribe
              sub

       unsubscribe
              unsub, signoff, remove.

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ezmlm-request(1)                                 ezmlm-request(1)

       index  ind.

       list   recipients, showdist, review, rev, who.

       Some  commands  are  handled  differently when used
              without argu- ments:

       query  Treated like ``which''.

       list   Treated like ``lists''.

BUGS
       ezmlm-request  places  stricter  requirements on addresses
       than rfc822. Thus, some addresses that are  rfc822-compli-
       ant  cannot be used as ezmlm-request command arguments. If
       you   fix   this,   please   send   a   patch   to   lind-
       berg@id.wustl.edu. I think qmail has the same restriction,
       though.

       ezmlm-request uses NUL as a  line  terminator  internally.
       Thus,  if  will  fail  if  NUL is found within the line it
       tries to interpret as a command.  It  is  harmless,  other
       than that the remainder of the line will be ignored.

       The ezmlm-request ``which'' command does not differentiate
       between a list for which the command is not  available,  a
       list  for which the subscriber db is not accessible, and a
       list for which the  address  is  not  a  subscriber.  This
       should be considered a feature.

SEE ALSO
       ezmlm-get(1), ezmlm-manage(1), ezmlm-send(1), ezmlm(5)

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