[Mailman-Users] No footer for HTML messages

[jgo]

> Fri, 2002-01-25 19:03:53 -0500 David Pierron <linux at wombatsweb.com>
> I installed Mailman 2.0.8 and have noticed that it doesn't put the list
> footer on messages in HTML format...
>
> I looked on SourceForge to see if the bug was posted and a possible
> resolution, but didn't see anything in Bugs or Patches...
>
> Is this a known bug, or has no one noticed? (doubtful)...
> How can I fix it?

I ran afoul of a very closely related problem 5 years ago,
when I volunteered to help add footings for Tallahassee freenet,
noting that the page was
"Served from blah blah freenet.
 This page was laste updated on 2002-01-29."

Because of the nature of HTML it is a complex problem.
HTML is very loose about requiring that pairs of tags
being matched, i.e. you can get by without </html> at
the end, you can get by without </table> to close out
a table definition, and you can get by without a </ul>
to close out a list.  And then there are parts of HTML
that can be dynamic, and the several divergent pseudo-
standards...

So, let's say some bright person decides to send hir
messages to your list as enriched text or as html,
only their html may or may not be missing some of
these closure tags.  When mailman adds its footing
it may be adding it in the middle of a table, or in
the middle of a list or dictionary, or after the
</html>.

The problem becomes writing a fairly complete HTML parser
to add the footing just before the </html>... or to
close out a <table> by adding a missing </table> and
close out a <ul> by adding a missing </ul> and
then adding the footing and then the </html>

BTW, there is a nice html checker at <http://validator.w3.org:8188/>
and there may be some useful tools there from which to build.


>>> Marc Merlin wrote:
>>> ...I was asleep at the wheel :-)  (catching up on my
>>> 2000+ list Email backlog right now)

Over-worked, under-employed, under-paid; leading the bleeding edge.  :B-)

John G. Otto, Eagle Scout, Knight, Cybernetic Praxeologist
Existence, Consciousness, Identity, Life, Liberty, Property, Privacy, Justice
<http://gosc.nisus.com/~giovanni>