[Mailman-Users] Configuring mailman for a future domain name

[Richard Barrett]

At 04:06 11/02/2003, Matthew Davis wrote:
>* Paul Kleeberg (paul at fpen.org) wrote:
> > What you say is correct but won't that put a "legacy" URL into
> > Default.py whereas if I used the (undocumented?) parameters below,
> > would it build Default.py with the correct URLs and therefore
> > eliminate the necessity to add the entry to mm_cfg.py?
> >
> > I suppose I should just shut-up and try it and see what happens...
>
>That's correct.  By not modifing Defaults.py you put a 'legacy' url in there
>so its posed to confuse the next admin that takes your place (heaven
>forbid...).  But I believe thoes are there for example purporses, and your
>not lucky enough to have the 'defaults' work.
>
>You can edit Defaults.py, I personally see no harm in it other than it'll
>break future source patches and maybe you'll forget working syntex's if you
>mess something up.  But that's nothing that can't be solved by refering back
>to the Defaults.py in the tarball.

The reason for not editing Defaults.py is that it is replaced when you 
install a new version of MM over an existing version: the normal case when 
updating an operational installation. Hence you will lose the configuration 
variable changes you have made to a running system if you made them in 
Defaults.py

In contrast, mm_cfg.py is _NOT_ replaced when a new version of MM is 
installed over an existing version and hence your explicit local 
configuration changes are retained over the update.

Remember that the Mailman source modules only import mm_cfg (never 
Defaults) which, alone, imports Defaults _before_ doing its own 
assignments; this means that the config variable assignments in mm_cfg 
override any assignment of the same variable in Defaults. If it isn't 
mentioned in mm_cfg, then the assignment in Defaults holds sway.

Admins should follow the same logic, in which case there should be little 
room for confusion.

Mailman's developers were thinking about site admins when they set things 
up to work this way.

>Take it for what its worth, it was free...
>
>--
>Matthew Davis
>http://dogpound.vnet.net/
>
>Interstellar Matter is a Gas