[Mailman-Users] Questions about how moderating works

[Mark Sapiro]

Gail wrote:
>
>The way we've run the list requires that all messages must be read and
>approved by me, and at times I also need to 'add' comments to the end of a
>message.  It appears that all approvals are done on the web, rather than
>through email, is that correct?


No. Moderated messages can be approved or discarded either via the web
or via email.


>Is it hard to use an on line web approval system?  To add comments, or to
>reformat the original message in particular?  I've used one in the past that
>was nearly impossible to use and had to abandon it as it more than tripled
>the time required to do the job!


The on line approval process is simple, but editing messages to be
approved is very cumbersome at best. See
<http://www.python.org/cgi-bin/faqw-mm.py?req=show&file=faq03.009.htp>.


>Is it necessary that messages be approved in the same order they were
>received in?  


No, but approving a reply prior to the original message may affect
threading in the archives.


>Can digest be manually created via some sort of command or are all digests
>created automatically based on size or a time of day set up on the system?


Digests are normally produced once a day by a cron job and additionally
when they reach a settable size limit. You can turn off periodic
digests, and you can manually trigger a digest at any time.


>Is it possible to ban or strip all attachments completely?


Yes.


>All this may be moot if there's an option for doing the
>processing through email as I have always done in the past.


You can approve by email, and editing the 'approved' post is most
easily accomplished by email too, although it is cumbersome.


>Another 'nice to have' option would be if digests are formatted with a list
>of inclusions at the beginning, including the subject, sender's name, and
>perhaps a number for each message?

Digests come in two flavors selectable by the recipient. Either a
flattened, plain text format or MIME format with each message in its
own message/rfc822 part.

In either format, the messages are preceded by some list boiler plate
and a table of contents like the following:

Today's Topics:

   1. RE: Triple chain rings (John Mulvihill)
   2. Compact Triple (Jack Holmgren)
   3. Re: Compact Triple (Mark Sapiro)
   4. Re: Compact Triple (Dan Brekke)
   5. Re: Compact Triple (Rich Fisher)
   6. Re: question about the ham-radio support (Oren Leiman)
   7. SSR Tomorrow (James Hand)
   8. Davis Double Century & Triple Crown Stage Race (Robert Ballard)
   9. Re: SSR Tomorrow (Rich Fisher)
  10. March 11th ASSR Cancelled (John Buenfil)
  11. Re: SSR Tomorrow (John Buenfil)
  12. Re: Saturday, March 11:  TM Pace "Presto" Ride (Garcia Maria)
  13. Re: Saturday, March 11:  TM Pace "Presto" Ride (Rich Fisher)
  14. Prehaps we don't need the front wheell after all (charles nighbor)

-- 
Mark Sapiro <msapiro at value.net>       The highway is for gamblers,
San Francisco Bay Area, California    better use your sense - B. Dylan