[Mailman-Users] digest setting

[Mark Sapiro]

On 12/19/2014 09:26 AM, Xie, Wei wrote:
> 
> I have a question about two our digest settings - how do the two settings work.
> 
> 1) How big in Kb should a digest be before it gets sent out? 0 implies no maximum size.(Edit digest_size_threshhold) 1000
> 
> My understanding when total size of posted messages reaches 1000KB, the digest volume will be sent out to all digest users; when the size does not reach 1000KB, the digest volume will not be sent. Maybe within one day, digest users can receive multiply issues with same volume number; maybe within one day, digest uses do not receive any digest email.


Yes, if the list is active and the approximate size of the digest
reaches digest_size_threshhold multiple times in a day, a digest will be
sent each of these times [1]. As far as incrementing the volume number
is concerned, this occurs periodically based on digest_volume_frequency
and has nothing to do with the number of digests.


> 2) Should a digest be dispatched daily when the size threshold isn't reached?(Edit digest_send_periodic) Yes
> 
> The setting lets me confusing. When above size threshold 1000KB isn't reached within one day, will all digest users receive a digest or not?  I do the tests - when size threshold is not reached, I can't receive digest volume every day. When size threshold is reached, I can receive multiply volumes within one day if I send enough many tests; or I can receive one digest volume with one day if I send emails over 1000KB; or I can receive one new digest volume within several days (How often should a new digest volume be started? Daily) if I send some small emails every day.


If digest_send_periodic is yes, a digest will be sent whenever
cron/senddigests runs and there are any messages since the previous
digest.By default, Mailman's crontab specifies running cron/senddigests
daily at noon.

Again note that digest_volume_frequency has nothing to do with when
digests are sent. It only controls how often the digest volume number is
incremented.


> One of customers wants to receive daily digest volume every day. 
> 
> How do we set the above two settings?


Assuming cron is running with a default crontab, digest_send_periodic =
Yes will send a digest daily at noon if there have been any messages
since the prior digest (regardless of how that was sent).

Additionally and independently, if digest_size_threshhold is non-zero
[2], a digest will be sent whenever the size of the mailbox in which
messages are accumulated for the digest reaches digest_size_threshhold.

[1] This can cause lots of digests. The digest reaches the threshold
size and is sent. A user replies to the digest, quoting the entire
digest in the reply. This single message is now large enough to trigger
another digest and the process continues ...

[2] Prior to Mailman 2.1.16, there was a bug
<https://bugs.launchpad.net/mailman/+bug/558274> that caused a
digest_size_threshhold setting of zero to produce a digest on every
message rather than not on size at all.

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