[Mailman-Users] Email Command Question

[Paul Mosher]

    I am an experienced user of Majordomo and am trying to get up to speed on
   Mailman.  My question has to do specifically with the Mailman EMAIL
   INTERFACE, not the WWW interface which seems to be pretty simple to use.
   However, the tech guy at the organization for which I am looking into
   Mailman wants to be able to use the EMAIL interface to (1) download a list
   of subscribers to a list and (2) add (not invite) subscribers to the list.

   As to (1), I had no trouble getting the list of subscribers using a "who"
   email command once I figured out that I have to use the admin password in
   the message and place the command in the SUBJECT LINE  of the email, as in
    Subject: who <admin password>

   However, if I move the command from the subject line to the message body
   (leaving the subject line empty), as in:

   Subject: <blank>

   (and in the message body:)
   who <admin password>
   end

   I get NO RESPONSE at all from the server -- neither an error message nor
   the correct result of the command, as if the my email is being discarded
   by the server.  And if  I do it this way:

   Subject: who request

   (and in the message body)
   who <admin password>
   end

   THEN I do get a reply but it is an error message:
   "You are not allowed to retrieve the list membership."

   which seems to me to indicate that the server is trying to interpret the
   subject line, sees the word "request" as an incorrect password, and then
   doesn't check the message body at all.

   According to the mailman documentation the command should work if it is in
   either place in the email:
   "Commands can appear in the subject line or the body of the message."
   [1]http://www.list.org/mailman-member/node10.html

   So that's my first question. What did I do wrong?

   (2) As to subscribing (not inviting) subscribers via email, my
   understanding is that adding subscribers via email is not possible.  Is
   that correct?

   Thanks,
   Paul

References

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   1. http://www.list.org/mailman-member/node10.html