E-Mail Distribution Lists Copyright 1992 by Urban A. LeJeune This lesson will describe the construction and use of e-mail distribution lists. This lesson will describe the use of such lists for the Columbia MM, Rutgers version 1.1(0) mail package as used on the Pilot NJIN (New Jersey Intercampus Network.) The concepts of a distribution list are available for virtually all mail systems although the syntax may differ substantially from that used on the MM package. Consult your local computer center if you need help with a different package or a different environment. It is frequently desirable to have the ability to send e-mail to someone, or a group of people, using a shorthand notation. Virtually all mail systems support this conceptualization. Typically a file is created with one or more alias entries. These files are sometimes called script files or alias files. When you initially invoke MM the software looks in your Pilot directory for a file names ".mminit". Please note that the initial "." must be present and that lower case must be used when naming the file. Remember that this is Unix and case counts. The file many contain many things which are utilized to personalize the operation of MM but for the moment let's be concerned only with the creation and utilization of the alias function. To start an entry the key word "define" is used followed by a synonym that you select followed by one or more e-mail addresses. Let's start by making an entry that will make it easier to send mail to your tour guide. Entering the line below at the MM> prompt would accomplish the desired keystroke savings. define urb lejeune@pilot.njin.net To send mail to me simply enter "urb" at any point where MM is expecting an address. The alias may only contain alphanumeric characters or "-". An alias definition is only valid for the duration of the MM session in which it is declared. Saving the definition in the MM configuration file will make the declaration permanent. This is accomplished by saving the an entry in a file called ".mminit". This file must be located in you personal Pilot directory. From that point on you can send mail to me by entering "urb" at any point at which MM is looking for an address such as To:, CC: or BCC. The system will expand the synonym to the full address when you "send" the message. BTW (net speak for by the way) a BCC is a blind carbon copy, which causes a copy of your e-mail message to be sent to someone without the other addressee(s) knowing that the copy is being sent. If you wanted to send me a copy of a message that is being sent to someone else without the other person knowing that you are sending me a copy you would enter "bcc urb" at the S> prompt just prior to sending the message. The file ".mminit" may be created in several ways. The easiest is to enter "create-init" at the MM> prompt. If .mminit does not exist the system will create it and if it already exist it will add the newly declared entry to the file. Another way would be to build the file using on of the Unix editors while yet a third way would be to create the file on your PC and transfer it to Pilot as ".mminit" using Kermit when you have finished with the creation or maintenance of the PC file. Note that a DOS file name cannot start with a ".". You would therefore "receive" ".mminit" while you are running Kermit at Pilot and have your PC Kermit send the file as whatever file name you used when you created the file. Let's create a few more entries. define urb lejeune@pilot.njin.net define flip flipping@pilot.njin.net define dan dbullock@pilot.njin.net Having created the above group we can now add an alias using the previously defined synonyms. define hams urb, flip, dan Note that a define entry may have multiple targets separated by commas. In this case it should be noted that Urb, Flip and Dan are all amateur radio operators who are affectionately known as hams. When choosing an alias pick a name that has some meaning or you defeat the purpose of the synonym. Also note that a definition using an alias must physically appear in the file after the specific alias had been declared. If the deceleration specifying hams had appeared before the declaration of urb, flip and dan, MM would not be able to expand hams when it was entered as an address alias. If you enter "who hams" at the MM prompt you will get the expanded address of the recipients of mail when you enter "hams" at an address prompt. One of the most useful applications of an alias is the creation of a distribution list so that the same mail may be sent to a large group of people. Using the Stockton contingent of this course as an example, the definition of "class" declares the entire group with the word "class". define class dbullock@pilot.njin.net, bona@pilot.njin.net,\ macohen@pilot.njin.net, hhobson@pilot.njin.net,\ marusso@pilot.njin.net, millard@pilot.njin.net,\ pelaez@pilot.njin.net, iovanisc@pilot.njin.net,\ emberger@pilot.njin.net, flipping@pilot.njin.net All Unix commands must appear on the same line meaning that there may be no carriage return embedded in a command. If the definition cannot fit on a single physical line follow the last comma an a line with a "\" which tells the operating system to ignore the next character. The carriage return must come immediately after the "\". The example continues. If you are using an editor that performs word wrap at the end of a line without inserting a carriage return you do not need the "\" at the end of the line. The DOS version 5.0 editor and many word processors are examples. Most mail systems, Pilot included, require only the entry of the user identification, not the domain name, if you want to send mail to someone on the same system. The class definition shown above could therefore have been shortened to the following if you will be sending mail from pilot, and want to send mail to your instructor when you send mail to the remainder of the Stockton cohort. define class hams, bona, macohen, hhobson, marusso, millard,\ pelaez, iovanisc, emberger In this example hams is an alias for urb, flip and dan, which are in turn predefined aliases for lejeune, flipping and dbullock. When creating your alias file don't forget to include long or frequently used addresses such as listserv addresses. To create a help-net alias enter the following: define help help-net@templevm.bitnet While on the subject of the MM initialization file, it should be noted that there are many options that can be added to the file to modify the MM environment more to your liking. A common addition is a signature file. As I'm sure you have already noticed many people add a few lines at the end of their messages to indicate who they are and, sometimes, additional information or even art-work. I personally like to know where people are from, and I like a signature file. You may have noticed that I use the following as a signature file: Urban A. LeJeune lejeune@pilot.njin.net Department of Computer Science W2DEC Stockton State College FAX 609-652-4858 Pomona, NJ 08240 Voice 609-652-4477 Home 609-296-5856 The use of a signature file is a matter of personal preference. If you would like to use one, create a file on pilot and simply enter Ctrl-b at the end of your message, and you will be prompted for a file name. Tell the system your signature file name and it's inserted at that point. If you want to automatically include your signature file at the end of all your mail messages then create a file named, or rename your signature file to, ".signature" in your home directory. To make the inclusion of the signature file automatic enter the following at the MM> prompt: MM>set append-signature always MM>create-init and the statement will be added to your .mminit file. You could also use an editor to add the line "set append-signature always" to your .mminit file. You may substitute the keyword "ask" for "always" in the above set statement if you want the system to prompt for approval to include your signature file prior to transmitting mail. MM is a very powerful program with many options. If you would like to explore MM in more detail there are three levels of documentation available on the Pilot system. To get to the MM documentation directory enter the following at the pilot 2% prompt: pilot 2% cd /usr/doc/mm pilot 2% pwd /usr/doc/mm pilot 2% ls -l total 157 -rw-r--r-- 1 root 54021 Nov 2 1989 mm-intro.doc -rw-r--r-- 1 root 15511 Nov 2 1989 mm-primer.doc -rw-r--r-- 1 root 89682 Nov 2 1989 mm-ref.doc The pwd command will display the currently accessed director path. The difference in file size will give you an idea of the detail contained in each of the three documents. You can perform the Unix equivalent of a DOS type by entering: pilot 2% more mm-ref.doc You can of course transfer one of the documents to your PC by using Kermit. You can back up one directory level by entering the following at the pilot 2% prompt: pilot 2% cd .. There must be a space between the cd and the "..". The path /usr/doc contains lots of documentation goodies. You are of course free to download any of them. To return to your home path enter the following at the pilot 2% prompt, substituting your user identification for lejeune which is my user ID. pilot 2% cd /njin/u1/lejeune If you have any problems setting up your .mminit file please send me a message. The addresses of the entire class, including the observers, will be sent to you tomorrow and you will have an assignment requiring a distribution list.