The mailing list for listmasters using Sympa

[Steve Shipway <address@concealed>]

I see where you are coming from on this one - you don't want notifications 
sent out to users for unapproved lists - but if this were to be solved in the 
way you suggest (prevent any manual subscriber additions until the list is 
open) then it would stop us (Auckland uni) from using Sympa in the way we 
currently do.

Our users need to be able to initialise list membership before the list is 
approved, which includes manual additions and testing of external 
datasources.  So, we need to be able to do 'add's before the list is open.

The way we get around the problem you mention is that we have customised the 
web_tt2 templates in such a way that the default for the 'notify subscribers' 
checkbox is 'unchecked' for both individual additions and for bulk uploads.  
This way, most manual additions will not give a notification, and the problem 
is avoided.  Once the list is approved, then (if the owner wishes) they can 
click the 'remind' button to notify all members in one hit.

One idea that occurs to me is that the web_tt2 template could test the list 
status, and if it is not 'open' then these checkboxes could be made unchecked 
AND read-only, so that even if a particularly awkward list owner wanted to 
notify new subscribers before list approval, they could not.   It would also 
be a good idea to hide the 'remind' button for non-open lists as well.  This 
has the added benefit of not requiring any modification of the Sympa code.

Steve

Steve Shipway
University of Auckland ITS
UNIX Systems Design Lead
address@concealed
Ph: +64 9 373 7599 ext 86487


________________________________________
From: address@concealed 
[address@concealed] on behalf of Patrick Rynhart 
[address@concealed]
Sent: Tuesday, 10 December 2013 5:05 p.m.
To: address@concealed
Cc: address@concealed
Subject: [sympa-users] Subscribers can be added prior to list being approved 
or declined

Hi,

I'd like to report a possible bug in Sympa.  However, I wanted to detail
the steps below for comment prior to opening a bug report on the tracker
(if it's agreed that this is indeed one).

In Short
--------
Prior to a list being approved or declined, a list requester can start
adding subscribers (even though the list is "not yet activiated").  The
subscribers then get an email welcoming them to the list.  It looks like
the list is active, so subscribers start emailing the list.  However,
the list isn't installed - so the mails bounce (resulting in confusion
to the end users).