[Mailman-Developers] Make web_page_url visible in the admin GUI?

[JC Dill]

John W. Baxter wrote:

>>>>>>>"Max" == Max Bowsher <maxb1 at ukf.net> writes:
>>
>>    Max> Is there any reason not to add web_page_url to the
>>    Max> configurable options in the admin GUI? Right below host_name
>>    Max> in the general category would be a good place.

> Yes, there is a reason.  It is the same reason that the ability was taken
> out many Mailman versions ago.
> 
> Thought experiment:
> 1.  Make a typo which cripples the URL such that you can't reach the admin
> web page.

As I read it, Max's request is to be able to set the URL to the user
webpage, not for the admin webpage.  Then the right URL will show up in
the list footer, etc.

> 2.  Now fix it from the browser.
> 
> The sort of thing in #1 (sometimes not a typo but a more fundamental
> mistake) happened often enough to make removing the ability seem quite
> desirable.
> 
> One thing which has changed since the decision is that a much higher
> proportion of list operators don't have command line access than was the
> case then.  So *perhaps* it would make sense to revisit the decision (making
> it a site option, please).

How about an option to set a new URL as the "default for displaying in
the footer" (and archives, and elsewhere within your list's web
structure), while still maintaining an alias (or having the new URL be 
the alias) to the machine address.

That way the machine address will always work and give you a way to
reach your list via the default machine name/listname path if you make a
typo or otherwise change the URL in a way that doesn't work.

As an example, this list is at:

http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/mailman-developers

We could add a function to let the list admin set a "default URL".  If
Barry wanted to change this list to:

http://www.list.org/mailman/listinfo/mailman-developers

Then this would be the new URL displayed in the list footer, and mail
sent to mailman-developers at list.org would be sent on to the list
membership etc, BUT we could still always reach the list thru the
original (default servername) URL and email address.

jc