[Mailman-Users] Question re: lists in 'accept_these_nonmembers'

[Mark Sapiro]

Simon wrote:
>
>My question basically is, what happens if I add a list in the 
>'accept_these_nonmembers' list, but that list contains another list as 
>well as individual subscribers?
>
> From what I can tell, it *looks* like it won't hurt anything, but the 
>members of that nested lists will still have to added individually in 
>order to be accepted. Is this right?


Yes. See remarks below.


>Hmmm.. that sounded a little twisted... here's a semi-graphical explanation:
>
>Currently, this site uses nested lists, like so (I *will* be changing 
>the current nested list structure to use the new 'Umbrella' structure, 
>but I still want an answer to this question):
>
>Lists:
>accounting
>administration
>everyone
>sales
>teamleaders
>  etc...
>
>teamleaders list members:
>  user1 at example.com
>  user2 at example.com
>
>sales list members:
>  user3 at example.com
>  user4 at example.com
>  teamleaders at example.com
>  etc...
>
>everyone list members:
>  accounting at example.com
>  administration at example.com
>  sales at example.com
>  etc...
>
>Now, currently, each list has the individual (user1 at example.com, etc) 
>users that aren't actual members added in the 'accept_these_nonmembers' 
>filter.
>
>Now, if I add @sales to 'accept_these_nonmembers' for the everyone list 
>and remove all of the individual @sales members, then user3 and user4 
>will be able to send to everyone, but user3 and user4 will not, even 
>though they are members of teamleaders and teamleaders at example.com is a 
>member of sales, I would have to also add @teamleaders to allow user1 
>and user2 to be able to send to everyone - correct?


Given that I think you mean 'but user1 and user2 will not', that is
correct.


>My main concern is that having a nested list inside a list that is added 
>to the 'accept_these_nonmembers' field of another list won't *break* 
>anything, especially in some way that is not readily apparent...


No. It won't break anything. Putting @sales in any *_these_nonmembers
field of the everyone list is just the same as individually listing
all the member addresses of the sales list including the address
'teamleaders at example.com'. At the point of processing the nonmember
post, teamleaders at example.com is just another address which may or may
not be the sender of the post. It probably won't match, and it won't
be expanded in any way.

Note that Mailman doesn't do well with lists that have a mixture of
real users and other lists as members. If you declare the list as an
umbrella list, then e.g. member user3 at example.com may not be able to
get a password reminder as it will be sent to user3-owner at example.com.
If it's not an umbrella list, then anyone can go to the options login
page for e.g. teamleaders at example.com and request a reminder which
will be posted to the teamleaders list.

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