Using the SAS Simple List Manager

Note:  For Mailman Documentation, click here.

The SAS Simple List Manager (SASSLM) was written to simpify the administration of mailing lists that are hosted on the SAS Listserv System (Mailman). The complexity of this system, while beneficial in terms of flexibility, has confused a number of users so this interface was written to make list management eaiser for everyone.

Accessing the Software

There are a number of ways to access the software. You can....

Logging In

User your NetID to login to the SASSLM. Your NetID will give you access to all lists on which you are listed as the administrator and/or moderator. You can still use your individual list passwords if you wish to continue using the regular Mailman interface, however, in the SASSLM, only NetID will work.

The Main Menu

Once you login to the software you will be presented with the list of all lists you manage. If you manage less than nine lists, the system will go through each list and check to see if there are any messages awaiting approval. If you manage more than nine lists, the system will display the message "Too many lists! Individual Message Status Is Not Available." The system does not check each list in this case because the more lists it checks, the longer it takes. In this case, if you want the system to check each list anyway, click on the 'Check for Messages' button. The system will check each list (regardless of how many are listed).

If a list is found to have messages waiting, that list will be moved to the top of the menu and the number of messages waiting will be displayed, for example:

  • (3 msgs) fas-testlist [FAS Test Listserv Mailing List]
  • admin-users [All users on FAS-ADMIN]
  • weather-announce [All users in FAS]

At this point you have two choices: Handle Messages or Manage Membership.

Handle Messages

Handling Messages allows you to approve, reject, discard or ignore messages that are waiting in the queue of an individual list. To handle messages click on a list and then 'Handle Messages'. The system will display a list of all messages that are waiting with the address of the sender, reason the message was held for approval, subject and text of the message. Choose one of the options at the bottom of each message and then click 'Save' to execute the commands. Here's a brief explanation of each option:

  • Approve - The message is sent to the members of the list immediately.
  • Reject - The message is sent back to the sender. You can also enter an optional message that will be included with the rejected message so the sender knows why you chose to reject it.
  • Discard - The message is simply dropped. It is not sent to the members of the list and no notification is sent back to the sender. This is typically what you will choose when the message is SPAM.
  • Ignore - If you aren't sure what to do with a message you can choose Ignore and the system will leave the message as is. You can login later to handle the message.

In addition to being able to manually login and select lists with messages awaiting approval, the notification messages sent by the listserv system have been modified to contain a direct link to the message handling page for the list. When you receive a notification there is a message awaiting approval in a list you manage, click on the Simple List link and, after logging in, you will be taken directly to the Handle Messages screen for that list.

Manage Membership

In order to change the list of addresses that are contained in a list, click on the list name and click 'Manage Membership'. The system will display a list of all users who are currently a member of the list along with their full names (if available). If you wish, you can fill in or change the name for each user or delete users by checking the Remove box next to the names to be removed. Once you click save the checked names are permanently deleted and any changes to the full names are saved.

If you wish to add users to the list click on the 'Subscription/Removal' button. You will see two boxes appear on your screen. The top box should be used to enter addresses that should be added to the list and the bottom for addresses to be removed. (You can remove addresses using this method or the checkbox method, whichever is eaiser for you). Enter one address per line and only use one box at a time. You cannot simultaneously subscribe and remove users. You must perform one operation at a time.

If you wish to include the full name of the user when adding use the format:

"Full Name" <

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so, to add an entry for me you would enter:

"Thomas J. Vosseler" <

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When you're done entering addresses click the button that corresponds to the function you want to perform, either 'Subscribe Users' or 'Remove Users'. The system should return you to the full list of users and the changes you just made should be reflected in that list.

Adding Additional Lists

If a list you manage is missing from the main menu, please send an e-mail to

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Credits

Interface Written By Thomas J. Vosseler, Backend by Rob Dunne