The following is the CURRENT version of the qucickstart file in our server included in this page through the wonder working power of SSI. As soon as we update it on the server, it is updated on the website. It is the very file that is copied into the archive when we build a new one, so a change will appear on this page first, then in the archive when it is released.
Quick Start Instructions for the hasty and eager (As of vesion 1.4.0) This ASSUMES you are either wearing your SUPERUSER! cloak, or at least have sufficent priviliges to issue some pretty serious system commands, such as newaliases and creating files, and ASSIGNING OWNERSHIP of them. If not, you need someone who can to help. If your host does not let you do this sort of thing, suggest to them that they assist you in finding a replacement host that does. Politely, of course. 1.Unpack the archive in the web cgi-bin directory using the extractor of choice. In this example I WILL ASSUME that is /www, where '/' is the root directory. ALL web directories should have a cgi-bin directly under them on the tree, so the path to it is (in this example) /www/cgi-bin. 2.Create the file 'tinylist.cf' using the edior of choice if it does not exist; this is the config file for TinyList. In it, place the domain name of your service. This is the pure name and domain type, as in the example: 'tinylist.org'. Do NOT enter it as 'http://www.tinylist.org' or 'www.tinylist.org' or 'tinylist.org/', the pure name and domain type (properly referred to as a top level domain, which is the part after the '.') only please. Set it's permission to '666' with the chmod command, and set the owner to 'nobody' with the chown command. It can end with a single CRLF, more is unimportant and tolerable. It is a single line text file, additional lines after the first are ignored. 3.Make sure all scripts are permissioned to 755, examining them with ls -l *.py; if not, issue the command 'chmod 755 *.py'. 4.while you are in the web cgi-bin, create the directory 'lists' with the command mkdir. Make sure it is permissioned as 755. 5.Make sure ALL files AND the lists dir are owned by 'nobody', the owner apache is normally set to run as; if not, set it so with the chown command as 'chmod nobody *.py'. 6.cd to ~/lists directory. In it create the file 'testlist'. Set ownership to 'nobody' and permission to '666'. Place YOUR OWN email address in it- pure address only, such as 'me@here.org' NOT as 'me@here.org <'John Smith'> or any other such. Save it and insure it also is owned by 'nobody'. This is the subscriber file for your first list. 7.Create the file (listname).owner; the first line is the list owner's PURE email address, and NOTHING ELSE: The next line is their password for this list. .owner files also are to be chmod 666, owner nobody. 8.cd to /etc; this is where MOST people keep the aliases file in a Un*x box. IF YOURS IS SOMEPLACE ELSE, GO THERE INSTEAD. Open the file 'aliases' in your favored text editor. Add a line of POUNDSIGNS (a '#" symbol), like this: ################################################### # tinylist stuff follows! # # # Alias for the list manager! Now add this alias: tinylist:"|/www/cgi-bin/TLlistmanster.py" ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^ the system path to your web cgi-bin This is the alias for the script that handles replys to coonfirmation messages in the mail, so the email replies have someplace to go besides your desk. You want to skip this and manage list membership by hand, it's your world in that box, knock yourself out. Then another # sign on it's own line: # then THIS alias: testlist:"/pathtoscripts/TLpost.py testlist" ^^^^^^^^^^^^^= (the path to the web cgi-bin again!) And note the doublequotes at each end are ESSENCAL as there is a SPACE in the definition. Save the file. If you did it right, it should look A LOT like this: #################################################### # tinylist stuff follows # # # Alias for the list manager! tinylist:"|/www/cgi-bin/TLlistmaster.py" # #alias for testlist! testlist"|/www/cgi-bin/TLpost testlist" # REMEMBER, if your paths are different, what will work will look somewhat different, but you know the path to your web directory and your cgi-bin, and your domain name, right? 9.issue the 'newaliases' command. This makes the server recompile the aliases into the working database, which we never directly touch. This only takes a second or 3 to do. 10.Send a message to the list. The address to use is 'testlist@(mydomain.foo)', replacing 'mydomain.foo' with your actual domain name. 11.Wait up to 3 minutes, then check your mailbox for messages. Your test message should be there. You now own a working list! Repeat steps 6-10 whenever you want to create a new list. To customize footers, create files in the lists directory. A static footer is '(listname).footer', and a GLOBAL (one that will appear on all lists you host) is 'global.footer', replaceing (listname) with the actual name of the list with no spaces in it, before it, or after it. This supresses the default per list footer; if you create 'global.footer, it supresses the default global footer built into the program. To create a rotation of random items, create the file '(listname).random' for a indivigual list, or 'global.random' for items to be placed on ALL lists you host. NOTE that the program will select ONE LINE out of this file only, so ALL portions of a entry MUST be on one line- long lines are common in this, so make sure autowrap in your editor is TURNED OFF. To create a preface, create the file '(listname).preface'. to create an archive, create the file '(listname).archive'. Tiny will take it from there. Again, all these files must be permissioned 666, owned by nobody. that's the speed course on Tinylist.