An Introduction to Listserv Commands
An Introduction to Listserv Commands


Following are the Listserv commands which will be most useful for the FAST lists.
The first seven of these will be checked during the PK5 exam
Remember that all FAST list commands must be sent to <listserv@listserv.uta.fi>

NB: While these commands apply to all the FAST lists (and other Listserv lists)
only the PK5-L listname will be used in the following examples:

1. Subscribe (to join the list, or change your subscriber listing)

  • For example, subscribe PK5-L your name, your department
    e.g. 'subscribe PK5-L Pia Virta, English Translation'
    Note: only your name is necessary for the subscription, but adding your department (major subject) would further identify you. Subscribers from outside Tampere University should give their institution and country.

  • The 'name/institution(/country) sequence must not exceed 37 characters/spaces (characters beyond 37 will not display)

  • Listserv does not always register accented or inflected 'non- English' characters properly. After joining a new list, be certain to check, using the 'Review' command, how Listserv has registered your subscription. Be aware that while computer configurations in the Nordic region will usually display 'Scandinavian' characters properly, they still may not display properly when viewed from other countries (England and the U.S., for example).
    In such cases, if you have a name like 'Päivi Hämäläinen', consider subscribing with the spelling 'Paivi Hamalainen', to avoid being recorded as just 'P' or 'P Hmlinen'.

  • If you wish to change the way your name/info sequence is recorded, simply send a new 'subscribe' command with the new data. As long as you send it from the same e-mail address, Listserv will record the new information in place of the old for your current subscription; it will not subscribe you a second time (unless the e-mail address you send it from is a different address from the one first used to subscribe).

2. Unsubscribe, or Signoff (to leave the list)

  • For example, unsubscribe PK5-L or signoff PK5-L
  • You need not put your name or e-mail address. Listserv will recognize your address and remove you from the list of subscribers. If your e-mail address has changed since you subscribed to PK5-L, then Listserv will not 'recognize' your unsubscribe command (even if you are still receiving mail via PK5-L). In this case please ask John Hopkins (manager for all the FAST lists) to manually remove you from the list.

3. Review (to check how you are listed, and/or see who else is subscribed)

  • For example, review PK5-L will produce the PK5-L subscriber list
  • review PK5-L by name will produce the subscriber list sorted by LastName
  • review PK5-L by country will produce the subscriber list sorted by Country (more useful for large international lists, as opposed to FAST class lists, almost all of whose subscribers are in Finland)

4-5. Index and Get (to check the PK5-L archives, and retrieve archive logs)

  • index PK5-L will produce the PK5-L log archive file list
  • After looking at the file list, use the GET Filename command to get the log file you want from the PK5-L archive
  • For example, get  PK5-L  log0004 would ask Listserv to send you the monthly log of all messages posted to PK5-L in April 2000 (the log for 2000, the month of April (04)

6. Search (to search the PK5-L database by keyword)

  • search PK5-L computer gender would search the PK5-L archives for all messages containing the key words 'computer' and 'gender'. Listserv will return a file with a list of all messages ever posted to PK5-L containing BOTH of these words, context sentences with the key words underlined, and instructions for how to retrieve the message(s) using the getpost PK5-L xxx command. (Try it!)
  • The 'search PK5-L' command can also be used with single words. If one searched only for 'computer' (e.g. search PK5-L computer) Listserv would send back a file with references to all past postings including 'computer'. This would likely be a large and inexact search.

7. List Global (to search for Listserv forums on various topics)

  • List Global keyword (e.g. list global tran) sent to a full-service listserver (such as listserv@listserv.net) would retrieve a listing of all global listserv-based lists having the keyword tran as all or part of its focus.

(The following commands may also be useful, though they will not be checked during the PK5 exam)

Set (to configure PK5-L [or other lists] to your personal preferences)

  • set PK5-L nomail will cancel all incoming mail from PK5-L until you instruct Listserv to resume sending you mail
  • set PK5-L mail is the command to use to resume getting mail
  • set PK5-L digest (not a useful command for PK5-L, but often useful for high-volume e-mail lists) will result in your getting the following morning a single daily "digest" of all the individual e-mail sent to the list during the previous day. Each individual message in the digest will appear complete, in the chronological order by which it had been sent to the list. To turn off the "digest" setting and resume getting each e-mail message individually, use the set PK5-L mail command.
  • set PK5-L conceal — tells Listserv to 'hide' your name from the list of subscribers (the one people get with the 'Review' command). You will be on the list, but no one else can tell that you are on the list. This is mainly for those who are very concerned about privacy.

Query (to check your PK5-L settings)

  • query PK5-L. Listserv will send back a short note of your individual settings for PK5-L, e.g. what topics you are subscribed to and all the other 'settings' described above.


More information on basic commands can be retrieved by e-mailing the word "HELP" to listserv@listserv.uta.fi
A review of ALL possible commands is available via the Listserv Commands Manual


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Last Updated 12 March 2012