README for List 2 Web
Overview
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mailingListArchiveConf.html is the configuration file for List 2 Web. It must be configured in order for the main script to do its job.
mailingListArchiveReader.html is the main PHP script. To use it, simply link to it or call it in a browser. Assuming things are configured correctly, it will respond with a page that shows the latest thread from the mailing list with a calendar and menu of threads and authors.
mailingListArchiveReader.css is the style sheet for List 2 Web. Feel free to customize the look and position of any of the elements on the page. It might be a good idea to mak a backup of this file before editing it.
Configuration
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Settings are kept as PHP variables in mailingListArchiveConf.html, which is included by mailingListArchiveReader.html. If you want to leave a particular setting blank for any reason, either put a # at the start of the line (this is the comment symbol in PHP, causing the preprocessor to ignore anything that follows on that line), remove all the characters between the single quotes (setting the value to null, like "$sLogoImageSRC = '';"), or simply delete the line (deleting is a little dangerous since you may want to set the setting again later, and it's nice to have an example around).
There are four different kinds of settings in mailingListArchiveConf.html:
Archive settings (Required)
Display settings (Required)
List settings
Branding settings
Archive settings are required for List 2 Web to operate. If they are not set correctly, the page will load an empty main thread block, calendar, and empty threads menu.
- List URL is the absolute URL of the list archives on the mailing list server. Without this, List 2 Web cannot function.
- Subscriber Email Address and Subscriber Password are the address and password of a subscriber to the list, which List 2 Web will use for archives authentication. These are only required for lists with private archives.
Display settings are used to determine List 2 Web's behavior.
- List 2 Web Context is used to tell the script whether to publish a Standalone page, complete with HTML head and foot to be browsed on its own, or an Include, an HTML fragment ready to be included in another template page (typically with a surround of menuing, advertisements, sidebars, etc.). If the context is set to include, be sure to reference the List 2 Web CSS file, mailingListArchiveReader.css, in the head of the including page, since List 2 Web will not publish a head for the reference to go in. This setting is best set by making sure the line that matches the desired setting does not have a # at the front of it, and the other line doesn't, so the other option is always clear.
List Settings are optional settings that are for identifying and interoperating with the mailing list.
- List Name is the name that will be displayed on the page to identify the mailing list. Leave it blank for no identification.
- List Name Subject Prefix is the abbreviation of the list name often shown at front of the subject line to make the post's origin clear in subscriber's mail readers. In the context of List 2 Web, this prefix is redundant. Entering it here will allow List 2 Web to automatically remove it when displaying subjects.
- List Email is the address messages are sent to for distribution on the list. It is used by List 2 Web to activate the Reply link(s) which allow browsers to reply conveniently to posts read in the archives.
Branding settings are optional settings used to identify the list's organization and ownership of list content.
- List Logo Src is the URL (relative or absolute) of the list organization's logo image file, to be displayed at the top left of the page (by default; like everything in List 2 Web, the position and appearance of the logo is fully customizable by CSS).
- List Logo Href is the URL of the list organization's web site. It is used in the link that surrounds the logo image to provide a way to reach the organization's site.
- List Logo Width and List Logo Height define the size of the logo image for proper rendering.
- List Logo Caption is a phrase or sentence to be inserted into the title attribute of the logo link. It will appear when the pointer hovers over the logo.
- Copyright Line is a copyright notice that will appear below the current thread.
