History: Forum and Mailing List Synchronization
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Forum and List Synchronization
This page describes how to set up a Tiki forum such that all e-mails from the forum go to a mailing list, and all e-mails to the mailing list go back into the forum. It preserves e-mail threading, even on posts in the forums! This allows Tiki to become both a web-based and email-based forum or group where users can use either email or web, or both, to view and submit messages. Note that the Tiki does not provide the mail list server capability. You will have to use some external service like from Mailman, YahooGroups or similar.
Basic Setup
The portion of the forum administration page we will be modifying is as shown:
Lets look at each option and its setting individually in the table below.
| Option | Description
|
| "Forward messages to this forum..." | Put the email list name that people subscribe too. This should usually be the same name they use to submit messages too. For example, ListName@myMailListServer.com or ListName@yahoogroups.com. This is the email address used by Tiki to send a message when someone posts to the forum. Tip: Do not associate the TikiWiki Forum option "Send this forums posts to this email" with this email list in any way. Emails sent to that email address are sent from the Tiki Admin email account in link format and will cause another message coming back into the forum. |
| "Send mails even when the post is generated by inbound mail" | If you enable this option, you will likely generate an undesired loop. Best to leave unchecked. |
| "Append a reply link to outbound mails" | If checked, mails sent to the list will include a link to post a reply in the forum also. Generally not needed if your email list processing software has reply-to processing of the email setup as wanted. |
| "Originating e-mail address..." | This is the email address that a message posted in the Tiki Forum will be sent from. That is, messages submitted in the forum generate an email from this address to the e-mail list. The account does not have to exist. In this example, we are using: ForumOut@myTikiSite.com. If meant to be a real address, you may need to use your mail servers domain (if different). Note: this email address must be able to send to the list. So the email address should be subscribed to the list if closed. If you only allow registered users to post to the forum, you can likely set this email address as un-moderated in the list as well. If your list processing software allows it, avoid sending e-mail list messages back to this account. Unfortunately, posts by Tiki registered users in the forum cannot be sent using their email account. |
| "Add messages from this email to the forum" | It should be set to the a mail server, user and password of a POP3 account that is solely for retrieving email from the list and into the forum. No one else should ever login to this account. This email address should be subscribed in the email list and receive messages directly (no digesting turned on). You should also, if possible, turn off receiving administration messages like password resets. In this example we are using: POP3 server: mail.myMailHost.com User: ForumIn@myMailHost.com , and Password: (the password for that email account). Note: you can use the same email address in place of ForumOut@ AND ForumIn@. Just note the distinction here and realize occasional email "bounces" could cause undesired results if setup this way. |
Tiki checks the mail server and processes pending incoming emails each time the forum is accessed in a browser. So any visitor will see the latest posts available. Emails are sent out to the email list immediately on a forum post. So the setup is transparent to the users of either mechanism (email list or Tiki Forum).
Common Email Addresses between Tiki Users and Email Lists
A logged in Tiki user who makes a post in the Forum will appear in the email mailing list with their Tiki user name (but sending from the ForumOut@ email address of above). An email user who sends an email to the list, if they are also a Tiki user with the same email address, will appear in the Forum post as that Tiki user. Otherwise, unrecognized email addresses (or Forum users not logged in) appear as Anonymous. The nice thing is that registered users of your Tiki can use email to read and post messages and it appears as if they did it via the forum directly.
Mailing List Setup
The tricky part is to avoid mail loops during set up and operation. Note that there are possibly three different host domains that will be used. The mailing list software (or groups) domain, the Tiki's domain (for originating messages from forum posts), and the domain of a unique email account you use to subscribe to the email list. It can all be the same domain but does not have to be. You cannot have all three be the same email account. And never make the "Forward messages ..." (list email) and "Add messages ..." (subscribe email) be the same account.
Make the e-mail list be moderated, first of all, until you're sure that everything is working OK, and maybe even later during normal operation. This will help control the email coming from and going to the Tiki forum during setup and possibly later. Moderate during setup even if your email list and forums allow unsubscribed or anonymous posters.
Things that confuse the forum are automatic messages generated by the list software such as password reminders, automatic response messages on submission, and bounce processing. So if you can avoid those being sent, do so. This is why having a separate account for incoming email (for example, ForumIn@ above) is helpful as you can usually set the membership properties in the e-mail list uniquely for that account.
Some email lists make the reply-to be set to the list itself. That can be annoying to some but can be more logical here. Simple email replies to posts originated in the Tiki Forum go back to the email list if reply-to is overriden to be the list itself. If reply-to is not overridden and left to the senders email address, then simple replies to emails sent from Forum posts will be lost (as the ForumOut@ account is purposely bogus). A trick can be to use the list email address in place of the ForumOut@ address. Or make the ForumIn@ and ForumOut@ addresses actually be one in the same. But this can also get you into trouble. Best to use three separate email addresses, with reply-to left to be the sender's email in the list.
Make sure the user(s) that email comes from and goes to (ForumOut@ and ForumIn@ in the example above) are subscribed to the list. ForumOut@ posts should be pre-approved (not moderated) and should not receive emails back from the list. ForumIn@ should get emails directly and individually; no digesting. If you have the option, text emails are generally better than HTML going to the Forum.
Each list engine may require some other unique options.
Using "Yahoogroups"
For yahoogroups (http://groups.yahoo.com), it is recommended that you set:
Step 1: contact details
Yahoo Profile: your profile name in yahoo (something like yourprofile at yahoo.com),
Email address: Select the email address that you want the messages to be set to. Here you have to add the same email address used before: ForumIn@myMailHost.com
Step 2: Messages delivery
Select Individual messages only (don't select "Daily digest", or "Special announcements", or "Only Web").
Step 3: Mail preferences
Select Traditional (instead of "Complete (New and Improved)"), for easier viewing in your Tiki (all ads come below the text message).
Press Save changes when done, and that's it.
Using "Mailman"
Mailman ("The" GNU Mailing List Manager) is free software for managing electronic mail discussion and e-newsletter lists, and is used all around the globe. More information: http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/
How to configure it?
That's pretty easy... 😊
Follow a similar approach as in the previous list server case, and if needed, request some help in http://doc.tikiwiki.org/Forums 😉