>However I've now begun to get complaints from users who subscribe using
>the INDEX option (where one requests postings by message number) that
>the messages numbers no longer correspond to the messages indicated
>on the INDEX mailings.  Apparently I've done a grave error.
 
I explained this to Mr. Kosovsky last night, but since he posted it to the list
maybe I need to post to the list too.  There is no grave error with what he is
doing. In fact, we require all our listowners to clean up old logs before
we grant them more disk space.
 
>This gives me the opportunity to ask:  how can I correct this?  Is there
>some kind of "renumber" command or must I try to figure out which messages
>I deleted so that I can replace them?
 
No, you don't want to replace them, and the renumbering is done automatically.
 
All messages are numbered sequentially.  The first message in the oldest log
is message number 1, the last message in the newest log is the largest number.
Delete a message somewhere in the middle and all the message numbers after it
decrease by one since there's now one less message in the "database".  There's
no mystery with the way this works: just start from one and count up.
 
LISTSERV refreshes it's database when it detects message numbers have changed,
or when the cleaned log files get put back, thus any index sent out subsequent
to the editing WILL BE CORRECT.
 
The only time there's a problem is when subscribers request messages by number
based upon an index that was generated before logs were changed.  Thus if
people have the INDEX option and ask for files based upon that but in the
meantime the old logs have changed, then the message numbers will be off.
The next day's generated numbers will, of course, once again be correct.
 
Yes, there's some inconvenience to some subscribers for a short time.  If all
the logs are edited offline and then all put back at once, then only one day's
index will be off.  In our shop, the alternative is to close down the list due
to non-cooperation of the list owner, so I think it's worth the minor upset.
 
>Further, looking at the log files, how EXACTLY does Listserv determine
>where the new messages begin?  Is it that line of = signs?
 
Yes.
 
Bill Gruber
City University of New York COmputer Center