On   Wed,    5   Jun    1996   12:34:08   EST    LISTSERV   Administrator
<[log in to unmask]> said:
 
>>This is because the  contents of the template are just  a few lines out
>>of a larger  message that is being prepared by  LISTSERV to contain the
>>reply to the user's command(s)
>
>Not true... with SUB_OWNER, that's the  only message that's sent back to
>the user.
 
Not true. With SUB_OWNER, this is the  text of the reply to the SUBSCRIBE
command, which is inserted  in the job reply after the  '> sub blah blah'
line. Other  commands in the  job will then  be processed, and  so forth.
This is NOT a separate message like for instance the welcome message, but
part of  a larger message  that LISTSERV  prepares itself to  contain the
reply to the commands being issued.
 
>> . . Generally speaking,  with a linear  message you are  providing the
>>TEXT of  the reply to  be shown to  the user, but  you do not  have any
>>control over the methods used for delivering this information."
>
>This begs the question... why?
 
Because you're providing the TEXT OF  THE REPLY TO ONE PARTICULAR COMMAND
(or part  of this text),  not a whole  e-mail message. You  don't control
what the  "From:", "Reply-To"  and "Subject:" say,  or whether  the reply
will be sent by e-mail, by TELL, over a web interface, etc.
 
>I guess I don't understand why these were selected to be "linear"...
 
It's actually very simple. When LISTSERV needs a character string to echo
to the user as  the reply to his command, and  people want it customized,
you automatically get a linear  template. When originally LISTSERV sent a
whole, totally  separate message,  you get a  regular template  where you
have full control.
 
  Eric