>I want to define a FAC (for PUTing  files on a FILELIST)  which points to a
>list of users.   However, when I try to PUT a file using this FAC, I get an
>internal error, saying that the FAC is not defined.
>
>I looked in another  FILELIST which appeared to do this  in order to figure
>out the syntax.  I defined the FAC something like this:
>
>*:    PHY = '(PHYS-L)'          /*  some sort of suitable comment      */
>
>I guess I have 3 questions:
>   1)  Can this be done, or am I imagining things?
 
    Yes, and no.
 
>   2)  Is my syntax wrong?
 
    Yes.  You did the obvious thing:  looked in a filelist you got via
INDEX (or  via GET without the  (CTL option), and coded  what you saw.
However, this  isn't the proper  format.  The INDEX  command reformats
the FACs yo "look nice".  The proper syntax for any FAC definition is:
 
   Column 1
   !
   V
   *+ fac= thing,thing,... description
 
    The "fac" must be three characters.   There must be only one space
between the "+" and "fac", and none between the "*" and "+" or between
the "fac" and "=".  The "thing" has a number of possible formats:
 
  1) user@node      e.g. *+ BOB= [log in to unmask]
     A single network address.
 
  2) (listname)     e.g. *+ LSV= (LSTSRV-L)
     A single list name, implying access for all members of that list.
 
  3) OWNER(list)    e.g. *+ NIC= OWNER(LIAISON)
     A single list name, imply access for all owners of that list.
 
  4) NODES(a,b,...) e.g. *+ LCL= NODES(RUTGERS9,RUTHEP,RUTVM1)
     One or more nodenames, implying access for all users at those nodes.
 
  5) PW=password    e.g. *+ LCL= PW=SECRETAGENTMAN
     A password to be used in conjunction with this FAC.
 
    You can string as many "thing"s together as you want, provided the
fit on a single line of the FILELIST, and you don't have any spaces in
the list.  If you  need more room, start a new  line, exactly the same
way (all  definitions of a  FAC are strung  together, as if  they were
entered on the same line).
 
    Before any "thing" in the list,  you can insert a "HIDE=", and all
"thing"s listed  after it (in that  line only) will not  appear in the
FILELIST when it is retrieved (via INDEX or simple GET).
 
    If you  use the "PW=" to  define a FAC  password, it must be  on a
line by itself, not shared with other "thing"s.
 
>   3)  Does the list need to be in a special format for this to work?
 
    It sure does.  To get the FILELIST in a form that you can edit and
send back, you need to add the "(CTL" option to the GET command, e.g.
 
     "GET JUNK FILELIST (CTL"
 
    This  tells  LISTSERV to  send  it  out  intact, without  all  the
hard-coded FACs (like CTL, NAD,  etc.) listed, and without reformating
the FACs defined in it.  To store it back, just insert a "PUT filename
FILELIST PW=password" line at the top of the file, and send it back to
LISTSERV.
 
Ross Patterson
Rutgers University