Conference iosg::all-in-1_v30

    No it can't....the expansion is done by the sending process - and HAS
    to be done...
                                            
    Especially if you consider off-node mail and private DLs.
    The sole exception is the special 'SUBSCRIBERS:' which has a special
    code routine to deilver to.
    
    Winton

    Ricardo,
    
    As Winton points out there is no way to stop the distribution list
    expanding. Also note the good points about personal dist lists etc.
    
    However, various ways of ensuring that the name of the distribution list is
    displayed to the end-user when reading/printing assuming that you can
    put some control into the creation of dist lists.
    
    For instance, a 'dummy' entry could be placed as the first entry in the
    distribution list. This 'dummy' entry could contain the actual name of
    the dist list. Then you would modify all the mail boilerplates to check
    the first addressee and display the necessary details.
    
    I'm not suggesting that this is a smart customisation to make but
    thought I'd just take the opportunity of showing that anything is
    possible with ALL-IN-1.!
    
    Kevin
    
    
    

RE .3 >>>> ALL-IN-1 has a solution to EVERY problem... 

      But also a niggle... in that when you put the name of the 
      distribution list in the list as the FIRST entry, ALL-IN-1 "often" 
      presents the list of addressees to Message Router in the reverse 
      order, and so the name gets put at the bottom.

      This may or may not be a problem to you.

      This may or may not be solvable by sorting the list of addressees at 
      display (read or print) time.

Cheers, Chris

On this same note...

Has anyone out there used "DISPLAY OF DISTRIBUTION LISTS"?
If so, is it worth while? Would it probably work with v3.0 of
ALL-IN-1? 

A customer of mine would like to do exactly what the author of this
note is requesting - avoid expanding long lists of names and  replacing
it with the name of the distribution list (a very reasonable idea when
it comes to system dist. lists).

thanks,
Debroah

    Re .5 You could put the special name at the top AND bottom of the
    distribution list :-).
    
    Re .6. I believe this asset is what we use internally which allows yout
    Switch Distribuiton List display. This switches off the distribution
    list but it is not replaced with the distribution list name which is what
    the author of .0 was asking for. (rather it just displays somnething
    like TO: Use SH to see distribution list)
    
    Kevin

	Hi Kevin & Winton,

	I too have a problem with trying NOT to expand distribution lists.
	
Re.1
	I can see a reason expanding them when the mail is sent, and I don't 
	have a problem with that, but is there a way of keeping a DL in 
	compressed (unexpanded) format BEFORE it is sent?

	Using the normal menu options the DL is expanded once the mail is 
	created (SH on the EM menu shows the expanded verion).

	Calling mail functions in a script like:-

		MAIL CREATE /OPEN/NOSEND
		MAIL TO "@KEEP DIST LIST"
		MAIL SUBJECT "PLEASE WORK"
		MAIL CLOSE_MESSAGE
  
	leaves the addressee as:
	
	System Distribution List             ( @KEEP DIST LIST )
			
	Even doing a modify header of this will bring in the DL as an 
	addressee.
	
	Now I can see where EMEDHD does the MAIL EXPAND_DIST_LISTS bit but 
	where is this done on EMHEAD?   
	
	Thanks,

	Colin.
	

    Colin,
    
    Winton's an ex-employee so he's not going to answer ...
    
    When you create a mail message the expansion of distribution lists
    is done at code (BLISS) level from within the Create function which
    is why you can't see it on the named data of EMHEAD.
    
    Regards,
    
    Andrew.D.wicks
                                     

Hi,

The distribution list is expanded on form EMHEAD by the validation dataset
(called OA$MAIL_ADD_ADDR, or somesuch).  This is an enormous dataset that does
loads of stuff in one go.  Unfortunately there's no way to perform only parts
of its operation.

Scott

	Re. 9 Andrew,

	Thanks. My brain really knew that but my body was hoping that 
	my brain didn't know what it was talking about :-)

	Re. 10 Scott,

	Thanks for the additional info, but I don't think I can get near
	OA$MAIL_ADD_ADDR with a barge pole. Anyway, my doctors have told me
	never to touch CLI ever agian - it's bad for your health!!!

	It looks like I will need to mess around with some type alternate
	mail CMU stuff to achieve what I'm after.  

	Colin.

    There is a reason why the DL is expanded when you leave EMHEAD.
    
    The thinking was that you might want to send to everyone on a DL except
    one or two (the boss, maybe!). You could do this in DECsnail, so as
    ALL-IN-1 was to replace it in some major installtions (especially
    insode DEC!) we had to provide some similar function. As it is now, you
    Create you message to @DL, then Modify Header to remove any unwanted
    addressees from the expanded DL. If the DL was expanded at Send time
    you couldn't do this.
    
    Dave.
    
    (PS - DECmail had a much neater way to do this in my opinion - you just
    typed @DL followed on the next line by -addressee ("minus" addressee).)

	Dave,

	Fair enough. I was only 'hoping' that things were really not 
	the way I knew they were.... I think?  
	
	One point though - since a DL is expanded at send time anyway, 
	why does it need to be expanded coming of EMHEAD? It could be
	expanded during the pre processing of EMEDHD, when the user really 
	wants to change/access the entries. 

	Thanks for the info.,

	Colin.

    Yes, it could. 
    
    D.