[thelist] email list integration with mysql

ontheroad at frii.com ontheroad at frii.com
Fri Jun 30 17:19:17 CDT 2006


This seems like it should be simple, but not so simple on a shared, 
hosted site.  Or perhaps not officially supported.

Piece #1:  I have a registration system set up (actually several) using 
php/mysql on shared, hosted sites.  User goes to a page, fills out a 
form, gets a auto-response with an acknowledgement confirming their 
identity.   This works fine and he/she is added to my database.

Piece #2:  The hosting service uses ezmlm mailing list program.  
Independently you must log into their control panel, access and use 
ezmlm  to create a mailing list, add/update members, etc.  This works.  
At the bottom of the interface is a section where you can define mysql 
user, database, table, password, etc.  Other than the fact that a 
default table, "ezmlm", is identified, the hosting service provides no 
help, no information, on how to work with it.  They won't touch it.  If 
anyone is curious I can set an attachment (offlist) of what I'm seeing.

What I would like to do is automate the process so that the user can 
both register as a user on the website as well as automatically be 
joined into an email list in a single process.  I went so far as to ask 
the hosting service if I could do something by generating an email to 
the list entry in the /etc/aliases or /etc/mail/aliases and update the 
list - but no.

Another hosting company suggested I use phplist to accomplish this task, 
while at the same time indicating that they don't support this.  Even 
so, wouldn't you have to have a way of updating an alias (which requires 
root) to make this work.  If you're hosting your own site, then this 
would be a no-brainer.

Options, ideas?

-Bob




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