How to Retrieve Messages from the Airedale-L Archive

Retrieving messages from the archive is a two-step process. In the first step, you send an e-mail message to the listserv where the message text contains the search command. You will receive back an e-mail message from listserve showing the results of the search and all the article numbers that match your search criteria. Then you send another e-mail message to the listserve asking for those particular article numbers.

Here is an example. Let's say I want to search the archives for all messages posted this year containing the word "Keeper" I send a message to listserv@apple.ease.lsoft.com with the following as my message text:

SEARCH "KEEPER" IN AIREDALE-L SINCE 99/01/01

(It doesn't matter if you use upper-case or lower-case. I used uppercase here simply for clarity) I get back a message from listserve that starts off as follows:

SEARCH "KEEPER" IN AIREDALE-L SINCE 99/01/01

3 matches.
Item #DateTimeRecsSubject
------ ---- ---------------
04194899/03/2220:5222Re: Sarah's haircut...and a near-tragedy
04267199/04/0313:4057 Fun??? with Keeper (long)
04267799/04/03 15:5522 Re: Fun??? with Keeper (long)

To order a copy of these postings, send the following command:

GETPOST AIREDALE-L 41948 42671 42677

Now, as the above reply from listserve says, I send another message to listserv@apple.ease.lsoft.com with the following as the message body:

GETPOST AIREDALE-L 41948 42671 42677

(Notice that you can cut this command out of the original message sent from listserve and paste it in a new message to listserve -- beats typing it all in manually, especially if there are a large number articles that match your search criteria!) In a short while, I get back an e-mail message from listserve containing the three archived messages I requested.

I don't know how far back the archive goes, or whether there is a time or space limitation on the archive. I haven't delved into it that far.

The SEARCH command is actually quite powerful as there are may options that you can use. As a result however, your query can get quite complex! The full description of the syntax of the SEARCH command can be found in the Listserve Developer's Guide, which is found at:

http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8d/devindex.html

Thanks to Richard Blackwell for writing these instructions.

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