Mailing List Question (Solved)

[John Liebson]

Tb 91.11.0 (64-bit)

It has been a very long time since I created and used a mailing list, so I brought up the help file, and created a list.

The next step was to open Address Book and find my list, and click on Write. That is where my question arose; The help file says "This will open a new Write message window, and each contact in the mailing list will appear in a separate To field", which is not what I got. All I see in the To box is the name of my mailing list, so I cannot tell if I finish and send the message it will go to everyone on the mailing list, which I checked and does have all the recipients.

I have no way of knowing if the help file is simply not up to date or if something is not working properly.

Yes, I am working properly, at least in theory....

[tanstaafl]

I don't know what KB article you're quoting from but its wrong. That feature has never been built-in AFAIK, you need to install an add-on to do that. There are several add-ons that let you replace a mailing list with its contacts but all but one appear to be legacy add-ons that won't work with version 78 or later. Try the expand mailing lists add-on at https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/th ... ts/?src=ss

If that add-on doesn't work I suggest you create a test mailing list with just two contacts that you use to verify that it works as expected.

FYI the Write button in the address book window is gone in 102.1.0 Probably because most people used the Write button in the main window, not in the address book, and they redid the user interface of the address book in 102.

[John Liebson]

Thanks. The list is the one that you get when you press F1 in Tb. No date given. According to that help list, creating mailing lists are certainly built into Tb: Address, File, New, Mailing List, which brings up a form for you to put your contacts it.

For that matter, that the file appears to be wrong is a problem: It says that you can, for example, remove entries, presumably just for the mail you are about to send; if you cannot see them, then you would have to permanently remove any such from the form, replace later. That alone would tell me to not even bother with the test, and try to extension; not that I am not very likely to need to delete temporarily, but why use the current built-in list as I might need to.

I am going to try the extension in your reply.

[John Liebson]

Downloaded extension, installed same, started new email using mailing list created using the help file instructions, pressed the icon for the extension, each entry in the list now shown individually in the To: box.

Must be some problem somewhere, why else would this do what Tb is supposed to do, and do it so easily; cannot be right, but in the meantime, problem has been solved.

===
Correction: Now that I have had a chance to use the extension, I found that one still creates the mailing list the way that the help file directs. The extension then does what the help file says that the process does but does not, namely expand the list so that you can see each entry in the To: line. Very helpful in overcoming what is apparently a change in the way that Tb handles mailing lists, but is certainly not explained in the help file. There may be some way to do that without the extension, but I'm not going to take any more time trying to find out, I will just use the extension if need be.

[Gone Postal]

You shouldn't need the add-on if you are on TB v91. The add-on home page includes this comment:

Thunderbird 91

TB91 has a built-in facility to expand a mailing list. Right-click on the list and select 'Expand list'. So you probably do not not need this addon.

If you type the name of a mailing list into any of the To, cc, or bcc fields in the e-mail header then right-click you are given an option to expand the list and show all of the recipients in the list.

[tanstaafl]

Doesn't work for me with 91.11.0 or 102.1.0. I just get undo, cut, copy, paste, delete, select all and a greyed out redo in the context menu when I right click on a mailing list name in the To field.

I also tried enabling the contacts sidebar and right clicking on the mailing list name in it.

Does it work for you? Perhaps I'm doing it wrong.

[John Liebson]

You shouldn't need the add-on if you are on TB v91. The add-on home page includes this comment:

Thunderbird 91

TB91 has a built-in facility to expand a mailing list. Right-click on the list and select 'Expand list'. So you probably do not not need this addon.

If you type the name of a mailing list into any of the To, cc, or bcc fields in the e-mail header then right-click you are given an option to expand the list and show all of the recipients in the list.

My original post starts with my Tb version, 91.11.0 (64-bi).

I tried right clicking, and very carefully ignored the last entry in the popup menu. Read your message, tried again, looked at the menu, decided to try that last entry, which did what it said it would do.

[Gone Postal]

You shouldn't need the add-on if you are on TB v91. The add-on home page includes this comment:

Thunderbird 91

TB91 has a built-in facility to expand a mailing list. Right-click on the list and select 'Expand list'. So you probably do not not need this addon.

If you type the name of a mailing list into any of the To, cc, or bcc fields in the e-mail header then right-click you are given an option to expand the list and show all of the recipients in the list.

My original post starts with my Tb version, 91.11.0 (64-bi).

I tried right clicking, and very carefully ignored the last entry in the popup menu. Read your message, tried again, looked at the menu, decided to try that last entry, which did what it said it would do.

If the problem is now resolved, then we may well be victims of two nations divided by a common language. I know that your original post noted that you were using TB v91 which is why I said that if you were using TB91 you probably did not need the addon. Going further into your response, is the problem now sorted to your satisfaction building on what I posted? If so, on our side of the water in the UK it would be common practice to include a thank you for the assistance in any further response.

[John Liebson]

If the problem is now resolved, then we may well be victims of two nations divided by a common language. I know that your original post noted that you were using TB v91 which is why I said that if you were using TB91 you probably did not need the addon. Going further into your response, is the problem now sorted to your satisfaction building on what I posted? If so, on our side of the water in the UK it would be common practice to include a thank you for the assistance in any further response.[/quote]

Not at all: For example, Martin Lotin Parry,veddy English don't you know, was the chair the English department of my very American college prep school, as well as my junior varsity soccer coach, and, yes, he did use the word "soccer." Given that he served in the U.S. Military might explain some of that, but not that he would say "Don't take issu with your shedule" in quite English English.

And there is my list of organizations and people that, over a period of years, I got to change their ways and adopt mine, one of which was the British Home Office, which I accomplished from home outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Yes, matters were satisfactorily solved earlier today, when I got my new mailing list to expand and then send my missive.

I have a pending `thank you' which I have been too busy since the mailing list success, so if you prefer to wait, I could send later....