On my LISTSERV list, how can I add a keyword to the subject line of each message?

You can place predefined text into the subject line of mail from your LISTSERV list (e.g., you may want the name of your list to appear in the subject line of any message). For example, you could define the following text:

Then the subject would look like this for all subscribers who have set the SUBJECTHDR personal option:

To do this in LISTSERV, you can send a command to the LISTSERV server, or at Indiana University, use the LISTSERV web interface.

Using LISTSERV commands

To manually add a subject tag to your list, follow these steps:

1. Use the GET command to retrieve your list header.
   
   
2. In the "Default-Options" line, add SUBJECTHDR .
   
   
3. Add the following line: * Subject-Tag= your_text

   Note: Do not use  [  or  ]  (square brackets).

4. Use the PUT command to send the header back.
   
   
5. If you wish to set this option for all of your subscribers, send the following optional command: SET listname SUBJECTHDR for *@*
6. Post a message to your list telling users about the new subject tag. To turn it off, users can send the following command to LISTSERV: SET listname NOSUBJ

Using the IU LISTSERV web interface

1. For Indiana University LISTSERV lists, visit the menu for your campus:

   • IU Bloomington
   • IUPUI
   • IU Kokomo
   • IU Northwest
   • IU Southeast
   • IU South Bend

   Log in using your IU email address and LISTSERV password, and then from the List Management menu at the top, select List Dashboard. Under "List Name", click Configure under the name of the list you wish to edit. If you do not have a LISTSERV personal password, see In LISTSERV, how do I set or change a personal password?

2. Under "Complete List Header", click Edit Manually to edit your list's header.
   
   
3. Add the following lines to the header, inserting your desired subject tag text: Default-options= SUBJECTHDR Subject-Tag= [your desired subject tag text]
4. Click Submit.

Also see:

• Where can I get help for LISTSERV?
• What information is stored in a LISTSERV list header file?
• On my LISTSERV list, how do I limit the number of messages my list receives per day?
• In LISTSERV, what are the list header keywords and what do they do?