Here are brief instructions on how to use it.

Initial Setup

You will have to check this once.

Goto http://yoursite.com/lists/admin

and enter the userid and password that was sent to you.

On the right menu select "Configure" and check all your settings. Don't change anything you don't understand and also don't change your default messages (ie the confirmation request message and the thank you message) since these are actually kept on your default subscribe page (see below)

Changing the administrator password

Select Main Page > Administrator functions > Admins and follow the prompts.

Changing your default subscription request and subscription confirmation messages

PHPList is a double opt-in system. This means that people who subscribe to your list via the webform will receive a confirmation mail that they will have to click-through to get on your list. Note: PHPlist cannot be configured for single opt-in; for this you may need to get a system such as Ecomincs.

1. Select "Subscribe pages" (on the right menu)
2. Click "Edit"
3. You can change the subscription request message and the subscription confirmation message from there

Adding yourself to the "Test" newsletter

1. Select "Lists"
2. In the "Test" list select "View members"
3. Add your email in the "Add a user box" and submit
4. Enter your name, check the box "I prefer to receive html newsletters" and then "Add user"

View the people on your newsletter

1. Select "Lists"
2. Select "View members"

Sending a test message

1. Select "Send a message" (on right menu)
2. Enter your email subject and return email address (if different from the default provided)
3. If you are sending a TEXT message: compose the message in the box (or else cut and paste from another application), then "Save draft message edit". Then on the "Format" tab select "Text"
4. If you are sending an HTML message that you have cut-and-paste from Microsoft Word or another application: cut and paste into the box and "Save draft message edits". Then on the "Format" tab select "Both"
5. If you are sending an HTML message from an html source file (ie a message that contains html tags): Check the "Source" box and then cut and paste into the box. If you uncheck the "Source" box it will show the message; then
   click "Save draft message edits". Then on the "Format" tab select "Both".
6. When the message is composed and saved, click the "Lists" tab, select the "Test" newsletter list and then "Send message to selected mailing list"
7. The message has now been queued but not actually sent. To send the message click "Process queue"
8. Check your message in your mailbox, and repeat the procedure (of sending to your "Test" list) until it is correctly formatted.

Sending the message to your list after you have approved the Test message

1. Select "Messages" (on the right menu)
2. The top message is the latest one you sent, presumably the one you want to send to your whole list. Select "View"
3. At the bottom , check the list you want to send it to (your "official" list) and click "Resend"
4. Click "Process queue" on the right
5. The "Process queue" opens up a window. It can take up to 30 minutes or longer to send a message to a very large list. If your window does not complete after 30 minutes, just click "Process queue" again. The people who
   have already received the message will NOT get it again. When everything is done you will receive an email with the results of the send.
   

Note about sending Text or Html mails

PHPList can send text mails, Html mails, or Mime mails (that contain both text and html and it is the mail reader that chooses how to display it). Normally sending Mime mails by cut-and-paste from Outlook or Word works fine.

Note however that PHPList has a switch for each user that determines whether the user is to receive text or html mails (you can see it in the information for each user, click "Lists" and then "View members" and click on the user). If your mails are coming incorrectly formatted (for example with wrong line breaks etc), try setting everybody on your list to receive Html mails by selecting:

Manage Users > Reconcile Users > Mark all users to receive Html

And when you send the mail, make sure you check the option "Both" in the "Type of mail" box (in the "Format" tab). If you are sending a Mime mail, PHPList will automatically convert your html to text in the Mime part of the mail.

Note also that when you send html mail with inline images, you must upload all the images in your mail to your site (via FTP or your html editing program) and then change the image references in the html to absolute references, ie <img src= "http://yoursite.com/images/xxx.jpg" width=yy height=zz>

Bounce detection

The system can automatically remove an email address from your system after 3 consecutive unsuccessful delivery attempts. You do however have to click the "Process bounces" (on the right menu) from time to time to check for bounced mail. Normally do this about a day after you send a broadcast.