Announcement list access

How do I let one user send announcements via an annoucement list, without giving him also access to panel admin functions? Thanks.

Good question... i'm havin' the same problem...

Read the Wiki

KB / Account Control Panel / Billing :: Account Privileges

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The question is without access to panel... :) through php for example

Well you didn't mention what type of skill set you have. But here is the skinny. You can only send messages to the announcement list using the secure server DreamHost uses for the Web Panel. Any HTTP client that can negotiate a secure connection with it should work, doesn't necessarily have to be a web browser. However the client will need to be able to authenticate itself using a DreamHost WebId. So if you're not up to developing a script that can do that, it will be much easier to create a WebId, grant privileges to it, and inform the person how to send messages using that WebId in their browser.

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> Read the wiki

Eh, why??? Since it doesn't answer the question.

Well it is documented how one can post to the announcement list. I'll quote the relevant sections from the Wiki.

"MAILING LISTS You can choose to give a web ID access to any specific mailing list of yours, or access to all mailing lists you have. Mailing list access allows a web ID to modify the properties/subscribers to a mailing list as well as to post to the mailing list from the web panel. They can also delete the mailing list but won't be able to add one unless they have DOMAIN access to the domain they want to add it to. In a way, mailing list access is a sub-set of DOMAIN access."

"How do I post to my announcement list?

1. Log in to the Account Control Panel (https://panel.dreamhost.com). Select the Mail tab, and click on the Announcement Lists link.
2. Click on the Mail link to the right of your list.
3. Enter a return name and a subject line for your outgoing message. <img src = "./images/illustrations/sendfrom.gif">
4. Write or paste the message you wish to send in the large text box.
5. If your message is HTML-formatted, be sure to click the checkbox marked This is HTML.
6. Click the Send Message link, and you're done!

The only way to post to an announcement list is through this form.. if you want an open discussion style email list, what you need are our discussion lists!"

Emphasis mine. I'm sure if that changes in the future someone will update the Wiki.

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> Well it is documented how one can post to the announcement list.

Indeed. But that doesn't answer the question.

> Mailing list access allows a web ID to modify the properties/subscribers
> to a mailing list as well as to post to the mailing list from the web panel

No solution there, then.

Atrops7 already gave the basics of the solution you're looking for. This has come up before on the forum where people looking to alow site visitors to setup E-mail addresses for the domain through the website. There's no pre-made solution I've heard of, but basicaly you'll have to build some scripts that will take the info from the some kind of submit form, and post it to the panel. Your script could for instance hook up with a mysql database to get the webid info, then post the data to the panel - in the same way it would if you were doing it in the panel.

If you only want one or a few other people to be able to send out stuff, you'll want to look into password protecting your interface. This would provide a nicer solution than making people setup a webid, and worrying about what else they might accecdintaly have access to.

So it won't be easy, and will require a good bit of programming, but you can do it. One person contacted support about the E-mial example above, and they explained that they didn't have any systems to help accomplish it, but were all for such a solution as I described. It's definatly ok with them, and within TOS - but you are still responsible for the account regardless of who's using it.

Hope this helps.

-Matttail

> Atrops7 already gave the basics of the solution you're looking for.

Thanks but the solution of writing a script to emulate a browser, logging in the the panel using a webid and then wending its way through the UI to find and the posting form is not "the solution I'm looking for". One would be mad to rely on something that depended so on underfined behaviour of the panel interface.

In reply to:
Thanks but the solution of writing a script to emulate a browser, logging in the the panel using a webid and then wending its way through the UI to find and the posting form is not "the solution I'm looking for".

It's the only solution there is at the moment. And I don't see anyone suggesting alternative methods or interface requirements. I myself would prefer submitting messages over HTTPS instead of through e-mail.

Anyways, it's not so hard really. There's two steps involved. Logging in and submitting the message. I've already got proof-of-concept code that logs in. And you know what, I've pieced it together from the user-submitted examples found here: CURL, Client URL Library Functions in less than a day.

In reply to:
One would be mad to rely on something that depended so on underfined behaviour of the panel interface.

Granted if there is an error at the moment one has to try to interpret HTML to relay the error. From a programmer's view, all DreamHost has to do now is standardize the login and message submission process, possibly even provide an alternate script to do so that is more scripting-friendly. Then the developers out there can design and implement their own UI.

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