Current Version: 1.0.2.1
Platform: Win32 (Windows 98, NT, ME 2000, XP, 2003)
Last Updated: 11th July 2005

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Help Topics:
1. Installation
2. Setup
  2.1. Running for the first time
  2.2. Setting up the mail servers
    2.2.1. Setting up SMTP authentication
  2.3. Creating your first mailing list
  2.4. Managing your lists
  2.5. Adding subscribers
  2.6. How people can subscribe themselves
  2.7. Changing subscriber details
3. Troubleshooting
4. Known Bugs/Features/Limitations

1. Installation

Installation is a simple process, just run the downloaded installation file (WyrmBoardSetup.msi).
All this does is put the WyrmBoard application into the Program Files folder and creates a shortcut to it in your Startup menu.

2. Setup

Setting up WyrmBoard is also a simple task.

2.1. Running for the first time

If you have rebooted since installing WyrmBoard then it should already be running, otherwise you can run it from the Startup menu (Start->All Programs->Startup). Either way you should see the following window appear.

If you minimise WyrmBoard, it dissapears into your system tray (the group of icons at the end of your Taskbar) so as to not get in the way. To bring it back you can click its icon (see top left of above image).

The first button on the window is the 'Run Now' button. Clicking this causes WyrmBoard to connect to your POP3 mailserver and process any lists immediately (rather than waiting until the next due time). This is useful because you can then make sure all list messages have been processed before using your mail reader (e.g. Outlook) to read your mail (see known limitations below).. To set up your POP3 (and SMTP) mailservers you should click the 'Mail Servers' button.

2.2. Setting up the mail servers

Clicking the 'Mail Servers' button brings up the following window.

This window has two main sections to it, the POP3 Server settings and the SMTP Server settings. The POP3 settings are required as this is the mailbox that WyrmBoard is going to scan each time for any list messages, whereas the SMTP settings are required because this is how any list messages are broadcast to all the subscribers.

POP3 Settings: Into the 'Server' box should go your POP3 mailserver address, which can either be a fully qualified domain name (e.g. pop3.wyrmsoftware.com) or an IP address. The 'Port No' setting should generally be left at 110, unless your ISP advises otherwise. The 'Username' and 'Password' boxes should contain your POP3 username and password (common mistakes are to put in account or domain usernames). The Timeout setting should be left at 60, but can be increased if you are finding that the POP3 mail server takes a while to respond.

SMTP Settings: Into the 'Server' box should go your SMTP mailserver address, which can either be a fully qualified domain name (e.g. smtp.wyrmsoftware.com) or an IP address. The 'Port No' setting should generally be left at 25, unless your ISP advises otherwise. The 'HELO' box can be left blank, or you can put in your domain name (e.g. wyrmsoftware.com), or you can put in your ISP username; some ISPs require you to specify a specific value, others don't mind. We will deal with authentication in the next section. The Timeout setting should be left at 60, but can be increased if you are finding that the SMTP mail server takes a while to respond.

Finally you can specify just how often you want WyrmBoard to check for mail. Although the example shows 1 minute, it may be better to increase it to 10 minutes if your machine isn't particularly fast. For example if you set it to check for mail every 5 minutes, but scanning the mailbox takes 6 minutes, then it will effectively check every 10 minutes. It will start a check at (say) 12:05, but when the next check is due at 12:10 it will still be scanning the mailbox so it will wait for another 5 minutes and eventually scan again at 12:15. Of course, fast machines with fast broadband connections can take seconds to check all the e-mails in a mailbox so a setting of 1 minutes wouldn't be much of a performance loss.

Clicking the 'OK' button will save all your settings, clicking the 'Cancel' button will discard all your changes.

2.2.1. Setting up SMTP authentication

SMTP authentication is required by some ISPs who allow you to connect to their SMTP mailserver from any IP address (generally ISPs limit access to their SMTP mailserver to only those computers connecting to the internet through them, so don't need any authentication). Clicking on the 'Authentication' button in the Mail Server Properties window displays the following.

To enable SMTP authentication tick the 'Use SMTP Authentication' box; this enables the other text boxes in the window. Your 'Username' and 'Password' are usually the same as your POP3 username and password, but some ISPs may be different. The 'Mail From' box allows you to specify the address that the e-mail should be sent from. Usually e-mails for the list will be sent using the list address as the Mail From setting, but with authenticating ISPs they sometimes require that the Mail From be the e-mail address (or sometimes the screen name) of the user authenticating. If you can't get this to work, get in touch and we'll see what we can do.

Click the 'Add List' button on the main window. You should see the following window appear.

Enter the name of your mailing list into the 'List Name' box. Then you need to enter the e-mail address for the list in the 'Address' box; this being the address that people will send their list e-mail to. Next enter the list administrator's name (usually yours) in the 'Admin Name' box, and enter his e-mail address (must not be the same as the list address) in the 'E-mail' box.

Now you can choose to require subscribers to confirm that they wanted to subscribe. This is done by leaving the 'Require new subscribers to confirm subscription' box ticked. It is recommended that you leave this ticked so that people can't be subscribed against their will.

Then you can choose to have any e-mails sent out appear to come from the list, rather than the user sending the e-mail. This is done by leaving the 'Replace Reply-To header with list's e-mail address' box ticked. It is usual to leave this ticked as it means that anyone replying to a list e-mail will reply to the list rather than the individual (though they can choose to reply to the individual if required).

Finally you can enter a description for the list. This description is sent to a subcribing user in the welcome e-mail so you can mention things such as what the list is about. Clicking 'OK' will create your list.

2.4. Managing your lists

Once you've added your mailing list, you can select it on the main window in the drop-down box next to the 'Mail Servers' button as shown following.

2.5. Adding subscribers

Clicking the 'Add' button on the main window (to the right of the list of subscribers) displays the following window, allowing you to add a subscriber.

Just enter the name of the person and their e-mail address, then click the 'OK' button. This can be used to add yourself to the list quickly.

2.6. How people can subscribe themselves

Of course, you can't add everyone manually. If someone wants to subscribe to your mailing list then they simply send an e-mail to the list address with SUBSCRIBE as the subject. Once the list processes that e-mail they will show up in the list of subscribers for that list. If you have specified that people need to confirm their subscription then they will be given a 'Confirming' status, as shown following.

Once WyrmBoard receives their confirmation e-mail then they will be given a status of 'Subscribed'.

You can remove subscribers by highlighting the subscriber in the list and then clicking the 'Delete' button (it asks for confirmation). Subscribers can also remove themselves from the list by sending an e-mail with UNSUBSCRIBE to the list address (of course, it has to be from the e-mail address they subscribed with).

2.7. Changing subscriber details

Clicking on the 'Properties' button displays a window with the the e-mail address and status of the currently highlighted subscriber, as shown following.

This allows you to change someone's e-mail address on request, or to change someone's status. You can change the status to any one of 'Confirming', 'Subscribed', or 'On Hold'; the latter is used to keep someone on the list but prevents them from posting any messages.

3. Troubleshooting

Can I run list from a single mailbox?
WyrmBoard requires a specific e-mail address for the mailing list to be set up, which means that if you only have a single mailbox then you can't really run a mailing list with that alone. However there are many companies that will allow you to register a domain name and forward all e-mail going to that domain name to your single mailbox. In that case you can have as many mailing lists as you like, WyrmBoard will only see the messages sent to the mailing list address.

Can subscribers have multiple E-mail accounts?
Some people have multiple e-mail accounts and want to be able to send messages from all of those whilst only receiving list e-mails to one address. This can't be done yet, but there is nothing stopping them subscribing more than once.

4. Known Bugs/Features/Limitations

E-mail program interference:
Because WyrmBoard does not know when your e-mail program (e.g. Outlook) is going to read your POP3 mailbox, it is possible for your e-mail program to remove list messages before WyrmBoard has a chance to read them. For example, if someone sends an e-mail to your list just after WyrmBoard has run then it won't get read until WyrmBoard checks the mailbox again; but if before that happens your e-mail program reads your mailbox, then it will probably remove all the messages so when WyrmBoard runs again it doesn't see the last message.
It is therefore recommended to turn off any automatic download of e-mail in your e-mail program and immediately before downloading your e-mail with your e-mail program click the 'Run Now' button on WyrmBoard's main window. You can tell when WyrmBoard has finished scanning because while it is scanning the 'Run Now' and 'Mail Servers' buttons are disabled.

Language:
Currently WyrmBoard is only available in UK English. If you are interested in translating WyrmBoard then please get in touch.

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