Configuring a Message Boards Category Mailing List

You can configure a mailing list for a message board category in a site or page-scoped message board. Globally scoped messages boards don’t support subscriptions and mailing lists. Any category in a message board can have its own mailing list.

Prerequisites

Before configuring the Message Boards app’s email lists, configure a mail server for the entire DXP instance.

Adding a Mailing List to a Message Boards Category

1. Access the page where the Message Boards widget is located.

   Alternatively, access the Message Boards application by opening the Site Menu (), expanding Content & Data, and selecting Message Boards.

2. On the Message Boards widget, click Actions () next to a category (in this example, Assignment Help).

   

3. Click Edit to modify an existing category.

4. Expand the Mailing List section.

5. Switch the Active toggle to Active.

6. Disable the Allow Anonymous Emails option.

   When the option is enabled, anyone can send an email to the category’s mailing list, even without an account. Disabling it ensures only authenticated users can participate via email, enhancing security and preventing spam.

7. Enter the following information:

Field	Example	Description
Email Address	[e-mail]	The email address or alias dedicated to the message board category. Users can send emails to this address, and it automatically posts to the category.
Protocol	POP	The email protocol used for receiving messages.
Server Name	mail.course.com	The hostname of the mail server responsible for handling incoming emails.
Server Port	110	The port used by the mail server for the specified protocol (e.g., port 110 for POP).
Use a Secure Network Connection	Check if applicable	If selected, this ensures that the connection to the mail server is encrypted.
User Name	[e-mail]	The email address used to authenticate to the mail server for receiving emails.
Password	*****	The password for the email account used to access the mail server.
Read Interval (minutes)	5	How frequently (in minutes) the system checks the mail server for new emails to post to the category.
Email Address (Outgoing)	[e-mail]	The email address used for sending outgoing emails from the message board category to users subscribed to it. This can be the same as the incoming email address.
Use Custom Outgoing Server	Leave blank if using the global default mail server.	Specify a different mail server for outgoing emails if the default global server is not used.

1. Click Save.

The mailing list is now active. Subscribed users receive email notifications for new threads in the category.

Important

If using the IMAP protocol for a category’s mailing list, make sure to configure the IMAP inbox to delete messages as they are pulled by the email client that sends messages to the users on the mailing list. Otherwise, each email message retained on the server is sent to the mailing list each time there’s a new post or update in the category.

Related Information

• Configuring Mail
• Creating Message Board Categories