SML2′s archives has all new features and functionality. You can search old messages, resend anything you’ve sent, view delivery progress, force or stop delivery, and do just about anything else you’d need to do.

Aside from the request to bring back the visual editor to the message composition page, the ability to have more than one mailing list was overwhelmingly the most requested feature of SML2. SML2 allows you to create an unlimited number of mailing lists, each with its own set of options. Your members can belong to more than one list and when they do, they only receive one email when it’s sent to multiple lists that they belong to.

Fig. 1 - Add a list

Fig. 2 - Edit/Delete list

Fig. 3 - List data collection

Figure 3 shows the data collection page. In SML2, you can now have members supply additional data when subscribing to your lists. for example, you can ask them for their name, age, preferences, or any other form field. Creating data fields is a breeze and you can make the fields you create required for subscribing as well. You can even use the data fields in messages you send. SML2 creates special tags for your form fields that you can insert into a message. For example, you could send a message to a list and enter the text “Dear [[first_name]],” and SML will automatically merge the data for your members into your message.

All lists default to the owner address specified in your configuration file, however you can override that when creating a list. You can also close lists so that no new subscribers can join. lists can be duplicated and the HTML needed to create a basic subscription form is shown to you when you edit a list.

In today’s post, we’ll look at SML2′s new members area.

Fig. 1

At the top right part of the members area you’ll see two buttons – one for deadbeat cleanup and one for importing members. Deadbeat cleanup allows you to easily remove members who have bounced too many messages back to your server which would indicate a full or non-existent mailbox. Importing obviously allows you to import email addresses into any of the lists you have setup.

The main part of the members are is divided up into three parts. On the left, a listing of the mailing lists you have created, in the middle the list of members belong to the lists you select, and on the right is the detail of any member you select. You can also search for members in a jQuery powered auto complete list.

Members can be imported, deleted, confirmed and unconfirmed via the members interface. Note that the confirmation option is setup in your configuration file and not mandatory.