Introduction
Administrators can create groups of users which, when public, can be used to:
- display the calendars of a group of people;
- assign rights to a group of people on calendars, resources, shared mailboxes, private mailboxes, address books, etc.
- set up other groups to include one or several groups;
- send emails to a group of people (if the group has an email address): internal distribution list.
Creating groups
In the homepage or the "Directories" page of the admin console, click "Create Group":
Enter the group name, a description (optional) and select the desired options:
- Hide from BlueMind address lists: the group exists but is not visible (neither in autocomplete, nor in contact lists from the directory or groups it belongs to). This group can be used by administrators or those who know its address.
- Do not display members in the address book: even if the group is visible in the directory, users cannot see its individual members.
The group can be left empty, or you can start adding members in the box at the bottom of the form.
Autocomplete helps you find members as you type:
To add several users, keep typing to the right of the previous user selected:
Quick create
As for users, groups can be created quickly by clicking "Create".
The newly created group then has the properties entered in the dialog box and the following default settings:
- no email address
- archiving is disabled
The group's properties can be completed and modified in the admin console.
Create and edit
The "Create and edit" button (<Ctrl-Enter> key combination) creates a group with the same properties as "quick create" and redirects you to the group's settings editor to fine-tune configuration.
Editing and managing groups
In the Directories > Entities Management page, filter for groups by clicking the "group" icon and select the group you want to edit from the list.
Basic parameters
The "Basic Parameters" tab shows basic group information: name, visibility options, email address...
In version 3 of BlueMind, a new option (see screenshot above) allows you to keep a copy of messages received by the group in a shared mailbox: "Keep a copy of received messages"
When this is enabled, the group's members are notified by email and the mailbox is shown in each group member's shared folders:
This option can be enabled by editing an existing group (following a migration from BlueMind v2, for instance) but it is not retroactive. Earlier emails will not be shown, only messages sent after the option is enabled will be kept.
Members
The "Members" tab includes two columns for group management: the left-hand side column lists current group members while the right-hand side column lists other users and groups in the directory.
- Select a user or group in either column and user the arrows in the middle to add them or remove them from the group.
Inserting a group as a member of itself
As things stand, the UI may seem confusing as the group being edited also appears in the list of groups that can be added as members of the group. This group cannot, however, be added. When you try to save, an error message is shown and the changes are not saved:
Archiving groups
Archiving is not enabled by default when a group is created. As a result the form is grayed out and cannot be edited. To enable archiving of group messages:
- Check the box "Enable Archive" in the top right corner of the page. The text box to enter the number of days is enabled and the list of folders is shown in the "Folders ignored" area.
- Enter the number of days you want to keep group messages for, all messages older than this will be archived.
- Select the folders to exclude as required
- Click "Save" to apply changes.
A "Loading" tooltip appears in the top right corner of the page. Once changes are saved the "Directory Browser" page opens and the group is highlighted.
Deleting groups
In the list of directory entries, check the box at the beginning of the row for the group you want to delete, then click "Delete" and confirm.
Deletions are immediate and final.