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Managing Users

In the Clear Ideas App, managing users is a vital component of site administration, allowing you to control access, assign roles, and oversee user interactions.

User Creation and Management

The user creation process involves adding new users to your site by entering their email addresses.

Adding Users

To add users to your site:

  1. Navigate to the Users tab in your site
  2. Click New User or Add User
  3. Enter email addresses (you can add up to 25 users at once)
  4. Select the appropriate role for each user
  5. Optionally set an expiry date for user access
  6. Click Add User or Add Users to complete

Multiple Users: You can add multiple users simultaneously by entering multiple email addresses separated by commas or pressing TAB after each email. The system validates email addresses and highlights any that are already site members.

Email Validation: The system automatically validates email formats and checks for existing site members. Invalid emails or duplicates are highlighted with warnings.

User Status and Invitations

Once added, administrators can view important details:

  • Invitation Status: See whether invitations have been sent, if there were errors sending, or if invitations have expired
  • Access Expiry: View when a user's access is set to expire (if configured)
  • User Status: See if users have accepted invitations and are active

Resending Invitations: If needed, administrators can resend invitations through the user's context menu. This is useful if:

  • The original invitation email was not received
  • The invitation expired
  • The user requests a new invitation

Important: Users don't require an invitation to sign up for Clear Ideas. They can register using their email address, and once verified, they'll automatically gain access to sites they've been added to.

User Roles

The app provides various roles that can be assigned to users to define their level of access and capabilities within a site. Each role includes a description of its capabilities to help you choose the appropriate level:

Admin: Full control over the site including:

  • Manage all site settings
  • Add, remove, and manage users
  • Modify all content
  • Access all features and administrative functions

Editor: Content management capabilities:

  • View and download all content
  • Upload new files
  • Organize and modify content (rename, move, delete)
  • Reorder files and folders
  • Cannot manage users or site settings

Uploader: Content contribution:

  • View and download content
  • Upload new files
  • Cannot modify or delete existing content
  • Cannot organize or reorder files

Downloader: Read and download access:

  • View all site content
  • Download files
  • Cannot upload, modify, or delete content
  • Cannot organize files

Viewer: Read-only access:

  • View site content in the browser
  • Cannot download files
  • Cannot upload, modify, or delete content
  • Most restricted access level

Disabled: No access:

  • Cannot access the site
  • Effectively removes user participation
  • Useful for temporarily revoking access without removing the user

Role Selection: When adding users, select the minimum role needed for their work. You can always promote users to higher roles later if needed.

User Groups

User Groups are a feature that facilitates the organization and analysis of users. These groups can have custom logos, aiding in visual identity and recognition. They are particularly beneficial when using the Analytics tool, as they allow for the grouping of users to analyze usage patterns, behaviors, and engagement metrics effectively.

User Expiry Settings

You can set expiry dates for user access to control temporary access:

Setting Expiry Dates

When adding users, you can optionally set an expiry date:

  1. Check Set Expiry Date in the user dialog
  2. Choose from preset options (7 days, 30 days, etc.) or select a custom date
  3. The expiry date applies to all users being added in that batch

Expiry Limitations:

  • Free Accounts: Limited to 48-hour expiry periods maximum
  • Professional Accounts: Do not support user expiry settings
  • Other Plans: Full expiry date flexibility

Managing Expiry Dates

  • View Expiry: See expiry dates in the user list
  • Reset Expiry: Use the context menu to extend or modify a user's access duration
  • Automatic Removal: When the expiry date is reached, users automatically lose access to the site

Context Menu Options

The context menu (accessed by clicking the menu icon next to a user) offers several user management actions:

  • Remove From Site: Withdraws a user's access from the current site only. The user retains access to other sites they're members of.
  • Remove From All Sites: Completely eliminates a user's access across all sites you administer. Use with caution as this affects all sites.
  • Resend Invite: Resends the invitation email to users who may not have received it or whose invitation expired.
  • Reset User Expiry: Allows administrators to extend or modify a user's access duration. Useful for extending temporary access.

Best Practices

Principle of Least Privilege: Assign the minimum role needed for each user's work. Start with Viewer or Downloader and promote only when necessary.

Regular Review: Periodically review user access and remove users who no longer need access.

Expiry Dates: Use expiry dates for temporary collaborators or time-sensitive projects.

User Groups: Create user groups for easier management and analytics when you have many users with similar roles.

Documentation: Keep notes on why users have specific roles or expiry dates for future reference.

By leveraging these features, administrators can maintain precise control over who can access their sites and what actions those users are allowed to perform, thereby enhancing both security and collaborative efficiency within the Clear Ideas App.