Hi everyone,
I would like to create users in my Nextcloud, wherein 1 user actually correspond to 2 persons (this is a project for a childcare facility, I want to create 1 user account which can be used by the 2 parents)
Is it possible to associate 2 email addresses with one single NC user account ?
I tried to include 2 emails when I created the user account but it did not work.
In general, isn’t it possible to allow two persons (mon&dad) to use one single NC user account (that is: receive notifications, manage calendars etc…)
I think it is not possible. Perhaps you can use a user “parents” instead of two users “mom” and “dad”.
Also there is an app Impersonate for admins. With this app you can switch from an admin account to an user account. If “mom” and “dad” are admins you can switch between the users with the app Impersonate. Perhaps you like the app.
Normally every user has got an own account and for data they use e.g. Group folders.
If you want to control what the kids do with their accounts and they should not have their own private accounts for that reason, as @devnull already said, the Imersonate app would be the right way to achieve this goal. Unfortunately, there is not really a fine-grained permission system in Nextcloud. To put it simple, you are either an admin or a user. And an admin can then do everything, including installing apps, change global configurations, etc…
But if your goal is to create shared calendars with notifications for all participants, to edit files together etc… That’s all possible. Just use Nextcloud the way it’s meant to be used. Collaberation and sharing things is one of the main features of Nextcloud. Everything in Nextcloud is designed with that in mind. But it’s also designed with privacy in mind, which means that every user can decide for themselves what they want to share with others.
Thank you devnull and bb77 for your replies.
Setting the users (parents ) as admin is out of question.
I guess I will have to create a user accound for each dad and another account for each mom.
My wish was that I would create only one account per child, said account being used/accessed by both mom&dad. The children have no access at all.
Perhaps you can use a user “parents” instead of two users “mom” and “dad”.
it does not seem practical since I cannot allocate 2 different email-addresses to a single user account.
I would still want both mom&dad to be notified in case anything happens to their account (new share etc.)
Yes. That is true. But i normally do not need on my nextcloud an e-mail e.g. for notification. Perhaps you can create an account “parents” with only the e-mail from mom or dad.
Yep. But you could create one group per child, to which you then add both parents of the child. Then you can share files, messages, etc. with the group instead of individually with mom and dad.
No, what you need is NOT a multi-user account. What you need is to give them both access to the same account.
The stumbling block, as I understand it, is the fact that NOTIFICATIONS are sent to only one email address. The solution therefore lies in EMAIL, not in Nextcloud.
Thanks for your reply Larry, this however raises another question for me:
is that ok to give access to two persons to the same NC account ?
Isn’t there any limitation concerning the number of simultaneous access to a single NC account ?
May two persons access the same account at the same time, e.g. using the android app and/or the web access ?
But I wouldn’t to it that way. Why not go the group-route? Is there a specific reason you want to do it with only one account per child?
It may feel easier at the moment (though I’m not sure if it’s really easier to play around with email aliases) but maybe this method will bring problems further down the road that you’re not thinking about yet. What if you for some reason want to share a file or a message with only one of the parents. What if two parents get divorced / seperated? Yeah I know maybe a bad example, because most of them share custody Nevertheless, you see what I’m getting at… Separate account will keep you more flexible.
In my experience it is always better to use things the way they are meant to be used, instead of trying to workaround things that probably not even need to be worked around… Workarounds should be a last resort and they sure can solve a “problem” in the short term, but in the long term they mostly lead to unforeseen problems, which in the worst case can only be solved with a lot of effort.
I use my NC accounts on several computers at the same time, no problem there.
What is a problem is to open/keep open 2 NC accounts in the same browser. You need to use 2 browsers or an incognito window to do that (or login/out whenever you switch).
I think the cleanest solution is to give ONE account for the parents of one child, and they can give you the email address they prefer for notifications. The other parent can always check via the app or browser if there are notifications.
On special request (seperated parents who don’t talk to each other or so) you can give 2 accounts.
If you want to “secretly” share something with the other parent or so you can also just use a sharing link you email, then it is not visible in the NC account of the other parent.
2 accounts per kid are difficult to handle on both sides, for the admin (double work…) and for the parents (read everything twice, click away every notification twice…).
just my 2 cents for it: group variant look much more stable usable once you adopt it
what if you need to add more persons (grandparents, nanny)
what there are multiple kids of the same family
maybe this is not a requirement today but you never know which requirement rise tomorrow so it looks easier for me to run a little overhead of one group per child but it solves different problems as result of account sharing (latest already mentioned divorced parents who don’t want to share something)
I think it depends a lot on the purpose of the accounts / how much they will be used etc.
Our kindergarten sends emails maybe every few weeks or months (and sends paper information every few weeks via the garderobe-boxes).
For such a usage having 1 account per kids is almost too much, but still ok (alternative: just send sharing links via email when there is something to share).
Having more accounts and even groups per kid is a HUGE overhead, complicated, in the end parents won’t even remember the passwords and don’t use it etc.
It is completely different if there is more like a “work group” usage, so every day saveral people need to work together and share documents. Then of course everyone shall have an account and groups can be used.
Yeah but for such a usecase, probably email without any accounts in nextcloud for the parents at all would be enough?
If you just want to send out notifications and documents now and then, you just need the contact data of the parents available on your Nextcloud. No need for the parents to have their own accounts on the Nextcloud instance. Accounts are only necessary if the parents shoud be able to interact with you directly via Nextcloud… e.g. upload documents, fill out forms etc…
…to explain in more detail what I mean: In the end, it is not even necessary to have accounts if a certain level interaction is required. Whether accounts are necessary actually depends more on whether the shared information is personal and possibly confidential or not.
If the information is personal and/or confidential, a personal account obviously has advantages. But if it’s just about pushing out information, sharing a calendar or maybe doing a poll to find a date for some event, and the shared information is of general nature, there is no need for personal accounts. As long as you have the email addresses of all parents avialable in the Contacts app, you could just send out the document via mail app or share a public link to that document, calendar or survey…
I would use ONE password (which is obvious/easy to remember for everyone involved, e.g. name of the kindergarten group) and then just send out password protected links (all protected by that password).
That way people who have access to the unencrypted email can not access the information, only a small group of people can.
No accountsfor recipients, password management etc. is needed for that.
What about circles app, would that be of any help?
Try to get to this issue really solved, not with a workaroud, but with a real solution. Others may want to do encounter the same situation.
I would think that the solution with 1 account for 2 parents is a no go. What if the parents gets divorced without good arrangement(s) and a 3rd or even a 4rd parent (new (girl)friend) comes into the situation?
With the circles app it should be possible to control the access.
Nevertheless, you see what I’m getting at… Separate account will keep you more flexible.