Add contact groups as attendees for an event [$50]

[tcitworld]

The participant event module should suggest contacts groups from the contacts app.

Related issues

• To add Nextcloud groups (user management, including LDAP) as attendees for an event, see Possibility to add Nextcloud groups as attendees for an event #2955
• To add a Nextcloud circle as attendees for an event, see Possibility to add a Nextcloud circle as attendees for an event [$250] #2954
• To add a Nextcloud talk group as attendee for an event, see Possibility to add a Nextcloud talk group as attendee for an event #2956

[tcitworld]

Maybe linked to #163

[georgehrke]

I'm actually not sure if we can query for contact groups via the contacts php api.

Also, how to show if some users of a group have no e-mail address

[tcitworld]

Also, how to show if some users of a group have no e-mail address

Just don't show them. :-)
I'll look if the groups are available.

[maksemuz]

I'd offer the following:
1 - use access groups, especially synced LDAP groups, not groups from contacts. You can parse LDAP groups with standard LDAP tools.
2 - if some participant account has no email, you can just add event to its calendar but do not send invitation by email.

[pwFoo]

Should groups expand to members / contacts and add the "person" to the event or just added as group of persons?

Expand the groups to users / contacts / persons would be flexible (add / remove single persons from event).
Save group to event would add / remove users / contacts if groups modified (maybe not wanted for fix planned events).

[georgehrke]

Expand the groups to users / contacts / persons would be flexible (add / remove single persons from event).

This would be my choice for a first implementation. That should be fairly easy and doesn't require modifications to the Nextcloud server itself.

[dieter-wilhelm]

Added 50 € on Bountysource for this indespensible calendar feature. But for the sake of privacy there should be an option to hide the list of invitees!

Thanks for the calendar app.

[flozi00]

Expand the groups to users / contacts / persons would be flexible (add / remove single persons from event).

This would be my choice for a first implementation. That should be fairly easy and doesn't require modifications to the Nextcloud server itself.

Any updates about implementing this feature as temporary solution ?

[georgehrke]

Nope, as always: This is a free-software project. Pull-requests are very much appreciated.

[flozi00]

Where can I find the relevant code part ?

[georgehrke]

To implement this, you would have to alter the ContactsController:
https://github.com/nextcloud/calendar/blob/master/lib/Controller/ContactController.php
Preferably one endpoint that allows the lookup of groups and another endpoint that returns chunks of contacts in this group.

We have an InviteesListSearch component.

In the search method (findAttendees), start looking for groups. When the user selects a group, start loading the contacts of that group in the addAttendee method. Please load them in chunks of 50 to 100.

[flozi00]

My PHP knowledge is too basic for that and never worked with vue before.
I tried it two days without success, can you implement this feature please?

[jakobroehrl]

What do you think about adding the talk room participants as attendees?
Similar function as sharing a file to a talk room

[wiswedel]

This discussion and the related issues that have been closed for being duplicates takes some wild directions in my opinion.

Some are talking about contact groups (from the Contacts app), some are talking about User groups (from the user management / LDAP). Even Talk rooms have been brought up.
Additionally, Circles should not be forgotten since they're also a way of grouping people plus you can already share a calendar with a circle, but not an event.

tl;dr: We have the request to share with

1. Contact groups (from address books in the Contacts app)
2. User groups (from the user management, including LDAP groups)
3. Circles
4. Talk rooms (i.e. their members)

If you, @tcitworld (as issue initiator) agree with me, would you mind changing the issue title?

[tcitworld]

tl;dr: We have the request to share with
1. Contact groups (from address books in the Contacts app)
2. User groups (from the user management, including LDAP groups)
3. Circles
4. Talk rooms (i.e. their members)

If you, @tcitworld (as issue initiator) agree with me, would you mind changing the issue title?

Done and splitted the issue into several (see the updated first message).

[DJaeger]

Bounty-URL:
https://www.bountysource.com/issues/39038806-add-contact-groups-as-attendees-for-an-event

[pierreozoux]

Looks like bountysource is no longer the default.
https://help.nextcloud.com/t/dont-use-bountysource-anymore/84943

@tcitworld do you plan to develop this feature?
If yes, you could as well donate to https://framasoft.org/en/ (he is part of this association)

[julian70400]

Hello, any news ?

This feature is absoluelty essential and is a basic for every groupware. How can we help ? What is actually blocking this feature ?

[jpubb]

I'm actually not sure if we can query for contact groups via the contacts php api.

Also, how to show if some users of a group have no e-mail address

This is what people want to use...

People are simply trying to replicate MS Exchange Distribution Lists functionality here (used for decades). That is:

System Account users > groups of users > email/calendar

Every big enterprise with MS Exchange has some kind of lists set up that email/calendaring can access so they can email communications to _DL_ALL_INTERNAL_EMPLOYEEES and _DL_ALL_EXTERNAL_CONTRACTORS

Nobody wants to have to onesie twosie manually add recips, especially when you're emailing "all". The nextcloud calendar app already ignores atendee results where the nextcloud user does not have an email field populated, right? So we're at least able to get a list of users and see their email field. Ok, that's a start.

Why not just do something like:

Option 1:

• Let user select a nextcloud group(s) as attendee
• Upon selection, ValidateGroup() and foreach user in group, verify each user in the group has an email address, or throw error that "$CurrentGroupMemberNAme does not have an email address associated with their account. Terminating."

Keep it simple. Admins will know what to do from there (add an email address for the user, or remove the user from the group)

Option 2:

• Let user select a nextcloud group(s) as attendee
• Upon selection, ExpandGroup() and foreach user in group who has an email add that individual attendee in the TO or CC field.

Option 3:
Worst option, but I think people will take what they can get here because manually adding people sucks to the point of nothing nice to say. If you're saying you have no access to read Nextcloud groups. Then would it be possible for this option 3 to just create a Calendar Distribution List - CDL within Calendar app that can be maintained? Worst option, because everyone who wants "groups for calendar" already has these department/group lists created once in Nextcloud User Groups. But if it's the only option, we'll all be "happy" to maintain 2 lists I'm sure.

[jpubb]

I'd offer the following:
1 - use access groups, especially synced LDAP groups, not groups from contacts. You can parse LDAP groups with standard LDAP tools.
> 2 - if some participant account has no email, you can just add event to its calendar but do not send invitation by email.

That's a good idea. I'd also include a notification for the user so they know it was added. But that's all extra code. If I were the app author/maintainer, I'd just "no soup for you" if someone in the group doesn't have an email address for version 1 of this. "Email adress for group member $username is missing. Stopping."

[jpubb]

Nope, as always: This is a free-software project. Pull-requests are very much appreciated.

Btw, if anyone is interested in DIY instant bounties but you don't know how to code, you can always post the project for a fixed price at some place like Upwork, and make sending a pull request to the maintainer (in addition to sending the patch & instructions to you immediately) as part of the deliverable.