Table of Contents
Shared folders can be used to give different people access to the same email messages; messages can be sent to one email address but can also be read by specific people with access to the folder. So if you and several other people all receive email that you all need access to, you might consider using a shared folder.
Note
An alternative to shared mail folders that allow people to see the same mail. You might consider an email list: people can send email to one address and several people receive the mail (see [ http://help.unc.edu/?id=1700 ] How do I create an email list? ).
To share a mail folder you create on the campus mail server (imap.unc.edu), you and the people who share it must have an account on the imap.unc.edu server. The general procedure is that you'll create the folder, and then set up an Access Control List (ACL) giving specific users different levels of access to the folder. For example, you can give certain users access to read or delete messages in the folder or to drop messages into it. After you set the ACL properly, mail can be sent to the folder using the format onyen+foldername@email.unc.edu . People given access to the folder must also make a few changes to the settings of their email programs.
You can create the folder on the mail server using the mail client of your choice. You can set up the ACL by using Webmail, the [ http://onyen.unc.edu ] ONYEN page , or Mulberry (see ITS document [ http://help.unc.edu/?id=72 ] How to Create Shared Mail Folders Using Mulberry for more information). Once you set up the ACL, you and the people who share the folder will be able to access it with different mail programs. This document explains how to set up the permissions for the folder on Webmail and the ONYEN page.
Caution
Do not include capital letters in the name of any shared folder you create. This will cause problems if you create an alias to point to the folder.
Webmail gives you the widest flexibility in how to set the permissions for each person you grant access to the shared folder.
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Go to [ http://webmail.unc.edu ] Webmail and log in with your ONYEN and password.
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From the Inbox view, click the button.
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If you have not created the folder, you can do this from the Folder Navigation page. Click the checkbox to the left of the Inbox folder. From the Choose Action drop- down list, choose Create Folder . In the next box, type in the new folder name and click .
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Click the plus (+) sign to the left of Inbox and verify that the new folder appears below. If it does not, then you will need to subscribe to the new folder. Simply click the Show Unsubscribed link, then click the plus (+) sign to the left of Inbox and when the folder appears below Inbox , click the check box to its left and then choose Subscribe to Folder(s) from the Choose Action drop-down list.
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Once you are subscribed to the folder, click the link at the top of the page.
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Choose the folder from the drop-down list. When the screen refreshes, you should see your name with all available permissions.
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In order to have the folder act as a drop-box, you will need to create a new user called anyone and assign the post permission by checking the box next to p . Click the Create button below.
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You can also grant permissions to others by entering each ONYEN, checking the corresponding permission boxes and then clicking on . It is recommended to assign all permissions except for Administer , which allows a user to add and remove other ONYENs. Keep in mind that granting the Delete permission will also allow the person the ability to delete the shared folder.
The [ http://onyen.unc.edu ] ONYEN Page only gives you two levels of access that you can grant. See directions above for using Webmail to set access rights if you need more options.
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If the folder you want to share does not an existing folder, you will need to create it first in an email client such as Webmail or Mozilla Thunderbird.
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After creating the folder, go to the [ http://onyen.unc.edu ] ONYEN Page , and click on .
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After you log in with your ONYEN and password, you will see the Disk Storage Report page. Scroll down to the list of your email folders, and click on the button beside the folder you want to edit.
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On the folder edit page that comes up, you can mark the check box if you want to make the folder a Dropbox.
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Add the ONYENS of the people you want to have read-only access in the Readers box; add ONYENS of the people you want to have full access to the folder in the Writers box.
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Click to save your changes and go back to the Disk Storage Report page.
The standard format for sending email messages to the folder is onyen+foldername@email.unc.edu .
You can also request an alias so that the email address is simpler. Contact the ITS Response Center and ask for help in creating the alias. Give the staff member you talk to the actual name of the folder as well as the alias you want to use. For example, J. Doe might request the alias fren22@unc.edu for the folder fren22. The alias should not take more than a few minutes to create.
Once the alias has been created, mail can be sent to the folder using the address format alias @unc.edu where alias is the alias you requested.
The folder displays in your list of imap.unc.edu folders under the INBOX. Treat it like any other mail folder.
The folder will be listed in your list of imap.unc.edu folders under the INBOX. First locate the user folder and expand that so that you can see folders listed under it. Folders will be listed alphabetically by name, and the shared folder's name will be in the format Onyen.foldername .
To find out what your folder access is, on the folder and choose Details from the menu that appears. In the Details window, select the Access Control List tab.
If you own the folder, or have been given administrative rights to it, you can use Webmail to change the ACLs for different users. If you don't own the folder, you can unsubscribe from it; it still shows in your mail account but not in your main group of folders. To unsubscribe, on the folder, and choose Unsubscribe .
Subfolders can be used to organize messages within a shared folder. For example, if a group sets up a shared mail folder for mail about their basketball team, they might create the subfolders "wins" and "losses" in which they could store messages about each.
Note
Subfolders should not be used to receive mail. Messages should be posted to the main shared folder instead, and then group members with the appropriate access level can move messages to the subfolder, delete or add them.
To create a subfolder, you must have either Administer or "Create subfolders" access. You can create the subfolder in your preferred email client. The subfolder "inherits" the ACL for the shared folder.
Programs vary in how they display the shared folder. In Mozilla Thunderbird and Outlook, the original shared folder has a plus sign (+) next to it, indicating that it contains a subfolder. Click the plus sign to see the subfolder.
If you have problems with your shared folders, you may find a solution in the following table:
|
Problem |
Possible Solutions |
|---|---|
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Mail goes to folder owner's inbox, not to the shared folder |
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Mail sender receives "Invalid local real name or invalid newsgroup" message |
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|
New folder does not display |
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Document Overview
Tags: UNC Webmail, email service, foldersSubjects: Webmail
Genre: Tutorial
Audience: Everyone
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Copyright 2002-2007 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
This
work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
