FAQs

Contact students and guest auditors can direct questions about the University of Hamburg's e-platforms, including CommSy, to the team of 'Contact Studies: Open Education Program of the University of Hamburg' (Support Email: kst.zfw"AT"lists.uni-hamburg.de). Further information and contact details for personal consultations can be found on the KSE website.

After a newly deployed version of CommSy (usually announced on our homepage), technical issues may arise, which can typically be resolved easily. In most cases, you only need to clear your cache and delete CommSy cookies in your browser's settings.
You can find instructions for the most common browser versions on the manufacturers' websites:

Created project rooms will remain indefinitely as long as they are used regularly. If there is no usage for one year, the room will be archived initially, and you, as the room moderator, will be informed via email. Only after another year of non-use will a room be deleted. You will also receive an email 30 days before the automatic deletion informing you of how to stop the deletion.

If you are not an employee or student at the University of Hamburg, you can be invited by the moderators of a room to create an account. Please contact your project partners so they can invite you. In all other cases, please reach out to the portal moderation via the contact form. After you receive an invitation, please follow the link in the email to access a form where you can provide your information and accept the terms of use – then you will be successfully registered on CommSy and can search for the desired room under 'All Rooms', which you can access in the menu at the top left of the screen.

If you are using your B account (user account or 'STiNE account') for login, keep the login source set to 'University Identifier of UHH'. If you are still using an old CommSy account, you must switch the source to 'Local Account' before each login.

Is the problem continuing? Perhaps the password for your B account is too long? The password must not exceed 20 characters in order to successfully log in to CommSy. In this case, visit the user management system to change your password.

Is the problem still not resolved? If you cannot log in despite entering the correct username, password, and source, it is advisable to clear your browser's cache and delete the CommSy cookie (see clearing cache and deleting cookies). If that does not help, please update your browser to the latest version and restart the browser.

If you still cannot log in, please contact us via this contact form. Include your name and your account. If necessary, attach a screenshot. However, please never share your password!

You are required to use the University of Hamburg user account for your login. If you have previously used a different (so-called local) account on CommSy, please switch to using the user account from now on. You will need to log in again to your used rooms with this account.

If your user account has been blocked on CommSy or if you do not have a user account at the University of Hamburg, please use the support form to contact the portal moderation.

As long as you are a member of UHH, you can log in to the CommSy portals of UHH again at any time with your user account. A new account will be automatically created for you.

However, you may need to restore access to your rooms. You can manually request participation in rooms that have been lost due to the deletion of your data from the CommSy portal from the respective room moderator (or your instructor).

If the room no longer exists, you can directly ask the instructor if you can regain access to the teaching materials in another way.

If you do not have a user account from UHH, you still have the option to be invited to a CommSy portal by an instructor. You will then create a new account using an invitation link sent via email.

If you can no longer remember your account, use the 'Forgot Account?' button under the account input field on the CommSy homepage of your respective portal. You will be redirected directly to the UHH login page (Shibboleth). Use the 'Forgot Account?' button under the account input field again. After clicking the button, enter your email address. Your accounts registered under this email address will then be sent to you via email.

If you would like to know which accounts are registered under your email address on our portal, click on the 'Log In' button on the CommSy homepage of your respective portal. You will be redirected to the UHH login page (Shibboleth). Use the 'Forgot Account?' button under the account input field. You will then receive an email with all the accounts known under that address.

Log in with the account you wish to delete. Then, select the 'Account' menu from the CommSy bar at the top right via your profile picture/initials.

You can choose between 'Block Account' and 'Delete Account' here.

Block Account: Your contributions will remain unless you manually delete them before blocking the account. A blocked account can be reactivated by portal moderation.

Delete Account: Your account and all contributions will be deleted. This process cannot be undone! Confirm the process by entering your details to permanently delete your account.

You can combine two accounts into one if, for example, you want to import the rooms from your old CommSy account into your B account.

1. Log in with the account that you want to keep (for UHH members, we recommend the B account).
2. Select the 'Account' menu via your profile picture or initials in the top right corner.
3. On the left side, you will find the 'Combine Accounts' menu.
4. Enter the details of the account you wish to give up here: 'Account ID', 'Password', and 'Authentication Source'. You will enter the details of the account that you want to merge into the account you are currently logged into.
5. After you have filled everything out completely, click on 'Save'. The project rooms in which you were a member with the dissolved account will now be listed together with the project rooms of the current account in a combined list.

Accounts on CommSy that have been inactive for a long time are automatically blocked and deleted after a certain period. This measure of deprovisioning is intended to protect your data and conserve server capacity. Affected users will receive a corresponding notification via email 30 days before the scheduled blocking and 30 days before the scheduled deletion.

If you no longer need the affected account, you do not need to do anything further. After the deadline, the account will be automatically deleted.

If you still need the account, simply log in to CommSy within the specified deadline. This will reactivate the account and prevent automatic deletion. If you no longer remember your password, you can find help under: Forgot password - what now?

If you do not have a user account from the University of Hamburg, you can be invited to the platform by the room moderation of a CommSy space. You will then receive an invitation email containing a link to the registration form. Please enter your details in this form and agree to the user agreement in order to use CommSy. By doing so, you will be registered on the CommSy platform. To enter a specific room, please search for it in the list of all rooms. A access code may be required, which you should request from your instructors.

There are two different types of accounts:

1. As a member of UHH - including teaching staff and students (contact, ERASMUS, full-time, and part-time students) - you should have a user account (also known as a B or STiNE account). You can verify this in the user management system of the RRZ and, if necessary, change your password. With this account, you have full access to the platforms and can also create your own project rooms.
2. If you are not a member of UHH, you can be invited to the platform to create a so-called Local Account. More information on this can be found in the relevant FAQ.

The name of your Local Account may be similar to that of your user account, which could cause confusion. If you are unsure which accounts are registered under your email address, you can find assistance under 'Forgot account - what now?'

To enter or create project rooms, you need an account on CommSy.

The authentication source is pre-set to 'University Identifier of UHH', allowing you to log in directly with your so-called B account. If you are still using an old CommSy account that was not set up with the B account, please change the source to 'Local Account'.

If you are not an employee or student at the University of Hamburg, you can be invited by the moderators of a room to create an account. Please contact your project partners so they can invite you. In all other cases, please contact portal moderation via the contact form.

On each page, you will find your profile picture in the CommSy bar at the top right (if you are logged in); your initials will be displayed as the default image. You can open your account settings through the 'Account' link in this drop-down menu. On the left side, you will find the menus 'Personal Data', 'Change Password', 'Combine Accounts', 'Notifications', 'Additional Features', and 'Delete Account'. After making any changes in these menus, please click the 'Save' button to apply the new entries.

You can access your room profile after entering a room via the section bar at the very bottom left. There, you will find the profile settings. You can change the data that will be displayed to other participants in the room you are currently in.

At the top of each page, you will find the CommSy bar, where you can open your account settings by clicking on the link with your name. In the 'Newsletter' menu, you can select whether you want to receive the CommSy newsletter not at all, weekly, or daily. Please confirm your selection by clicking 'Save'.

The newsletter includes information about all changes within the rooms you are subscribed to since your last visit, such as new room members, new materials or discussion entries, new announcements, dates, or tasks, etc.

If you are a UHH member using your B account, you can change your password directly on the user management page of the RRZ at: https://bv.uni-hamburg.de/.

Are you using a local account on CommSy? Then change your password directly on CommSy.

If you are logged in, you will find the CommSy bar at the top of each page, and your profile picture (your initials are the default) on the right. Hover over this button and select 'Account'. In the left menu, you will now have the option to change your password under 'Change Password'. Enter your current password in the field labeled 'Current Password' and the password you wish to use in the 'New Password' field. Repeat the entry of the new password in the text field below. To the right of your entry, you will see a display indicating how secure your new password is.

Confirm the change by clicking the 'Save' button at the bottom.

The next time you log in, the new password will be requested.

Here is the translation of your text into English:

"If you can no longer remember your password, use the 'Forgot Password?' button located under the password input field on the CommSy homepage of your respective portal. You will be redirected directly to the UHH login page (Shibboleth). Use the 'Forgot Password?' button under the password input field. You will then receive an email at the address registered in your account. Follow the instructions to reset your password.

You can download and view your personal data as a PDF.

To do this, log in to CommSy and hover over your profile button, then select 'Account' from the drop-down menu.

Next, choose 'Data Protection' from the section bar. Below, you will find the option to display your personal data as a PDF. You can then download it.

After logging in, you will find the 'All Rooms' button on your dashboard in the top menu bar. There, you can narrow down the 'List' on the right side of the screen by entering one or more expressions from the name of the room you are looking for; if necessary – for general events like an 'Introduction' – it's best to add the name of the instructor or moderator.

When you click 'Search', an updated list of results will appear on the left. Each entry has a 'Request Membership' button. By clicking on the name of a room, you will go to the room's contact card, where the name of the room moderator will appear as a hyperlink to get contact information.

If the room moderator has not set any access restrictions, you will be immediately entered into the room. However, in most cases, access to a project room is regulated. There are two options to choose from; one of them is the following:

Option 1 – Activation by Reason for Participation: A free-text field will appear where you can briefly explain your interest in the room (reason for participation). You will then have to wait for manual activation from the room moderator; you will receive a notification by email as soon as this is done. If your activation has not occurred within a reasonable time frame, it is advisable to contact the room moderator. Please use the link 'Send Email' next to the door icon under 'Contact Persons' for this.

Option 2 – Activation by Participation Code: You will be prompted to enter a participation code. You will receive this from the room moderator or from the person who referred you to the room. After entering the correct participation code and clicking 'Request Membership', you will be taken directly into the desired room.

To end a room participation, first enter the room from which you would like to unregister. In the sidebar on the left side of the screen, you have the option to edit your "Room Profile" at the bottom. Select this field, and the menu items on the left sidebar will change. The bottom icon is now a trash can; in the full-screen view, it will also display "End Participation" behind it. After clicking on this button, you will be presented with two options:

Option 1 – "Block Room Membership": If you want to end your room membership but wish to keep your entries with your name visible to other room members, please select the upper option "Block Room Membership." Type the word "LOCK" in the text field and click on "Confirm."

Option 2 – "Delete Room Membership": If you prefer to view your entries in an anonymized form, please select "Delete Room Membership." Type the word "DELETE" in the text field and click on "Confirm."

Project rooms can only be accessed once you are logged in#mce_temp_url# with your credentials. You can verify a successful login if you see the button with your profile picture or initials in the top right corner of the CommSy toolbar.

If you are unable to enter the desired room, even though you have confirmed that you are logged in, the participation code might not be correct. In this case, please email the room moderator to request the correct participation code.

Any room member can set up a group room within a project room, provided that the section has been activated by the moderator. However, before a group room can be opened, a new group must first be created. To do this, click on 'Groups' in the section list on the left side of the project room, then click on 'New Entry' in the action menu at the top right. An editor window will appear. In the free text field, overwrite the text 'Enter title' with a name of your choice for the group. Decide whether the room should be 'editable' by others or not. Then click 'Save'. You can now optionally enter a 'Description' for the group; to do this, click the edit icon in the description area on the right.

To open a 'Group Room' for the newly created group, click the edit icon in the corresponding area on the right. Then check the box next to 'Activate group room'. Finally, click 'Save'—the group room will now be created. By clicking the arrow icon in the 'Group Room' area, you can now enter the group room.

You have now opened a room within a room, which functions just like the project or main room—for example, regarding participation verification.

1. First, join the group as a member. To do this, click on 'Groups' in the sidebar on the left in the project space. Select the group you want to join and choose 'Join' from the action menu in the top right.
2. If a group room is activated for this group, you will now see an arrow symbol further down, which you can use to enter the room. If the moderation has set it up so that no verification is required, you will gain direct access. However, generally, you will need to provide either a participation code or a reason for participation, depending on the settings, just like with the main rooms (also see 'How do I find and enter an existing project room?').
3. Once you have joined a group, you can enter the group room at any time. Within the group room, all functions correspond to those of the main room. You can return to the project room via the breadcrumb navigation at the top. If you want to permanently leave the group and the room, you can do this through the action menu in the top right of the group entry (within the project room).

With the CommSy update to version 10.0.12, a new feature was introduced that allows the connection of STiNE to CommSy.

So, if there is a new room in your list, you were probably enrolled in the room by your instructor. Therefore, you do not need to register yourself in the room.

Enrollment in a CommSy room occurs automatically as soon as students are admitted to a course on STiNE—provided that the instructor has activated participant transfer from STiNE using the CommSy feature 'Room Identification.' If you decide at short notice not to participate in the course anymore, you can manually withdraw from the CommSy room. You can find out how this works in our FAQ 'How can I end my participation in a room?'

If you have linked your CommSy room with your STiNE course, all students of the STiNE course will be automatically enrolled in your CommSy room.

However, this requires that the students have previously registered on CommSy. If your course is a first-semester course, please inform the students to register on CommSy.

If you want to delete an uploaded document, first open the entry you want to edit by clicking on the title in the section. In the window that opens, you will find a list of all files uploaded to this entry under 'Files.' To the right of 'Files,' you will see the edit button, which becomes visible when you move your mouse over it. Click on the edit icon. Then, you can remove the checkmarks next to the files you want to delete in the list of attached files and save the entry.

In a CommSy room, you can upload an unlimited number of files in principle. However, each individual file must not be larger than 500 MB. Larger video files can be uploaded to Lecture2Go and integrated into a material entry on CommSy.

Creating, editing, and deleting entries works on the same principle in all sections:

Once you have entered your room, you will see an overview of the project room. If you now want to add an entry, go to the desired section on the left sidebar, for example, 'Materials.' In each section, you can then select 'New Entry' from the 'Select Action' menu in the top right.

After saving the title, you can take further steps, such as changing the description or attaching files. Depending on the section in which you create the entry, there are various additional functions and input options. For example, if you create a new entry in 'Materials,' you have the option to enter bibliographic information.

If you want to edit an entry, simply click on the section of the entry, for example, 'Materials,' and then select the desired entry. An edit icon will appear to the right of the title, description, etc., when you move your mouse there. Please remember to save your changes after editing.

To delete an entry, click on the desired entry and then select 'Select Action' --> 'Delete' in the top right. A pop-up window will then appear, asking you to confirm that you really want to delete the selected entry.

Tip: If you only want to delete a file attached to an entry, you can do this in edit mode without deleting the entire entry. See: How can I delete an uploaded document?

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Create a new material entry by selecting the 'Materials' section in your room. Now select 'Select Action' in the top right and click on the 'New Entry' button. You can now specify the title of the new material entry. First, save the title before proceeding with further editing steps. On the right side, you will find the 'Edit' button next to the specific part of the entry you want to edit, such as the text under 'Description.' To attach files, edit the 'Files' section. Here, you can insert files by dragging and dropping them directly from your computer, or you can search for them as usual through the file selection dialog. Please remember to secure your uploaded files by clicking the 'Save' button to publish them.

You can also attach files to any of your existing material entries afterward.

Tip: Do you have many sessions throughout the semester for which numerous texts need to be uploaded? Organize your materials by inserting sections within your material entry. These sections can be thought of as subfolders, chapters, or seminar sessions. This way, you will have a clear listing of your materials.

It is possible to make materials editable only by the creator. To do this, open the entry and move your mouse to the right edge of the title line to make the edit icon visible and click on it. Then, check the option 'Editable only by creator.' After that, click the 'Save' button.

Open the entry and access the editing menu for the 'Description' via the 'Edit' field on the right. In this editor, you will find the image symbol 'Insert Image.' Here, you can either select an already attached image file or choose a file from your computer. Important: After that, click the 'Upload' button, which will automatically complete the URL field. At this point, you can also make any necessary scaling adjustments. After clicking 'OK,' you will see the embedded image and can drag it to any location in the text.

There are two ways to thematically group entries. These can be applied individually or in combination, both within a section and across different sections:

Option 1 – "Associations": For entries that are thematically related, it is advisable to associate them with each other. On the page of an entry, all associated entries will then be displayed, allowing you to access them directly.

If you want to associate entries, simply select one of the entries and open the editing view under "Associations." Here, you can search for entries or view the most recently edited entries. Tick the boxes next to the entries you wish to associate with the currently opened entry, and confirm your selection by clicking the "Associate Entries" button at the end of the list.

To view the associated entries, you need to expand the "Associations" menu on the right using the arrow.

Option 2 – "Tags": If multiple entries can be summarized under a term, tagging them significantly improves clarity within the room. This allows you to easily get an overview of all entries with specific formal or content-related commonalities.

To tag an entry, you can find this in the "Associations" section directly within the entry (third tab "Tags"). Here, you can select existing tags by checking them, remove them from the entry, or add new tags. Be sure to save your changes afterwards.

Now, when you navigate to a section view or the main page of your room, you will find a list of tags on the right side, through which you can quickly access the desired entry and potentially other entries tagged with the same keyword.

Access the section from which you want to copy entries, and open the action menu 'Select Action.' Click on the 'Select' button. Now, you can mark the entries you want to copy with a checkmark on the left. Then click on 'Execute Action.'

You will now find the copies in the CommSy bar under 'My Selection' at the top right of each page. Switch to the room where you want to insert the copied entries and open the 'My Selection' menu. There, select the action 'Insert into...,' choose the entry, and click 'Execute Action' again.

If you want to create an appointment that repeats regularly, it is recommended to set up a recurring event so that you don't have to enter each appointment individually. When creating a new appointment (see 'How do I create, edit, and delete entries?'), first enter all the required data for the first appointment in the series as you would for a single appointment. 'Start' and 'End' do not refer to the dates of the first and last appointment but to the start and end times of the very first appointment in the series! The necessary information for the automatic repetition of the appointment will be entered later (see below).

Example: Starting Monday, April 1, 2018, you have the Seminar ABC every Monday from 12:00 to 1:00 PM in Room 1234. Enter 'Seminar ABC' as the title, '01.04.2018' and '12:00' as the start, and '01.04.2018' and '13:00' as the end.

Below these input fields, you will find the drop-down menu 'Recurring Event.' Here, you can select how often the appointment should be repeated. Options include weekly, monthly, or yearly repetitions, where you can select the frequency and the weekday (e.g., every third Monday). The selection 'every 1st week' means that the appointment will be repeated every week.

Additionally, you can enter text in the 'Description' section and upload documents under 'Files' as usual.

If you want to assign a specific color to an appointment, you need to click on the edit icon next to the description 'Calendar' in the right column under 'Limit list'. Now you can first give a title to the specific color and then select the desired color. Save the process by clicking on 'Create new calendar'.

A file that you make accessible for others to read on CommSy can generally also be downloaded by the participants of the room. There may be protection options provided by the program with which the document was created (see below). However, even then, it applies that if a user takes screenshots of the pages, they can save those screenshots depicting your document.

Download: You may be able to set a save protection for the file independently of CommSy. Please check the options provided by the program you used to create the file.

Printing: To prevent your document from being printed, you must apply protection to the document itself. How and whether this is possible depends on the program used. If you want to protect PDFs, you can follow these instructions:

Open the document with Adobe. Click on "File" in the menu bar, then select "Properties." A new window will open. Click on the "Security" tab in this window. Here, select "Password Security" under Security Method. On the right side under "Settings," you can set the password. Check the box for "Restrict editing and printing of the document. A password is required to change these permission settings." Now, enter a password and ensure that "Not Allowed" is selected under "Allowed Printing." Click OK and save the document. If you now upload this document to CommSy, it cannot be printed without a password.

Enter the room where the desired content is located. Now, open the entry. The sections or discussion contributions are listed below the initial entry as links. Click on the link to the section or contribution you want to link to. You will be automatically directed to the desired location. Now copy the URL from the address bar of your browser. You can share this link, as it will specifically link to the respective section.

The RRZ team has set the maximum file upload size to 500 MB to ensure that students can process the material on their various devices. CommSy does not have an integrated streaming service, so video and audio files must be fully downloaded in order to play them.

To use the 'gender asterisk', please place a backslash ('\*') before the '*'.

This character will not be displayed in the text view. For example, 'Professor\*innen' will appear as 'Professor*innen' in the final text.

Entries located in 'My Storage' can be shared with other users of the platform. In the editing field (next to the title) of the entry, there is the option 'Additional Shares', where you can enter the ID (usually the user ID of UHH) of the person who is to receive access to the entry. This entry will then appear on your own dashboard at the bottom right under 'Entries Shared by Me', as well as in the same area for the other person under 'Other Shared Entries'.

Tip: Use this feature for easy file sharing among fellow students or colleagues.

As a CommSy user with a B-Kennung from the University of Hamburg, you can open a new project room at any time. To do this, click on "Rooms" on the dashboard and then on "Create New Room." A form will open, where you should first check "Project Room." Only then will the further allocation options appear. Name your room and make additional general settings. Finally, click "Save." We strongly recommend including the respective semester in the title for rooms related to courses, for example, "Introduction to Literary Studies (WS 2023/24)," to ensure that students join the correct room, especially for recurring course types.

Under "Language," specify whether the room's interface should be displayed in German or English. The additional details are optional and mainly serve to better orient the users. We recommend providing information on "Semester" and "Description" in any case. 

Save your entries with the "Save Settings" button at the bottom of the page. The project room will now be set up and opened. You are the moderator of the room and can start working with it, such as uploading materials, admitting participants, editing room settings, and much more.

To delete a project room, please enter the room you want to delete. Click on the "Settings" field with the tool icon on the left of the section bar to access the room settings. Under the bottom tab "Extensions" in the menu that appears, you will find the red-bordered "Delete" button. Enter the word "DELETE" in the free text field and confirm by clicking the "Delete" button.

Enter the room for which you want to set up a participation code. By clicking on 'Settings' at the bottom left of the section bar, you will access the 'Room Settings'. In the first tab 'General', under the first heading 'Basic Settings', you will find the option 'Participation Check'. This is set to 'Always' by default.

If you do not want to manually respond to each individual participation request, select the 'Code' option and enter the desired, freely chosen code in the text field next to it.

Confirm your change by clicking 'Save' at the bottom of the page.

Users who have requested participation before you changed the participation check from the default setting to 'Code' will still need to be manually approved by you. See also: How do I change the status of room members?

Participants awaiting approval can be found in your room under the section 'People'.

Above the list, you will see a red-highlighted notice indicating if and how many people are currently awaiting approval. Follow the 'Show Accounts' link to view only those people who are still waiting for approval. After clicking the link, you will see individual entries for each person, each with the green button 'Approve' (or red 'Decline') on the right.

You can also approve multiple participants at once by selecting 'Approve Account(s)' from the action menu 'Manage People' at the top right, marking multiple/all accounts with a checkbox, and then clicking the gray button 'Perform Action'.

Make sure to confirm in the following window the field 'Change Status' to ensure the action is actually executed. At this point, you can also specify whether the users should be notified by email (we recommend 'Yes').

If you have created a new room (using the 'New Room' button in 'All Rooms'#mce_temp_url#), it can only be accessed after manual approval of each individual account by you as the room moderator. Anyone who wishes to enter your room and clicks on the door symbol must first submit a participation request. This request will then be forwarded to your registered email address. You can then decide whether to approve the person using the link from your email or not.

If it is too cumbersome for you to individually approve each person you want to grant access to your room, you can set up a participation code. This participation code works like a password, allowing any user who knows the code to enter the room without further actions on your part. See also: How do I set up a participation code for my room?

Go to the room where you want to change the status of a user and click on the section 'People'. Here, you can change the status of one or more individuals by selecting the desired status from the drop-down menu 'Select Action' and clicking the checkbox to the left of the relevant name. Confirm this by clicking 'Perform Action'.

Enter the room whose name you wish to change, and go to the 'Settings', which you can find by clicking on the tool icon at the bottom left of the dark gray section bar of the room.

Under the first tab 'General', you will find the first heading 'Basic Settings' with the field 'Title'.

Here, you can enter a new room name. Confirm your change by clicking the 'Save' button at the bottom of the page.

Go to the room you wish to archive. By clicking on the tool icon at the bottom left of the dark gray section bar, you will access the settings. Under the third tab 'More', you will find the fifth heading 'Archive Room' with the option 'Archived'. If you want to archive your project room, select the 'Archived' option here and then confirm your choice by clicking the 'Save' button at the bottom of the page.

If you would like to reopen an archived room, proceed just as you would for archiving. See also: How can I archive a room?

Go to the room you wish to reactivate. By clicking on the tool icon at the bottom left of the dark gray section bar, you will access the settings. Under the third tab 'More', you will find the fifth heading 'Archive Room' with the option 'Archived'. If you want to reactivate your project room, simply uncheck the box next to 'archived' and then confirm your choice by clicking the 'Save' button at the bottom of the page.

CommSy rooms that have not been accessed for 365 days are automatically archived. An archived room can still be accessed by its members, and access to the content remains possible. However, no new content can be added, no new members can register, and it is no longer possible to change or remove existing content.

30 days prior to archiving, you as the room moderator will receive a corresponding announcement email indicating how you can postpone the archiving. To do this, you need to enter the relevant room once to reset the timer. From that point on, the 365-day limit without use applies again, and an announcement email will be sent 30 days before the expiration of the new deadline.

Open the menu to create a new post by selecting the "New Entry" option in the action menu of the relevant section (Announcements, Dates, Materials, Discussions). Fill in all the necessary details, write the text and title, and upload any files associated with this entry. Now go to the "Disabled" field at the top. Here, check the box and enter the date and time in the empty fields when you want the entry and its associated files to be accessible to the users of the room. Then click on "Save."

While the title of your entry and its release date can be viewed by the users, the content cannot be read or downloaded until the specified release time. For more information, please refer to "Access Rights & Dates."

You have set up a CommSy room for a lecture with many participants and do not want to receive an email every time a student joins the project room? You can disable the notification as follows:

• Enter the relevant room. Then, access your room profile via the category bar at the bottom left.
• On the left, you will find the "Notifications" menu. You will only see this menu if you are the moderator of the room from which you accessed the room profile.
• Uncheck the box next to "Email on enrollment."
• Save the setting.

Rooms on CommSy that have not been accessed for a long time will be automatically deleted after some time. This measure is to protect data privacy and conserve server capacity. Room moderators receive a notification 30 days prior to the upcoming deletion at the email address stored in the system. Another notice will be sent via email immediately before deletion.

If you no longer need the respective room, you don't have to do anything further. After the deadline, the room will be automatically deleted.

If you wish to continue using the room, please log in to CommSy within the specified period and enter the project room. This will prevent automatic deletion.

If you, as a moderator, do not want the participants in your room to be able to change it, you have the option to set the status of the users to "Reader."
With this option, room users can still view and download content, but do not have the rights to upload or change content.
To make this setting, follow these steps: Go to the "People" section in the menu bar and select the "Manage People" menu. Once you have clicked "Status: Reader," you can now select the people for whom you wish to change the status. Confirm the process by clicking "Execute Action."

There are four different statuses that you can grant to the participants in your room:
Reader; User; Moderator; Contact Person.

CommSy rooms that have not been accessed for 365 days after their archiving will be automatically deleted. This results in the irretrievable removal of all content, such as materials, discussions, and dates.

30 days before deletion, you as the room moderator will receive an announcement email indicating how you can postpone the deletion. To do this, simply enter the respective room once to reset the timer. After that, the limit of 365 days without use will apply again, and an announcement email will be sent again 30 days before the expiration of the period.

In the "People" section, you can find those individuals who are waiting for approval from the room moderation or are blocked, meaning they do not have the status "User."

To see this list, select "Restrict List" in the menu on the right side of the screen under "Status" and choose "Blocked," confirming with a click on "Restrict."

Through the action menu "Manage People" -> "Unblock ID(s)," you can then unblock participants as usual. For more information, you can refer to the FAQ "How can I unblock participants?"

You can find all the relevant information about linking a CommSy room with a STiNE course in the tutorial "Room Settings."

Note: If the STiNE course ID has already been used by someone else for a CommSy room, the same STiNE course ID cannot be used for another CommSy room. If your STiNE course ID is no longer available, please contact support.

Problems with file uploads can have various causes:

• Did you click the "Save" button after selecting a file or dragging it into the upload field? Our system only uploads your files after you have clicked it.
• If you have multiple tabs open for CommSy, close all but the one tab where you want to perform the file upload and try again.

If none of these measures resolves the problem, test the upload with a different browser or computer. This will help you determine whether the issue is related to the CommSy system or your computer/browser. If it is a system issue, please contact CommSy Support via the contact form and indicate which browser and operating system version you are using.

If you are in a specific project room or on your personal dashboard, there is a search field at the top in the CommSy bar. Enter a keyword related to the content you are looking for. The search works across rooms, so results from other rooms will also be displayed. However, you must be registered as a member of the room in question. If you do not get the desired search results for the keyword you entered, it may be because you are (still) not a member of that room. In this case, ask the person who uploaded the material on CommSy for the name of the room and possibly the participation code.

On your dashboard, you will find a field for room searches under the news section where you can enter the room name. A list of rooms whose names include the search term will be displayed. If you are not yet a member of the corresponding room, request participation (see Room Participation).

If you find a room that has no entries and no room members, you have likely accidentally created a new project room instead of entering the desired existing room.

In this case, please delete the accidentally created room to ensure that only rooms that are actually being used are stored in the system. See also: How do I delete a project room?

Then, search for the room you wish to participate in using the room search on the CommSy homepage of your relevant portal and join that room. See also: How can I join a room?

If your list of rooms is suddenly empty and your subscribed rooms have disappeared, there could be two reasons for this:

Option 1: You might have logged in for the first time with your user ID instead of signing in with your existing ID. In this case, please remain logged in and merge this ID with your old CommSy ID; during this process, your subscribed rooms will be imported. See: Can I merge two IDs into one?

Option 2: It is also possible that you have two IDs from two different sources – a STiNE ID and a separate CommSy ID – for example, because you accidentally created a second CommSy account in the past. If you logged in with the "wrong" ID, you will not have access to your rooms. In this case, please delete the unused ID if necessary and log in with your active ID, or merge your IDs together.

A new central feature in CommSy9 is the dashboard: a kind of personal space with an overview of all new entries and dates from the rooms you have subscribed to. You can access the dashboard by clicking on the tile icon in the top right corner of the CommSy bar, to the left of your profile picture or initials.

Communication with other CommSy users takes place through project rooms. Within a project room, you can contact any other member of the room – or multiple members at the same time.

Option 1 - Email to Project Room Members: To do this, click on the "People" section within the respective room. You will then see a list of all the people who have joined that room. In the action menu, select the "Send Email" function. The names of the individuals will now appear grayed out. Select the person(s) you want to send a message to and confirm by clicking "Execute Action." If you want to send an email to all room members, you can have the system automatically mark all names in the list by clicking "Select All Entries" at the top left. Confirm by clicking "Execute Action."

Option 2 - Email to Group Room Members: If you want to send an email to a specific group in the room, click on "Groups" in the header menu and enter the desired group room. Then, follow the instructions described in Option 1.

Option 1: The email has arrived in the spam/trash folder. Depending on the provider and email settings, there may be several folders where emails recognized as spam (incorrectly) are delivered. Since the email is sent from a no-reply address through CommSy, spam filters are particularly sensitive.

Option 2: A wrong email address is registered in the account or room profile. There may be a typo or an outdated/not regularly checked address. You can find this in your profile settings.

Option 3: The inbox is full, preventing the email from being delivered.

Option 4: The email provider was offline. This can especially be an issue with smaller providers or privately hosted servers.

If you received a confirmation from the system that the email has been sent, but it does not reach the recipients, the problem is likely on the recipients' side. For this, please follow the instructions in the FAQ: Why are emails sent via CommSy not arriving?

When you receive an email sent via CommSy, the sender is a noreply address. Nevertheless, you can reply to the sender using the reply function of your email program. The noreply address will then be replaced with the address stored in the room profile.

If you use the CommSy search bar for your query, the search will be conducted in all the rooms where you are a participant. To specifically search in just one room, there is a small additional step required. First, enter the room in which you want to search. You can do this via the "My Rooms" button. Once you have done that, type the term you are looking for into the search bar located at the top of the CommSy bar.

Then, a drop-down list of search results from all your rooms will appear. At the bottom of this list, you will see the option "Search in: …," followed by the name of the room you are currently in. If you click this option now, the search will be limited to the selected room.