Glossary

A glossary of important CommSy terms.

Section

A material entry can be subdivided by creating so-called sections. To do this, click on the action menu in the view of the material entry and then select "New Section." Next, give this new section a title, write text in the description field if necessary, or add file attachments. If you wish to sort the sections, you can do this directly in the "Sections" area by clicking "Edit" next to the list of section titles on the right, and then changing the position of the sections via drag and drop.

Tip:Learn more about creating sections in the tutorial "Structuring Room Contents."

  

Account

The term "identifier" has been expanded to "account" since CommSy9. You can access the account settings by hovering your mouse over your profile picture or initials in the top right corner and clicking on "Account." Here, you can change your password, subscribe to the newsletter, and adjust your language settings.

 

Action Menu

You can find the action menu in the top right corner of the project room, both in categories and within entries. It is a drop-down menu that allows you to create new entries as well as perform many other actions such as "Print," "Save," "Copy," and "Delete." Additionally, you can use it to create new sections in material entries or save entries as new versions.

 

All Rooms

The "Marketplace" of the CommSy platform provides you with an overview of the website. You are directed here immediately after logging in and can navigate via the CommSy bar using the "All Rooms" link or the "List of All Rooms" button on the dashboard. On this overview page, you can also create a new room by selecting "New Room" in the action menu.

Tip: For more information on the overview of all CommSy rooms and creating your own rooms, please refer to the tutorial "Getting Started."

Announcements (Category)

Announcements are very useful for alerting all room participants to important information. You can create a new entry in this category with a title, content text, and files. The validity date is important as it specifies until when the announcement will be displayed on the room's main page. After saving, you will find the announcement at the top right of the main page above the room image.

 

Contact Person

To effectively manage rooms, there is the option to assign different to users in a room, which include contact persons: these individuals are indicated with a "telephone icon" in the room. This signals to other participants that they should reach out to this person in case of problems or questions. However, as a contact person, users do not have administrative rights

Tip: You can find an overview of and their functions under "4. Change Member Status."

Archiving

When project rooms are archived, they can still be accessed as usual, but no new participants will be granted access, and it will not be possible to create new material or other entries. Archiving can be done manually according to this guide. Additionally, rooms are automatically archived after 365 days of inactivity. As a room moderator, you will receive a notification email with instructions on how to postpone the archiving.

Tasks (Category)

In the tasks category, entries can be created that include a due date, planned working time, and a processing status. This information will later appear in the list of entries, allowing for easy tracking of who is currently working on which task. The processing status can also be quickly changed through the action menu, even for multiple entries at once.

Edit Icon

The edit icon shows a pencil inside a rectangle. You will find this in the view of every entry you are allowed to edit (e.g., as the creator), to the right of the different areas of the entry (title, description, files, etc.). This icon will appear when you hover your mouse over one of the areas. Clicking on it opens the editing view of the respective area.

 

CommSy

CommSy stands for "Community System" and is a web-based system designed to support networked project work. CommSy refers to the area you enter after logging in—thus including the dashboard, project, and community rooms, along with everything available for your use.

CommSy is open-source (GPL) and is therefore available for free use. The latest version (CommSy10) has been in operation on the CommSy platform since January 2022.

CommSy Bar

The CommSy bar refers to the header at the top of your screen that you see when you are logged in. In this bar, you will find the following functions (from left to right): All Rooms, My Rooms, Search, My Selection, My Uploads, Dashboard, and your profile picture. The logout button can be found by hovering your mouse over your profile picture or initials.

 

Dashboard

The dashboard is new in CommSy9 and provides a personalized overview of your activities in CommSy. Here you can see the latest entries from all rooms at a glance as well as a calendar with dates from all rooms. You can reach the dashboard via the icon to the left of the profile picture at the top of the CommSy bar. You can edit your dashboard settings under your profile picture in "Account" → "Additional Features."

 

Deprovisioning

Deprovisioning refers to the automatic blocking and deletion of data on CommSy after prolonged inactivity. This is an automated process aimed at reducing server load and protecting your data. In both cases, you will be informed 30 days in advance by a corresponding system email. This process affects both identifiers and rooms:

Identifiers are blocked after 540 days of non-use and deleted after another six months. You will receive warning emails for these automated system processes: 30 days before the deadline and immediately before the blocking or deletion takes place.

If you no longer need the identifier in question, you do not need to take any further action. If you do, simply log in within the specified period.

Rooms are archived after 365 days of non-use and deleted after another year of inactivity. Here too, room moderation will be notified 30 days in advance by a corresponding system email.

For more information and assistance with deprovisioning, please visit our FAQ page.

 

Discussions (Category)

The "Discussions" category is an important component of many project rooms and can be accessed via the category menu in the room. New discussions can be created in this category through the action menu ("New Entry"). To add a contribution to an existing discussion, open the discussion and select "Reply" from the action menu. You can also reply directly to a contribution if responses have already been added to the discussion.

Tip: To prevent your entries from being accidentally deleted, please select "Editable only by the creator" when creating an entry. This way, all participants can still respond, but only you and the room moderation can edit or delete the entry.

 

Drag & Drop

Drag & Drop refers to the method of moving objects by dragging them with the mouse to the desired location. In CommSy, drag & drop is used, for example, when uploading files or sorting sections.

 

Drop-Down Menu

A drop-down menu is a collapsible part of a menu. By clicking on the window, a list of various options expands either downward or upward, from which one option can be selected. Drop-down menus are often used when a fully displayed list of options would take up too much space.

 

Settings

In the "Settings" area, room moderators can configure their project room as needed—such as setting up a participation code for future members or enabling functional extensions. Room moderators can access this area by clicking on the "Settings" button with the tool symbol in the left sidebar of a room.

“Tip: For more detailed information, please see our tutorial "Room Settings."

Main Page

On the main page of every project room, users get an overview of which categories contain new entries or how many people have used the room recently. You will also see keywords and categories if they are used in the project room. The room's banner and possibly a welcome text are at the top of the page. You can always return to the main page from other categories using the sidebar menu on the left.

 

Community Room

Institutes or other affiliations can request the CommSy team to set up a so-called community room. This serve as an overarching organization for several project rooms within a community and offers, in addition to the usual functions of a project room, the additional category options "Project Rooms" and "Institutions." Various associated project rooms can be assigned to this community room. It can also be used, for example, to centrally set up relevant documents for all community members without having to do this in each assigned project room.

Groups (Category)

In the "Groups" category, members of a project room can form subgroups—for example, for tutorials, working groups, or specific topics. Group members can easily exchange emails among themselves and can also create a subordinate, access-protected group room that has almost the same functions as the project room itself.

Identifier

UHH members (regular students, employees) should use their user identifier (STiNE identifier or B-identifier) for login. The password can be changed via the user management of RRZ as needed at: https://bv.uni-hamburg.de/.

Non-members of UHH, such as cooperation partners of UHH members in a research project, can gain access to CommSy by being invited by their project partners. Invited users can then create a so-called "Local Identifier" with limited rights. If you use the access to CommSy through the "Local Identifier" source, the password can be changed using the "Forgot Password" link on CommSy.

Not to be confused with: password, participation code.

Tip: For more information on logging in with your identifier, see the tutorial "Getting Started."

Materials (Category)

The materials category is used for providing and exchanging files and other content. In this category, entries are first created, and then the texts or file attachments can be uploaded. You can time-release entries, embed images and videos, and much more. To create a new material entry, select "New Entry" in the action menu. With the Etherpad, you can collaboratively create texts with others. If you're looking for a specific material, select the entry from the list or use the room search.

 

My Uploads  

"My Uploads" is a CommSy feature that serves as a storage location for contents or files used across multiple rooms and works independently of rooms. More on this in the tutorial "Depositing Content in 'My Uploads.'"

Mouse-Over

Mouse-over refers to graphical elements that appear when the mouse pointer hovers over a certain area (e.g., on a website/platform/program). In CommSy9, these are a central control element and enable the selection of the edit icon when creating new entries.

Newsletter

The newsletter contains information about changes since your last visit within the rooms you have created and subscribed to—for example, about new room members, new material or discussion entries, new announcements, dates, or tasks. All news in your personal newsletter, which is sent to the email address from your account data, is linked so you can navigate directly to them with a click. Note: The newsletter does not contain general portal news. Additionally, you can set whether you want to receive the newsletter not at all, daily, or weekly.

Tip: You can edit the newsletter settings in your account. For more information, see "1. Account Settings" in the tutorial "My Profile."

Password

The password, in combination with the identifier, is used for the login process on CommSy. It should not be confused with participation codes, which are solely for joining CommSy rooms.

People (Category)

In the People category, you will find a list of all room participants. Moderators and contact persons are marked with corresponding icons. Even if the email address is hidden, you can email other people through the room. If you view a person's entry, you may also see additional contact details and information provided for that room.

By the way, in this category, you can also find those individuals who are still waiting for approval from room moderation or are blocked, meaning they do not have the status of "User." To view this list, change the selection of the displayed status group in the "Restrict List" menu under "Status."

Personal Rooms

The CommSy feature "Personal Room" creates a dedicated area within the People category that is accessible only to room moderation and a single user. Moderators can assign individual tasks here and then correct them after completion—visible only to the respective students. As a moderator of a project room, you can enter any personal room of the project room; however, members can only enter their own personal room.

Tip: For more information and guidance on usage, see our tutorial on "Personal Rooms."

Project Room

The heart of CommSy consists of project rooms where participants collaborate and can exchange materials or engage in discussions. Access to a project room is provided—after logging into CommSy—through its virtual "door." Depending on the settings chosen by the room moderator, access can be granted:

(a) immediately after clicking on the door,

(b) via the participation code set by the room moderator, or

(c) delayed with manual approval from the room moderation. In case (c), the system will prompt you to leave an explanatory text for the room moderator explaining why you would like to join this project room.

Incidentally, the option to open a new project room is available to anyone with a UHH user identifier. To do this, click on the "Create New Room" button on the dashboard after logging in.

Tip: Visit our tutorials "Open a Project Room" and "Room Settings" for more information on creating and moderating project rooms.

 

Room Moderation

When you create a project room, you automatically become the room moderator and can make settings for the room, manage access, and more. Moderation rights can be granted to other individuals in the room.

Room moderators are often also the contact persons for access questions, etc. Next to the door on the room's visiting card under "Contact Persons," you will find the "Send Email" link, through which you can contact the moderators, even if you are not yet a member of the room.

Tip: For more information on room moderation and rights allocation, see our tutorial "Room Settings.

Room Profile

You can access your room profile for the room you are currently in via the "Room Profile" field in the category menu on the left side of the screen. Here, you can make various personal settings that affect the room—such as changing the address and contact details or editing your profile picture. If you wish to end your participation in the room, you will also find this option here under Room Profile.

 

Responsive Design

The term "Responsive Design" refers to the automatic adjustment of websites to the characteristics of the device being used (primarily smartphones and tablets). Since the update to version 9, CommSy is also "responsive" and can be used on nearly all conceivable devices.

RSS Feed

An RSS feed (RSS: Rich Site Summary Feed) aggregates short information that can be read by a suitable program, known as a feed reader. For example, Outlook, which is also offered to you free of charge in the Office 365 package for students from RRZ, can process RSS feeds. Instructions can be found on Microsoft's website (external) under "Subscribe to an RSS Feed."

In every room of the CommSy platform (group, project, and community rooms), an RSS feed can be activated. When you subscribe to it, you will receive real-time notifications when a person joins the room, materials are uploaded, etc.

Category Menu

The category menu is located on the left side of every room. Here you will find the main page, all unlocked categories, your room profile, as well as possibly the settings for room moderators. In the mobile view and on small screens, the menu may be collapsed and will expand to full size when you hover over it with your mouse or finger.

As room moderation, you can set which categories can be used in the room.

Tip: A brief overview of the functions of the categories can be found after each link: Materials | Discussions | Dates | Groups | Tasks | Announcements | Topics | People.

STiNE Course ID

The STiNE Course ID is an identification number assigned to each course in STiNE. This ID can be used to automatically connect a STiNE course with a CommSy room, so participants do not have to register manually. You can find out how to connect a STiNE course with a CommSy room in our tutorial "Room Settings" under the heading "Room Identification."

 

Search

The search feature in CommSy is located at the top of the page, allowing you to search in various areas. You can search in all rooms you are a participant in, or you can restrict the search to a specific room. For this specific search, you will find instructions in our "FAQs."

 

Participation Code

Room moderation has the option, under settings in the "Access Conditions," to choose "Participation by Participation Code" and enter a chosen term for it. The advantage is that new members can gain access to a project room immediately with this code, but not completely unverified. Participation codes for rooms should not be confused with your own password. If you do not know the code, please inquire with the room moderators.

Tip: For more detailed information, please visit our relevant tutorial.

Participation Reason

If you want to enter a project room, you may be asked to provide a reason for participation (instead of a code). For example, if you are a participant in the seminar of the room moderators, you convey this with a brief note at this point. Afterwards, the moderator will have the opportunity to approve you. Once this is done, you will receive a notification via email and can enter the room at any time.

Tipp: For more detailed information, please visit our relevant tutorial.

 

Participation Verification

Room moderators of a project room have three options for allowing other CommSy users access to the room. Under settings, they can choose between never verifying participation, always verifying participation, and participation by participation code.

Tip: For more detailed information, please visit our relevant tutorial.

Dates (Category)

Entries in the "Dates" category are displayed in the calendar or listed (depending on room settings). Dates can be color-coded, regularly repeated, or supplemented with files. Room participants can see important events at a glance, export the dates, and confirm their participation.

 

Topics (Category)

In the topics category, you can create entries that, for example, initially introduce content in a seminar topic and then link other entries in the order they should be processed or viewed. To add entries to the path, they must first be assigned. The path can be sorted using drag & drop. Topic entries are very useful for giving room content structure or a fixed sequence.

Wiki

Note: The Wiki is no longer available in the new version CommSy10.