Nextcloud

Access to Nextcloud is at: https://nextcloud.domain.com where “domain.com” is your domain name.

Nextcloud provides a rich set of groupware solutions for your team. It is comprised of some key core-applications and can be extended by the administrative user.

The purpose of this document is not to provide documentation on Nextcloud or the Nextcloud applications, but to provide tips about your Federated Core installation of Nextcloud.

Warnings for the Administrative User*

Note: if you sign into Nextcloud as your administrative user, it is possible to compromise and destroy the installation. We hope to correct this in future versions of Federated Core. However, we wanted to provide you with the flexibility to theme Nextcloud, change certain behaviors, messages, etc.

Warning: do NOT change the LDAP/AD Integration settings. This will disconnect your Nextcloud installation from your Federated Core user management features.

Note: users are NOT created in Nextcloud, they are create in Panel so that those user accounts are available to other applications and service on your Federated Core.

A brief overview of the Nextcloud applications.

Dashboard

The dashboard application gives users a quick overview of recent files, any mentions in the Talk application, and a widget for the calendar. You can set your location for the weather (it is a forecast, not current weather), and the ability to customize your dashboard.

Mail

The first time you load the web client for Mail, you will need to accept the “automatic” settings for your mail server. Mail is a full-featured webmail client. Each message can be tagged, an event can be created from the message (using the “triple dot” menu).

Calendar

In Calendar you will see your personal calendar and any calendars for “decks” (project management). There is also functionality for “Appointments” allowing you to set up times that others can schedule time with you.

Contacts

Contacts is your address book for all the people you interact with digitally.

Notes

Notes is a place to write text documents using “text” or “markdown” format (depending on your choice in the “Notes Settings”).

Tip. If you want to share a note with team members or people outside your team/domain, that is done in the “Files” application. Your notes will be found there in the “Notes” folder.

Tasks

A great “to-do” list. You can use this as a list of reminders, another way to do project management, and collaborate with your team.

Files

Works just like Google Drive or Dropbox. However, it has a secret power built in. Client on the big “plus” at the top of the screen to create and edit, in the browser, documents fully compatible with Microsoft Office 365 and Libre Office.

You can install and configure applications for MacOS, Windows, Linux, and the mobile device platforms providing real-time sync of your files across all your devices.

Deck

This is an amazing Kanban-type application for organizing and managing any project. You create columns of “stages” according to your needs across which you can move “task” or “work” cards. You can futher use “tags” to get additional dimensions to your project “tasks”.

Bookmarks

Capture website URLs and organize them into groups. If you want previews, you will need to add a service like Screeenly to your installation. You can do this with your admin account in “Administrative Settings > Bookmarks”.

Forms

Allows you to create simple forms for capturing data from those both inside and outside of your team/domain. For example, want to do a survey, use forms.

Talk

This is a full-featured chat application for your Nextcloud installation. While you also have an industrial-strength chat/communications platform with Element/Matrix, you can use Nextcloud Talk to chat about files, and other objects without Nextcloud itself.

Photos

Duh.

Activity

See what is going on across all the different parts of your Nextcloud installation.

Quick Links to Other Federated Core Services

In the top left corner of the Nextcloud web interface is a icon looking like a grid of squares. Click on the grid to get access to a list of the other services in your Federated Core.

Official Nextcloud User Documentation

For additional information about using Baserow, please consult the user documentation.