How to configure permissions in Virola corporate messenger

With the help of the flexible permissions framework in Virola corporate messenger, you can create a productive and secure work environment for your team.

Virola permissions are configured within the following scopes:

  • Global: Permissions that control access to global system features, set by the Virola administrator and
    • Applied to all Virola server users
    • Can be overridden for individual users
  • Private Chats: Permissions set by the Virola administrator and applied to all users in all private chat rooms
    • These permissions cannot be overridden
  • Group Chats: Permissions set by the Virola administrator and
    • Applied to all users in all group chat rooms
    • Can be overridden for all users in a specific group chat room by the room moderator
    • Can also be overridden for an individual user in a specific group chat room by the room moderator

We will provide a more detailed explanation of each scope below.

Global permissions

These permissions apply to all users or can be set individually per user. They do not interfere with room-related permissions and include the following:

  • Create private chats
  • Create group chats
  • See profiles of other users
  • See the task board
  • See the meeting board
  • Change own password
  • Renew own Web API access token

Global permissions can only be granted or restricted by Virola administrator. To configure them, the admin should follow Administration / Permissions menu and update permissions under the Global tab.

Global permissions for individual user

Global permissions for individual user inherit the system-wide global permissions by default. These permissions can only be overridden by a Virola administrator. To override a permission for specific user, the admin should right-click the user's picture anywhere in the Virola client, choose Permissions from the context menu, and open the Global tab. The user's permissions are displayed in the column labeled "Individual to [User Name] in Global Scope" and can have one of the following statuses:

  • Inherited (default): The permission always matches the global permission. If the global permission changes, the user permission automatically updates to reflect this change
  • Granted: The permission is explicitly granted to the user, regardless of the global permission value
  • Denied: The permission is explicitly denied to the user, regardless of the global permission value

Private chat room permissions

Private chat room permissions are granted or restricted by the Virola administrator and apply to the following features available in private chat rooms:

  • In the main thread and discussion:
    • Send text messages - this permission determines whether users can send any type of message to the room. If this permission is denied, all other permissions related to sending or editing messages in the main thread or in the discussion will automatically be denied
    • Send files into the room
    • Edit or delete own text messages
    • Attach or delete files in own text messages
    • React with emoji
    • See who read the message
  • In the main thread only:
    • Create issues
    • Create meetings
  • Intercom permissions:
    • Use Intercom - this permission determines whether users can access at least one of the Intercom features. If this permission is denied, all other permissions related to Intercom usage will automatically be denied
    • Listen via Intercom
    • Talk via Intercom
    • Watch video streams from other users’ cameras via Intercom
    • Stream video from own camera via Intercom
    • Record meeting
  • Other permissions:
    • Change properties of other users' issues
    • Share screen
    • Send a nudge
    • See the room sidebar

These permissions are applied system-wide to all private chats and cannot be overridden for a specific chat or user.

To configure private chat room permissions, the admin should follow Administration / Permissions menu and update permissions under the Private chats tab.

Group chat room permissions

The list and behavior of group chat permissions are identical to private chat permissions. The following permissions can be granted or restricted for group chat rooms:

  • In the main thread and discussion:
    • Send text messages
    • Send files into the room
    • Edit or delete own text messages
    • Attach or delete files in own text messages
    • React with emoji
    • See who read the message
  • In the main thread only:
    • Create issues
    • Create meetings
  • Intercom permissions:
    • Use Intercom
    • Listen via Intercom
    • Talk via Intercom
    • Watch video streams from other users’ cameras via Intercom
    • Stream video from own camera via Intercom
    • Record meeting
  • Other permissions:
    • Change properties of other users' issues
    • Share screen
    • Send a nudge
    • See the room sidebar

The Virola administrator can grant or restrict system-wide group chat room permissions. These permissions apply to all users in all group chat rooms. To update system-wide group chat room permissions, the admin should follow Administration / Permissions menu and select the Group Chats tab.

Group chat permissions for a specific room

Group chat permissions for a specific room inherit system-wide group chat permissions by default. Group chat moderators can adjust these permissions to suit the specific room purpose.

Note! The room moderator can restrict group chat room permissions but cannot grant permissions that are restricted by the Virola admin. For this reason, specific group chat room permissions can have one of the following statuses:

  • Inherited (default): The permission always matches the system-wide permission. If the system-wide permission changes, the room permission automatically updates to reflect this change
  • Denied: The permission is explicitly denied to all users in the room, regardless of the system-wide permission value

To update permissions for a specific group chat room, the room moderator should right-click the group chat room's picture, select Permissions from the context menu, and update the permissions in the column labeled "Common to all users in [Group Name]".

Group chat permissions for individual users

Group chat permissions for individual users inherit the specific group chat room permissions by default. Group chat moderators can adjust individual user permissions to align with the user's role in the group chat.

Note! The room moderators can grant or restrict individual user permissions in a group chat if the permissions were initially granted at the system-wide level. However, they cannot grant permissions that were initially restricted at the system-wide level by the Virola admin. For this reason, group chat permissions for individual users can have one of the following statuses:

  • Inherited (default): The permission always matches the specific group chat room permission. If the specific chat permission changes, the user permission automatically updates to reflect this change
  • Granted: The permission is explicitly granted to the user, regardless of the specific group chat permission value. This status is available only if the permission is granted at the system-wide level. Otherwise, the permission is always denied
  • Denied: The permission is explicitly denied to the user, regardless of the system-wide or specific group chat permission value

To update permissions for an individual user, the room moderator should right-click the user's picture in the group chat sidebar, select Permissions from the context menu, and open the Group Chats tab. The user's permissions will be displayed in the column labeled "Individual to [User Name] in [Group Name]".

Group chat room options

Group chat room options are similar to group chat permissions but are configured by the room moderator specifically for a single group chat room. Unlike permissions, room options are always set at the room level and cannot be overridden for individual users.

Room options control how users can join or leave the room:

  • Add new users to this chat room automatically. All new users created on the Virola server will be automatically added to the room
  • Allow users to add themselves to this chat room. Users who follow a deep link to the group chat room will automatically join the room
  • Allow users to leave this chat room. Users will see a "Leave this Chat Room" option in the group chat room context menu

To configure chat room options, right-click the group chat room picture and select "Chat room options" from the context menu.