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How to Add Multiple External Users (CSV Bulk Import)
Who is this article for?Please Review Usersadding multiple external users.
Please Review Administrators have permissions to make changes.
The ability to add multiple external users simplifies the process of involving a diverse group of external participants in document reviews. This feature saves time and effort by allowing administrators to invite and manage several external users simultaneously, enhancing collaboration efficiency.
- Adding Multiple External Users (CSV Bulk Import)
- Load CSV File Format
- Import User Details
- Further Reading
Adding Multiple External Users (CSV Bulk Import)
This involves creating a bulk load CSV file that is loaded using the Please Review admin menu. Although it is called 'bulk load' it can be used for as few as one user. A single bulk load CSV file may contain users from multiple authenticators if required.
Load CSV File Format
First create a CSV file containing the details of each of the externally authenticated users. This file must contain the following fields, in order:
| File Column | Field Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Email address | e.g. john.smith@sample.com | E-mail address, used to uniquely identify them in Please Review. |
| Full name |
e.g. John Smith |
The desired display name for the user within Please Review. Whatever combination of title, first name and last name you require. |
| Username | e.g. jsmith | The externally authenticated users’ username. For example, for a SAML2 user this MUST contain the precise NameID contained within the SAMLResponse for the user sent from the IdP. |
| Workgroup Id |
e.g. 1 117 |
Sets the users home workgroup. For example, if set to 1 will add the user to the 'Root' workgroup. |
| Workgroup Role | e.g. Reviewer |
Enter the desired Workgroup Role for the user. i.e. Author, Author-Contributor, Author, Reviewer, etc. |
| Password | Should be left blank. | |
| Ext Source |
e.g. External: SAML2 Active Directory: SPS |
This is the external source that the user will be authenticated against. It should match an entry in your System Connectors file. |
| User Type | Default | Do not change. |
| Home Workgroup Id |
e.g. |
Sets the users home workgroup. For example, if set to 1 will set the Home Workgroup to 'Root'. |
| ExtRef |
e.g. jsmith EE13062F-395B-4E87- 838E-E3BA79EB9FD7 |
Should normally be left blank but, if entered, should match the value in the external system. |
- Here is a sample of the contents of a SAML2 bulk load csv file, including the required header row:
Email address,Full name,User name,Workgroup Id,Workgroup Role,Password,ExtSource,UserType,Home Workgroup Id,ExtRef john.smith@sample.com,John Smith,johns,1,Reviewer,,External:SAML2,Default,1,johns
mary.jones@sample.com,Mary Jones,maryj,1,Author-Contributor,,External:SAML2,Default,1,maryj paul.white@sample.com,"White, Paul",1234,1,Author,,External:SAML2,Default,1,1234
- You can copy and paste the above example into a text editor as the basis of your bulk load file.
Import User Details
Importing users into is done from within the Admin Menu. To access this, log into Please Review as the sysadmin user and select the Admin Tab on the top menu bar, so the workgroup management screen is displayed.
Note: if you are using a SAML2 SSO environment, you may need to append “?autoLogin=false” to your Please Review URL to be able to log into Please Review as the sysadmin user who is not SAML2 SSO authenticated, for example “https://{YourPlease ReviewURL}?autoLogin=false”.
- To import users, click on ‘Workgroup Management’ under ‘Admin’ on the left-hand menu.
- Click the ‘Members’ button for any unlocked workgroup.
- The ‘User Management’ screen will be displayed:
Here are some things to note about Importing User Details:
- You can start the import from the Workgroup Members screen of any workgroup, including Root.
- Password setting will depend on System Configuration Settings.
- To perform the import, press the 'Import Users' button then, on the following screen, click on the 'Choose File' button and select the CSV file created earlier.
- Press the 'Upload' button to complete the import. The results of the import will be displayed.
- Any invalid rows will be identified, so the data in the csv file can be corrected and reloaded as required.
When bulk loading against non-SAML2 authenticators (for example, Active Directory) the details entered the UserName, ExtRef and e-mail columns will be verified against the external authenticator. Any users that cannot be verified will not be loaded and an 'Invalid Value' error displayed.
When bulk loading SAML2 SSO users, no verification is carried out to ensure the details entered in the ExtRef, username and full name fields are correct. Therefore, assumes the values that are contained in the csv are correct. Should, however, a change be needed to one of these values, this can be achieved by reloading the amended records in question.