# Personal area

Personal area is a server-hosted web page designed for scheduling conferences or editing personal data or the address book.

Unlike the control panel which is accessible only to the administrator, this web page is available to every user.

# How to sign in

On the server guest page, click the Sign in button in the upper right corner. Enter your username and password.

You can request the administrator to provide access credentials for the guest page.

/server/media/login_guest_page/en.png

The account lockout policy can be configured on the side of TrueConf Server for the cases when invalid login is entered.

Authentication in the client application and in the personal area can be blocked after multiple failed attempts to enter the password. The maximum number of failed attempts and the lockout period will be determined by the administrator. If you want your user account to be unlocked manually before the lockout period expires, please contact the server administrator.

/server/media/account_blocked/en.png

# Main page

Once you have signed in, you will see a list of conferences scheduled for today and virtual rooms (up to 5) below on the main page.

In the personal area, you can see only the conferences in which you are involved as a participant/owner.

/server/media/main_page/en.png

Click on a conference to check its details. The right sidebar displays basic information and control buttons. You can export a scheduled conference to your Google Calendar, Outlook, etc.

Go to Profile Settings to change your account information and interface language.

# View a right list

The right sidebar displays the list of options available to you:

If any of these features is unavailable to you, contact the server administrator and ask for a list of rights given to you.

Address book editing

Address book is a list of contacts (both user accounts and call strings) that a TrueConf Server user can view and browse from a client application.

If this feature is unavailable, you will only be able to see the address book provided by the server administrator without being able to edit it.

Make calls (video calls)

A video call is a mode involving two participants who can see and hear each other.

If this feature is unavailable, you won't be able to make video calls but, only receive incoming calls.

Create group conference

If this option is unavailable, you will be able only to join conferences, but not create them.

You can create group conferences in one of the four modes with TrueConf client applications and in the personal area:

  • All on screen is a video conference where all participants can see and hear each other.

  • Video lecture is a conference where the moderator can see all the participants while the participants can only see the moderator.

  • Moderated role-based conference is a conference where participants can see and hear only presenters. Any participant can become a presenter; to do it, he/she has to be approved by the moderator.

  • Smart meeting is similar to a moderated role-based conference; however, in this case, every participant automatically becomes a presenter as soon as he/she starts speaking or sharing content.

Screen sharing

This right enables you to share your desktop and separate application windows in TrueConf client application. This feature does not affect the ability to view the content shared by other participants.

Remote desktop control

If this feature is available, any participant in a conference or video call can control your desktop if you have allowed it in application settings. Please note that the remote control can be requested only if you are sharing your desktop (not one of application windows or a slideshow).

Slideshow

This right enables you to show slides in TrueConf client application. If this feature is disabled, you will still be able to view the slides shown by other participants.

File sharing

If you do not have this right, you will not be able to send files to personal or group chats. However, you will still be able to send messages, share contacts or download the files sent by other users.

Conference recording

This feature enables you to record calls and conferences in TrueConf client application. This feature does not affect the right to record video meetings on the server side.

Operator rights

This right enables you to automatically receive operator status in any conference that you will join. No participant, including the conference owner, will be able to deprive you of these rights.

Operator is a conference participant who is allowed to:

  • Invite users to a conference

  • Remove users from a conference

  • Give or take the "podium" without a request (in a moderated role-based conference)

  • Pin presenters on the “podium” (in a smart meeting)

  • End a conference for all participants

  • Set up video window layouts for participants and control their audio and video devices.

# Profile settings

Go to Profile settings to edit data.

Click Make a photo button to create an avatar using a webcam.

You may need to give the browser access to your webcam to take a photo.

Changing the language is available on Other settings tab.

# Conference scheduling

You will be able to create conferences only if this right is given to you by the administrator.

To create a conference, click New conference or New room on the main page.

Please select a conference type:

  • Private (by default) – only registered users can join the meeting;

  • Public (webinar) – both registered and unregistered users can join.

The launch mode will be set automatically. Click Continue or select a template to go to the main settings.

# "General" tab

Specify:

  • Conference name

  • Mode (All on screen mode is set by default)

  • Specify the number of presenters if a moderated role-based conference or smart meeting is selected

  • Conference type: scheduled meeting or a virtual room

  • Start date and time, and, if necessary, recurrence frequency for a scheduled conference.

Сheck the Save as template box to create conferences with the same settings in one click in the future.

# "Participants" tab

Go to the Participants tab and add users to a conference in one of the following ways:

# "Layout" tab

On the Layout tab, you can select the default layout for all conference participants or for each one individually.

Layout editing is unavailable for video lecture.

To set a layout:

  1. Specify a layout type.

  2. Select the number of video windows.

  3. If necessary, add an additional video window to share content.

  4. Assign a participant to each video window or click Auto-fill layout (you can also change the order of video windows with the mouse). You can use full-screen mode for convenient layout settings.

  5. Choose where the username should be located (at the top or bottom of a video window)

  6. If necessary, check the box Do not allow users to change the layout.

# "Additional" tab

Set up the following parameters on the Additional tab:

  • Conference ID
  • PIN to join a conference. PIN boosts your meeting security and protects your conference from third-party access (even if a third party has a conference join URL in case you organize a webinar). PIN will be generated automatically upon checking the box. However, you can always change the PIN in the field below.

  • Connecting to the conference without invitation (for private conferences only)
  • Settings for automatically turning off participants’ cameras and microphones when they join the conference

  • Permissions for participants (for public conferences only)

  • Restriction on the number of guest participants (available only for public conferences); by default, unauthorized users can join the event up until the moment when the licence limit for guest connections is reached

  • Conference recording

  • Sending email invitations to participants

  • Conference location and description.

# "Registration" tab

If a public conference (webinar) is created, the Registration tab will be available. Here, you can configure registration settings so that users could sign up as guests for the online event (this feature will be available only for a scheduled conference):

  1. Enable registration (disabled by default)

  2. Select the time when registration will close:

  3. Without limitation — available only for recurring conferences (the registration will always be open)

  4. At conference start — the registration will close right after the webinar start

  5. At conference end — the registration will remain open up until the webinar end

  6. Custom date and time — set a custom time interval during which the registration will be open.

3. Automatically close the webinar registration when the maximum number of participants is reached (depends on the selected conference mode).

4. Allow any authorized user to join the conference after its start. In this case, any user registered on your server can sign in on the conference page and add oneself to the list of invited participants by clicking on the Attend button.

5. Settings for the input fields in the registration form. You can drag and drop input fields to create a custom registration form. Besides, you can mark the corresponding checkboxes to make sure that certain fields must be filled by participants. The customization of registration form is available only when a conference is created. This feature is not available when the conference is edited.

6. You can select the input fields that should be displayed during registration only when creating a conference. Сlick on the Add field button to specify the standard fields and add custom ones (up to 10):

When the changes are saved, users will be able to sign up for a public conference on its web page.

# Working with conferences

Lists of conferences are displayed in Meetings and Virtual rooms sections.

Once a conference is selected, you can see basic information about it:

Calendar is displayed above the list of conferences in the Meetings section. Select a date to see a list of conferences scheduled for that day.

Conferences scheduled for today are displayed on the main page.

Use /server/media/calendar_button/en.png and /server/media/all_meetings_button/en.png buttons at the top to switch between the calendar and the list of all scheduled conferences:

/server/media/meetings/en.png

# Changing video layouts

You can change video layouts and control participants’ audio/video devices right from your personal area without joining an ongoing meeting.

This feature is available to the following types of users:

In the last two cases you have to be added to the list of participants when the conference is created; otherwise, the meeting will not be displayed in your personal area.

The order of participants’ video windows in the layout (all participants in “all on screen” mode and presenters in a moderated role-based conference or a smart meeting) is determined in the following way by default: the windows are displayed in the order in which participants joined the conference. The layout is filled from left to right and from top to bottom starting from the upper left corner.

Select a video conference in the Meetings or Virtual rooms section and click Сonference manager in the panel that appears on the right.

This list does not include the meetings created ad hoc in TrueConf client applications, for example, in the Сonferences → Meet now section of TrueConf for Windows.

You can view the name of the meeting and its duration at the top of the real-time meeting management window. Click the /server/media/info_button/en.png button to view the conference details.

/server/media/rtm-main/en.png

In case of a smart meeting, it is impossible to manage layouts since the group of presenters displayed in the layout is formed automatically. So, you will immediately see the list of participants with buttons for managing their devices.

Click Layouts to adjust layout settings. Specify the layout mode you want to apply:

  • for all participants

  • for SIP/H.323 and WebRTC users

  • individual video layout for a specific meeting participant.

Layout management is unavailable in video lecture and smart meeting modes.

After that you will proceed to the layout control panel.

/server/media/rtm-layout-setting/en.png
  1. Click on the /server/media/add_participant_button/en.png button to fill video windows. You can move the video window of the selected participant and spotlight this window by double-clicking on it.

  2. Select the type of layout at the bottom of the window.

  3. Specify the number of video windows in the layout.

  4. If you want to show content in the conference, you can add a separate content window for it by clicking + Content slot.

  5. Choose the location of the video conference participants' names in their video windows: at the top, at the bottom, or choose not to display them.

  6. Click /server/media/additional_layout_settings_button/en.png to open advanced settings:

    • forbidding users to change the video layout

    • filling in the layout automatically

    • clearing the layout (the number and location of video windows will not be changed)

    • deleting the layout.

After setting participants' video windows and changing their position in the layout, click on the Apply button. In case of a moderated role-based conference, the participants added to the layout will be automatically invited to the podium.

To switch between layouts or add a new one, click on the Layout button in the meeting control panel:

/server/media/rtm-change-layout/en.png

If you want to enable meeting participants to decline the layout you have applied, select Enable users to change layout in the additional settings when creating the video layout.

# How to rename a participant

You can change the name displayed in the video layout for any participant. This change will apply only to the current layout and will not affect the user’s name in the address book.

  1. Click on the /server/media/more-button/en.png button in the participant’s video window to access the additional menu.

  2. Select the Change display name option.

  3. Enter the new name in the pop-up window and click Save.

Renaming is also possible when a participant is replaced in the video window.

# How to add a content window

To add an additional video window where your content or slides will be displayed, click + Content slot when creating the layout.

# Managing participants' audio and video devices

You can control participants’ devices right after adding them to the layout with these buttons:

/server/media/camera-button/en.png — enable/disable camera

/server/media/microphone-button/en.png — mute/unmute microphone

/server/media/volume-control-button/en.png — increase/decrease microphone gain (displayed when clicking on the arrow icon which is on the right side of the microphone)

/server/media/more-button/en.png — open the additional menu where you can:

  • remove a participant from the podium or invite him/her to the podium (available only in a moderated role-based conference)

  • rename a participant in the layout

  • replace a participant in the video window with a different one

  • set up audio and video devices (choose and set up camera, audio capture and playback devices, adjust microphone sensitivity)

  • assign a moderator

  • set an individual layout for a participant

  • spotlight a video window or make it smaller (in the layout with a spotlighted window)

  • clear the video window.

To select multiple participants, check the box in the upper right corner of the video window for each participant. In the toolbar at the bottom of the screen, you can turn off cameras and microphones of multiple meeting participants and remove them from the conference. In a moderated role-based conference there will be an additional button for removing the participant from the podium.

/server/media/rtm-select-participants/en.png

You can also go to the real-time meeting management tool section and click on the Participants button. Here, you will be able to control the devices of participants who are not presented in the video layout and add new users to the conference.

To go to this list from the layout settings menu, click on the /server/media/menu-button/en.png button in the upper left corner of the window. To go back to layout settings, click on the /server/media/layouts_button/en.png button. In a moderated role-based conference, there will be additional buttons for inviting to the podium /server/media/invite_podium_button/en.png and removing from the podium /server/media/leave_podium_button/en.png.

/server/media/rtm-device-management-via-menu/en.png

# Add a new participant to a conference

You can invite users to an ongoing meeting. To do this, open the list of participants and press the /server/media/add_users/en.png button to the right of the search bar.

The window for adding users will open. There you can select users in the same way as you would when creating a conference.

# Conference information

Click the /server/media/info_button/en.png at the top of the window to end the video call and to view conference details in the Real-time meeting management section:

/server/media/conference_info/en.png

UDP Multicast address and RTSP streaming are displayed only if the corresponding settings were configured when creating a conference by the administrator in the TrueConf Server control panel. The HTML code of the widget is additionally displayed for public conferences to embed it in your website.

# View analytics

The conference owner will be able to view detailed analytics about the meeting: e.g., information about participants, the time when they were added to the list participants and joined the conference. It is also possible to view the conference chat history. To do it, select the conference in the Meetings or Virtual rooms section and click on the Analytics button in the conference card:

/server/media/conference_analytics/en.png

This feature is available for any conference regardless of its schedule mode (a virtual room or a scheduled conference) and its status (ongoing or inactive).

# Information about participants

Go to the Participants’ entries tab to view detailed information about the participants and check the time when they were added to the list of participants. Please note that in case of a webinar with open registration, you will also be able to view information about the guests who signed up for the meeting:

/server/media/analytics_participants/en.png

If you select a participant in the list, you will be able to view information about this user. For example, here, we have selected the user named Ann Bronson.

In the search field, participants can be filtered by name or email. You can also click on the /server/media/show_filter/en.png button to filter participants by two parameters:

  • By authentication type — registered server users, guests or all participants

  • By connection status (joined or did not join the meeting).

By default, the list of participants is displayed for the period bettwen the time when the conference was created and the moment when it ended. However, you can select a custom time interval by clicking on the /server/media/show_calendar/en.png calendar icon.

To display the chart showing when users were added to the list of participants click on the /server/media/show_chart/en.png button. You will be able to apply the following filters:

/server/media/analytics_graph/en.png

To save these data to a .csv file, click on the /server/media/save_data/en.png button. Please note that all the lines will be saved regardless of the filters that were applied.

# Connection history

To view information about the connection history, go to the Connection history tab:

/server/media/analytics_connections/en.png

You will see information about every connection and exit event. For, the above examples shows that Ann Bronson and Bill Browning joined the conference two times. It is possible to search for participants by name and select the time interval for filtering and saving data to a .csv file.

# View chat

You will be able to view the entire conference chat history by going to the Chat history tab:

/server/media/analytics_chat/en.png

Messages can be filtered by words or phrases, sender, and the time of sending. It is also possible to save messages to a .csv file.

# Conference recordings

If you are the owner of a conference, you will also be able to download its video recordings.

Go to the Meetings or Virtual rooms section and select a conference. If there is only one conference recording, you will see the Download recording button that will start file downloading. If there are multiple recordings which means that the conference has been started more than once, you will see the Conference recordings button that will open the list of files.

/server/media/show_recordings/en.png

If you select a recording, you will see the following information: file name, its format, recording start and end time, duration and size. To download the selected file, click on the Download recording button or /server/media/download_record/en.png.

/server/media/recordings_list_user/en.png

# Templates

Use templates to create conferences with a set of identical parameters.

Set up a schedule on the General tab to hold the same conference on a regular basis.

To add a template, use Create a template button in the upper right corner of the Templates section. You can also save your conference as a template when creating it.

To use a template, select it in the Templates section and create a conference using the buttons in the panel on the right. You can also edit or delete the selected template.

# Address book

Go to the Contacts section to view and edit the address book.

You can select any contact to call or start chatting. To contact a user, you will need a client application which can be downloaded by clicking the Download the application link in the personal area menu.

You will be able to edit the address book only if this right is given to you by the administrator.

# Conference page

Every conference, created on TrueConf Server has a web page. Its user interface may differ depending on the conference schedule and privacy mode.

A virtual room or a scheduled conference that has already been started

If it is a virtual room or a scheduled conference that has already been started, you will see the buttons allowing you to join the meeting either from TrueConf client application or from the browser. If it is a webinar, you will be able to join as a guest; in this case, you will need to enter your name in the corresponding field:

/server/media/virtual_room/en.png

Scheduled conference without registration

In this case you will see the general information about the webinar and the button for adding this event to your calendar:

/server/media/scheduled_conference/en.png

If the conference has already been started, you will be able to join it either with your TrueConf Server account or as a guest (available for a webinar) as it is shown above.

Scheduled conference with open registration

The registration is available only for public conferences. In this case, you will see the Sign up button. If you click on it, you will be asked to fill out the registration form (required fields will be marked with an "asterisk"):

/server/media/registration_info/en.png

If email invitations were allowed on TrueConf Server, you will receive a connection link that will be sent to the email you provided when filling out the form. Otherwise, you will need to click on the Copy link button to copy and save the conference join link.

The conference join link is unique; it cannot be shared with any other participant or used for joining a meeting from multiple devices. For example, you will be disconnected from the conference you joined on your computer if you also try to join this event from your mobile phone.

Authenticated TrueConf Server users can be allowed to join the conference when configuring registration settings. In this case a user can add oneself to the list of webinar participants in the following way:

  1. Authenticate on the conference page by clicking on these buttons: Sign in → Enter as a registered user.

  2. Click on Attend.

Check out the article in our knowledge base to learn more about different ways of joining a conference.