Mail: New mail UI/UX for Usermin/Webmin

[iliajie]

Hi,

Everyone is interested in new mail outlook please post your ideas. The main concept provided by me will be based on Google Mail. In case you have any ideas or proposals before I start bringing it to life, go ahead and post your ideas/proposals here.

This is the example of how I would like the new mail interface look like

---

Mail related issues:

1. Mailbox not refreshing using Authentic Theme:
2. Send mail doesn't work (timeout) when used in Safari

[SteffanCline]

This is what you're making for Usermin? Looks nice. I've been using Roundcube for some time. There's a lot of good plugins for it with filtering etc. Saw an Outlook theme for it but $100 seemed steep. This is definitely nice. Might I suggest using TinyMCE or CKEditor (http://ckeditor.com/) for the HTML?

[singhdd93]

Really Love the new design ... I think CKEditor is much better than TinyMCE.

[iliajie]

Thanks. Yes, I will use CKEditor too and most likely will use it.

[GMo888]

The interface seems to me very well.

It would be nice to have the opportunity to right clicks on the subject of mail to reply, forward ... A bit like Outlook Web Access ...

[iliajie]

Yes, context menu will be there for sure!

[divyeshsachan]

Interface is looking decent in attached pic. Here are few suggestions:: Provide drag & drop for easy files attachment, multiple mail select + drag & drop to folder for easy mail movement across folders. As per my opinion instead of three column view for writing mail, mail writing should be in dialog (as like in file editor in your authentic file manager) or like dialog in gmail in bottom right corner or in full second column. The point is, while drafting a mail, one rarely look at his list of mails in any folder and if it's in three column view second column of mail list will unnecessarily occupy much screen space.

:-)

[iliajie]

I will consider all of your proposals. I will however and most likely make that gmail like composer optional..I like the way it is on the screen shot.

The theme will just inject additional options to the module's configuration.

[apurva577]

The Mailbox looking very rich and user friendly. I hope it can have the ajax functionality like gmail and roundcube. It will add an biggest punch on it.

By when it will have its launch or first release ?

[iliajie]

I'm starting working on new graphs now and perform other ongoing improvements.

While doing it, I'm gonna submit a request to Webmins/Usermin back-end support for getting data in JSON format. Whenever it's ready, I'll start.

Yes, it'll be ajaxed surely. I'll try making it as good as gmail.

[aminkh17]

+1

[iliajie]

Work in progress. My plan is to release it by the end of summer.

[Stinkykiller]

It would be nice if the theme in Usermin can pull email + aliases of specific virtualserver and show this in "From:" like drop down menu. Something like this:

- main VS email
--- alias 1
--- alias 2
--- alias 3
etc.

Leave the tab "From" in case someone want to insert custom email but on main window where the email is composed it would be nice to have this option.

[iliajie]

When I start working on the email, I will take all considerations and try to make it best.

Thanks.

[Stinkykiller]

Maybe i should post this suggestion on Vmin site, not sure if this should go as Usermin or Authentic feature. Your opinion?

[iliajie]

Hard to tell. Most likely, I will make mail work as an extension (like File Manager) as it gets very hard to collaborate thoroughly on this kind of matters.

Ideally it would be best to separate logic and presentation completely but it's not going to work fully for our project.

Later my extensions could be merge with Webmin branch/modules - no problem.

Working this way, provides much faster access to new features and lets me to enroll faster the new features.

[iliajie]

Estimated time for newish Mail support is 18.40+

[Stinkykiller]

Forgot to mention in my earlier messages. Design looks great but it would be nice to offer few color schemes because not everyone is fan of bright colors. Aside of that i like it.

[iliajie]

Alright, I will consider it. ;)

[apurva577]

Hi Bro... First of all I Really appreciate your work and I inspired alot from you.

I have few more suggestions for new mail interface.

1) Generally to access mail user needs to login webmin. It would be great to have the functionality to set the subdomain from root user to access new mail interface like webmail.example.com or in domain base url like example.com/webmail which displays login screen to access only mails like roundcube.

2) Another option to backup all mails and can import that backup on another server having virtualmin/cpanel which helps to easily migrate in case of host transfer.

By when its expected the first version of new mailing module to be get released ?

[iliajie]

Hi,

I'm actually about to start, pretty much right after Webmin 1.830.

About your points, I must say that they are all already there. For the first, Usermin exists for user-level access to the server. For the second, backups can be easily done by copying Maildir folder to the other server.

[bobrocksgithub]

Hi qoob, I do have one request (ok 2): 1) Enable user-selectable colors for the login page (and keep the ability to use a custom logo) 2) Enable the ability to deactivate the 'usermin' logo and text, so that only the custom logo is visible at login...

Your template for mail looks good to me!

[iliajie]

I'll consider it. Thanks.

[bobrocksgithub]

If it helps, the login for nextcloud looks great. They keep the branding on the bottom, but allow the page to be fully customized. Thanks for your excellent work and your consideration!

[iliajie]

Hi,

Sure, I will take a look.

[topstarnetwork]

I can not waite to see it on production server, I love it!

[tpnsolutions]

UI concept is looking pretty sexy! Ofcourse, coming from you bro it's no surprise :-)

[iliajie]

@tpnsolutions It will be even hotter. :laughing: It's just a prototype.

[apurva577]

When the mail module gets release ?

On 10-Jan-2017 2:53 pm, "Ilia Rostovtsev" notifications@github.com wrote:

It will be even hotter. :D It's just a prototype.

— You are receiving this because you commented. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub https://github.com/qooob/authentic-theme/issues/431#issuecomment-271525960, or mute the thread https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ARpg1ZopIyhxRbwz8h1YovG8EXXOdvoMks5rQ04hgaJpZM4IDrWV .

[iliajie]

@apurva577 The work is in progress. I have started working on HTML part. As I integrate it into the theme, then I will do scripting for both server and client. It's a long time work.

I can't do any estimations. I tend to do things perfectly without thinking of resource, meaning time-wise or other.

I might post additional video or screenshots here to see the reaction or get extra recommendations.

[forofo]

very nice design. Just I think it would be good having more messages in the screen; perhaps an smaller font, or at least some option to change the size.

congratulations!

[iliajie]

@forofo Sure, all of it will be there. The reason why theme is what it is today, is because I'm actually using it myself. Same about the mail. I'm going to use new Mail Interface for personal use. Find bugs and ways for constant improvements.

[iliajie]

Question to all who is reading it.

Do we keep in places the left menu in Usermin for Mail and only re-working the right side or we change it completely making it look like a separate app, something more like on the screenshot? By the way, it's going to be possible to add all folders to the current left menu while keeping overall the same design of Webmin/Usermin?

[divyeshsachan]

Both will be good, depends on user interest. From my perspective, everything should be on right side and keeping left side as it is or you can also add a hide option for left menu while in mail. Lets see what other thinks. Really appreciate your efforts.

[jcameron]

Personally I don't like those three-column designs, as they look cramped on smaller monitors / browser windows.

[iliajie]

OK, it was just an example. What about having New email as new window (that could be maximized), like in GMail? Improving right side and keeping left for regular stuff, like links and folder names (including mulitple level)?

[swelljoe]

All the elements look great, but I have concerns with the width of it. When I look at the full-size screenshot 80% of the message window is off-screen (I have my screen split roughly in half with the browser in half and my editor and terminal in the other half). So, two panes is better, IMHO, as with GMail and Google Inbox.

I have been thinking we may want to spin off the webmail into its own thing...completely leave Usermin behind, and use the JMAP proxy I talked to you about a while back as the backend. We could still serve it from Usermin, I guess, but really any web server would do, since the frontend would do all of the work and it would authenticate to the JMAP backend.

If we're rebuilding everything from the ground up, might as well strip down to a core thing that can be used as widely as possible. Depending on Usermin isn't necessary or useful if the frontend is doing a bunch of work and we want the frontend to work with JSON objects from the mail server.

[swelljoe]

And, as JMAP finds its way into IMAP servers (Dovecot is still in dev, Cyrus already has beta support, and we could ship Cyrus instead of Dovecot, if necessary...both are very good) we'll already be ready for it.

[jcameron]

I like the gmail approach for new mail - a sub-window that pops up over part of the mail list. Or better still, do it the way gmail used to and cover the entire mail list when composing email.

[iliajie]

I will stick with GMail style and try to make things optional to satisfy different people's predilection.

[gnadelwartz]

i like the idea to seperate it from usermin as a standalone webmail, but also with full intrgration if usermin is installed. it may then replace my roundcube installation 😁

anything new?

[iliajie]

Yes! I'm finishing bug fixes with Servers Index and with downloads, adding multiple uploads to File Manager and other modules and starting on the Mail. I can't wait to start working on Mail. It looks so ugly in Authentic Theme.

[necrophcodr]

@qooob as a client of virtualmin, i hope that the new Mail system will continue to preserve the exact functionality at least, since many features are used by our clients, not limited to just auto reply and the vast filtering options with Procmail.

[iliajie]

We surely going to expand functionality, not cut it down.

[JimTR]

my input :- let it have the same functions as rainloop .. it would then be awesome

[swelljoe]

@JimTR can you be more specific? I don't know of any features in Rainloop that aren't already in Usermin (but I don't use Rainloop, have only looked at it in passing). Rainloop looks nice, of course, but we'll need to know what functions you have in mind before we can think about implementing them.

[JimTR]

Rainloop allows you add different domains to the client E.G gmail, hotmail etc, it then gives you a dropdown to switch accounts ... I have about 8 domains set up some on the local (to rainloop) server some on another postfix server and gmail etc . Add a user Identity function to make the the 'from email address' to match from one of your other email address to save switching between accounts to send an email

[JimTR]

After playing with both Rain Loop and usermin for a couple of hours ... Usermin does most everything else and perhaps a bit more ... E.G the ability to change password ... however the ability to add another email server with rain loop is admin only (I agree with that) however a user can add an existing email account from a ratified email server

[necrophcodr]

@JimTR I don't think a usermin skin should handle more domains. Why would that make sense, if it's made for handling the local mailbox system? It makes more sense to setup Rain Loop if you wanted to manage the emails of multiple internal and external domains, as usermin manages only one. Not that I have a say, I'm just commenting on the logic of this.

[iliajie]

We will do our best to implement all possible required functionality. Not everything should be done on the theme side though.

When we get to the stage, where everything works as it is now, but having new UI, we'll start adding functionality. Multiple identities sounds like must have feature.

[swelljoe]

Multiple accounts would definitely need to happen in Usermin itself rather than theme), but there's nothing wrong with discussing it here. I'm following the conversation and can help with the backend stuff that needs to happen to make good ideas happen (and multiple accounts is a good idea).