The User Manager has two sections, corresponding to two user types: Users and External Users.

Basically, there is no difference between external and ‘normal’ users. This distinction is only a descriptive one. Both normal and external users can be created and configured manually. External users, however, can also be created automatically.

An external user is created automatically each time a collection link is sent to an email address so far unknown to Cumulus. The purpose of such a user is to allow Cumulus to monitor the usage of the collection link. Initially, automatically created external users have no permissions at all, and the only thing Cumulus knows about them is their email address.

The User Administrator may add more information to an external user and may grant any desired permission. Thus a user without any permissions can eventually be promoted to a full-fledged Cumulus user. Changing a user’s type from external to “normal” or vice versa is also possible any time. However, changing the User Type value does not affect the permissions a user is granted.