This guide explains how to invite multiple users to your Discourse instance using a bulk invite feature.
Required user level: Administrator
Inviting a large number of users to your Discourse instance can be time-consuming if done individually. Fortunately, Discourse offers a bulk invite feature that allows you to invite multiple users at once. This guide will walk you through the process of sending bulk invites.
Summary
- Prepare a CSV file with user information
- Upload the CSV file to your Discourse instance
- Monitor the bulk invite progress
Preparing the CSV file
The first step is to create a CSV (Comma-Separated Values) file containing the information of the users you want to invite. Here’s what you need to know:
- Each line represents one user
- The email address is required and must be in the first column
- Group assignments (optional) go in the second column
- A specific topic ID (optional) goes in the third column
Here’s the structure of the CSV file:
email,groups,topic_id
CSV file guidelines
- Email addresses must be valid
- Separate multiple groups with semicolons (e.g.,
group_1;group_2;group_3) - You can include existing users if you want to add them to groups
- Only the email is mandatory; groups and topic ID are optional
CSV file examples
user1@example.com,group_1;group_2,topic_id
user2@example.com,group_3,
user3@example.com,,
You can create CSV files easily using spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. Here’s an example of how it might look in a spreadsheet:
Just be sure to save the file as CSV when you’re done.
Uploading the CSV file
Once you’ve prepared your CSV file, follow these steps to upload it:
- Go to the Invites page in your Discourse admin panel
- Click the “Bulk Invite from File” button
- In the modal that appears, upload your CSV file
- Confirm the upload
After uploading, you’ll receive a confirmation message stating that you’ll be notified when the process is complete.
Monitoring bulk invite progress
Once the CSV file is processed, you’ll receive a personal message notification with a progress report. This report will include:
- Total number of invites sent
- Number of invites not sent (if any)
- Any errors that occurred during the process
You can check your invites page on your user profile to see a list of successfully sent invites.
What happens next
Each email address in your CSV file will receive an invite email. The email will include:
- The name of the person who sent the invite
- Your community’s title
- A brief description of your community (from the
site descriptionsetting) - An invitation link
When an invited user clicks the confirmation link:
- Their account will be immediately activated and associated with their email address
- They will be added to the specified groups (if any were included in the CSV)
- They will be directed to the target topic (if a topic ID was specified)
Customizing invite emails
If you wish to customize the text of the invite emails:
- For general invites, edit the “Invite Forum Mailer” email template
- For invites that include a specific topic ID, edit the “Invite Mailer” email template
Additional resources
Last edited by @JammyDodger 2024-07-24T06:39:16Z
Last checked by @hugh 2024-07-11T04:21:44Z
Check document
Perform check on document: