How to connect an existing User Base to XWiki

Written by Oana Elena Florea, Customer Support Manager

Before starting with XWiki you may have a large existing user base for your project. Manual creation for the user profiles can be a long task. The XWiki team can provide advice to save time, effort and choose the best way to connect your existing user base to the wiki. The most frequent use cases we encounter on support include the import of user information from CSV or XSL documents, the connection of users from an existing directory service like Active Directory, or the connection through GoogleApps.

• Import Users From A CSV Or XLS List
• Connect Users From Active Directory To XWiki
• Import Users
• Login With Google

Import Users From A CSV Or XLS List

Import data from a CSV or XLS document can easily be mapped to XWiki user profiles: each column can be linked on the wiki to an existing property or a new one on the user profile so that the data transfer can be as efficient as possible.

As part of the support plan or as a dedicated service, the XWiki team can help with the import from CSV or XLS. The team can adapt an extension such as the Batch Import Application to match the exact needs of your import. For example, columns from the import document like “First Name”, “Last Name” or “Email” will be saved on the XWiki user profile without any data loss.

The Mapping Between The Import Document And The Wiki Profiles

How The User Profile Looks After The Import

Connect Users From Active Directory To XWiki

When your team has an existing Active Directory server, you can easily connect it to XWiki using the Active Directory Application. The key benefits of using the application include:

• A visual editor inside the wiki Administration section to ease configuration.
• Advanced features like Import users on top of the default product modules.
• One-click verification for the connection to the Active Directory server.
• Reusing the information from an existing directory service.
• Advanced configuration options to set up the attribute name used to login in XWiki, restrictions for specific groups, etc.
• Adding changes without restarting the application server.
• Instant access to new features, bug fixes, and technical support.

Import Users

In addition to the login with Active Directory, the application also includes a dedicated feature to instantly import users. The user profiles to be created without waiting for them to login first.

Advanced options for the Active Directory import users feature:

• Available in several user management key locations (users or groups administration, group pages, etc).
• The possibility to list of the LDAP user fields for custom search.
• Allow search by field.
• Profile updates in case any OpenID Connect Authenticator is installed.
• Specify who is able to import users from LDAP.

Login With Google

Users that have created content using the Google ecosystem (Google Docs, Spreadsheet, Presentations, and Drawing) can integrate easily with XWiki by choosing the GoogleApps Integration. The application provides the option to Login with Google as well as other key benefits:

• Import a Google Apps document as an attachment in XWiki (in multiple formats).
• Editing an XWiki attachment in Google Apps. Once the editing session is finished you can reimport it in XWiki.