Set user status automatically (based on e.g. being in a call or events)

[skjnldsv]

Status can automatically change depending on what event is happening

• Call started
• Event matching specific criteria
• ... ?

To be discussed:

• Setting page for this feature:
  • Should this be configurable ?
  • What can be enabled/disabled ?

cc @jancborchardt

[ChristophWurst]

Event matching specific criteria

It's simple. Any event in a calendar that is not transparent and where the status is set to busy. Sabre and free/busy will do this. We don't need to define our own logic for this.

This idea is also tracked at https://github.com/orgs/nextcloud/projects/50#card-62761809.

[jancborchardt]

Design spec based on a call with @CarlSchwan and @nimisha-vijay

• Talk: Set an automatic status when you are in a call
  • Away, with "💬 In a call" as custom message
  • Teams also does this
  • Talk busy status takes precedence over calendar because there we can for sure say that you are in a call.
• Calendar: Set an automatic status when you are in a meeting
  • Away, with "📅 In a meeting" as custom message
  • Should only take into account "busy" status. Full day events are also "busy" by default, possibly check with that.
    • Make sure to not leak event title into status (e.g. customer names) → Just set "In a meeting"
    • Drawback: We don’t know if it’s a vacation or what exactly
    • What about if you are at the dentist or other appointment → maybe better wording is needed
• General: When the meeting/call is over, the status needs to be set back to the previous status

Questions & clarifications

• What happens when a status is set and you don’t want it? → If someone sets a custom status over the "In a meeting" one, that is respected of course.
• Ideal would be showing the status icon over the avatar in the top right so you are aware if you are set to do not disturb e.g.

[ChristophWurst]

Calendar: Set an automatic status when you are in a meeting

What I had in mind was an option to let the user select their preferred status and status text for busy events. Some people might prefer DND, others only want Away to signal that people still can send them a chat message.

When the meeting/call is over, ideally set back to the previous status

IMO this is a hard requirement. Technically there could be your default status (the one we use now) and a call/meeting just overrides that status. When the call/meeting ends the original status is shown again. Just an idea.

[jancborchardt]

@ChristophWurst right, good point on the "reset to previous status", moved it up in the list.

Regarding the "preferred status" setting, is this something which you know from other solutions? (And if we would have a setting like that I assume the place to put it would be the app itself, in this case Calendar?)

[ChristophWurst]

Regarding the "preferred status" setting, is this something which you know from other solutions?

Nope, this is just how I imagined this could work.

Nevertheless I found https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/change-your-status-in-teams-ce36ed14-6bc9-4775-a33e-6629ba4ff78e

If you’re in a meeting or call, Teams will automatically change your status to In a meeting or In a call (Busy) when not set to Do not disturb.

Which is interesting. You could possibly derive the info about whether the current busy event is a meeting or an ordinary event based on whether there are participants. But then again meeting is very specific. Maybe I'm meeting a friend in the park and invite them. That's not a meeting. 🤷

[CarlSchwan]

Some small MRs implementing the feature for Talk:

• Add an API to set and rollback the user status #28403
• Add automatic status change feature spreed#6110

[nickvergessen]

Talk: Set an automatic status when you are in a call
Do not disturb, with "💬 In a call" as custom message

This is fatal to Nextclouds notification system. For me it would mean that I mostly never get any push or browser notifications anymore. I guess it's similar on Teams which is why Busy sounds more logical.

Also what if the meeting/call is secret?