Autopopulation makes it easy to add users to a Group automatically based on specific criteria, so you don’t have to do it manually. For example, you can set up a group automatically including all first-year undergraduate students or all committee members. The system updates group memberships overnight to ensure they are always up-to-date.
You can find the Autopopulation settings in the Group Details window for Membership-type groups. This option is visible only if the "Allow Autopopulation" setting is enabled for the group type.
In some groups (like the default Dynamic List type), autopopulation is enforced and cannot be changed. These groups will automatically add users who meet the criteria and remove those who no longer meet them, which is ideal for segmented lists based on University data that need to stay updated automatically. Here is an example screenshot of these settings:
For other Membership-type groups, you can customise the autopopulation settings, choosing whether or not to enforce autopopulation strictly. Strict enforcement means users who no longer meet the criteria are automatically removed. If strict enforcement is not selected, you can manually add or keep users even if they don’t meet the requirements anymore, providing more flexibility. Here is an example screenshot of these settings:
Once autopopulation is enabled, the group will update automatically overnight. If you need the group to update immediately, you can manually update the group members. For further information, see How to Update a Group's Memberships According to the Requirements.
You can access this feature from the MSL Admin site. Only Super Admins with Membership Admins or Site Admins permissions can access the Group Details window.
Before proceeding, double-check that the requirements for the group are correct, and ensure that autopopulation is needed before saving the autopopulation settings. If you accidentally autopopulate a group that should not have been, contact support@ukmsl.com for assistance.
For further information, see Group Details.
Log in to your MSL Admin site at https://[domainname]/msl/. The Home menu is displayed.
From the Home menu, select Groups. The Groups submenu is displayed.
- In the Search for groups section, either:
- Enter the Group Name or Group ID. Click Search. A list of Groups is displayed.
- Filter using one or more of the fields:
- From the Organisation dropdowns, select an option
- From the Membership dropdowns, select an option
- Click to select the relevant Group. The Group’s configuration menu is displayed.
- From the Group’s configuration menu, select Details. The Group’s details are displayed.
- In the Autopopulation section, select or deselect the following checkboxes:
- Automatically populate this group according to its membership requirements - To enable autopopulation, select this checkbox.
- Strict population (remove those who no longer meet the requirements) - In most cases, we recommend selecting this checkbox to ensure the group's membership is always accurate based on the requirements.
- Exclude previous members (do not add expired members back in e.g. opt-out lists) - If the group is not an opt-out list, we recommend leaving this option deselected.
- If applicable, in the Populate Until (optional) field, from the date picker, select a date.
- Click Save. A confirmation message is displayed, and the group's members will update automatically overnight. If you need the group to update immediately, see How to Update a Group's Memberships According to the Requirements.
