[[PageOutline]]

= Group Email =
Refer to ticket #52

== Requirements ==
The instructor (or admin) should be able to send a group email

A group can be: 
* Students registered in a course
* Group members in a group
* Each student

Optional:
* User can use and edit his/her own email template
* Email merge system, so template can have fields for variables
* Ownership such as private, public, or shared among some group

== Implementation == 
=== Getting email address ===
If place "send email" button on
1. each type of page
 email addresses for 'to' field would be students who belongs to the type of page, for example
 i. all student if sent from course homepage
 ii. all group member if sent from group view page
 iii. student if sent from user view page 
2. course home page
 * Write email page has additional field to select email addresses.
 * May use ajax observeField to update select box from course, group to student.
 * email address field is updated by what user selected from the select box, for example
  i. all student in the course if only selected a course
  ii. all group member if selected a course and group that belongs to the course
  iii. student if selected from all course, group, and student select box
3. users tab page
 * email address of users are currently listed on the page.


=== Database Table ===
* Ownership field could be tinyint(1)


== Alternative Plan ==
--- this could be an option, as well as offering sending email system ---
  iPeer's sending email function may lack some features such as draft, text-formatting, or attachment.

  Allowing a user to see and copy group email addresses would be a good alternative solution.

  For example:
  * Click "Get email list"
  * Pop-up window shows email addresses of group (e.g. abc@ubc.ca; def@ubc.ca ...
  * Click "Copy" from the window and get email addresses.
  * Use email client that user prefers