Compatibility of Open Source Web Mail Client and Professional Edition Mail Server

[Kant Krishna Bansal]

We want to customize the Web Mail Client of the Open Source of ZCS and use it with the Mail Server of the Professional Edition of ZCS. Would it work?

Otherwise can we get the source code of web mail client when we purchase the Professional edition and should we be customizing that version of web mail client?

After posting the above, I scanned some other old posts on the web client and now I am wondering if the Web Mail Client can be separated at all from the ZCS. What do I do then? Do I fully depend on the Open Source version of ZCS only? But I need to customize the Web Interface and want to use many features of the Mail Server. Can some one please help with a suggestion?

[phoenix]

The Web UI is exactly the same in the OSS & NE versions, please contact support@zimbra.com for details on how to modify the interface.

[dkarp]

By the way, most of what you'll probably want to do can probably be done via either zimlets or new skins. You may not need to touch the web client core at all...

[Kant Krishna Bansal]

Thanks for the response.

I understand that all can be achieved through Zimlets, but then I have to completely develop the Interface. If I could modify the Open Source Interface then I can use all the email, calendar, contacts etc and I have to develop only the additional facilities.

I hope you can surely suggest a way to achieve this.

Thanks again

[JoshuaPrismon]

Originally Posted by Kant Krishna Bansal

Thanks for the response.

I understand that all can be achieved through Zimlets, but then I have to completely develop the Interface. If I could modify the Open Source Interface then I can use all the email, calendar, contacts etc and I have to develop only the additional facilities.

I hope you can surely suggest a way to achieve this.

Thanks again

The web UI uses the exact same code as the Zimlet's have access to, so it's not going to be any simpler to code it as a zimlet then as a change to the existing code.

If you are just trying to update the UI, the skins interface is there for this.

[Kant Krishna Bansal]

Hi Joshua

Thanks for you suggestion that should modify the Interface rather than to recode using Zimlets. My next problem is -- "When I use Open Source edition and modify the Web Interface, how would I be able to use Outlook and Mobile Sychronization, available in the Netwrok edition.

[dkarp]

If you're running the Open Source Edition, you do not get the Network Edition features.

Are you asking whether zimlets written against the Open Source Edition will also work against the Network Edition? If so, the answer is "yes".

[mmorse]

Originally Posted by Kant Krishna Bansal

If I could modify the Open Source Interface then I can use all the email, calendar, contacts etc and I have to develop only the additional facilities.

Care to elaborate on these?

The NE = FOSS + features so you could purchase the NE then modify it. However, it would be best if you explained what your planning to do, as if this is beyond the usual modifications (like seriously affects the core functionalities) you will possibly not receive support for it. -Bill/someone from support can comment on this better than I can.

[Kant Krishna Bansal]

Dear Moderator

Thanks for reply. I am giving a brief outline of our project. Please do tell if it is going to be feasible to develop is using Zimbra.

1. We have a plan to use the Zimbra Email, Calendar, Contacts and Tasks facility and add some additional custom functions like User Management, Financial Accounting, System Administration etc. and make our custom web based Application.
2. We wish to change the Skin to include a header part on all screens with our logo, name and logo of our client who logs in.
3. We wish to add certain data items to the appointments screen to add a pop-up page to add information that can be used by our application.
4. We wish to add many extra data items to the Contacts screen.
5. We would like to store the additional data for each client in a separate MySQL database and should be able to link it with the Zimbra’s data.
6. The Security requirements for emails are such that every email account will have two Users. One will have full rights. The other user can view a specified folder.
7. Our clients would like to use Outlook and Mobile Sync facility.

Since we want to use the Mobile and Outlook Sync, so I though that we would have to go for the Network Edition. However we want to customize, so I though, I will have to use the Open Source. Then I came to know that the two versions would not work together. I understood that I must use Zimlets and develop the entire Web Interface again on our own. That looks like a huge big task.

So I am looking for information as to what is feasible and what we should do.

Thankyou for your patience.

With Regards
KK Bansal

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by Kant Krishna Bansal

Since we want to use the Mobile and Outlook Sync, so I though that we would have to go for the Network Edition. However we want to customize, so I though, I will have to use the Open Source. Then I came to know that the two versions would not work together. I understood that I must use Zimlets and develop the entire Web Interface again on our own. That looks like a huge big task.

To use the Outlook Connector & Mobile Sync you will need the Network Edition of Zimbra - you can still modify the Open Source parts of that version.