Members and workshop access

The Settings > Members screen is reserved for people who have the permission to manage members (administrators, for example).

Two kinds of members

• Manager: a member with an email address. You invite them by email; they choose their own password, can turn on two-factor authentication, recover their own access and receive Mekaplus emails. This is the case for the administrator, a partner, the front desk or the accountant.
• Workshop member: a member without an email address, created directly by you with a username and a password. They sign in at the workshop address (see below). They are named (one person, for example “Pierre”) or shared (a single access for several people, for example “Mechanic” on the workshop computer).

The list shows each member’s type (Manager, Named, Shared) and status (Active, Deactivated).

Workshop access

The Workshop access card gives the sign-in address for workshop members, in the form https://…/g/<key>, and its QR code.

• Copy the address: to bookmark on the workshop computer or send to an employee.
• Print the QR code: prints a page to put up in the workshop; a mechanic’s phone opens it with the camera.
• Change the key: the old address stops working and every workshop computer is signed out; workshop members sign in again at the new address. Managers are not signed out. A window reminds you of this before you confirm.

The key identifies the garage, it does not protect it: what protects access is each member’s password. An address that gets around is therefore not a disaster, but change the key if it was given to someone who should no longer have it.

Add a workshop member

Click Add a workshop member (at the top of the screen), then fill in:

1. the display name (“Pierre”, “Mechanic”);
2. the sign-in username: 2 to 32 characters (letters without accents, digits, dot, hyphen or underscore), unique in the garage, case does not matter. It cannot be changed afterwards;
3. the type: named (one person) or shared (several people on the same access);
4. the role. For a shared access, roles that allow invoicing, taking payments, closing periods or administering are not offered: Mekaplus is cash register software and must be able to say who issued an invoice or took a payment, which a shared access cannot. Give those roles to named accesses;
5. the password (at least 10 characters), entered twice.

For a named access, the Also create the worker box is ticked by default (if you manage workers): the worker is the person who does the job, they appear on interventions, time entries and the planning, and are linked to their access. A shared access is not linked to any worker.

The password is never shown again: pass it on in person or on paper, and ask a named member to change it (see Account security).

A workshop member’s drawer

Click a workshop member’s row to open their drawer:

• Role: change it if needed (same rule as above for a shared access);
• Linked worker: this named member’s worker, with a link to their record;
• Password: enter a new password twice. The member’s current sessions are closed: they will have to sign in again with the new password. There is no email “forgot password” for a workshop member: you change it;
• Deactivate the access (or Reactivate the access): after confirmation, the member can no longer sign in and their sessions are closed. A workshop member is never deleted: their username stays reserved and their name stays on the history (log, invoices, time entries).

When an employee leaves

• They had a named access: deactivate their access in their drawer. Their sessions are closed immediately.
• They used a shared access: change the password of that access (its sessions are closed, every computer signs in again with the new password, to be given to those who stay). If the workshop address has gone around, also change the key.
• They were a manager: remove them (see below).

Invite a manager by email

Click Invite a manager by email (at the top of the screen).

1. Enter the person’s email address.
2. Choose their role. You only see the roles you can assign: a role cannot grant more permissions than you have yourself. Roles are created in Settings > Roles (see Roles and permissions).
3. Click Send invitation.

The person receives an email with a link valid for 7 days. They create their account (or sign in) with the same email address, then accept the invitation. See Join a garage.

Mekaplus limits invitations to 20 per hour per garage.

Resend or cancel an invitation

Invitations awaiting a reply are listed under Pending invitations, with their expiry date.

• Resend: invite the same address again. The invitation is extended by 7 days, the newly chosen role applies, a new email is sent and the old link stops working.
• Cancel: click Cancel invitation then confirm. The link that was sent no longer works.

Change a member’s role

For a manager, choose another role in the drop-down list on the member’s row; the change is immediate. For a workshop member, change the role in their drawer.

Remove a manager

Click Remove, then confirm. A workshop member is not removed: they are deactivated. The person no longer has access to the garage; their account is not deleted and they can belong to other garages.

Why can’t the last administrator be removed?

A garage must always have at least one administrator, otherwise no one could manage members, roles or settings any more. Mekaplus therefore refuses to remove or demote the last administrator (“The garage must keep at least one administrator”). Appoint another administrator first.

Number of members

The number of members and invitations is not limited, whatever the garage’s plan (Basic or Advanced).