Mailbox Folders
With the beA Desk, beA messages can be created and sent, as well as received beA messages retrieved. Additionally, messages from the beA Desk can be directly transferred to LEXolution.DMS and archived there.
Open beA Desk
After selecting the beA Desk icon on your desktop, you must first log in to the beA Desk using your Windows password.
The user logged into the beA Desk is displayed in the navigation area at the top left.
After starting the beA Desk, the Select Security Token window will appear after some time, allowing login to the BRAK server via beA card or beA software certificate.
After successful login, a green connection symbol appears next to the beA mailboxes.
The beA Desk synchronizes with the BRAK server every 10 minutes as per BRAK specifications. During this process, messages are retrieved from the Inbox and Sent folders.
The status bar at the bottom displays the connection status, the time of the last synchronization, and any errors that may occur during synchronization.
The beA Desk window interface is divided into three areas:
- Left side: Navigation area with individual mailboxes and folders, where the folder you are currently in is marked with a white bar and highlighted in bold.
- Middle: Message list with various information columns.
- Right side: Detail view of the selected beA message or document.
Online and Offline Modes
The beA Desk can be used offline – without logging into the BRAK server – or online.
If login to the BRAK server is not performed, messages cannot be sent or retrieved. Additionally, selecting a valid recipient for a beA message requires login to the BRAK server.
The Login button in the navigation area allows login to the BRAK server at any time.
Note: The beA Desk creates subfolders (“STP beA Desk”) in the Inbox and Sent folders of the beA web application for the beA mailboxes set up in the beA Desk. Retrieved beA messages are moved into these subfolders. For further information, refer to the usage notes for the beA Desk.
Inbox
Unread messages in the Inbox folder are marked with a blue bar on the left. Using the right mouse button, a previously read message can be marked as unread again. The number displayed on the folder indicates the number of unread messages in the Inbox.
The columns Sender, Sender Reference Number, and Recipient Reference Number contain information about the received message.
If a message is sent with an electronic acknowledgment of receipt (eEB), this is visible in the Inbox under the eEB column.
There are three different symbols to distinguish:
- An open envelope indicates that a message contains an eEB.
- A closed envelope indicates that a draft message for responding to the eEB has already been created.
- A blue checkmark indicates that the eEB has been sent.
- A green label indicates that you have received a response to an eEB you requested.
Within the respective message, a draft message for responding to the eEB can be created using the [Respond to eEB] button.
The Received column shows the date and time the beA message was received.
Drafts
This folder contains created message drafts. Double-clicking opens and allows editing of the drafts.
The columns Recipient, Recipient Reference Number, and Sender Reference Number contain information about the draft message.
The eEB column indicates whether the draft is a response to a requested acknowledgment of receipt.
The Signature column shows whether the message contains documents marked as pleadings or eEB responses.
- Gray text indicates that at least one pleading/eEB response is still unsigned.
- Green text with a checkmark indicates that all included pleadings/eEB responses are signed.
The Validation column indicates whether the message is ready to be sent. This is marked with a gray checkmark. This is a technical validation (e.g., number of attachments under 100, attachment size less than 60 MB, presence of required input fields).
Note:
The validation status does not prevent the sending of the beA message. Drafts can be sent individually using the buttons on the right in the message list or by checking the box on the left. They can also be deleted.
The Creation Date column provides information about when the draft message was created.
Using the [Trash] and [Paper Plane] buttons on the right side of the message list, the selected draft can be deleted or sent.
Note:
To view these buttons, you may need to minimize the detail view or use the scroll bar at the bottom.
Creating Messages in beA Desk
beA messages can be created directly from the beA Desk using the [New Message] button.
In the message window, the following selection and text fields must be filled:
- From*
- To*
- Subject*
- Message Type*
- Judicial Authority (if structured data set is selected)
In the _To*_ text field, for example, during offline use of the beA Desk, free text can be entered. To do this, expand the free text field using the [Free Text Input] button and enter the free text recipient. Use the [Apply] button to transfer the entered text into the _To*_ field.
Note:
Messages can only be sent to a free text recipient if the free text corresponds to a valid Safe ID. The text field is used during offline use to preselect a recipient for later sending.
Using the [From Directory] button, a recipient can be searched from the BRAK directory and other connected electronic mailboxes (beN, beBPo, EGVP court mailboxes).
At least two of the listed search fields must be filled. In the Results field, the recipient can be selected and transferred to the _To*_ field using the [Transfer Selection] button.
Regarding the other fields _Subject*_, Sender Reference Number, and Recipient Reference Number, the requirements of courts or judicial authorities should be considered.
The message type options include General Message, Payment Reminder, and Test Message.
Additionally, it is possible to highlight a message using the Urgent button at the top left of the message draft. This can be particularly useful for emphasizing urgent documents for signature in the signature folder.
A structured data set containing metadata about the message can be attached to the beA message. This allows courts to process the message automatically. When sending to a court, the corresponding court or judicial authority must be selected via the _Judicial Authority*_ field.
Documents from the file system can be added as attachments to the beA message using the [Click here to add one or more attachments] button.
Note:
Documents selected in this way are not converted into PDF/A files when inserted into the beA message.
The Description field and Document Type should be completed or selected for the respective attachments.
Note:
If an attached document is to be signed, the document type Pleading should be selected. Only through this selection will the document or pleading be listed in the Signature Folder.
Creating a signature for the attached pleading is possible directly in the beA message using the [Sign] button. Using multi-selection, multiple documents can be signed simultaneously (batch signing).
Signature software is required for creating signatures. By default, the SecCommerce SecSigner is used together with the beA Desk.
The beA message can be saved as a draft using the [Save as Draft] button or sent directly using [Send Message].
LEXolution.DMS Integration
Documents can also be transferred to the beA Desk from the DMS integration (e.g., DMS integration in winsolvenz.p4, Outlook, Office, or LEXolution.KMS).
To do this, select the documents to be sent and choose Context Menu of Document List > Send to beA Desk.
Signature Folder
Only documents assigned the document type Pleading in a message draft or structured data sets that are eEB responses are displayed in the signature folder.
The columns Attachment Description, Subject, Recipient, Recipient Reference Number, and Creation Date (Draft) contain information about the selected document in the signature folder.
After selecting the document, a preview of the document is displayed in the detail view for review. In this preview, the document can be browsed individually, jumped to the end, and zoomed.
To sign the document(s)/pleadings, they must be checked. The signature software is started using the [Sign] button.
The remaining signature process is completed in SecCommerce SecSigner. A green checkmark “Signature Successful” briefly indicates a correct signature before the successfully signed document is automatically filtered out of the signature folder. A red X “Signature Failed” indicates a failed or aborted signature.
Using the [Open Draft] button on the right in the message list, the associated message draft can be opened and edited.
The folder counter shows how many documents are currently in the signature folder.
Outbox
Messages currently being sent are displayed in this folder. Messages are directly transmitted to the BRAK server after being sent from the beA Desk. Once the BRAK server accepts the message, the beA Desk displays the Message ID assigned by the BRAK server above the subject of the message in the Outbox. This 8-digit numeric sequence indicates that the message has already been transmitted and is being delivered to the recipient. During each synchronization run every 10 minutes, it is checked whether a delivery date/time is already available on the BRAK server. Only when the delivery date/time is available is the message moved from the Outbox folder to the Sent folder.
The columns Recipient, Recipient Reference Number, Sender Reference Number, eEB, Signature, Validation, and Sent On contain information about the message being sent.
By checking the message and clicking the [Move to Drafts] button, the message can be moved back to the drafts. This option is only available to the user who sent the message or, after a 40-minute timeout, to other system users. This option should no longer be used after receiving/displaying the Message ID.
It is recommended not to close the beA Desk or log out prematurely if the Message ID has not yet been displayed.
Sending Errors
If a message is not accepted for sending by the beA Desk or the BRAK server due to missing information, an invalid recipient, or other issues (e.g., if the authenticated certificate does not have permission to send from the mailbox owner), it is displayed in the Sending Errors folder. By clicking the [Yellow Warning Icon] on the right in the list, the protocol opens, and the error message can be viewed.
By checking the box and clicking the [Move to Drafts] button, the message can be edited and resent.
The columns Recipient, Recipient Reference Number, Sender Reference Number, eEB, Signature, Validation, and Last Sending Attempt contain information about the message that could not be sent.
Sent
Successfully sent messages are located here.
The columns Recipient, Recipient Reference Number, Sender Reference Number, eEB, Signature, Validation, and Delivered contain information about the successfully sent message.
Sent messages can be transferred to LEXolution.DMS just like in the Inbox. Messages already transferred to LEXolution.DMS are marked with a blue dot.
Only messages created in the beA Desk are synchronized in the Sent folder. Messages created and sent in the web client are not imported/synchronized into the beA Desk afterward.
Trash
When a message is deleted from the mailbox folders, it is moved to the Trash. Messages are stored there indefinitely.
It is therefore advisable to periodically empty the Inbox, Sent, and Trash folders.
By checking the box on the left and clicking the [Delete Selection] or [Restore Selection] buttons, a message can be permanently deleted or restored to its original folder from which it was deleted.
The columns Sender/Recipient, Sender Reference Number, Recipient Reference Number, eEB and Received/Edited/Delivered contain information about the message moved to the Trash.
Mailboxes
Under Settings/Mailboxes, new mailboxes can be created for mailbox owners. The prerequisite is that all users who are to work with the beA Desk are assigned to a beA group in the STP User Management.
The mailbox owner can be conveniently added via the address search. Then the owner of the mailbox must be linked to the mailbox owner. The mailbox owner cannot be changed afterward, so please ensure the accuracy of the information!
Then users can be assigned to the mailbox who should have access to it.
A mailbox can be marked as inactive so that it is no longer displayed in the list of mailboxes in the beA Desk for authorized users.
Tray Icon
You can control whether login to the BRAK server with the beA certificate (“Select Security Token”) is automatically queried when starting the beA Desk by setting the Retrieve Messages on Startup option.
Closing the beA Desk does not terminate it but merely minimizes it. To terminate the beA Desk, click the upward arrow in the taskbar to display the tray icons. Right-click the beA Desk tray icon and select [Exit].