Permissions (access control)

Planning User Permissions

Designing a site requires figuring out what everybody needs to be able to do on it, and assigning appropriate permissions to people to do that stuff. What is possible to do depends on what modules are installed, and what you are allowed to do depends on what group you're in and what permissions those groups have. If you are an anonymous browser of the site, you won't be able to do everything a logged in (authenticated) user can do. If you are a logged in user, you still might not be able to do all the things a TdB member can do. A TdB member still can't do everything an administrator can do, and then there may be other special groups of people who are members of one or more of the standard groups, but can also do another specific thing.

That was poorly said, but perhaps if you could see the settings themselves, it would help explain it better... The attached PDF shows the 'access control' settings as of Jan, 2007. There are several groups (anonymous, authenticated user, Official Friend, and TdB member).

Anonymous users can generally view most stuff but cannot create content or post comments.
Authenticated users can post comments, but they go into a moderation queue, they can also use some more stuff (like run the music player).
Official Friends can post comments without admin approval and they may be given special access to documents that normal users cannot see
TdB members can post book pages which can be included into the books in the library, they can see things that have been set for TdB members only, and can do everything an authenticated user can do.
Admins can do everything.

Attachment	Size
access control 070120.pdf	380.18 KB
access control 070121b.pdf	377.44 KB

Setting User Permissions

This is from the website design spec, but it hasn't been addressed yet and is becoming important. I will set this forum post to TdB members eyes only. Basically, I need the Clann to decide how this should be handled because handling permissions is granting me big powers, and yet I am not holding any office at this time and so these powers are un-regulated.

3. Controlling Access

I've come up against one issue that I don't know how to handle. When someone signs up on the site (today was Dairchan), I don't know what permissions to grant. For instance, I think he is still probate status - but since I didn't have group called probate (what would they not be able to do on the site that a member can, or more than a Friend, or an Authenticated user from Norseland, or an anonymous user? You see my point I think. And I am assigning him the permissions, so I need a list of folks and who are members, probates, friends and who aren't.