All about permission profiles: Difference between revisions From Online Manual

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If you are an administrator, you can control precisely who can post to, add attachments to, moderate, etc. each and every board on your forum. In SMF 1.x, this was handled by setting up default board permissions, and then using "local board permissions" on each board you wanted to be handled differently from the default. In SMF 2.x, most of this is handled with something called permission profiles. If you are interested in making a board invisible to some members, you will want to read about [[Boards#Modify_Boards|Administration Center » Boards » Modify Boards ]].
Permission profile is short for board permission profile.  It assigns specific [[SMF2.0:Permissions|permissions]] to one or more boards which override the default permissions.  In SMF 2.0.x and later, you use a [[Board Permissions|board permission profile]] to control precisely who can post, add [[Attachments and Avatars|attachments]], or moderate on each and every board on your forum. If you use SMF 1.1.x, please read about [[Local Board Permissions for SMF 1.1.x|local board permissions]] instead.


Basically, permission profiles describe, for each member group, what that member group is (and, sometimes, is not) allowed to do. Every board on your forum uses a permission profile.  If you don't pick a profile for a board, then SMF will use the default profile for that board.  Board profiles do not control who can view the board. To control which member groups can view a particular board, use [[Boards#Modify_Boards|Administration Center » Boards » Modify Boards ]].
Permission profiles describe, for each [[Membergroup|membergroup]], what that membergroup is allowed to do. Every board on your forum uses just one permission profile.  If you do not pick a board permission profile for a board, SMF will use the default board permission profile for that board.  Board permission profiles do not control who can see a board; for more on this, please read [[what members are allowed to see and do]].


There are two basic steps in this process
When you are setting up custom board permission profiles, you need to keep two things in mind:
# For each board, pick the permission profile you want to use for that board.
# For each board, pick the permission profile you want to use for that board (or stick with the '''default''' profile).
# If you don't already have a permission profile you need, set up a new one.
# Make changes to a permission profile, or create a new one.


Caution: if you don't keep this in mind, it is pretty easy to "accidentally" edit your default profile.  Any changes you make will affect not only the board you started with, but also every other board that uses the default profile.  If you want a board to have special permissions, choose (or create) a new permission profile for it.
Before you change any board permissions, check which board permission profile you are working with, and which boards use that profile.  Any time you change permissions on one board, you change permissions on any board that uses the same board permission profile.


That sounds a bit vague, doesn't it? But just keep those two basic steps in mind as you read along and you should be able to get your board permissions set up the way you want them.
==Choose the permission profile for a board==
 
To see which boards are using which profiles, go to ''[[Board Permissions|Administration Center > Members > Permissions > Board Permissions]]''. This shows a list of all the boards on your forum, ordered by category, board, and child board.  For each board, there is a profile name.  Click on the Board Name to modify the board and choose a different board permission profile from the drop-down list.
==See board permission profiles==
To see which boards are using which profiles, go to Administration Center » Permissions » Board Permissions  
This is a list of all your boards.  It is listed by category. Within each category, the boards in that category.  Within each board, any child boards of that board.  For each board, there is a profile name.


==Change a board permission profile or create a new one==
===See or edit permissions for a profile===
===See or edit permissions for a profile===
There are two ways to get to a permission profile.
Go to ''[[SMF2.0:Permissions#Edit_Profiles|Administration Center > Members > Permissions > Edit Profiles]]'' and click on a '''Permission Profile''' name. You will see the profile name and a list of member group names, some statistics, a link to "modify permissions", and a check-box. Below this list, there is a set of Advanced Options.
# In the list of board names at  Administration Center » Permissions » Board Permissions, click on the permission name shown next to a board name.
# Or else, go to Administration Center » Permissions » Edit Profiles and choose a profile name.
Either way, you'll wind up with a list titled '''Permissions for Profile:'''  and the profile name.
This is a list of member group names, some statistics, a link to "modify permissions", and a check-box. Below this list, there is a set of Advanced Options, which we will leave for later.


'''Caution:''' remember that whenever you modify membergroup permissions within a board permission profile, you will affect every board that uses this same profile.


====See or change permissions for a member group in this permission profile====
====See or change permissions for a member group in this board permission profile====
Simply click on the member group name. Suppose you already chose the '''Default''' profile. Now choose the '''Guests''' member group. You will now see a page of information titled '''Permissions for group "Guests" in profile "Default"'''.  You see a bunch of check boxes.  If a box is unchecked, that member group does not have that permission in this profile.  If it is checked, the member does have permission in this profile.
Simply click on the member group name. Suppose you already chose the '''Default''' profile. Now choose the '''Guests''' member group. You will now see a page of information titled '''Permissions for group "Guests" in profile "Default"'''.  You see a bunch of check boxes.  If a box is unchecked, that member group does not have that permission in this profile.  If it is checked, the member does have permission in this profile.


====What if a member belongs to more than one group====
If you do edit the Default profile, you are editing the main set of permissions that you can change on the General Permissions tab, some permissions that do not relate to a board will not show when editing the profile.
If you have permissions set up in the most basic way, then permissions "add up".  If that permission is checked on one member group OR another to which a member belongs, that member will have that permission. Here is an example.
* Member SparklyPony belongs to "club members" and also "club officers".
* "club members" does not have permission to '''Announce topic''' in the Default profile
* "club officers" has permission to '''Announce topic''' in the Default profile
* Therefore, member SparklyPony has the permission '''Announce topic''' in the Default profile


===="Regular" permissions and "deny" permissions====
====If a member belongs to more than one group====
What does "permissions set up in the most basic way" mean?  It means the way things are set up when you install SMF 2.x for the first time.  If you want some fancier ways of controlling permissions, have a look at [[Permissions#Settings|Administration Center » Permissions » Settings]], select '''Enable the option to deny permissions '''.  Then, for every member group other than "Guest", you will see, instead of a single checkbox for each permission in a profile, a choice of "allow", "do not allow" and "deny". Choosing "deny" will prevent members of that membergroup from having that permission even if they also belong to another member group that is allowed that permission. That is clear as mud, isn't it? To read more on the difference between "do not allow" and "deny", please see [[Disallow and Deny - What's the difference when it comes down to permissions]]
If a permission is checked on one membergroup '''or''' another to which a member belongs, that member will have that permission. Here is an example:
* Member A belongs to membergroups A and B.
* Membergroup A is not allowed to '''Announce topic''' in the Default profile (disallowed)
* Membergroup B is allowed to '''Announce topic''' in the Default profile
* Therefore, member A has the permission '''Announce topic''' in the Default profile


Keeping track of how all the permissions add up can get tricky.
When you first install SMF 2.0.x, your forum will have regular permissions. If you need the ability to deny permissions to some members even if they belong to membergroups which are allowed those permissions, you can read about [[Disallow and Deny - What's the difference when it comes down to permissions|the difference between disallow and deny]].  Note that if any membergroup is denied certain permissions, the example above may not be accurate.


====Create a new profile====
===Create a new profile===
If you have had a good look at all the profiles you've already got, and don't see one you like for a particular board, you can create a new one. From Administration Center » Permissions » Edit Profiles , scroll down to the '''New Profile''' section, fill in a name for your new profile, choose a profile that is kind of close to what you want to '''Copy Permissions From''' as a starting point, and hit the '''Create''' button.  Then check and edit the permissions for each member group in this profile.  
Go to ''[[SMF2.0:Permissions#Edit_Profiles|Administration Center > Members > Permissions > Edit Profiles]]'' , and scroll down to the '''New Profile''' section. Fill in a name for your new profile, choose a profile that is close to what you want to '''Copy Permissions From''' as a starting point, and click the '''Create''' button.  Once created, you can check and edit the permissions for each membergroup in this profile.  


==Assigning permissions to a board==
===Assigning permissions to a board===
This step is easy. Administration Center » Boards » Modify Boards.  Pick the board you want to change and click on its "modify" link. On the '''Permission Profile:''' line, choose the board permission profile name you want from the drop-down list.
''[[SMF2.0:Boards#Modify_Boards|Administration Center > Forum > Boards > Modify Boards]]''.  Pick the board you want to change and click on its "modify" link. On the '''Permission Profile:''' line, choose the board permission profile name you want from the drop-down list.


===But what if I want a member to have very special permissions on this board, different from all other members===
===Assigning special permissions to one member on this board===
Create a special member group just for that user. Move that user into that member group.  You might want to remove one or more other member groups from that member.  To change member groups for a user, go to [[Members#View_All_Members|Administration Center » Members » View All Members ]] then choose a member name, and choose [[Profile#Account_Settings|'''Account Settings''']] from the member menu.
Create a special membergroup just for that user. Move that user into that membergroup.  You might want to remove one or more other membergroups from that member.  To change membergroups for a user, use that member's account settings. Go to [[Members#View_All_Members|Administration Center > Members > View All Members ]], choose a member name, and choose [[Profile#Account_Settings|'''Account Settings''']] from the member menu.


Every time you have create a new membergroup, you need to go through all of your permission profiles to make certain that the new membergroup has the permissions you want in every single profile you want to use.  That sounds a bit tedious, doesn't it?
Every time you create a new membergroup, you need to go through all of your permission profiles to make certain that the new membergroup has the permissions you want in every single profile you want to use.  If that sounds tedious, please read about the advanced option "Set permissions like this group" below.


==Advanced options can make it easier to assign permissions within a profile==
==Advanced options can make it easier to assign permissions within a profile==
You can get by without ever using these advanced options.  But if you have several permission profiles, and want to make sweeping changes to several membergroups within those profiles, you might give this a try.
You do not need to use these advanced options, but if you have several permission profiles and want to make sweeping changes to several membergroups within those profiles, advanced options can speed things up.


First, click the checkbox at the end of the line for one or several of the member groups for this profile.  Now scroll down to the '''Advanced Options''' section of the page.  If you see only a title, click on the little triangle to show the details.  You have three choices.
Click the checkbox at the end of the line for one or several of the membergroups for this profile.  Scroll down to the '''Advanced Options''' section of the page.  If you see only a title, click on the little triangle to show the details.  You have three choices:
# '''Apply pre-defined permission set''' -- click on the '''?''' for a quick description of each of the 4 choices here.
# '''Apply pre-defined permission set:''' click on the '''?''' for a quick description of each of the four choices here.
# '''Set permissions like this group:''' Select a membergroup from the list of member groups.  The permissions for each of the member groups you checked in the list above will be changed to match the member group you choose from this list.
# '''Set permissions like this group:''' Select a membergroup from the list of membergroups.  The permissions for each of the membergroups you checked in the list above will be changed to match the membergroup you choose from this list.
# ''''Add permission... Clear permission... Deny permission...'''  This is a quick change. From the first drop-down list on this line, choose whether to add, clear, (or deny, if you have deny permissions set for your forum).  From the second drop-down list, choose which permission to change.  The permissions for each of the member groups you have checked above will have this one change made.
# ''''Add permission... Clear permission... Deny permission...:'''  This is a quick change. From the first drop-down list on this line, choose whether to add, clear, or deny (if you have deny permissions set for your forum).  From the second drop-down list, choose which permission to change.  The permissions for each of the membergroups you have checked above will have this one change made.


Now, click the '''Set Permissions''' button to make it so.
Finally, click the '''Set Permissions''' button to make the changes.


[[Category:FAQ]][[Category:BFG]]
[[Category:FAQ]][[Category:Permissions]]

Latest revision as of 15:30, 1 October 2016

Permission profile is short for board permission profile. It assigns specific permissions to one or more boards which override the default permissions. In SMF 2.0.x and later, you use a board permission profile to control precisely who can post, add attachments, or moderate on each and every board on your forum. If you use SMF 1.1.x, please read about local board permissions instead.

Permission profiles describe, for each membergroup, what that membergroup is allowed to do. Every board on your forum uses just one permission profile. If you do not pick a board permission profile for a board, SMF will use the default board permission profile for that board. Board permission profiles do not control who can see a board; for more on this, please read what members are allowed to see and do.

When you are setting up custom board permission profiles, you need to keep two things in mind:

  1. For each board, pick the permission profile you want to use for that board (or stick with the default profile).
  2. Make changes to a permission profile, or create a new one.

Before you change any board permissions, check which board permission profile you are working with, and which boards use that profile. Any time you change permissions on one board, you change permissions on any board that uses the same board permission profile.

Choose the permission profile for a board

To see which boards are using which profiles, go to Administration Center > Members > Permissions > Board Permissions. This shows a list of all the boards on your forum, ordered by category, board, and child board. For each board, there is a profile name. Click on the Board Name to modify the board and choose a different board permission profile from the drop-down list.

Change a board permission profile or create a new one

See or edit permissions for a profile

Go to Administration Center > Members > Permissions > Edit Profiles and click on a Permission Profile name. You will see the profile name and a list of member group names, some statistics, a link to "modify permissions", and a check-box. Below this list, there is a set of Advanced Options.

Caution: remember that whenever you modify membergroup permissions within a board permission profile, you will affect every board that uses this same profile.

See or change permissions for a member group in this board permission profile

Simply click on the member group name. Suppose you already chose the Default profile. Now choose the Guests member group. You will now see a page of information titled Permissions for group "Guests" in profile "Default". You see a bunch of check boxes. If a box is unchecked, that member group does not have that permission in this profile. If it is checked, the member does have permission in this profile.

If you do edit the Default profile, you are editing the main set of permissions that you can change on the General Permissions tab, some permissions that do not relate to a board will not show when editing the profile.

If a member belongs to more than one group

If a permission is checked on one membergroup or another to which a member belongs, that member will have that permission. Here is an example:

  • Member A belongs to membergroups A and B.
  • Membergroup A is not allowed to Announce topic in the Default profile (disallowed)
  • Membergroup B is allowed to Announce topic in the Default profile
  • Therefore, member A has the permission Announce topic in the Default profile

When you first install SMF 2.0.x, your forum will have regular permissions. If you need the ability to deny permissions to some members even if they belong to membergroups which are allowed those permissions, you can read about the difference between disallow and deny. Note that if any membergroup is denied certain permissions, the example above may not be accurate.

Create a new profile

Go to Administration Center > Members > Permissions > Edit Profiles , and scroll down to the New Profile section. Fill in a name for your new profile, choose a profile that is close to what you want to Copy Permissions From as a starting point, and click the Create button. Once created, you can check and edit the permissions for each membergroup in this profile.

Assigning permissions to a board

Administration Center > Forum > Boards > Modify Boards. Pick the board you want to change and click on its "modify" link. On the Permission Profile: line, choose the board permission profile name you want from the drop-down list.

Assigning special permissions to one member on this board

Create a special membergroup just for that user. Move that user into that membergroup. You might want to remove one or more other membergroups from that member. To change membergroups for a user, use that member's account settings. Go to Administration Center > Members > View All Members , choose a member name, and choose Account Settings from the member menu.

Every time you create a new membergroup, you need to go through all of your permission profiles to make certain that the new membergroup has the permissions you want in every single profile you want to use. If that sounds tedious, please read about the advanced option "Set permissions like this group" below.

Advanced options can make it easier to assign permissions within a profile

You do not need to use these advanced options, but if you have several permission profiles and want to make sweeping changes to several membergroups within those profiles, advanced options can speed things up.

Click the checkbox at the end of the line for one or several of the membergroups for this profile. Scroll down to the Advanced Options section of the page. If you see only a title, click on the little triangle to show the details. You have three choices:

  1. Apply pre-defined permission set: click on the ? for a quick description of each of the four choices here.
  2. Set permissions like this group: Select a membergroup from the list of membergroups. The permissions for each of the membergroups you checked in the list above will be changed to match the membergroup you choose from this list.
  3. 'Add permission... Clear permission... Deny permission...: This is a quick change. From the first drop-down list on this line, choose whether to add, clear, or deny (if you have deny permissions set for your forum). From the second drop-down list, choose which permission to change. The permissions for each of the membergroups you have checked above will have this one change made.

Finally, click the Set Permissions button to make the changes.



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