Category Sections - Access Rights
3 posts by 2 authors in: Forums > CMS Builder
Last Post: April 19, 2013 (RSS)
By Perchpole - April 19, 2013
Hello, All -
Can we implement a better/more flexible approach to the access rights for category editors? This has come up before - but still hasn't been resolved (to my knowledge).
Currently, for all other types of editors, it is possible to set the access as Viewer, Author & Viewer, Author and Editor. However with categories you just have the choice of Editor and that's it! This is giving me a real headache with my latest project in which I have effectively merged the traditional use of categories and records into one single editor.
The only downside is I cannot easilly control the access. Can we do anything, please?!
:0/
Perch
By gregThomas - April 19, 2013
Hi Perch,
The reason that the only option for a category menu is Editor is that it would be difficult to manage a category menu using the viewer/Author Viewer System.
For example what if a user wants to add an item to a category created by someone else. Should a user be able to reorder the items of another user. What if a user wants to delete an item, but there are sub categories to it that have been created by someone else.
The best way to manage a category menu is to have an editor who maintains a categories section, and then have a second mutli record section and use a list field to associate an article with a category item. That way viewer/author users can create articles and associate them with a category record without having to deal with the issues of having multiple people managing a category menu.
It would be great to implement a viewer/author system for the categories section if you have any suggestions for how we could implement the system and keep it simple.
Thanks!
Greg
PHP Programmer - interactivetools.com
By Perchpole - April 19, 2013
Hi, Greg -
Thanks for your input. I apreciate your concerns but I would much rather have the flexibility - albeit with additional safety measures in place - than have no flexibility at all!
Given the option I would like to have an "Author" level - which would be someone who can access/edit their own categories or create new ones. They would be prevented from deleting any categories and would only be allowed to move their own. (All of the other categories would be greyed-out.)
It's perhaps worth noting that I've come to this approach because of the frustration of duplicating code! I have set-up several CMSB sites in which the composition of the category editor and record editor were almost identical. Of course you then need to create two (almost identical) templates to handle the output...
It occurred to me that all I needed to do was create a single editor - a hybrid category/record editor. A radio switch at the top of the page allows the user to select whether the page will be handled as a category or a record. All you need do then is call the pages in your code with either getCategories or getRecords as-and-where appropriate.
It's wonderfully simple - and avoids all the unecessary duplication!
The only problem, as hi-lighted in this thread, is that I cannot control who has access.
:0/
Perch