Managing Folder Permissions

Permissions determine which actions Ektron users and user group members can perform on content, library items, and content folders. For example, you allow your Webmaster to perform advanced actions, such as adding folders, editing folder properties, and deleting folders. At the same time, you only allow content contributors to view, edit, and add content.

You can set permissions for a folder or content item. Content item permissions override the associated content folder permissions. When you assign permissions to a folder, they affect all of its subfolders and content unless you break inheritance for a subfolder or content item.

Only Ektron administrators and users identified on the Manage Members for Role: Folder User Admin screen can set permissions. See Also: Using the Roles Screens

Prerequisite: Users can only add, edit, or delete content in folders if they have traverse permission for its parent folders all the way up to root. If the folder to which you assign permissions is not the root folder, you must grant the user the Traverse Folder permission to all folders above that folder. Otherwise, the user cannot navigate to the folder. For example, consider the following folder structure.

To let a user edit the Book Store folder only and no other folders, assign to him Traverse Folder permission for the 2 folders above Book Store: CMS400Demo and Root.

Setting permissions through the permissions table

Setting Permissions through the Permissions Table

IMPORTANT: All members of the Administrators group have all permissions for all Ektron folders. Although these users do not appear when you view a folder’s permission settings, they have full permissions.

You manage the following permissions through the Permission Table.

  • Content management: view, add, edit, delete, restore
  • Library File Management: view, add images, add other types of files, add hyperlinks, overwrite files
  • Folder management: add, edit, delete, traverse
  • Work with collections and Menus

NOTE: Use the Roles screens to assign permissions not defined in the Permissions Table, such as the ability to create tasks. See Also: Defining Roles

The Permissions Table appears when you click Permission () from a folder’s or content item’s Properties window.

Inheriting permissions

Inheriting Permissions

By default, all content folders and items inherit permissions from their parent folder. You have 2 options for modifying permissions.

  • Modify the permissions of the parent folder
  • Break inheritance and add permissions to a folder
Breaking inheritance

Breaking Inheritance

  1. Access the Permissions Table for a content folder or content.
  2. Disable the Allow this object to inherit permissions check box. A confirmation message appears.
  3. Click OK.
Restoring inheritance

Restoring Inheritance

  1. Access the Permissions Table.
  2. Check the box that says Allow this object to inherit permissions. A confirmation message appears.
  3. Click OK.
Standard and advanced permissions

Standard and Advanced Permissions

There are 2 categories of permissions. You assign permissions in each category from a different screen. The standard permissions are:

  • Read Only—View content
  • Edit—Edit content
  • Add—Add content
  • Delete—Delete content
  • Restore—Restore old versions of content
  • Library Read Only—View items in the corresponding library folder See Also: Storing Files in the Library
  • Add Images—Upload images to the corresponding library folder
  • Add Files—Upload files to the corresponding library folder
  • Add Hyperlinks—Add hyperlinks to the corresponding library folder
  • Overwrite Library—Overwrite images and files to the corresponding library folder

The advanced permissions are as follows:

  • Collections—Manage collections See Also: Working with Collections

    IMPORTANT: If a user is assigned any of the following roles, the user can create,edit, and delete collections regardless of his Collections folder permission: Collection and Menu Admin, Collection Admin, Collection Approver.

  • Add Folders—Add sub folders See Also: Adding Folders
  • Edit Folders—Edit folder properties See Also: Folder Properties
  • Delete Folders—Delete the current folder or its subfolders See Also: Deleting Folders
  • Traverse FoldersAccess folders under the root folder. By default, the Everyone user group has permission to view all subfolders. If you disable or modify the Everyone user group, and you want to grant users/groups permission to a folder other than the root folder, you must also assign Traverse permission. If you do not, the user cannot access the folder. In that case, the user cannot perform any other granted permissions.
  • Modify Preapproval—Set or update a folder’s preapproval group. This permission is only displayed if preapproval groups are enabled. See Also: Automatically Creating Tasks Associated with Content

NOTE: To allow users to copy or move content, assign the Move or Copy Role. See Also: Defining Roles

Accessing the permissions table

Accessing the Permissions Table

  1. From the left frame of the Workarea, select a content folder.
  2. Choose View > Language.
  3. Select the language whose folder properties you want to update. Some folder properties (such as metadata and taxonomy) are language-specific.
  4. Choose View > Properties. The Folder Properties screen appears.
  5. Click Permissions (). The Permissions Tableappears.

The Permissions Table displays each user or group’s abilities to perform actions on content in the selected folder. Because all permissions cannot fit on one screen, click the Advanced tab to see additional actions.

Actions you can perform from the permissions table

Actions You Can Perform from the Permissions Table

The following list shows actions you can perform from the Permission Table screen.

Adding a user or user group to the permissions table

Adding a User or User Group to the Permissions Table

NOTE: Before adding users or groups, you must break inheritance. See Breaking Inheritance. If a user and a user group to which that user belongs are both given permission to a folder, the user has all permissions to which he/she is assigned as well as permissions assigned to the group. You can only assign Read Only permission to a Membership user or group. See Also: Membership Users and Groups.

  1. Access the Permissions Table for the content folder or content.
  2. Select CMS users or Membership users from the User Type drop-down menu. Users and user groups of the selected type appear.
  3. Click AddPermissions. The Add Permissions screen appears. Only users and groups not assigned to the Permissions Table appear.
  4. Select users and groups to add to the Permissions Table.
  5. Click Save. The Add Permissions screen appears.
  6. Check the standard and advanced permissions for the user or group.

    NOTE: Check Enable All to assign all standard permissions. If you do, you still must assign advanced permissions by hand.

  7. Click Save.
Editing user or user group permissions

Editing User or User Group Permissions

  1. Access the Permissions Table for the content folder or content.
  2. Select CMS users or Membership users from the User Type drop-down menu. Users and user groups of the selected type appear.
  3. Click the user or group for which you want to edit permissions. The Edit Permissions screen appears.
  4. To assign any permission, check the box. To remove any permission, uncheck the box.

    NOTE: Remember to toggle between standard and advanced permissions.

  5. Click Update.
Deleting users or user groups from the permissions table

Deleting Users or User Groups from the Permissions Table

  1. Access the Permissions Table for the content folder or content.
  2. Click Delete (). The Remove Permissions screen appears.
  3. Select CMS users or Membership users from the User Type drop-down menu. Users and user groups of the selected type appear.
  4. Select the user or group to remove from the Permissions Table.
  5. Click Remove Permission for folder. A confirmation message appears.
  6. Click OK.

    NOTE: When you delete the permissions of a user or user group, that change is propagated to all subfolders and content. Also, if the user or group was part of an approval chain, they are removed from it.

Setting permissions for content

Setting Permissions for Content

Prerequisites: 

  • Traverse permission to the folder containing the content, and all folders above it
  • Edit permission for the content
  1. Access the content by navigating to its folder, selecting a language, and clicking on it.
  2. Click View Permissions ().
  3. Uncheck the box next to Allow this object to inherit permissions. A confirmation message appears.
  4. Click OK.
  5. You can perform any action on the content that you can perform on a folder. These options are described in Actions You Can Perform from the Permissions Table.