Site Editor Permissions for multi-site installations

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12/14/2011 12:22:42 PM
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Site Editor Permissions for multi-site installations

Hello,

I'm currently running on 2.3.7.5 MSSQL multi site, related sites mode and have a question about permissions for site editors in children sites.  I've never really gotten the permissions exactly as I'd like them to be and am wondering if I'm mis-understanding how they are configured.

It looks to me like all of my permissions for my various roles should be set in SiteID1 and then for each child site set the Site Editor Role to the Editor for that site.  In some cases I have a Role that is a Site Editor for several sites (not all) but for the most part I have one Role per site.

I don't want roles being able to edit or otherwise alter content on sites that they are not the Site Editor for, however, if I have "Roles that can delete files using the file browser in the editor" selected for SiteID1 then an editor whose role is NOT a Site Editor for another site can still log in and view the file manager.  They cannot delete or edit existing files but they can add new directories and files - behavior I do not want to allow.

At this point I thought I must be incorrect  and I should apply such role settings at the Child Site Settings level (not from the parent site) but when I tried saving the role permissions they don't 'take' after I click 'Save' which made me think that I must specify these settings in the parent site (SiteID1) Site Settings page, which leads me to the above-mentioned problem of some permissions carrying over to other sites.

Am I missing something here???

Thanks!

~ B

12/14/2011 12:25:02 PM
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Re: Site Editor Permissions for multi-site installations

I wanted to add that I do not want users to only be able to upload to a user specified folder because I may have several Editors for a site with the same role and they need to be able to access each others files.

~ B

12/14/2011 12:54:17 PM
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Re: Site Editor Permissions for multi-site installations

Hi Beth,

With related sites mode user and roles and site security settings are shared across sites so users in a given role are in that role for all sites and in  general have the permissions of that role in all sites.  Therefore currently roles that can upload can upload in any site.

The purpose of the Site Editors is to be able to make someone basically the equivalent of Content Administrator except limited to a specific site. Whereas memebers of Content Administratos in related sites mode can edit anything in any site and do not need explicit permission granted to that role. We filtered out the Administrators and Content Administrators from most of the permission roles lists in version 2.3.7.5 for this reason to avoid confusion because Administrators and Content Administrators are special roles thet are not bound by object level allowed roles, so they don't need to be checked to be allowed.

Just as Administrators and Content Administrators do not need explicit permission to upload because they are special roles, Site Editors roles (I think) do not need to be set as a role allowed to upload, they willl still be able to upload even without granting them that permission. So in theory if you have a different role for each site that is used for the Site Editors, if you don't explicitely grant those roles upload permission, then they should still be able to upload within their respective sites. But as soon as you explicitely grant them upload permissions then that would apply across sites even when the role is not a site editor for the other sites.

I do think this was a change in verison 2.3.7.5 where permission allowed roles are now propagated to all sites from the master site and now as type this I am questioning whether that should have been changed. I will change it back because while you can limit a site editor to uploading to only his own site by not assigning the role upload permissions he just intrinsically can upload to his own site anyway, but for other roles I can see where you would want to control their upload permissions on a site by site basis even though other security settings are common to all sites in related sites mode. I changed this thinking I was fixing a bug because other security settings do and should get propagated to the other sites in related sites mode, but now that I think of it these other permissions should be site specific.

Best,

Joe

12/14/2011 12:59:36 PM
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Re: Site Editor Permissions for multi-site installations

Hi Beth,

If needed I can backport this fix to version 2.3.7.5 and send you an updated mojoPortal.Web.dll to solve this for you right away. Otherwise we plan to ship a new release before theend of th emonth anyway.

Just let me know.

Best,

Joe

12/14/2011 1:43:20 PM
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Re: Site Editor Permissions for multi-site installations

Joe,

I have observed that if I want the File Manager tab in the grey admin bar at the bottom of my child site, I have to grant the Site Editor access to "Roles that can delete files using the file browser in the editor" in the Parent Site (SiteID1).  If I remove that access from the parent site I lose the File Manager tab in the Child Site. If I set it in the child site and click "Save" and then check to make sure the role is still selected in Site Settings -> Security, it is not.  If I go into the DB and look at the permissions in the 'dbo.mp_SiteSettingsExDef' table the added permission is displayed ... until the next time that I make a change to something else in site settings and resave ... because the check box isn't still selected the permission gets removed.  This is the problem I was having by setting permissions in the child sites ... the only permission I could keep checked was the site editor role.  I've had this problem with v 2.3.5.3 MSSQL and now in the new version as well.

I'm using custom roles - here are the permissions I have set:

Site Editor Role Example (Settings set in Parent Site (SiteID1)

  • Roles that can browse and upload files.     
  • Roles that can delete files using the file browser in the editor.
  • Roles that can manage skins.
  • Roles that can assign skins to pages
  • Roles that can create root level pages
  • Default root level page view roles
  • Default root level page edit roles
  • Default root level page create child page roles  

Additionally, I am trying to utilize the "Global" content in the feature settings for the html content module.  As the Editor detailed above, I can set the feature instance as "Global" and then check my Role as "Roles that can edit content" for the Global feature page.  I navigate to a different page -> Edit This Page -> Add Existing Content and am given a permission denied message. Do you have any advice for that?
                            

Yes, I'd be interested in getting the new dll from you, although I'm not sure if it will make a difference because I've noticed the same type of behavior in my old mojo install.

Thanks,

Beth

     

12/14/2011 1:44:09 PM
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Re: Site Editor Permissions for multi-site installations

 .... and I've set that Role as the Site Editor for the child site it manages, of course. I didn't explicitly state that .... ;-)

12/14/2011 2:00:22 PM
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Re: Site Editor Permissions for multi-site installations

Hi Beth,

You're using .NET 4 right? Just want to make sure I send a compatible dll.

Best,

Joe

12/14/2011 2:02:04 PM
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Total Posts 130

Re: Site Editor Permissions for multi-site installations

Yes, 4.0. Thanks! ~ B

12/14/2011 2:38:38 PM
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Total Posts 130

Re: Site Editor Permissions for multi-site installations

Joe,

Thanks for the dll.  I've got it in my bin directory but it has not made a difference. I touched the web.config and restarted the application in IIS for good measure.  If I uncheck the delete files in the file manager permission for SiteID1 and then check it in the Site Settings for my child site, it works until the next time I click the Save button in the Child Site -> Site Settings because the checked box for that permission doesn't stick. Then the File Manager tab is there in the site but when I click it I get permission denied.

I am also still getting Permission Denied for the Global Content as mentioned in the previous emails.  Am I still doing something wrong or are you not able to replicate the issues I'm having?

Thanks for all of your help,

Beth

12/14/2011 3:10:14 PM
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Re: Site Editor Permissions for multi-site installations

Hi Beth,

I'm not able to replicate either of those problems.

What I can say is that mp_SiteSettingsEx is the one used by sites, whereas the mp_SiteSettingExDef is the definition of the setting/permission and the default values used when creating new sites. If the row for that key is not present in the mp_SiteSettingsEx table with the site id for the child site that would explain why it doesn't stick. If that is the case I would create that row and then touch web.config to clear the site settings cache, then it still "might" take 2 saves before it sticks but after that it should stick on every save.

The global content feature works as expected for me. I made an instance of html global and added Content Authors as an edit role in instsance settings, then I tried it in a different browser as a user only in the Content Authors role and I was able to edit it from 2 pages that had the instance on it, so I'm not sure what is going on there.

Best,

Joe

12/14/2011 3:16:17 PM
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Total Posts 18439

Re: Site Editor Permissions for multi-site installations

I am able to replicate the problem about the access denied in the File Manager dialog, that page is not allowing access unless in the delete roles, I'll fix that.

Best,

Joe

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