How to make forum sections private

[ineedhelp]

I have various forum caterories (sections) such as...

Introductions

News

Entertainment

How can I make the News section Private for members only, but still make the forum title "News" visible to Guests.

When I make a node private, it removes it completely from Guests view.

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Also… Is it possible to show threads to Guests within News but not readable? (I know there's a add-on for this, but is there a default way as well) ?

Thanks.

 

[Morgain]

When you make it Private you have to contradict that by giving access per usergroup or per user. But that then gives them abilities based on their abilities in their usergroup generally.
I think you need to base this on the node permissions in the node tree.

In the node tree, click the blue Permissions rectangle on the right of your News node.
Click Guests usergroup.

"View node:" = YES/Green (top row) This lets them see it's there.

Forum Permissions "View threads by others:"= NO/red.
Forum Permissions "View thread content:"= NO/red.
Forum Permissions "Post new thread:"= NO/red.

Might be a better way but this will do it. Permissions are complicated

 

[ineedhelp]

^Thanks. And when someone clicks on the node News…… Can I put a message there that "You must be logged in to view threads in this section"

Otherwise some people may think nothing exists.

 

[Morgain]

There's an automatic message there
I think you can edit it in Phrases.

You would find Waindigo's Login As User addon useful. It would show you what the other type of users sees.
Then (return to your oiwn ID by clicking the link on the mod bar at the very top)
paste that error message into admin/ appearances/ Phrases search box to open it and edit it.

 

[Morgain]

Um sorry for this as you're editing Guest access you could just log out frontend - try opening your News category, get the message.

But Waindigo's Login As User addon is also very useful for checking permissions.

 

[ineedhelp]

Hi - before I go ahead and try these settings… If I set the NO permissions to Red (Never) can I then revert them back to Inherit, Allow etc, at a later stage?

 

[Morgain]

Hi - before I go ahead and try these settings… If I set the NO permissions to Red (Never) can I then revert them back to Inherit, Allow etc, at a later stage?

Yes you can change Permissions at any time.

The standard advice is to keep Registered as the Primary usergroup (the one in the dropdown)
Then add Secondary usergroups to add GENERAL capacities, styling to their titles.Applies everywhere.
Then add specific access or barriers (like this one for your Guests) on a per node basis - node tree, select node Permissions on the right.

Registered then stays terribly basic. Almost all grey/ inherit permissions. Because this will give ALL MEMBERS these capacities for ALL nodes. It's the Secondary usergroups that give most powers.
Private nodes are an extra - block access to all EXCEPT a specific usergroup or several, or individual user/s.

What I've also learned is it can be clearer to not load too many things on each usergroup. Better to have several usergroups with different capacities and the user belongs to several different usergroups.

 

[ineedhelp]

Thanks, worked.

I just needed to "Allow" and then "Never" for "View thread content"

 

[ineedhelp]

Another question:

I want to make a new forum section for selected members and the members who get put into the new section, can't post in any of the other existing forum sections.

A bit like segregation, instead of banning members, I want to put them in a separated area where they can continue to post and make threads, but not in any other part of the site.

However, they will have viewing the threads and content rights but not to post in other sections, but only in the section they are confined to.

 

[Morgain]

I'm doing something like that. I haven't finished setting it up but I'll describe how I'm doing it - hope Jake or someone will check me.

The Registered usergroup do not have permission to post (set to grey) so they need a permission to post from somewhere else in order to do it.

UsergoupX is our segregated one. On their usergroup permissions list they do not have permission to post (grey) but they have View.
I use the blue Permissions button on the node tree for their segregated ForumX to Allow/green permission to post.
I make this ForumX a Private forum, then grant access to UsergroupX and Admins.

I have another usergroupY which does have general permission to post on their usergroup. So as long as they have access they can post. But if ForumX is Private they don't have access to it.
Alternatively you might have several principal user groups that divide your members which all have permission to post. But if ForumX is Private they don't have access to it.

 

[ineedhelp]

I'm doing something like that. I haven't finished setting it up but I'll describe how I'm doing it - hope Jake or someone will check me.

The Registered usergroup do not have permission to post (set to grey) so they need a permission to post from somewhere else in order to do it.

UsergoupX is our segregated one. On their usergroup permissions list they do not have permission to post (grey) but they have View.
I use the blue Permissions button on the node tree for their segregated ForumX to Allow/green permission to post.
I make this ForumX a Private forum, then grant access to UsergroupX and Admins.

I have another usergroupY which does have general permission to post on their usergroup. So as long as they have access they can post. But if ForumX is Private they don't have access to it.
Alternatively you might have several principal user groups that divide your members which all have permission to post. But if ForumX is Private they don't have access to it.

Hi.... Have you managed to set this up yet and does it work as I described in the above post?

 

[Morgain]

No I havent done it yet. Have you?

 

[ineedhelp]

No I havent done it yet. Have you?

Same here, but I'm keen on getting it set up, asap, somehow!

 

[Morgain]

Actually i found a simpler way using waindigo's Social frorums.
Plus Log in as User.
I start them in ausergroup whixh can Join SFs.
I log in as the user and join one forum - their own.
Then move them off that usergroup to their permanent one so they cant Join another. They are set so they cant view others.

 

[ineedhelp]

Actually i found a simpler way using waindigo's Social frorums.
Plus Log in as User.
I start them in ausergroup whixh can Join SFs.
I log in as the user and join one forum - their own.
Then move them off that usergroup to their permanent one so they cant Join another. They are set so they cant view others.

Using your method.... Is it possible to make other forums still viewable, including thread titles but bot the thread content.

 

[Morgain]

Yes.

You can make any forum that way - click its blue Permissions box on the right in Node Tree
Select the usergroup you want to control
YES on View node/
YES on View threads by others (thats just the titles)
REVOKE on View Content (I think, or NO) Jake did tell me that NO on a specific node is OK as it only affects that node.

I have tried it by doing this to a Category node as I think it makes all forums in it inherit what i put on it.
That way you have to be careful if you move that forum elsewhere because it has no restrictions on it.

I am NOT expert at permissions though. Recommend you use Waindigo's Login as User to test what you can do as an example/ dummy user.

The way I understand permissions is this.

USERGROUP Permissions are global everywhere eg View node, View Content.
If an item is left grey it is NEUTRAL it needs a YES green to activate that permission.
If an item is RED that applies evreywhere and you CANNOT override it.

NODE Permissions on a usergroup can Revoke (block) its permission at usergroup level for THIS NODE + THIS USERGROUP. So in a sense Node permissions are stronger. Except they do not override a RED as above.

PRIVATE Forum (Ticking at the top of forum Permissions page) BLOCKS EVERYONE and you have to add a usergroup (Not sure there) but can add a user individually and manually.

 

[ineedhelp]

^Thanks for the info.

So basically I should keep Group Permissions set to Green as they are global settings and can not be bypassed by Node settings.... Right? (unless I wanted a global setting)

And then set the Group Permissions per node or node category?