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Publisher Permissions Setup

Complete guide to configuring group permissions, access control, and managing user access in Publisher.

Permission Basics

What Are Permissions?

Permissions control what different user groups can do in Publisher:

Who can:
  - View articles
  - Submit articles
  - Edit articles
  - Approve articles
  - Manage categories
  - Configure settings

Permission Levels

Anonymous
  └── View published articles only

Registered Users
  ├── View articles
  ├── Submit articles (pending approval)
  └── Edit own articles

Editors/Moderators
  ├── All registered permissions
  ├── Approve articles
  ├── Edit all articles
  └── Manage some categories

Administrators
  └── Full access to everything

Access Permission Management

Admin Panel
└── Modules
    └── Publisher
        ├── Permissions
        ├── Category Permissions
        └── Group Management

Quick Access

  1. Log in as Administrator
  2. Go to Admin → Modules
  3. Click Publisher → Admin
  4. Click Permissions in left menu

Global Permissions

Module-Level Permissions

Control access to Publisher module and features:

Permissions configuration view:
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Permission             │ Anon │ Reg │ Editor │ Admin │
├────────────────────────┼──────┼─────┼────────┼───────┤
│ View articles          │  ✓   │  ✓  │   ✓    │  ✓   │
│ Submit articles        │  ✗   │  ✓  │   ✓    │  ✓   │
│ Edit own articles      │  ✗   │  ✓  │   ✓    │  ✓   │
│ Edit all articles      │  ✗   │  ✗  │   ✓    │  ✓   │
│ Approve articles       │  ✗   │  ✗  │   ✓    │  ✓   │
│ Manage categories      │  ✗   │  ✗  │   ✗    │  ✓   │
│ Access admin panel     │  ✗   │  ✗  │   ✓    │  ✓   │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Permission Descriptions

Permission Users Effect
View articles All groups Can see published articles on front-end
Submit articles Registered+ Can create new articles (pending approval)
Edit own articles Registered+ Can edit/delete their own articles
Edit all articles Editors+ Can edit any user's articles
Delete own articles Registered+ Can delete their own unpublished articles
Delete all articles Editors+ Can delete any article
Approve articles Editors+ Can publish pending articles
Manage categories Admins Create, edit, delete categories
Admin access Editors+ Access admin interface

Configure Global Permissions

Step 1: Access Permission Settings

  1. Go to Admin → Modules
  2. Find Publisher
  3. Click Permissions (or Admin link then Permissions)
  4. You see permission matrix

Step 2: Set Group Permissions

For each group, configure what they can do:

Anonymous Users

Anonymous Group Permissions:
  View articles: ✓ YES
  Submit articles: ✗ NO
  Edit articles: ✗ NO
  Delete articles: ✗ NO
  Approve articles: ✗ NO
  Manage categories: ✗ NO
  Admin access: ✗ NO

Result: Anonymous users can only view published content

Registered Users

Registered Group Permissions:
  View articles: ✓ YES
  Submit articles: ✓ YES (with approval required)
  Edit own articles: ✓ YES
  Edit all articles: ✗ NO
  Delete own articles: ✓ YES (drafts only)
  Delete all articles: ✗ NO
  Approve articles: ✗ NO
  Manage categories: ✗ NO
  Admin access: ✗ NO

Result: Registered users can contribute content after approval

Editors Group

Editors Group Permissions:
  View articles: ✓ YES
  Submit articles: ✓ YES
  Edit own articles: ✓ YES
  Edit all articles: ✓ YES
  Delete own articles: ✓ YES
  Delete all articles: ✓ YES
  Approve articles: ✓ YES
  Manage categories: ✓ LIMITED
  Admin access: ✓ YES
  Configure settings: ✗ NO

Result: Editors manage content but not settings

Administrators

Admins Group Permissions:
  ✓ FULL ACCESS to all features

  - All editor permissions
  - Manage all categories
  - Configure all settings
  - Manage permissions
  - Install/uninstall

Step 3: Save Permissions

  1. Configure each group's permissions
  2. Check boxes for allowed actions
  3. Uncheck boxes for denied actions
  4. Click Save Permissions
  5. Confirmation message appears

Category-Level Permissions

Set Category Access

Control who can view/submit to specific categories:

Admin → Publisher → Categories
→ Select category → Permissions

Category Permission Matrix

                 Anonymous  Registered  Editor  Admin
View category        ✓         ✓         ✓       ✓
Submit to category   ✗         ✓         ✓       ✓
Edit own in category ✗         ✓         ✓       ✓
Edit all in category ✗         ✗         ✓       ✓
Approve in category  ✗         ✗         ✓       ✓
Manage category      ✗         ✗         ✗       ✓

Configure Category Permissions

  1. Go to Categories admin
  2. Find category
  3. Click Permissions button
  4. For each group, select:
  5. View this category
  6. Submit articles
  7. Edit own articles
  8. Edit all articles
  9. Approve articles
  10. Manage category
  11. Click Save

Category Permission Examples

Public News Category

Anonymous: View only
Registered: View + Submit (pending approval)
Editors: Approve + Edit
Admins: Full control

Internal Updates Category

Anonymous: No access
Registered: View only
Editors: Submit + Approve
Admins: Full control

Guest Blog Category

Anonymous: View only
Registered: Submit (pending approval)
Editors: Approve
Admins: Full control

Field-Level Permissions

Control Form Field Visibility

Restrict which form fields users can see/edit:

Admin → Publisher → Permissions → Fields

Field Options

Visible Fields for Registered Users:
  ✓ Title
  ✓ Description
  ✓ Content (body)
  ✓ Featured image
  ✓ Category
  ✓ Tags
  ✗ Author (auto-set)
  ✗ Publication date (editors only)
  ✗ Scheduled date (editors only)
  ✗ Featured flag (editors only)
  ✗ Permissions (admins only)

Examples

Limited Submission for Registered

Registered users see fewer options:

Available fields:
  - Title ✓
  - Description ✓
  - Content ✓
  - Featured image ✓
  - Category ✓

Hidden fields:
  - Author (auto-current user)
  - Publication date (editors decide)
  - Scheduled date (admins only)
  - Featured status (editors choose)

Full Form for Editors

Editors see all options:

Available fields:
  - All basic fields
  - All metadata
  - Author selection ✓
  - Publication date/time ✓
  - Scheduled date ✓
  - Featured status ✓
  - Expiration date ✓
  - Permissions ✓

User Group Configuration

Create Custom Group

  1. Go to Admin → Users → Groups
  2. Click Create Group
  3. Enter group details:
Group Name: "Community Bloggers"
Group Description: "Users who contribute blog content"
Type: Regular group
  1. Click Save Group
  2. Go back to Publisher permissions
  3. Set permissions for new group

Group Examples

Suggested Groups for Publisher:

Group: Contributors
  - Regular members who submit articles
  - Can edit own articles
  - Cannot approve articles

Group: Reviewers
  - Can see submitted articles
  - Can approve/reject articles
  - Cannot delete others' articles

Group: Editors
  - Can edit any article
  - Can approve articles
  - Can moderate comments
  - Can manage some categories

Group: Publishers
  - Can edit any article
  - Can publish directly (no approval)
  - Can manage all categories
  - Can configure settings

Permission Hierarchies

Permission Flow

graph TD
    A[XOOPS Core Permissions] -->|Granted by| B[System Modules]
    B -->|Applied to| C[User Groups]
    C -->|Restrict| D[Publisher Permissions]
    D -->|Apply to| E[Global Permissions]
    E -->|Override by| F[Category Permissions]
    F -->|Apply to| G[Field Permissions]

Permission Inheritance

Base: Global module permissions
  ↓
Category: Overrides for specific categories
  ↓
Field: Further restricts available fields
  ↓
User: Has permission if ALL levels allow

Example:

User wants to edit article:
1. User group must have "edit articles" permission (global)
2. Category must allow editing (category level)
3. Field restrictions must allow (if applicable)
4. User must be author OR editor (for own vs all)

If ANY level denies → Permission denied

Approval Workflow Permissions

Configure Submission Approval

Control whether articles need approval:

Admin → Publisher → Preferences → Workflow

Approval Options

Submission Workflow:
  Require Approval: Yes

  For Registered Users:
    - New articles: Draft (pending approval)
    - Editors must approve
    - User can edit while pending
    - After approval: User can still edit

  For Editors:
    - New articles: Publish directly (optional)
    - Skip approval queue
    - Or always require approval

Configure Per Group

  1. Go to Preferences
  2. Find "Submission Workflow"
  3. For each group, set:
Group: Registered Users
  Require approval: ✓ YES
  Default status: Draft
  Can modify while pending: ✓ YES

Group: Editors
  Require approval: ✗ NO
  Default status: Published
  Can modify published: ✓ YES
  1. Click Save

Moderate Articles

Approve Pending Articles

For users with "approve articles" permission:

  1. Go to Admin → Publisher → Articles
  2. Filter by Status: Pending
  3. Click article to review
  4. Check content quality
  5. Set Status: Published
  6. Optional: Add editorial notes
  7. Click Save

Reject Articles

If article doesn't meet standards:

  1. Open article
  2. Set Status: Draft
  3. Add rejection reason (in comment or email)
  4. Click Save
  5. Send message to author explaining rejection

Moderate Comments

If moderating comments:

  1. Go to Admin → Publisher → Comments
  2. Filter by Status: Pending
  3. Review comment
  4. Options:
  5. Approve: Click Approve
  6. Reject: Click Delete
  7. Edit: Click Edit, fix, save
  8. Click Save

Manage User Access

View User Groups

See which users belong to groups:

Admin → Users → User Groups

For each user:
  - Primary group (one)
  - Secondary groups (multiple)

Permissions apply from all groups (union)

Add User to Group

  1. Go to Admin → Users
  2. Find user
  3. Click Edit
  4. Under Groups, check groups to add
  5. Click Save

Change User Permissions

For individual users (if supported):

  1. Go to User admin
  2. Find user
  3. Click Edit
  4. Look for individual permissions override
  5. Configure as needed
  6. Click Save

Common Permission Scenarios

Scenario 1: Open Blog

Allow anyone to submit:

Anonymous: View
Registered: Submit, edit own, delete own
Editors: Approve, edit all, delete all
Admins: Full control

Result: Open community blog

Scenario 2: Moderated News Site

Strict approval process:

Anonymous: View only
Registered: Cannot submit
Editors: Submit, approve others
Admins: Full control

Result: Only approved professionals publish

Scenario 3: Staff Blog

Employees can contribute:

Create group: "Staff"
Anonymous: View
Registered: View only (non-staff)
Staff: Submit, edit own, publish directly
Admins: Full control

Result: Staff-authored blog

Scenario 4: Multi-Category with Different Editors

Different editors for different categories:

News category:
  Editors group A: Full control

Reviews category:
  Editors group B: Full control

Tutorials category:
  Editors group C: Full control

Result: Decentralized editorial control

Permission Testing

Verify Permissions Work

  1. Create test user in each group
  2. Log in as each test user
  3. Try to:
  4. View articles
  5. Submit article (should create draft if permitted)
  6. Edit article (own and others)
  7. Delete article
  8. Access admin panel

  9. Access categories

  10. Verify results match expected permissions

Common Test Cases

Test Case 1: Anonymous user
  [ ] Can view published articles: ✓
  [ ] Cannot submit articles: ✓
  [ ] Cannot access admin: ✓

Test Case 2: Registered user
  [ ] Can submit articles: ✓
  [ ] Articles go to Draft: ✓
  [ ] Can edit own article: ✓
  [ ] Cannot edit others: ✓
  [ ] Cannot access admin: ✓

Test Case 3: Editor
  [ ] Can approve articles: ✓
  [ ] Can edit any article: ✓
  [ ] Can access admin: ✓
  [ ] Cannot delete all: ✓ (or ✓ if allowed)

Test Case 4: Admin
  [ ] Can do everything: ✓

Troubleshooting Permissions

Problem: User can't submit articles

Check: 

1. User group has "submit articles" permission
   Admin → Publisher → Permissions

2. User belongs to allowed group
   Admin → Users → Edit user → Groups

3. Category allows submission from user's group
   Admin → Publisher → Categories → Permissions

4. User is registered (not anonymous)

Solution: 

1. Verify registered user group has submission permission
2. Add user to appropriate group
3. Check category permissions
4. Clear user session cache

Problem: Editor can't approve articles

Check: 

1. Editor group has "approve articles" permission
2. Articles exist with "Pending" status
3. Editor is in correct group
4. Category allows approval from editor's group

Solution: 

1. Go to Permissions, check "approve articles" is checked for editor group
2. Create test article, set to Draft
3. Try to approve as editor
4. Check error messages in system log

Problem: Can see articles but can't access category

Check: 

1. Category is not disabled/hidden
2. Category permissions allow viewing
3. User's group is permitted to view category
4. Category is published

Solution: 

1. Go to Categories, check category status is "Enabled"
2. Check category permissions are set
3. Add user's group to category view permission

Problem: Permissions changed but not taking effect

Solution: 

1. Clear cache: Admin → Tools → Clear Cache
2. Clear session: Logout and login again
3. Check system log for errors
4. Verify permissions actually saved
5. Try different browser/incognito window

Permission Backup & Export

Export Permissions

Some systems allow exporting:

  1. Go to Admin → Publisher → Tools
  2. Click Export Permissions
  3. Save .xml or .json file
  4. Keep as backup

Import Permissions

Restore from backup:

  1. Go to Admin → Publisher → Tools
  2. Click Import Permissions
  3. Select backup file
  4. Review changes
  5. Click Import

Best Practices

Permission Configuration Checklist

  • Decide on user groups
  • Assign clear names to groups
  • Set base permissions for each group
  • Test each permission level
  • Document permission structure
  • Create approval workflow
  • Train editors on moderation
  • Monitor permission usage
  • Review permissions quarterly
  • Backup permission settings

Security Best Practices

✓ Principle of Least Privilege
  - Grant minimum necessary permissions

✓ Role-Based Access
  - Use groups for roles (editor, moderator, etc)

✓ Audit Permissions
  - Review who has what access

✓ Separate Duties
  - Submitter, approver, publisher are different

✓ Regular Review
  - Check permissions quarterly
  - Remove access when users leave
  - Update for new requirements

Next Steps

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