Page Restrictions in Answers

Page permissions are a way to restrict your content to specified users or groups, in addition to the space permissions.

Identifying Page Restrictions

Page restrictions are noted by one of three different lock icons:

• Page is not restricted, and does not have any inherited view restrictions.

• Page is not restricted, however it contains inherited view restrictions.

• Page itself is restricted. May or may not contain inherited view restrictions.

Inherited View Restrictions

Although a page may not have any restrictions placed on it, it may have a parent page that is view restricted. View permissions cascade down. If a parent page is view restricted, then all of it's child pages will be viewable only by users which are in the view permissions of the parent page. Even if a user is explicitly added to the child page permissions, but not the parent page which is view restricted, then they will still not be able to access the child page.

The Page Restrictions dialogue will notify that the current page is affected by view restrictions from a parent page, as well as a link to the parent page containing the restriction. The Page Restriction dialogue when applying Page Restrictions on a page where a parent page has been view restricted will also dynamically change the verbiage to better inform you what users will have access.

Open

Page Permission Types

Answers contains three different page permission types:

• Anyone in this space can edit

• Anyone in this space can view, only some can edit

• Only specific people can view or edit

Open

Anyone in this space can edit

If there are no restrictions set on a page and the parent page(s) do not have viewing restrictions applied, then the page will be viewable and editable by everyone allowed by the space, space permissions permitting.

Anyone in this space can view, only some can edit

When a page is set to have Edit Restrictions, everyone allowed by the space can still view the page, however only the specified users/groups will be able to edit the content. This is useful for a highly public page that you do not want anyone except you and/or another user/group editing the content of. 

Only specific people can view or edit

This is the most restrictive method for a page, only allowing users/groups in the page permissions to access the page and know it's existence. This is a two layer approach condensed into one. The first layer being who can only view and not edit, and the second layer who can view and edit.

If a user does not have view permissions on a page, that page and it's children will not display in the child pages macro nor the page tree in the sidebar. You may still place a link to a restricted page on an unrestricted page, which will still display to the the user even if they do not have appropriate permissions. It is best practice to place a notification next to the link that the linked page is restricted.

Ex. Restricted Page Login Required

Accessing, Setting, and Removing Page Permissions

Why and When to Restrict Pages

Restrictions can be a very helpful tool, letting you designate who has access to your content. Restrictions can limit your page to be edited and/or viewed by a specific set of people, in addition to the Space Permissions. However, if the restrictions are too granular, the content may not be accessible to everyone that should have access.

When it comes to edit permissions on a page, it is recommended to be fairly specific with your users on who you'd like to edit and moderate your content. The more specific you are, the more control you have over the content that gets modified, as well as knowledge of who does the modifying. Too little restrictions in this area could allow for a multitude of unknown sources contributing to your content, which can be tricky to moderate. 

For view permissions, it is a lot more loose than edit permissions. Your content is made to be shared and dispersed amongst a multitude of users. Restricting too much can prevent your audience as a whole from accessing your content. It is best practice to analyze the overall picture of who your audience for that particular piece of content is, then open it up to the broadest group or set of users you feel comfortable allowing. 

Accessing Page Permissions

1. Navigate to the page desired to have restrictions

2. Click on the Page Restriction icon (note the Identifying Page Restrictions above for the different ways the lock icon appears) to the right of the page breadcrumbs

3. The Page Restrictions dialogue will be presented displaying the current Page Restriction structure 

Adding Page Permissions

1. Navigate to the page permissions

2. Select the desired permission type you would like to apply to the page from the dropdown

3. If using Edit Restricted:

   1. Search for and select appropriate user/group

   2. Click Add

   3. Repeat steps 2a and 2b for all appropriate users/groups

   4. After all appropriate users/groups have been added, click Apply

4. If using View and Edit Restricted:

   1. Search for and select appropriate user/group

   2. Select whether they can view or view and edit from the dropdown to the left of the Add button

      1. These can be quickly modified after the user is added by choosing a different option from the dropdown to the right of the user/group's name in the permission list

   3. Select Add

   4. Repeat steps 3a, 3b, and 3c for all appropriate users/groups

   5. After all appropriate users/groups have been added, click Apply

Before attempting to add a new user to a Page Restriction have the user log in to Answers.  User profiles are only created when a user logs in for the first time. This action will initialize the user's Profile and make it visible in the user search function.

Removing Individual Page Permissions

1. Navigate to the page permissions

2. Locate the desired user/group to remove in the list presented in the page permission dialogue

3. Select Remove to the right of their name

4. Click Apply

Changing Page Permission Type

1. Navigate to the page permissions

2. Select the new permission type you would like to apply to the page from the dropdown below Restrictions

   1. If changing to a restricted page type (edit or view and edit), follow the steps in Adding Page Permissions. If completely un-restricting the page, continue to the next step.

3. After the new permission type has been applied, click Apply