How do editors edit pages?

[balisto]

Hi,

I'm still trying to understand elxis ;-) How do editors or publishers (without backend access) edit content? I read somewhere in the forums that there should appear a clickable pen-symbol on every page (frontend), but I can't see anything. Am I blind? And another beginners question: what does check-in, check-out (e.g. "check-in my items" in user menu)?

Cheers,
Chris

[nikos65]

You have to check from the backend the group rights.

Also in elxis 2008 none can publish from front end. I think same changes will be at 2008.1 more informations at www.elxis.org

[balisto]

Hi,

thanks for your answer.

Sure I checked the group rights (actually I left the install's defaults). Editors and Publishers have right to edit ALL content (I have 2008.0)

What do you mean with "none can publish from the frontend"? What kind of CMS would that be?

Cheers,
Chris

[nikos65]

Safe and more !!  .

Only administrators can publish from backend all the others can submit , edit  content , links ....

[balisto]

Yes, that's what I'm looking for: "edit content"

[datahell]

No one is allowed to edit published items from front-end. The "permissions" in the access manager are from the previous Elxis generation (2006.x) and have not been removed as they might be used for other purposes (for example third party components).
You can submit a new item and edit it while it is not yet approved by a site administrator. Once approved and published you can not edit it any more.

The reasons for this are many:
1. Most users never use front-end to post articles.
2. Security is hardened by disabling edit/publish actions in front-end (security for us is very important).
3. It is hard to transfer all back-end functionality to front-end (almost impossible).
4. Elxis is moving to a new direction. The normal site content is addressed to site administrators while community/visitors/members are able to post to blogs and comment articles. Elxis 2008.1 allows you to create unlimited user blogs (Elxis blogs) and assign an author to each one. Each blog has its own settings and front-end users are able to post articles, upload images, post youtube videos, etc.
Live preview: http://www.isternia.net/en/eblog/isternia-blog/.

Note that article commentary will be expanded to normal articles too in version 2008.2.

Elxis 2008.1 is ready and will be released by the end of September 2008. You will be able to upgrade Elxis 2008.0 to 2008.1 easily via the Elxis Upgrader tool.

[balisto]

Hi Datahell,

Thanks for your detailed explanations. I now understand what the reasons are for not editing over the frontend. I think I still have to get used to elxis )

I will try to understand the system better the next days.

Cheers,
Chris

[owl]

Hi,
there is one problem: even without "action publish content all" // "action publish content own" in your group-access-list, you're able to publish the content... :-/
Best Regards,
owl

[datahell]

I don't know for which part of the CMS you are talking but there are some areas where Elxis acts with its own intelligence to make things easier and more simple.

[owl]

I don't know for which part of the CMS you are talking but there are some areas where Elxis acts with its own intelligence to make things easier and more simple.

I'm talking for the part "publish content" - "All content items" or adding a new article and activating the "publish"-checkbox. The group "managers" (which is modified) is not allowed (and shouldn't be allowed) to publish the content items...

Code: [Select]

GROUP ACO ACO Value AXO AXO Value
manager administration login NULL NULL
manager administration manage components com_frontpage
manager administration edit components com_frontpage
manager administration edit components com_media
manager action add content all
manager action edit content all
manager administration install components all
manager action view profile all
manager action upload files images
manager action edit profile own
manager action add weblinks all
manager administration manage components com_menumanager
manager administration manage components com_stargallery
manager administration edit components com_stargallery
manager action upload files all
manager administration edit components com_menumanager
manager administration manage components com_media
manager administration manage components com_weblinks
manager administration edit components com_weblinks
manager administration edit modules all


[datahell]

You can modify admin.content.php file -> function saveContent and add something like this before the "if (!$row->store()) {" line:

Code: (php) [Select]

<?php 
global $acl;

$canpuball = $acl->acl_check(&#39;action&#39;, &#39;publish&#39;, &#39;users&#39;, $my->usertype, &#39;content&#39;, &#39;all&#39;);
$canpubown = $acl->acl_check(&#39;action&#39;, &#39;publish&#39;, &#39;users&#39;, $my->usertype, &#39;content&#39;, &#39;own&#39;);

$canpublish = 0;
if (!$canpuball) {
if ($canpubown && ($row->created_by == $my->id)) {
$canpublish = $row->state;
}
} else {
$canpublish = $row->state;
}

$row->state = $canpublish;
?>

[ragbash]

No one is allowed to edit published items from front-end. The "permissions" in the access manager are from the previous Elxis generation (2006.x) and have not been removed as they might be used for other purposes

I can certainly understand where you are coming from. The older version had categories for Registered User, Author, Editor, and Publisher. The new version strips Editor and Publisher rights and has the same backend default groups. I just wanted to suggest that future releases have predefined backend groups below manager similar to what Editor and Publisher used to do from the frontend. I am going to set my backend groups up like this so that I could assign editorial and publishing rights to users to take the load off the administrators but this addition would probably be very valuable for new Elxis users. Users that only need to be able to edit content should not have by default the ability to change the layout of the site and new Elxis users might be turned off by having to configure these groups. Obviously at one point the developers thought the Editor and Publisher roles necessary as they are still included in the current release so why not transfer these group permissions to the backend?

I hope this helps make Elxis an even better CMS,
-Ragbash

[datahell]

Nothing has changed, Elxis has the same default groups and you are free to edit their permissions. I know that this system is not be so understandable for the new users. That's why we always suggest not to edit the user groups and their permissions as they might generate serious problems to their sites. In our plans is to completely change the access system in order to make it easier. But this can not be done now, or in the 2009 version, as this change will change dramatically Elxis and will make it incompatible with any current extension.

I believe a simple access system like the SMF's we currently write into is the best choice. Using checkboxes you will be able to apply or remove permissions from user groups. The current system is more powerful and expandable but it is harder to understand how it works...

[ragbash]

Thanks for taking the time to read my feedback. I think I might not have phrased what I was trying to say adequately. I know the current groups are necessary for legacy extensions but I was trying to suggest adding additional backend groups to serve the roles the editor and publisher groups used to be utilized for. In other words.. keep the same front end/back end groups so there are no incompatibility issues, but adding new backend groups with less access than manager so admins can designate the editing/publishing roles without having to configure new user groups for it.

I am admittedly new to web design but I have tried a ton of CMS's and Elxis is by far my favorite. I understand from your explanations in other threads why editing and publishing was moved to back end. Reading your reply to my post, though, I am a bit scared to mess with my group permissions.

Since a lot of these group permissions were kept for legacy reasons, is there a list somewhere of which permissions are currently functional?

Thanks again for a great CMS!
-Ragbash

[datahell]

All of them are functional except from the front-end edit/publish.

My proposal for a new access system that will be easier to understand and to manage is like this:

Consider group "A"
Via check boxes you will be able to select the areas this group has access to. You will be also able to apply the same permissions on specific user. And developers will be able to extend the access areas for their components.

Can add content: yes/no
Can edit content: yes/no
Can publish content: yes/no
Can upload images: yes/no
Can edit profile: yes/no
Can login in back-end: yes/no
etc....

Example of access area extension:
Can add a new hotel (for component reservations): yes/no

The current system (ACL) follows an hierarchy tree, which Elxis allows you to edit and expand it. But this is the difficult point to understand, I think no-one knows how this system works... The new system wont have this hierarchy tree.