Default Download Access Level (Front End Submission)

[dwhite]

Joomla version: 3.4.5
jDownloads version: 3.2.39
PHP version: 5.6.11
MySQL version: 5.5.42-37
OS: Linux b
localhost

After the previous version of jDownloads was installed (3.2.38), authorized front end users could not upload files and create downloads.

The current version (3.2.39) corrects that. However, jDownloads automatically sets the Access level for the download created from the front end form to the access level of the user who created it.

Doh!

So if the individual is a Super User, only Super Users can see the download and, of course, only when logged into the Website. This is not good. For instance, someone who has Super User access for organizational reasons may never actually login to the Admin backend but create file downloads only through the front end interface.

The attached image shows that there is no Access field in the front end submission form for the authorized download administrator to use. The Webmaster is required to login to the Admin backend and change the download file Access level.

Any ideas of a work-around?

Thank you.

Don White

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[dwhite]

I posted this support request more than "yesterday." I need assistance - please help with your comments or suggestions.
Thanks

[Arno]

Hi Don,

I posted this support request more than "yesterday."

Fact is, that jDownloads is a open source and not a commercial project. Anybody Joomla user can download and use jD for free. So when you need commercial support you should also use a commercial (not free) extension!
(Please note that we have all a real job and a family.)

After the previous version of jDownloads was installed (3.2.38), authorized front end users could not upload files and create downloads.

The current version (3.2.39) corrects that.

When you had this problem your settings was not complete correct! Here was not a bug the reason and in version 3.2.39 was nothing fixed here.

So if the individual is a Super User, only Super Users can see the download and, of course, only when logged into the Website. This is not good. For instance, someone who has Super User access for organizational reasons may never actually login to the Admin backend but create file downloads only through the front end interface.

The attached image shows that there is no Access field in the front end submission form for the authorized download administrator to use. The Webmaster is required to login to the Admin backend and change the download file Access level.

Any ideas of a work-around?

The described status seems for me to be the result from a misconfiguration. So you should read the documentation and note the examples:
- http://www.jdownloads.net/documentations/item/create-download-from-front-end-permissions-and-access?category_id=29
- http://www.jdownloads.net/documentations/item/controlled-access-to-categories-and-downloads

Which data fields will be viewed in the upload form can you select (for every user groupo different) in the jDownloads User Groups Settings.

Maybe can Colin help you better. He has written the documentation.

[ColinM]

Hi
I have been a bit busy over the last couple of days - so have not had time to keep up with the forum.
EDIT - please see note in next post
I will look into your challenge.  My first reaction is that you may not have set up the front eng Users groups setting.  It is quite possible to get the Access level question asked to the front end.

As a start I would suggest you create a Uploader User Group and join every one who you want to upload into that grpoup, including super users.  The reason for this is that then you only have to set one User Group settings top  a high ranking level.

In theUser Groups settings you can set up to ensure that either ther is a default access or that the access level is selectable.  Super users are by their nature an anomaly!!

If you could PM  me super user login I will look at your site and set up a suitable UG.  Of course you can have multriple such UGs, its just simpler with one initially.

Excuse rushed nature of this reply ut I am tired and needto go to bed!!

Colin

[ColinM]

Hi
Because a User may belong to many User Groups (UGs) then jDownloads has to decide which UG is the most important one as far as it is concerned.  There is no unique method within Joomla! because of the inheritance rules.  One could argue that someone with Super User rights should then always use the Super User settings in jDownloads User Groups settings.  However that becomes anomalous with all other cases and would require special code.  At an early stage in resolving this one to many problem jD introduced the User Groups ranking so that there was an unambiguous method of selecting which UG Settings would be employed.

The standard Joomla! UGs are all given a default ranking value which accords with their probable expectation of importance, specifically the ranking for Super Users is 100.  So if no changes are made and there are no site specific UGs with a higher ranking then a Super User will use the super user group settings.  In most circumstances each upload requires the same information as determined by the Admin team.  So one can set up each relevant UG settings, ensuring the ranking values are appropriate, or one can set up just a few upload capable UGs. This also helps with setting the privileges.

Within the User Groups settings, specifically the Group Creation/Editing Settings tab, there are two items.  One of these is 'Default access view level' which is often left at its default of Select.  The other one is simply 'Access' in the tick boxes. So assuming we have ticked Access and left the 'Default access view level' at Select, and of course that we have also set the relevant UG ranking sufficiently high, then the font end upload form will show a question 'Access' in the Publishing tab.  There is a pulldown list to select all available Access Levels.  That is it is possible to request a specific access level dynamically for each upload as it is created.  This will override any default Access Level.

If the 'Access' is not ticked and the 'Default access view level' is at Select then the Access Level acquired by the Download is the one into which Category it is placed.  I tried this with both my Uploader UG and logged in as Super User, who is not a member of the Uploader UG.

If the 'Access' is not ticked but now the 'Default access view level' is at a specified setting, such as in my test at a view level called PrivateView, then the Access Level acquired by the Download is the one set by the default.

I hope this explanation helps.

Colin M

[dwhite]

Colin,

Thanks. However, until the latest version of jDownloads, the superuser who logged in through the frontend and created a download did not experience this problem. The downloads she created were "Public" access as they should be, since she is the primary interface for the church to their congregation through the Internet.

It would be far, far simpler to add the Access field function, as it exists in the admin backend, to the Create Download form used in the frontend. Users who are authorized to create downloads would not be able to set the access at a level greater than their own user level but could set access to "Guest" or "Public," etc.

I will undertake your steps to resolve this matter for my customer but the interface could be much simpler and more direct.

Cheers.

[ColinM]

Hi
If the user does nothing with setting access then

If the 'Access' is not ticked and the 'Default access view level' is at Select then the Access Level acquired by the Download is the one into which Category it is placed.  I tried this with both my Uploader UG and logged in as Super User, who is not a member of the Uploader UG.

So I suggest you do not tick the Access field in user group setting, and that you leave the select access at its default for the user group concerned.  That is the user has nothing to do as it takes access level from the category! Think that is really simple for the uploader.

Colin

[Arno]

It would be far, far simpler to add the Access field function, as it exists in the admin backend, to the Create Download form used in the frontend.

But this field exist already. See pics.

It seems that i understand nothing here. 

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