smd_user_manager: keep large user bases under control

Dragondz · 2021-07-14 09:34:38

Hi Stef,

~~I have more columns on txp_users and i want to view them in the smd_user_manager (v 0.21) tab can you advice me what code to change to make it happen ?~~

Thanks

NB: Hi I found where to change the code forget my demand.

demoncleaner · 2021-11-19 12:18:18

Hi Stef,

I would like to contribute a bit on testing the plugin on a real life scenario. I installed already on my dev-version. (txp vs. 4.8.7) First of all I do not see any users on the admin->users panel. I do see the buttons “new User”, “Change Password” etc. Is this an issue with the latest textpattern version maybe?

And I would kindly ask if you could spare me a lot of reading and tell me if you would use the plugin for the following situation:

I would like to create a user login, where either the admin or the client himself can create an account. But it needs to be proofed by the admin until the user gets access to anything. Those users have no access to the textpattern admin area. The user should be able to change his details (Email, Password etc.). There will be a total of 10-20 users.

There should be the possibility to write content specifically for each user.
That is actually my main concern! Will I have to create a group for each user then?

Is that achievable with the help of this plugin or would you not recomment using it in such case?
The frontend of the normal Website is already in textpattern. That is why it would be nice if it could be all done with just textpattern.

Bloke · 2021-11-19 14:49:08

Hmmm, the latest version should work on any version from 4.8.6+. Note that I’ve just fixed a couple of installation bugs so:

Visit your database and remove anything in txp_prefs that begins smd_user_manager_% or smd_um_%. Delete your smd_um_* tables too if they don’t contain any data yet.
Download the main repo’s .php file and drag it into your Admin>Plugins file picker.
Install and activate.

You should see two new buttons in the Admin>Users panel: ‘Groups’ and ‘Privs’.

Specifically for your question, this plugin won’t help your users auto-register for an account. For that you can use mem_self_register (my fork is available which also requires mem_form). With those plugins you can add the ability for accounts to registered, and you can set the default level to be any group (priv level) number you like, including ones you may have created in smd_user_manager.

If you want people to be able to change their account details before they have been approved (i.e. moved to an appropriate priv level by an admin) then you might need something more custom-built on the front end, or use mck_login or cbe_frontauth plugins – neither of which I’ve used for a long time, but they may still work.

The basic workflow will then be:

a. User registers for an account. Default priv level could be 0 (no access at all) or some other custom value (e.g. 7 if you define that level in smd_user_manager to give very very basic access to Txp, but not to any admin side functionality).
b. Someone on the admin team can browse the Admin>Users panel and approve an account by moving the person from this default priv tier to another one of your choosing – again, either one of the existing levels or a new one that gives specific functionality to that group of user.

EDIT: Another option is to set up a user group that has access to nothing except Admin>Users. If the person has no ‘create’ access to the panel and only ‘edit own’ ability, they should only see their own details and be able to update them when they log in. Untested with smd_user_manager so I’d be interested in your experience here. But you could essentially turn off everything under the tab. privs for your chosen user group except for Admin>Users panel so the entire UI would be hidden except for that one feature.

Hope that helps.

Last edited by Bloke (2021-11-19 14:51:46)

demoncleaner · 2021-11-19 15:18:53

Thanks Stef for your detailed answer.
I will have to give the first part a try. I ll let you know if it worked.

The whole registration problem should not be a problem after reading your suggestions.
I will also try out your idea about changing the user´s own details.

I am not sure but I think the second part of my question was not really answered. How would I ideally deal with individual content? Let´s say I finally have 10 users. They all have self registered, given proper access by an admin and can change their details if they want to.
Now I want to be able (as an admin) to let user A know via his dashboard about certain individual things, that only he/she should see. And user B gets another individual info and so on. How would I create user specific content? Would each user just be a group and then the content can be group specific? That would work in my case because the number of users is small. Just checking if this is the way to go.

Last edited by demoncleaner (2021-11-19 15:19:54)

Bloke · 2021-11-19 15:50:22

User-specific content is easy(ish). Let’s say you use smd_tabber to make a dashboard from the Start menu. On that page template you tell it to pull out all content owned by them and present it. Articles, Images, Links, whatever. You can subdivide it how you like – it’s just forms and HTML.

Now, if you (as an admin) want to ‘communicate’ with someone, you go write an article. Maybe if you set it to particular category it shows up in a specific ‘notification’ area on the dashboard. Or maybe you use Sticky status for that. Or a section. Either way, when you’ve created the article, go to Admin>Articles and use the multi-edit tool to Change Author to the nominated user. The content will pop up on their dashboard.

If you’re using articles for your own purposes for front-end content, then just make a dedicated “dashboard’ section and set it pageless so it can never show up on the public site. Then in your dashboard use <txp:article custom section="dashboard" author='{the current author}' /> to pull out the content.

You may need a shortcode and/or a jot of PHP to grab the current author name. Can’t remember if that info is readily available from a tag. It might be possible to get the logged-in username but if not, it’s available in $txp_user.

demoncleaner · 2021-11-23 06:08:40

Hey Stef, I am still struggling to get the plugin working properly. I did what you said in terms of checking the database and deleting all leftovers from an older install of the plugin. I reinstalled and I have the same issue. I am not seeing the users that are already there. It is just empty with the buttons “new user, change password, groups and privs” on top. I also cannot access to the plugin´s “options” from the plugins panel. It will say “Restricted area”. Of course I am the main admin and have publisher access.

From the “users” panel I can add a user though. And access via the button to the privs.
On the privs I see “plugin_prefs” and “prefs” multiple times, if thats of any interest.

demoncleaner · 2021-11-30 10:48:33

Just to let you know: I installed the plugin on a different site and had not such problems as described earlier. I also disabled all other plugins to check if there might be a conflict or something. Nothing. The problem hast to be still some kind of earlier installation of smd_user … I guess. I am on it and will let you know when I find out the reason.

EDIT: I decided to use this in a seperated textpattern install. No problems there. Cannot say what exactly caused the problems in the other installation.

Last edited by demoncleaner (2021-12-01 09:29:17)

Dragondz · 2022-11-27 13:09:50

Hi Stef

is there something in the plugin that block sending reset email to email address like that : some.thing@domaine.com ?

For gmail account it worked but for others it didn’t.

I can sen you the exact email if you want to know (the email works when sending from email software)

Cheers.

PS: i am using v0.21

colak · 2022-11-27 16:31:16

Dragondz wrote #334211:

Hi Stef

is there something in the plugin that block sending reset email to email address like that : some.thing@domaine.com ?

For gmail account it worked but for others it didn’t.

I can sen you the exact email if you want to know (the email works when sending from email software)

Cheers.

PS: i am using v0.21

I recently had similar issues, without using the particular plugin!

Dragondz · 2022-11-28 07:18:52

colak wrote #334212:

I recently had similar issues, without using the particular plugin!

Hum, Then it s a txp bug!

colak · 2022-11-28 15:05:54

Dragondz wrote #334213:

Hum, Then it s a txp bug!

It might be, but it is not consistent. Some people receive the email, and some do not.

Dragondz · 2022-11-30 08:53:31

Hi Yiannis

For me it was the server who had disabled using sendmail by script! I enable it and all goes normal.

Cheers.

Textpattern CMS

Textpattern CMS support forum

#109 2021-07-14 09:34:38

Re: smd_user_manager: keep large user bases under control

#110 2021-11-19 12:18:18

Re: smd_user_manager: keep large user bases under control

#111 2021-11-19 14:49:08

Re: smd_user_manager: keep large user bases under control

#112 2021-11-19 15:18:53

Re: smd_user_manager: keep large user bases under control

#113 2021-11-19 15:50:22

Re: smd_user_manager: keep large user bases under control

#114 2021-11-23 06:08:40

Re: smd_user_manager: keep large user bases under control

#115 2021-11-30 10:48:33

Re: smd_user_manager: keep large user bases under control

#116 2022-11-27 13:09:50

Re: smd_user_manager: keep large user bases under control

#117 2022-11-27 16:31:16

Re: smd_user_manager: keep large user bases under control

Dragondz wrote #334211:

#118 2022-11-28 07:18:52

Re: smd_user_manager: keep large user bases under control

colak wrote #334212:

#119 2022-11-28 15:05:54

Re: smd_user_manager: keep large user bases under control

Dragondz wrote #334213:

#120 2022-11-30 08:53:31

Re: smd_user_manager: keep large user bases under control

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