[Pmwiki-users] Nested group permissions

Crisses crisses at kinhost.org
Tue Apr 29 22:36:57 CDT 2003


Hello.  I'm just starting to use PmWiki, and it's great. :)  One heck of a
nice piece of code :)

I have a complaint.  I want to have a nested group structure...like movie
ratings, there's a section for G-Rating, PG-13, NC-17 and XXX.

I want people at higher levels to have permission for lower levels without
needing to have multiple passwords.  Fancy being able to rent Fight Club but
not rent A Very Smurfy Christmas. :)

I can see how I might alter the code (I can handle some php programming),
but the code is not well commented, so it's a little more work to sit there
and figure out what every variable is doing, how information is used by
various parts of the program when a function is called (the RetrieveAuthPage
function is called many times, and that looks like the function in question)
and exactly how it is that it's handling the passwords/permissions.  Playing
with the site while it's running, it looks like I can enter all four
passwords and be authenticated at all 4 levels at the same time.  I don't
want to have to give users 4 passwords just to read the whole site, however
-- and I don't want to give them my admin password.  Also, if there's a
security problem, *everyone* will have to get new passwords, at every level,
rather than just the one level the person who became an idiot was at.

I am thinking that one could set up information on nested groups in the
local.php file, then have a function called such that when someone
authenticates at a higher level, they automatically receive permission for
all the lower levels -- if the feature is used.  It also makes little sense
for someone to be able to edit pages but not read them, so I was also
thinking that people with the password for editorial access at, say NC-17
level would automatically get read AND edit access for G-Rating, PG-13, and
NC-17.  Hence, one password would be all anyone would (hopefully) require
(in a nested security scheme such as mine).

How difficult will this be to code, is the issue?  Should I tackle this in
my not-at-all-copious-spare-time or is there someone familiar with the code
that this issue has been nagging? (or now nags)  lol

Crisses
-- 
Civility is the funniest thing to happen since slime crawled out of the
primordial ooze.





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