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Users, Groups and Access Levels
Basic Information
The present software allows a number of users to work with the same database.
It is possible to assign different access rights for every user (for example, you can allow only reading for some users, and also allow changing database software records for others). Practically for all elements of the database, you can specify a list of users who will have access to such elements. For example, you can hide some buttons or folders or block a possibility to edit some fields of a database software record for a specific group of users.
Access Levels
The present software uses the hierarchical system of determining access rights (the same as used in Microsoft Windows). Let's imagine we have the Parent folder that contains the SubA and SubB subfolders:
If you set the Read Only access level for the Parent folder, this level will be automatically applied to the SubA and SubB subfolders (provided, however, there is no access rights set individually for them). But, if you set the Read and Write access rights for the SubB subfolder, you will be able to edit data even if its parent folder has the Read Only access level.
Therefore, the access level for a group of users for every folder/database software record is determined:
- By the folder itself, if access levels are evidently set using the Access Level menu;
- By the parent folder, if the access rights are not specified for the current folder itself;
- By the access rights set for the user who has logged into the database, if the folder is a root folder.
However, if the user who has logged into the database has the rights of Administrator, he or she has unrestricted access to all folders and database software records, regardless of the access rights set for separate database elements.
Specifying Users Settings and Method of Logging into a Database
By default one Administrator user and several Guests users are created for a new database. The authorization window is not displayed as no password is set for the Administrator user by default.
You can specify users settings, passwords and the method of logging into the database in the Users and Access window. To display this window, select File > Users and Access... menu item:
Database Users and Groups
On this tab you can edit users and users groups. Users are united into groups for convenience at access rights setting. For example, we can create the Operators group that will contain 3 users, and allow access to specific folders of the database for this group. If we need to add a new user with the same rights, we will simply create a new user in the Operators group.
For this reason access rights are set not for separate users, but for a group of users.
To create a new user or a group of users, click the New button.
Group Properties
- Name - name of the group. At user’s logging into the database this name is passed to the system variable [$_user group name].
- Access Level - the given field is the main field of a group. It determines the access level for users of this group by default. (See the Access Levels chapter above). The following values are possible:
- No Access - access to the database is prohibited for users of this group;
- Read Only - users of this group can only view folders and database software records, if other is not specified for such folders and database software records;
- Read and Write - users of this group can only view and edit folders and database software records, if other is not specified for such folders and database software records.
- Administrator - users of this group have full access to the whole database regardless of access rights settings for separate folders, database software records or fields.
- Own new database software records - selecting this check box allows the users of this group to become owners of database software records that they create. Otherwise the Administrator will become the owner of the database software record. The difference between the owner of a database software record and any other user is that the owner can change access rights for his or her database software records. Only the Administrator can change the owner of a database software record or a folder.
- Description - in this field you can enter any comments for a group.
User Properties
- Active - select the check box for the user to have access to the database;
- Group - use this list to change the group to which the user belongs;
- Login - user name that should be entered at logging into the database.
- Password - password for the selected user. If the password is not entered for the Administrator, the authorization dialog, in which the user is selected, will not be displayed and you will automatically log in as the Administrator at the database loading.
- Comments - in this field you can enter any comments for the user.
Login Method
On this tab you can specify the method of logging into the database: 
- Always show login screen - if this check box is selected, the authorization dialog will be always displayed (even if there is no password set for the Administrator of the database);
- Hide list of users - if this check box is selected, the authorization window displayed at logon will not have a list of available users and you will have to manually enter the user name under which you want to log into the database.
- Login screen greeting - this field allows specifying a greeting that will be displayed in the authorization window when the users try to log into the database.
- Preview... - press this button to preview how the authorization dialog window will look like:
Setting Access Level for Different Elements
You can set different access level for groups for the following elements of the database:
- Folders and Records - right-click an object and select the Set Access Levels... menu item. It is possible to specify the groups of users that will have writing rights, and groups that will have reading and writing rights.
- Form Fields - open the Forms Editor and select a necessary field. At the top of the window in the properties of the element select the Edit and Visibility item. On the displayed tab select the Only For Groups... value from the list for the Visible or Editable property.
- :
Now, clicking the Set Groups button, you can specify the groups of users for which this field will be visible/accessible for editing. Note: prohibition to edit fields for some groups does not apply if the value of the field is changed from the script.
- Toolbar Buttons - in Toolbar Editor select any button and select the Show this button only for the selected groups” check box. This will allow you to make the button (or menu) on the toolbar available only for specific groups.
- Timers - in Database Timers select any timer and select the Run only for the groups check box. Now the timer will be executed only for the specified groups of users.
Using the Current User in Scripts
When creating scripts you can use the system variable [$_User Name] to get the name of the user who has called the script.
For example, if we want to log the changes of database database software records, we can apply
the Apply Text Formula to a field
action for the on change event of a text field. The parameters will be the following:
In this case, when the text box is modified, the following information will be added in the log field:
2006-06-23 12:01:45 John
2006-06-23 15:45:10 Tom
2006-07-02 13:02:34 Mary
In this example John, Tom and Mary are names of users who modified this database software record.
To learn more, see the Scripts and Text Formulas sections.
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