Question User Groups, User Group Privileges, ACLs

Rollmodl wrote:

Its so easy for someone to register just to gain access without participation. I think in Joomla 1.6 you will be able to create new user groups. The new groups should hopefully reflect in the forum access. This may be another way around this issue.

Yes, there's a very easy way around this issue: you decide who has access to your "restricted" forums.

See Setup permissions and categories for special groups - it needs to be rewritten (forums = categories) but the general principles apply.

sozzled is right imo: you decide who can access a category and who cannot.
If you're using AlphaUserPoints, basing category access on user points might induce users to "spam around" just to get points; manual access management solves the whole problem.

MarkBoy81 wrote:

sozzled is right imo: you decide who can access a category and who cannot.
If you're using AlphaUserPoints, basing category access on user points might induce users to "spam around" just to get points; manual access management solves the whole problem.

How can you create category access based on alpha user points? I can use that for now if it's possible.

Setup permissions and categories for special groups[/i][/url] - it needs to be rewritten (forums = categories) but the general principles apply.

The problem is that I need to create another group other than whats available in the forum access. I dont want to give these users author or editor status.

Rollmodl wrote:

The problem is that I need to create another group other than whats available in the forum access. I dont want to give these users author or editor status.

Let's analyse these two statements:

Let us suppose you have two categories where users can view and/or post topics:

• Category A: The general, unrestricted category that is open to all registered users (maybe, even, guests can browse but messages but they have no posting rights)
• Category B: A restricted category that can only be accessed after a registered member has proven his/her "worth" (by attaining some "points" for argument's sake).

Now, the question is, how do you restrict Category B? When you've answered that question you can look at ways of "promoting" a subset of Category A users so that they can participate in Category B.

As you will see, from my generalised proposition the basis of the whole discussion essentially is based upon how you decide when a user is "worthy" enough.

But this also makes for other opportunities: why not give these "worthy" people Joomla author rights so that they may offer their own contributions to your website in other ways? Author rights mean that you could allow them to write articles (they won't appear unless you approve them) or you could restrict or enable other content on your site based on this additional privilege.

On the other hand, maybe you don't think that your users are worthy enough of that. That's your right, too.

However, getting back to the question of how you restrict Category B, in K 1.5 the only mechanism you have is Joomla author, editor, publisher and, unless, you can find a way to work around that then you're stuck and no amount of asking the question "How can I allow access to a category based on a points score" is going to give you a satisfactory answer.

Access to Kunena categories uses what's available in Joomla 1.5 - "author", "editor", "publisher", "manager", "administrator", "super administrator". Joomla 1.6 will introduce Access Control Lists.

Also, while waiting for K1.6 native access control list, I've read several times about people successfully introducing additional groups (beyond Joomla native ones) by isntalling NoixACL component.

I guess it's worth checking it, at least.

I need to create some user groups, to access private forums, and can't decide which ACL to use. Does anyone have any recommendations, preferences or experiences to share?

Thanks!