Column Access Registry entry

Specify the privileges that users / groups have on a per column basis.

Vitalware module controls (text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, etc.) map to a column in a table. Column privileges determine whether a user sees a particular control, and whether the user can modify data in the control.

To enter text into controls, or to be able to change their value a user must have the du privilege corresponding to the current mode (Edit, New or Search). If they do not have this privilege (e.g. duEdit for Edit mode), the controls will be greyed out.

Tip: Think of du as "define update".

To see a control a user must have the dv privilege corresponding to the current mode (e.g. dvEdit for Edit mode), otherwise the control will be invisible.

Tip: Think of dv as "define view".

If the first column in a Group box is hidden, all fields in the group will also be hidden. Consider the Person Details group of fields in the Parties module:

  • Title: (Person Details)
  • First: (Person Details)
  • Middle: (Person Details)
  • Last: (Person Details)
  • Suffix: (Person Details)
  • Other Names: (Person Details)

    ex_person_details.gif

Hiding Title: (Person Details) will hide all fields in the Person Details group of fields.

Usage

This Registry entry can be assigned to users and groups:

Key User User Group Group Group Group
Key 1 User User Group Group Group Group
Key 2 user user group group Default Default
Key 3 Table Table Table Table Table Table
Key 4 table Default table Default table Default
Key 5 Column Access
Key 6 column or Default
Value priv;priv;...
User user Table table Column Access column priv;priv;...
User user Table Default Column Access column priv;priv;...
Group group Table table Column Access column priv;priv;...
Group group Table Default Column Access column priv;priv;...
Group Default Table table Column Access column priv;priv;...
Group Default Table Default Column Access column priv;priv;...
User user Table table Column Access Default priv;priv;...
User user Table Default Column Access Default priv;priv;...
Group group Table table Column Access Default priv;priv;...
Group group Table Default Column Access Default priv;priv;...
Group Default Table table Column Access Default priv;priv;...
Group Default Table Default Column Access Default priv;priv;...

where:

column

is a back-end column name; or use Default for all columns in the specified table(s).

 priv;priv;...

is a semicolon separated list of permissions:
dvDisplay The column can be viewed (seen) when displaying records.
dvEdit The column can be viewed when editing records.
duEdit The column can be updated (changed) when editing records.
dvInsert The column can be viewed when inserting new records.
duInsert The column can be updated when inserting new records.
dvQuery The column can be viewed when entering search terms.
duQuery The column can be updated when entering search terms.
duReplace The column may be used for a global replace or edit. The user must also have the daReplace privilege in their Operations Registry entry.

When applying column privileges Vitalware first applies the Default access privileges to all columns, then individual column privileges are used to override the default set.

Note: Adding a Column Access entry for a column overrides any default settings for that column.

To have all but one column (e.g. BioBirthPlace) in a table (e.g. eparties) visible to users:

  1. Set a default entry that provides dvDisplay for all fields in the eparties table.
  2. Set an entry for the BioBirthPlace that does not include the dvDisplay privilege.

    Note: As soon as an entry exists for a column, any default settings no longer apply to that column.
    While creating an entry for a column with no privileges assigned might seem like a reasonable way to hide a column, it is not advised as a Column Access Registry entry without a value is read by the system as a syntax error. If you want a column to be hidden, create a Column Access entry for the column with duQuery as the only value: even though it has update privilege in Query mode, the column is not visible in any mode.

Examples

The Volunteers group is only permitted to modify the Place of Birth field (column name is BioBirthPlace) in the Parties module (eparties table):

Key Setting
Key 1 Group
Key 2 Volunteers
Key 3 Table
Key 4 eparties
Key 5 Column Access
Key 6 Default
Value dvDisplay;dvEdit;dvQuery;duQuery

 

Key Setting
Key 1 Group
Key 2 Volunteers
Key 3 Table
Key 4 eparties
Key 5 Column Access
Key 6 BioBirthPlace
Value dvDisplay;dvEdit;duEdit;dvQuery;duQuery

The first entry sets the default access privileges for all columns in the eparties table: users in the Volunteers group are able to enter search terms into any field (duQuery) and view all fields (dvDisplay, dvEdit, dvQuery). They cannot update (edit) any columns (this requires duEdit) or add new records (this requires dvInsert and duInsert).

The second entry modifies the privileges for the column BioBirthPlace so that this column can be edited (duEdit).