Difference: TWikiAccessControl (22 vs. 23)

Revision 232002-05-04 - PeterThoeny

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  • Peer editing - the ability to rearrange anything on a page - keeps topics focussed.

  • All content is preserved under revision control.
Changed:
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    • Edits can be undone by the TWikiAdminGroup (the default administrators group; see #ManagingGroups).
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    • Users are encouraged to edit and refactor (condense a long topic), since there's a safety net.

As a collaboration guideline:

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Managing Groups

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Groups are defined by group topics in the Main web, like the TWikiAdminGroup. To start a new group:
  1. Create a new topic with A name that ends in Group, SomeGroup
  2. Define two variables:
    • Set GROUP = < list of users and groups >
    • Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = < list of users and groups >

  • GROUP is a comma-separated list of users and of other groups:
        Set GROUP = Main.SomeUser, Main.OtherUser, Main.SomeOtherGroup

  • ALLOWTOPICCHANGE defines who is allowed to change the group topic; it is a comma delimited list of users and groups. You typically want to restrict that to the members of the group itself, so it should contain the name of the topic,
        Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = Main.TWikiAdminGroup
    for the TWikiAdminGroup topic. (This prevents users not in the group from editing the topic and from gaining unauthorized membership to the group.)
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Groups are defined by group topics in the Main web, like the TWikiAdminGroup. To create a new group:
  1. Start in TWikiGroups and create a new topic with a name that ends in Group. Example:
    • SomeGroup
  2. Define two variables in the group topic:
    • Set GROUP = < list of users and/or groups >
    • Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = < list of users and/or groups >

  • A variables is defined as a bullet of format Set NAME = value. A bullet line starts with a multiple of three spaces, an asterisk, and a space.
  • The GROUP variable is a comma-separated list of users and/or other groups. Example:
    • Set GROUP = Main.SomeUser, Main.OtherUser, Main.SomeOtherGroup
  • ALLOWTOPICCHANGE defines who is allowed to change the group topic; it is a comma delimited list of users and groups. You typically want to restrict that to the members of the group itself, so it should contain the name of the topic. (This prevents users not in the group from editing the topic and from gaining unauthorized membership to the group.) For example, for the TWikiAdminGroup topic write:
    • Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = Main.TWikiAdminGroup
 

Restricting Write Access

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  Denying editing of a topic also restricts file attachment; both privileges are assigned together.
  • Define one or both of these variables in a topic, preferably at the end of the page:
Changed:
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    • Set DENYTOPICCHANGE = < list of users and groups >
    • Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = < list of users and groups >
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    • Set DENYTOPICCHANGE = < list of users and groups >
    • Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = < list of users and groups >
 
Changed:
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  • DENYTOPICCHANGE defines users or groups that are not allowed to make changes to the topic. It is a comma delimited list of users and groups. Example:
        * Set DENYTOPICCHANGE = Main.SomeBadBoy, Main.SomeBadGirl, Main.SomeHackerGroup
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  • DENYTOPICCHANGE defines users or groups that are not allowed to make changes to the topic. It is a comma delimited list of users and groups. Example:
    • Set DENYTOPICCHANGE = Main.SomeBadBoy, Main.SomeBadGirl, Main.SomeHackerGroup
 
Changed:
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  • ALLOWTOPICCHANGE defines users or groups that are allowed to make changes to the topic. It is a comma delimited list of users and groups. Example:
        * Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = Main.SomeGoodGuy, Main.SomeGoodGirl, Main.TWikiAdminGroup
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  • ALLOWTOPICCHANGE defines users or groups that are allowed to make changes to the topic. It is a comma delimited list of users and groups. Example:
    • Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = Main.SomeGoodGuy, Main.SomeGoodGirl, Main.TWikiAdminGroup
 
  • DENYTOPICCHANGE is evaluated before ALLOWTOPICCHANGE. Access is denied if the authenticated person is in the DENYTOPICCHANGE list, or not in the ALLOWTOPICCHANGE list. Access is granted in case DENYTOPICCHANGE and ALLOWTOPICCHANGE is not defined.
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 Restricting web-level editing blocks creating new topics, changing topics or attaching files.

Changed:
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    • Set DENYWEBCHANGE = < list of users and groups >
    • Set ALLOWWEBCHANGE = < list of users and groups >
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    • Set DENYWEBCHANGE = < list of users and groups >
    • Set ALLOWWEBCHANGE = < list of users and groups >
  The same rules apply as for restricting topics, with these additions:
  • DENYTOPICCHANGE (in topic) overrides DENYWEBCHANGE (in WebPreferences)
Line: 89 to 91
 To allow a user to rename, move or delete a topic, they also need write (editing) permission. They also need write access to change references in referring topics.

  • Define one or both of these variables in a topic, preferably at the end of the topic:
Changed:
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    • Set DENYTOPICRENAME = < list of users and groups >
    • Set ALLOWTOPICRENAME = < list of users and groups >
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    • Set DENYTOPICRENAME = < list of users and groups >
    • Set ALLOWTOPICRENAME = < list of users and groups >
 
Changed:
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  • DENYTOPICCRENAME defines users or groups that are not allowed to rename the topic. It is a comma delimited list of users and groups. Example:
        * Set DENYTOPICRENAME = Main.SomeBadBoy, Main.SomeBadGirl, Main.SomeHackerGroup
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  • DENYTOPICCRENAME defines users or groups that are not allowed to rename the topic. It is a comma delimited list of users and groups. Example:
    • Set DENYTOPICRENAME = Main.SomeBadBoy, Main.SomeBadGirl, Main.SomeHackerGroup
 
Changed:
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  • ALLOWTOPICRENAME defines users or groups that are allowed to rename the topic. It is a comma delimited list of users and groups. Example:
        * Set ALLOWTOPICRENAME = Main.SomeGoodGuy, Main.SomeGoodGirl, Main.TWikiAdminGroup
>
>
  • ALLOWTOPICRENAME defines users or groups that are allowed to rename the topic. It is a comma delimited list of users and groups. Example:
    • Set ALLOWTOPICRENAME = Main.SomeGoodGuy, Main.SomeGoodGirl, Main.TWikiAdminGroup
 
  • DENYTOPICRENAME is evaluated before ALLOWTOPICRENAME. Access is denied if the authenticated person is in the DENYTOPICRENAME list, or not in the ALLOWTOPICRENAME list. Access is granted in case DENYTOPICRENAME and ALLOWTOPICRENAME is not defined.
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 You can define restrictions of who is allowed to rename a TWiki web.

Changed:
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    • Set DENYWEBRENAME = < list of users and groups >
    • Set ALLOWWEBRENAME = < list of users and groups >
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    • Set DENYWEBRENAME = < list of users and groups >
    • Set ALLOWWEBRENAME = < list of users and groups >
  The same rules apply as for topics, with these additions:
  • DENYTOPICRENAME (in topic) overrides DENYWEBRENAME (in WebPreferences)
Line: 117 to 121
 

Create Hidden Webs

You can prevent selected users and groups from viewing certain TWiki webs by setting one or both of these variables in each web's WebPreferences topic:

Changed:
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  • Set DENYWEBVIEW = < list of users and groups >
  • Set ALLOWWEBVIEW = < list of users and groups >
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  • Set DENYWEBVIEW = < list of users and groups >
  • Set ALLOWWEBVIEW = < list of users and groups >
  TIP If keeping a hidden web out of general use is a consideration, you can prevent the all webs search option from accessing hidden webs, by enabling the NOSEARCHALL variable in WebPreferences:
Changed:
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  • Set NOSEARCHALL = on
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  • Set NOSEARCHALL = on
 
    • It is not recommended to restrict view access to individual topics since all content is searchable within a web.
    • HELPThis method only works if the view script is authenticated, which means that all users have to login, even for read-only access. (An open guest account, like TWikiGuest, can get around this, allowing anyone to login to a common account with, for example, view-only access for public webs.) TWikiInstallationGuide has more on Basic Authentication, using the .htaccess file.
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Create Authenticated Access By Web

Changed:
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ALERT! THIS SECTION CONTAINS WORKAROUNDS. Perhaps unconventional for official documentation, but practical, the following method for extending TWiki functionality involves modifying core TWiki, making it essentially not a feature but a hack. Still, it is officially TWiki developer-approved and documented, and will no doubt be included in some form in an upcoming edition of TWiki.

To selectively restrict web access with the security of Basic Authentication, there is a reliable workaround that involves some straightforward code modification:

  1. Set aside the view script (rename) and create a view subdirectory in its place.
  2. In the view subdirectory, create a separate copy of a modified viewing script for each web, and create .htaccess settings for the restricted webs.
    • TIP You can use symbolic links to a single copy of the viewing script to make any script updates that much easier.

Example of viewing script redirect
#!/usr/bin/perl -w
#

chdir '..';

# Adjust SCRIPT and PATH_INFO variables to account for the changed directory
my $web = $ENV{SCRIPT_NAME};
$web    =~ s#^.*/view(/[^/]*).*$#$1#; # isolate the path element after "view"
$ENV{PATH_TRANSLATED} =~ s#(/[^/]*)$#$web$1#;
$ENV{PATH_INFO}       =~ s#(/[^/]*)$#$web$1#;
$ENV{SCRIPT_NAME}     =~ s#/view$web#/view#;
$ENV{SCRIPT_FILENAME} =~ s#/view$web#/view#;

# open (LOG, '>>/tmp/redirect.log');
# print LOG join ("\n", scalar localtime (time ()), %ENV);
# close LOG;
exec ('/usr/bin/perl', '-wT', 'view.orig') or

print <<EOF;
Content-type: text/plain

Error executing /cgi-bin/view.orig: $?
Click the BACK button in your browser and contact webmaster\@bcs-oops.org.

EOF

A SECOND OPTION: A less reliable workaround that doesn't involve code changes, but does require renaming a script, can provide the same generally unrestricted viewing access, with authentication only on selected webs:

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Use the following setup to provide unrestricted viewing access to open webs, with authentication only on selected webs:
 
  1. Omit the view script from the .htaccess file.
  2. Enable the $doRememberRemoteUser flag in lib/TWiki.cfg as described in TWikiUserAuthentication. TWiki will now remember the IP address of an authenticated user.
  3. Copy the view script to viewauth (or better, create a symbolic link)
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  1. Enable the $doRememberRemoteUser flag in lib/TWiki.cfg as described in TWikiUserAuthentication. TWiki will now remember the IP address of an authenticated user.
  2. Copy the view script to viewauth (or better, create a symbolic link)
  3. Add viewauth to the list of authenticated scripts in the .htaccess file.
Added:
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    • When a user accesses a web where you enabled view restriction, TWiki will redirect from the view script to the viewauth script once (this happens only if the user has never edited a topic). Doing so will ask for authentication. The viewauth script shows the requested topic if the user could log on and if the user is authorized to see that web.
    • If you enable view restriction for a web, it is recommended to restrict search "all webs" from searching this web. Enable this restriction with the NOSEARCHALL variable in its WebPreferences, like:
Changed:
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      • Set NOSEARCHALL = on
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    • Set NOSEARCHALL = on
 
    • It is not recommended to restrict view access to individual topics since all content is searchable within a web.

Hiding Control Settings

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  • The default setting is not to have superusers.
Changed:
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-- MikeMannix - 01 Apr 2002
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-- MikeMannix - 01 Apr 2002
-- PeterThoeny - 04 May 2002
 
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