[HELPED] User Setup Problem

[JosephHarriman]

I setup a user and assigned him to a group. Later, I copied that user to create a new user. I assigned the new user to a different group. Now both users bring up both groups menus. I've tried deleting the new user and creating him from scratch. Still the same problem. Using latest version of 3.2

[robert.swanson]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean when you say "both users bring up both groups menus." Perhaps you could post some screenshots to help clarify the problem you're having?

Just to make sure we're on the same page, here's how group authority works in Valence:

• Users belong to groups.
• Apps belong to groups.
• A user can see and launch any apps that belong to one or more of the groups he/she belongs to.

Regarding the navigation trees:

• Nav trees are assigned to users.
• The apps that show in a user's nav tree are just those to which he/she is authorized (per the group membership criteria specified above).

Most sites set up a single "master" nav tree with every app they've got. That nav tree is assigned to all users, and the users only see the apps they're allowed to use.

[JosephHarriman]

Robert I sent you an email with screenshots that show the problem.

[JosephHarriman]

Thanks Robert for helping me today. I understand how it works now. Still would be nice if the navigation were based on group and not tree.

[robert.swanson]

Making nav trees group-specific would be a tricky undertaking since we already have group assignments at the app and user levels. You could create separate nav trees for different types of users, but that means you'll sometimes have to add new apps you create to multiple nav trees. In the long run that would likely be more hassle than it's worth, particularly when you want to rearrange your nav trees -- you'd have to do it multiple times! For this reason, most Valence shops just have a single nav tree containing all the apps they've created, then use group membership to control which apps show and don't show for the users when they log in.


Just to summarize, here's how most shops go about setting up the Valence portal:

First, create groups to denote authority levels for both users and the apps they'll be using. This typically correlates to job functions or departmental roles, such as:

• Customer Service
• Inventory Control
• Purchasing
• Accounting Level 1
• Accounting Level 2
• Sales
• Engineering
• Management
• Senior Executives
• All Apps
• Testing

Next, assign your apps to the groups you created, keeping in mind that an app will often belong to more than one group. For example, a basic order inquiry-type app could be launched not just by people in the "Customer Service" group but also "Accounting Level 2", "Sales", "Management" and "Senior Executives" -- so you would check all five groups for that app.

You should also plan to put every app you have into the "All Apps" group, in addition to any other applicable groups. Users belonging this group (typically IT and so-called Super Users) will be able to see every app put into the system.

A "Testing" group is also handy for temporarily holding apps in development and the users who will be testing them.


Next, assign each of your users to a group as appropriate. Though it's permissible to assign a user to multiple groups, most people find it better to limit user assignments to single groups, since apps are being assigned to multiple groups already. Keeping users in single group roles will make things cleaner and easier to interpret from a user authority auditing perspective down the road.


Finally, create a "Master Nav Tree" to hold your apps. Sometimes this is done by copying the default tree that comes with Valence, or you can just start from scratch. All users will get assigned to this same master nav tree, even though they may only see a fraction of the apps in the tree (that's where group membership comes into play). Create folders in this tree representing the categories to which each app will belong, such as:

• "Accounts Payable Apps"
• "Accounts Receivable Apps"
• "Customer Order Apps"
• "Sales Report Apps"
• "Inventory Apps"
• "Production Apps"
• "Product Specification Apps"

Drag your apps into the appropriate folders. Ideally an app should only go into one folder. It is permissible to put the same app in multiple folders if you want, but in our experience that just clutters up the nav tree.

When a user logs in, they are presented the master tree minus any apps they're not authorized to see (based on their group membership). These unauthorized apps are "pruned" from the tree, per se. If it turns out they're not authorized to see any apps in a particular folder (i.e., an inventory person isn't authorized to any of the apps in the "Accounts Receivable Apps" folder), then they don't see that folder at all on their tree.