New MODx user - quick question about permissions

Hello

After installing scores of CMS’s I finally find one that is simple and powerful! Thank you MODx.

But one important question: is it possible for an editor to make changes to an existing page but for it NOT to go live until a superior user approves it? I can see how editors can create NEW documents and not publish them. But what about EXISTING documents where any changes shouldn’t go live until approved?

I’ve read the docs and searched the forum but could’t find a specific answer to this.

Keep up the good work guys.

OK I just found this thread from earlier in the year:

http://modxcms.com/forums/index.php/topic,2048.0.html

Looks like it’s not a core function, but there is a workround. I will investigate.

You can easily make a user rule with specific persmissions about what to do and not!, then assign it to the particular users, FYI: manager>security>rules.

Quote from: MotSmart at Sep 19, 2007, 06:42 PM

You can easily make a user rule with specific persmissions about what to do and not!, then assign it to the particular users, FYI: manager>security>rules.

Thank you: but specifically, does this allow people to edit existing pages without them going live until reviewed? This is the critical question.

For that, give a look at the ManagerManager Plugin, and a tip I posted here about how to use it to set up a worflow :
http://modxcms.com/forums/index.php/topic,17981.msg112817.html#msg112817

Hope it helps

But David, this doesn´t work for existing pages... If a document already exists (and is published) there is imho no way of changing and saving its content without overwriting the exisiting data. I think there needs to be another solution with an extra table which saves the changed content and copies it to the document if reviewed and approved.

Quote from: MadeMyDay at Sep 20, 2007, 03:42 AM

But David, this doesn´t work for existing pages... If a document already exists (and is published) there is imho no way of changing and saving its content without overwriting the exisiting data. I think there needs to be another solution with an extra table which saves the changed content and copies it to the document if reviewed and approved.

Exactly - this is absolutely what is needed. I am hoping to use ModX for many client sites but they have an expectation to be able to review changes to exsiting pages before going live.

I haven’t found any open source CMS that achieves this ...

Maybe I didn’t fully understand the question...

Let me refine things :

is it possible for an editor to make changes to an existing page but for it NOT to go live until a superior user approves it?

Let me clarify one thing : is the existing page a published document or not ?
Do you imply that a current version would be live and a revised version would hold until approval to replace the previous one ? If so, I am afraid, not possible until we have revisionning with MODx (or someone write a revisionning plugin).

If you need to control approval of unpublished document well yes that’s possible with ManagerManager, as pointed out above.

You can set a default value for publication (unpublished) and remove access to the publication field for the editor role. The superior just has to open the document, and with his authorization can change the setting to publised once revised.

I can see how editors can create NEW documents and not publish them. But what about EXISTING documents where any changes shouldn’t go live until approved?

Again, when you say EXISITING documents you imply PUBLISHED document ?
A document can exist and not be published. Then no problem for approval via ManagerManager and proper role settings.
If it’s a published document then back to the above, you’d need revisionning on top of workflow to do that.

I hope it’s clearer

Yes: the existing document is PUBLISHED. But changes made should not go live until those changes are reviewed. So in effect there will be two states for the document: 1. The current published version and 2. A changed version which has not yet been approved.

From what you are saying it sounds like modx does not permit this at the moment.

A possible solution would be to duplicate all the documents within the manager, and set them all to UNPUBLISHED. Someone could then edit them and the approver would have to copy them over the original PUBLISHED version. A bit convoluted but it might achieve the aim.

Convoluted and there are error risks...

What you really need is revisionning + worflow indeed.