Gallery2:Usability Issues:Permissions - Gallery Codex
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Gallery2:Usability Issues:Permissions

From Gallery Codex

After reviewing the survey issues, I worked out some requirements for the permissions concept:

  • High Priority: separate album/item viewing permissions (publish) and user management
    • Gallery-users should be able to
      • hide an album/item
      • protect an album/item with a password
      • apply viewing-permissions to albums/items
      • creating groups of viewers (friends, familiy, school, sports,...)
      • add users (no-gallery-users, but viewing-users) to these groups
      • these users login with a username and a password
      • when mailserver is available: invite users
    • viewing-permissions can be changed in "edit permissions"
    • user management
      • site admins can assign rights/permissions to gallery users in site admin

Wireframes

The concept is based on the separation of album/item viewing options and user management. To simplify the process to show or hide items/albums from/to special people, all functions for this can be found in "Edit Permissions" in the album/item actions. The concept comprises the possibility to create "guest"-users:

  • a "guest"-user is not a real gallery-user
  • a "guest"-user may only view items and albums, never edit or add
  • "guest"-users are always assigned to one gallery-user (a gallery-user has a real gallery-account and may add or edit items)

All of the suppositions would work nice with ajax:

  • with checking the third radiobutton (step1), the edit permissions area would fade in
  • with clicking on new guest/group a layer would appear with the group and "guest"-user editing option
  • with clicking into the list of "guest"-users the name and password could be changed

Step 1

first step in edit viewing authorization
  • after click on edit permissions in the context menu of an item or an album, the following dialog appears


  • the initial dialog should be limited to three choices:
    • everybody may see the items/albums/or subalbums
    • nobody may see the item/s, albms/s, subalbum/s
    • you can edit special option, who may view the items

Step 2

editing permissions for special people
  • a gallery user can define who may see the items and albums
    • there are groups and users who may view items/albums and/or subalbums
    • gallery-users can create new "guest"-users and groups


  • a password can be assigned to a special album
    • Pro:
      • the gallery user don't needs to create "guest"-users or groups
      • it's the fastest way to protect an album or an item
      • it's easy to send only a password and a link to the people who may see the items/albums
    • Con:
      • every new album needs a new password
      • people have to handle different passwords

Step 3

adding and editing groups or users
  • on the left side you can see the groups and their members
  • on the right side you can see all "guest"-users, that exist
  • as a gallery-user you can add and edit users
  • drag a user from the user list to the group-field to make him a member of this group





To be discussed

  • group passwords
    • Pros:
      • gallery-users do not need to deal with many passwords
      • gallery-users do not need to communicate with every group member
    • Cons:
      • it will overlap with the album-password concept
      • it could overlap with hidden album
      • "guest"-users will need to deal with more than one password, when they are in several groups


  • inheritence
    • how will subalbums be handled with?
    • should they inherit the rights from the parent-album?
    • what if a user should be in a group for one album, not for another

Use Cases

Edit permissions- new group

  • A gallery-user has uploaded pictures from a weekendtrip with some friends into an album called "berlin". He wants that some of his friends may view the album, but it should be hidden for everybody else.
  • A gallery-user has uploaded pictures from a weekendtrip with some friends into an album called "berlin". He wants that some of his friends to be able to add more pictures to the album.