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jimnastics
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I'm right at the beginning of setting up a potentially large network of sites using Wordpress Multi Site, and I'm obviously very keen to get it right from the off.
My network is a bit different to most, as I want far more control of users / sites than normal. My service will work as follows:
1. Person contacts me requesting a site on my network, stating which theme they want
2. I set the user and site up through the Network Admin area, creating their site as a subdomain of the main site
3. User gets admin access to create / manage posts and pages
I don't want admins of subsites to be able to access any of these areas:
1. Appearance > Themes (I would like admints to be able to access Widgets + Menus)
2. Plugins
3. Tools
4. Settings
5. Maybe Users
I need to keep control over site designs, settings, plugins etc., to keep a consisten experience for all visitors. Subsite owners will simply use their sites for creating and publishing content.
Can anyone gives some guidance to good plugins etc. that will help me lock the site down like this?
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Sounds like you want a hands on approach? (meaning not automated)
So, to make life really simple, and if you only want the user to be able to write posts / pages. I wouldn't make them admin of the site. I would at a minimum make them an author, but an editor would be perfect.
39 pointsCommunity rank #1551VeteranJust Getting Started
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So would that Members plugin work across a Multi Site as I need? I assumed that plugin was more for simply managing users on a single WP installation, which is quite a different beast.
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I know the justin tadlock was talking about making it mu compliant. I've read (I can't remember where) that there are people currently using it on there multi site installs.
The only way to find out is to try? Or maybe someone here knows for sure.
You could also come up with the right combo of capabilities and do it the old fashioned way of creating a user role - write a plugin that creates the role and assigns the capibilites. Might be a better bet.
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Just network activated members and it seems fine - thought you should know.
It works on a site by site basis, so you'd have to create the special role on each new site.
have access to Widgets and Menus though
I just went digging, this is going to be difficult. Wordpress's capibilities don't exactly run together so smoothly. Meaning in order to do one thing, the user sometimes has to be able to do something else. No middle ground.
The only other thing, and I am hoping a brainier person steps into the conversion, that I can think of - based on your criteria. Is to make them admin of there site, but hide the tabs from them. The tabs would still exist, but they wouldn't be able to see them/access them - out of sight, out of mind. But if they new the url to those tabs they would be able to make changes.
Edit: This looks better like a better option http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/admin-menu-editor/
Plugin Features
Edit any existing menu - change the title, access rights, menu icon and so on.
Sort menu items via drag & drop.
Move a menu item to a different submenu via cut & paste.
Hide/show any menu or menu item. A hidden menu is invisible to all users, including administrators.
Create custom menus that point to any part of the Dashboard or an external URL.
And MU Install: will enable you to edit the Dashboard menu for all sites and users at once
39 pointsCommunity rank #1551VeteranJust Getting Started
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Thanks for your great help chaps, so good looking ideas! The Admin Menu Editor looks great, this never cropped up in the tons of Google searches I did on this issue. I noticed also that there is a WPMU-DEV members plugin which I could try. Any experience with that?
Responses (9)
Lifetime Member (joined June 2009) Likes (0)
Sounds like you want a hands on approach? (meaning not automated)
So, to make life really simple, and if you only want the user to be able to write posts / pages. I wouldn't make them admin of the site. I would at a minimum make them an author, but an editor would be perfect.
Read up on roles and capabilities:
http://codex.wordpress.org/Roles_and_Capabilities
Hope that helps a bit...
Jonathan
Member (joined August 2011) Likes (0)
I need users to have access to Widgets and Menus though, which I understand Authors won't allow?
Lifetime Member (joined June 2009) Likes (0)
Sorry I edited while you posted :)
Here is the extended edit:
And you could use a plugin like this
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/members/
To create your own special roles with extra capabilities...
Member (joined August 2011) Likes (0)
So would that Members plugin work across a Multi Site as I need? I assumed that plugin was more for simply managing users on a single WP installation, which is quite a different beast.
Lifetime Member (joined June 2009) Likes (0)
I know the justin tadlock was talking about making it mu compliant. I've read (I can't remember where) that there are people currently using it on there multi site installs.
The only way to find out is to try? Or maybe someone here knows for sure.
You could also come up with the right combo of capabilities and do it the old fashioned way of creating a user role - write a plugin that creates the role and assigns the capibilites. Might be a better bet.
Of course, you could look at supporter - I don't have experience and don't know if it can work on such a hands on approach as yours ???
http://premium.wpmudev.org/project/supporter
or the new version - still in beta
http://premium.wpmudev.org/forums/topic/supporter-30-beta-release-help-us-test
Lifetime Member (joined June 2009) Likes (0)
Just network activated members and it seems fine - thought you should know.
It works on a site by site basis, so you'd have to create the special role on each new site.
I just went digging, this is going to be difficult. Wordpress's capibilities don't exactly run together so smoothly. Meaning in order to do one thing, the user sometimes has to be able to do something else. No middle ground.
The only other thing, and I am hoping a brainier person steps into the conversion, that I can think of - based on your criteria. Is to make them admin of there site, but hide the tabs from them. The tabs would still exist, but they wouldn't be able to see them/access them - out of sight, out of mind. But if they new the url to those tabs they would be able to make changes.
Edit: This looks better like a better option
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/admin-menu-editor/
Plugin Features
Edit any existing menu - change the title, access rights, menu icon and so on.
Sort menu items via drag & drop.
Move a menu item to a different submenu via cut & paste.
Hide/show any menu or menu item. A hidden menu is invisible to all users, including administrators.
Create custom menus that point to any part of the Dashboard or an external URL.
And MU Install: will enable you to edit the Dashboard menu for all sites and users at once
Sales & Support Pro (joined March 2010) Likes (0)
Yeah, I was going to suggest Admin Menu Editor too.
For getting the initial submission you might want to look at Gravity Forms.
Phil
Member (joined August 2011) Likes (0)
Thanks for your great help chaps, so good looking ideas! The Admin Menu Editor looks great, this never cropped up in the tons of Google searches I did on this issue. I noticed also that there is a WPMU-DEV members plugin which I could try. Any experience with that?
Sales & Support Pro (joined March 2010) Likes (0)
Are you referring to the similar plugin by Aaron? That is basically the functionality that's bundled into Membership to hide menu items.
Phil
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