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pergamonmu:users:managing_users

Managing Users

The user manager dialog is used to create, remove and manage users of the system.

When creating new users, it is important that only suitably authorised managerial users are permitted access to the User Manager in order to prevent users assigning themselves permission to areas to which they are not entitled to access.

Layout of the User Manager

A - Main Menu.
B - Listing of all existing users. Click a user to display the user details.
C - Basic user information.
D - List of user permissions, displayed as true/false check-boxes.
E - Reset Password button. Click this to reset the password to 'password'.
F - Update button. Click this to update any changes made to the user details. Changes are immediate*.

*Note: Note that updates made to user details are made on a user basis. If you select another user from the list before updating the changes, all changes made to those user details will be lost.

Creating a new user

To create a new user, enter the User Manager and then select [New User] from the [Manage Users] menu. On selection, a new user is created in the database with a new login name constructed of a 'U' followed by the date and time that you create it.

Note that at this point, the new user is fully created in the database and is 'active' even though it has not yet been tailored for use.

Select the new user in the list on the left hand side of the dialog in order to display the current details that are stored for the new user. At the very least, immediately change the login name of the user to that required. Change other details to match the user that this account is intended for. To save the new details, click [Update].

Note that if you are creating a new user for a new member of staff who has not yet taken up post, it is NOT necessary to disable permissions - by default, all permissions are set to False (i.e. No permission).

In order to authorise the user for different parts of the application, read down the list of permissions on the right-hand side of the dialog and 'check' (tick) each of the boxes that are required. When finished, click [Update] to save these new permissions into the database.

Modifying user permissions

Enter the User Manager and wait for the list of current users to be displayed on the left hand side of the dialog.

Select the user that you wish to change from the list to display the current details that are stored for the user. Change any of the details or permissions that are required then click [Update] to save the changes.

Note: While it is possible to change the login name of the user, this is not advised. Because of the long-term storage requirements of some parts of the application, the login name is copied into database records for audit purposes. Changing the login name of the user may result if records being apparently attributed to different users, even though they were created by the same user.

Changing a user password

As per established security practices, it is not possible for a managerial user to change the password for a user. Only the individual user may change their own password, as under no circumstances should anyone but the individual user know the password.

If a user has forgotten their password, it is possible for a managerial user to reset the password to a known default - the individual should then immediately change the password.

Removing a user

Warning: Do not remove users unless absolutely necessary. Once a user has been removed from the system, they can not be recovered in their original form.

In order to remove a user from the database, enter the User Manager and wait for the list of current users to be displayed on the left hand side of the dialog. Select the user to be removed and their details will be displayed on the right hand side of the dialog.

Select [Remove User] from the [Manager Users] menu, then select [Yes] from the confirmation dialog.

Note: Due to long term data storage requirements, some database records are created with the user login name copied into the record rather than linked. As a result, in most cases removal of the user will not prevent audit information from being recovered.



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pergamonmu/users/managing_users.txt · Last modified: 2017/08/07 18:03 by admin