How to create an intranet section of your site

by T. Kim Nguyen — last modified Nov 10, 2010 11:04 AM

Keeping a section of the site private except to specific groups of users

There are two ways to set a folder so that only specific users or groups of users have access to read or change content:

set the folder to the "private" state
apply a workflow policy to the folder

In both cases we'll assume you have created a folder called "Intranet" at the root folder of the site, and that you have set up a group (for example, "IntranetUsers") to which you have added the logins of those persons who should be able to view and edit the contents of the Intranet section of the site.

How to Add a Group

go to Site Setup -> Users and Groups
click the Groups tab
click the Add Group button
enter the name of the group, avoiding the use of punctuation and spaces (title, description, and email address are optional)
click Save
if you don't see your new group listed on the page, enter its name in the "group search" box and press the Search button
click on your new group
click on the "group members" tab
add logins to the group:

use the "quick search" box to enter the name of the person you want to add to the group, and press the Search button; you will see a list of matching logins

check the box next to the correct login, and press the "add selected groups and users to this group" button
repeat this for every person who needs to be in this group

The "Private" State Method (so-so method)

This method requires that you use a default workflow for the site that has "private" as the initial state. This is the case for the Simple Publication Workflow, which is what Plone 3.1 sets as the default site workflow.

Plone 3.0, however, sets "Community Publication Workflow" as the default site workflow, and its initial state is "visible".

If your site's default workflow does not already have "private" as the initial state, you must change that workflow's initial state to be "private". If you cannot do this because your users will object, do not use this method; instead, use the workflow policy method described below.

Set the Initial Workflow State

Look up your site's default workflow by going to Site Setup -> Types. Take note of the workflow that is shown when "(Default)" is selected in the Type drop down.
Go to the ZMI via Site Setup -> Zope Management Interface.
Click on portal_workflow.
Click on the Contents tab.
Click on the workflow you noted is your site's default workflow.
Click on the States tab.
Check the box next to the "private" state, and click the Set Initial State button.

Grant Permission to the Folder

Go back to the normal view of your site (ie. remove the "/manage" or "/manage_main" part of the URL in your browser's address bar).
Navigate to your Intranet folder
Click the "state" drop down to set the folder to the "private" state.
Click the "sharing" tab, enter the name of the group (in this example, "IntranetUsers") in the search box and click the Search button
Check the "can add", "can edit", "can view" boxes in the row for the IntranetUsers group that appears. If you wish to allow members of that group to publish items, also check the "can review" box. Click the Save button.

The Workflow Policy Method (best method)

Use this method instead of changing the folder's state to "private", which requires you to be using a default site workflow with a "private" initial state.

First, you need to have this product installed in your site: Workflow Policy Support (CMFPlacefulWorkflow).

You can use the ZMI's portal_quickinstaller or the Site Setup -> Add-on Products configlet to add the product:

http://yoursite.edu/portal_quickinstaller/manage_installProductsForm

http://yoursite.edu/prefs_install_products_form

Then:

Use the "state" green drop down and choose "policy...".
Click the link "Add a workflow policy's local configuration in the Folder".
In both the "For this folder" and "Below this Folder" sections, choose "Intranet".
Click Save.

When you next view the folder (you can click the "view" tab to do this), you will see that the folder's state is shown as "internal draft". That state is the initial state of the "Intranet" workflow. This is how you know that the Intranet workflow policy has been successfully applied to this folder and to anything below it (including subfolders).