Inheritance Permissions
When you set permissions on a folder, you really have to pay attention to three sets of permissions:
- The permissions on the folder itself
- The permissions on the current contents of the folder
- The permissions on contents you will add later
By default these three things are identical so that normally, when you add content to a folder, the content will adopt the same permissions as the folder itself. You can change that behavior by setting different inheritance permissions.
Why would I want different inheritance permissions?
Imagine you regularly work with a couple colleagues. You set up a folder where everyone in the group can read, add, or remove content, but you do not want anyone to delete the main folder. You might withhold delete permission from your colleagues (or even yourself) on the main folder but add it to the inheritance permissions.
How do I set inheritance permissions?
In version 7, when you go to a permissions management screen, you will need to select the “Advanced Permissions” tab. You will see the current and inheritance permissions for each user or group connected with the folder. Check the boxes to set or remove custom inheritance permissions.
Note: You cannot set distinct inheritance permissions during the folder creation process. You will need to create the folder first and then manage the permissions.
Dropboxes
Dropboxes make use of inheritance permissions, but they also involve some special processing by the system.
The basic idea is that you grant read and write access on a folder to a group of individuals. Everyone in the group can add content to the folder, but you do not want them to see each other’s submissions, so you set the inheritance to take read and write permissions away from the group. As a result, people in the group can see the folder and add to it, but they will not see anything in it, not even the things the put there themselves.
These permissions will have this effect on any folder, and if that is what you are looking for, then you are ready to go. On the other hand, you may prefer to allow the members of the group to see their own and only their own submissions. To do this, you will need use the word dropbox in the title of your folder. You set up the permissions in exactly the same way, but the system handles the submissions slightly differently. Your inheritance permissions withhold access of any kind from the group, but the system will restore access only to the individual who submitted the content.
Note: Dropboxes will work for predefined as well as ad hoc groups or even lists of individuals
Note: Instructors, graders, reviewers should have inherit read permissions in order to see all the content
Note: If a file already exists in the dropbox with an identical name, submission will be blocked. To avoid conflicts, it’s a good idea to ask those who submit to the dropbox to incorporate their username into the file name.
Note: Content can only be uploaded or copied into a dropbox, not moved. (Uploaded and copied submissions respect the inheritance permissions. Moved submissions, if they were allowed, would retain their original permissions.)
Subscriptions
When you subscribe to a file or folder, you will receive email notification whenever certain things happen. You can choose to be notified when someone reads your resource, when someone changes your resource, and/or when someone comments on your resource. You can choose to be notified as events occur or by a daily report.
You might subscribe to changes on a dropbox folder. When someone submits a file, you’ll get an email telling you who added it when. Subscriptions are a great way to keep tabs on shared spaces. Control or right-click on a file or folder and choose “Subscribe” from the context menu. Set your options. That’s all there is to it.
To review and manage all of your subscriptions, look in “Reports & Tools > Subscriptions.”
Workflows
Workflows provide a way for you to coordinate collaborative efforts. When you set up a workflow you choose who will be part of the process, what their instructions are, whether their participation has to proceed in a particular order, and whether their participation is required or optional. When you launch the workflow, the system grants the required permissions to the content, sends an email with instructions and a link to the participants, and walks them through the process of reviewing or approving the content in question. The system will also send emails to the initiator to keep her apprised of the workflow progress.
In addition to receiving an email, participants in the workflow will find a list of pending jobs by clicking the “Tasks” tab in the document manager. Completed tasks will show up under “Reports & Tools > Workflow History.” Workflow initiators will find both active and inactive workflows under the same “Reports & Tools” tab.
Workflows are a great way to handle situations when several people have to sign off on a document.