Business Workspace creation fails when user doesn't have object usage rights to create Folders

David Henshaw · 2022-01-11T06:58:53+00:00

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Hi All,

Wondering if anyone particularly the @OpenText @xECM @ExtendedECM folks listening may have thoughts on following scenario and the "problem" that it results in.

Considering following situation/setup.

Content Suite Platform has been configured to NOT permit general users to create folders. This has been done by restricting Object Usage Privileges. Why? So as to allow enforcement of folder structure rules/preferences within the organisation and ensure that the filing hierarchies are maintained/approved by a select group who are the "custodians". Not an uncommon nor unreasonable approach and use of object usage privileges for their intended goal.
Customer decides to adopt Business Workspaces, again with key driver being uniform approach to structuring locations and sub-structure for people to work within based on different business processes. i.e. a workspace for "projects", "cases", "claims" etc etc.
Obviously they want those workspaces to be also created in an appropriate location within their (folder) taxonomy, so on the Business Workspace setup, they use the "Workspace Creation Settings" (per workspace type) to set the location and sub-location path (using an attribute to determine the sub-folder). They enable the "Use for manual creation" option also. Again, this gives them control to ensure that workspaces are always created where intended and can be grouped in the structure based on a piece of metadata (.....rather than dumping 1000's of workspaces in a single folder).
Users can create the workspaces from the Content Suite UI directly, or applicable APIs used to initiate workspace creation.

Herein lies the problem - in order to make use of the "Workspace Creation Settings" and in particular to use the sub-folder location - if the sub-folder doesn't already exist, then if the user hasn't privileges to create folders, the creation fails - via the UI or an API call.

Note I haven't used the word permissions here at all - the assumption is that the user has permissions to add items on the relevant folder locations inferred via the Business Workspace configuration. That's not a problem.....

Has anyone else come across this "contradiction" (well, I consider it a contradiction, as surely it's not illogical to want to use privileges and business workspace templates to "enforce" rules, without needing to compromise!).

Regards,

David Henshaw.

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Comments

Alex_Kowalenko

Hello David,

There may be a solution with the Content Suite Security and Productivity Pack by Cassia. Check out the location-based privilege feature at https://www.cassiacm.com/content-suite-security/.

Call me anytime and I'll tell you how cold it is up here in Canada.

Cheers,

Alex Kowalenko | +1 613-853-1527 | alex@cassiacm.com

Greg Griffiths

seems like the issue is that they cant create the folder that is needed and they dont have permissions to do that.

As a developer, you could have two options - have the calling application check if the folder exists and create it via API (REST/CWS) prior to the creation call, or patch the OScript to ensure the folder is there using an appropriate user to create if required.

The module @Alex_Kowalenko may also resolve your issue.

Worth raising a FR with OT so that some level of configuration could be added, e.g. "If user cant create the folder, create using the following user a/c"

SeanR_Murphy613

Hi @Henshaw_David ,

Further to @Alex_Kowalenko's response.

The Content Suite Security and Productivity Pack by Cassia can allow you to control not only who can create items, but where they may create them! Folders.

Here is recording of the administrative features including location based privileges from the OpenText Live Webinar series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYKItmmTUk8

Cheers

Sean

David Henshaw

Thanks guys.

At this stage - have raised defect/FR with OT. Seems counterproductive that you'd need to relax usage privileges to take advantage of the filing rules in the workspace definitions.

Afterall, this only affects the filing location setup....if the workspace template contains folders, they aren't a problem....users' don't need folder usage rights to create a workspace itself, even if it contains folders....only where the filing rule implies creation of a parent folder for the workspace to reside in.