topic Re: View vs. Edit Permissions? in ArcGIS Online Questions

View vs. Edit Permissions?

Anonymous User — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 14:33:26 GMT

I don't see a way to constrain who can edit versus who can only view a hosted service. Is there a way to make certain users view-only?
Thank you!

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

Anonymous User — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 22:05:42 GMT

I am boggled by this--what is the purpose of the View/Edit toggles in the Pop-Up configuration, if not to constrain which fields are editable? Could it really be true that anyone who can see the [hosted] Feature Service can also edit the Feature Service?

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

TimMarquardt — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 19:33:08 GMT

Actually you can do this, but you have to ceate a second (no edit) map.

- Open the editable map and go to configure the pop-up
- Uncheck the Edit toggle for each field you want read-only
- Do a "save-as" of the map and call it something different than the editable map name
- Share this saved 'no-edit' map with a new group and add the read-only users to this new group
(Editors will view and edit the original editable map in another group)
- The edits will be seen on the read-only map but the users in the read only group/map cannot edit/update.

Kind of a work around, but does the trick.

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

Anonymous User — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 22:01:27 GMT

Thank you for the response! I tested exactly the workflow you recommend, but a browser-based user in the "read-only" map could still edit. Can you confirm that this definitely worked in your environment?

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

TimMarquardt — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 12:30:57 GMT

Yes it works, but I forgot that the method I described does not prevent users of the Read Only map from placing a new feature -- only prevents attribute updates to existing features.

However, there is another method...
Open the Read Only map and click 'Disable Editing' --found 2 places below the 'Configure Pop-up' option on the feature drop down menu. This will disable feature placement, feature movement and attribute updates. Even with this, a savvy user could still re-eable editing using this same button. For a truly read-only view, You could choose disable editing and then make a Web App (Share>Make Web Application) and choose something like the 'Legend' template. Then share the app with the Read Only Group.

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

Anonymous User — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 14:36:51 GMT

Thanks, again, for the suggestion. It seems though, that there can only be one definition for a hosted service. So if you disable editing for one web map, then that same service in a different map is also edit-disabled. Is that your experience as well?

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

TimMarquardt — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 19:32:08 GMT

It works on my end. You stated that "there can only be one definition for a hosted service"...
You are not disabling editing on the service in the service properties, but rather within the web map properties.
So you save the map with editing enabled. Next disable editing and then 'Save as' the web map (not the service itself) with a different name.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]31466[/ATTACH]

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

Anonymous User — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 19:47:04 GMT

Thanks, again, for your response. The Feature Service itself still needs to be permissioned for the person to view, which allows them to make it editable, correct?

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

TracyGarrison — Sat, 22 Feb 2014 11:05:56 GMT

It works on my end. You stated that "there can only be one definition for a hosted service"...
You are not disabling editing on the service in the service properties, but rather within the web map properties.
So you save the map with editing enabled. Next disable editing and then 'Save as' the web map (not the service itself) with a different name.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]31466[/ATTACH]

It is not really "working on your end". If your hosted feature service is set to editable and is shared publicly Anybody can find and edit your hosted feature service by adding it to their map and setting up their map to edit it!

If you have a road closure map and you think just because the map the public sees has editing disabled that the road closure service is safe. Then all the sudden all your roads are set to closed because some one found your service and started playing around with it. Until ESRI allows editing publics shared hosted feature services for users of a specific group, your service will never be safe from pranksters.

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

LeoDonahue — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 18:54:15 GMT

once you share a read only web map application with the public, the feature service behind that web map application has to be shared to the public as well.

Once you go public, there is no security left.

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

Anonymous User — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 19:30:14 GMT

Even if you do not allow the Public to view your services, this still creates a problem within your own organization. We have many overlapping interests where Group A needs to edit something that Group B should only view. This seems to hinder both Organization and Public levels of publication.

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

LeoDonahue — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 19:44:27 GMT

That is where the multiple web maps come into play.

I have the same issue with a similar workflow.

Data creators using Collector aren't allowed to edit the status of a certain attribute field. So on their map, I configure the popup to not have that field.

The Data editors/reviewers have that attribute field in their popup so they can update the status of said point.

I had to create three web maps for this project.
WebMap 1 for data creators
WebMap 2 for data editors/reivewers
WebMap 3 read only web map showing the status as the editors chose, and used a filter to show only the approved status values.
WebApplication - linked to WebMap3.

Viewers don't get WebMaps, they should only get WebApps (ESRI Basic Viewer) with editing option disabled. Those users should belong to a group where the WebMap and WebApp are only shared with those groups respectively.

This is how we edit data in the field and let other users "see it" without being able to edit it.

The key is everything has to be shared within your organization or group.

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

Anonymous User — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 19:51:13 GMT

Leo, thanks for the feedback. The testing I have done suggests that the methods you describe can be defeated by a clever user in the "read-only" group. Have you shown a different result? And, are you using AGOL hosted services, or your own ArcGIS for Server services? Thanks again!

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

LeoDonahue — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 19:52:37 GMT

Leo, thanks for the feedback. The testing I have done suggests that the methods you describe can be defeated by a clever user in the "read-only" group.

Can you elaborate?

Didn't see the second part...

Well, I "can" use my own ArcGIS Server for services, but this application was for someone else, so they wanted it in the AGOL hosted services because they wanted to be able to update the FGDB schema, edit the map settings, etc...

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

LeoDonahue — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 19:59:41 GMT

Are you saying that if you publish a WebMap with editing disabled, and add that WeMap to say the ESRI Basic Viewer and disable the editor option there and share those two items with a specific group that the users in that group can still edit the feature service?

How?

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

Anonymous User — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 20:43:48 GMT

They log in to Arcgis.com, click Groups, enter their group, and instead of going to your application, they open the web map you used to create it. They have to be granted permission to see it, or they can't use the application. And they can edit the features in the web map.

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

LeoDonahue — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 20:57:30 GMT

But you can click the drop down arrow to the right of the layer in that web map and choose disable editing, save the map, and then they can't edit it, right?

Are you saying that a user can change that setting if they don't own the content? Really?

I just demo'd our app today and we had the customer login with their account and they couldn't get access to the layer configuration properties because I published the content under my login, I was the owner of the map, feature service and web app. I had to change ownership of the content to their login in order for them to be able to do things like configure the popup in the web map.

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

Anonymous User — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 21:31:06 GMT

But you can click the drop down arrow to the right of the layer in that web map and choose disable editing, save the map, and then they can't edit it, right?

Are you saying that a user can change that setting if they don't own the content? Really?

Yes. The read-only user, who owns nothing and has only user credentials, can go into the read-only group, and open the web map with the "editing disabled" layer, and click the drop down arrow, and Enable Editing.

And, as a sidebar, I share your incredulity, and more than anything am hoping to be corrected. I look forward to seeing if you can replicate my experience.

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

LeoDonahue — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 15:05:41 GMT

I am an administrator in my organization.

I need to find a regular user to test this with. But, I'm being told here that what you experience is currently normal.

However, I swear that yesterday when I was looking at my content, through a regular user's login, they couldn't change anything. Maybe I was wrong.

If it is true that regular AGOL users can re-enable editing on a web map that they don't own, then that is a problem. All the more reason to roll your own web editng maps.

I would have thought the fact that users who don't own content shouldn't get access to change map settings of someone else's content would have been the norm. That would also fix the problem.

However, what if... you create a lame duck user account. That user saves a copy of your web editing map. Then you assign this map created by the lame duck user to a web app (ESRI Basic Viewer) and let your other read only users see that web app?

Re: View vs. Edit Permissions?

LeoDonahue — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 18:05:14 GMT

Forget it...

See this