30 March 2009, 9:10

Mahara 1.1.2, Moodle 1.9, LDAP auth, SSO

New users logging in from Moodle are denied access - giving a Mahara login error splash page.  New user shows up properly in Mahara user list as normal.  Problem occured within 3 days of implementation as small config changes and site Views and files etc were being set up

Previous users/admins seem OK

Plan to re-install, but wondered if this is a knowm problme under certain conditions.

Thanks

JW

30 March 2009, 12:22

UPDATE

Seems to occur whenever I create a site view and check the Admin interface:

Site Views>

Create Templates or View>

On eother one:

Edit Access

and check:

Copy for new users

When new user logs in they get  cannot access/bug Mahara splash page.

When and admin checks the account it is visible but has the File Quota set at zero, instead of the default.

Without the Copy for new Users checked new accounts are OK and have correct quota.

30 March 2009, 23:37

Hi Jonathan,

I think I have just reproduced the same problem -- for me it is because the new user is not logged in at the time the view gets copied, and the view only gives access to logged-in users.  I'll fix it for the next release, but in the meantime you may be able to work around the problem by adding "public" access on the View access page (you need to allow public views in site options to do this).

Richard

31 March 2009, 5:08

Richard

Thanks.  Yes this occurs when a new user logs in for the first time following a new site View being created.  I'll try the 'public' workaround  and look forward to the fx in next release.  This is an important feature for us!

Many thanks

JW

31 March 2009, 6:25

Richard

Great - the workaround works. Though I'll want to switch off public access at some point.  Supplementary question - in respect oif Site and Instituion Views, what is the difference between a View and a Template?

I am tryiing to give all new users a pallete of useful default Views to choose from and possiby some starter files and docs so they can quick start - not sure whether to use Templates or Views.

 Regards

JW

31 March 2009, 16:32

It doesn't matter which one you use.  A "template" doesn't mean much: it's just a view that is allowed to be copied by other users.

I think when we added the "Create template" button, we were planning to offer a different selection of available block types for templates & views, and we added the button so that there was a way to start a view as a template. (Otherwise users would have to go to the view access screen and click "copy allowed", and then go back to the block editing screen.)

I think we will probably remove the Create Template button soon, because it no longer serves a useful purpose.  We're also planning to fix a bunch of usability problems with view editing later this year. (see http://wiki.mahara.org/Roadmap/Usability).

R.

31 March 2009, 18:10

I get it - a Tempate is a View that by default allows 'copying to logged in users' - hmm not really that revoutionary! What would be cool is to allow the use of any View as a user selectable, copyable View template.  That is - if any user comes up with realy great layout and fills it with their media, an Admin should be able to 'copy as template' this View and offer it, empty of media to all other users...

I like the look of all the usability concepts, I may read in more details and comment later in the appropriate Forum - As a creater I am 'standing in' for users not tecchies.  Multiple file upload would be good - as would the the process of adding artefacts and files in one linear operation, rather than separating file upload and presention of media as artefacts.

Somebody - stop me...!

 JW

31 March 2009, 19:17

That is - if any user comes up with realy great layout and fills it with their media, an Admin should be able to 'copy as template' this View and offer it, empty of media to all other users...

Admins can do this already in a roundabout way, by asking the user who made the view to mark it as copyable, taking a copy (from the institution/site views page), deleting any content that survives the copy, and then marking the new copy as copyable.

But I guess what would make it much easier is to have different access lists for viewing the view and copying the view, so the original user could grant the admin copy permission and just "read" permission for everyone else.