Next Topic

Previous Topic

Book Contents

Folder Rights

Private Folders

Objects you create—such as reports, procedures, or monitor sets—are initially saved in a folder with your user name underneath a Private cabinet. This means only you, the creator of the objects in that folder, can view those objects, edit them, run them, delete them or rename them.

To share a private object with others you first have to drag and drop it into a folder underneath the Shared cabinet.

Note: A master role user can check the Show shared and private folder contents from all users checkbox in System > Preferences to see all shared and private folders. For Private folders only, checking this box provides the master role user with all access rights, equivalent to an owner.

Shared Folders

The following Share Folder guidelines apply to folders underneath a Shared cabinet:

  • If the Apply share rights from parent folder checkbox in the Share Folder dialog box is checked, a folder's share rights are determined by the parent folder. Otherwise, the folder's share rights can be set independently from the parent.
  • If you have rights to delete a folder, deleting that folder deletes all objects and subfolders as well, regardless of share rights or ownership assigned to those subfolders.

    Note: Scopes have nothing to do with the visibility of folders and objects in a folder tree. Scopes limit what your folder objects can work with. For example, you can be shared folders containing reports, procedures or monitor sets but you will only be able to use these objects on machine groups within your scope.

  • To set share rights to a folder, select the folder, then click the Share Folder button to display the Share Folder dialog.
    • You can share specific rights to a folder with any individual user or user role you have visibility of. You have visibility of:
      • Any user roles you are a member of, whether you are currently using that user role or not.
      • Any individual users that are members of your current scope.
    • Adding a user or user role to the Shared Pane allows that user to run any object in that folder. No additional rights, including View, have to be assigned to the user or user role to run the object.
    • Checking any additional rights—such as View, Edit, Create, Delete, Rename, or Share—when you add the user or user role provides that user or user role with those additional rights. You have to remove the user or user role and re-add them to make changes to their additional rights.
    • View does not refer to being able to view the folder. If you assign a user to the share folder without giving the user the View right, the user must still be able to see the folder and its objects to be able to select and run the object. Instead View means the user or user role can display the details of the object and export it, beyond just running the object.
    • Share means the user or user role can assign share rights for a selected folder using the same Share Folder dialog box you used to assign them share rights.

Take Ownership

Users are always the one and only owner of their Private folders. Shared folders are also owned and are only owned by one user at a time. Ownership of a shared folder provides "full rights" to a folder's objects, regardless of the share rights assigned to that user. When you first create a shared folder, either as a master role user or a non-master role user, you are the owner of that shared folder.

Master role users have an additional right, called Take Ownership, that allows them to take ownership of any Shared folder that is visible in the folder tree.

Note: A master role user can check the Show shared and private folder contents from all users in System > Preferences to see all shared and private folders. For Private folders only, checking this box provides the master role user with all access rights, equivalent to an owner.

As a master role user, if the button displays when you select a Shared folder, that means you're not the owner of that folder. If a folder you don't own has been shared with you, then several other buttons may display alongside the button. Until you click the button you're restricted to the actions determined by the share rights you've been assigned.

Clicking the button makes you the one and only owner of that shared folder. Taking ownership displays an orange dot on the folder , indicating ownership. Ownership overrides your assigned shared rights and gives you complete access to:

  • Add, edit, change, rename or delete objects in that folder.
  • Add, rename or delete subfolders.
  • Rename or delete the folder you took ownership of and all its contents.

Typically the reason you take ownership of a shared object is to maintain its contents because the original owner can't do so. For example, the owner of a shared object may have left the company and no longer be available. In most cases, master role users can work within the share rights they've been assigned by other VSA users.

Note: Deleting a VSA user from the system assigns ownership of all objects belonging to that VSA user to the VSA user performing the delete.