External Users Design Questions

[pax]

I have a few questions after trying to set-up clients as external users. I only give them access to records assigned to them on two different sheets under the “Clients” menu.

1. On a listing page, how do I select which version of the sheet is opened when the external user clicks on it? Right now when they click on a link their browser tries to open the sheet that they have no permissions for, instead of the version of the sheet that they do have permissions for. I know how to select a different sheet for subtables, but this is a link on the listing page.

2. How do I disable the Tools button for external users? I don’t want them having any access to those options… only the action buttons that I have created.

3. How can I select the search field options on the left hand side of the browser window in advance so when each external user account is created, they just have the options on the left that I want them to be able to use for searching?

4. In their personal settings, external users can “set/notify Deputy.” What is that for? And when they click on it, they can see and select from a listing of every other internal and external user in our system. Of course I don’t want my external clients to see the names of my other external clients, or any of my external suppliers. How do I turn this off?

5. I don’t really want my external clients to be able to change their name either. If every client is able to change their name whenever they want, we will quickly have a hard time knowing who is who. Is there a way to deny access to their personal settings and/or preferences?

6. Can I remove the notifications bell and link for external users since they have no notification options anyways?

I am trying to clean the browser interface as much as possible. My goal is to simplify everything as much as possible for external users. Honestly, the interface is a bit confusing for new users, and the more complicated it seems to them, the less they will use our system. They aren’t employees that we can sit down and provide extended training sessions.

[jennyragic]

Hi,

1. If the users don’t have access to the sheet, they won’t be able to see the sheet when they login the database. If you give them the link they have no permission to see, it will show a popup and they won’t be able to get into the sheet. Not sure what you mean by “which version”? or do you mean you have Multiple Versions of the sheet?

2. You may set them with Feature Access Settings.

3. Do you mean the Left Sidebar Search Tool? You can customize the field of the left sidebar.
   You may also disable this function by user group in Feature Access Settings.

4. For the internal users, you can assign a deputy user for users in your system sheet User so that the deputy has permission to approve or reject approval requests during the user’s absence. Users could also set the deputy in their Personal Settings.
   But External users should not be able to set the deputy in their personal settings, I’ve reported this issue to our devopentment team and will notify you in this thread when it’s fixed.
   If any external user set the field and causes some unexpected issue, you may click on the “Need Help?” at the upper right corner of your database, send the email to us with the external user’s email, and we’ll remove the deputy for you.

5. You will not be able to lock the external users’ personal settings (name field, etc.), but you could change their names in the External Users Sheet. Also, you could recognize them from the users’ email.

6. I’m afraid not, the notifications bell will be there by default, and also they could set the notification preference in the personal setting.
   Not sure what you mean by “link”, which link are you referring to?

[pax]

1. Yes, I mean Multiple Versions of the sheet. Right now when the external user clicks on a link it tries to open a multiple version that he doesn’t have access to and tells him that he has no access to that sheet …but gives him the option to “[click here] to go to another version of this sheet which you have access to.” I don’t want that step, I want it to automatically go to the version that he has access to right away. There is a way to select which sheet is opened in a subtable, but I can’t find any way to do it from a link that is not in a subtable.

2. Thanks, I turned everything off in the Feature Access Settings (except Left Sidebar Search Tool) which helped a lot, but still have two items in the Tools button (Download attachments and Share this sheet). Any way to disable those 2 as well?

3. I want to customize the Left Sidebar for ALL external users so that they are already customized when they create and log into their account for the first time. I can’t manually open every external user’s account, customize it, then transfer it over to them. Is there a way to do this?

4. Thank you for explaining about the deputy feature. I hope it can be fixed soon so that external users have no access to that, or see other user’s names.

5. This isn’t a huge deal. We can work with it.

6. The “link” refers to the “Notification Settings” webpage that shows an empty page when the external user clicks on it. External users have no notifications and no options for notifications, which makes the bell pointless for them, and therefore IMO shouldn’t show on their screen in the first place.

[jennyragic]

Hi,

1. Where does the external user get the link? Do you copy the link and share it with the external users or where can they get the link to get into the page?

2. These two tools can not be turned off.
   “Download attachments” means download multiple files from a certain file upload field or image upload field of your existing records in a sheet. The user could manually get into every record that they have access to and download the file/picture, so there’s no meaning in turning this tool off.
   “Share this form” allow users to quickly copy a form’s URL (original form link or form embedded URL) and the corresponding QRcode, but the person who receives the URL cannot access the sheet if they do not have permission, so this function cannot be turned off, because it has the same meaning as directly copying the form link manually.

3. If you customize the Left Sidebar with your account, it will apply to the sheet for every user, you don’t need to open every external user’s account to set it.
   Only the SYSAdmin or “Admin” access of the sheet could customize the Left Sidebar. External users won’t have the gear icon in the interface.

4. We’re working on the issue and will be fixed soon.

5. Thanks for your understanding.

6. For the notification bell, unfortunately, it can not be turned off since users still can set the notification with personal settings.
   And the “link”, I see what you mean, I’ll check with the developers if it stays for any reason.

[pax]

OK, it looks like we only have question #1 left to try and find a solution for. Here is a screenshot showing the link I am talking about, highlighted inside a black square. It’s the blue link with number R-00413.

When the client (x-user) clicks on R-00413 he is taken to a page that says he has no access rights to the main sheet. He only has access rights to one of the Multiple Versions copies of that sheet.

When he clicks on the “click here,” he is finally taken to the (multiple) version of the sheet that he has access rights to. I don’t want him to have to go through this extra step. I want him to be taken to the proper sheet the first time when he clicks on the “R-00413” in the first screenshot. How can I make that happen? Or if it can’t be changed, how can I turn that link off altogether?

[jennyragic]

Hi,

It seems you use the “Link & Load” function to link two sheets.
When two sheets have been linked together, the Linked Field value will become a link automatically. When the user clicks the linked field value, it will show the information on the right side for the user to see the linked record quickly.
If you want to unlink the sheets, you may refer to this article: Unlinking Fields

Normally, if the user does not have the access to the other sheet when they click the Linked Field, they will not be able to see the record or be directed to this page with this popup alert.
Not sure how your external users could get to this page, so we’ll need to get into your database to check the field and settings.
Please click on “Need Help?” > “Support Ticket” at the upper right corner of your database, fill the form with your questions, including external user account, sheet links, steps, and screenshots. After filling details, please click the “Submit and grant Ragic support access to your account” button to send a support ticket to us.