Extension:GroupPermissionsManager

Warning: This extension doesn't work on PHP 5.3. See alternatives above for other solutions.

MediaWiki extensions manual - list

GroupPermissionsManager Release status: stable
Implementation	User rights, Special page
Description	Manage group permissions via a special page
Author(s)	Ryan Schmidt (SkizzerzTalk)
Last version	3.2.6 (2008-10-02 (approx.))
MediaWiki	1.12-1.16
License	GPL
Download	Subversion [Help] Browse source code View code changes Usage
Hooks used SkinTemplateContentActions SkinTemplateToolboxEnd UserGetRights userCan getUserPermissionsErrors NormalizeMessageKey
Check usage (experimental)

What can this extension do?

This extension allows modifying the underlying Group Permissions via a special page interface. It accomplishes this by writing a PHP file in a /config subdirectory of the extension. It's easy-to-use User Interface gives a grouped alphabetical listing of all rights that can be assigned with radio button toggles, as well as being aware of whether it is modifying an existing group or adding a new one. Deletion of groups is also possible, but this extension will not remove users from the deleted groups (see Special:RemoveUnusedGroups for that). Also, implicit groups are unable to be deleted via this interface. Modifications made via this extension are logged publicly on-wiki.

Two more special pages this extension adds are Special:SortPermissions and Special:RemoveUnusedGroups. SortPermissions allows you to add/delete sort types and permissions, as well as sort them (permissions can only be deleted from the sorting, thus putting them into the "Miscellaneous" category, it is currently impossible to totally remove a permission). SortPermissions requires the grouppermissions right. RemoveUnusedGroups removes users from unused (deleted) groups that Special:UserRights cannot detect (aka they cannot be removed via the normal interface). It currently is a one-shot process, you cannot choose which groups to remove or which users to remove it from; it does everything at once. RemoveUnusedGroups requires the userrights right.

In addition to the Special Page, the extension has the ability to be expanded upon via plugins.

Usage

Special:GroupPermissions: Browse to Special:GroupPermissions (will be listed under "Restricted Special Pages" in 1.12 wikis or the "Wiki data and tools" in 1.13+ wikis), and enter in a group name. If the group doesn't exist, a listing of all assignable rights with descriptions is given, each set by default at 'false'. If the group does exist, a listing of all assignable rights with descriptions is given with each set at the current value of that right (so if 'sysop' could 'delete', that would be shown as 'true'). If the group exists and it is deletable (see above section), then a group deletion form is displayed as well. Change the values you want, enter a comment, and click the confirm button. An explanation of the three toggle options is below:

• True: Any user in that group has that right.
• False: The group does not have the right (overrides previous trues of that right, e.g. in DefaultSettings.php and LocalSettings.php). Any other "True" defined in other group will override this setting
• Never: Anyone belonging to this group loses the right irregardless of any other "True" or "False" declarations. This will not work unless the ExtendedPermissions plugin is installed

Special:SortPermissions: Browse to Special:SortPermissions (will be listed under "Restricted Special Pages" in 1.12 wikis or the "Wiki data and tools" in 1.13+ wikis). You will be presented with a list of every permission and it's current sort status (hovering over the permission will display it's description). Choose one of the options to sort it. If you have javascript enabled on your browser, you can add new groups and new sort types via two other forms at the bottom, as well as delete sort types and remove permissions from the sorting matrix (again, javascript must be enabled on your browser for that to work and removing permissions does not delete the permission, it only removes the current sort type set on it). Please note that if you add a sort type, it does not add the relevant MediaWiki message for you. You must edit MediaWiki:Grouppermissions-sort-sorttype, replacing "sorttype" with the type that you added. Added permissions do not do anything unless there is an extension or something else that uses it.

Special:RemoveUnusedGroups: Browse to Special:RemoveUnusedGroups (will be listed under "Restricted Special Pages" in 1.12 wikis or the "Users and groups" in 1.13+ wikis). Then, click the button. Simple as that.

Plugins

This extension has the ability to be expanded upon non-intrusively via plugins. These plugins are all optional and will usually not break anything if disabled. Plugins may be found in the /plugins directory of this extension. All .php files inside of that directory will get automatically loaded by this extension as a plugin. Moving plugins you do not wish to enable to the /disabled sub-directory of /plugins will prevent them from being loaded.

A list of all available plugins is below. Note that not all of these plugins may be "official". Please check the author field in the extension infobox on each page to see who wrote it. Do not ask Skizzerz about bugs with plugins unless he is the author of them. It is recommended that you do not disable plugins marked with (core).

• ExtendedPermissions (core)
• CustomTabs (core)
• CustomToolbox (core)

Plugin Developers

Everyone is welcome to develop plugins for this extension. However, please note the following:

• Create a sub-page of this page, such as Extension:GroupPermissionsManager/MyPlugin and put the documentation there (look at existing ones for examples)
• Be sure to have templatemode=nocats in the {{Extension}} template call
• Try to keep it simple, such as one file. Everything in the /plugins directory gets loaded automatically, so if you need multiple files, only put the main access point in the /plugins directory and the rest in a sub-directory.
• Make it clear that people wishing to install the plugin should put all internationalization/localization files (i18n) in the /plugins/messages directory, where they will be automatically included with the main extension messages. loadGPMessages(); will then load all the default messages as well as your own ones.
• Add your plugin to the list in the above section.
• If your plugin only works for a specific version or above (such as 1.13), yet this extension supports a lower version, you may use the versionCheck() function to check. The documentation for this function is located in the GroupPermissionsManager.php file.
• As of now, this extension does not define any custom hooks. Future versions, however, may add in custom hooks for plugins to use (please leave feedback as to what sort of hooks you would like to see).

Download instructions

For version 2.0 of this extension, which works with MediaWiki versions 1.9.0 and above, please see this revision. For the latest version, download the appropriate version. Download the extension from the Subversion repository and save it into the extensions/GroupPermissionsManager directory of your wiki. If you have shell access to your server, you may do the following to download the extension.

Warning: Before you download read Requirements or you might install the wrong version:

cd extensions
svn co http://svn.wikimedia.org/svnroot/mediawiki/trunk/extensions/GroupPermissionsManager

If you wish to grab a specific plugin packaged with the core files, please see this page to download them.

Installation

If you are running MediaWiki version 1.12, you will need to follow the directions here if you want right descriptions to display properly!

To install this extension, add the following to LocalSettings.php:

require_once("$IP/extensions/GroupPermissionsManager/GroupPermissionsManager.php");

Then, create the directory $IP/extensions/GroupPermissionsManager/config and make sure that it is writable by the webserver. If you do not do this, the extension will not work. Afterwards, browse to your wiki's Special:Version to confirm installation of the extension.

User rights

The grouppermissions right is required to use Special:GroupPermissions and Special:SortPermissions. It is given to bureaucrats by default, but you may wish to change this.

The userrights right is required to use Special:RemoveUnusedGroups, also given to bureaucrats by default.

Patch

If you are running MediaWiki version 1.12.x or a 1.13.0 revision lower than r37292, you will need to follow the directions below if you want some right descriptions to display properly!

Edit $IP/includes/GlobalFunctions.php, and add the following in the beginning of the wfMsgGetKey function from:

function wfMsgGetKey( $key, $useDB, $forContent = false, $transform = true ) {
        global $wgParser, $wgContLang, $wgMessageCache, $wgLang;
 
        # If $wgMessageCache isn't initialised yet, try to return something sensible.

to the following:

function wfMsgGetKey( $key, $useDB, $forContent = false, $transform = true ) {
        global $wgParser, $wgContLang, $wgMessageCache, $wgLang;
 
        wfRunHooks( 'NormalizeMessageKey', array( &$key, &$useDB, &$langCode, &$transform ) );
 
        # If $wgMessageCache isn't initialised yet, try to return something sensible.

Requirements

This extension requires at least version 1.12.0 of MediaWiki. To check what version of MediaWiki you are running, visit the Special:Version page on your wiki.

If you are running MediaWiki version 1.12.x or a 1.13.0 revision lower than r37292, you will need to follow the directions above if you want the right descriptions to display properly!

For version 2.0 of this extension, which works with MediaWiki versions 1.9.0 and above, please see this revision.

Feedback and Bug Reports

This extension is no longer being maintained. All feedback and bug reports, whether on the talk page or bugzilla, will be silently ignored.