User Manual

7.1 Manage Users and Roles

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Administration > User

Availability: all versions

Users who have different tasks to complete in a company will have different access and therefore see different versions of the Workflow. Users and their Roles in the Workflow should be defined in advance by a qualified administrator who clarifies the responsibilities of each team member and their ability to interact with the Workflow.

Learn more in this article,

  • Why you should work with different Users
  • How to define and create Roles
  • How you can create Users
  • How you can assign the User his or her Role in the company and thus determine his or her view of the data in the Workflow
  • How you can log on/off from the Workflow as a User

1. Overview

User administration includes the creation of Roles and Users. They control who can access the Workflow and which functions the Users are authorised to carry-out.

Users and Roles must first be created and then Users can log in to the Workflow. Take the following steps to get started:

  1. Logging in to the Workflow – The User must initially log in to the Workflow using the Name and Password: Admin.
  2. In the menu open the User settings – Click on Administration > User. Under the User settings two tabs Manage Users and Manage Roles are available.
  3. Create Roles – Here an Admin can create Roles under the Manage Roles tab for all Users that will work with the Workflow.
  4. Assign Permissions – For each Role you create, individual permissions must be selected, by extension this controls what that specific User will have access to when using the Workflow.
  5. Create Users – Create all Users: select a User Name and Password and assign one or more Roles to the User.
  6. Change Password for Admin – Change the Password for the Administrator so that other Users cannot make unwanted changes to system-relevant settings. The Administrator Password should only be shared with the appropriate people who are authorised to make changes to the system settings.
  7. Log off as Administrator – Log off from the Workflow as Administrator and log in to the Workflow with the new User data provided.
  8. Confirm your Permissions – Navigate through the Workflow to make sure you have access to all necessary areas you need to work in.

2. Logging in and Managing Users

Before a User and Roles can be created, the Administrator must initially log in to the Workflow and access the Administration settings. To do this, proceed as follows:

  1. Log in to Workflow – To do this, open the Workflow in the browser. Enter Admin for the User [1] and Admin for the Password [2] in the login screen for the User.
  2. Click on Login [3].

Figure 1: The Login dialog with a User Name and Password for initially logging in to the Workflow.

Login screen of the workflow
  1. Select Administration > User from the menu.
  2. This will open the User settings area where you have access to the Manage Users [4] and Manage Roles [5] tabs.

Figure 2: The User settings area with the Manage Users tab selected.

manage users and mange roles tabs

3. Administrate Users and Manage Roles

A Role can be defined using various titles and descriptions such as: Prepress Department, Department Manager, Sales, Costing, Print Operator, etc. From a practical standpoint each User may or may not need a unique set of tools to complete their specific tasks in the Workflow. For example, Sales and Distribution should not be able to decide which Substrate profile to use or which printer to print Orders with. To ensure this, Roles are assigned permissions that determine whether specific functions/tools are displayed/visible or executed in certain areas of the Workflow.

The following rules apply:

  • A Role can have several permissions
  • At least one Role must be assigned to a User

Before you create a User, you should think about which Roles exist in the company first, then create your Roles in the Workflow, and finally grant your users permissions for those Roles.

3.1. Create a Role

To create a Role, proceed as follows:

  1. Select the Manage Roles tab under Administration > Users.
  2. By default, two Roles are available under the Available Roles [6] settings panel:
    • ADMIN – The ADMIN Role contains all permissions that the Workflow contains, please keep in mind that the available permissions are dependant on the type of license you have.
    • User – By default a new User will have no permissions assigned to them.
  3. Once you have selected a Role, the Role Permissions panel [7] appears. The permissions and their sublevels are then displayed.

Figure 3: The Manage Roles tab with the User ADMIN activated.

manage roles tab with role permissions

No Role Permissions set for ADMIN.

Figure 3 above is not what the User would typically see with a new installation of the Workflow. By default, checkboxes are not set for Role Permissions.

If the Manage Roles tab is not available

If you are unable to select the Manage Roles tab, you are most likely logged into your User account. Note that the creation of Roles and the changing and setting of Role Permissions are reserved exclusively for the ADMIN account.

  1. For example, if you want to create a new Role called »Prepress Operator«, click on New [8] in the footer of the settings area under the Available Roles tab [6].
  2. When the dialog opens, enter a Role Name [11] for the User Role and a comment if needed.
  3. Click on Save [12] to create the User Role. Note that no Role Permissions have been assigned by creating the User Role. Role Permissions are not inherited from previously selected User Roles.

Figure 4: The Add User Role dialog

the add user role dialog

3.2. Edit and Delete User Roles

To Edit a User Role

Proceed as follows:

  1. Select the User Role under the Available Roles [6] settings panel (Figure 3).
  2. Click on Edit [9] (Figure 3), which opens the Edit User Role dialog - the same dialog as Figure 4.
  3. Make the desired changes and confirm them by clicking on Save.

To Delete a User Role

Proceed as follows:

  1. Select the User Role under the Available Roles [6] settings panel (Figure 3).
  2. Click on Delete [10] (Figure 3), which opens the Delete User Role dialog.
  3. If you want to see where the User Role has been applied in the Workflow, you can view this by clicking on Show Cascades [13].
  4. Delete the User Role by clicking OK [14].

Figure 5: The Delete User Role dialog

the delete user role dialog

Specific User Roles cannot be deleted

Both the User Roles ADMIN and USER can be renamed, but cannot be deleted, since these two User Roles are essential for Workflow operation.

If another User Role cannot be deleted, this is because this User Role has been assigned to a User as the sole Role. Since each User requires at least one Role assignment, the User Role cannot be deleted. Find the User to whom the Role permission has been assigned and activate another Role permission there. The Role permission can then be deleted without restrictions.

3.3. Set Role Permissions

After you have created a User Role, you must now set individual Role Permissions. To do this, proceed as follows:

  1. Select the User Role under the Available Roles [15] settings panel.
  2. This displays the Role Permissions [16] settings panel. The Role Permissions of level 1 [21] are displayed to the User; they essentially correspond to the menu items of the menu bar in the Workflow.
  3. By opening Level 1 [20], the Role Permissions of Level 2 which are nested, are displayed. In some Role Permissions up to four levels can be expanded. In this case, the Role Permissions can be controlled on a granular level.
  4. Go through the list of Role Permissions and click on checkboxes [19] to activate all Role Permissions, including the nested sublevels or activate the individual Role Permissions. Please note the following:
    • If no Role Permissions are activated in the sublevels, the checkbox is empty [17]. This means that the Administration menu is not available for this Role.
    • If one or more Role Permissions are activated in the sublevels, the checkbox is marked with a hyphen: "–" [18].
    • If all Role Permissions are activated in the sublevels, the checkbox displays a check mark: "√" [19].
  5. As soon as you set a Role Permission, it is automatically saved.

Figure 6: The Role Permissions tab settings with specific Permissions checked for a User Role.

various role permissions selected for a user

For a comprehensive description of Role Permissions, see the Role Permissions in Appendix B.

Grayed out Role Permissions

The Workflow is installed with all functions intact, which is why the User can see all the Role Permissions that are available. Depending on the activated license and the Permissions of the Role assigned to the active User, certain areas in the User interface may be deactivated and are therefore "grayed out".

4. Managing Users

After you have created the required Roles and assigned the relevant Permissions, you can now create Users and assign them Roles. Before you start creating a User, you should be aware of the following facts:

  • An unlimited number of Users can be created.
  • A separate User should be created for each operator, because
    • To streamline transparency, i.e. trace who completed which tasks, where files are located, etc.  
    • When the Workflow UI is reduced to the essential elements that the operator needs to complete the task, operating errors, down time, etc. decrease exponentially.
  • However, we highly recommend only creating the Users that you really need, this is simply because an existing User can no longer be deleted. Users can only be deactivated.
  • Users cannot be connected to LDAP in the current version.
  • Password restrictions are simplified because we assume that the Workflow will only be accessable via the Intranet. A minimum of three characters are required.

4.1. Creating Users and assigning Role Permissions

To create a User proceed as follows:

  1. Under the menu Administration > User select the Manage Users tab [22].
  2. Click on New [24] in the footer of the User Account settings panel [23].

Figure 7: The Manage Users tab under the User menu

The Manage Users tab
  1. When the Add User Account dialog opens, a User Name [25] and Password [26] must be entered and the password confirmed [27]. All three input fields must have at least three characters and the confirmed password must match the password. The Workflow does not require special characters, digits or upper and lower case letters for the password to be valid.
  2. You can decide which User Role(s) you want to assign to the User by activating the corresponding checkboxes [28]. Note that by activating several User Roles, the User has the cumulative sum of all Role Permissions.
  3. Optionally, you can also enter the User's First Name, Last Name and an E-Mail address. The E-Mail address is not currently used, it is advisable to store it so that notifications can be sent to the User in the future.
  4. If the User has unlimited access to the Workflow, nothing needs to be selected in the Active Until field [29]. However, if access needs to be restricted, select the corresponding end date, where the Workflow will no longer be available. The User is then automatically set to inactive when the chosen date is reached.

Figure 8: The Add User Account dialog

 

The Add User Account dialog
  1. After completely filling in all required fields, the User can be created by clicking on Save [30]. After closing the dialog, you will return to the Manage Users tab, where the newly created User appears in the User Account settings panel.

Choice of User Name

Since User accounts cannot be deleted and the User Name cannot be changed, you should consider in advance which User names you will use. Names such as DV01 - pre-press 1 - or Print01 - print operator 1 - etc. are recommended, as these are not linked to specific people and would therefore be more compatible with Basic Data Protection Regulations.

4.2. Edit User Account

All existing Users appear in the User Account list [32] panel. In the settings area, a User can be selected, providing additional options to complete the User profile or change the password.

Figure 9: The Manage Users tab with a User selected, showing detailed User credentials.

A User account overview

Set User as Inactive/Active

You can tell whether a User is active or inactive by the way the entry is displayed. Inactive Users are displayed in italic grey [33], active Users in black. To set a User as active or inactive, proceed as follows:

  1. Select the desired User under the User Account [32] settings panel.
  2. Click Inactive [37] in the footer of the Settings panel to prevent the User from accessing the Workflow. You can also do this in the Edit User Account dialog by setting the current date in the Active Until field.

Proceed as follows to grant an inactive User access to the Workflow:

  1. Select the inactive User under the User Account [32] settings panel.
  2. Click Active [37] in the footer of the Settings panel to allow the User access the Workflow again. You can also perform this operation in the Edit User Account dialog by deleting the date in the Active Until field.

Change Password

To change the Password for a User, proceed as follows:

  1. Select the desired User under the User Account settings panel [32].
  2. Enter the new Password in the Change Password [34] section, confirm the entry again, and then click on Change Password.

Adding a profile picture

To prevent the default avatar [31] from being displayed for a User, you can upload a custom profile picture. Proceed as follows:

  1. Select the desired User under the User Account [32] settings panel.
  2. Drag a suitable image onto the Drop User Icon Here area [35].
  3. The profile picture will be displayed to the left after the upload is finished. To delete the profile picture, click on the Remove Image button [38].

Figure 10: The User Icon area under the User Account panel

Adding a Profile Picture

Edit User account

If you want to change Names, E-Mail or assign different Roles to the User, proceed as follows:

  1. Select the desired User under the User Account [32] settings panel.
  2. Click on Edit [36] (Figure 9), which opens the Edit User Account dialog.
  3. Make the necessary changes and click on Save [39] to finish the dialog.

Figure 11: The Edit User Account dialog

Edit User Account dialog

Delete User account

A User account cannot be deleted and the User name cannot be changed. For the sake of transparency, a complete record is kept.

5. User management in the Workflow

Users who want to work with the Workflow must first log in to the Workflow where they receive a valid token which contains a timestamp for each session. When logging in to the Workflow, Users must identify themselves using the following attributes:

  • User Name
  • Password

5.1. Concurrent Users

Depending on the license purchased, only a certain number of Users (Seats) can be logged into the Workflow while working concurrently.

A User is registered in the Workflow as a User (seat) when logged in

  • via a browser (Google Chrome is explicitly recommended)
  • via a Plug-in (e.g. Adobe Illustrator Plug-in)

Also when the User has logged in to the Workflow and remains active for a certain period of time.

If a User simultaneously logs on to the Workflow via another browser (e.g. Safari) or via another Adobe Illustrator version with the plug-in, an additional Seat is counted.

Working with multiple tabs in the browser

If you must work with several jobs at the same time, we recommend opening several tabs in Chrome and perform different tasks in the separate windows/tabs. The use of several tabs is not counted as an additional seat, as one seat is used per program. Several open windows or tabs in a single browser is registered as one User.

Several Users must work with the Workflow at the same time.

Depending on your License, a specific number of Users can use the Workflow simultaneously. Additional Users - e.g. 10 or 20 or an unlimited number of Users - can be purchased through your reseller.

5.2. Multiple logins with the same User

Users can log in to the Workflow multiple times with the same User. We do not recommend this working method, but it is none the less possible. Please note, however, that you cannot simultaneously log in to the Workflow with more than the number of Users available in the license. Seats refer to the program being used and not to the logged in User.

5.3. Logging out of the Workflow

To ensure that you do not exceed the number of available seats, Users should log off from the Workflow after work has been completed. Different procedures are available for logging off.

Automatic logoff

If a User is inactive for a certain period of time, the Workflow automatically logs him off. If the browser is reloaded, the following message may appear.

Figure 12: The user will see the following warning message if authentication fails:

Session timeout warning

Automatic logout time

The fixed period of ten days cannot be changed.

The time period when the Adobe Illustrator Plug-in automatically logs out of the Workflow can be set under the Settings dialog for the Plug-in via PMS Auto Logout [40].

Figure 13: The Settings dialog of the Adobe Illustrator Plug-in

 

AI Plugin settings panel

Logout manually

The User can manually logout from the Workflow by clicking on the Logout [41] icon in the action bar. If the browser window is simply closed or the browser is closed, the User is not automatically logged off.

Figure 14: The Logout icon in the action bar

manual logout button

Force Logout

If Users have not logged out properly but only close the browser or the window, their session and the User license (which is restricted by the license) will remain active.

This can lead to a situation in which a User cannot log in to the system because one or more colleagues may have forgotten to log off from the Workflow correctly and therefore the maximum number of simultaneous sessions has been reached or exceeded. In this case, the new User must be able to terminate the active but no longer required sessions in order to log in to the Workflow. (For example, a User in shift A may have forgotten to log off, the colleague in shift B must connect to the Workflow instead...)

Proceed as follows to force a User to log off from the system:

  1. When logging in [42], the User receives the error message "Number of max. allowed concurrent Users [xx] exhausted" [43].
  2. Click on Logged On Users [44].
  3. The list of all Users [45] logged in to the Workflow is displayed.
  4. Double-click on the User session you want to end (select by name, IP address or login time).
  5. You will then return to the login screen [46]. You will see x Kill User's session. [47]
  6. Click on Log in [48] and you are logged in to Workflow and the session of the User selected under point 4. is terminated.

Figure 14: The various dialogs required to force logout another User.

various login screen examples

If, when trying to login, the maximum amount of concurrent Users has already been reached, the Workflow tries to determine and automatically logout the user which has been inactive for the longest time. This means, that in this particular situation the new user wont be confronted with the "force logout" procedure described above.

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