Normal Level Users Don't Get Category Selection "Drop Down"

[pliggerman]

Version: 1.2.0
Theme: BoxyBuzz for 1.2.0
Website: iZeby.com - Your Source for Social News and Networking

This is an urgent request for help. Most of my members cannot publish, or their stories are being discarded. The reason? Categories are not 'allowed' in their stories - weird, I know.

God and Admin level users are the only type members that can get the category selection section to work.

Normal users cannot get the drop down to "drop down" to show the My Website category. OxyThemes says this is a Pligg problem, not a BoxyBuzz theme issue.

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On a somewhat related note, I am using URL Method 2 but I do not understand what they mean about doing something manually with the .htcaccess code after I use the automated default 'switch' method.

I used the feature that inserts the default htcaccess file as the .htcaccess, but a message then came up that I still need to manually do something with the categories.

This is all I can find that makes sense to me in the code (see below), but when I go to the admin panel in the category section, there is no code written out for me to place in the .htcaccess file.


## You can find the below lines pre-made for you in the category management section of the admin panel ##
RewriteRule ^(all)/([^/]+)/?$ story.php?title=$2 [L]
RewriteRule ^(all)/?$ index.php [R=301,L]
##

[cmstheme]

Normal users cannot get the drop down to "drop down" to show the My Website category. OxyThemes says this is a Pligg problem, not a BoxyBuzz theme issue.

This is my answer in our forum and you haven't replied to it.

Do you mean you can submit without choosing a category? If yes, then certainly there's some problem with your Pligg installation.

Take note of the last word - I didn't state that it's a problem with Pligg but with your installation.

I suggest that you temporarily switch back to wistie template and verify if the problem is still there. If it still occurs using wistie template then probably it's not a template-related problem. If the problem didn't occur using wistie, then it might be a problem in our template (but take note too that you have ask for a modification on how the category behaves, i.e. the default choice).

[pliggerman]

This is my answer in our forum and you haven't replied to it.

Take note of the last word - I didn't state that it's a problem with Pligg but with your installation.

I suggest that you temporarily switch back to wistie template and verify if the problem is still there. If it still occurs using wistie template then probably it's not a template-related problem. If the problem didn't occur using wistie, then it might be a problem in our template (but take note too that you have ask for a modification on how the category behaves, i.e. the default choice).

Thanks for the quick response. Perhaps you missed the thread where the OxyTheme people confirmed it is a Pligg issue. Plus, I already tested Wistie and it does the same thing.

I need someone who understands how security levels can affect category selection, because if god and admin levels can do this without a glitch, then there must be a simple fix that I'm not thinking of --- that is preventing users without admin level clearance to get a category.

I followed the install by the letter, so I think it can be fixed with a change in the code.

Let's hope that Pligg support can respond soon, as you have. Much appreciation.

[Yankidank]

From the category management page (/admin/admin_categories.php), make sure that the "Required level to post" value is set to normal for all of the categories that you want normal users to be able to post to.

This probably isn't the case, because I don't think it would act like this, but perhaps your user account has opted to disable categories. You can check this from the User Settings page (/user/setting/USERNAME/). I'm not sure what the URL for that would look like for a non-SEO enabled site. All categories should be checked to insure that you see stories related to the particular categories, and I assume post to those categories.

[pliggerman]

From the category management page (/admin/admin_categories.php), make sure that the "Required level to post" value is set to normal for all of the categories that you want normal users to be able to post to.

This probably isn't the case, because I don't think it would act like this, but perhaps your user account has opted to disable categories. You can check this from the User Settings page (/user/setting/USERNAME/). I'm not sure what the URL for that would look like for a non-SEO enabled site. All categories should be checked to insure that you see stories related to the particular categories, and I assume post to those categories.

Yes, the required level to post has been checked - and it's fine in the categories mgmt page. Normal users should see a drop down of one category to use. Even when I allowed them all categories, the problem was still there. Plus, as you will see below - it's a security level issue, as I have said before.

In regard to the categories on the user settings page, it's good too. All categories are 'checked' while the - test -'normal' level account is logged in.

The problem with the second suggestion is, this would not explain why NO normal user can post. I still believe it's some sort of code regarding 'normal' user's limitations on category selection.

Otherwise, it would make no sense why I can move this test account to an admin level and it works fine. And I put it back to normal level - and that is all it takes for the problem to surface again. So... the only change I make is an access level (normal to admin) on this test account -- and it's fixed.

Make sense?

If you need to see what I am seeing - use this dummy account:

Login: XXXXXX Pwd: XXXXXX (no longer needed - problem solved)

[Yankidank]

Try changing to the default Wistie template temporarily (using the settemplate.php file) to see if the problem still persists with it, or if it is being caused by your custom template.

[pliggerman]

Try changing to the default Wistie template temporarily (using the settemplate.php file) to see if the problem still persists with it, or if it is being caused by your custom template.

Did that too my friend (see earlier in thread), and again yesterday just to be sure. No change.

Can you please think why EVERY user cannot select a category unless they are made a god or an admin -- because this is what's happening, and since Wistie does it too.. it's something in the Pligg code I may have changed.

So if I can upload the original file that handles security level permissions for all normal users, it should fix this.

Thanks. I look forward to hearing from you... again, it's the code that handles permissions for the normal user dealing with categories.

[pliggerman]

No more ideas?

Again, Wistie gives me the same problem - and so it MUST be a pligg security level setting. Users can only select a category when their level is changed to admin or god level.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

- Michael

[ChuckRoast]

Are you sure you didn't select the incorrect user level permissions in category management?
I've never seen anyone else with this issue before.

[pliggerman]

Are you sure you didn't select the incorrect user level permissions in category management?
I've never seen anyone else with this issue before.

If by that you mean, where the 'god' can allow users to only post in certain categories - I checked that out, but I will confirm it again now. If that is not what you mean, please reply.

Update will follow...

Confirmed as not the problem: Required Level To Post = Normal

BUT... I just discovered what was wrong! I was not looking at Group Permission settings.

Just below the user setting, there is another setting I had put a number in. The setting is called:

"Required User Group To Post"

Once I cleared that field, it worked! I figured it was something fairly simple I had done, but could not figure it out until now.

Thank you so much for all your help everyone.

For the record, please briefly explain what the "Required User Group To Post" setting is used for, and then perhaps this thread will help others in the future - even more.