User Administration

The User Administration (or "Users") system module provides three main functions: new user registration, default account authorization (log user in and out of the site), and user account maintenance.

First, it is the module that allows new users to register for an account on your web site. The registration function collects information from the user in order to create an account. This information can optionally include additional information that is stored as part of the new user's profile (through integration with a profile module). Prior to completing the registration and creating a new user, the system has an option to allow an administrator to approve the registration request. Finally, the system also has an option to require that the new user verify his e-mail address by providing an activation code delivered to his e-mail address before he his allowed to log in.

Second, the User Administration system module is the default module that handles user account authorization when a user logs into the system. Depending on how the module is configured, the user must provide either his e-mail address or his user name, along with his password, to the log in process. If no other module is configured to provide account authorization, then the user's log-in information is checked against the user name (or e-mail address) and password maintained by this module to determine if the user should be allowed access to the system. (See the AuthPN∞ module for information on implementing alternative authorization methods, such as OpenID∞ or LDAP∞.)

Finally, the User Administration module allows administrators to perform basic maintenance on user accounts.

Installation and Configuration

Since the User Administration module is part of the core Zikula system, it is installed by default. No additional steps are required to make it part of your web site.

To configure the module, log into your web site as a user with administrative rights, and go to the Site Administration Panel. The administrative options for the Users module is found under the "Users" tab, labeled "Users Manager." Clicking on this will bring you to the main user management page, which displays the current list of users. To configure the system, find "Settings" on the sub-menu near the top of the page, and click on it. Once there, several sections of configuration options are available to you.

For a list of configuration settings, including descriptions and default values, see the User Administration: Settings page.

Permissions

In most cases, the access levels granted to administrators and users in the default Zikula installation will serve the needs of your site without any changes. The following default permissions:

Group	Component	Instance	Permission level
Administrators	.*	.*	Admin access
Users	.*	.*	Comment access
Unregistered	.*	.*	Read access

grant members of the Administrators group all of the access they need to manage user accounts and registrations, users all of the access they need to access their user account and make appropriate changes, and unregistered users the ability to register and (if necessary) activate a new account.

A possible addition to the default set of permissions might be to add a group of sub-administrators who are granted the rights to approve registration requests (if they're being moderated) and to modify user accounts. You might add a group called "Subadministrators", and then grant them the following access level:

Group	Component	Instance	Permission level
Subadministrators	Users::.*	.*	Add access

This would allow members of the Subadministrators group to add new users, approve registrations, and modify user accounts. They would not be permitted to delete accounts, nor would they be permitted to modify the Users module's settings.

For more information on the access levels needed for specific functions see User Administration: Permission Details.

User Registration

One of the first encounters with the Users module that the typical visitor to your web site might have is with its registration process. The main goal of the registration process within the module is to allow new users to create accounts on your site. There are several settings that affect the registration process. Registrations could be moderated, requiring an administrator or moderator to approve all requests for new accounts. Users could be required to validate their e-mail address prior to activating their account. If a "profile" module is installed on your site, additional information might be collected during the registration process and stored with your profile module when the registration is complete.