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User Permissions

 

What This Page Does

Control who can access specific features on your site based on their account level. While Feature Toggles turn features on or off for everyone, User Permissions let you restrict enabled features to Free, Premium, or VIP members only. This is how you create a membership hierarchy and monetize premium features.

[Screenshot: page-overview]

How to Get Here

Navigate to Admin Panel > Users > User Permissions

You can also reach this page from the Users list by clicking the Permissions button in the navigation.

Understanding the Page

When you open User Permissions, you'll see features organized into categories like Security, Content, Social, and more. Each feature has two controls: a dropdown that sets the minimum account level required, and a toggle switch that turns the feature on or off completely.

Top Navigation

At the top of the page, you'll find quick links to related pages:

  • Back to Users - Returns to the user management list
  • Feature Toggles - Opens the site-wide feature on/off controls
  • Dashboard - Returns to the main admin panel

Information Alerts

Two helpful alerts explain what this page does:

  1. Green alert - Explains that this page controls WHO can access features based on account type
  2. Blue alert - Links to Feature Toggles if you need to turn features on/off entirely

Feature Categories

Features are grouped into nine categories:

Category What's Inside
Security & Authentication Two-factor authentication, login controls, session security
Content & Viewing Video quality options, downloads, streaming features
Social Features Comments, ratings, user profiles, following
Communication Messaging, chat, notifications
Privacy & Safety Privacy settings, blocking tools, content filtering
Advanced Features Power user tools, API access
Billing & Subscriptions Payment features, subscription management
Gamification & Engagement Badges, achievements, leaderboards
Customer Support Support tickets, help resources

Each category shows how many features it contains and displays them in an easy-to-scan list.

Feature Controls

Every feature has three parts:

  1. Feature Information (left side)
  • Feature name in bold
  • Technical identifier in a gray badge
  • Description explaining what the feature does
  1. Account Type Dropdown (middle)
  • Controls who can access this feature
  • Options: All Users, Free+, Premium+, or VIP Only
  1. Enable/Disable Toggle (right side)
  • Master switch for the entire feature
  • Green means ON, gray means OFF

[Screenshot: feature-item]

Common Tasks

How to Restrict a Feature to Premium Members

Use this when you want to offer a feature only to paying subscribers.

  1. Scroll through the categories to find the feature you want to restrict.
  2. Locate the Account Type Dropdown in the middle column.
  3. Click the dropdown and select Premium+.
  4. The change saves automatically - you'll see the dropdown update immediately.
  5. Free users can no longer access this feature on your site.
Tip: Changes take effect immediately. No save button needed.

[Screenshot: restrict-to-premium]

How to Make a Feature VIP-Only

Perfect for your most exclusive content or tools.

  1. Find the feature in its category section.
  2. Click the Account Type Dropdown.
  3. Select VIP Only from the options.
  4. Only VIP subscribers can now use this feature.

How to Open a Feature to Everyone

When you want to make a feature available to all visitors, including non-registered users.

  1. Find the feature you want to open up.
  2. Set the Account Type Dropdown to All Users.
  3. Make sure the toggle switch is ON (green, slider to the right).
  4. Everyone can now access the feature.

How to Temporarily Disable a Feature

Use this for maintenance or to test how your site works without a particular feature.

  1. Find the feature in the list.
  2. Click the toggle switch to turn it OFF (it will turn gray and slide left).
  3. The feature is now disabled for everyone, regardless of account type.
  4. Your permission settings are preserved - just toggle it back ON when ready.
Tip: The toggle is a master switch. When OFF, nobody can access the feature no matter what their account level is.

[Screenshot: toggle-off]

How to Build a Membership Tier

Create a clear value proposition for each membership level.

  1. Start by listing what features you want for each tier.
  2. Set basic features to All Users (browsing, searching).
  3. Set standard features to Free+ (comments, profiles).
  4. Set premium features to Premium+ (HD streaming, downloads).
  5. Set exclusive features to VIP Only (4K streaming, early access).
  6. Test with test accounts at each level to verify the experience.

Understanding Account Types

The dropdown offers four permission levels:

Account Type Who Gets Access Best For
All Users Everyone, including guests Basic browsing, search, public content
Free+ Registered free users and above Standard features like comments, profiles
Premium+ Premium subscribers and above Quality upgrades, downloads, premium content
VIP Only Only VIP subscribers Exclusive features, highest quality options
Note: Permission Hierarchy: Each level includes all lower levels. VIP users automatically have access to Premium and Free features too.

The Master Toggle vs Permissions

Understanding how the toggle and dropdown work together:

Toggle State Dropdown Setting Result
ON (green) All Users Everyone can use the feature
ON (green) Premium+ Only Premium and VIP users can use it
ON (green) VIP Only Only VIP users can use it
OFF (gray) Any setting Nobody can use the feature

The toggle is like a master power switch - if it's OFF, the feature is disabled for everyone. If it's ON, the dropdown determines who gets access.

Warning: Turning OFF a feature hides it from all users, regardless of account type. The dropdown setting is ignored until you turn the toggle back ON.

How Changes Work

Instant Saves

Every change you make saves automatically via the background. You'll see the control update immediately - no save button needed, no page reload required.

If a save fails for any reason, you'll see an alert message and the control may revert to its previous state. Simply try again or check your internet connection.

When Changes Take Effect

Changes apply immediately on your site. Users who are currently browsing will see the new permissions the next time they navigate to a different page or refresh.

Tip: After changing important permissions, test your site with a test account at each membership level to make sure everything works as expected.

Working With Feature Toggles

This page works hand-in-hand with the Feature Toggles page:

Feature Toggles (ON/OFF for everyone) → User Permissions (WHO can access) → User Details (Individual overrides)

When to Use Each Page

Use Feature Toggles When... Use User Permissions When...
You want to turn a feature on or off site-wide You want to control WHO can access an enabled feature
You're doing maintenance on a feature You're building membership tiers
You want to hide a feature temporarily You're monetizing a feature
You're testing a new feature You're creating upgrade incentives

Click the Feature Toggles button at the top of the page to switch between them.

Demo Mode

If you see an orange banner at the top saying "Demo Mode," the page is in demonstration mode. All dropdowns and toggles are disabled and you can't make changes. This protects settings during demonstrations or training sessions.

Demo mode is controlled by your system administrator. Contact them if you need to make changes while demo mode is active.

[Screenshot: demo-mode-banner]

Tips for New Users

Tip:
  • Start restrictive - When launching premium features, start with VIP Only and expand access gradually.
  • Test thoroughly - Create test accounts at each tier and verify the experience before announcing changes.
  • Document your strategy - Keep notes on what features are at each level so you can answer member questions.
  • Be consistent - Keep similar features at the same tier (e.g., all HD options at Premium, all 4K at VIP).
  • Communicate changes - If you're changing a popular feature's access level, let your members know in advance.

Troubleshooting

Changes aren't saving

What you see: You change a dropdown or toggle but it reverts back to the old setting.

How to fix it:

  1. Check your internet connection.
  2. Open your browser's Developer Tools (press F12) and look in the Console tab for error messages.
  3. Refresh the page and try again.
  4. If the problem persists, contact your system administrator - there may be a database connection issue.

 

A feature is still accessible when it shouldn't be

What you see: A Free user can access a Premium feature, or everyone can still access a disabled feature.

How to fix it:

  1. Check the toggle switch - is it ON? The feature must be ON for anyone to use it.
  2. Check the dropdown - does the user's account level meet the requirement?
  3. Go to Users > User Management, click on the specific user, and check their User Details page. They may have an individual override that grants them access.
  4. Ask the user to log out and log back in, or clear their browser cache.
  5. Check the Feature Toggles page to ensure the feature is enabled site-wide.

 

Feature names show as codes

What you see: Instead of "Video Downloads" you see something like "userdetails.features.items.videodownloads.name".

How to fix it:

  1. This means translation files are incomplete for your selected language.
  2. Switch to English using the language selector in the admin header.
  3. If you need to use another language, contact support about updating translation files.

 

Permission changes don't affect the frontend

What you see: You changed permissions but users still see the old behavior.

How to fix it:

  1. Have affected users log out and log back in.
  2. Check that the frontend pages are checking permissions correctly - contact your developer if needed.
  3. Clear any caching systems you have running.
  4. Verify the database connection is working by checking other admin pages.

 

Page When to Use It
Feature Toggles Turn features on or off for everyone site-wide
User Management View and manage all user accounts
User Details Override permissions for a specific individual user
Access Packages Create and manage membership subscription packages

Understanding Your Monetization Strategy

Building a Successful Tier System

Your membership tiers should offer clear value at each level:

Free Tier - The Hook

  • Give enough to make the site useful
  • Show what premium features exist
  • Examples: browsing, search, comments, standard quality

 

Premium Tier - The Sweet Spot

  • Most users should find this tier worth paying for
  • Examples: HD streaming, downloads, ad-free, advanced search

 

VIP Tier - The Exclusive Experience

  • Premium plus exclusive extras
  • Examples: 4K streaming, early access, priority support

 

Common Monetization Patterns

Pattern How It Works
Quality Gating Free: SD, Premium: HD, VIP: 4K
Feature Gating Free: view only, Premium: downloads, VIP: downloads + API
Content Gating Free: older content, Premium: recent, VIP: all + exclusive
Engagement Gating Free: limited comments, Premium: unlimited, VIP: verified badge
Warning: Revenue Impact: Be very careful changing a premium feature to "All Users" - this affects your income and you can't easily take it back once users have accessed the content.

Quick Reference

Common Permission Setups

Conservative (Maximum Revenue)

  • Basic browsing: All Users
  • Standard features: Premium+
  • Advanced features: VIP Only

 

Balanced (Growth Focused)

  • Basic browsing: All Users
  • Standard features: Free+
  • Premium features: Premium+
  • Exclusive features: VIP Only

 

Generous (User Acquisition)

  • Most features: All Users or Free+
  • Only special features: Premium+
  • Exclusive tools: VIP Only

 

Choose the approach that matches your business goals and adjust over time based on conversion rates and user feedback.

Related Pages