No "Follow" button in Password Protected Forum

[Maksim]

So am dumbfounded by this one.  Not sure if this is an IPB quirk or a permissions issue somewhere.

A user recently messaged me asking why they could not get notifications for a topic they follow in a password protected forum.

When I go into it, in the quick reply button you do have the "notify me of replies" enabled.... yet, nowhere in the topic post or forum category/topic listings does it actually have the "follow content" button anywhere.

[Morrigan]

You cannot follow forums in password protected forums because they are password protected.

The password protection is technically session based so it can't know that the person should still have access to it after a session (or at all really since it's not associated with the account but a cookie). The only way around this is to change to secondary groups that are allowed into the forum instead of password protection.

@Maksim

[Mack_au]

I'd consider using a group to provide protected access to a forum instead of a password. It's so much more secure.

[Maksim]

Yet.... you can have follow if you reply....

User group is pointless in our case and would only create more work.  7,000 members filling up our time with requests to access it.  

The whole purpose of using password protected is that it allows a place for users to have a forum that bots/guests cannot get into without accepting that it is a moderator free area. The area is not "secret",  we just require someone put in a password to accept the terms.

I believe in 3.4 we were able to. 

ie... this is how we use it...

"

This is a private password protected forum.This section IS NOT Moderated. Some may find the contributions rude, inappropriate, and disrespectful. The owners and administration of XXXXX do not participate, endorse or agree with the postings contained within but allow it in order to confine such controversial subjects to one area to preserve the integrity of the main XXXXXXXXX. Keep in mind, ABSOLUTELY NO spamming or pornography. This is the ONLY place to discuss anything that is remotely objectionable or what you would not want your 12 year old kids to see.Use password "XXXXXXX" to enter and view the section. By entering the section you agree to abide by the rules."

[Maksim]

19 minutes ago, Morrigan said:

You cannot follow forums in password protected forums because they are password protected.

The password protection is technically session based so it can't know that the person should still have access to it after a session (or at all really since it's not associated with the account but a cookie). The only way around this is to change to secondary groups that are allowed into the forum instead of password protection.

@Maksim

Not following the entire forum, but even following specific posts.  We are talking notifications here.

If you reply to the topic, you have the "notify of replies" enabled... and the topics are already included in the activity stream.  

 

[Morrigan]

Yes but the permissions issue still applies here. Anything within a password protected forum the person doesn't technically "have" permission to without the password. The password is not associated with the account and so there is no way for the forum to know that they have permission to the content.

Again, since password protected forums are cookie based the forum can't know if they still have permission to it.

[Mack_au]

Your site already sells Premier Memberships, I'd just make the special forum part of that upgrade. I have that setup on my forum and it works fine without my input at all as an incentive to upgrade.

You wouldn't even need to do that much work, since I assume you already have the Premier Membership store item set to automatically upgrade & downgrade the member once their membership runs out.

If your store item already takes care of the group upgrade/downgrade, the only thing you'd need to do, is change the special forum permissions to allow or disallow access.

Of course, that assumes you want your First Amendment sub-forum to be put behind a Membership Paywall.

[Maksim]

2 minutes ago, Mack_au said:

Your site already sells Premier Memberships, I'd just make the special forum part of that upgrade. I have that setup on my forum and it works fine without my input at all as an incentive to upgrade.

You wouldn't even need to do that much work, since I assume you already have the Premier Membership store item set to automatically upgrade & downgrade the member once their membership runs out.

If your store item already takes care of the group upgrade/downgrade, the only thing you'd need to do, is change the special forum permissions to allow or disallow access.

Of course, that assumes you want your First Amendment sub-forum to be put behind a Membership Paywall.

Thanks for the idea, but we already do that for other sections.

Furthermore, the issue that comes up is that non premier members will find a way to put that type of content anyway, and only creates more staff load.

So while we do have a premier member lounge, it is typically for "deeper" discussions per say amongst a smaller group of people.

Since implementing our 1A Lounge, it accomplishes a number of things....

1. Unless you put in a password, that type of content will NOT show up in your activity stream/new content, etc.

2. Makes it completely Safe For Work.

3. Makes users ACCEPT responsibility and terms by actively typing in the pass code.

4. Users who do not want to participate in those discussions, do not even have to see it, outside of seeing there is a link to that section.

It has been an issue that plagued us for 6 years, and over the last 3 years since we implemented it... staff work load has gone done, user satisfaction has gone up, and I have far less reports come up because users have had their feelings hurt. =)

I did not know about it at first, but right now, would not change it any other way. =)

 

Really, what I am looking for I guess is a solution to enable the follow and notifications for the section. =)

[Morrigan]

@Maksim You will need to see if someone can create you a mod for it. It's not a simple fix I believe.

[Maksim]

Just now, Morrigan said:

@Maksim You will need to see if someone can create you a mod for it. It's not a simple fix I believe.

Thanks... Want to? =) 

 

[Morrigan]

I am unfortunately not that sort of coder. Sorry.