User Generated Content

Get the code!

Get the code for this chapter (More info) using this command in the buildout directory:

cp -R src/ploneconf.site_sneak/chapters/11_user_generated_content_p5/ src/ploneconf.site

How do prospective speakers submit talks? We let them register on the site and grant right to create talks. For this we go back to changing the site through-the-web.

In this chapter we:

  • allow self-registration
  • constrain types on the talk folder
  • grant local roles
  • create a custom workflow for talks

Self-registration

Constrain types

  • On the talk folder select Restrictions… from the Add new menu. Only allow to add talks.

Grant local roles

  • Go to Sharing and grant the role Can add to the group logged-in users. Now every user can add content in this folder (and only this folder).

Now all logged-in users can create and submit talks in this folder with the permission of the default workflow.

A custom workflow for talks

We still need to fix a problem: Authenticated users can see all talks, even the ones of other users in the private state. Since we don’t want this we will create a modified workflow for talks. The new workflow will only let them see and edit talks they created themselves and not the ones of other users.

  • Go to the ZMI > portal_workflow
  • See how talks have the same workflow as most content (Default)
  • Go to the tab Contents, check the box next to simple_publication_workflow, click copy and paste.
  • Rename the new workflow from copy_of_simple_publication_workflow to talks_workflow.
  • Edit the workflow by clicking on it: Change the Title to Talks Workflow.
  • Click on the tab States and click on private to edit this state. In the next view select the tab Permissions.
  • Find the table column for the role Contributor and remove the permissions for Access contents information and View. Note that the Owner (i.e. the Creator) still has some permissions.
  • Do the same for the state pending
  • Go back to portal_workflow and set the new workflow talks_workflow for talks. Click Change and then Update security settings.

Nota

The addon plone.app.workflowmanager provides a much nicer user-interface for this. The problem is you need a big screen for it and it can be pretty confusing as well.

Done.

Move the changes to the file system

We don’t want to do these steps for every new conference by hand so we move the changes into our package.

Import/Export the Workflow

  • export the GenericSetup step Workflow Tool in http://localhost:8080/Plone/portal_setup/manage_exportSteps.
  • drop the file workflows.xml into profiles/default.
  • drop workflows/talks_workflow/definition.xml in profiles/default/workflows/talks_workflow/definition.xml. The others are just definitions of the default-workflows and we only want things in our package that changes Plone.

Enable self-registration

To enable self-registration add the following to profiles/default/registry.xml:

<record name="plone.enable_self_reg" interface="Products.CMFPlone.interfaces.controlpanel.ISecuritySchema" field="enable_self_reg">
  <value>True</value>
</record>

Nota

Before Plone 5 this had to be done in python in a setuphandler (see below) since there was not yet an exportable setting for this.

Grant local roles

Since the granting of local roles applies only to a certain folder in the site we would not always write code for it but do it by hand. But for testability and repeatability (there is a conference every year!) we should create the initial content structure automatically.

So let’s make sure some initial content is created and configured on installing the package.

To run arbitrary code during the installation of a package we use a special import step, a setuphandler

Our package already has such an import step registered in configure.zcml. It will be automatically run when (re-)installing the addon.

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<genericsetup:importStep
    name="ploneconf.site-postInstall"
    title="ploneconf.site post_install import step"
    description="Post install import step from ploneconf.site"
    handler=".setuphandlers.post_install">
</genericsetup:importStep>

Nota

All GenericSetup import steps, including this one, are run for every add-on product when they are installed. To make sure that it is only run during installation of your package the code checks for a marker text file ploneconfsite_marker.txt.

This step makes sure the method post_install in setuphandlers.py is executed on installation.

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# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
from plone import api

import logging

PROFILE_ID = 'profile-ploneconf.site:default'
logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)


def isNotCurrentProfile(context):
    return context.readDataFile('ploneconfsite_marker.txt') is None


def post_install(context):
    """Post install script"""
    if isNotCurrentProfile(context):
        return
    # Do something during the installation of this package
    portal = api.portal.get()
    set_up_content(portal)


def set_up_content(portal):
    """Create and configure some initial content"""
    # Abort if there is already a folder 'talks'
    if 'talks' in portal:
        logger.info('An item called "talks" already exists')
        return
    talks = api.content.create(
        container=portal,
        type='Folder',
        id='talks',
        title='Talks')
    api.content.transition(talks, 'publish')

    # Allow logged-in users to create content
    api.group.grant_roles(
        groupname='AuthenticatedUsers',
        roles=['Contributor'],
        obj=talks)

    # Constrain addable types to talk
    behavior = (talks)
    behavior.setConstrainTypesMode(constrains.ENABLED)
    behavior.setLocallyAllowedTypes(['talk'])
    behavior.setImmediatelyAddableTypes(['talk'])
    logger.info('Created and configured %s' % talks.absolute_url())

Once we reinstall our package a folder ‘talks’ is created with the appropriate local roles and constraints.

Remember that we wrote similar code to create the folder The Event in Upgrade steps. We should probably add it also to setuphandlers to make sure a sane structure gets created when we create a new site by hand or in tests.

You’d usualy create a list of dictionaries containing the type, parent and title plus optionally layout, workflow state etc. to create an initial structure. In some projects it could also make sense to have a separate profile besides default which might be called content that creates an initial structure and maybe another testing that creates dummy content (talks, speakers etc) for tests.

Nota

You can also export and later import content using the GenericSetup step Content (Products.CMFCore.exportimport.content.exportSiteStructure) although you cannot set all types of properties (workflow state, layout) and the syntax is a little special.

Excercise 1

Create a profile content that runs its own method in setuphandlers.py. Note that you need a different marker text file to make sure your code is only run when installing the profile content.

Solution

Register the profile and the upgrade step in configure.zcml

<genericsetup:registerProfile
    name="content"
    title="PloneConf Site initial content"
    directory="profiles/content"
    description="Extension profile for PloneConf Talk to add initial content"
    provides="Products.GenericSetup.interfaces.EXTENSION"
    />

<genericsetup:importStep
    name="ploneconf.site-content"
    title="ploneconf.site with initial content"
    description="Post install import step from ploneconf.site with initial content"
    handler=".setuphandlers.content">
    <depends name='typeinfo' />
</genericsetup:importStep>

Create the profile folder profiles/content and drop a marker file ploneconfsite_content_marker.txt in it.

Also add a profiles/content/metadata.xml so the default profile gets automatically installed when installing the content profile.

<metadata>
  <version>1000</version>
  <dependencies>
    <dependency>profile-ploneconf.site:default</dependency>
  </dependencies>
</metadata>

Add the stucture you wish to create as a list of dictionaries in setuphandlers.py:

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STRUCTURE = [
    {
        'type': 'Document',
        'title': u'Plone Conference 2022',
        'id': 'plone-conference-2022',
        'description': u'',
    },
    {
        'type': 'Folder',
        'title': u'The Event',
        'id': 'the-event',
        'description': u'Plone Conference 2022',
        'layout': 'frontpage-for-the-event',
        'children': [{
            'type': 'Document',
            'title': u'Frontpage for the-event',
            'id': 'frontpage-for-the-event',
            'description': u'',
            },
            {
            'type': 'Folder',
            'title': u'Talks',
            'id': 'talks',
            'description': u'',
            'layout': 'talklistview',
            },
            {
            'type': 'Folder',
            'title': u'Training',
            'id': 'training',
            'description': u'',
            },
            {
            'type': 'Folder',
            'title': u'Sprint',
            'id': 'sprint',
            'description': u'',
            },
        ]
    },
    {
        'type': 'Folder',
        'title': u'Talks',
        'id': 'talks',
        'description': u'Submit your talks here!',
        'layout': '@@talklistview',
        'allowed_types': ['talk'],
        'local_roles': [{
            'group': 'AuthenticatedUsers',
            'roles': ['Contributor']
        }],
    },
    {
        'type': 'Folder',
        'title': u'News',
        'id': 'news',
        'description': u'News about the Plone Conference',
        'children': [{
            'type': 'News Item',
            'title': u'Submit your talks!',
            'id': 'submit-your-talks',
            'description': u'',}
        ],
    },
    {
        'type': 'Folder',
        'title': u'Events',
        'id': 'events',
        'description': u'Dates to keep in mind',
    },
]

Add the method content to setuphandlers.py. We pointed to that when registering the import step. And add some fancy logic to create the content from STRUCTURE.

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def content(context):
    if context.readDataFile('ploneconfsite_content_marker.txt') is None:
        return

    portal = api.portal.get()
    for item in STRUCTURE:
        _create_content(item, portal)


def _create_content(item, container):
    new = container.get(item['id'], None)
    if not new:
        new = api.content.create(
            type=item['type'],
            container=container,
            title=item['title'],
            id=item['id'],
            safe_id=False)
        logger.info('Created item {}'.format(new.absolute_url()))
    if item.get('layout', False):
        new.setLayout(item['layout'])
    if item.get('default-page', False):
        new.setDefaultPage(item['default-page'])
    if item.get('description', False):
        new.setDescription(item['description'])
    if item.get('allowed_types', False):
        _constrain(new, item['allowed_types'])
    if item.get('local_roles', False):
        for local_role in item['local_roles']:
            api.group.grant_roles(
                groupname=local_role['group'],
                roles=local_role['roles'],
                obj=new)
    api.content.transition(new, to_state=item.get('state', 'published'))
    new.reindexObject()
    # call recursively for children
    for subitem in item.get('children', []):
        _create_content(subitem, new)

def _constrain(context, allowed_types):
    behavior = ISelectableConstrainTypes(context)
    behavior.setConstrainTypesMode(constrains.ENABLED)
    behavior.setLocallyAllowedTypes(allowed_types)
    behavior.setImmediatelyAddableTypes(allowed_types)