[Phpgroupware-developers] RFC: Addressmaster

[Edgar Luna]

Hi,

Seems that is not possible for me, maintain this discussion on
irc. For this I send this mail te begin a threat with all people that
is interested on the topic.

The new contacts backend will include the `contact' information of the
accounts, so the apps could safely use contacts to:
- List of possible member of meeting
- Adding an infolog item
- Sending a mail/message/whatever.

We call "system contacts" to contacts that hold the information of one
account.

There is no problem here and the code is done and working.

The problem becomes in the way that we could distinguish between
system contacts and the others contacts. This includes the way that we
go to handle the ACL for system contacts.

Now I know about two ways to handle this.

,----
| Basically from ceb:
`----

We have and addressmaster configuration, with the list of
addressmaster(s).

Then we have an acl_app=addressmaster, which grant access to
anybody. in the way that it needs.

Then we have a form that select who are addressmaster (we call this
accountmaster form).

All the system contacts records, have the owner with value -3, so in
this way we could check that they are system contacts.

The changes of acl are indifferent from who is the addressmaster
(killer feature imho).

Advantages:

- We could have N admins with the role (plus admin) of addressmaster,
  so any of this admins could do changes on that records.
- This will not affect the acl of this user (ie. he don't need to
  share his addressbook to be the addressmaster).


Disadvantages:

- This add acl checking on all addressbook.
- ...

,----
| Basically form lex:
`----

We have a user who is the owner of system contacts.

In configuration we maintain the addressmaster setting with an integer
with the account_id of the addressmaster (this could allow that
addressmaster be a group).

This addresmaster value in config, will be the same that used in the
owner field of system contacts records.

This user is planned to be an system account, not really for use
phpgw.

Now for this we could use the accountmaster form, to (both of them):

1) Set the addressmaster (the id that will be used on config and the
   owner field).

2) Select all the admins/user that have write perms for systems
   contacts records, so they could edit the information too (well I
   think so).

The problem becomes on changing the addressmaster:

- What to do with acl? transport the actual state of acl to new
addressmaster?
- This is really unnecessary, and must be impossible to do for user?
Because addressmaster is just used for owner field, nothing else, so
we must encourage to use a separate user, then we set the list of
addressmaster with the second box, who have write perms on the record.


Advantages:

- No acl changes on addressbook.

Disadvantages:

- The addressmaster must be a user that will have accounts perms
  limited by his role of addressmaster.
- For setting who can read system contacts you need to logout/login.
- Possible confusion allowing change the addressmaster.


I want that people that is interested talk and decide what to do,
thinking on terms of time, usability and usefulness.

Best Regards

-- 
Edgar Antonio Luna Díaz - http://www.sogrp.com
Fingerprint: C008 5EAC 5272 AC8C 7589  4821 8B34 6166 8733 8310