Configuring Access to Your Kuali Build App

By default, your app is private only to you. This includes distributing your form for others to fill out – by default, no one can! The form link won’t work for a user unless that user is explicitly given permissions. You can grant access for specific Tufts individuals or groups of Tufts individuals (such as the Arts & Sciences faculty) on the Permissions screen. Permissions are an app setting where you configure who has access to your app. Permissions are configured individually for each app.

Note: The only exception to permissions being required are individuals identified in your app’s workflow (unless you’d like to give them additional permissions). For example, if I set up John Jumbo as an approver in my workflow, and all I want John to do with my app is approve forms he’s been assigned to, I do not need to configure permissions for John Jumbo on the permissions screen.

There are five permissions available that fall into three categories:

  • Who can submit your form?
    • By default, this is no one. The link to your form won’t be accessible to anyone unless you have explicitly configured that user as allowed to submit the form.
    • Reminder: Submitting a form in Kuali Build is called “Creating a document”.
  • Who can view submitted forms (documents)?
    • By default, this is no one. The exception is users who are explicitly assigned to approve a document in your app’s workflow – they can view only documents that are assigned to them.
    • Reminder: Submitted forms in Kuali Build are called documents.
  • Who can work on the app with you?
    • If you are building your app with your teammates, you’ll want to give them permissions to edit the form and workflow with you.

Permissions are assigned by Role. Permissions assigned to a role will apply to every user in the role. You cannot assign permissions directly to a specific user – you must assign a user to a role and assign permissions to that role.

Kuali Build comes with a few predefined roles. For example, one role is “All Authenticated Users”. Here, we’ve set our permissions such that any user that can log in with a Tufts username and password to a Tufts login screen will be able to create a document (submit the form).

All Authenticated Users is a role created by Kuali Build

The app permissions that can be assigned are:

  • Administer, design, and publish this app: This allows users to edit, publish, and delete an app. You will set this permission for any Tufts users that will work completely with you on building the app, such as your teammates.
  • Create documents in this app: This allows users to submit the initial form. You’ll set this permission for any Tufts users that you plan to distribute the form to.
  • Read documents in this app: This allows users to access to view submitted documents (submitted forms) for this app. 
  • Update documents in this app: This allows users to make changes to any completed fields in a document (submitted form) in this app.
    • Note: Because this permission allows users to change the answers the initial user submitted in their form, be very discriminate with whom you assign this permission to.
  • Delete documents in this app: This allows users to delete any documents (submitted forms) from this app.

To see more information on app permissions, you can look at Kuali Build’s “App Permissions” documentation.

You can change app permissions at any point.

  1. In your app, click the triple dots option menu next to your app’s name in the top left.
    The app name is in the top left of the screen
  2. Choose Permissions from the dropdown menu.
    Permissions is the second list item
  3. Scroll down to the role you’d like to assign permissions to.
    Authenticated Users is one pre-created role
  4. On the right side of the row, click the checkbox(es) next to the permissions you’d like this role to have. The checkbox will fill in blue.
    Check any desired boxes under the role
  5. To remove a permission from a role, click a blue checkbox. The checkbox will clear, removing the permission.
    Authenticated Users is one pre-created role
  6. The adjusted permissions will automatically save.

Kuali Build has two predefined set roles: Authenticated Users (any user that can log in to a Tufts login screen with a Tufts username and password) and All Anonymous Users (anyone in the public, including individuals that are not part of Tufts).

For the administrator role and all custom roles, you will define what users are in that role and thus have the role’s permissions. You can always change role members in the future.

  1. In your app, click the triple dots option menu next to your app’s name in the top left.
    The app name is in the top left of the screen
  2. Choose Permissions from the dropdown menu.
    Permissions is the second list item
  3. Scroll down to the role you would like to add users to.
    Administrators is a pre-defined role

To each role, you can add individual users or add Groups, Roles, and Affiliations, granting permissions to all users within that group, role, or affiliation. These are not exclusive and there is no limit to the number of users, groups, roles, and affiliations you can add.
You can add 2 users, 2 groups, 1 role, and 1 affiliation if you'd like

  • The Users field allows you to add an individual Tufts user.
    Typing in a user will show a dropdown of choices
  • A Group is a school or department, such as all of the Engineering school or all of the Dining department. These are predefined in Kuali Build. If a new system level group is needed, submit a request to kuali-build-support@elist.tufts.edu.
    Typing in a group will show a dropdown of choices
  • A Role is a subset of a school or department at Tufts, such as Advancement Faculty or Engineering Staff. While they have the same name, these are predefined Tufts roles and do not include the Kuali Build roles you are defining on this page.
    Typing in a role will show a dropdown of choices
  • Affiliations are Tufts affiliations, such as student or staff.
    Typing in an affiliation will show a dropdown of choices

Adding Users, Groups, Roles, and Affiliations to a role are all done the same way.

  1. Click the Add a… search field in the appropriate row.
    Add a is next to the search icon
  2. Begin typing in the search field. The dropdown will automatically filter as you type.
    Select from the dropdown
  3. Click your selection from the dropdown.
    Users added appear under the search field
  4. Role additions will automatically save.

If you have different groups of individuals whom you’d like to assign different permissions to, you can create custom roles. You will create the role, assign the permissions to the role, and add users to the role.

Note: These custom permission roles are used only for assigning app permissions and cannot be used on the Workflow page for workflow routing. Only roles within Kuali Groups can be used for workflow routing. 

To create a custom role:

  1. In your app, click the triple dots option menu next to your app’s name in the top left.
    The app name is in the top left of the screen
  2. Choose Permissions from the dropdown menu.
    Permissions is the second list item
  3. On the permissions screen, scroll to the bottom to Add a New Role.
    Add New Role is at the very bottom of the permissions screen
  4. Give your role a useful and descriptive name, then click Create.
    You must enter a role name before clicking Create
  5. Your new role will appear on the permissions page with no permissions or users assigned.
    Custom roles are configured the same as predefined roles
  6. Assign permissions, users, groups, roles, and affiliations as needed.
    Use the dropdown to add users and the checkboxes to add permissions

Removing a custom role will also remove all user permissions assigned in it. To remove a custom role:

  1. On the permissions screen, scroll to the row with the custom role you’d like to remove.
    Use the dropdown to add users and the checkboxes to add permissions
  2. In the top right of the row, click the X.
    The X for a custom role is in the top right of the role box
  3. Kuali Build will ask you if you’re sure you’d like to delete the group. Click OK.
    Kuali Build always asks to confirm a role deletion
  4. The role is removed. This is saved automatically.