Skip to main content
OCLC Support

Set item permissions

  1. Last updated
  2. Save as PDF
Learn how to view the type of permissions and set item permission in the Project Client.

Permissions specify who can view items in a collection. You can set permissions for items and metadata or set permissions so that metadata is available to all users but permissions are required to view the item. You can set permissions based on operating system user names or IP addresses.

Setting permissions for compound objects is similar to setting permissions for an item, but the compound object must be opened in a new tab before you can set permissions.

When you assign permissions for a compound object, all pages within that compound object receive the same compound object-level permissions. You cannot set different permissions for individual pages. Item or compound object-level permissions override collection-level permissions.

Setting permissions for an item is different from setting user rights. User rights specify which users can perform which tasks in CONTENTdm Administration. You may not have rights to set item permissions.

In the Project Client, you can access item permissions through the Project tab or the Item Editing tab.

 Note: You can set collection-level permissions through Configuration in CONTENTdm Administration. You can also set item-level permissions in CONTENTdm Administration. For more information, see Edit Item Permissions.

View type of permissions

You can view the type of permissions that an item has by checking the Permissions field in the Project tab’s project spreadsheet or the Item Editing Tab’s Metadata Editor.

  • Collection level — The administrator sets permissions in CONTENTdm Administration for all items in a collection. All imported items initially have collection level permissions.
  • Item level — The permissions are set for an individual item. Item level permissions override collection level permissions and are generally different from the collection level permissions.

If you want to set permissions for an item (including compound objects), it must be in a project. If the item is already in the collection, use Find in Collection to download it to the project for editing.

Setting item permissions

To set permissions for items in the Project Client:

  1. From the project spreadsheet, select the items to which permissions should be applied.
  2. From the More Actions menu, click Set Permissions. The Administer Item Permissions dialog displays.
  3. To add additional user or IP restrictions, click Add. To remove existing permissions, select the user or IP address and click the corresponding Delete. 

     Note: Use semicolons to separate multiple entries. Use an asterisk (*) as a wild card to allow access to a domain (such as 132.168.*) or use a hyphen when using address ranges (such as 132.168.10.1-99).

    Select whether to apply permissions to accessing the image only (metadata would still be available and not restricted by the specified permissions).

    To restore defaults (collection-level permissions), click Restore Defaults.

  4. Click OK to save changes and close the dialog.

 Note: If you are restricting by user name, you must configure your website to show a log in link as part of the site header in order for this functionality to be successfully implemented.