Thread

Can someone point me to some clear explanation of control panels, primarily the difference between a front-end/member control panel and a back-end/system control panel?

I’ve used Expression Engine for several sites (simply as a CMS), but am now setting up my first community-based/public member site. My understanding was that there was one system control panel and that member groups were given permissions to certain parts of that control panel.

I’m now realizing that there are apparently 2 control panels and am confused by the relationship. I seem to have a public-facing control panel which allows login, registration, and access to a personal profile/account. This is accessed via “mysite/member”. I then have a second control panel which allows login, not registration, access to a personal profile/account, and access to publishing, editing, templates, or any variety of features based on the permissions I set for x member group. This is accessed via “mysite/ee-system”.

With the current site I’m working on, I want members to be able to register, log in, access their account/profile, and publish entries to the blog. Right now, it seems that I have to send them to the “member” control panel for login/registration/profile management and then to the “system” control panel for publishing entries (I’ve disabled all but the ‘Publish’ and ‘My Account’ tabs here).

Is this right? I had it in my mind that no matter the member type/group, that they could do everything I wanted them to do from one control panel. As it is, with the “member” control panel, they can’t publish entries, and with the “system” control panel they can’t register.

I understand that I’m missing some basic concept, but haven’t been able to sort it all out through looking at the user guide and forums. It seems that I wouldn’t want to send members to the system side if I don’t have to, but I’m unclear on how to give them publishing capabilities otherwise.

There is a Stand-alone Entry Form (SAEF) option—search the Wiki—but as far as I know, you can’t break down the normal administrative CP for individual users.

(Though, if there IS a way, I’d have a million uses for it.)

Yes, it is two systems…members and system admin. With most sites, members don’t have access to admin and others all members are admins. It only seems strange (to me anyway) when you have members that can access only the Publishing feature. Taken as a whole, it makes perfect sense (again, to me) and most systems are set up that way.
As mentioned, there is the SAEF that allows members to publish without ever interacting with the system admin side of the site.

Yep, I see how two systems makes sense. It was more a wrong impression that I had from the start about EE. What was confusing to me was the seeming inability of non-admin/non-system members to post original content (other than comments) to the site. I knew there was something that I was missing when it came to creating a site with member-generated content.

So my shorter, slightly more informed question should have been, ‘How do I let members publish entries without touching the system admin?’.

Your quick answers and the SAEF clear it all up for me. Thanks.

I believe there is also a way to let plain visitors post entries…it’s not standard, more a workaround using (as I recall) hidden userNames/passwords. Not recommended for a public site as one opens it up to all kinds of spam.

Another method is to allow Freeform to send a moblog.

Yeah, guest publishers sound scary, but I like knowing the range of options.

The other thing that was interesting but throwing me off a bit was this user guide page on masking the control panel.

I’ll check out the Freeform/moblog route as well.

Appreciate all of the quick replies and the fully active forum ... definitely inspires me to get plugged in and participate more.

SAEF user guide page.