using listbox to select multiple permissions

[deuce868]

I have an intranet site that houses several applications. The idea is that person may have permissions to one or more apps.

To authenticate for this I am thinking that what I would like to do is to provide the admin with a listbox populated current projects (entered into a mysql db). The listbox would allow multiple selections.

The idea (and trouble) is that:
1. I can't seem to find how a listbox will pass multiple values. I want to get the data into a comma separated list. This would allow me to use explode and implode to work with the value in a single db field to find permissions. The idea would then be using a check on the pages with the in_array function to see if this project is one of the ones this login has permissions to. Then a array of permissions would be all I would need.

2. On the admin side, how to have the listbox select the permissions someone alreeady has to update with. In other words, check the ones a person already has permission to so I can then add others.

Any ideas on working with a listbox in this way?

[infoxicated]

In your listbox name put name="permissions[]" so that php picks up the variables as an array of the values selected.

I do think a better way would be check boxes or radio buttons for each app they're allowed to use, though, plus a db field for each app. Comma seperated values are a bit cowboy for this.

(I know, I done it myself a couple of years back and it led to a lot of grief later on! )

Radio buttons would allow an admin to glance down the page and see exactly which apps a user has permission for

[deuce868]

ok, using radio buttons the problem I run into is adding an addional t/f field as future apps are added.

How do you handle the check then on each app. When a user logs in do they have a session variable for each field in the db? Again, when you add a new app does this mess up the login scripts?

I do admit I can see it as more visually appealing and I worry about someone accidentally clicking a wrong thing in the list and forgetting what was selected.

[infoxicated]

If it truly is a dynamic number of apps then maybe you want to list your projects in a database table and then create a lookup table with user_id, project_id, permission.

That way you can dynamically add projects and nothing needs to change for the user table.

Or maybe someone else will have a better idea...

[deuce868]

maybe you want to list your projects in a database table and then create a lookup table with user_id, project_id, permission.

That was where I started out at. I was trying to simplify it from there. I only have two apps right now, but within a year think there will be about 4. It is not that dynamic, so adding a couple of fields to the admin page for a user would not kill me.

Thanks for the idea on the radio buttons. I will think on it some more and see if anyone else has any ideas.