UBB.threads PHP Forum Software Community Forums UBB.threads 7 Version 7 Support Admins

I can't recall if I asked this question; if I have let me know and ignore it. But, it has come up again. I should inform everyone that the information I have to give is a little different than most boards.

I have been the board admin for our board which is for doctors for seven years and have not missed a day either posting or overseeing the board. We are talking EVERY DAY. I am the admin, obviously, but I am not the only admin as I have no access to the server, cpanel, MySQL, etc. So, there is a host admin (who I don't much like -- and also isn't very good at his job -- doesn't know when 7.5.8 should be installed, doesn't know how to do it anyway). Anyway, he makes two. Then there are two more admins who are only admins so they can approve registrants/applicants -- my approving them in five minutes to five hours must not have been quick enough. We use Gizmo's SFS (thanks Gizmo) so filter out the spammers anyway. So, now we have four. We used to have five more so support could answer questions until I convinced them they could post without being an admin. Then a management person was made an admin so she could lock global announcements until I told them, I could go back and clean it up.

So after getting rid of those, we are down to four. Then yester day the host admin added a user who is from the company who does IT for the whole company now and made him an admin. The only admin in Newest Users (the first five days) I have seen. Even if he needed to be a user and admin, since I have done this for seven years, the least the host admin could have done was let me know. So now we have five admins which is three too many in my opinion. Normally, it would be one, but as I said, the host admin can't do my job, and I can't do his. Obviously, the more we have, the less security we have.

Although, I like what I do and probably wouldn't do this, I am almost to the point of just stepping down altogether.

Any thoughts?

A standard user group (say you make one called "staff" and throw them in there) can be promoted to approve/delete users; an admin should only be an admin should they need to change system configuration items.

Thanks Gizmo. I didn't quite understand the first part. Did you mean put the extra admins in the group staff? What would that accomplish? Thank you.

Create a Group:
CP -> Forums -> Group Management -> "Add New Group" tab at the bottom

Set Group to have CP Access:
On the "Group Management" page: Edit Permissions -> CP Permissions (for this group)
Set the permission: "Can edit users"

Assign User to Group:
Find user in User Management and add them to the group.


Any user in the group can edit users in the control panel, they'll have an "Edit User" link when viewing profiles and have a link displayed for control panel access (though they're only allowed to use member management).

Thanks Gizmo. That seems easy enough.

But they can't APPROVE new users, can they?

not without modifying the member area files to allow the links to be shown.

So would this effectively block the host admin's ability to make an admin? If so logistically, that would solve the issue. But, philosophically, or whatever the word should be, it could cause issues given he is the host admin.

Maybe it shouldn't matter to me, but I do have issues with a host admin on the board two years with one post approving another user four days ago and making him an admin who has no posts.

I feel like for the most part that the host admin should be the host admin (since I have no access to the server or cpanel, etc. and allow me who has been an admin of the board for seven years with 10,000 posts, who with the help of Gizmo's SFS has approved or rejected every applicant (with the exception of the two tech support people who are also admins -- which is ridiculous), I should make the user decisions. Again, to have five admins when only one does anything on a day to day basis, is crazy.

Maybe I am being a baby about it and maybe it is my ego, but it irritates me.

Any admin can create another admin.
Moderators can't.
Deleting a admin is another story.
Meaning a admin can't delete the super admin.
But the caveat is they can change who the super admin is.

At least that is they way I recall in the 7.x series.

That's odd. But, doubt V. would know how to do anything like that. He doesn't know what a version is. But, I would never abuse it, e.g. demote him, although you can anyway without being a s.a.