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M
muhammedk
August 30, 2023
Question

Constant-based Search for User Associations: Exploring Alternatives for Effective User Management

  • August 30, 2023
  • 6 replies
  • 0 views

Hello everyone,

We are currently facing challenges when it comes to identifying users who are part of Constants of Type "User" or "User or Group". This poses a problem when we need to deactivate someone's account and remove or replace them from all associated groups and constants.

We have successfully obtained the list of group names that a user (e.g., the logged-in user) belongs to using the following code snippet:

a!richTextDisplayField(
    value: {
        a!richTextBulletedList(
            items: {
                a!forEach(
                    items: getgroupsformemberuser(loggedInUser()),
                    expression: group(fv!item, "groupName")
                )
            }
        )
    }
)

However, we still encounter difficulties in identifying users who are part of Constants of Type "User" or "User or Group".

We are considering the use of constant descriptions to improve the search process for these constants. If you have any suggestions or tips on implementing this search based on the constant description, your input would be greatly appreciated.

Additionally, we would like to know if there are any relevant functions, methods, or best practices that can assist us in this situation.

Furthermore, we have an additional question regarding user management: Which approach is better for storing users, in Constants of Type "User" / "User or Group", or in a user Group? We would appreciate gaining a better understanding of the pros and cons associated with each option.

Thank you for your assistance.

6 replies

stefanhelzle0001
stefanhelzle0001
August 30, 2023

Hm ... I consider assigning an individual user to a constant a serious design flaw ...

How do you do your access management? No active directory?

M
muhammedkAuthor
August 31, 2023

Yes, we have. We use Active Directory (AD) to check user identities, allowing everyone to manage access with their AD accounts. Access levels are determined by existing AD accounts, so individual setup is unnecessary. AD objects are used for role-based access control. Our system regularly updates user information from specific AD groups, eliminating the need for manual user management. This integration simplifies access control without creating new user accounts.

To address the issue, we are considering gradually replacing the use of the mentioned Constants in the older Appian Apps. They were used to avoid creating too many user Groups in Appian, I assume. These Constants are utilized in various parts of the apps, such as process models and interfaces. However, using Constants of Type "User" or "User or Group" poses a challenge in determining which specific Constants include the Appian User. Currently, we lack a simple way to search and locate these Constants.

We would appreciate any guidance on relevant functions, methods, or best practices to help us address this situation.

Additionally, we would like to understand the pros and cons of storing users in Constants of Type "User" / "User or Group" versus using a user Group.

stefanhelzle0001
stefanhelzle0001
August 31, 2023

Groups are cheap in Appian and groups are what you want to use.

Bad design decisions from the past ... we all enjoy them. The only idea I have is, to manually collect all these constants in an expression. Then you can loop on them and search for a user account.

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