[pmwiki-users] Re: Re: Re: Supporting different modes in default pmwiki

[Bronwyn Boltwood]

On 8/7/05, chr at home.se <chr at home.se> wrote:
> On Sun, 7 Aug 2005, Hans wrote:
> 
> > Sunday, August 7, 2005, 6:17:23 PM, chr wrote:
> > > But back to (:if auth ..:)
> > > I don't think it'll work since it requires the user to enter a password?
> > > Or rather, it checks if the user is allowed access... what I'm thinking of
> > > is actually orthogonal to this. Even someone who normally administers the
> > > wiki should be able to use them in reading mode if he feels like it, while
> > > still accessing pages that are password protected.
> >
> > > So something like (:if mode author:) would be needed rather than 'auth'.
> >
> > For 'if auth' we got the parameters: read, edit, attr, admin, uploads.
> [...]
> 
> I'd like modes to work regardless if pages are proteced or not.

Exactly!  Modes are NOT the same as authentication levels. 
Authentication is for checking whether you CAN do something; modes are
for declaring that you're currently FOCUSED on doing something.  Just
because my personal wiki has the same password for everything does not
mean that I want to be an admin every time I work with it, just
because I can.  Sometimes I just want to read and edit.

Even a visitor should be able to switch to admin mode on an open wiki.
 Of course, he might find that many of the admin links ask him for a
password!

> I'm still interested to know if this idea of having different modes makes
> sense or not. Is it just something that makes pmwiki more complicated to
> user, or could we use it to make the UI better?

I want modes. They make perfect sense to me and would make it much
easier to focus on the task at hand.  Can I have them?  Pretty please
with cherries and kisses on top?

Bronwyn