User Management Step by Step | Govstack Learning Centre

Learn how to add users to the Govstack platform and its applications by following this step by step tutorial.

Getting Started

The login drop down with the manage users option highlighted

To add users to the Govstack platform you will need to have an administrator account. The easiest way to determine if you have the appropriate permissions is to login to the Govstack dashboard. At the top right of the ribbon you'll see a circular login indicator. This will usually show your initials, or possibly an image.

Click the login indicator and a drop down menu will open. If you see the 'Manage users' option in the menu you are an administrator and can proceed.

If you don't have the 'Manage users' option contact your website administrators for assistance. Please note that GHD Digital customer support cannot upgrade you access. However, we are happy to provide help to your administration team if they need assistance with this task.

Step 1: Login to the User Management Portal

Select the 'Manage users' option in the login indicator drop down and you will move to the user management portal. When the tool loads you will be in the 'Search Users' section of the tool.

Step 2: Determine the identity provider

The identity provider is how the Govstack platform manages your user.

There are two possible options and you will need to know which one you are using to figure out the next steps in the user process.

Option 1: Govstack's native identity provider

Govstack's native identify provider lets you add users directly in the user management portal. If you are using this system you will notice that the user management portal ribbon includes the 'New User Management' option.

Option 2: Your organizations identity provider

If you are using your organization's identity provider the 'New User Management' option will not be available on the ribbon at the top of interface. Your users will login using their organization credentials, rather than a separate account.

Your IT or administration team will have to add all Govstack users to a special group in your own identity provider (Active Directory, Entra, LDAP, etc.). These applications are outside the scope of this document, but if you require support please let us know.

Step 3: Add a user and application access

You can now add users to your Govstack user management portal and set which applications they can access from the dashboard.

This process varies depending on the identity provider you are using.

Govstack identity provider

To add a user to the Govstack identity provider, and set their applications access follow these steps:

Select 'New User Management' from the top menu
Select 'Add New User' and fill in the new user's first name, last name and email address. You can import multiple users using a spread sheet if required
Select the products that you want the user to have access to from the 'Application' dropdown. Dashboard must be selected for all new users
Set the 'Default App' to Dashboard. Setting the default app to other options may result in the account generating an error if you edit its permissions at a later date
Select 'Add User' to complete the process

Once this process is complete the new user should have access to all the required applications when they log into the dashboard.

Your identity provider

If you are using your own identity provider corporate users will not appear in the User Management Portal until they have logged into the Govstack Dashboard at least once.

Contact each user and have them log into the Dashboard. They will not have access to any other applications yet.

You can check to see if a user has logged in under the 'Search Users' section of the User Management Portal. Enter their email address in the 'Email Address' field of the Search Users interface.

Once a user appears in the search list you can set their applications access by following these steps:

Select the user from the search list by right clicking their first name, last name, or email address
Scroll to the bottom of the user profile and select 'Add Application' in the User Applications section
Select the application to add from the 'Application to Provision' drop down
Select 'Add Application' to completed the addition
Repeat steps 2 to 4 for each application required

Once this process is complete the new user should have access to all the required applications when they log into the dashboard.

Step 4: Editor or Administrator?

Users in the User Management Portal have one of two levels of permission. They are either Editors or Administrators.

You will need to decide which group each user needs to be assigned to. Here are the details and how to assign groups:

Editor

All users are Editors by default. If a user needs to be an editor there are no further step necessary.

When logging into the CMS, Editors are automatically made members of the Editors user group. Even if users are removed from this group, they will be readded the next time they login.

This behavior cannot be overridden, so it is important to make sure the permissions for the Editors user group in the CMS reflect the requirements for your base users. Many organizations deactivate the Editors CMS permissions and instead create custom user groups to better cover their specific security needs.

Being part of the Editor group in the User Management Portal has no impact on permissions for Forms, Events, Business Directory, or Parks and Facilities.

Administrator

Administrator users will have access to the User Management Portal and will automatically be made part of the Website Administrators user group when logging into the CMS.

These users are usually in charge of managing other users, setting up user groups and permissions in the CMS, as well as adjusting website settings such as those found in the Global node.

Being part of the Administrators group in the User Management Portal has no impact on permissions for Forms, Events, Business Directory, or Parks and Facilities.

To add administrator permissions to a user in the User Management Portal, follow these steps:

Select 'Admin' from the top ribbon
Select 'Add New Admin' to open the admin details screen
In the 'Email Address' field, type the email address for the user you want to turn into an admin
Check the 'Organization Admin' box
Then click 'Submit' to complete the process

Step 5: Initial login

Contact your users and make sure they click on each of the relevant applications (CMS, Events, and Forms) from the Govstack dashboard. Clicking on the application tile from the dashboard will log the user in. They will need to login to each application at least once to create an application-specific user account.

If you fail to locate a user in the CMS, Forms, or Events, double check with them that they have completed their initial login.

Some application do not require this step. Business Directory and Parks and Facilities require only that users have access through the dashboard.

Step 6: Additional permissions

You should now be able to assign your users application specific permissions.

In the CMS your users will automatically be assigned to either the Editors or Website Administrator user groups (see step 4). You can use the CMS User Management tools to provide more specific permissions for nodes, directories, and media.

Events User Management lets you specify who has access to which calendars, who can post without oversight, which events require approval, and who is doing that approval.

Forms User Management allows you to limit editing, access, and administration privileges to specific forms and folders, either by group or individual user.

Make sure you are checking the permissions for each user in each application. Missing settings can result in users having more or less access than they require to carry out their assigned tasks.