7/26/2017
LodgeMaster Users,
Today we would like to introduce new features that will be released in the User Manager of LodgeMaster 4. These features include permission based on the lodge's structure, use of a single sign on system, sending user invitations, deactivating and reactivating a user. All of these features will improve security, ease the administration of LodgeMaster users, and allow more granular permissions.
To improve security the Order of the Arrow will be transitioning to a single sign on (SSO) system. The SSO will allow for a user to sign up on their own and self manage their password. We will provide more details about the SSO as we approach the release date.
The new User Manager grid is similar, we've kept all of the fields that are in the current version including Name, Username, Offline Access, Youth/Adult, Chapter, and Last Login. The first new item you'll notice is the Invitation section of the grid. This will show if a user has claimed their invitation, it will also show what email address the invitation was sent to and when it will expire (14 days from the day it was sent). Another change to the grid is the Username column now is titled Offline Username. The Offline Username and the user's password will be populated by the SSO system automatically. When a user is given offline access, LodgeMaster will retrieve their credentials from the SSO system, they will then be kept in sync over time. You no longer need to manage usernames and passwords for your lodge's instance of LodgeMaster.
The Invitation
To invite a user you will need just 3 pieces of information. The member to tie the user to, the email address to send the invitation to (this will be populated automatically with the member's primary email address), and whether or not they have offline access. Once you click save an email will be sent to that email address with an invitation code. If the user doesn't have an account with the SSO they will be able to create one. They will then enter the invitation code to associate their login with the user account you just generated.
The Permissions
Editing user permissions has changed - in LodgeMaster 3 you were able to set either Lodge or Chapter permission for each permission type. In LodgeMaster 4 there is a hierarchy with the Lodge at the top.
To edit permissions for a user you will need to select an area that is either the lodge (top of the tree structure), or a parent of a chapter, or a chapter. In this example you could select Lodge, or Chapters, or any of the items below Chapters (i.e. Chief Pomperaug). The Areas with check marks next to them have permissions set for them.
The reason for the tree structure is because areas inherit parent permissions. For example, if in the Lodge Area a user has the permission View Members, then the user will be able to View all Members in the lodge. In the same example it a user then has Edit Access in the Chief Pomperaug chapter then the user will be able to edit all members associated with the Chief Pomperaug chapter.
The grid for editing the permissions is very similar to the existing grid, we have just removed the Chapter Columns.
A feature we've kept is the ability to Add and Remove all Permissions for the area you are working in.
Deactivate/Activate A User
We're adding the ability to deactivate and reactivate a user so you do not need to create a new user account if that member needs to gain access again.
To reactivate a User, in the menu bar click Inactivate Users, you will then be presented with a list of inactive users. When an inactive user that has not claimed their account is reactivated you will be prompted to resend their invitation (even if the original invitation hasn't expired).
Please Note: Some of the information in the screenshots above is blurred out to protect personal information.
This is just a few highlights from the new version of LodgeMaster. We hope that you are as excited about the new User Manager as we are. As always, if you have questions or problems, please submit a request online (http://docs.oa-bsa.org/display/OALMLC).
Yours in Brotherhood,
The OA LodgeMaster Team
Chadd Blanchard, Project Lead
Michael Card, Project Adviser
Robert Anstett, Development Lead
Mike Gaffney, Support/Migration Lead