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[bbbats]

Can we use multiple expressions on that "Files To Show" line?  For example, for everyday use, I'd like to see only films and TV shows:

-[Media Sub type]=[Adult]; -[Media Sub type]=[Home Video]

Thanks,
-Ben

[MrC]

Yes, but lose the semicolon.  You have asked for AND, so you probably want OR:

More about Search rules:

   http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Smartlist_and_Search_-_Rules_and_Modifiers#Searching_with_Expressions

   http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Smartlist_and_Search_-_Rules_and_Modifiers#Grouping_and_Combining

[bbbats]

Awesome, thanks MrC!

[bbbats]

+1 to extend the functionality of user accounts.  As implemented, I believe MC is a deal breaker for use in the kid's room and living room.  I used to be able to show all videos except adult videos by default on all my machines (including the kid's PC) and enter the access control password for when I wanted to add in the adult content.  Now, there does not seem to be any way to remove adult content (including R rated movies, etc.) by default!  Unless I am missing something.  I had to disable the app on all but my bedroom PC!

Someone please tell me there is a way to do this that I am missing or that the next rev will include it.  For now, I have to cobble together a combination of foobar and mpc-hc for kids, guests, etc.; they cannot share my default (and only) MC library anymore.

Thanks,
-B

[glynor]

As implemented, I believe MC is a deal breaker for use in the kid's room and living room.  I used to be able to show all videos except adult videos by default on all my machines (including the kid's PC) and enter the access control password for when I wanted to add in the adult content.

It should absolutely be possible to do what you want.  I've split this into its own thread.  In the future, please start your own thread to ask for assistance with setting something up.

[bbbats]

Thanks glynor.  So...  How do I use the new User Accounts feature to prevent certain accounts from seeing certain files in my sole media library.  This restriction must hold through reboots and J River app restarts and without administrative intervention (i.e., when I am not home).  Thank you.
-B

[bbbats]

Hi glynor-
If you know how to accomplish what I am asking for, I would be grateful it if you could tell me.
Thanks,
-B

[glynor]

I'll try to respond later.  If I forget, bump this in a day or two.

Sorry, I've been busy.

[bbbats]

no worries, thanks glynor.  I appreciate it.

[glynor]

EDIT: I've now added the following content (with modifications and additions) to the Wiki: http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Users

Please read through Matt's description of the feature.

It is fairly straightforward.

Add Users:

1. Add a new user via View > User > Add User

2. Give the user a name, and a password if you want.



Repeat the above to create an additional user for yourself, and any others who need their own sets of files.

Restrict Users or Files:

The special Administrator account (which cannot be removed) will always see all files.  For regular users, by default, all files will also be visible (so part of the "common shared library").  You have two ways to "restrict" access to files:

1. By User Field: Add the username of the user that should see the files to the special [User] field.  You can do this from the Tag Action Window (choose Also Show > User if needed).  Then, only that user (and the Administrator) will see those files.  In effect, you are "assigning" those files to that particular user.

So, for any files you want to be seen only by your wife, you'd pick her account in the [User] drop-down list.  And, for yours, pick your account.  If you messed them up, use the Administrator account to find them and fix them.  All other files where this [User] field is blank (so, every file before you start this mission) will be shown to all users and part of the common library.

More than one user can own a particular file.  If you assign two users to the same file (or files) then they will be able to see the files, but other users won't.



2. By Files to Show: If instead of assigning files to a particular user, you want to restrict what that user can see in the library, you can add a Search Expression to the Files to Show box in the Edit User dialog (shown above).  This will be applied in addition to whatever restrictions are applied by tagging individual files with a [User] tag.  This method is probably best reserved for intermediately experienced users, but it can be handy when you want to restrict a particular user from certain categories of content.

As an example, if I added the following search to my "Snuggle Bunny" user above:
[Media Sub Type]=Adult

It would change the whole meaning of the pet name, and that user would see only things marked as adult (everywhere else in my Library would be blank).  To do the reverse, for a child's account, for example, you use this instead:
-[Media Sub Type]=Adult



The upside to using the Files to Show restriction is that it doesn't block those files from other users inside MC (they remain within the "common user library").  And, it allows you to restrict files in a variety of categories from certain users "automatically" as you simply tag your files as you normally would anyway.  With the User field method, you have to explicitly assign individual files to a particular user (and then only that user can see the files).

As a warning, these two items can exclude one another.  So, using my example above where I assigned ABBA to the Kids and Snuggle Bunny users.  If the Kids user has a search like the one above, and ABBA was classified as [Media Sub Type] Adult, then the Kids still wouldn't see the files even if you (perhaps accidentally) assigned those files to them.

In this way, it is possible to hide some files from all users, so be a bit careful If the files in question were assigned to only a particular user, and that user had a filter in Files to Show that prevents them from seeing those files, then no one but the Administrator would be able to see the files.

[glynor]

About security, with the latter example of the Kids account using the search expression, it isn't exactly Fort Meade*.  You can't block the user from going in there and just deleting the search string.  Restricting files with the [User] tag is a bit more secure, from within Media Center itself, because it hides the files, so the user can't see them to "untag" them.

Of course, none of this restricts access to the filesystem in any way.  So, they can still find them via Windows Explorer.  MC will refuse to play a file if opened (even from Windows Explorer) by a user without permissions for the file.  But no other application will respect this restriction.

The purpose of the feature is not about security.  It is about hiding "noise" from users who don't need to see it (or shouldn't have it shoved in their faces).

Carrying on, for your specific example above:

Can we use multiple expressions on that "Files To Show" line?  For example, for everyday use, I'd like to see only films and TV shows:

-[Media Sub type]=[Adult]; -[Media Sub type]=[Home Video]

You can do this, but your Search Expression syntax is wrong.  Searching for a single field and excluding two values is simple:
-[Media Sub Type]=[Adult],[Home Video]

But, remember, you don't need to construct these by hand.  The simplest way to make a search is to make a Smartlist, and use that as your template.  The Smartlist will show whatever files the user will see (when viewed from the Administrator's account).



For a Kids user, you could use a Files to Show setting of:
-[Media Sub Type]=[Adult],[Karaoke],[System],[Test Clip] [Genre]=[Child],[Family],[Kids]



* Since, you know, they're so good at securing documents.  Ba-dum-ching!

[glynor]

Finally, you can use Tag on Import rules in Auto-Import to automatically assign a [User] value at import.  For this kind of rule, you could use something like:

Code: [Select]

Rule Field: User
Value: If(IsEqual([Filename],Users\snugglebunny\Music,8),Snuggle Bunny,[User])
For their files, and

Code: [Select]

Rule Field: User
Value: If(IsEqual([Filename],Users\ABBAlvr78\Music,8),ABBAlvr78,[User])
For yours.  Substituting your own usernames, of course.  

[glynor]

Choosing the Active User

Switch users in Standard View using the View > User menu item.



In Theater View, the User name will be shown in the Top Roller of your Views, and you can navigate to it and then choose the user you want to use.



If the user has a password, you will be prompted for it:



If you are using Media Network features, any connected clients (whether connected copies of MC, JRemote, Gizmo, or whatever) will "open as" whatever User is currently active on the server when first launched.  In other words, whichever User happened to have been "last used", on the server, becomes is the "network client user setting".  So, if you want to keep a default of a particular one of your users (the Everyday one, for example) then you'll want to make sure to leave the server set on the Everyday user when you're done using it.

In connected copies of Media Center, however (the HTPC in the Living Room, for example) you are able to switch the active user to any of the other options (using the above explained methods).  But when you close and re-open the client copy, it will revert back to whatever is currently active on the server.  On JRemote I don't believe there is (currently) a mechanism to switch users, so you're stuck with the default.  I'm not sure about Gizmo.

So what will work best is if you have exactly this: An Everyday user (with no password) that you use regularly, and leave the Server set on (if using those features).  And then you add a password to the Administrator account, and any other users you want restricted for some reason.

[glynor]

I moved (and added to) this content in the Wiki:
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Users

[bbbats]

Glynor-
Thanks for the terrific and thorough write-up!  Apologies for the delay in my reply, I was away from home unexpectedly for a while.
The key for me, and what I did not know, was that MC clients will launch under the account that the server instance is currently running under.  That is huge and allows me to keep the HTPC and kid's rooms locked down.  I do use Active Directory and file ACLs for more comprehensive security/file protection but this is really helpful for what I want to accomplish on my internal network.

If I could make one suggestion it would be to add the ability to associate MC clients with user accounts at the server and check off whether that can be modified.  Current functionality serves my needs adequately but this additional ability would keep it safe from user error (with me as the user, in this case   )

So from the server, I could set:
Kid's PC: Default User = [Kids]; no changes allowed
HTPC: Default User = [Parents]; changes allowed
Master Bedroom: Default User = [Administrator]; changes allowed

But, again, this is terrific and works exactly as you specify in your exhaustive documentation.

Thanks,
-B