Switchboard Access Control

Control who can access Switchboard and what they can do. Give editors view-only access to see settings without changing them, grant full edit access to specific roles, or completely hide Switchboard from certain users.

Use Cases#

• Give Editors view-only access to see module configurations without making changes
• Hide Switchboard from the plugins list for specific roles (white-label experience)
• Restrict full edit access to administrators while letting others browse

How It Works#

Configure three levels of access:

1. View-Only Roles - Can see Switchboard but cannot make changes
2. Edit Roles - Full access to modify settings
3. Hide Roles - Switchboard is completely hidden (menu and plugins list)

Access Levels#

View-Only Access#

Users can:

• See all Switchboard pages
• Browse module settings
• View current configurations

Users cannot:

• Enable/disable modules
• Change settings
• Import/export configurations

A “View Only” banner appears when these users access Switchboard.

Full Edit Access#

Users can:

• Everything view-only users can do
• Enable/disable modules
• Change all settings
• Import/export configurations

Hidden (No Access)#

Users:

• Don’t see Switchboard in the admin menu
• Don’t see Switchboard in the plugins list
• Cannot access Switchboard pages (even via direct URL)

Settings#

View-Only Access Roles#

Select roles that can view but not edit Switchboard.

Full Edit Access Roles#

Select roles with complete Switchboard access.

Hide Switchboard From These Roles#

Select roles that should not see Switchboard at all.

Configuration Examples#

Agency Setup#

• Edit Roles: Administrator
• View Roles: Editor
• Hide Roles: Author, Contributor, Subscriber

Result: Admins control everything, editors can see configurations for reference, content creators don’t see Switchboard.

Team Lead Access#

• Edit Roles: Administrator, Editor
• View Roles: Author
• Hide Roles: Contributor, Subscriber

Result: Team leads (editors) can manage modules, authors can view current setup.

White-Label Client Site#

• Edit Roles: Administrator
• View Roles: (none)
• Hide Roles: Editor, Author, Contributor, Subscriber

Result: Only admins see Switchboard; clients never know it exists.

View-Only Mode Appearance#

When view-only users access Switchboard:

1. A warning banner appears: “View-Only Mode”
2. All form controls are disabled (grayed out)
3. Toggle switches don’t respond to clicks
4. Save buttons are non-functional
5. An alert appears if they try to make changes

Verification#

After configuring access:

1. Log in as a user with view-only access
2. Navigate to Switchboard
3. Verify the “View Only” banner appears
4. Try toggling a module—it should not work
5. Log in as a hidden role user
6. Verify Switchboard doesn’t appear in menus or plugins

FAQ#

Security Note#

This module controls Switchboard access, not WordPress capabilities. Users retain their WordPress permissions for other features. For comprehensive role management, use dedicated role/capability plugins.