🔒 Managing User Permissions in Softr and Google Sheets | Build Customized Web Applications

It's essential to have a system that allows different users to access and interact with that data based on their role or responsibility. This is where user permissions come into play. In this video, we're going to explore how Softr and Google Sheets can be combined to create a customized user experience with different levels of permissions.

Softr is a powerful web application builder that allows users to create front-end applications driven by data from various sources such as Airtable, SmartSuite, and Google Sheets. With Softr, you can build a web application in a matter of minutes, without any coding knowledge. And when it comes to user permissions, Softr provides a seamless and intuitive solution.

To begin, you'll need to have an account in Softr. If you don't have one yet, you can sign up for a free trial using the link provided in the video. Once you're in, go to the templates section and select the team wiki template. This template allows you to save time by utilizing Softr's Google Sheets connection, which will serve as the back-end for your application.

When you create the team wiki, Softr automatically generates a copy of the template in Google Sheets. This Google Sheet includes four key sheets: employee directory, news, team resources, and feedback. The data in these sheets will be used to populate your web application. It's important to note that not all Softr templates have this Google Sheets integration, so ensure you choose a template that supports it.

Now that we have our web application set up, it's time to focus on user permissions. In Softr, you can manage your users by going to the user's section on the left-hand side of the screen. This section will display a list of all the users in your application, corresponding to the names and information in the Google Sheet.

To understand how user permissions are set up, we need to explore user groups within the user component. By clicking on user groups, you can define different groups based on roles or responsibilities in your organization. For example, you can have a managers group, an employees group, and so on. These groups allow you to assign specific permissions and create a unique user experience for each group.

To control what users can do within your application, Softr provides a feature called actions. Actions are buttons or interactive elements that users can click on to perform specific tasks. These tasks can range from adding a record to deleting data or even sending notifications. When adding an action, you can set conditions to determine who can see and use that action.

For example, let's say we have a button called "Add Record" in our web application, which allows users to add new employees to the directory. We can configure the visibility of this button to only be visible to managers. This ensures that only managers can add new employees, and regular employees won't have access to this functionality.

But the customization doesn't stop at buttons. You can also set permissions at a block level, which means you can determine which user groups have access to specific blocks of content within your application. This adds another layer of granularity to the user experience and allows you to tailor the content users see based on their role.

By combining user groups, actions, and block-level permissions, you can create a highly customized user experience in your Softr web application. Whether it's showing different content, enabling or disabling certain actions, or even applying data validation rules, the possibilities are endless.

To validate our user permissions setup, we need to publish our application and test it from the perspective of different users. Softr provides magic links that allow users to access the application with a simple click. By sharing these magic links with specific users, you can see exactly how the application behaves for them.

For example, let's say Pat is the CEO of the organization, and we want to see how the application looks for them. By using Pat's magic link, we can log in as Pat and see the customized user experience for a manager. This may include the ability to add records or perform any other actions that managers are allowed to do.

On the other hand, if we log in as an employee like Tenzin, we can see how the application restricts certain actions or content based on their role. This ensures that employees only have access to information that is relevant to them and prevents them from making unintended changes.

In conclusion, Softr and Google Sheets provide a robust solution for creating a web application with customized user permissions. With the ability to define user groups, set conditions for actions, and control access at a block level, you have the power to create a tailored user experience based on roles and responsibilities. This ensures data security, promotes productivity and enhances collaboration within your organization.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to drop them in the comments section below the video. Remember, the sky's the limit when it comes to customizing your web application, so keep on building with Softr.