File Permissions and Sharing

Understanding Ontario's Permission Model

Ontario uses a two-tier permission system that determines what users can see and do with files and folders. This dual-layer approach ensures that access control works seamlessly across your entire organization while allowing project-specific customization.

How File Visibility Works

File and folder visibility in Ontario follows different rules depending on whether you're an Ontario-level Admin or a project-level user. Here's how access is determined:

Permission Inheritance from Projects

Files and folders automatically inherit permissions from their parent project. This inheritance system ensures consistent access control without requiring manual configuration for every folder. However, the way this works differs significantly between Ontario-level users and project-level users.

For Ontario-level Admins:

• Automatic access to all folders across all projects in the Ontario environment
• Can see and manage any folder without being explicitly added
• Full administrative capabilities regardless of project membership status
• Do not appear in folder-level permission tabs or User Access lists

For Project-level users (Admins and Members):

• Must be explicitly added to individual folders to gain access
• Being a project member does not automatically grant access to all folders
• Folder access is managed through the "Manage access" panel on a folder-by-folder basis
• When added to a folder, project-level users are assigned one of four folder-level roles

This inheritance model simplifies permission management for Ontario-level Admins while providing granular, folder-specific control for project-level users. Project Admins manage folder access by explicitly adding users and assigning appropriate folder-level roles through the Manage access panel.

Admin vs. Member Capabilities

Your role within a project determines what actions you can perform on files and folders. Here's a detailed breakdown of capabilities for each role:

Managing Folder Access

Project Admins can manage who has access to specific folders within their project's Harness structure. This is done through the "Manage access" option, which opens a side panel showing current users and allowing you to add new ones.

Accessing the Manage Access Panel

There are two ways to open folder access management:

Understanding User Access Roles (Folder-Level)

When you open the Manage access panel or User Access tab, you can assign one of four folder-level roles to control what users can do with the folder. These roles are specific to individual folders and are separate from project-level roles:

Adding Users to Folders

When you need to provide folder-specific access to project members, use the Add User functionality:

Managing folder access this way provides granular control beyond basic project membership. Users added to specific folders receive access tailored to their needs for that particular content through folder-level role assignment.

Sharing Files with Project Members

File sharing in Ontario allows users to send shareable links to files, making it easy to draw attention to specific content or provide quick access to important documents.

How File Sharing Works

Understanding Sharing vs. Access Management

It's important to distinguish between two different concepts in Ontario:

• Sharing (for files): Creates a shareable link to a file that can be distributed via any communication channel. Recipients must still have appropriate folder access to view the file—the link simply provides a direct path to the content.
• Managing Access (for folders): Actually controls who can view and interact with a folder by assigning specific folder-level roles (Owner, Editor, Contributor, Viewer). This grants access to users and defines their capabilities within that folder.

Think of file sharing as providing a direct link or "bookmark" to content, while folder access management controls the underlying permissions to view and interact with that content.

Viewing File and Folder Activities

Ontario automatically tracks user activities on files and folders, creating an audit trail that helps teams understand who's accessing and modifying content.

Understanding System-Generated Comments

When you open a folder's details panel and navigate to the Comments tab, you'll see both user comments and system-generated activity logs. These comments create a complete history of what's happened to files and folders:

System comments appear with the Ontario icon and "System" label, while user-generated comments display the individual's profile icon. This visual distinction makes it easy to differentiate between automated system activities and manual team collaboration.

Bulk Actions and Multi-Select

Project Admins can perform actions on multiple folders simultaneously using the checkbox selection feature in the Harness table view. This saves significant time when reorganizing or managing large sets of content.

Selecting Multiple Items

Click the checkbox to the left of each folder row to select it. As you select folders, a bulk action toolbar appears at the bottom of your screen showing how many items you've selected and which actions are available.

Available Bulk Actions

When you select multiple folders, these actions become available in the bulk toolbar at the bottom of your screen:

Bulk actions respect your permission level—Project Members won't see options for actions they can't perform, such as moving or deleting folders. The bulk action toolbar only displays capabilities available to your role.

Learning Check: Test Your Understanding

Permission management in Ontario is designed around a simple principle: Ontario-level Admins have automatic access to everything, while project-level users must be explicitly added to folders with specific folder-level roles. Ontario-level Admins don't appear in permission tabs because their access is organization-wide and automatic. For project-level users, folder access is managed through explicit role assignment (Owner, Editor, Contributor, or Viewer) via the Manage access panel. This model keeps permission management straightforward while providing the granular control needed for secure collaboration.