Prevent Portal Users from Deleting Listing Items

This article is considered appropriate for administrators or workspace users with an advanced level of knowledge about submission portals. If you are a beginner or intermediate user, we recommend reading the following articles first:

• Submission Portal Key Concepts: Beginner
• Submission Portal Key Concepts: Intermediate

For more information about suggested learning paths, see Introduction to Submission Portals: START HERE.

Contents

• Overview
• The Purpose of Disabling Deletion of Listing Page Items
• Where to Find the Setting
• Disabling the Deletion of Listing Page Items by a Portal User
• Changes to the Submission Portal Experience

Overview

The Submission Portal Settings contain a configuration to disable the option for portal users to delete items (or records) on a Listing Step. This means that a portal user will be able to create and view new records, or view records created by administrators, but will not be able to delete them in the submission portal.

This article will explain why program administrators may want to prevent portal users from deleting Listing items, show where the configuration settings are for this feature, and explain how to change this setting.

The Purpose of Disabling Deletion of Listing Page Items

In most instances when administrators wish to prevent portal users from deleting listing items, it is when administrators are pre-filling some fields on records in this form and want the portal user to confirm or edit that information, but do not want a portal user to delete the entire record. 

This is a fairly narrow use-case, but as one possible scenario, let’s say that administrators have awarded an applicant and determined the number of award disbursements that will go out, but want the awarded applicant to confirm their financial and banking details for each separate payment. However, in this case, it does not make sense to allow the awarded applicant to delete any of these disbursements (even if they do so by accident). 

NOTE: If a listing form is set to View Only, it is unnecessary to also disable the deletion of page items, as the View Only setting prevents portal users from creating new listing items, deleting existing ones, or editing any information on these forms. 

For more information on setting a Listing Step to View Only, see the article Making a Step View Only.

Where to Find the Setting

In the Submission Portal Settings, the option to disable the deletion of listing items can be found on the Form Pages tab of the Step Settings page for the specific Step to be configured. 

To find the setting to prevent portal users from deleting listing items:

1. Logged into a program as an administrator, navigate to the Settings & Tools section by selecting the cog wheel icon in the top navigation bar.
2. Select the Submission Portal tile from the Plugin Settings section.
3. Select the Edit button to the appropriate submission portal.

4. In the Portal Sections pane on the left side of the screen, select the link for the desired Step that will be optional to portal users. (Steps are associated with a Stage, and are shown on the Portal Sections pane as indented further to the right.)  Multiple Steps are highlighted in the screenshot below to show there may be more than one to choose from.

5. Selecting a Step in the Portal Sections panel will change the contents of the right panel and display the Step Settings.  Remember that changing this setting will only have an effect on Listing Steps, so be sure to select that type of Step.

6. Select the Form Pages tab to access the setting.

7. The setting is located in the middle of the screen, labeled Disable deletion of page items?

Disabling the Deletion of Listing Page Items by a Portal User

--- IMPORTANT --- 

Although the configuration setting discussed in this article appears for both Single Form and Listing Step types, it has no effect on Single Form Step types. Records for Single Form Steps cannot be deleted by a portal user once created. 

This can be confusing for some users, so please make note of the form type (on the Step Description tab of the Step Settings page - see Submission Portal Key Concepts: Intermediate → Activities to Support These Concepts (section) before changing this setting to ensure it has the intended effect.

To prevent portal users from disabling listing page items (or records) once they have been created:

1. Check the checkbox next to Yes in the Disable deletion of page items? section. 

Remember, to prevent the portal user from making any changes to this Step, including creating new records, deleting existing ones, or editing the information in any fields, simply change the entire Step to View ONLY. 

2. Select the blue Save all settings button in the lower right corner of the screen to save the changes to the Step.

To re-enable this feature and allow portal users to delete listing page items, simply un-check the box Yes next to Disable deletion of page items? and save the settings again.

Changes to the Submission Portal Experience

When portal users access a Listing Step in the on the Submissions screen, they will be taken to a listing page showing all existing records (or listing items) that are linked to this portal user’s primary form record. Selecting Edit for an item/record will bring up that record as shown in the example below.

When the Yes checkbox next to Disable deletion of page items? is unchecked, portal users will see an option to Delete the record in the upper or lower right corners of the screen, next to the button for Mark Complete if the record is a draft, or Save Changes if the record has been marked complete already. 

When the Yes checkbox next to Disable deletion of page items? is checked, the Delete button will disappear, preventing portal users from deleting records/page items.

If the Step Type is a Single Form Step, changing this setting will have no effect.