Kavi Help CenterKavi® Members Help
| Chapter 14. Types | ||
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Part I. Kavi Members Concepts and General Instructions | 
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Table of Contents
Types are assigned to companies or users to classify them and so they can be managed as a group. This makes it possible to search for companies or users by type, send email to all companies or users of a certain type, and display website content to specific types of users while hiding it from others.
Types may also confer roles. Roles are used to grant access privileges, such as the 'member' role that grants access to the Members Area and tools, and the 'company_admin' role that grants access to the Company Admin Area and tools.
There are three kinds of types in Kavi Members: Company Types, User Types and Contact Types. Each of these is applied to a particular kind of entity and is implemented somewhat differently from other types. Company Types are assigned to companies, User Types are assigned to users who have a direct relationship with the organization (e.g., Individual Members), and Contact Types are assigned to users who are representing a company to the organization, rather than their own interests (e.g., Company Representatives).
Types are a flexible and extensible way to classify people and companies. Kavi Members and other Kavi applications install default types which may be edited but not deleted. Super Admins may add custom types to group companies or users by region, by market sector, by the position the user holds, or any other characteristic that is meaningful in the organization.
Back to topTypes are assigned based on the company's or user's Purpose. There are two sets of purposes: Company Purposes and User Purposes. The set of available purposes depends on site configuration.
In Kavi Members, the term "Company" means any aggregate entity that consists of people. This includes real-world entities that are commonly referred to as "companies", as well as educational institutions, government agencies and other organizations. It also includes Companies that don't exist in the real world, and are added to Kavi Members solely to create an aggregation of individuals so they can be managed as a unit.
All sites include 'Staff Company' by default. 'Member Company' is available in organizations that offer memberships for companies. 'Nonmember Company' is available if this is a company-based or mixed organization that grants accounts to companies that don't hold formal memberships. 'Company for Individuals' is available in Individual-based and mixed organizations.
Every company in the Kavi Members database is probably assigned a Company Type, but this depends on the organization's structure. An individual-based organization with a flat membership structure may assign all individuals to a single virtual "company" that has the purpose of 'Company for Individuals'. This virtual company can be assigned the default Company Type 'Members Area Access' to provide access to all the users it contains, and the organization may not need any other Company Types. It might just have a Staff Company, too, but not assign a type to this company. In contrast, a company-based organization with different membership levels may need an extensive set of Company Types and may assign multiple Company Types to each company to classify it according to membership level, market sector and geographic region.
User Purpose availability is also configuration-dependent. All sites include 'Staff Person' by default. 'Company Representative' is available in company-based and mixed organizations. Individual-based or mixed organizations with membership enabled include 'Individual Member'. 'Individual Nonmember' is available in individual-based or mixed organizations that grant accounts to individuals who don't hold formal memberships.
Both User Types and Contact Types are assigned based on User Purpose. Contact Types, which are assigned to classify the way that a user represents their company to the organization, are most relevant to users who have the 'Company Representative' User Purpose. It is completely the opposite for users who are 'Individual Members' or 'Individual Nonmembers'. Since these users are representing their own interests rather than representing a company, Contact Types can be almost irrelevant in an individual-based organization. On the other hand, this kind of organization may need a number of User Types, especially if it has multiple levels of membership. All organizations need some highly privileged User Types designed to give administrators access to Admin Area and Super Admin Area tools.
Types are used to classify or identify a certain kind of company or user. Once a type has been defined, it is assigned to companies or users and provides a searchable attribute that is used to retrieve companies or users of that type whenever needed. Types are available throughout Kavi Members in tools used to select and manage users or companies, including reports and scheduled email. For instance, an organization could create a set of User Types representing different regions and assign them to Individual Members to show which regional group each member is in. All an administrator would have to do to run a report on all users in a specific region is select the appropriate User Type.
Once a type exists, it can be used as a handle whenever the organization wants to apply business logic to users or companies that have been assigned that type. 'Primary Contact' is probably the best example. If this is a company-based or mixed organization, Primary Contact information may be required on the company application form so the new company welcome email can be sent to the user designated as Primary Contact. Kavi Members can be configured to notify the Primary Contact when company representative applications are received from other users at their company.
Types can be used to confer roles that grant website access privileges, such as the 'member' role, which confers access to Member Area tools. Each type may be associated with one or more roles. The roles associated with a types are granted to users when they or their company are assigned this type. All the roles a user has accumulated through types are stored in the user's role cache. Each time a user attempts to access a page on the website, the role cache is checked to determine whether the user has any of the roles necessary to view the page and if so, which elements on the page should be displayed. If you are not familiar with this subject, see the Concepts document Roles.
Each kind of type is applied to a particular sort of entity and is implemented somewhat differently from other types. Here is a quick introduction to each kind of type, including a general discussion of how the types are used and and what distinguishes this from other types.
Assigned to companies to classify them and their place in the organization.
There is only one default Company Type in Kavi Members: 'Members Area Access'. This type, which is associated with the 'member' role, is assigned to companies to confer Members Area access to users who belong to these companies. It is commonly assigned to companies that have been assigned the 'Nonmember Company' Company Purpose. It is also used in individual-based organizations that have only one or two companies with the 'Company for Individuals' purpose.
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Every company-based or mixed organization that tracks companies in their database will want to add custom Company Types. Company Types may be used to define subgroups within the organization or its constituency, such as geographic regions or market sector. Types may be used purely for classification, in which case they aren't associated with any roles.
Organizations with formally defined Company Membership Types need to add a custom Company Type for each membership type. These Company Types are assigned to a company automatically when it acquires a specific type of membership. Whether a company is a 'Member Company' (i.e., has a formal membership) or a 'Nonmember Company' (i.e., has an account but no membership), companies with these purposes are usually assigned Company Types associated with the 'member' role, which grants access to Member Areas of the website. A user who belongs to a company that is assigned a Company Type associated with a role inherits this role and acquires basic website access privileges through their company. If a Company Type is revoked from a company, any roles associated with this type are automatically revoked from every user who belongs to this company.
An organization that offers different levels of access to company account holders needs to create at least one Company Type for each level, associating the roles needed to grant the appropriate level of access. In a tiered membership structure, Company Types acquired through higher levels of membership usually confer additional roles and access, such as the 'wg_access' role that grants Kavi Groups access.
The most significant difference between Company Types and other types is the way that users inherit all roles that their company acquires through Company Types. Because of this inheritance, it is unusual for a Company Type to confer any administrative or editorial roles unless the type is to be assigned to a company whose Purpose is 'Staff Company'. Since roles that grant administrative or editorial access are usually conferred on a few select users, these top-level roles are generally associated with User Types, or less commonly, with Contact Types.
For more detailed information, see the Concepts document on Company Types.
Assigned to every user in the Kavi Members database.
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Every user has to be assigned at least one Contact Type, which classifies the user according to the way they represent their company to the organization. Contact Types are assigned to users based on their Purpose. For example, the default 'Staff' Contact Type is assigned to users who have the 'Staff Person' Purpose. Users in individual-based organizations who have the Purpose of 'Individual Member' or 'Individual Nonmember' would be assigned the 'Individual' Contact Type by default. In a company-based or mixed organization, users who have the Purpose of 'Company Representative' are assigned the 'Employee' Contact Type by default.
Contact Types are occasionally confused with User Types. User Types classify users who have a direct relationship with the organization, whereas Contact Types classify users by the way they represent their company to the organization. Individuals (i.e., users whose User Purpose is 'Individual Member' or 'Individual Nonmember') don't really represent a company, and are usually only assigned the 'Individual' Contact Type, but may be assigned several User Types. Users with the 'Company Representative' Purpose may be assigned multiple Contact Types, but are unlikely to be assigned any User Types.
None of the default Contact Types mentioned so far have associated roles in their default forms, but there are default Contact Types with roles. 'Primary Contact', which is used in company-based and mixed organizations, confers the 'company_admin' role. Company Representatives who are assigned the 'Primary Contact' type are granted access to the Company Admin Area and tools they'll use to manage other users on their company's roster and other company data. Note that a Company Representative who is designated as their company's Primary Contact would be assigned both the 'Employee' and 'Primary Contact' Contact Types. A user may be assigned a different Contact Type for each position they hold in the organization, so it is not uncommon for a Company Representative to have many Contact Types.
The roles granted through Contact Types are usually limited in scope, granting access to Company Admin Area tools and a specific's company data. Contact Types designed specifically for users with the 'Staff Person' Purpose can be an exception. Some organizations prefer to assign administrative access through Contact Types rather than User Types. If an organization wants to grant the same degree of access to all users who are assigned the 'Staff Person' User Purpose, it can associate administrative roles such as 'org_admin' with the default 'Staff' Contact Type.
For more detailed information, see the Concepts document Contact Types.
Assigned to users to classify them according to their relationship with the organization.
User Types are usually assigned to users who have the Purpose of 'Individual Member', 'Individual Nonmember' or 'Staff Person'. They are seldom assigned to users who have the 'Company Representative' Purpose.
They are often used to classify users who have administrative, editorial or other duties that require access to tool pages and other restricted areas. The default User Type 'Organization Admin' confers the 'org_admin' role, which provides access to all Admin and Report Areas of the website. The 'Organization Admin' User Type is assigned to the person who manages the organization's website.
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Every individual-based or mixed organization that tracks individuals in their database will want to add custom User Types. User Types may be used to define subgroups within the organization or its constituency, such as geographic regions or market sector. Types may be used purely for classification, in which case they aren't associated with any roles.
Organizations with formally defined Individual Membership Types need a custom User Type for each membership type. These User Types are assigned to an individual automatically when she or he acquires a specific type of membership. Whether a user is an 'Individual Member' (i.e., has a formal membership) or an 'Individual Nonmember' (i.e., has an account but no membership), a user with these purposes must be assigned a User Type (or more rarely, a Contact Type) associated with the 'member' role to acquire access to Member Areas of the website. If a User Type is revoked from a user, any roles associated with this type are automatically revoked.
An organization that offers different levels of access to individual account holders needs to create at least one User Type for each level, associating the roles needed to grant the appropriate level of access. In a tiered membership structure, User Types acquired through higher levels of membership usually confer additional roles and access, such as the 'wg_access' role that grants Kavi Groups access.
Like Contact Types, these User Types are assigned to users rather than companies, but they don't have the company-specific scope of Contact Types.
For more information, see User Types.
Each type falls into one of four categories. The category determines whether the type is assigned automatically through membership, or what section it appears in on tool pages so it can be assigned manually. Types that are assigned manually are categorized according to whether the type confers special access.
Figure 14.1. How User Types and Contact Types are Displayed
The screenshot shows types being assigned to an individual member. The type corresponding to membership type was assigned automatically when the individual's membership became active. Other types can be assigned by an administrator as needed.
When creating or editing a type, choose a category to determine whether the type is assigned automatically through membership or where it will appear on the tool page.
Categories:
- General
A category of types that generally convey little or no access privileges and may be used primarily to classify and group users and companies by their relationship to the organization, their region or area of interest. General types may be assigned to new users or companies when they're added to the database automatically or by batch upload, and these types are also available in the list of General Types displayed to administrators when adding or editing a user or company. These types are usually displayed as an option that can be used for searches and generating reports.
- General (through membership only)
These are custom types that reflect the organization's membership structure and are designed to be assigned automatically depending on the type of membership a company or user acquires (and revoked when membership lapses). Because these types are bound to memberships, they are assigned or revoked according to membership rules and cannot be assigned independently of membership. These types are not available in the lists of types that can be assigned by administrators when adding or editing a company or user. Like other General types, they are displayed as an option that can be used for searches and generating reports.
- Editor
This category includes any type that conveys roles that grant Kavi® Edit access. This includes the default User Type 'Organization Editor', which conveys the 'Editor' role that grants access to all areas of the website, as well as custom-defined Editor Types that convey more restricted Kavi Edit privileges. Editor types cannot be assigned automatically with membership and aren't available to be copied on scheduled email notices. Types in the Editor Category include User Types and Contact Types, but it is rare to grant Kavi Edit access through a Company Type, since all users belonging to companies assigned this type would inherit this access.
- Admin
This category includes any type that conveys roles that grant administrative access, such as the default User Type 'Organization Admin', which conveys the 'admin' role that grants administrative access to all areas of the website and the default Contact Type 'Primary Contact', that grants the 'company_admin' role and access to Company Area tools used to edit their company's roster and data. Types in the Admin Category include User Types and Contact Types, but it is rare to grant administrative access through a Company Type, since all users who belong to companies that were assigned this type would inherit this access. Admin types are displayed on forms used to to schedule automated email notifications to administrators, for example, a variable corresponding to 'Primary Contact' is an option you can select when setting up company membership notifications. Admin types cannot be assigned automatically with membership.
Types may be assigned automatically or manually:
- Automatically assigned
When users or companies acquire accounts in the Kavi Members database they are automatically assigned one or more types. Types can also be assigned when membership is acquired.
- Manually assigned
Administrators usually assign types manually when assigning types to a user who holds a special position in the organization. For example, an Organization Admin might assign the 'Organization Editor' User Type to a user who is responsible for maintaining the website. A Primary Contact can indirectly assign a Contact Type to a user in their company by assigning the user to a special position such as 'Billing Contact'. Types used solely to classify users or companies can be added manually during data upload.
Conversely, types may be revoked automatically or manually:
- Automatically revoked
When a membership elapses, the membership can be archived and types assigned through membership can be automatically stripped from the former member.
- Manually revoked
Types can also be revoked manually, especially User Types that were assigned manually and confer administrative or editorial roles.
Example 14.1. How a member company might acquire types and roles
When the company's membership becomes current, it is automatically assigned the Company Type that corresponds to the Membership Type. This type confers roles that grant access to Members areas of the site, including 'member'.
Example 14.2. How a staff company might acquire types and roles
An administrator who has the 'org_admin' or 'super_admin' role manually adds this staff company through Kavi Members Admin tools. The administrator assigns a Company Type created specially for this kind of staff company. This Company Type confers roles that provide access that all employees of this type of staffing company require to perform their jobs through the organization's website. This "company" may have been added to Kavi Members for the sole purpose of grouping and managing organization staff, or it may be an outside staffing company.
Example 14.3. How member company's 'Primary Contact' might acquire types and roles
If a person is signed up as 'Primary Contact' through the Company Membership Application, they are automatically added to the database when the application is approved and assigned the default 'Primary Contact' Contact Type at this time. The 'Primary Contact' type can also be manually assigned by privileged users who have the 'company_admin', 'org_admin' or 'super_admin' roles in their role cache. The 'Primary Contact' type confers the 'company_admin' role. A Company Representative with this role usually inherits one or more roles through Company Types assigned to their company (e.g., 'member').
The 'Primary Contact' Contact Type may also be associated with roles installed by other applications. For example, if Kavi® Showcase is installed, the 'showcase_company_admin' role is automatically associated with the 'Primary Contact' Contact Type.
A user who has been assigned the 'Primary Contact' type may be assigned other default or custom Contact Types by an administrator, depending on this user's responsibilities and the types defined for this site.
Example 14.4. How an Organization Admin might acquire types and roles
An administrator who has the 'org_admin' or 'super_admin' role in their role cache can manually assign the default 'Organization Admin' User Type to a user.
Example 14.5. How types and roles are revoked from a former Primary Contact
When the 'Primary Contact' Contact Type is removed by an administrator or an automated process, all the roles conferred by that type are automatically removed. Any types that were assigned manually are not automatically removed, so administrators must manually remove these types if they are no longer appropriate.
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| Chapter 13. Roles |  |
Chapter 15. Company Types |