Private sections and articles

What are private sections and content?

A private section and its private content can only be viewed by members of that section.

Members of a private section

For members of a private section it will appear as normal. They will be able to visit the section, navigate around it, find the section in search and see it in the drop-down menus.

For content related to a private section AND marked as 'private', again, this will appear as normal to section members. They will be able to see the content displayed anywhere it is listed on the site, they will be able to find it in search and view it, comment on it and like it.

Users who are not members of a private section

Once set up correctly, users who are not members will NOT be able to see the private section or related content.

For non-members, the private section will NOT be:

• listed anywhere on the site (e.g. in a list of sections)
• returned in search results
• visible in the main dropdown menu
• accessible if a colleague send them a direct link (they will get an error page instead)

For non-members, the related and private content will NOT be:

• listed anywhere on the site (e.g. lists of content in the private section or in any other section, listed on the activity feed)
• returned in search results
• accessible if a colleague send them a direct link (they will get an error page instead)

How to make a section private

Set section privacy

While on the section you wish to make private:

• Go to Admin menu > Edit page > Settings
• Select 'Private' from the Privacy dropdown
• Save & View section

Hide links to section from main-menu dropdowns

If this section is listed as a link in the main drop-down menus, it should be hidden from users who are not members. (If a non-member clicks on the menu link they will get an error page.)

• Go to Admin menu > Navigation > Menus / Navigation
• Expand the menu until you find the link to your private section
• Tick 'Hide for unauthorised users'
• Do not tick 'hide for search result' unless you wish ALL users, including members, to not find it in search
•  Save