User Rights and Site Groups (Windows SharePoint Services 2.0)

This topic explains the rights and site groups you can assign to users by using operations in Stsadm.exe and by using HTML Administration pages. Each user right or site group is listed by the name that appears in HTML Administration pages. The name used to identify a site group for the Stsadm.exe command-line tool is listed in a table. For each site group, the default rights included in that site group are listed. For each right, any rights dependent on the right are listed, as well as any default site groups that include the right.

For more information about user rights and site groups, see Managing Site Groups and Permissions (Windows SharePoint Services 2.0) and Managing Users and Cross-Site Groups (Windows SharePoint Services 2.0) in the Windows SharePoint Services Administrator's Guide. For more information about using the command-line tool, see Introducing the Administration Tools for Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 in the Windows SharePoint Services Administrator's Guide.

Default Site Groups in Windows SharePoint Services

  • Guest

  • Reader

  • Contributor

  • Web Designer

  • Administrator

User Rights Available for Windows SharePoint Services

  • Add and Customize Pages

  • Add Items

  • Add/Remove Private Web Parts

  • Apply Style Sheets

  • Apply Themes and Borders

  • Browse Directories

  • Cancel Check-out

  • Create Cross-Site Groups

  • Create Subsites

  • Delete Items

  • Edit Items

  • Manage Lists

  • Manage List Permissions

  • Manage Personal Views

  • Manage Site Groups

  • Manage Web Site

  • Update Personal Web Parts

  • Use Self-Service Site Creation

  • View Items

  • View Pages

  • View Usage Data

Default Site Groups

Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services includes five site groups by default. You can customize the rights available in these site groups (except for the Guest and Administrator site groups) or add new site groups to combine different sets of rights.

Guest

The Guest site group is designed to be combined with per-list permissions on particular lists to give guest users access to a specific list, without giving them access to the entire site. The Guest site group cannot be customized or deleted.

Command-line name Rights included by default

guest

None

Reader

The Reader site group allows a user to view items in lists and document libraries, view pages in the site, and create a site using Self-Service Site Creation.

Command-line name Rights included by default

reader

Use Self-Service Site Creation

View Pages

View Items

Contributor

The Contributor site group allows a user to interact with Web Parts and lists and document libraries. They can also create and manage personal views and cross-site groups, and personalize Web Part Pages.

Command-line name Rights included by default

contributor

All rights included in the Reader site group, plus:

Add Items

Add/Remove Private Web Parts

Browse Directories

Create Cross-Site Groups

Delete Items

Edit Items

Manage Personal Views

Update Personal Web Parts

Web Designer

The Web Designer site group allows a user to customize the Web site using the HTML tools or a Web page editor compatible with Windows SharePoint Services, such as Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003. For example, Web Designers can create lists from within the site or add new pages to the site by using a Web page editor.

Command-line name Rights included by default

web designer

All rights included in the Contributor site group, plus:

Add and Customize Pages

Apply Themes and Borders

Apply Style Sheets

Cancel Check-out

Manage Lists

Administrator

The Administrator site group allows a user to have complete control over a Web site. Members of the Administrator site group can configure settings, manage users and site groups, and view usage analysis data.

Command-line name Rights included by default

administrator

All rights included in the Web Designer site group, plus:

Create Subsites

Manage List Permissions

Manage Site Groups

View Usage Data

User Rights

Windows SharePoint Services includes 21 rights, which are used in the five default user site groups. You can change which rights are included in a particular site group (except for the Guest and Administrator site groups) or create a new site group to contain a specific list of rights.

Add and Customize Pages

Grants permission to create ASP.NET, ASP, and HTML pages for a Web site.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Web Designer, Administrator

Browse Directories, View Pages

Add Items

Grants permission to add items to lists or add documents to document libraries.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Contributor, Web Designer, Administrator

View Items, View Pages

Add/Remove Private Web Parts

Grants permission to add and remove Web Parts in order to personalize Web Part Pages.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Contributor, Web Designer, Administrator

Update Personal Web Parts, View Items, View Pages

Apply Style Sheets

Grants permission to apply a style sheet to the entire Web site.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Web Designer, Administrator

View Pages

Apply Themes and Borders

Grants permission to apply a theme or border to an entire Web site.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Web Designer, Administrator

View Pages

Browse Directories

Grants permission to browse the directory structure of a Web site.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Contributor, Web Designer, Administrator

View Pages

Cancel Check-out

Grants permission to cancel the check-out action performed by another user.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Web Designer, Administrator

View Pages

Create Cross-Site Groups

Grants permission to create or delete cross-site groups, or to change membership of a cross-site group.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Contributor, Web Designer, Administrator

View Pages

Create Subsites

Grants permission to create a new subsite or workspace site, such as a Document Workspace site or Meeting Workspace site.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Reader, Contributor, Web Designer, Administrator

View Pages

Delete Items

Grants permission to delete list items and documents from the Web site.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Contributor, Web Designer, Administrator

View Items, View Pages

Edit Items

Grants permission to edit existing list items and documents in the Web site.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Contributor, Web Designer, Administrator

View Items, View Pages

Manage Lists

Grants permission to create, edit, or delete lists and change their settings.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Web Designer, Administrator

View Items, View Pages, Manage Personal Views

Manage List Permissions

Grants permission to change permissions for a list or document library.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Administrator

Manage Lists, View Items, View Pages, Manage Personal Views

Manage Personal Views

Grants permission to create, edit, or delete personal views on lists.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Contributor, Web Designer, Administrator

View Items, View Pages

Manage Site Groups

Grants permission to create, delete, and edit site groups, both by changing the rights assigned to the site group and by changing which users are members of the site group.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Administrator

View Pages

Manage Web Site

Grants permission to perform administration tasks for a particular site or subsite.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Administrator

View Pages

Update Personal Web Parts

Grants permission to update Web Parts to display personalized information.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Contributor, Web Designer, Administrator

View Items, View Pages

Use Self-Service Site Creation

Grants permission to use the Self-Service Site Creation tool to create a top-level Web site.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Reader, Contributor, Web Designer, Administrator

View Pages

View Items

Grants permission to view items in lists, documents in document libraries, and Web discussion comments.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Reader, Contributor, Web Designer, Administrator

View Pages

View Pages

Grants permission to browse pages in the Web site.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Reader, Contributor, Web Designer, Administrator

None

View Usage Data

Grants permission to view reports on Web site usage.

Site groups included in by default Dependent rights

Administrator

View Pages