---
title: "Role-based access and editing rights within a single form"
url: "https://openforis.support/questions/4587/role-based-access-and-editing-rights-within-a-single-form"
tags: ["openforis", "arena"]
status: "answered"
score: 0
answer_count: 3
asked: "2026-10-26T13:18:04.776840"
last_activity: "2026-10-26T23:42:34.523583"
source: "Open Foris Support - Q&A Forum"
license: "Copyright Open Foris, 2026. Some rights reserved under creative commons license."
---

# Role-based access and editing rights within a single form

Asked by ASSEDEV on 2026-10-26

Dear Open Foris Arena Team,

We would like to know whether Open Foris Arena allows different users or roles to have different access and editing rights within a single form.

Specifically, is it possible for each user to view or edit only the sections assigned to them, while another user or administrator retains full visibility of the entire form and can intervene when necessary?

We found the discussion *"OFA: implementing 2 'disconnected' forms on the same entity - is it possible?"*, which mentions read-only and editable attributes. However, our question is specifically about role-based permissions and multi-user workflows within a single form.

Thank you in advance for your clarification.

Best regards,

**ASSEDEV Team**


## Answer (score 0, by Stefano (OF) on 2026-10-26)

Link: https://openforis.support/questions/4587/role-based-access-and-editing-rights-within-a-single-form/4588

Dear ASSEDEV team,

Thank you for the follow-up question. Yes, Arena supports this kind of multi-user workflow within a single form. You can achieve it by combining:

1. **User extra properties**, to assign parts of the form to each user;
2. **Conditional visibility and editability**, to show or unlock each part only for the users assigned to it;
3. **User roles**, to let several users work on the same records while an administrator keeps full control.

## 1. Assign parts of the form to users: User extra properties

User extra properties ([User Manual §6.1.4](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GWerrExvbdT5oOOlwdkE9pptK4pVbQxwtgaSNPasmKA/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.or91x88z8v0y)) are custom properties that you define for your survey and set for each user.

1. In *Dashboard → Edit info → User extra properties*, define a property, e.g. `section`.
2. In *Users*, set its value for each user invited to the survey, e.g.:
     - `vegetation` for the users in charge of the vegetation part;
     - `water` for the users in charge of the water part;
     - `all` for coordinators and administrators who must see and edit everything.

## 2. Show or unlock each part: conditional visibility and editability

In the Form Designer, every entity (section/page) and attribute has two rules in its *Advanced* properties ([§7.2.3 – Description of properties](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GWerrExvbdT5oOOlwdkE9pptK4pVbQxwtgaSNPasmKA/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.30j0zll)):

- **Visibility → "Visible if condition is met"**: the section is shown only to users for whom the condition is true and **hidden** for everyone else.
- **Editability → "Editable if condition is met"**: the section is visible to everyone but **read-only** for users for whom the condition is false.

In the condition, read the user's property with the `userProp` function ([§7.3 – Expressions](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GWerrExvbdT5oOOlwdkE9pptK4pVbQxwtgaSNPasmKA/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.i3lhvbho6uok)). For example, on the *Vegetation* section:
```
userProp('section') == 'vegetation' || userProp('section') == 'all'
```

and on the *Water* section:
```
userProp('section') == 'water' || userProp('section') == 'all'
```

The result is:

- each user can edit only the sections assigned to them;
- you choose, section by section, whether other users don't see it (**Visibility**) or see it read-only (**Editability**);
- coordinators with `section = all` see and edit the whole form and can intervene at any time.

Some tips:

- Set the rule on the **entity** (section) to apply it to all its attributes at once.
- A user can be assigned to several sections if you define one property per section, e.g. `can_edit_vegetation` = `true`, and use `userProp('can_edit_vegetation') == 'true'`.
- Other functions are available in the same expressions: `userName()`, `userEmail()`, `userIsRecordOwner()` (see [§12 – Examples of expressions](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GWerrExvbdT5oOOlwdkE9pptK4pVbQxwtgaSNPasmKA/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.nuolcu66xy6a)).

## 3. Who can work on the same records: user roles

When several users fill in different sections of the **same record**, their role must allow them to edit records created by others ([§11.1 – User roles](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GWerrExvbdT5oOOlwdkE9pptK4pVbQxwtgaSNPasmKA/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.hk36l0imi5m5)):

| Role | Records they can edit |
|---|---|
| **Data Editor** | only the records they created |
| **Data Cleanser** | all records of the survey |
| **Survey Administrator** | all records of the survey, plus survey and user management |

The users sharing records should therefore be **Data Cleansers**. The `userProp` rules then limit each of them to their own sections. The record workflow (*Entry → Cleansing → Analysis*) and the activity log help you organize the review and trace who changed what.

> **Note:** visibility and editability rules control what users see and change **in the data entry form**. They do not restrict data export or the Data Explorer. If some data must stay confidential, choose the users' roles accordingly. If, in the future, different teams need to work on completely separate sets of records (e.g. by region), see [§11.3 – User Grouping](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GWerrExvbdT5oOOlwdkE9pptK4pVbQxwtgaSNPasmKA/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.5stsx0lp7igs).

## Documentation

- [Open Foris Arena – User Manual](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GWerrExvbdT5oOOlwdkE9pptK4pVbQxwtgaSNPasmKA/edit?tab=t.0), in particular:
  - [§6.1.4 – User extra properties](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GWerrExvbdT5oOOlwdkE9pptK4pVbQxwtgaSNPasmKA/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.or91x88z8v0y)
  - [§7.2.3 – Description of properties](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GWerrExvbdT5oOOlwdkE9pptK4pVbQxwtgaSNPasmKA/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.30j0zll)
  - [§7.3 – Expressions and expression editor](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GWerrExvbdT5oOOlwdkE9pptK4pVbQxwtgaSNPasmKA/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.i3lhvbho6uok)
  - [§11.1 – User roles](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GWerrExvbdT5oOOlwdkE9pptK4pVbQxwtgaSNPasmKA/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.hk36l0imi5m5)
- Related answer: [Open Foris Arena – Ownership of Custom Surveys and Data Confidentiality](https://openforis.support/questions/4577/open-foris-arena-ownership-of-custom-surveys-and-data-confidentiality)

Feel free to follow up if you need help setting this up for your specific case.

Best regards,  
The Open Foris Arena team


## Answer (score 0, by ASSEDEV on 2026-10-26)

Link: https://openforis.support/questions/4587/role-based-access-and-editing-rights-within-a-single-form/4589

Dear Stefano and the Open Foris Arena Team,

Thank you very much for your detailed and helpful response regarding user access and editing permissions within a single Arena form.

Your explanations provide valuable guidance for our ASSEDEV Alerte Environnement project and will help us refine our technical approach.

Before proceeding further, we would appreciate your clarification on one additional technical question:

**Can Open Foris Arena automatically verify whether the GPS coordinates of a report fall within a predefined geographic boundary (polygon), and flag or prevent the validation of reports submitted outside this area?**

We would particularly appreciate knowing whether this can be configured directly within Arena, including when collecting data through Arena Mobile.

Thank you again for your continued support and valuable assistance.

Best regards,

**ASSEDEV Team**
Association pour l’Assainissement, la Sauvegarde de l’Environnement et le Développement
[https://assedev.fr](https://assedev.fr/)


## Answer (score 0, by ASSEDEV on 2026-10-26)

Link: https://openforis.support/questions/4587/role-based-access-and-editing-rights-within-a-single-form/4590

Dear Stefano and the Open Foris Arena Team,

Thank you very much for your detailed and helpful response regarding user access and editing permissions within a single Arena form.

Your explanations provide valuable guidance for our ASSEDEV Alerte Environnement project and will help us refine our technical approach.

Before proceeding further, we would appreciate your clarification on one additional technical question:

**Can Open Foris Arena automatically verify whether the GPS coordinates of a report fall within a predefined geographic boundary (polygon), and flag or prevent the validation of reports submitted outside this area?**

We would particularly appreciate knowing whether this can be configured directly within Arena, including when collecting data through Arena Mobile.

Thank you again for your continued support and valuable assistance.

Best regards,

**ASSEDEV Team**
[https://assedev.fr](https://assedev.fr/)