User Roles & Permissions
Huddle's comprehensive user management system allows you to control exactly who can access your portals and what they can do. With five distinct role levels and granular permissions, you can create the perfect access structure for your organization.
Understanding Permission Levels
Huddle uses a hierarchical permission system with four levels of access control:
- 1.Portal-Level Permissions: Control who can access the entire portal
- 2.Page-Level Permissions: Restrict access to specific pages
- 3.Widget-Level Permissions: Show/hide widgets based on user role
- 4.Data-Level Permissions: Filter data rows and columns by user
User Roles Explained
Portal Admin
Full control over portal configuration and content
Editor
Can create and modify portal content
Contributor
Can submit content for review
Viewer
Read-only access to portal content
Guest
Limited access without authentication
Setting Up User Management
Step 1: Define Your User Groups
Before assigning roles, organize your users into logical groups:
- Internal Staff: Employees who manage portal content
- External Users: Customers, vendors, or partners
- Reviewers: Users who need read-only access for approval workflows
- Contributors: Users who submit data but don't manage content
Step 2: Assign Roles
To assign roles to users:
- Navigate to Portal Settings → Users
- Click Add User or select an existing user
- Choose the appropriate role from the dropdown
- Set any additional permissions or restrictions
- Save your changes
Important: Always follow the principle of least privilege. Give users only the permissions they need to perform their tasks. You can always add more permissions later.
Step 3: Configure Page-Level Access
Control which pages users can see:
- Edit any page in your portal
- Click Page Settings in the toolbar
- Under Access Control, select who can view the page
- Choose specific roles or create custom rules
Step 4: Set Widget Visibility
Show different content to different users on the same page:
- Select any widget in the page editor
- Click the Visibility tab in widget settings
- Choose which roles can see this widget
- Optionally, add conditions based on user attributes
Advanced Permission Features
Dynamic Role Assignment
Huddle supports dynamic role assignment based on user attributes from Smartsheet. For example, you can automatically assign the "Manager" role to users whose department field equals "Management" in your Smartsheet data.
Row-Level Security
Filter data so users only see records relevant to them:
- Filter by user email (show only their records)
- Filter by department, region, or custom fields
- Create complex rules with multiple conditions
- Apply filters globally or to specific widgets
Custom Permissions
Beyond the standard roles, you can create custom permission sets:
- Mix and match permissions from different roles
- Create department-specific roles
- Set time-based access (temporary permissions)
- Configure approval-based access escalation
Authentication Options
Single Sign-On (SSO)
Huddle supports SAML 2.0 SSO integration with popular identity providers:
- Microsoft Azure AD
- Google Workspace
- Okta
- OneLogin
- Custom SAML providers
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Add an extra layer of security with MFA options:
- SMS verification
- Email verification
- Authenticator apps (Google, Microsoft, Authy)
- Hardware tokens (FIDO2/WebAuthn)
Best Practices
Security Best Practices:
- • Regularly audit user permissions
- • Remove access for inactive users
- • Use groups instead of individual permissions
- • Enable MFA for all admin accounts
- • Document your permission structure
Troubleshooting Common Issues
User Can't Access Portal
- Verify user has been added to the portal
- Check if portal requires authentication
- Confirm user's email matches their Smartsheet account
- Review any IP restrictions or access schedules
Missing Content/Widgets
- Check widget visibility settings
- Verify page-level permissions
- Review data filters on widgets
- Confirm user's role has necessary permissions
Permission Changes Not Taking Effect
- Have user log out and back in
- Clear browser cache and cookies
- Check for conflicting permission rules
- Verify changes were published to live portal