Usually the Home Item in a Sitecore site infrastructure is a key item since all other pages of the site are descendants of this one item so if the wrong thing happens to this item, the site can go down. So this particular item tends to get protected from a security stand point.
A short time ago, I was contacted from one of my content editors because they could not create a new child item underneath that home item or duplicate a home child item to create a new one. When I set-up security for the home Item, I wanted to make sure that the item cannot be adversely changed since it is a key item in the Sitecore site structure.
When I initially set the security on this item, I only set Read and Write access rights on the home Item because the item itself may need some updating (such as its presentation) but I wanted to make sure that a content editor could not rename the item, delete the item, or otherwise administer the item. That should be my concern if something need to be updated in that manner.
One security access option I did not consider was the Create security access option which I turned off on the Home item not exactly knowing what impact that would have as shown below through Sitecore’s Access Viewer. What I did learn as I investigated her concern was that by removing the Create access right from the home item for the content editor role, I removed their ability to add children items to the home item as shown in the images below before the next paragraph.
Initial Sitecore Access Viewer Settings on Home Item
Insert Option not available on Home Item
Duplication option on Home child item turned off
I then turned on the Create access right on the home item, and once that was turned on, then the content editor was able to add children underneath the home item. In providing this access, I made sure that the home item cannot be renamed or deleted. In addition, once the Create access right was assigned to the home item, a child item under the home item can now be added by duplicating existing child items to aid in creating additional child items. The images supporting this new functionality are shown below.
New Home security setting through Access Viewer – Create access right is enabled
Home Item – Insert option now turned on
Home child items – Duplication option now turned on
Problem solved, I thought this is a nice detail associated with Sitecore security settings which can help Sitecore security administrators with assisting their content editors.
