How user roles and permissions work
A user role is a bundle of permissions you assign to a person. This page covers what a role is, where you assign it, and what each standard role can do in VirtualCallboard and StageStock.
In short
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A User Role is what you assign to a person. It is a bundle of individual permissions.
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Every role applies to one of five areas, and can contain only permissions from that area.
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You assign VirtualCallboard and StageStock roles per production or per category. You assign Administrative roles once, for the whole site.
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Most people need only a role on each production they work on and each inventory category they use. Administrative roles are for the few people who help run the site, and production managers usually don't need one.
Two kinds of user role
Roles for the work (Product-Specific Roles on the User Roles page). What someone does inside a production or an inventory category — posting calls, taking attendance, checking stock in and out. You assign these per production and per category, so one person can be a Manager on one show and a Viewer on the next.
Roles for the site (Site Roles). What someone does to the site itself — creating user accounts, starting productions, changing settings, handling billing. These are the Administrative roles, and you assign them once.
Both kinds have a role called Manager, and they mean different things. A production Manager runs a show. They can't create a user account, because creating an account is not something that happens inside a production.
The five areas
Every User Role applies to exactly one area. That setting decides which permissions the role can hold and how you assign it. It is fixed when the role is created and can't be changed afterward. If you pick the wrong one, make a new role.
| Applies to | Assigned | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| VirtualCallboard | Per production | Schedule, announcements, discussions, notes, reports, files, contact sheets |
| StageStock | Per category | Items, check in / check out, reservations, tags, conditions, item history |
| Administrative - Common | Site-wide | User accounts, site settings, billing, spaces, outside contacts |
| Administrative - VirtualCallboard | Site-wide | Creating productions, stage names and bios, conflicts that overlap calls |
| Administrative - StageStock | Site-wide | Creating categories, storage positions, description tags, site-wide reservations |
The standard roles
VirtualCallboard and StageStock each have four standard roles. The Administrative areas have two: Manager and Administrator. Standard roles are read-only. To change one, open it and click Duplicate to get an editable copy.
| Role | In short |
|---|---|
| Viewer | Reads the callboard and responds. Changes nothing. |
| Contributor | Takes part — posts, uploads, and edits their own work. |
| Manager | Runs the day to day, and manages other people’s work too. |
| Administrator | Full control of everything in that area. |
Worth knowing
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Permissions always travel through a role. There is no way to give one person a single extra permission on their own.
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Editing a custom role changes it for everyone who holds it. If you need a one-off, duplicate the closest role and edit the copy. Who has this role on a role's page lists its holders.
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A permission lives in one area only. If you can't find a setting you expect, you are probably editing a role in the wrong area.
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Where a chart below says (pick one), those options are mutually exclusive. Choosing Add / Edit / Delete All Calls replaces Add / Edit / Delete My Calls; it doesn't add to it.
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The standard roles are a starting point, not a rule. If your company is organized differently, build a role that matches it.
Why a Manager can't add users
Add User is an Administrative - Common permission. No production or category role can create an account, so a co-director set to Manager on every show still has no Add User button.
You don't have to hand over a full Administrator role to fix it. The standard Administrative - Common Manager role usually includes Add User and leaves out Modify Site Settings, Account Billing, Manage User Roles, Deactivate / Reactivate Users and Assign Administrative Roles to Users.
Set it on Administration > User Administration: click the cog on the person's row, choose Edit, then click Administrative Roles. You'll need Assign Administrative Roles to Users.
If you need it tighter still, duplicate that role and switch off everything except Add User.
How to read the charts
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✔ — the role has this permission.
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– — it does not.
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(pick one) — a set of mutually exclusive options. The chart shows which one is selected.
The charts show the standard roles as they usually stand. A custom role can hold any mix, so for a custom role, or to check a standard one on your site, open it under Administration > User Roles.
Chart 1: VirtualCallboard (assigned per production)
| Permission | Viewer | Contributor | Manager | Administrator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule | ||||
| View Drafts | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| “All Calls” view (pick one) | Hide others’ fittings & conflicts | Hide others’ conflicts | Show everything | Show everything |
| Attendance entry (pick one) | Can't enter | Fittings only | All attendance | All attendance |
| Managing calls (pick one) | Can't manage | Can't manage | All calls | All calls |
| Manage Conflicts for Another User | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Attendance Administration | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Manage Call Types | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| View Fittings for All Users | – | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Announcements | ||||
| Announcements (pick one) | View only | Own only | Own only | Anyone's |
| Discussions | ||||
| Discussions (pick one) | Own only | Own only | Anyone's | Anyone's |
| Notes | ||||
| Notes (pick one) | Send notes | Send notes | Send notes | Send notes |
| Contact Sheets | ||||
| Contact sheets (pick one) | Standard | Standard | Incl. private info | Incl. private info |
| File Share | ||||
| Manage folders | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Files (pick one) | Own only | Own only | Own only | All files |
| Upload file | – | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Reports | ||||
| Reports (pick one) | Own only | Own only | Own only | All reports |
| Manage Report Templates | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Productions & People | ||||
| Assign Users to Production | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Edit Users | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Manage Groups | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
Chart 2: StageStock (assigned per category)
| Permission | Viewer | Contributor | Manager | Administrator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory | ||||
| View Reservations | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| View Current Check Outs | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Field notes: Can view private notes | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| View Items (always on) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| View Restricted Items | – | – | – | ✔ |
| Add Items | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Edit Items | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Delete Items | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Check In/Check Out Items | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Add Items to the Reservation | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Remove Items from Reservation | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Remove from Stock / Return to Stock | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Manage (add/edit) tag | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Manage conditions | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Export Labels | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Manage Item History (Add / Delete) | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| View item history and search check out history by user | ✔ | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Assign Users to Category | – | – | ✔ | ✔ |
| Field notes: Can view and manage notes | – | – | – | ✔ |
Chart 3: Administrative - Common (site-wide)
| Permission | Manager | Administrator |
|---|---|---|
| Site Administration | ||
| Outside contacts (pick one) | All contacts | All contacts |
| Production access (pick one) | Assigned only | All productions |
| Edit Any User & Private User Info | – | ✔ |
| Add User | ✔ | ✔ |
| Manage Spaces | ✔ | ✔ |
| Deactivate / Reactivate Users | – | ✔ |
| Deactivate / Reactivate Production | – | ✔ |
| Modify Site Settings | – | ✔ |
| Manage User Roles | – | ✔ |
| Account Billing | – | ✔ |
| Assign Administrative Roles to Users | – | ✔ |
| View Archived Productions | – | ✔ |
Chart 4: Administrative - VirtualCallboard (site-wide)
| Permission | Manager | Administrator |
|---|---|---|
| Productions & Bios | ||
| Allow the user to create a Conflict at the same time as an existing Call. (Overrides site setting) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Add/Edit Productions and Assign Users | – | ✔ |
| Stage names & bios (pick one) | View & edit | View & edit |
Chart 5: Administrative - StageStock (site-wide)
| Permission | Manager | Administrator |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory Setup | ||
| Cancel Reservation | ✔ | ✔ |
| Delete Reservation | ✔ | ✔ |
| Create/Edit a Reservation | ✔ | ✔ |
| Manage Positions | ✔ | ✔ |
| Manage Description Tags | – | ✔ |
| Add Category | – | ✔ |
| Edit Category | – | ✔ |
| Delete Category | – | ✔ |
| Add/Edit Productions and Assign Users | ✔ | ✔ |
Quick reference: which permission do I need?
| To let someone… | Turn on | In a role that applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Create a brand-new user account | Add User | Administrative - Common |
| Add an existing person to their show | Assign Users to Production | VirtualCallboard |
| Give someone an Administrative role | Assign Administrative Roles to Users | Administrative - Common |
| Deactivate someone who has left | Deactivate / Reactivate Users | Administrative - Common |
| Start a new production | Add/Edit Productions and Assign Users | Administrative - VirtualCallboard |
| Create a new inventory category | Add Category | Administrative - StageStock |
| Post and edit rehearsal calls | Managing calls → All calls | VirtualCallboard |
| Take attendance for the company | Attendance entry → All attendance | VirtualCallboard |
| See emergency contact details | Contact sheets → Incl. private info | VirtualCallboard |
| Check stock in and out | Check In/Check Out Items | StageStock |
| See items marked restricted | View Restricted Items | StageStock |
| Change what a User Role can do | Manage User Roles | Administrative - Common |
| Handle the subscription and invoices | Account Billing | Administrative - Common |