Usergroups and ranks question
 

Hi all,

I'm trying to get a better understanding of usergroups and ranks.

I've checked the documentation/manual and I THINK I'm starting to understand it a bit better.

Am I to understand that ranks and usergroups are different features?

What I WANT to do (and hope I can somehow):

I want to be able to give any of my volunteer helpers (regular members who are doing special things on the forums...such as help other members) unlimited gallery space (via Photopost).

Now... my Photopost adopts the usergroups from my vBulletin.

As my members make more and more posts, they are promoted to higher usergroups, and thereby their ranks change (the rank images change). They also gain more and more gallery space because of this.

What I'd like is for my volunteer helpers to have UNLIMITED gallery space (perhaps create another usergroup called "Helper"?) but STILL go through the promotion process...

Example:

Joe is in the "Member 1" usergroup with a rank, of course, of "Member 1" (member with one star). He gets 5 MB of gallery space.

Joe becomes a volunteer and starts to help out around the forum.

I want Joe to remain "Member 1", but I also want to increase his gallery space.

Since Photopost goes by vbulletin's usergroup system, Photopost sees Joe as "Member 1" and gives him his 5 MB of gallery space.

I know how to give Joe unlimited space (if I create a usergroup with such), but I don't want him to NOT go by the regular "promotion/usergroup/rank" system?

Am I making sense?

Would this be where secondary usergroups come in? (I really don't understand those! LOL)

Or can anybody PLEASE offer another way for me to do this? Perhaps you have a similar system on your vbulletin?

Thanks very much! :)

Yes, this is where secondary groups come in. Just make a new secondary group - you don't need to give them any permissions for the boards or anything except more gallery space.

Lynne, thanks so much for answering!

Okay... so, if I understand you correctly:

1. I create a secondary usergroup "Helper".
2. I place "Joe" in that secondary usergroup "Helper".
3. In Photopost, I set it so that "Helper" has unlimited gallery space.

Thus:

4. Joe will now have unlimited gallery space?

Perhaps I should test it out so I better understand...but you've helped me a LOT get closer to wrapping my mind around it. :)

Thanks a lot!

Take a look at all the other permissions for this new group in the usergroup manager and in the forum manager. You can set it so they have no permissions for any forums, that way they get all their permissions for forums from the other groups they are in.

Okay... so the Primary Usergroup overrides any "Additional Usergroup" in which they are?

I think I understand.

Well, it's better to think of it as a Yes overrides a No. So, if you want all permissions for the user to be decided by the other usergroups and only the gallery permissions to be decided by this new usergroup, you should only set that one permission with this group (set all others to No so the other usergroups decide those permissions).