Permissions and Sharing
Guide
Created by Archivium 9 days ago - Last updated 9 days ago
Main Text
Archivium lets you decide exactly who can see and work on your universe. This page explains permission levels, how to invite people and handle access requests, and how to use vaults to keep some items secret.
Public vs. Private Universes
Every universe is either public or private (set on the universe's Edit page):
Public universes can be viewed by anyone, even people without an account. Only users you've given permissions to can make changes.
Private universes can only be viewed by users with at least Read access. Everyone else sees an "Access Denied" page — or your universe's Public Page, if you've set one up.
Permission Levels
Each user in a universe has one of the following permission levels. Each level includes everything the levels below it can do.
Level | Shown as | What it allows |
|---|---|---|
Read | Viewer | View a private universe and its items, and follow it. |
Comment | Viewer | Everything above, plus comment and start discussion threads, even when the universe only allows commenting by users with Comment access. |
Write | Author | Everything above, plus create and edit items, create stories, and view the universe's Stats page. |
Admin | Admin | Everything above, plus edit the universe's settings, open the Admin Menu, invite users and change their permissions, approve access requests, create vaults, delete other people's comments, and upgrade the universe. |
Owner | Owner | Everything above, plus delete items, delete the universe, and grant Owner access to others. |
A few rules apply when changing permissions:
Whoever creates a universe becomes its Owner.
You can't change the permissions of someone ranked above you, and you can only grant levels lower than your own (with the exception of Owners, who can grant Owner).
A universe always needs at least one Owner — if you are the last owner, you can't demote yourself.
Managing Permissions
Admins can open the Admin Menu from the universe page. The Permissions tab lists every user with access, grouped by level. Use the dropdown next to a user to change their level — changes save immediately. Setting someone's level to None removes them from the universe.
Inviting Users
At the bottom of the Permissions tab, enter a Username, pick a permission level, and click Invite User. The user receives a notification and sees a banner on the universe page with Accept and Reject buttons. Pending invites are listed on the Permissions tab and can be cancelled with the Cancel button.
Access Requests
Users can also ask for access themselves:
On a private universe they can't see, logged-in users can click Request Access to ask for Read access.
On the Authors tab of a universe, users can click Request Write Access or Request Admin Access.
The universe's owner is notified of new requests. Requests appear on the Admin Menu's Permissions tab with Approve and Deny buttons.
Vaults
A vault is a restricted area inside a universe with its own list of members. Items placed in a vault can only be seen by people who have been given access to that vault — even if the universe itself is public, and even if they're an Author or Admin of the universe. Universe Owners can always see every vault.
Vaults are perfect for things like:
GM-only secrets in a tabletop campaign.
Spoilers and unrevealed plot twists.
Work-in-progress material you're not ready to share with all your collaborators.
Creating a Vault
Admins can create vaults from the Vaults tab of the Admin Menu. Enter a Title and Shortname and click Create Vault. You'll become the vault's Owner.
Each vault in the list shows:
How many items it contains — click this to see them.
Its members, grouped by permission level. Universe Owners are listed automatically and can't be removed.
A form for adding members: enter a Username, pick a level, and click Add User. Setting a member to None removes them.
A Delete Vault button (vault Owners only). A vault must be empty before it can be deleted — move its items somewhere else first.
Vault permission levels work just like universe levels: Read access lets someone see the vault's items, while Write access lets them edit those items and move items in and out of the vault.
Putting Items in a Vault
When creating an item, choose a vault from the Vault dropdown. You can also move an existing item into or out of a vault using the Vault field in the item editor. Only vaults you have Write access to are listed.
Items in a vault show the vault's name in their breadcrumb and subtitle (e.g. "Character of GM Secrets"), so it's always clear when you're looking at restricted material.
Storage
The Admin Menu's Storage tab shows how much image storage your universe is using compared to its limit. Free universes can store 25 MB of images, and premium universes can store 5 GB — see Premium Universes.