After upgrading confluence, Dont see the EDIT button on restricted pages/spaces

[Leena Bakshi]

Hi,

I upgrade confluence from version 5.6.3 to 6.3.4. in dev and right now when I browse to a restricted page where the editing is restricted to certain users, I am not able to see Edit button. I am confluence admin and system admin. In our production version which is still on 5.6.3 I am able to administer Confluence with no issue. Spaces with no restriction what so ever (either view or edit) I can see the Edit button. In the Restriction page, it shows the space admin and my name for editing being restricted to us only.  However in the Permission under the space tools, it doesnt show my name which is normal (same in production). 

I found a space where there was no edit restriction defined on parent page but some of the child pages had edit restricted to certain users and again I do not see the EDIT button for any of the pages including the parent page. 

Any idea what is causing it and how can I rectify it?

Thanks

[Leena Bakshi]

After talking to Support for more than a week, we came to a conclusion that this is a feature and not a flaw or bug.  If there is a page which has restrictions defined, even though you are Sys admin, you wont be able to see the edit button. If you go under restriction for this page, you will see your name with "can edit" permission but you really cannot edit the page (which is quiet misleading according to me).

The only way to see or to edit a page in such scenario, is to ask the space admin to add you in restriction definition of that space. Hope this helps.

[Leena Bakshi]

Also used need to have "Add Page" permission on this space.

[Merle Fischer]

@Leena Bakshi  thanks for this post and documenting this so thoroughly, we were seeing exactly this behaviour and I couldn't really wrap my head around what my colleagues were describing until I read this whole thread ;)

[Trudy Claspill]

What I have found in Confluence 6.1.3 is...

With these Space level permissions:

1. I am a member of the Confluence Administrator group and the Confluence Users group.

2. By default in all the spaces we create the Confluence Users group is given View/Add permissions in all categories.

3. The Confluence Administrator group is not called out explicitly in the Space permissions.

4. I am not called out individually in Space permissions

In spaces where the above defaults apply and there are no restrictions on pages, I see the Edit button on the pages.

On pages where Restrictions have been set:

1. I do not see the Edit button.

2. I can open the Page Restrictions dialog and I see myself listed with Edit permissions. I've never previously actually been added to the Page Restrictions. This seems to get filled in automatically as soon as I open the Page Restrictions.

3. If I SAVE the Page Restrictions, then refresh the page, now I see the Edit button.

With the above steps I have just explicitly given myself Edit permissions on the Restricted page. 

[Vicki Tsang]

Thanks Trudy - that second set of instructions fixed it for me!

[tokcum]

Hi,

this is clearly a bug and not a feature. I confirm that this behaviour still exists in Confluence 6.15.4.

Just to confirm this issue: I have a space with full admin and user rights. Users also have the permission to use page restrictions. Lets assume user A restricts Edit rights on page "Summer Event 2019" to herself and user B. She does not access rights to me.

As a result I have no edit button, even as an space admin. From my point of view this is perfectly fine! The issue is that when I check the page restrictions I'm listed as a user with Edit rights which contradicts the page restrictions user A set. Even more strange is that when I add myself to the list with Edit rights again, I'm now able to Edit the page as expected.

@[deleted]: please fix this.

Thanks.

Tobias

[Gregory Van Den Ham]

There's some notice in 5.9 release notes about space permissions changes.

You can lock yourself out of pages as well, even as admin though you will have access to add yourself or confluence-admins back in to the security model for the page.

Take a look at documentation here.

The last part of documentation may help:

Space Admin and System Administrator access to restricted pages 
Users with 'Admin' permissions in a space, or users with the System Administrator global permission can remove restrictions from pages, even if the page restriction prevents them [SPACE ADMINS & System Administrators] from viewing the page. Go to  Space Administration  >  Restricted Pages .

[Leena Bakshi]

Thank you Greg for the document, however it couldnt answer why I am not able to edit the pages.. I already see my id with "can edit" permission in the Restriction of the space. And once I ran reindexing it fixed issue for only one space not the rest.

Thanks

[Gregory Van Den Ham]

Interesting, have you experimented with removing the permissions, saving and then reapplying to the space?

[Leena Bakshi]

I did that 15 mins before your reply came and right now reindexing is going on. I ll check again once the reindexing finishes... 

[Leena Bakshi]

Just an update , I stll dont see the Edit button for the restricted pages. and have opened a support ticket.

[Jim Doyle]

I'm seeing similar issues.  We are on version 6.5.

[Jim Doyle]

Hi Leena - do you mind sharing your support ticket if it's public?  I'd like to follow and see the recommended solution.

[Leena Bakshi]

Jim, that ticket is not public, but these are the last comments by the support:

""Yes, so users must be added to the can edit for the space (unless "Everyone" is set to can edit). Then from there it trickles down unless there are restrictions set to a parent or child page in the space. Can edit "restrictions" are needed for the space main page along with page add permissions for the space in the permissions tab to be able to edit.

When you do decide to implement groups it should act the same way, but the group will have to be added to the space edit restrictions. Restrictions and permissions can be a lengthy and difficult to grasp subject. Glad to hear you have a good understanding of it now!""

Also you do need Add page permission on thatspace.. sorry I forgot to mention that.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Your admin rights do not matter when it comes to content.

Are you, or a group you belong to, named in the "edit" restriction?

[Leena Bakshi]

Hi Nic,

Yes I see my name in "can edit" in restriction of the space. As I mentioned that I am the confluence admin and I have problem with the same pages in our production which is still on version 5.6.3. I see the edit button and can edit the pages also there. 

In fact, I tried to modify the restriction and still cant see the edit button. but for some reason  reindexing fixed this issue for one the spaces where I was having the same issue of not seeing the Edit button( and I didnt make any changes). Sadly it didnt fix it for all the spaces whereever I see any kind of restriction defined.

Thanks