Restricting form fields based on roles

Restricting form fields based on user roles in Power Pages can be a useful method to ensure that only authorized users have access to sensitive or specific information. This can be achieved by combining role-based access control (RBAC) with form field visibility and custom validation logic.

Steps to restrict form fields based on roles:

1. Define Security Roles in Power Pages

Start by defining security roles in Power Pages (or Dataverse) that determine which users will have access to certain form fields.
Security roles can be managed under Settings > Security in the Power Pages admin center or within the Power Platform admin center.

2. Assign Roles to Users

Assign the appropriate roles to users based on their responsibilities. You can assign users to roles either in the Power Pages portal or through Dataverse, depending on your setup.
Each role will have different permissions on forms and fields, so make sure users are grouped according to their access level.

3. Create and Configure the Form in Power Pages

Once roles are defined and assigned to users, you can create a form that will capture the data for the portal.
Navigate to Power Pages Studio and create or edit a form for the relevant entity.
The form will have various fields that you may want to restrict based on the user’s role.

4. Add Logic for Field Visibility Based on Role

You can write JavaScript or Liquid templates to hide or disable form fields based on the current user’s role.
Using Liquid: Power Pages allows for dynamic content rendering through Liquid templates. You can use the user object to check the roles and adjust the form fields accordingly.

Example (Liquid):

{% if user.roles contains 'Administrator' %}
    <!-- Render fields for Admin -->
    <input type="text" name="adminField" id="adminField" />
{% else %}
    <!-- Render fields for non-admin -->
    <input type="text" name="userField" id="userField" />
{% endif %}

This Liquid template checks if the logged-in user has the role ‘Administrator’ and displays different fields depending on the result.

5. Using JavaScript for Client-Side Field Restriction

Alternatively, JavaScript can be used on the form page to dynamically control field visibility.
Using JavaScript, you can check if the user’s role is allowed to view or edit certain fields and then adjust the field’s visibility or disable the field based on this role.

Example (JavaScript):

window.onload = function() {
    var userRoles = ["Administrator", "Manager"]; // Example roles
    var currentUserRole = "Manager"; // Replace with logic to fetch the current user role
    
    if (userRoles.includes(currentUserRole)) {
        document.getElementById('restrictedField').style.display = 'block'; // Show field
    } else {
        document.getElementById('restrictedField').style.display = 'none'; // Hide field
    }
};

This code hides the field with the ID restrictedField unless the user’s role matches the predefined roles.

6. Role-Based Field Permissions Using Dataverse Security

Another approach involves configuring Dataverse security for the entity that your form is associated with. Using Dataverse, you can assign field-level permissions by security roles.
This method restricts access to the underlying data at the entity level, ensuring that users with certain roles cannot access certain fields even if the form is rendered.

7. Use Business Rules for Additional Restrictions

If you want to apply additional logic that enforces the role-based restrictions at the form or field level, you can use Business Rules in Dataverse.
Business rules allow you to enforce logic on form submissions, such as hiding, showing, or disabling fields based on certain conditions.

8. Test the Restrictions

Once the field visibility and restrictions are set, test the form by logging in as different users with different roles.
Ensure that users see only the fields they should have access to, and that restrictions are applied correctly.