The document discusses Forkito ACL, an access control list system that aims to simplify and improve upon Joomla's ACL implementation. It covers Forkito ACL's goals of being easy to use and reusable across projects. It summarizes the Joomla fork flavor, Molajo flavor, and planned Nooku flavor. It also describes Forkito ACL's simplified user interface, operational logic, and API for developers to integrate authorization checks.

1. CUTTING CORNERS
FROM A WHEEL
// Forkito ACL //
FORKITO

2. FINAL GOAL
Easy to use and understand ACL system
Reusable ACL library compatible with most widespread Joomla
based projects
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3. FORKITO ACL FLAVORS
Ţ Joomla fork flavor (working - oh yeah)
Ţ Molajo flavor (in progress)
Ţ Nooku flavor (planned)
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4. JOOMLA FORK FLAVOR
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5. JOOMLA FORK FLAVOR
Did he really say that?
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6. JOOMLA FORK FLAVOR
Starting point for the whole project.
Used as proof of concept
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7. Joomla fork form == contains changes to 70+ files
due to poor Joomla ACL implementation in application layer
Joomla - ACL hardcoded everywhere
revision 7
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8. COVERED PARTS
New forkito ACL library
Joomla library methods are changed to proxies to a new library
methods
Includes internal methods that take care of backwards
compatibility with old Joomla ACL
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9. COVERED PARTS
Web application framework layer
Ţ categories
Ţ menus,
Ţ modules,
Ţ plugins
Mainly changes to multiple items queries
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10. COVERED PARTS
Application
Ţ Backend components: com_categories, com_menus,
com_modules, com_plugins
Ţ Content components: com_content (back and frontend)
Ţ Pagenavigation plugin-
Contains changes to 37 php and 15 xml files,
most extensive changes to com_users and com_content
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11. WHERE I CAN GET IT
git clone git://git.forkito.org/forkito
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12. MOLAJO FLAVOR
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13. Completely new classes
Where most development goes at the moment
The most important part
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14. Molajo ? - web application layer will be completely redone
together with components - layer includes hooks for ACL plugins
Just few library overrides (JUser, JCategories, JMenu … )
Joomla compatibility methods removed – extension either uses
Joomla or Forkito ACL
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15. Molajo ? - web application layer will be completely redone
together with components - layer includes hooks for ACL plugins
Just few library overrides (JUser, JCategories, JMenu … )
Joomla compatibility methods removed – extension either uses
Joomla or Forkito ACL
yes, it can be done
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16. NOOKU FLAVOR
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17. Will come after Molajo flavour
it is expected that only minor changes will be needed in Forkito
ACl for it to work with Nooku framework.
Forkito will represent an addon library here
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18. Unified ACL
// Forkito to Joomla ACL comparision//
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19. REMOVED VIEW ACCESS LEVELS AND ADDED VIEW TO
ACTIONS
50% less users effort needed, 50% less complicated.
View == action
No need for a separate ACL system for managing view permissions.
onfusing for the user and inefficient from the system point of view.
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20. RADICALLY IMPROVED AND SIMPLIFIED USER INTERFACE
Ţ Simple matryx of groups and actions
Ţ One-click permission changes
Ţ Instantly visible changes in inherited values
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21. SIMPLIFIED OPERATIONAL LOGIC
Lower level always wins
Global >Component>(Category)>(Item)
Anything set on the lower level beats what was set on the higher
one (denied or allowed)
Assigned permission beats inherited
Users are auto assigned to parent groups, so anything that is set in
parents will affect user's permissions, but only if it is not set
explicitly in assigned groups.
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22. SIMPLIFIED OPERATIONAL LOGIC
If one group gives you access you are in
(key analogy)
If you have a key that opens certain doors, it doesn't matter if
another key doesn't work, you still can get in.
When user is allowed to do something trough his membership in
one of the assigned groups, all others are irrelevant.
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23. DRY-ED AND RE-ARCHITECTURED
No code repetition
A single method for a single purpose.
Classes reusing other classes methods and not replicating them.
Very low amount of code, will cut off even more in the future.
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24. JSON ENCODED RULES REPLACED WITH PERMISSIONS
TABLE
JSON encoded string of permissions, stored in simgle database
field was one of the most horrible ideas ever seen in Joomla
This kind of code crimes should be punishable with at least 100 hits
with a stick.
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25. WHY ?
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26. It totally disables any database relations, conditional searches etc.
with enormous impact on performance.
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27. To retrieve a list of items user has a permission to view (or edit or
do any action) code would need to query for ALL items, unpack
json string item by item and check permissions each item
separately.
Now imagine you have 100.000 or even 1 million items to inspect
one by one and try to imagine how long that would take and e.g.
how much memory it would consume.
Get the picture?
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28. Having JSON in a database == a performance problem
=> you need more efficient system for managing thousands of
users trying to view pages
=> you "solve" the problem by inventing another ACL system
called access levels
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29. ALWAYS PRESENT BASIC SYSTEM GROUPS
Groups that cannot be removed or their role changed
While this might seem like a backwards step, this groups are really
corner stones that CMS ACL cannot work without. Equivalent to
unix wheel and anonymous groups roles.
Having groups system can always rely on -> RELIABILITY,
better performance and better security
// including root configuration hack that is not need anymore //
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30. ALWAYS PRESENT BASIC SYSTEM GROUPS
Everyone
- Not-authenticated - anonymous visitors
- Authenticated – anyone that is logged in
-- Admins – replacing global core.admin permission (equivalent to
unix wheel group)
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31. Simple API
// Hod do I implement it //
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32. API GOAL
Create minimal number of humanly understandable (self
explaining) classes and method names.
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33. CHECK AUTHORIZATION - MACCESS CLASS
Check single item's authorization :
isUserAuthorizedTo
+ shortcut: isUserAuthorisedToView
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34. CHECK AUTHORIZATION - MACCESS CLASS
Check multiple items authorization (by automatically inserting
filtering sql in multiple items queries):
insertFilterQuery
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35. MULTIPLE ITEMS AUTHORIZATION EXAMPLE
JPluginHelper::_load()
Joomla
$levels = implode(',', $user->getAuthorisedViewLevels());
...
$query->select('folder AS type, element AS name, params')
->from('#__extensions')
->where('enabled >= 1')
->where('type ='.$db->Quote('plugin'))
->where('state >= 0')
->where('access IN ('.$levels.')')
->order('ordering');
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36. MULTIPLE ITEMS AUTHORIZATION EXAMPLE
Forkito ACL
$query->select('e.folder AS type, e.element AS name, e.params, e.extension_id,
e.asset_id')
->from('#__extensions AS e')
->where('enabled >= 1')
->where('type ='.$db->Quote('plugin'))
->where('state >= 0')
->order('ordering');
jimport('molajo.access.access');
MAccess::insertFilterQuery($db, $query, 'e.asset_id', 'core.view');
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37. MULTIPLE ITEMS AUTHORIZATION EXAMPLE
The same function is used in categories helper, modules helper,
com_content articles model – anywhere where list of items needs
to be filtered
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38. USER INTERFACE
Insert acl widget HTML: MHtmlPermissions::aclWidget
Get ready-made acl widget in shape of Joomla form field:
MFormFieldAclwidget
Very simple to include ACL widget in your component layout
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39. Future
// Short term //
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40. Testing, testing. Bugfixing.
Testing. Bugfixing. Bugfixing. Testing. Testing. Bugfixing.
Testing, testing. Bugfixing.
Testing. Bugfixing. Bugfixing. Testing. Testing. Bugfixing.
Testing, testing. Bugfixing.
Testing. Bugfixing. Bugfixing. Testing. Testing. Bugfixing.
Testing, testing. Bugfixing.
Testing. Bugfixing. Bugfixing. Testing. Testing. Bugfixing.
Testing, testing. Bugfixing.
Testing. Bugfixing. Bugfixing. Testing. Testing. Bugfixing.
Testing, testing. Bugfixing.
Testing. Bugfixing. Bugfixing. Testing. Testing. Bugfixing.
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41. USER INTERFACE IMPROVEMENT
Inheritance breadcrumbs - show what this level is inheriting from
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42. Future
// Long term //
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43. MORE ROUNDS OF SIMPLIFICATION
Simple mode - flatten inheritance , keep only default and category
(or item) permissions
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