Usually, more than one person contributes to the management of the website, as most websites of different types and goals need to carry out many tasks divided among the work team. This is why the WordPress system includes what can be called (the members system), which is designed to define the tasks and powers of each member. Site operation team. This system enables the site manager to determine the ranks of team members that provide each of them with what they need to carry out the tasks required of them.
It is important for any WordPress user to know the powers of each member rank to ensure that his tasks are carried out correctly, and the site administrator must know the tasks of each rank to ensure the security of his site, so here we will share with you the details of the powers of the 5 member ranks that are pre-set in the WordPress system, in addition to… How to change the rank of a member, and create a new member with a specific rank.
Arrange virtual members in WordPress
There are 5 ranks by default (pre-set) in single-site WordPress (regular WordPress), and a sixth rank appears in multi-site WordPress , and each rank has a set of permissions, as the member’s powers decrease as his rank on the site is lower, and the highest user has all possible powers. Which number more than 70.
Note: The Administrator in a single-site WordPress is the top user who has all the powers, while in a multi-site WordPress the Super Admin is the top user who has all the possible powers.
Therefore, we can divide the ranks of members in WordPress, starting with the rank whose owner has the least powers, which are:
- Subscriber
- Contributor
- Author
- Editor
- Administrator
- Super Admin
In the following paragraphs, we explain the powers of each of these ranks so that you can choose the appropriate rank for each member according to the tasks you assign to him.
Subscriber rank
The powers of a member who has this rank in the WordPress control panel are limited to the ability to manage his personal profile only. He can change his password and update his account information, but he cannot view comments that have not yet been approved, or add content to the website other than comments.
Subscriber rank is especially useful if you require users to log in to the site to view specific content or allow them to add comments.
Contributor rank
The main feature that distinguishes this rank is that the contributing member can create new articles in WordPress and edit his own articles, but he cannot publish any articles, as the articles he adds are saved as a draft, or in a state awaiting review.
The drawback of this rank is that it does not provide the member with the ability to upload files to the site, including image files, and therefore another member with a higher appropriate rank will have to upload pictures of contributors’ articles to the site to include them in their articles.
A contributor is allowed to view unapproved comments in the comments section of the dashboard, but cannot approve or delete them.
Also, a contributor does not have permission to create new categories while adding an article, but they can choose a category from pre-existing categories and add tags to their own articles. He also does not have access to WordPress settings, plugins, or themes, and cannot make any modifications related to any of them.
Writer rank
The writer rank is the lowest rank that allows adding, editing, and publishing posts to the site. This power is the most important for this rank, in addition to the possibility of deleting already published posts if the writer is their owner, and uploading photos and other files to the site, managing them, publishing them, and deleting them.
The writer can also create reusable components , and modify and delete components he creates.
Like a contributor, the writer can add tags to the article while writing it, and choose an appropriate classification for it from the existing classifications, but his permissions do not enable him to create a new classification, access settings, plugins, or templates, or approve or delete comments on the site ( He can only watch it.)
The Writer rank is suitable for those people who you want to create their own posts and publish them on your site, and you are confident that they will add appropriate and non-blocking content, and that they will not delete their posts after publishing them.
Editor rank
The editor is the second highest rank in regular WordPress, so he has a lot of powers. In addition to being able to do everything that a writer can do, he can edit, publish, and delete other users’ articles (even if they are of a higher rank), access, edit, and delete pages, and manage Classifications, including the ability to add new classifications. The editor also has the powers to moderate comments, as he can delete them, approve them, or mark them as annoying.
A member with the Editor rank does not have access to website settings, plugins, or themes, but you should still be careful when assigning this rank to a member, as it has broad editing permissions for posts and pages.
Director rank
Administrators can access all backend settings in regular WordPress (one-site), where they can modify website settings, install, activate and delete WordPress plugins and themes , edit code, edit the control panel, control other users, import and export content, in addition to… Possess all the powers of the Editor rank, including the ability to edit all articles and pages.
An administrator can delete WordPress site members even if they are of the same rank as his own, edit their profile information, including their passwords, and can also add new members to the site, and promote or demote pre-existing members.
We would like to draw your attention to the fact that you must be very careful when you give the admin rank to any member, and you should never give it to someone you do not trust very much, because his powers will be the same as yours if you promote him to this rank, and he will be able to remove your account from WordPress. Your site or destroy the site if he wants to.
Note: The administrator loses some of his powers in the WordPress Multisite network, such as the ability to install plugins. In this case, some powers are only available to the Super Admin.
Senior manager rank
The top administrator rank is only available in the WordPress Multisite network, and the person who has this rank has the ability to create, edit, install, delete, or perform any task that can be done in the network, including the ability to create, modify, and delete websites in the network. The top administrator has access to an additional control panel that is visible only to him, showing sites in the network, users, templates, and plugins.
If there is a top manager, regular site managers lose the ability to install plugins and templates, and the ability to modify user information, because plugins and templates are installed on all sites when the top manager installs them on WordPress, and user management becomes part of his tasks, but managers can still activate Plugins and themes and disable them.
It is worth noting that the top manager can give this rank to another member, as there can be more than one top manager in the network, as is the case in other ranks, but you must be careful and not promote anyone to this rank if you do not have great confidence in him.
It is also useful to point out that some add-ons create their own ranks, and that the powers of a specific member of the site can be modified through the use of some add-ons. For example, you can give a contributor the ability to upload files to the site to enable him to include the necessary images for his articles. Without giving him all the powers of the rank directly above him (the writer).
Summary of powers of member ranks
After we have informed you of the powers of each of the default member ranks, we will summarize the powers of the five default ranks in regular WordPress in a comprehensive table that will make it easier to know the appropriate rank for any member based on the tasks he will perform on the site.
| Rank | Most important powers |
|---|---|
| subscriber | + Manage his profile. |
| contributor | + Manage his profile. + Create articles and edit his own articles without the possibility of publishing them or uploading files to the site. + Display unapproved comments without the ability to approve or delete them. + Choose a category from the pre-existing categories, and add tags to the article. |
| writer | + Contributor powers. + Publish and delete his own articles. + Upload photos (and other files) to the site and delete them. + Create reusable components, modify and delete own components. |
| editor | + Writer powers. + Edit, delete and publish other users’ articles. + Access, edit and delete pages. + Adding new categories to the site. + Moderate and manage comments. |
| boss | He has powers that enable him to perform any task on the site, including: + Editor powers. + Access and modify WordPress settings. + Install, activate, disable and delete plugins and themes. + Modify software codes. + Organ control. + Import and export content. |
How to add new members and determine their ranks
In regular WordPress, an administrator can easily create new users and determine their ranks in order to allow them to access the control panel and give them permissions that enable them to carry out their tasks.
To create a new member, go from your site’s WordPress control panel to the Create a New Member page by placing the mouse cursor on the (Members) item in the side menu, then clicking on the (Add New) option in the drop-down menu that appears.
A page will appear asking you to enter the data of the new user (member) you want to create.
Enter the required data correctly as requested on the page, and choose a strong password, especially if the rank of the user you are creating is high, then choose the user’s rank from the drop-down list next to the word (rank), and then click on the (Add a new member) button. ).
You will be taken to the Members page, which displays all the members of the website. You will see a notification at the top of the page informing you that a member has been created with the data you entered. You will also notice that the member you created is present in the list of members.
You can now send the email and password to the person for whom you created an account so that they can log in to the site.
It is worth noting that you can change the information of any member, including his rank, by going to the member page, which can be accessed by clicking on the word ( Edit ) that appears when you place the mouse cursor on the user name, where a page similar to the member creation page will appear for you. New (but with many more fields), and you’ll be able to edit any of the data you want.
You can also change the rank of one member or group of members by selecting them by placing a check mark in the boxes next to their usernames on the members page, then selecting the rank you want to give to these members from the drop-down list (Change rank to…) and then clicking on the (Change) button ) As the following picture shows.
How to allow anyone to register on the site and set the default rank
Sometimes you may need to allow anyone to register on your site and create their own membership, such as when some of your site content is only available to site members, or if you run an online store.
You can allow anyone to create a membership in your WordPress and specify the default rank that the user will take when he registers on the site himself from the general WordPress settings.
You can do this by going to the general settings by clicking on the word ( General ) in the drop-down menu that appears when you place the mouse cursor on ( Settings ) in the side menu in the WordPress control panel.
Then on the general settings page, you must search for the options ( Membership ) and ( Default rank for new members), and put a check mark in the box next to the phrase (Allow registration ), then choose the default rank from the drop-down list next to the phrase ( Default rank for new members ). ).
After that, you have to scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the ( Save Changes ) button for the modifications you made to be applied to the site.
Note: Although you can set any rank you want to be the default rank for new members who register themselves through your WordPress registration page, we do not recommend setting any rank higher than (Subscribed) if you do not want to allow anyone to tamper with your site.
It is useful to draw your attention to the fact that a new button called ( Register ) will appear on your WordPress login page after you allow anyone to register on the site from the general settings, as we just explained. As is clear, this button will enable anyone who can access the registration page. Log in to your WordPress site by registering in it if you wish.
It is worth noting that you can change the rank of any member after he registers on your site himself through the members page in the same ways that we explained in the previous paragraph, as any member will appear, whether the manager added him or he registered himself on this page.
Read also: How to create a membership and subscription site using Member Press
Here we finish explaining the ranks of members and the powers of each of them in WordPress, how to create a new member and give him a specific rank, and how to promote or demote a member. In conclusion, we note the necessity of not giving anyone a rank higher than the rank necessary to perform his duties, because that contributes to demoting members. The security of your site, regardless of who has the authority.
