d99c0feca679487b8ba3e91173e41359Q: Is there any provision to allow client/guest views that don't count as users?
For example, we create a database to track support requests and our customers can see a very simplified view of this (client portal) and maybe create a new ticket. It's not public information so there needs to be some authentication, but other than that, they're not in the system as a normal user.
Thanks
Anais-Grist
May 14, 2024A: For view-only data, there is a way to do this in Grist currently with link sharing that is restricted with access rules.
Access rules make it possible to determine who can see which parts of your data down to each column and row. Link keys are special URL parameters that tell Grist which parts of the data to show when opening a URL using that link key. So you would have a unique link key for customer. The links would be generated and stored within Grist, too.
You can see a simple example that makes use of link keys, here: https://support.getgrist.com/examples/2021-04-link-keys/
Note that it is possible to set conditions based on a user's login email for Grist, in which case access can be restricted to users who are properly signed into Grist, even if they have a free account and are not a member of your team. If they don't have an account (I imagine it may be difficult to get hundreds of customers to create Grist accounts!) there are other ways to specify link keys.
The tricky part is ticket-creation. Currently, linksharing + access rules don't support editing documents. That is on our roadmap and you can track our progress here: https://github.com/gristlabs/grist-core/issues/36
Verified purchaser
I just want to say I'm really impressed by the depth of your answers and in this case, for responding very promptly late on a Friday afternoon ... kudos and thank you!
Sumolings, these guys are professionals and know their stuff — they're the real deal.
Thank you! 😊
+1 exceptionally helpful question and answer!