Access Control & Permissions

Control who can edit and add LaTeX macros in your Confluence instance with a simple whitelist feature.

Overview

Access Control allows administrators to restrict who can edit and add LaTeX macros. When enabled, only users in the whitelist can create or modify equations. When disabled, everyone with space access can edit.

Access Control Configuration

How It Works

Access Control Disabled (Default)

Who can edit:

  • ✅ Everyone with Confluence page edit permission
  • ✅ Anyone with space access

Use this when:

  • Small, trusted teams
  • Development environments
  • Internal collaboration spaces
  • Quick prototyping

Access Control Enabled

Who can edit:

  • ✅ Users in the whitelist/allow list
  • ✅ Confluence administrators (always)

Who cannot edit:

  • ❌ Users not in the whitelist
  • ❌ Even if they have page edit permission

Use this when:

  • Enterprise environments
  • Sensitive technical content
  • Compliance requirements
  • Quality control needed

Viewing Permissions

Important: Everyone with page view access can view rendered LaTeX equations. Access control only restricts editing and adding macros.

Configuring Access Control

Step 1: Access Configuration

  1. Go to Confluence Administration
  2. Click Manage Apps
  3. Find LaTeX Math for Confluence
  4. Click Configure
  5. Go to the Permissions tab

Step 2: Enable or Disable

Option A: Keep Access Open (Default)

  • Leave the toggle OFF
  • Click Save Changes
  • Everyone with space access can edit

Option B: Restrict to Whitelist

  • Toggle "Restrict edit access" to ON
  • The whitelist section appears below
  • Proceed to add users (see next section)
  • Click Save Changes

Managing the Whitelist

Adding Users to Whitelist

  1. Enable "Restrict edit access" toggle
  2. Click "Add User" button
  3. A search dialog appears
  4. Search by typing:
    • User's name
    • Email address
    • Username
  5. Select the user from search results
  6. User appears in the whitelist
  7. Repeat for additional users
  8. Click "Save Changes"

💡 Tip: You can add multiple users before clicking Save Changes.

Removing Users from Whitelist

  1. Find the user in the whitelist table
  2. Click the "Remove" (❌) button
  3. User is removed from the list
  4. Click "Save Changes"

Whitelist Display

The whitelist shows:

  • User display name
  • Email address
  • Account ID
  • Remove action button

How Access Control Works

For Whitelisted Users (When Enabled)

  1. User edits a Confluence page
  2. User adds or clicks to edit a LaTeX macro
  3. ✅ Editor opens - User can edit
  4. User can create new macros and modify existing ones
  5. Changes save normally

For Non-Whitelisted Users (When Enabled)

  1. User edits a Confluence page
  2. User tries to add or edit a LaTeX macro
  3. ❌ Access Denied - Error message appears
  4. Message: "You don't have permission to edit LaTeX macros"
  5. User cannot add or modify equations

For Everyone (When Disabled)

  1. User edits a Confluence page with edit permission
  2. User can freely add and edit LaTeX macros
  3. No restrictions apply

Administrator Override

Confluence Administrators:

  • ✅ Always have access to edit LaTeX macros
  • ✅ Bypass whitelist restrictions
  • ✅ Can configure access control settings
  • This cannot be disabled

Permission Checks

What's Required to Edit

Both conditions must be met:

✅ Confluence page edit permission
        AND
✅ LaTeX Math whitelist (if access control enabled)
        =
Can edit LaTeX macros

When Checks Occur

Permissions verified:

  • When adding a new macro
  • When opening the editor
  • When saving changes
  • Every time a macro is edited

Troubleshooting

User Gets "Access Denied"

Problem: Whitelisted user receives access denied error

Solutions:

  1. Verify user is in whitelist
    • Check correct email/username
    • Confirm changes were saved
  2. Refresh the page
    • User should hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R)
    • Try incognito mode
  3. Check user account
    • Ensure Confluence account is active
    • Verify user is logged in
  4. Re-add the user
    • Remove from whitelist
    • Add again
    • Save changes

Everyone Can Edit (Unexpected)

Problem: Whitelist enabled but non-whitelisted users have access

Solutions:

  1. Verify toggle is ON
    • Check "Restrict edit access" is enabled
    • Click Save Changes
  2. Check if users are admins
    • Administrators always have access
    • This is expected behavior
  3. Clear cache
    • Have users refresh their browsers
    • Clear browser cache

Can't Find User to Add

Problem: User doesn't appear in search

Solutions:

  1. Verify user exists
    • Check user has Confluence account
    • Confirm account is active
  2. Try different search
    • Search by full email address
    • Search by username
    • Check for typos
  3. Wait for sync
    • New users may take a few minutes to sync
  4. Contact support
    • If user definitely exists but won't appear

Best Practices

✅ Do This

  1. Start restrictive - Enable access control from the beginning if needed
  2. Document your policy - Create a page explaining who can edit and why
  3. Respond to requests - Process access requests promptly
  4. Review regularly - Remove users who no longer need access
  5. Train whitelisted users - Ensure they understand LaTeX syntax

❌ Avoid This

  1. Don't add everyone - Defeats the purpose of access control
  2. Don't ignore requests - Users will find workarounds
  3. Don't forget to save - Always click Save Changes after modifications
  4. Don't add non-existent users - Verify accounts exist first

Integration with Confluence Permissions

Relationship

LaTeX Math permissions work alongside Confluence permissions:

Has Page Edit Permission In LaTeX Whitelist Can Edit LaTeX?
✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
✅ Yes ❌ No ❌ No
❌ No ✅ Yes ❌ No
❌ No ❌ No ❌ No

Key Point: Users need both Confluence page edit permission and LaTeX whitelist access (when enabled).

Security Considerations

Data Protection

  • ✅ Whitelist stored securely in Confluence
  • ✅ Encrypted transmission
  • ✅ No personal data exposed publicly
  • ✅ GDPR compliant

Auditing

Currently available:

  • Confluence audit logs show page edits
  • Page history tracks macro changes

Coming soon:

  • Detailed LaTeX-specific audit logs
  • Permission change tracking
  • Access attempt logging

Future Enhancements

Planned Features

  • 👥 Group Support - Whitelist entire Confluence groups instead of individual users
  • 📊 Permission Reports - See who has access and how they're using it
  • 🔄 Bulk Operations - Add/remove multiple users at once via CSV
  • ⏰ Temporary Access - Grant time-limited access that expires automatically
  • 📝 Detailed Audit Logs - Track all permission changes and access attempts

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Last Updated: January 2025