Public access

This page shows how to turn Public access on and off. It is the one switch that decides whether people who are not signed in can read anything on the platform.

Your role needs Can edit configuration (Roles).

What the switch doesCopy Anchor Link

The switch is off from the start, on a new platform and on one that was upgraded. Nothing is open to Visitors until you turn it on.

When it is off, a Visitor sees only the sign-in page of the Portal, with the platform's name and logo. They see no Block and cannot open any Item.

When it is on, a Visitor

• sees the Blocks set to Everyone on the Portal (Edit the Portal page).
• can read everything shared as Public, whether or not it is placed on the Portal: maps, datasets and the files those Items use, such as attachments and thumbnails.
• can only read. They cannot create, change or delete anything, and cannot do administration. A public form can be viewed but not filled in.
• still cannot open Items shared as Internal or Private. They must sign in as before.

The platform gives the Portal one public API key to say that nobody is signed in. This is the Anonymous key. The system makes it itself, it is not on the API keys page, and it cannot be edited or deleted. Anyone can read its value while the switch is on, but it can only read Items that are public, and it is limited to 600 requests a minute for one IP address. When you turn the switch off, this key stops working within 10 seconds.

How an Item gets onto the PortalCopy Anchor Link

An Item appears on the Portal when two steps are done.

1. The owner shares the Item as Public (Share).
2. An administrator places the Item in a Block (Edit the Portal page).

The Catalogue Block is different. It shows every Item that is public without placing them one by one, because the catalogue of open data is the list of everything that is open. An Item that is shared as public but not placed on the page can still be read by anyone who knows its link or id.

Turn on Public accessCopy Anchor Link

1. Open Public access in the Settings group of the menu on the left. The page says whether it is On or Off right now.
2. Turn on the switch Let people who are not signed in see public content.
3. The box Let everyone read public content lists the Items that are shared as public right now, by type, with the owner's name. Each type shows at most 200 Items and says "and N more" for the rest. All of them become readable by everyone, including those not placed on the Portal, and including Items whose owner shared them as Public long ago, when that word did not yet mean everyone.
4. Read the list. If something should not be open, cancel first and ask the owner to change it to Internal or Private.
5. Tick I have checked this list, then click Let everyone read.

The platform says "Turned on. Anyone can now read what is shared public." If you click Cancel, the switch goes back to off.

• If nothing is shared as public yet, the box says so, and you can still turn it on. But anything that someone shares as public later is readable by everyone at once.
• The confirm button does not work until the list has loaded and you have ticked the box. If the list cannot be read, click Retry.
• While it is on, the Overview page shows the message "Public access is on: anyone can read what is shared public." in Needs attention (Overview).

Turn off Public accessCopy Anchor Link

Turn off the switch Let people who are not signed in see public content. The platform says "Turned off." There is nothing to confirm.

The rest of the platform follows within 10 seconds, because each node remembers this value for no longer than that. During this time a Visitor may still be able to open Items for a short while. After that, they see only the sign-in page. Items shared as public are not changed, and when you turn the switch on again, they can be read again.

What Public means in the Share dialogCopy Anchor Link

The Item sharing window of every App has three levels. What Public means depends on this switch. The table on the Public access page says the same.

The text beside the Copy link button says which meaning is in use. While the switch is off, it says "Anyone signed in can open the link, and apps with an API key can read this item". While it is on, it says "Anyone can open the link, including people who are not signed in, and apps with an API key can read this item".

If you have turned the switch on, tell the owners of Items that Public now means everyone on the internet, and that an Item which only people in the organisation should see must be changed to Internal.