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Permission & sharing scenarios

This section describes how permissions work across common collaboration scenarios. These scenarios are useful as a reference for generating test cases.

Writer Adding Files in a shared folder

Scenario: A folder is shared with User B as a Writer. User B wants to add content to the folder.

Expected behavior:

  • User B navigates to the shared folder, which is visible under Shared with me.
  • User B can select New or Upload to create files and folders in the shared folder.
  • Newly created files and folders are owned by User B, not the folder owner.
  • Items created by User B are visible to the folder owner and other users who have access to the shared folder.
  • If User B has only Reader permission, an error message is displayed when they attempt to create or upload an item: "User does not have permission to create items in this folder."

Owner deleting content created by a writer

Scenario: The folder owner (User A) wants to delete a file or folder created by a Writer (User B) in the shared folder.

Expected behavior:

  • User A can delete any item in a folder they own, regardless of who created it.

  • The deletion behavior depends on who owns the item:

    • When User A deletes their own item, it moves to User A's Trash.
    • When User A deletes an item created by User B, the item moves to the root of User B's file storage instead of Trash. The item is unlinkedfrom its current location and moved to User B's root folder.
    • User A does not see the writer-owned item in their Trash after deletion.
    • User B can find the item at the top level of their My Files view.

Writer deleting their own content in a shared folder

Scenario: User B, a Writer of the shared folder, wants to delete a file or folder they created in the shared folder.

Expected behavior:

  • User B can delete items they own in the shared folder.
  • Deleted items move to User B's Trash, where User B can recover them.
  • User B cannot delete items they do not own, such as files created by User A or other writers. The Delete option is disabled in the context menu for these items.
  • After deletion, the item is no longer visible to users who have access to the shared folder.

Reader attempting to create or delete content

Scenario: A folder is shared with User C as a Reader.

Expected behavior:

  • User C can browse the folder and its contents but cannot modify them.
  • If User C selects New or Upload, an error message is displayed: "User does not have permission to create items in this folder."
  • The context menu for items in the folder does not include Rename, Move, Delete, or Make a copy.
  • User C cannot create, rename, move, or delete files or folders in the shared folder.

Permission differences: owner, writer, and reader

The following table summarizes what each role can do in a shared folder:

Action Owner Writer Reader
View and download files Yes Yes Yes
Create files and folders Yes Yes No
Upload files Yes Yes No
Rename own items Yes Yes No
Rename others' items Yes No No
Move own items Yes Yes No
Move others' items Yes No No
Delete own items Yes Yes No
Delete others' items Yes (moves the item to the creator's Trash) No No
Share the folder Yes No No
Create public links Yes No No
View version history Yes Yes Yes
Restore versions Yes No No

Moving items between folders: access-change warnings

How the warning works: The warning is based on the parent folders' access lists, not on the item being moved. The system asks: "Will bystanders in either parent folder gain or lose access as a result of this move?" The item's own sharing settings are not evaluated.

Source parent Destination parent Warning
Shared (has non-owner users) Shared (different users) "Everyone in '{destination}' will gain access." + "Everyone in '{source}' will lose access."
Shared (has non-owner users) Private (owner-only) "Everyone in '{source}' will lose access."
Private (owner-only) Shared (has non-owner users) "Everyone in '{destination}' will gain access."
Private (owner-only) Private (owner-only) No warning; the move is silent.

To trigger a warning:

  1. Share Folder A with other users, such as User B.
  2. Place a file or subfolder in Folder A.
  3. Move the item to a private folder that only you own.
  4. A confirmation dialog appears: "Everyone in 'Folder A' will lose access."
  5. Select Move to confirm or cancel to abort the operation.

After the move:

  • The moved item's direct access permissions remain intact.
  • Users who had access to the moved item through their Shared with me view can still access it there. The path updates automatically.
  • If both the source and destination parent folders are private (owner-only), the move occurs without a confirmation dialog.

Removing a share and its impact on content

Scenario: User A removes User B's access to a shared folder.

Expected behavior:

  • User B no longer sees the folder under Shared with me.
  • Files and folders created by User B in the shared folder remain in place and remain accessible to User A. Only User B loses access.
  • If User B had moved any items from the shared folder to Trash, those items remain in User B's Trash until the retention period expires.

Sharing a subfolder of a shared folder

Scenario: Folder A is shared with User B as a Writer. User A also directly shares a specific subfolder (Folder A/Sub) with User C.

Expected behavior:

  • User C has access only to Folder A/Sub and its contents.
  • User C does not have access to the parent Folder A or its sibling folders.
  • User B continues to have Writer access to all of Folder A, including Folder A/Sub.
  • User C sees Folder A/Sub as the top-level shared item under Shared with me.