Allow WordPress Authors to Update But Not Create Content
Here's an interesting question from a PublishPress user:
“I want to allow the Author role to edit published posts (theirs or others) and make those changes live without approval. But I don't want those users to create new posts themselves.“
Yes, this is possible using the PublishPress Capabilities plugin.
- Install PublishPress Capabilities on your site.
- Go to “Capabilities” in your WordPress admin menu.
- In the top-left corner, select “Author” from the dropdown.
- In the center of the screen, you'll now see the Editing Capabilities for the Authors on your site:
Let's see what these permissions mean in practice. Log in as the Author and go to the “Posts” screen:
- You can edit your own posts.
- You can add new posts.
- You can NOT edit posts by other users.
To change the permissions, let's go back to the “Capabilities” screen. Make sure you have the “Authors” settings loaded.
- In the “Type-Specific Capabilities” box, check “Use create_posts capability”.
- Click Update”.
Now when you look back at the “Editing Capabilities” box, you'll see a new column called “Create”.
- Uncheck the “Create” box in the “Posts” row.
- Check the “Edit Others” box in the “Posts” row.
- Uncheck the “Publish” box in the “Posts” row.
This image below shows the box when you're finished. Click “Save Changes”.
Now when you test the Author account again, you will see two key changes:
- You will NOT see the “New Post” button.
- You will be able to edit the posts written by any user.
So thanks to these changes in PublishPress Capabilities, we've answered the original question. The Author role can edit published posts (theirs or others) and make those changes live without approval. But they can not create new posts themselves. Any approved changes will update the Last Modified Date for that post.
More PublishPress Capabilities Tutorials
- Hide other author posts in the WordPress admin area
- How to export and import WordPress user permissions
- Block WordPress users from creating higher-level users
- How to delete WordPress user roles
- Control who can delete media files in WordPress
- Stop WordPress users from editing their published posts
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Josh Lewis
Excellent post Steve. I had a somewhat similar wish which was to allow authors to post, edit their own posts, and give revisions to other authors. The idea is to allow bloggers and informative writers a way to manage their own content but allow them to contribute to others in an easy interface. Kevin emailed me the following steps (for Press Permit) to accomplish this:
· Install and activate PressPermit Pro + Revisions Pro
· Enable Permissions > Settings > Modules > Collaboration
· Go to Permissions > Settings > Groups > [WP Author]
· On the Edit Group Permissions Screen, go to the Add Exceptions tab and select as many categories as needed to
· Click the “Add Exceptions” button, then “Save Exceptions”
For Post Types to have exceptions assigned, they need to be enabled under Permissions > Settings > Core > Filtered Post Types.
Steve Burge
Thanks so much, Josh (and Kevin). I’ll see if I can write this up in a tutorial for other users and post it here on the blog.