Purpose of Anonymous User in Workflow Links

Each workflow event in the DSP® framework must use a SQL view to provide various values like [Subject], [Body], and [EmailTo].
In particular, the values provided for [EmailTo] will change the behavior of any Workflow Link in the email body.  These are the 2 options:

• UserID -  For example, if Testing01 is provided as the [EmailTo] value, then any Workflow Link will include Testing01's login information.  This means that anybody who receives the Workflow Link (perhaps through a forwarded email) will be able to click the link and be taken directly to the page, automatically logged into the DSP as Testing01.
  • The DSP Development (6.5) training guide calls this "Semi-anonymous"
  • Generally, this is a questionable practice since users can inherit the security of another user and/or impersonate another user.
• EmailAddress - For example, if Testing01@boatraining.com is provided as the [EmailTo] value, then any Workflow Link will not include login information.  This means that anybody who clicks the link will be taken to the DSP login screen first.  As an exception, somebody who is already logged into the DSP will be taken directly to the page as the currently logged in user.
  • The DSP Development (6.5) training guide calls this "Standard."

Anonymous User

If a [Link User ID] is specified in the design of the workflow event, then the Workflow Link will include login information for an anonymous user.  This means that anybody who receives the Workflow Link (perhaps through a forwarded email) will be able to click the link and automatically log into the DSP as an anonymous user.  The DSP Development (6.5) training guide calls this "Anonymous" and it is generally preferred over the "Semi-anonymous" method, because an anonymous user typically has very limited permissions in the DSP.

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NOTE: Technically, any User on the Admin > Security > Users page with the [Anonymous] box checked can be used as the [Link User ID] value, but Anonymous is the User that DSP automatically delivers.

If an Anonymous user expires, then only a custom WebApp using [Link User ID] could possibly be affected.  No delivered WebApp uses it.  This query will show you if any custom WebApp is currently using it:

USE CranSoft
SELECT        dbo.WebApp.WebAppName, dbo.Page.Description AS Page, dbo.PageEvent.Event, dbo.PageEventRule.LinkUserID
FROM            dbo.WebApp INNER JOIN
                         dbo.Page ON dbo.WebApp.WebAppID = dbo.Page.WebAppID INNER JOIN
                         dbo.PageEvent ON dbo.Page.PageID = dbo.PageEvent.PageID INNER JOIN
                         dbo.PageEventRule ON dbo.PageEvent.PageID = dbo.PageEventRule.PageID AND dbo.PageEvent.Event = dbo.PageEventRule.Event
WHERE        (dbo.PageEventRule.LinkUserID IS NOT NULL AND dbo.PageEventRule.LinkUserID <> N'14')

Search Role

This role is just a sample user and its expiring or disabling it will not affect the DSP application.

Translator Role

This role is just a sample user and expiring or disabling it will not affect the DSP application.