how different is this to the simple_access.module?

Last friday I had to go to the Dutch DrupalJam so I didn't have time to write a nice description. Today I submitted a new description which I think is descriptive enough and shows the difference between simple access and this module.

The new description:

This module allows administrators to control node access based on permissions. In drupal access control is based on the permissions granted to a role. However most of the access control modules are based on roles and not permissions.

In the admin interface of this module you are able to dynamically create permissions. You can turn node access control on/off for each node type (default off). When node access control is enabled for a node type, the node form will allow you to choose a permission which is needed to view, edit and delete the node or leave it to default access handling. This allows you to have one uniform access control interface, the drupal permission form.

You are not correct. Simple access let's you select 'roles' and make access based on that. There for to give a certain role access to something you have to go to the custom admin page and add this role to a 'access group'.

This module however lets you specify 'permissions'. By doing this you can give access the drupal way by granting permissions on the permissions page.

There is one admin page which allows you to dynamically add permissions to hook_perm(). After that you can grant access like you are used to on the permissions page of drupal which has a view for each role but also for all of the roles.

Difference in workflow for creating two nodes with view access for two different roles:

Simple access
- Create a role 'test1' and a role 'test2'
- Make two access groups test1 and test2 at simple access custom admin page
- Make a node with access group test1
- Make a node with access group test2

Content Access / node_privacy_byrole
- Create a role 'test1' and a role 'test2'
- Make a node and specify which roles can access: http://drupal.org/node/257453, http://drupal.org/node/210982
- Make a node and specify which roles can access: http://drupal.org/node/257453, http://drupal.org/node/210982

Node Access Control
- Create a role 'test1' and a role 'test2'
- Create permissions 'view test1' and 'view test2' at custom admin page
- Make a node with view permission on 'view test1'
- Make a node with view permission on 'view test2'

So the difference in steps is not big. However we now have a new role named 'test3' which should get access to both test1 and test2.

Simple Access:
- Goto admin interface of simple access
- Add test3 to group test1 and test2

Content Access / node_privacy_byrole
- Goto the nodes and add the role

Node Access Control
- Goto drupal's permission page and give role 3 permissions to 'view test1' and 'view test2'

So I think the advantages of this module are being able to use drupal's access control system (permissions) and not a custom introduced one. In newer drupal versions (it is going to be ported) permissions are allowed to have descriptions which will even make it easier!

Thanks for the great explanation. I recommend linking to comment #6 from the project page rather than just the issue.

I changed the link to comment #6. Thanks

subscribing

don't forget toturn off "access content" in admin/user/access, cause the module wouldn't work without this step...