Enabling users to sign up for an account

How to configure Fotoware to allow users to sign up for an account themselves.

11. April 2025

Table of Contents

An administrator can configure the Fotoware site to allow users to sign up for an account if they don't already have one.

On public sites with no central identity provider to manage user authentication, it can be practical to allow users to sign up for an account themselves.

From the Tools menu (cogwheel icon), go to Site Configuration > Security > Sign-up.
Turn on the Enable online signup toggle and set additional requirements.

Allowing sign-ups only by invitation

When you enable online sign-up, the sign-up link will be visible when users go to the Fotoware site and the login page appears. The system can also be configured to only allow sign-ups by invitation by selecting Require invitation from administrator. This removes the sign-up link from the login page and ensures that only users invited to sign up can create an account on the site.

When enabling users to sign up online, you must specify which group(s) they belong to. Group membership can be used to control access to archives, workflows, and sharing options. You can select several groups at once by selecting Ctrl as you select groups in the list.

Note: If signed-up users are not added to any groups (other than the mandatory Everyone and Registered Users groups), they will be assigned an Editor license.

Users must accept Terms and Conditions: Enable this to require users to accept the terms and conditions to access the site. Enter the terms and conditions you would like to appear using Markdown syntax.

Requiring an administrator's approval of sign-ups

Sign-ups can be completed with or without administrator approval. When administrator approval is required (by selecting the Require administrator approval option) users who have been given permission to approve pending sign-ups will be notified of any pending sign-ups in the Fotoware user interface. These users can then approve or reject each sign-up. If you'd like to allow the administrator to assign additional groups to new users, select the Administrator can assign groups upon approval option.

There's also a separate option to require approval for invited users. That way, you can manage whether users or organizations invited to sign up require additional approval before activating their account. By default, users who receive an invitation to sign up need not be approved.

Required user information

Next, choose which fields new users must fill in before creating their account. You can enable several fields and only make some of them mandatory. Custom fields can also be created to include information about the local system.

Adding a field

Select Add field.
In the dialog that opens, select a value from the Field drop-down list.
In the Display name field, enter the name to be displayed for the field.
Select one of the following values from the Type drop-down list:

Text: To make this field mandatory, turn on the Required toggle. The value in the Regex (regular expression) field is used to validate user input for this field.Enter a validation message.
Checkbox: Continue to step 5.
Dropdown: In the Values field, select Add to define the entries in the drop-down list.
Select OK to save the changes.
Select Save.

When users access the site, the Registerlink will be displayed on the login page.

Note: First name, Last name, Email address, and Password are always required; users signing up will be requested to enter this information first. Additional fields you configure as required will be filled in when the user validates the account by following a link sent to their email address.

Registered users log on using their email address and password

The user's email address becomes the username to use to log in.

Setting a password policy for users

All users are required to choose a password to access the site. For information on how to set up a password policy, see Setting a password policy in Fotoware.

Learn how to configure notifications based on webhooks when users sign up to the system!