# Users

## Enable Authentication and Authorization

Spikemark will start with authentication and authorization disabled. To enable it, first ensure that any changes you’ve made to your show file are saved by pressing `Ctrl+S`.

![Screenshot of the Administration menu in Spikemark](https://3040525219-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MhFI6SSKpm8M7EkrYqp%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-9a296ef7a18e1e83da2c62272725bcbb4aacc73f%2FAuthMenu.png?alt=media)

Select `Administration → Enable Authorized` from the taskbar.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Enabling or disabling auth will trigger a restart of Spikemark - make sure to save your changes!
{% endhint %}

If this is your first time enabling authentication on the Spikemark computer, you’ll see the [Create New Account](#create-the-first-user-account) popup. If you’ve turned on authentication before, you’ll see a [Log In](#logging-in) screen and you can enter your user credentials as usual.

## Create the First User Account

![Screenshot of the Create New User Account dialog box in Spikemark](https://3040525219-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MhFI6SSKpm8M7EkrYqp%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-79fb698fdb456d39fb724d08d7a2ecbb210f3a45%2FCreateAccountFilledIn.png?alt=media)

The first time you are prompted to create a new account, the role will be Admin and cannot be changed until another admin is added. Simply fill out the username and password, and click ‘Create Account’. You will be directed to login with your new credentials.

## Logging In

When opening Spikemark with Authentication enabled or after another user has logged out, you will be required to login. Simply input your username and password, and click `Log In`.

![Screenshot of the Spikemark login dialog box](https://3040525219-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MhFI6SSKpm8M7EkrYqp%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-633ac975d9ea04dd1a988b9d85581c3ba2067283%2FLogin.png?alt=media)

When no user is logged in, all other Spikemark features will be inaccessible.

{% hint style="info" %}
Spikemark cannot be closed while the login screen is open.
{% endhint %}

If a user forgets their password, an [admin](https://docs.creativeconners.com/docs/spikemark-6/auth-roles#admin-user) must login and mark their account for a password reset. For more information on passwords, see [Passwords and Security](#passwords-and-security).

## Logging Out

Once you’re ready to log out, make sure to first save your changes. If you’re ready to shutdown Spikemark, simply exit out of the application - you’ll automatically be logged out.

{% hint style="info" %}
You can’t close Spikemark if no user is logged in and authentication is turned on.
{% endhint %}

![Screenshot of the Administration→Logout menu](https://3040525219-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MhFI6SSKpm8M7EkrYqp%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-9fa01f7a3aba30f1752746db3794288d17c2e8ed%2FAdministrationMenuGuest.png?alt=media)

If you want to log out but leave Spikemark open, then select `Administration → Log out` from the menu. You’ll be prompted to confirm that you want to proceed.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Logging out will trigger a soft stop across all playbacks - this means everything will stop running and any loaded cues will be unloaded.
{% endhint %}

![Screenshot of the logout dialog box](https://3040525219-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MhFI6SSKpm8M7EkrYqp%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-cf2003dd09f3ae8ae579e635e638340d0f10422c%2FLogOut.png?alt=media)

Select `Log out`. Spikemark will return to the `Login` screen.

## User Management (Admin-Only)

[Spikemark Admins](https://docs.creativeconners.com/docs/spikemark-6/auth-roles#admin-user) are able to access the User Management window, where they can edit and delete users on this Spikemark computer. To access the User Management pop-up, select `Administration → User Management` from the menu.

![Screenshot of the user management dialog box in Spikemark](https://3040525219-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MhFI6SSKpm8M7EkrYqp%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-e953fc4e90155afe9177d962a5aec0cb414c03ae%2FUserManagementResetPassword.png?alt=media)

On the left side of the window is the list of all users in the system. On the right side is the user editing pane. The selected user from the users list will show on the editing pane. The following actions are available:

1. `Undo Changes` - if you’ve made any changes to the user since the last save, you can restore the last saved version of the user. If there are no unsaved changes, this button will be grayed out
2. `Save` - Save any changes you’ve made to the selected user. This does not save changes for all users, just the current user in the editing pane.
3. `Delete` - Permanently deletes this user. The deletion is automatically saved, and cannot be undone.

{% hint style="info" %}
An [admin user](https://docs.creativeconners.com/docs/spikemark-6/auth-roles#admin-user) is able to edit all users, including other admins. They cannot edit their own account.
{% endhint %}

Once you are done editing users, close the `User Management` window to return to Spikemark. Any unsaved changes will be discarded once the window is closed.

### User Properties

A Spikemark user contains a few key properties, some of which can be manipulated through the User Management editor pane.

![Screenshot of key user properties that can be edited in Spikemark](https://3040525219-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MhFI6SSKpm8M7EkrYqp%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-e953fc4e90155afe9177d962a5aec0cb414c03ae%2FUserManagementResetPassword.png?alt=media)

1. `Name` - the username for the user. This must be unique, and cannot be changed
2. `Role` - the editable role that is assigned to this user. Each Role has a set of permissions that governs what users can and can’t do in Spikemark. A user must have exactly one role assigned to them.
3. `Force Reset Password` - the editable flag to indicate if a user needs to reset their password. When checked, the user will be prompted to reset the password the next time they login.
4. `Password` *Not shown* - the password that the user or admin sets for the account. This can be set on account creation, and reset through the reset password process. For more details, see [Passwords and Security](#passwords-and-security).

### Creating a New User

Only admins are able to add new users to the Spikemark system. To create a new user, select `Administration → Create Account` from the menu.

![Screenshot of the Administration menu when logged in as admin](https://3040525219-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MhFI6SSKpm8M7EkrYqp%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-2b1092820c24e515e6f03f572ede48576ee18446%2FAdministrationMenuAdmin.png?alt=media)

In the `Create New Account` pop-up, enter the username and password for the new user. Select the [role](https://docs.creativeconners.com/docs/spikemark-6/auth/auth-roles) you would like the user to have. If you would like the user to set their own password, leave the password field blank and then toggle the `Force Reset Password` field on the `User Management` screen after you’ve created the account.

![Screenshot of the Creat New User dialog box in Spikemark](https://3040525219-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MhFI6SSKpm8M7EkrYqp%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-79fb698fdb456d39fb724d08d7a2ecbb210f3a45%2FCreateAccountFilledIn.png?alt=media)

Once you’ve filled out all the fields, select `Create Account` to save the new account.

{% hint style="warning" %}
If the username is blank or already exists, the `Create Account` button will be grayed out.
{% endhint %}

The new user will appear in the User Management window.

## Passwords and Security

{% hint style="danger" %}
When creating your account, it is **strongly recommended** that you use a unique password.

Passwords are encrypted and stored locally on your Spikemark computer.
{% endhint %}

### Resetting Passwords

Passwords can be reset by an [admin](https://docs.creativeconners.com/docs/spikemark-6/auth-roles#admin-user). The admin should open `Administration → User Management` and select the `Force Reset Password` option for the user, then save their changes. See [User Management](#user-management-admin-only) for more info.

![Screenshot of the user management panel showing the force password reset checkbox](https://3040525219-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MhFI6SSKpm8M7EkrYqp%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-e953fc4e90155afe9177d962a5aec0cb414c03ae%2FUserManagementResetPassword.png?alt=media)

Once an admin has marked the user for password reset, the admin should log out (`Administration → Log Out`). The user should then enter their username (the password can be left blank) and click `Login`.

![Screenshot of the Reset Password dialog box in Spikemark](https://3040525219-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MhFI6SSKpm8M7EkrYqp%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-7e4941306eb60bd72c3f482dd5d78a0954b6d4bb%2FResetPassword.png?alt=media)

The `Reset Password` popup will appear. Enter and confirm the new password, and click `Save`. The user will be directed to the Login screen again, and should be able to login with their username and new password.

{% hint style="info" %}
If no admin has access to their account, please contact the Creative Conners support team and we can help restore access.
{% endhint %}

## Disable Authentication and Authorization (Admin-Only)

{% hint style="warning" %}
Before switching off user authentication, ensure you’ve saved any changes to your show, since turning off authentication requires restarting Spikemark.
{% endhint %}

![Screenshot of the Administration menu in Spikemark](https://3040525219-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MhFI6SSKpm8M7EkrYqp%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-2b1092820c24e515e6f03f572ede48576ee18446%2FAdministrationMenuAdmin.png?alt=media)

To turn of user authentication and authorization, select `Administration → Disable Authorization`.

![Screenshot of the warning message when turning off authentication](https://3040525219-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MhFI6SSKpm8M7EkrYqp%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-5623e8876e60cb6d76ed22b97902a603b8c15d62%2FDisableSpikemarkPopup.png?alt=media)

You will be prompted to confirm that you want to disable authentication and restart Spikemark. Select `Yes`. After you confirm, you’ll be given a chance to save any unsaved changes to your show.

Spikemark will restart automatically, and open up with authentication disabled. Spikemark will return to its fully accessible state. Authentication will remain off until re-enabled.