Technical writing: how to say more vs. less permission?

Question

I'm writing a doc about user permission settings. I'm trying to say that if you select multiple settings for the same application, the highest permission will override the lesser permission. (In other words, the user will get the permission that allows him or her to complete more functions.)

Is that the correct way to write this?

Sometimes the terms higher security clearance and lower security clearance are used if you want to talk about some kind of "level" that can be low or high. But when speaking of permissions I expect specific actions which are either granted or denied. Example: grant permission to read file A and to modify it; grant permission to read file B but deny permission to modify it; grant permission to connect to the Intenet but deny permission to connect to www.some-really-bad-site.com. — Brandin, Mar 25 '15 at 20:43

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 25 '15 at 21:05

1

You could maybe talk about privilege levels, or privilege settings and say that higher privilege levels/settings for the application override lower ones

answered Mar 25 '15 at 21:05

SamuelVimes

2,542

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 25 '15 at 19:37

The system is designed such that in selecting multiple settings for the same application, the highest permission will override the lesser permission. However, for security reasons, the user should get the lowest-level permission that allows him or her to complete the required functionality.

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 25 '15 at 19:41

You can word it so that it is clear that the broader set of permissions includes the narrower set of permissions...

When administering user permissions for the Contact Information section of the site, there are three roles available: Guest, Contributor, and Administrator. The Guest role is able to view information, but cannot edit it. The Contributor role is able to view and edit information, but cannot deactivate or delete it. The Administrator role is able to view, edit, deactivate, and delete contact information.

Or you can word it in similar fashion to the following...

You can choose more than one role for the same user in the same section of the site. The system will grant the user whatever permissions are allowed by at least one of the roles assigned to that user in the relevant section.

Technical writing: how to say more vs. less permission?

3 Answers3