Webauthor Account - General information

What is a webauthor account?

A webauthor account is a username and password which gives you access to download, edit and upload pages to the 'on-premises' Trinity web server.

It is a separate account to your network login account, and specifically deals with web server access.

Why do I need a webauthor account?

Your webauthor account allows you to access your website on the 'on-premises' Trinity web server and edit the webpages, or folders containing your web pages, that you have permissions to update.

Each site has its own folder on the web server, containing all the pages, images, documents and elements needed to display your site.

Depending on the permissions given to your webauthor account, you have access to add and edit the pages in this folder, and upload to your site only, this protects your site from unintentional editing by other webauthors and limits your access specifically to your site.

Who can have a webauthor account?

Access to the 'on-premises' Trinity web server is for registered Trinity staff or postgraduates.

See the Trinity IT and Network Code of Conduct Policy for further information.

If you have employed an external web developer/contractor to update your site it is possible to apply for external third party access. Details are available in the Cyber Security Supporting Policies (Item 10). The Third Party Agreement must be in place prior to access being facilitated.

How do I get a webauthor account?

A webauthor account can be requested for you by one of the following people in your department/school/unit.

• The designated departmental web administrator;
• The School Administrator or Head;
• The Head of Department.

The departmental web administrator, once satisfied for the request to go ahead, should email itservicedesk@tcd.ie with the details listed below:

• The full path (or URL) of all the files/folders the access is being requested for;
• The username, in short format (i.e. jbloggs and not Joe.Bloggs) of the person(s) for whom the access is being requested;
• Details of the access changes required e.g. the granting of write access, the withdrawal of write access, change in ownership;

Please note: Your webauthor account password is initially your original Trinity password. If you do not have this, please contact the IT Service Desk.

I need to change my webauthor access, I am no longer editing the same site.

Changes in the access granted to your webauthor account can be requested for you by one of the following people in your department/school/unit.

• The designated departmental web administrator;
• The School Administrator or Head;
• The Head of Department.

The departmental web administrator, once satisfied for the request to go ahead, should email itservicedesk@tcd.ie with the details listed below:

• The full path (or URL) of all the files/folders the change in access is being requested for;
• The username, in short format (i.e. jbloggs and not Joe.Bloggs) of the person(s) for whom the change in access is being requested;
• Details of the access changes required e.g. the granting of write access, the withdrawal of write access, change in ownership;

Please note: the designated departmental website administrator may not request their own replacement. Changes in site administrators must be authorized by one of the other individuals in the list above, i.e. School Administrator or Head, or Head of Department.

I am working remotely from home or travelling, I can't connect to the web server.

Only computers that are connected to the Trinity data network, whether located on the main campus or in a remote location, can be used to access the Trinity web server for uploading or downloading files (using SSH, Dreamweaver or similar software).

Attempts to login or establish a connection from a computer not logged into the Trinity network will be automatically refused by the Trinity web server.

For staff members who need to work from home or some other remote location the solution would be to request a VPN connection.

I need to change my webauthor password.

Your webauthor password is not linked to your network password, therefore you must change your webauthor password separately.

Please follow the link for instructions on how to change your Webauthor password or check if your webauthor password has expired.

• For security reasons your webauthor account password will automatically expire every 180 days.
• You should receive an automated email 6 days prior to the password expiry directing you to this page.
• You will receive this email daily until you have set a new webauthor password.

Please note: If you cannot remember your webauthor password, please contact the IT Service Desk.

What is the difference between a web administrator and a web author?

A web administrator (departmental web administrator) is the person with responsibility for the full department website.

They are listed here designated departmental web administrator

They can approve requests to give staff/postgraduates access to edit the website, or pages within the site.

It is their responsibility to ensure that access is granted / revoked as staff move into and leave from the department.

A web administrator cannot revoke their own access, if they leave the department the Department Head / Head of School must email itservicedesk@tcd.ie to change the web administrator.

A web author is a staff member or postgraduate who has been given access to edit the departmental website, or pages within the website.

A department can have multiple web authors, it is the responsibility of the web administrator to ensure correct staff members have access to edit the site.

I have my webauthor account and have been granted access to the web site, what do I need to do now?

In order to make changes to websites that you have access to and upload them to the web server, you will need a file edit and transfer program such as Dreamweaver.

If you wish to use Dreamweaver, please visit the following web pages for more information.

• Maintaining Trinity Webpages - Frequently Asked Questions
• Configuring Dreamweaver to Publish to the Trinity Web Server.

It is also recommended that new webauthors attend the following course Maintaining Trinity Websites using Dreamweaver.

Why has my webauthor account been removed?

There are several circumstances where your webauthor account will be removed:

Your permissions have been removed
If a site administrator requests withdrawal of permissions for your webauthor account and this subsequently leaves you without permission to edit any Trinity website content, your webauthor account will be removed.

Your account was a temporary one
If a temporary webauthor account is granted to you for Dreamweaver training, it will be removed after the training session.

Your account is inactive
If your webauthor account has not been used in 12 months it will be considered inactive and removed.

Your Trinity computer account has expired
If your Trinity computer account is expired, your webauthor account will be removed

Please note: Removal of your account does not remove or change any files of folders you had permissions to. Once your account is removed, IT Services have no record of the permissions held by your account.