Question:

I want different access restrictions to different parts of the user portal. This is the configuration I want:

1. Community is public (login isn't required - only an email address)
2. Tickets can only be submitted by users who are approved manually

How can I have closed registration for Tickets, but allow Community Topics to be submitted by any visitor to the portal?

Answer:

The way to implement selective access, where part of the helpdesk is public but part is restricted, is with usergroups.

To implement the above:

1. In Admin > CRM > Permission Groups, remove ticket permissions from the Everyone and Registered usergroups (and any other usergroups). Make sure that the Everyone group has permission to use Community.

2. Create a new "Approved" usergroup and grant it ticket permissions.

3. Add users who are allowed to submit tickets to the "Approved" usergroup. Any users not in this group won't be able to submit tickets by email or even see the relevant sections of the portal.