How to disable "options" per group

Well, not such a big patch, after all, it adds 8 lines in the main commons_core module and 2 files.

The 8 lines and the first file are the standard code needed to expose a new plugin to the views API.
Something, by the way, that at some point some other feature request would have addressed and hence made implemented by somebody, I suppose.

The last file (commons_core_plugin_argument_validate_disabled_group.inc), on the other hand, extends the default plugin used by default in drupal commons: "Group nodes" (og_views_plugin_argument_validate_og_group_types.inc).

Extending in the sense the new plugin keeps his functionality as fixed by the default settings of drupal commons: i.e. "Group" as "Group node types" and "Node ID" as "Argument type". In terms of code this means that the logic of "Group nodes" is preserved (same code with simplification for node argument handling).

The core of the patch is on the form element for the selection of "Disabled groups":

    // get active group nodes
    $options = array();
    $options = $this->get_groups();
    $default_groups = $this->argument->options['validate_argument_disabled_groups'];
    if (empty($default_groups)) {
      $default_groups = array();
    }

    $form['validate_argument_disabled_groups'] = array(
      '#type' => 'select',
      '#title' => t('Disabled groups'),
      '#options' => $options,
      '#default_value' => $default_groups,
      '#multiple' => TRUE,
      '#description' => t('If you wish to disable for specific groups, check them.'), // . print_r($options, TRUE),
      '#process' => array('views_process_dependency'),
      '#dependency' => array('edit-options-validate-type' => array($this->id)),
    );

Then in the validate_argument:

    // validate for enabled group (i.e. if group is set then is disabled)
    if(is_numeric($argument) && 
       isset($this->argument->options['validate_argument_disabled_groups'][$argument]) &&
       $this->argument->options['validate_argument_disabled_groups'][$argument]>0 ) {
      return FALSE;
    }

It was the less intrusive way I found to implement this feature (requested by our new community site).

By design it allows the selection of "disabled" instead of "enabled" groups so to avoid admins have to remember to edit settings after the creation of a new group to keep the default behavior of drupal commons.
Adding a simple checkbox to select between the effect ("disabled"/"enabled"), as in rules module, could be a nice extension. As the number of groups grows some jquery multiselect magic would worth.

Although this patch is functional, it needs some cleanup: first, there are comments (old code, various debugs) in the code to be removed; second, the name of the select form element ("validate_argument_is_member") should be changed because hijacks the correspondant form element of "Group nodes"; it does not show up anymore when you select "Group nodes" as validator plugin (blame on me).

Some of the jquery multiselect magic that could be used as the number of node groups grows:

• http://quasipartikel.at/multiselect
• http://pure-essence.net/stuff/webTips/dodosPicklist/index.html
• http://code.google.com/p/jqmultiselects
• http://gsgd.co.uk/sandbox/jquery/picklists
• http://hackerhosting.com/ph-jquery/www/demo/dualselect.html
• http://plugins.jquery.com/project/DualListbox

I'm wondering if could be an option to include views settings in the main node group edit form using form_alter.

This should allow users with "lower" permission level to manage "options" without using directly the views UI.

Hi Mike we managed to solve the node type permissions by role (group role) using "Content Type Administration by Organic Group" module with a small patch to increase granularity: http://drupal.org/node/247902#comment-3498998.

I agree that an overhaul of DC would address better the issue...