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Permissions Graph Overview
Learn how the Permissions Graph visualizes live folder permissions in Autodesk Forma, showing real-time access for users, roles, and companies through an interactive network view.
What is the Permissions Graph?
The Permissions Graph is an interactive network visualisation that shows the live folder permissions from your Autodesk Forma (formerly ACC) project. Unlike static reports, it connects directly to the Autodesk API to display real-time data about who has access to what.
The graph displays three types of subjects:
- Users (blue ellipses) — individual project members
- Roles (pink rectangles) — project roles
- Companies (green dashed rectangles) — company-level permissions
These subjects are connected to folder nodes via permission edges, colour-coded by access level.
Getting Started
- Navigate to Permissions Graph from the sidebar
- Select a Hub and Project from the dropdowns
- The graph automatically loads the top-level folders and their permissions
If you've been working in another area of Foreman with a project already selected, the Permissions Graph will inherit that context automatically.
Understanding the Graph
Nodes
| Node Type | Shape | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Folder | Rectangle with folder icon | Project folders at the current level |
| User | Blue ellipse | Individual users with direct permissions |
| Role | Pink rectangle | project roles with permissions |
| Company | Green dashed rectangle | Companies with permissions |
Edges (Permission Lines)
Each line connecting a subject to a folder represents a permission rule. The colour indicates the access level. Hover over any line to see a tooltip with the exact permission level.
| Colour | Permission Level |
|---|---|
| Grey | View Only |
| Blue | View/Download |
| Amber | Upload |
| Red | Upload + Edit |
| Green | Full Control |
Direct vs Inherited Permissions
- Solid lines represent permissions assigned directly to the folder
- Dashed lines represent permissions inherited from a parent folder
Inherited permissions cannot be modified from the current folder — you need to navigate to the parent folder where the permission was originally assigned. The detail panel and tooltips both indicate when a permission is inherited.
Stats Bar
Above the graph, summary cards show:
- Folders — number of folders at the current level (or across the entire tree in full tree mode)
- Subjects — unique users, roles, and companies with permissions
- Permission Rules — total number of permission entries
- No Permissions — folders with no explicit permission rules (potential gaps)
- Full Control — count of subjects with full administrative access
In full tree mode, the stats line also shows the number of depth levels (e.g., "4 levels deep").
Full Tree Mode
By default the graph loads one level at a time. Click the Tree toggle in the toolbar to fetch the entire folder hierarchy with permissions at every level. The tree is displayed as a single connected graph where:
- Dashed grey lines show parent-child folder relationships
- Coloured lines show permission assignments (same as single-level mode)
- Folders with no permission edges are still marked as orphans
Full tree mode is especially useful for seeing the big picture — how permissions flow across your project's folder structure. The Permissions Advisor becomes more powerful in tree mode because it can analyse cross-level patterns.
Double-click any folder in tree mode to exit and drill into that folder's single-level view.
Permissions Advisor
The Advisor tab in the slide-out panel runs 10 automated checks on your permission data:
| Check | Severity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Direct User Permissions | Warning | Individual users with direct folder access instead of roles |
| Role Consolidation | Suggestion | Subjects with identical permission sets that could be merged |
| Over-Permissioned | Warning | Full Control assignments that may be stronger than needed |
| Redundant Permissions | Suggestion | Direct permissions that duplicate what's already inherited |
| Permission Gaps | Warning | Subjects on most sibling folders but missing from a few |
| Broad Access Sprawl | Suggestion | Subjects with access to every folder at a level |
| Orphan Folders | Critical | Folders with zero permission assignments |
| Uniform Permissions | Suggestion | Folders where every subject has the same access level |
| Single-Folder Roles | Suggestion | Roles assigned to only one folder |
| Inconsistent Overrides | Warning | Direct permissions that escalate above inherited levels |
For checks with actionable fixes, click Apply to stage the recommended changes into the pending changes workflow. You can review and save them from the detail panel just like manual edits.
Next Steps
- Navigating the Graph — drill-down, layouts, and wide-screen mode
- Searching & Filtering — find specific folders and subjects
- Detail Panel & Editing Permissions — inspect connections, edit permissions, and open folders in Autodesk Forma