Adding custom permissions for WordPress roles

WordPress uses roles and capabilities to control what users can and cannot do on a site. By default, WordPress provides six predefined roles: Super Admin, Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, and Subscriber. Each role has its own set of permissions. On ruachost.com, you can extend these roles by adding custom permissions with PHP.

Why Add Custom Permissions?

• Fine‑tune user access to specific tasks.

• Allow contributors to edit pages but not posts.

• Restrict plugin or theme management to certain roles.

• Improve site security by limiting unnecessary privileges.

Steps to Add Custom Permissions

1. Log in to WordPress with an administrator account.

2. In the dashboard, go to Appearance → Theme Editor.

3. Select your active theme and open the functions.php file.

4. Add the following code snippet:

   // Add a custom role with specific permissions
   $result = add_role(
       'new', __( 'New' ),
       array(
           'read' => true,            // allow reading
           'edit_posts' => false,     // disallow editing own posts
           'edit_pages' => true,      // allow editing pages
           'edit_others_posts' => false, // disallow editing others' posts
           'create_posts' => false    // disallow creating new posts
       )
   );
   

   • Replace 'new' with your custom role slug.

   • Adjust true or false values to enable/disable specific capabilities.

5. Save the file.

6. Log out and back in → The new role will now appear under Users → Add New.

Important Notes

• Always back up your theme before editing functions.php.

• Use a child theme to preserve changes during updates.

• Some capabilities (like unfiltered_upload) are disabled by default and must be explicitly enabled in wp-config.php.