Backend User Object¶

The backend user of a session is always available in extensions as the global variable $GLOBALS['BE_USER']. The object is created in \TYPO3\CMS\Core\Core\Bootstrap::initializeBackendUser() and is an instance of the class \TYPO3\CMS\Core\Authentication\BackendUserAuthentication (which extends \TYPO3\CMS\Core\Authentication\AbstractUserAuthentication).

In addition to $GLOBALS['BE_USER'] one other global variables is of interest - $FILEMOUNTS, holding an array with the File mounts of the $GLOBALS['BE_USER'].

Checking User Access¶

The $GLOBALS['BE_USER'] object is mostly used to check user access right, but contains other helpful information. This is presented here by a few examples:

Checking Access to Current Backend Module¶

$MCONF is module configuration and the key $MCONF['access'] determines the access scope for the module. This function call will check if the $GLOBALS['BE_USER'] is allowed to access the module and if not, the function will exit with an error message.

$GLOBALS['BE_USER']->modAccess($MCONF, 1);

Checking Access to any Backend Module¶

If you know the module key you can check if the module is included in the access list by this function call:

$GLOBALS['BE_USER']->check('modules', 'web_list');

Here access to the module WEB > List is checked.

Access to Tables and Fields?¶

The same function ->check() can actually check all the ->groupLists inside $GLOBALS['BE_USER']. For instance:

Checking modify access to the table "pages":

$GLOBALS['BE_USER']->check('tables_modify', 'pages');

Checking read access to the table "tt_content":

$GLOBALS['BE_USER']->check('tables_select', 'tt_content');

Checking if a table/field pair is allowed explicitly through the "Allowed Excludefields":

$GLOBALS['BE_USER']->check('non_exclude_fields', $table . ':' . $field);

Is "admin"?¶

If you want to know if a user is an "admin" user (has complete access), just call this method:

$GLOBALS['BE_USER']->isAdmin();

Read Access to a Page?¶

This function call will return true if the user has read access to a page (represented by its database record, $pageRec):

$GLOBALS['BE_USER']->doesUserHaveAccess($pageRec, 1);

Changing the "1" for other values will check other permissions:

use "2" for checking if the user may edit the page
use "4" for checking if the user may delete the page.

Is a Page Inside a DB Mount?¶

Access to a page should not be checked only based on page permissions but also if a page is found within a DB mount for ther user. This can be checked by this function call ($id is the page uid):

$GLOBALS['BE_USER']->isInWebMount($id)

Selecting Readable Pages From Database?¶

If you wish to make a SQL statement which selects pages from the database and you want it to be only pages that the user has read access to, you can have a proper WHERE clause returned by this function call:

$GLOBALS['BE_USER']->getPagePermsClause(1);

Again the number "1" represents the "read" permission; "2" is "edit" and "4" is "delete" permission. The result from the above query could be this string:

((pages.perms_everybody & 1 = 1)OR(pages.perms_userid = 2 AND pages.perms_user & 1 = 1)OR(pages.perms_groupid in (1) AND pages.perms_group & 1 = 1))

Saving Module Data¶

This stores the input variable $compareFlags (an array!) with the key "tools_beuser/index.php/compare"

$compareFlags = \TYPO3\CMS\Core\Utility\GeneralUtility::_GP('compareFlags');
$GLOBALS['BE_USER']->pushModuleData('tools_beuser/index.php/compare', $compareFlags);

Getting Module Data¶

This gets the module data with the key "tools_beuser/index.php/compare" (lasting only for the session)

$compareFlags = $GLOBALS['BE_USER']->getModuleData('tools_beuser/index.php/compare', 'ses');

Getting TSconfig¶

This function can return a value from the "User TSconfig" structure of the user. In this case the value for "options.clipboardNumberPads":

$tsconfig = $GLOBALS['BE_USER']->getTSConfig('');
$clipboardNumberPads = $tsconfig['options.clipboardNumberPads'] ?? '';

Getting the Username¶

The full "be_users" record of a authenticated user is available in $GLOBALS['BE_USER']->user as an array. This will return the "username":

$GLOBALS['BE_USER']->user['username']

Get User Configuration Value¶

The internal ->uc array contains options which are managed by the User Tools > User Settings module (extension "setup"). These values are accessible in the $GLOBALS['BE_USER']->uc array. This will return the current state of "Notify me by email, when somebody logs in from my account" for the user:

$GLOBALS['BE_USER']->uc['emailMeAtLogin']