Do you want to control exactly who can see your course content and protect valuable material from unauthorized access? Whether you’re selling courses, creating membership sites, or simply want to restrict certain content to registered users, Thrive Apprentice provides flexible and powerful access control options.
In this article, we’ll help you master access control in Thrive Apprentice, including the following.
- Understanding the multi-level access control system
- Gating individual pages (not just courses)
- Restricting dashboard access to logged-in users
- Creating sophisticated access rules with multiple conditions
- Troubleshooting common access control issues
Understanding Thrive Apprentice’s Multi-Level Access Control System
Thrive Apprentice uses a hierarchical access control system with three levels:
- Global Settings – Default rules that apply to all content unless overridden
- Product-Level Settings – Rules specific to individual products
- Course/Content-Level Settings – Drip schedules and specific content restrictions
Understanding this hierarchy is crucial for effective access control. When a user attempts
to access content, Thrive Apprentice checks:
- Is the user logged in? (If required)
- Does the user have access to the product? (Through purchase or other access rules)
- Is the content currently available? (Not locked by drip scheduling)
Let’s explore how to configure each level for maximum control.
Global Access Control Settings
Global settings serve as your default rules and are found in Thrive Dashboard > Thrive Apprentice > Settings > Login & Access Restriction.
Here you can configure what happens in three key scenarios:
User is not logged in
This controls what happens when someone who isn’t logged in tries to access restricted content. Options include:
- Display custom content – Show a message explaining login requirements
- Redirect to login & registration page – Send them to your login page
- Redirect to custom page – Send them to a sales page or other custom page
- Display login form – This feature is deprecated.
It is recommended that you use “Redirect to login & registration page” for the best user experience, ensuring the “Redirect to content after login” option is enabled so users are sent directly to their desired content after logging in.
Not yet purchased
This controls what happens when a logged-in user tries to access content they haven’t purchased or been granted access to. If a user has purchased another product and not the one they are trying to access, they can still access the one they’ve purchased and not this one. Options include:
- Display custom content – Show a sales message or access instructions
- Redirect to custom page – Send them to a sales page
It is recommended that you create a compelling sales page that explains the benefits of the content they’re trying to access and redirect users there.
Content is locked (drip feed protected)
This controls what happens when a user with access tries to view content that is currently locked by a drip schedule. Options include:
- Display custom content – Show a message explaining when the content will be available
- Redirect to custom page – Send them to a page explaining the drip schedule
It is recommended that you use “Display custom content” with a clear message explaining when the content will become available.
To know more about the Global Login and Access Restriction settings, read our documentation here.
Product-Level Access Control
Product-level settings override global settings and are found in Thrive Dashboard > Thrive Apprentice > Products > [Select Product] > Access Restriction Rules. Here you can:
- Override the global settings for each of the three scenarios above
- Create custom rules for specific user groups
Creating Advanced Product-Level Access Rules
The real power of Thrive Apprentice access control comes from custom product-level rules. To add a custom rule:
- Go to Thrive Dashboard > Thrive Apprentice > Products > [Select Product] > Access Restriction Rules
- In the Purchase Protection section, click + Add Rule
- Give your rule a descriptive name
- Select a condition:
- The user has purchased another product – Apply special rules for customers who own other products.
- User has the WordPress role – Apply special rules based on user roles
To understand more about Product-level Access Restriction rules, read our documentation here.
You can combine multiple conditions within a single rule (e.g., specific role AND purchased another product).
For each rule, you can:
- Display custom content
- Redirect to a custom page
Advanced Use Case: Create a special offer for customers who have purchased Product but are trying to access Product B. Show them a custom page with a special discount or bundle offer.
Gating Individual Pages (Not Just Courses)
One of the most powerful but less obvious features of Thrive Apprentice is the ability to restrict access to individual pages and posts, not just courses. This is perfect for creating membership sites or protected content areas.
To understand the working of this feature, here are a few documents you can refer to:
- Creating Pages/Posts Available to Logged-in Users Only
- Protecting Files and Granting Access for Customers or Students
Now these pages or posts are part of your product and subject to the same access rules as courses. Users will need to meet your access requirements to view these pages.
Advanced Use Case: Create a “Members Only” product that includes specific pages, resources, and tools that only paying members can access, separate from your courses.
Creating Role-Based Access Control
You can create sophisticated role-based access control using WordPress user roles and Thrive Apprentice products.
To understand more about creating role based access control, refer to the documents here:
- Granting Access to Different Thrive Apprentice Courses Using Custom User Roles
- Sell Subscriber-only Courses Using Thrive Apprentice and SendOwl
- Using the Access Requirements to Create Subscribers-only Courses
Advanced Use Case: Create a tiered membership site where different WordPress user roles get access to different content collections, with automatic upgrades based on purchase history or engagement.
Troubleshooting Access Control Issues
Common Issue 1: Users can’t access content they should have access to
Check these potential causes:
- Is the user logged in with the correct account?
- Has the user been properly granted access to the product? Check the Members section.
- Is the content part of the correct product? Check the product’s Content tab.
- Is the content currently locked by a drip schedule? Check the course’s Drip settings.
- Are there conflicting access rules at different levels? Remember product-level rules override global rules.
Common Issue 2: Users can access content they shouldn’t have access to
Check these potential causes:
- Is the content actually added to a restricted product? Check the product’s Content tab.
- Are there WordPress permissions allowing access? Check user roles and capabilities.
- Is the content accidentally included in multiple products with different access rules?
Common Issue 3: Access restriction not working for specific pages
Check these potential causes:
- Is the page correctly added to a product as WordPress Content?
- Are there theme template issues overriding the restriction? Try with a basic theme template.
- Is the page using a custom template that bypasses Thrive Apprentice restrictions?
Advanced Access Control Scenarios
Scenario 1: Free Preview with Gated Content
To create a course with some free lessons and other paid lessons, we recommend you to refer to our document here.
Scenario 2: Member-Only Website Sections
To create sections of your website only accessible to members you can refer to the following documents.
- Sell Subscriber-only Courses Using Thrive Apprentice and SendOwl
- Using the Access Requirements to Create Subscribers-only Courses
Although these documents focus on access to subscribers only, you can use this feature to manage access for other WordPress user roles too.
Best Practices for Advanced Access Control
- Plan your access structure before implementation – Map out your products, content, and access rules on paper first
- Use descriptive names for products and rules – This makes management much easier as your site grows
- Test access control thoroughly – Use incognito/private browsing and test accounts with different permissions
- Create custom messaging for different scenarios – Craft specific messages for each access scenario to improve user experience
- Document your access control structure – Keep records of which content is in which products and what rules apply
- Regularly audit access permissions – Periodically review who has access to what content
We’ve just seen how you can manage multiple access control rules in Thrive Apprentice.