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Troubleshoot Login, Access, and Security Issues

Updated

Login, access, and security settings in SmartSimple control how users authenticate into an instance, reach their portal, access shared files, and receive assigned roles. System Administrators and Global Administrators can use the troubleshooting steps below to resolve the most common issues in each of these areas.

Who: System Administrators and Global Administrators.

When to Troubleshoot Login, Access, and Security Issues

Login, access, and security issues typically fall into one of the following scenarios:

  • A user cannot log in or reach their portal page, or does not receive a password reset email.
  • An organization cannot be found or registered on a host organization registration page.
  • An external user receives a permission error when opening a PDF document.
  • A user does not receive a multi-factor authentication (MFA) code at login.
  • A role checkbox is grayed out and cannot be assigned to a user.

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Resolve Login and Password Reset Issues

If a user cannot log in or reach their portal page, first confirm the correct website address (URL) for the instance is being used. A typical instance URL looks like orgName.smartsimple.com, where orgName matches the hosting organization. Some addresses point elsewhere. For example, https://smart.smartsimple.com is the internal SmartSimple Support Portal, not a client instance.

If the URL is correct and the user still cannot log in:

  1. Click Forgot Password to regenerate the password.
  2. Check the spam folder if the reset email does not arrive within a few minutes.

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Register an Organization for Portal Access

To register an organization from a host organization registration page:

  1. Confirm the organization name is spelled correctly.
  2. Search by the organization's EIN if the name search does not return a match.

If the organization still does not appear in the search results, contact the host organization by email to request a new Organization Profile. Include a PDF copy of the organization's tax determination status with the request.

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Allow External Users to Access a PDF Document

If an external user receives a permission error when opening a PDF document, the public access setting on the file is most likely turned off. Enable public access on the custom field that stores the PDF:

  1. Click the System Administration gear in the upper navigation bar, and then select Global Settings.
  2. Click the Users tab, and then click Custom Fields.
  3. Click the Edit [pencil] icon on the custom field that stores the PDF file.
  4. Click the Permissions & Availability tab.
  5. Locate the File Serving section and toggle Allow Public Access to Files on.

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Resolve Missing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Codes

If only one user, or a small number of users, does not receive an MFA code at login, the validation emails are most likely being blocked on the user's end.

  1. Contact the affected user's local IT team to confirm the emails are not being blocked.

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Enable Internal Roles for an External Contact

Reclassify the User

The roles available in the Edit Roles and Access tool on a user profile depend on whether the user is classified as an Internal Contact or an External Contact. Internal roles appear grayed out and cannot be selected while the user is an External Contact.

  1. Locate the custom button on the user profile that switches a user between Internal Contact and External Contact status.
  2. Click the button to reclassify the user as an Internal Contact.

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Add the Reclassification Button if Missing

If this button is not available in the environment:

  1. Create a new user profile custom field of the type Display - Text and Variables.
  2. Configure the field to be visible only to users with System Administrator roles.
  3. Enter the following content in the field:
@system.library.Change Contact to Internal or External@

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