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When the template mapping changes
Any given user is either 1) linked to a template user and without a layout of his own, or 2) unlinked from the template and using his or her very own layout. Users start out linked to their template userusers. They become unlinked by means of making a layout personalization, e.g. adding, moving, or deleting a channel. On personalization, uPortal copies the template layout content into a new personal layout for this user, and forevermore this user is "unlinked" from the template (until and unless the user resets layout.)
If a user is unlinked from the template layout, then neither changes to the content of the template layout nor changes to the user attribute that determined to which template the user is mapped , have any effect.
If a user is linked to a template layout, then when this user's linked template user's layout changes, those changes are reflected in the perceived layout of the user. Since the user didn't have a layout of his or her own, he or she is using the template user's layout, and so experiences updates to that template on next login.
But what happens when the user's template attribute itself changes, for example the value changes from "student" to "faculty"? The If the user is linked to a template layout, the portal will display the new template user layout (in this case, faculty), delete this user from all the modifiable groups in which he or she presently resides, and place this user in the new groups associated with the faculty template user. However, if the user is unlinked from the template, the change to template attribute will have no effect (until and unless the user resets her layout).
To restate, providing the user does not customize his or her layout, when the user's portal template attribute values changes, the portal will present the new layout and pull the user out of all past groups that it can (cannot modify read-only groups such as PAGS groups) and place this user into the new groups affiliated with the new template user, whereas in the event that a user modifies his or her layout and thereby breaks association with the template user, then even if the portal template attribute changes, the user will not receive a new layout nor will she change group membership.