The Power of Capabilities in WordPress: How to Use Capability None to Reset Permissions

WordPress is a powerful platform used by millions to create websites and manage their digital content. With its flexibility and a wide array of plugins and themes available, WordPress has become the go-to platform for many businesses looking to establish an online presence.

One of the powerful features of WordPress is its capabilities system. Capabilities define what users can do on a WordPress site, from viewing and editing posts to managing other users and settings. By default, each user role has a set of capabilities assigned to it, giving users a specific level of access to the site.

However, there are times when these default capabilities don’t fit your needs. For instance, you might want to restrict access to certain users or content, or reset all permissions to start from scratch. This is where the “capability none” feature comes in handy.

Capability none is a special capability that can be assigned to a user or a user role to revoke all of their capabilities. When a user has the “capability none”, they cannot do anything on the site, including logging in or viewing the dashboard.

Using capability none to reset permissions is an excellent way to start fresh with a user role and redefine their capabilities. For example, if you want to create a new user role with specific permissions, you can assign capability none to the new role and then add the desired capabilities.

To assign capability none to a user role, you can use a plugin like User Role Editor, which allows you to edit and customize user roles and their capabilities. Alternatively, you can use the code snippet below to revoke all capabilities from a specific role:

$role = get_role( ‘editor’ );
$role->remove_cap( ‘*’ );
$role->add_cap( ‘capability_none’ );

This code snippet will remove all capabilities from the “editor” user role and assign them the capability none.

In summary, capabilities are a powerful tool in WordPress that allows you to define what users can and cannot do on the site. By using capability none, you can reset permissions for a user role and start from scratch with a fresh set of capabilities. Whether you’re creating a new user role or simply redefining permissions, capability none is a feature that you don’t want to miss.