A common method for handling list item access in public lists is to restrict users to viewing/editing only those items they have created. Each SharePoint list, with the exception of document and picture libraries, has a 'Modify item-level security' link on the left of the page, accessible from the 'Change permissions for this list' link in the 'Modify Settings and Columns' options. This handy feature prevents users from changing or viewing what other users have posted but allows them to freely edit their own items.
To enable this functionality for document/picture/forms libraries, you must edit the administration pages that control the display of list options. The first page, SHROPT.ASPX, is responsible for showing user permissions and the Actions menu for anonymous access, access requests, and item-level security. When this page is called from a document or picture library, the item-level security link is hidden. To display it, remove the lines 333 and 354:
Line 333 <% if ((m_auim == AclUIMode.LIST)&&(m_list.BaseType != SPBaseType.Issue)) { %>
...
Line 354 <% } %>
Leave the HTML code between the opening and closing curly braces intact. The item-level security link will now be displayed on SHROPT.ASPX for all document and picture libraries.
Next, you will need to remove several references to the document library type from LSTSETNG.ASPX. This file contains groups of menu items that are used for all types of lists; if...then blocks in the code control which options are shown for each list type. For example, the following block controls the display of the Document Version options for document libraries:
<%if ( iBaseType == SPBaseType.DocumentLibrary && !bIsCustomTemplate){%><!-- Versioning Settings-->
[HTML Code Removed to Conserve Space]
<%}%>
The function works by checking the base type of the current list against the list of base types in the object model; in this case, it checks to see if the current list type (iBaseType) is a document library (SPBaseType.DocumentLibrary). By removing references to SPBaseType.DocumentLibrary in key sections of the file, those elements will then be displayed on the page.
Begin by modifying line 630, changing it from this:
<% if ((iBaseType != SPBaseType.DocumentLibrary) && (iBaseType != SPBaseType.Issue))
To this:
<% if (iBaseType != SPBaseType.Issue)
Next, re-enable the hidden table row on line 646, going from this:
<% switch ( iBaseType ) { case SPBaseType.DocumentLibrary:%> <tr style="display:none;"><%break;default:%><TR><%break;}%>
To this:
<% switch ( iBaseType ) { case SPBaseType.DocumentLibrary:%> <tr><%break;default:%><TR><%break;}%>
Note: If you prefer, you can set the table row display to 'inline' instead of removing the style tag altogether.
Now do the same on line 654, changing it from:
<% if ((iBaseType != SPBaseType.DocumentLibrary) && (iBaseType != SPBaseType.Issue))
To:
<% if (iBaseType != SPBaseType.Issue)
That's it. You can now set item-level permissions for document, picture and form libraries. Test it by uploading a few items, changing the permissions, then logging in as a different (non-admin) user; if you set the view option to 'Only their own', the new user won't be able to see your documents. If you set the Edit option to 'Only their own', all users can see your items but when they try to save any edits they will be prompted for a login and thus prevented from making any changes.
