A feature request has been made to display a helpful message when a logged-in user tries to access a topic in a category they have no permissions for, but can gain permission by requesting membership. This feature aims to provide a more user-friendly experience and encourage users to join relevant groups.
The message would say: “Hey, you can not see this topic, but if you join the [Group Name] group you will be able to see it, [request membership]”. sam proposed this feature and codinghorror agreed it’s a sensible request. maja worked on implementing it, and joffreyjaffeux merged the pull request.
The feature requires the detailed_404 site setting to be enabled and the category to have a group with requestable membership set in security permissions. A screenshot of the feature in action is available in the commit. pfaffman suggested adding an example of the feature’s use on the try server.
If you visit a topic in a category you have no permissions for
AND you are a logged on user
AND can gain permission by requesting membership, we should display a helpful message saying:
Hey, you can not see this topic, but if you join the AWESOME group you will be able to see it, [request membership]
just pick the first group if there is a multi match
This does leak out a bit of information about “who can see” a topic which we do not leak out now. However to leak this data you got to create a group that accepts membership requests, so you kind of opted for it.
I really like this feature request, going to slot it for 2.3
This sounds great. Would it be possible to, say, have an example of its use on try? Does it Just Work if there is a category exclusive to some group and the group allows access requests?
Edit: I guess rereading the OP would have been smart.
You need to enable the 