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SStandShare

View the app as another user

Admin

Impersonation allows administrators to view the platform exactly as a specific user sees it. This is useful for troubleshooting issues, verifying permission configurations, and providing support without asking the user to share their screen.

Prerequisites​

  • You must have the Admin role. Impersonation is restricted to full administrators and cannot be granted through custom role permissions.

How impersonation works​

When you impersonate a user:

  1. StandShare generates a secure, one-time impersonation token.
  2. You are signed into a new session as the target user.
  3. An impersonation banner appears at the top of the screen, clearly indicating that you are viewing the platform as another user.
  4. You see exactly what the user sees -- the same dashboard, navigation, permissions, and data.
  5. All actions you take during the session are logged in the audit trail and marked as impersonated.

Starting an impersonation session​

  1. Navigate to User Management from the admin navigation.
  2. Find the user you want to impersonate.
  3. Click the Impersonate action on the user's row.
  4. The system generates a secure token and redirects you to a new session as that user.

The impersonation page shows a "Signing you in" message while the token is consumed and the session is established. You are then redirected to the user's dashboard.

What you see during impersonation​

  • Dashboard -- the user's personal dashboard with their balance, recent transactions, upcoming events, and activity feed.
  • Navigation -- only the navigation items the user's roles grant access to are visible.
  • Data -- only the data the user has permission to view is accessible. If the user is a Family Lead, you see only their family's data.
  • Impersonation banner -- a persistent banner at the top of every page reminds you that you are in an impersonation session.

Ending an impersonation session​

To return to your own admin session:

  1. Click the End Impersonation button in the impersonation banner.
  2. You are signed out of the impersonated session and returned to your admin account.

Alternatively, you can close the browser tab or navigate away. The impersonation session uses a separate token and does not affect your own admin session in other tabs.

Audit trail​

Every impersonation session is fully logged:

  • Session start -- who initiated the impersonation, the target user, and the timestamp
  • Actions taken -- any actions performed during the session are recorded with an impersonation flag
  • Session end -- when the impersonation session was terminated

These audit records are visible in the Audit tab of Financial Reports and in the system audit log. This ensures full accountability and transparency.

Important notes​

  • Impersonation tokens are single-use. Each token can only be consumed once. If an error occurs, you must generate a new token by initiating impersonation again.
  • Impersonation does not bypass data isolation. You see only what the target user would see based on their roles and permissions.
  • Use impersonation responsibly. It is a powerful tool intended for support and troubleshooting, not for routine administration.

Next Steps​