Editing another person's object scripts, and permission limits

Ran into a couple strange things just the other day, regarding limitations placed on scripts that were dropped into another person's objects.

My SL Companion and I share a house, and as a Builder and scripter, I have been doing some remodeling - adding new sections and updating some old scripts. We've had the house for many months, and over time a number of parts have been replaced by one or the other of us, from our backup copies. (We both own full permissions copies of the original house. However, several of the scripts embedded in the build did have restrictions on their permissions.) Part of my remodeling project is to replace all limited perms scripts and objects with new ones, so I can addemble an updated backup of the full house, and so I can set up a Builder's Buddy rez box to re-rez and re-position the whole house, if anything should happen to it in the future. (I realize that we will need to set all the pieces to the same owner and group before I attempt to link any of the remodeled parts to the original build, or to make my new archive copy.)

[EDIT] Correction. My Companion also owns the sliding door in the case below. It's set to a group I do belong to. [/EDIT]

The first glitch came up with a part that I 'own', a door that originally had a no-permissions sliding door script in it. I didn't create the door or the original script, but I do own it and the door is set to the same group tag that I am wearing. The door does use two textures that I don't personally own, but which were applied to it by the door's creator. I wanted to replace that locked-down script with a functionally similar one that I wrote, with added features, like an auto-close timer. So I deleted the original script, and put in the one that I wrote. So far, so good. The script worked fine... Permissions on the 2-prim door itself were all checked, as was the script.

I tweaked the script in the door, changing the distance that it opened just a bit. Worked like a charm. Then I tried to copy the revised script back to my inventory.

The door object shouted that I was not allowed to transfer that inventory item! The script did not transfer to inventory.

WTF??? I wrote that script. It is +copy/+mod/+transfer. I checked the door, and even checked the individual contents of both prims. No other scripts hiding in there, and the door is definitely +copy/+mod/+transfer, and I own it. So how in the heck is the door deciding to shout, or to deny me the ability to move that script back to inventory?

It is not merely the presence of restricted textures in the door. There are other doors in the same build that had non-restricted scripts in them, but which used other textures that I don't own copies of. I was able to replace those scripts and copy them back into my inventory just fine. And I can copy the original sliding door into inventory, still containing its locked down script...

Second issue:

Same build. This time replacing a script that toggles window blind visibility. In this case, the linkset containing the original script belongs to my Companion, and I have full edit rights to her objects. The linkset is set to a group that I don't belong to, but is not owned by that group. I replaced a window script with one of my own, deleting the original and dropping mine in. My new script, which in my inventory is +copy/+mod/+transfer, appears in the linkset prim as no perms - NO copy/NO mod/NO transfer! I can't edit it or take it back. The script does work, and I can delete it. Very odd...

Wow, this is new. I had the same thing happen with a no-mod vehicle I was trying to strip the scripts out of because I was using it as a prop and I wanted to cut down on lag. I've always been able to do this before... but now it failed. I thought it was the vehicle's creator being a jerk and having a prim somewhere with a scanner script in it.

This sounds like one for the Answers forum.

This sounds pretty nasty, but I'm a little confused as to how I'd go about reproducing it to see if I'll run into it myself. What steps would you suggest I take to set up a test for myself?

Yes. I am certain there was no other scripted stuff in that sliding door. It was only two prims, and I checked the contents of both. The only thing I didn't do was to unlink the two prims and check the permissions of each prim individually.

I suspect the issue with the window curtain script will be resolved if I have my Companion set the group for the building section to one I am in, and sell the building section to me first, so I own the object I am adding the script to. Since there are only 8 or so pieces of the house that don't already belong to me, that may be the easiest way for me to make an archive copy, anyway.

I'll try a link to this thread in the current version feature feedback first, and will turn in an in-world bug report on my lunch break. I'm hesitant to add more 'noise' to SL answers when I haven't yet tried those two methods for obtaining an answer.

Worst case, I am sure I can come up with other work-arounds, including replacing the door with one I build from scratch. But it would be nice to keep the original textures. We both liked the appearance that the original custom builder of our home achieved. I just want to add more functionality.

For attempting to reproduce these glitches:

Case one:

Have someone else make a two prim item set to +copy/+mod/+transfer. Have them drop a script into it that is NO copy/NO Mod/NO Transfer. Have them give the object to you.

Rez the object in-world, so you own it. Delete the no perms script. Add a script that is +copy/+mod/+transfer. Attempt to drag that script back out of the object and into your inventory.

If the objects shouts that you can't transfer the item, you replicated the issue.

Case two:

Have someone else make a +copy/+mod/+transfer linkset containing a +copy/+mod/+transfer script in one of the prims. Have them set the group for the item to a group that you do not belong to. Have them give you edit rights on their items.

Edit their item, delete the +copy/+mod/+transfer script from that prim, and try to add a +copy/+mod/+transfer script of your own.

If the script in the prim appears as NO copy/NO Mod/NO Transfer, you replicated the issue.

OK, I did some testing over my lunch break, and also had a pleasant chat via IM with Kelly Linden. Thanks Kelly!

Here is what I found so far.

It turns out that in both cases, the object that I was adding a script to was one owned by my Companion. Having "Modify objects" rights granted does not necessarily convey the ability to duplicate the object or edit scripts properly in it, in spite of the fact that you can add and remove scripts.

Apparent results:

If you have "Modify objects" rights for a person's objects, and you add a +copy/+mod/+transfer script to an object that is owned by that person, and the group it is set to is a group you also belong to, the permissions of the added script will be OK, but you can't copy the script back out of it.

If you have "Modify objects" rights for a person's objects, and you add a +copy/+mod/+transfer script to an object that is owned by that person, and the group it is set to is a group you DO NOT belong to, the permissions of the added script will be changed to NO Copy/NO Mod/NO Transfer. The script will run, and you can delete it, but that is about it.

I think the issue is that the ownership of the script and of the object conflict, and it gets even worse when there is also a group rights conflict.

Sure would be nice if granting "Modify Objects" rights allowed you to modify scripts properly!

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Kelly mentioned that with the new Group membership roles, it may be better to assign certain roles and use group-owned objects for shared projects. I'll certainly look into that!

For now, on the sliding door, I replaced the door with a copy from my own archive backup, and added the new script to that. Since I owned all the parts, it all acts normally.

On the window scripts, I'll have my Companion transfer the house parts to a group that we both belong to, and then transfer ownership of the house parts to me. Then I can add the updated scripts, archive the build, and give her a copy of the archive. Again, if I own all the parts, it should work right.