Custom field value is lost when a user don't have EDIT permission on that custom field editing a web content

• Type: Technical Task
• Status: Closed
• Resolution: Completed
• Affects Version/s: 6.2.10 EE GA1, 6.2.X EE, 7.0.0 M5
• Fix Version/s: 6.2.X EE, 7.0.0 M6
• Component/s: Web Content > Web Content Administration
• Labels:
  • ee-ts
  • liferay-fixpack-portal-105-6210
• Branch Version/s:
  6.2.x
• Backported to Branch:
  Committed
• Git Pull Request: https://github.com/epgarcia/liferay-portal/pull/277

It looks like it is currently not possible to create a portal user role with VIEW permissions on a custom field without causing the custom field value to be lost upon saving the web content. The only workaround I found so far is to give UPDATE permission as well on the custom field for such role.

Reproduction steps:

1. Start vanilla Liferay and login with OmniAdmin user
2. Go to Admin > Control Panel > Roles
3. Create a new regular role called editor
4. Define the following permissions for such role:
   Custom Fields > Custom Field: View
   Web Content > Web Content Article: Update
5. Go to Users and Organizations, Add a new user called contenteditor, assign him to the Liferay site with role editor
6. Go to Control Panel > Configuration > Custom Fields > Web Content Article
7. Click Add Custom Field. Key: "Approver" // Type: Text Field - Indexed. Save
8. Go to the Welcome page and place a Web Content Display portlet onto it
9. Click + Add. Add a title and content
10. Click on Custom Fields and under "Approver" type "readonlyfield". Click Publish.
11. Click again Edit, then Custom Fields and assert the text "readonlyfield" has been saved and it's visible. Close the window without making any change
12. Login with the contenteditor user and open the web content in edit mode. Assert that the custom field value is visible in read only mode
13. Publish the web content without making any change. Open again the web content in edit mode and check the Custom field value:

Expected: The value to be preserved and visible in read only mode
Actual behavior: the custom field value has disappeared