Hello,
We are proud to let you know that Smart List Pro now supports column permissions in Datasheet view, MS Access and in Lists.asmx web service, in addition to the regular list views and forms.
Among other features, Smart List Pro allows you to set permissions to columns both directly and, even better, by grouping them into tabs and setting permissions to the tabs themselves. Just imagine how easier it is to group 50 columns into 5 tabs and set permissions to the tabs themselves, instead of settings permissions to each individual column out of 50!
Now these permissions apply to non-SharePoint forms environments as well.
In Datasheet view, columns with permissions (both direct and through tabs) are presented as Read-only, so you have to modify the values in list forms only, preventing unauthorized access.
In Access (and other applications that use Lists.asmx web service) the columns are also shown as Read-only. Additionally, if a column value has to be Hidden (according to permissions and conditions), the column will appear blank for the specific items if the current user does not have the necessary permissions.
As an added bonus, this new feature also makes several of our custom fields editable in Datasheet, Access and web services. These fields include Connected Field, Color Field, URL Plus Field, Document Link Field and the free AJAX Field. Additionally, some fields that store values in our unique unreadable format (such as Signature Field) are excluded completely to prevent confusion.
Please note that the new functionality applies to Smart List Pro only, it does not work in the free Smart List Lite.