Allow all facilitators + free-text story author (#1514)

app/controllers/stories_controller.rb

@@ -62,6 +62,9 @@ def edit
 
   def create
     @story = Story.new(story_params.except(:category_ids, :sector_ids))
+    # A free-text author name covers facilitators who aren't in the CMS, so an
+    # author User may not be selected. Fall back to the current admin as creator.
+    @story.created_by_id ||= current_user.id
     authorize! @story
 
     success = false
@@ -131,7 +134,7 @@ def set_form_variables
                             .references(:users)
                             .order(:created_at)
     @people = Person.order(Arel.sql("LOWER(first_name), LOWER(last_name)"))
-    @users = User.has_access.includes(:person).left_joins(:person).order(Arel.sql("people.first_name IS NULL, LOWER(people.first_name), LOWER(people.last_name), LOWER(users.email)"))
+    @users = User.includes(:person).left_joins(:person).order(Arel.sql("people.first_name IS NULL, LOWER(people.first_name), LOWER(people.last_name), LOWER(users.email)"))
     @windows_types = WindowsType.all
     @workshops = authorized_scope(Workshop.all).includes(:windows_type).order(:title)
     @categories_grouped =
@@ -189,7 +192,7 @@ def story_params
     params.require(:story).permit(
       :title, :rhino_body, :featured, :published, :publicly_visible, :publicly_featured, :youtube_url, :website_url,
       :windows_type_id, :organization_id, :workshop_id, :external_workshop_title,
-      :created_by_id, :updated_by_id, :story_idea_id, :spotlighted_facilitator_id, :author_credit_preference,
+      :created_by_id, :updated_by_id, :story_idea_id, :spotlighted_facilitator_id, :author_credit_preference, :author_name,
       category_ids: [],
       sector_ids: [],
       primary_asset_attributes: [ :id, :file, :_destroy ],

app/models/concerns/author_creditable.rb

@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ module AuthorCreditable
   }.freeze
 
   def author_credit
+    free_text = try(:author_name)
+    return free_text if free_text.present?
     person = created_by&.person
     case author_credit_preference
     when "full_name" then person&.full_name || "Anonymous"

app/views/stories/_form.html.erb

@@ -286,6 +286,12 @@
                     style: custom_caret_style,
                     onchange: select_caret_onchange
                   } %>
+
+      <%= f.input :author_name,
+                  as: :string,
+                  label: "Or type an author name",
+                  hint: "Use for facilitators not in the CMS, or where we only have a first name. Overrides the dropdown and credit preference.",
+                  input_html: { class: "w-full px-3 py-2 border border-gray-300 rounded-lg" } %>
     </div>
 
     <div class="flex-1 mb-4 md:mb-0">

app/views/stories/show.html.erb

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
         <!-- Meta Data (exact screenshot style) -->
         <div class="text-sm text-gray-600 space-y-0.5">
           <p><strong>Story by:</strong>
-            <% if @story.created_by.person&.profile_is_searchable %>
+            <% if @story.author_name.blank? && @story.created_by.person&.profile_is_searchable %>
               <%= link_to @story.author_credit, person_path(@story.created_by) %>
             <% else %>
               <%= @story.author_credit %>

db/migrate/20260604120000_add_author_name_to_stories.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+class AddAuthorNameToStories < ActiveRecord::Migration[8.1]
+  def up
+    add_column :stories, :author_name, :string
+  end
+
+  def down
+    remove_column :stories, :author_name, if_exists: true
+  end
+end

db/schema.rb

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 #
 # It's strongly recommended that you check this file into your version control system.
 
-ActiveRecord::Schema[8.1].define(version: 2026_05_29_155200) do
+ActiveRecord::Schema[8.1].define(version: 2026_06_04_120000) do
   create_table "action_text_mentions", charset: "utf8mb4", collation: "utf8mb4_unicode_ci", force: :cascade do |t|
     t.bigint "action_text_rich_text_id", null: false
     t.datetime "created_at", null: false
@@ -899,6 +899,7 @@
 
   create_table "stories", charset: "utf8mb4", collation: "utf8mb4_unicode_ci", force: :cascade do |t|
     t.string "author_credit_preference"
+    t.string "author_name"
     t.text "body"
     t.datetime "created_at", null: false
     t.integer "created_by_id", null: false

spec/models/story_spec.rb

@@ -3,6 +3,21 @@
 RSpec.describe Story, type: :model do
   it_behaves_like "author_creditable", factory: :story
 
+  describe "#author_credit with a free-text author_name" do
+    let(:author_user) { create(:user, :with_person) }
+    let(:story) { create(:story, created_by: author_user, author_credit_preference: "full_name") }
+
+    it "returns the free-text name, overriding the created_by person and credit preference" do
+      story.update!(author_name: "Jane (first name only)")
+      expect(story.author_credit).to eq("Jane (first name only)")
+    end
+
+    it "falls back to the created_by person when author_name is blank" do
+      story.update!(author_name: "")
+      expect(story.author_credit).to eq(author_user.person.full_name)
+    end
+  end
+
   describe "#attach_assets_from_idea!" do
     let(:idea) { create(:story_idea) }
     let(:story) { create(:story, story_idea: idea) }

spec/requests/stories_spec.rb

@@ -211,6 +211,28 @@ def titles_in_response
 
         expect(response).to redirect_to(story_url(Story.last))
       end
+
+      it "creates a story with a free-text author name and no selected author" do
+        attributes = base_attributes.merge(author_name: "Unlisted Facilitator")
+        attributes.delete(:created_by_id)
+
+        expect {
+          post stories_url, params: { story: attributes }
+        }.to change(Story, :count).by(1)
+
+        story = Story.last
+        expect(story.author_name).to eq("Unlisted Facilitator")
+        expect(story.created_by).to eq(admin)
+        expect(story.author_credit).to eq("Unlisted Facilitator")
+      end
+    end
+
+    describe "GET /new" do
+      it "includes inactive facilitators in the author dropdown" do
+        inactive_user = create(:user, :with_person, inactive: true)
+        get new_story_url
+        expect(response.body).to include(inactive_user.full_name_with_email)
+      end
     end
   end